Flying Kiwis – November 13
Jeremy Brockie – Mamelodi Sundowns (South African Premier Soccer League)
Better slap on a raincoat and get your umbrella out because the drought is over, friends. Thrust back into the starting lineup for the midweek league game against Free State Stars and it took Jeremy Brockie less than twelve minutes to finally bust the dam. 378 days without a goal and every one of them went into this stinging volley, a very typical Jeremy Brockie goal to get the tally underway.
Sundowns went on to win that game 3-1 with Gaston Sirino adding a couple more first half goals, both strikers getting on the scoresheet, with Brockie replaced in the 78th minute. Definitely a win that Sundowns needed. They may still be undefeated but they’ve drawn more games than they’ve won… although let that thought simmer for a second and re-watch that goal. Didn’t he bloody love it too!
Jeremy Brockie: “On Monday when I found out I was starting, I felt quite confident and told a few people that I think I'm going to break the ice. And what better way to do it than setting up a nice volley for me to put in the back of the net. The hardest part is mentally trying to deal with it. Ever since I arrived in the country I've scored goals consistently and then I got the move that I wanted to Sundowns. I knew it was going to be difficult, but I thought I would have adapted a little bit quicker. I definitely want more. I feel very good for Saturday. I think now that the first one's out of the way in a competitive game, hopefully they start free flowing and keep myself in the starting XI and help the team to the top of the table where they should be.”
Typical striker though, old mate gets one and now he’s gunning for the golden boot.
Jeremy Brockie: “I always want to get into double figures. I want to challenge for the Golden Boot in the league. The top scorer is only on four goals. I have gone 13 months without finding the back of the net and after scoring my first goal, I am only three goals behind the Golden Boot leader. Winning the Golden Boot a goal for every striker and I am no different.”
Brockie was rewarded for that effort with another starting place on the weekend against Orlando Pirates, who came into this at the top of the table. And there they remain as neither team was able to find a breakthrough in a 0-0 draw. Sundowns have only scored 12 goals in 10 PSL games so don’t think Jeremy Brockie was the only one struggling to find the net. As with most droughts, it was a bit of a perfect storm… but you’ve been keeping up with that over the last year of Flying Kiwis so no dramas.
Up Next: International break followed by Black Leopards vs MS, November 29 at 6.30am (NZT)
Chris Wood – Burnley (English Premier League)
“It always helps (to score). It’s definitely good. It’s nice to be up and running in the Premier League. It’s just nice to tick that one off and then we build from there.”
Good on ya, Woody. First goal of the league season last week and third of the season total after a couple in the Europa League. Next step is to score a few more and translate that into some wins for the Clarets, who if you’ve forgotten haven’t had the best beginning to things.
Chris Wood: “It’s not what we’ve been known for in the past years, and we need to find a way of getting back to it. And we will do. We’ve got a good squad, and we’re working hard. It’s only a matter of time before we get back to that, but we need to make sure it starts this weekend. There are no easy games in this league, so we’re going to have to fight hard and hopefully pick up something to go into the international break with. The break can come at a good or bad time depending on how things pan out. We’re going to look to work hard in this game and hopefully get a positive result, and then we go on and move forward.”
This week he met one of his many ex-clubs, Leicester City. Which meant a very emotional evening as the first game back at King Power Stadium for Leicester since the tragedy that killed owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabbha. Woody played at Leicester for two years under the Srivaddhanaprabbha’s guidance so he knew the Thai businessman and his family quite well and was obviously affected by what happened. There are some great quotes here in this piece that elaborate on his relationship with and impressions of Srivaddhanaprabba.
This game was about more than football. It was about community and remembrance and plenty else. Fans of both clubs participated in the 5000-1 walk from the centre of town to the stadium, home fans appreciating the presence of a few Burnley visitors, before a ceremony and two-minute’s silence prior to kickoff – which included a video tribute to Khun Vichai. Perhaps that heavy emotion was always going to overshadow what followed… although what followed, thankfully, included Chris Wood getting back into the starting XI following his goal last week.
Ultimately it was a pretty bland nil-all. Leicester were emotionally drained after everything that’s gone on and they struggled to create enough threat in the face of a great performance from Ben Mee at the back. They were very good for the first half hour with Rachid Ghezzal heading off the crossbar and Joe Hart making a nice save to deny Demarai Gray but then didn’t do a whole lot after that initial spell of ascendancy. Still more than Burnley created though, the Clarets relied on deep set pieces for most things. Chris Wood did have one hooked attempt in the second half, not surprisingly after Robbie Brady came on, but couldn’t get it on target. A relatively tame 0-0 draw, Burnley’s first clean sheet since September.
Lancashire Telegraph Player Ratings: “Chris WOOD 6 - Striker was rewarded for his goal at West Ham and got into good areas but couldn’t get the right connection to give Schmeichel a greater test.”
Lancashire Telegraph: “Two of Burnley’s three defeats came against Manchester City and Chelsea, so it’s unlikely formation would have been a factor in avoiding them. But it cannot go unnoticed that a return to 4-4-2 helped Burnley to their first point when they last lined up that way, in the 1-1 draw with Huddersfield. The Clarets had a better balance and kept their shape better with and without the ball in their more familiar shape, which enabled Chris Wood to be rewarded for his goalscoring contribution at West Ham to partner Sam Vokes up front, and was all part of Dyche’s plan to get back in basics. And Vokes looked more comfortable having someone to play alongside.”
And now for something very interesting, former managers talking about Chris Wood. A few selections…
Tony Mowbray (West Brom) - “I was manager when Chris came over from New Zealand – he came over as a young boy but had some talent and was a big-framed boy. There was potential there. He had that physicality about him. He had a single-mindedness to score goals and work hard. You have to wait and see when they’re young boys like that, it’s seeing whether they progress and he obviously has done and he’s got the right ingredients to make a good career for himself. I think he’s a pretty focussed, single-minded lad who carries a work ethic with him, a single-mindedness to want to score goals. He uses his physicality, he understands that you have to play between the sticks to score goals. He gets in those areas.”
Chris Hughton (Birmingham City, loan) - “I was disappointed. I just felt that he had played a big enough part here in the first half of the season to want to come back. I think he went to Bristol City for what he believed were the right reasons. The last six, seven games here Nikola Zigic had come back [from injury] and he hadn’t had as many games as he would have liked. He’s a good lad, he’s a football person, he thinks about the game. I felt he believed he would be guaranteed more games there. So I can understand his decision. It was disappointing, but I can understand it.”
Nigel Pearson (Leicester) - “He is an ambitious lad and we are ambitious ourselves. He gives us a real tonic in what is a very important part of the season now. He played a very positive part in a very good team performance. His attributes fit the bill. He is a team player who works exceptionally hard, he shows a lot of football intelligence as well and it is very pleasing for him to get off to the start he has.”
Garry Monk (Leeds) - “He has been fantastic. Chris is an important part of what we are doing here but I am sure he will be the first to tell you that he has given big thanks to his team-mates for putting him in a position where he can be nominated like that. But we are very proud of that, we are very proud of him but he knows there’s a lot of work to be done. He is very focused on the football and those things come at the end of the season, they don’t come during it, so he is focused on the football and ready to keep on helping the team in these coming games.”
International managers - Speaking ahead of the friendlies against Mexico and the USA in October 2016, New Zealand manager Anthony Hudson said: “He is a natural leader in this group and he is looking forward to the opportunity to test himself against world-class opposition.”
There are several more in the piece from the Birmingham Mail, so check that out. Obviously not current quotes, they’ve all been plucked from press conferences of old, but that makes it a pretty cool time capsule of the progression of his career.
Up Next: Tuesday 27 November at home to Newcastle at 9am (NZT)
Erin Nayler – Girondins Bordeaux (French Division 1 Féminine)
It’s an international week for most female leagues which means a notable absence of ladies on the radar this week, especially with the Football Ferns not currently in action. The Nations Cup begins next week and runs until the start of December, which is odd to miss the international window like that, gonna be a fair few players missing time with their clubs this month.
But we do have yet another nod for Erin Nayler in the Div1 saves of the week compo vid, sneaking into third place with a diving left-handed stop from a free kick in last weekend’s game against PSG.
Meanwhile we’ve got a few quotes courtesy of Girdondins4Ever that offer a little context to the start of the season, where Erin’s career is at and that kinda thing…
Erin Nayler: “I'm happy with my start to the season, even if these last few games have tarnishing things a little. The team was in a good place, accumulating points. We must not give up now.”
“I try to play the role of leader with my teammates. I like to talk. From my goal, I arrange my defence, I give them advice. It's important for me and for the cohesion of the team.”
“Girondins gave me the opportunity to play regularly in D1. The club's project of developing women's football also impressed me. Everything was in place for many beautiful seasons here. Moreover, I see that the team is progressing.”
Up Next: Must be the Nations Cup, aye
Bill Tuiloma – Portland Timbers (American Major League Soccer)
There were no second leg heroics for Bill Tuiloma as Portland took their 2-1 lead to Seattle for a place in the Western Conference final… there was never likely to be. With Larrys Mabiala back available after serving his suspension that meant he returned to the team and Liam Ridgewell was fit enough to retain his spot so Tui went back to the bench. That’s all good, that’s his role in this team. He’s there to stay ready for when he’s needed and last week he was needed and he stepped up and did the job required. Exactly what a coach wants to see and just the kind of thing that earns you more trust and opportunity.
And it ain’t all over yet either. Tuiloma was an unused sub in the second leg, a game which turned out to be an absolute thriller. Like, you’d have a tough time scripting a more dramatic game. Second legs are always amped up because the 0-0 draw is no longer an acceptable compromise for both teams, though in this case a 0-0 would’ve saved heaps of trouble for the Timbers. For forty-five minutes they were on track for that too.
You can watch the highlights for the full experience of what happened but here’s the factual record of proceedings…
68th minute – Jeff Atinella drops a simple one at the feel of Raul Ruidiaz who scores to give Seattle the lead on away goals. 2-2 on aggregate.
78th minute – Portland throw a few fellas forward and Sebastian Blanco whipped it into the bottom corner to put the Timbers back on top going into the closing stages. 3-2 on aggregate.
90+3 minutes – Ruidiaz gets his second to take us to extra time after a poor clearance from Blanco, just seconds from advancing, and hearts were broken. 3-3 on aggregate.
93rd minute – Oh no wait, forget that last bit, the Timbers are back in front thanks to Damon Asprilla and here we go, twenty seven more minutes to survive. 4-3 on aggregate.
97th minute – They didn’t even make it four. Osvaldo Alonso’s volley struck Blanco’s hand and Nic Lodeiro finished from the spot. Very prescient as there were to be no more goals in this one. 4-4 on aggregate.
120th minute – Game over and we’re off to penalties. Still 4-4 on aggregate.
PENALTIES – Bloody get some, mate, Portland won it from twelve yards. 4-2 on penalties.
There’s now a week off for the international break before the Timbers take on Sporting Kansas City in the Western Conference Finals. It’s only been a few years since Portland won the MLS title and it came as Jake Gleeson finally got his long awaited break in the top flight of America – called up at short notice from the reserves for a playoff game after the regular keeper was injured – and this season maybe has a bit of a parallel with Bill Tuiloma, who also stepped in at short-ish notice for an unavailable starter in a crucial playoff game. Gleeson didn’t get on the part again after that one appearance but earned a full-time starter’s gig the following season… which he then lost last season. It’s not a perfect comparison but close enough.
Meanwhile if you’ve ever wondered about Bill Tuiloma’s time with managerial hipster icon Marcelo Bielsa at Olympique Marseille then this interview with So Foot from France is a great one for you. Bielsa is obviously doing amazing things with Leeds United in the English Championship this season.
“When he called me in the first team, I remember already being very happy because it was my reward for two years of work, but my first appearance in Ligue 1 was an unforgettable moment. There were a few minutes left, Lemina got a red and Bielsa calls me over. I'm not sure if it's me he’s talking to, so the coach turns around, shouts my name again and everything was racing. When you take off that tracksuit and enter the field, it's beautiful. There, you feel an incredible pride for your family and your country. Somehow it's a historic match. Bielsa is a unique manager, he’s the one who has impressed me the most in my career. With Bielsa, from the moment you work, regardless of your level or your age, you have your chance. He’s a coach who made me stronger and gave me a lot of confidence.”
And some more on his 2018 season…
“I started well, then I got hurt and it was hard to come back. But I didn’t drop my head and continued to work hard in training for the team while waiting for my chance. It's great to have played my first playoff game at home, with a win against Seattle and in an incredible atmosphere. I enjoyed it... The careers of football players are not always straight-forward, and it’s the same in my case. Since the beginning of my career, nothing has been easy, I’ve had to fight to prove that I deserve my place. I think that in football, only one thing counts, and that’s the work you put in.”
Up Next: Monday 26th November at 1.30pm at home vs Sporting Kansas City, Leg One (NZT)
Leon van den Hoven - RKC Waalwijk (Dutch Eerste Divisie)
Kiwi youth international and one of the breakout players of last season’s Premiership with Eastern Suburbs, Leon van den Hoven is in the middle of his first campaign as a European pro over in the Netherlands. Following some good stuff in preseason he’s spent his time with the U21s so far trying to work his way in (remember that LVDH is still only 18 years old). A trip to the U19 Oceania Champs meant he missed some time there but the bloke was chucked on with five minutes to play in a game against Dordrecht U21 and, hey what do you know, he immediately went and iced the game with a goal to cap a 2-0 win.
rkcwaalwijk.nl: “In the last minute of regular playing time Leon van den Hoven made the redemptive goal for RKC. After a quick corner, Leon got the ball on the edge of the penalty area and placed the ball in the far corner: 2-0. This also meant the final score of the game.”
This was his first appearance in a proper reserve league game but he sure made the most of it. Keep in mind that this is the level that Ryan Thomas began at when he first got to Holland. Also, he’s not the only kiwi battling away in the Beloften Vorrunde, with Michael Woud having gotten a couple starts in between sitting on the bench for the first team most games at Willem II, while James McGarry has also played twice for that team. Michael den Heijer has played heaps for NEC Nijmegen’s reserves in this league over the last two years (though injury limited his start to this campaign). And then there’s Marco Rojas. Hardly able to get off the bench for Heerenveen at the moment, probably because he’s tiring himself out with the ressies. Marco’s started four of their games so far and here’s what happened this week…
A goal on his 27th birthday… for the reserves, but still.
Up Next: Bit of an international break
Steven Old – Morecambe (English League Two)
After a month out injured, Stevie Old is back! Oldie was subbed on in the fifth minute of injury time of a 2-1 home win over Yeovil Town – goals scored by A-Jay Leitch-Smith and Rhys Oates. At the time Steven Old had gotten injured, missing six games with an Achilles thing, the club were in a bit of a crisis for available defenders and the timing couldn’t have bene much worse as they were just starting to find some form. But after a brief dip without him, they’ve started to get back to playing competitive football again and this win helped them up to 20th on the ladder and a healthy six points clear of the drop zone.
Old was then back in his familiar starting lineup spot alongside Sam Lavelle at centreback for the FA Cup first round tie on the weekend against FC Halifax, though that one ended in a 0-0 draw and we’ll need a replay in a week’s time to sort that out. Old was the only change to the lineup from the Yeovil game but despite playing against a non-league team they couldn’t find the necessary threats to win. In fact they were lucky not to lose, it was only the offside flag that prevented Halifax from scoring the winner in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
Up Next: Home to Sunderland in the EFL Trophy on Wednesday at 8.45am (NZT)
Jesse Edge – Podbrezová (Slovakian Super Liga)
One of the undercover achievers, would not be surprised to see Jesse Edge crack the All Whites next year. After being one of the better performers for Achilles 29 in Holland, he’s now in Slovakia and immediately playing more games than not. He isn’t getting every game but he’s started six out of nine and we’ve seen way too many Flying Kiwis get transfers and then disappear into absence for entire seasons so you can never ignore a player in a top division in Europe getting regular minutes.
Bit of a rough time for Podbrezová though. They’ve lost their last four games in a row, conceding at least twice in each of them. The latest was a 4-2 defeat at home against Senica, with Jesse an unused sub. Doubt that lasts if they keep conceding three goals in the opening 13 minutes of games.
Up Next: Home to Spartak Trnava in the cup, 3am on Saturday (NZT)
Tommy Smith – Colorado Rapids (American Major League Soccer)
Tommy Smith ended a frustrating season with Colorado as the club’s second top scorer. He was also awarded their best defender at the club’s prizegiving. Personally he didn’t do all that badly but it was a shocking campaign overall and if Anthony Hudson can’t up the results then he won’t last too long into 2019. But who cares about that right now? Here’s Tommy Smith chatting on BBC Radio Suffolk’s Life’s A Pitch podcast.
Smithy: “For me personally it’s been a great experience, a lot different to playing Championship football. Results didn’t go as planned but a great experience and hopefully next year we can build on that and be successful. It’s a great place, Denver itself as a city is fantastic. The climate’s great, we play through the summer so the weather’s always really nice and the mountains are only an hour away so my wife skis a little bit, she’s been up into the mountains a fair bit. We’ve had lots of visitors come over and they’ve said nothing but good things about the place, so we’re really lucky in that regard.”
As for the standard of the MLS these days, Smithy’s very well qualified to chat about that…
Smithy again: “It’s a lot better than I thought it was going to be, especially the attacking players. You get DPs, Designated Players, in the MLS where you can pay them any amount of money and that’s usually spent on attackers. So it’s been a tough job for me this year trying to cope with players like Zlatan, Rooney, Giovinco at Toronto, you’re coming up against high calibre players. And it’s only getting better, more and more players are going over there in their prime, there are a lot of good Central and South American players, as well as good American players that people don’t give due recognition to. I’m sure the league will grow and grow in years to come.”
Up Next: According to Smithy, it’s time for some time off, before visiting family in New Zealand at Christmas, then back to the States for preseason in late January
Ryan de Vries – FC Gifu (Japanese J2-League)
Right on, Ryan. An important goal too as his 60th minute strike earned Gifu a 1-1 draw away from home against Mito Hollyhock. Although… not too important because they’ve already avoided relegation to remain in the second division for another year. There’s one game to play and Gifu are ten points clear, can’t really bugger that up. This was De Vries’ fourth goal of the campaign in his 25th appearance. Not a huge return but he joined a struggling team in midseason and got a lot of minutes so you can figure him to build on that next year. Not a bad launching pad, really.
Up Next: Last game of the season, Saturday at 6pm against Avispa Fukuoka (NZT)
Themi Tzimopoulos – PAS Giannina (Greek Superleague)
Haven’t mentioned Themi in a while, a defensive midfielder playing in Greece doesn’t seem to get much love on the internet which we can convey. So just know that he’s picked up exactly where he left off. Themi has played every game for PAS, all ten of them, with nine starts and a lone appearance off the bench. No goals yet but three yellow cards already, that’s our lad. Unfortunately the club themselves haven’t been up to much. Two wins in their first four have been overshadowed by six games with just a single point and that single point is all that’s keeping them out of the relegation zone as things stand. Eh, long way to go still.
Up Next: PAS Giannina vs Levadiakos, 4.15am on Monday (NZT)
The Swedes
Sweden has been a common home for kiwi footy players in recent years and there are three at a pretty decent level right now who have made regular appearances in Flying Kiwis. With the Swedish season wrapping up this week, better have a breeze through them to finish.
Tyler Lissette is at the highest level, the Superettan which is the second tier in the country. But that might not be the case much longer unless he hooks up a transfer because IFK Värnamo’s late run of results wasn’t quite enough as a 1-0 defeat on the final weekend left them two points shy of safety. Relegation playoff here we come, fingers crossed for that one. Lissette had been played most games early on, however he fell out of favour as things progressed and has only started twice since the start of July. 18 games all up for him in 2018.
Joel Stevens briefly had some company with Myer Bevan spending some time on loan with Husqvarna FF, but then he was back to the Whitecaps to play for their USL affiliate while Stevie stuck it in the whole way. And he got a lot of games. 20 appearances with three goals scored, playing on the wing for the Div 1 side. But Husqvarna’s form took a huge dip down the stretch, winning just one of their final ten games to end up last and get relegated. Bugger.
Then we’ve got Francis De Vries at Nyköpings BIS, over in the northern side of Division 1. Francis joined up with them at the end of the last Premiership season and had a decent time of it. For one thing his team finished mid-table which is a huge bonus considering how the other two went. Only losing twice in their final nine games sure helped. FDV started eleven games for this lot, all basically in the last three months of the campaign.
Alrighty, if you enjoy the Flying Kiwis each week then you can support the effort that goes into writing it by leaving something sweet on TNC’s Patreon page
Plus whack an ad whenever you like something you read, consider it a tip of the hat