Dissecting the All Whites Squad to Play New Caledonia
Drumroll please, the All Whites are playing their next round of World Cup qualifiers and we have a squad to take a good old look at. This is the third to last step before Russia 2018, qualified for thanks to their showing at the Nations Cup. They play New Caledonia and Fiji in a home and away group competition and should they finish first in that group then they’ll meet the best of Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Tahiti. That final is also two legged (Aug/Sep 2017) and the team that triumphs then takes on South America’s fifth placed battlers. Who right now after 10 of 18 rounds is Chile. With Argentina in sixth. Only the last two Copa America finalists, no pressure there.
The All Whites take on New Caledonia in this window, playing at North Harbour Stadium in Auckland on Saturday 12 November at 3pm and then over in Kone, NC at 5pm the next Wednesday. We beat them 1-0 in the Nations Cup semis back in June so read into that what you will. Probably not much. The key will ideally be to demolish them at home and then get pragmatic away but we’ll see how it goes. The Auckland game will be Hudson’s 14th in charge and his first in NZ. Bloody hell.
GOALKEEPERS
- Stefan Marinovic (SpVgg Unterhaching, GER)
- Tamati Williams (RKC Waalwijk, NED)
- Glen Moss (Wellington Phoenix, NZ)
Oh hey Mossy! Glad to have you back champion, was beginning to doubt you’d ever kit up for the national team again the way it was going. Although… given that Marinovic is almost surely the first choice for these games and given the black hole of goalkeeping beneath him at the Nix, it wouldn't have been a disaster if he was left out again. It’s not his fault the Phoenix are forced to play during international windows, that would fall upon the Aussie FA who hold the Phoenix’s licence above their heads with demands and then make it as hard as possible for them to meet them. Utter bastards, that lot.
Yeah the Phoenix are hit pretty hard by this squad, may as well get that out of the way with early. Along with Mossy they’re missing Durante, Doyle, Fenton, McGlinchey and Barbarouses. Every one of that lot had a good chance of starting the game against Central Coast, which means half a starting team needs to be replaced. Not too many teams worldwide can foot that kind of culling. But such is life, man.
Hudson had this to say in the press release regarding Glenn Moss, who apparently flew up to Auckland to discuss his future in person. The mano y mano approach worked for Tommy Smith after all.
Huddo: “It showed how much playing for New Zealand means to him. You don’t often get guys flying around the country to sit down and say how much they want to play for New Zealand. He has never been out of contention for us. He has always been part of my thinking so we are really pleased to bring back an experienced professional and a good character into the group.”
Marinovic has established himself as the incumbent and even a howler against the USA doesn’t change that. That’s about the only mistake he’s ever made for the kiwi team and it’s a slight wonder he isn’t playing at a higher level yet. But then 25 is still young for a goalie so time’s on his side. The other two keepers here are each in their early 30s, Moss back to potentially win his 30th cap and Tamati Williams sort of making up the numbers as the veteran third choice.
The big absence is Jake Gleeson. There’s no explanation in the official release but NZ Football did make a conspicuous statement about him last week. Presumably then this has to do less with the fact he’s been dropped or anything and more to do with the DUI he got slapped with in Portland several days ago. Gleeson’s MLS season ended and on the Monday night there he ran his car into a ditch or a lamppost or something. Then he called teammate Liam Ridgewell (the same one that once played for Blackburn Rovers) to help him and Ridgey turned up as the cops were on the scene and both of them were breath-tested, taken back to the station and had to post bail for a night in their own beds. So don’t go saying that Mad Monday is only an Australasian thing.
Gleeson should be okay from this ordeal, there’s a precedent with overseas MLS players doing the same thing and getting away with a small suspension or a stint in one of those alcohol education programmes. There is an outside chance he loses his green card though, which would be a nightmare given he’s only this season forced his way into being the Timbers’ starting keeper. Gotta imagine that the USA legal system wouldn’t take too kindly to him skipping the country to play footy with all that in limbo. Best for all involved then… though NZF choosing to make a public dressing down of him was super odd. Jeez these guys have got no clue when it comes to communication, aye?
Gleeson and Ridgewell's mugshots are hilarious, also.
No sign either of Max Crocombe who was in the Nations Cup squad or Nik Tzanev, the U20s gloveman in the 2015 World Cup. Neither of those things are in any way surprising.
DEFENDERS
- Andrew Durante (Wellington Phoenix, NZ)
- Bill Tuiloma (Marseille, FRA)
- Louis Fenton (Wellington Phoenix, NZ)
- Thomas Doyle (Wellington Phoenix, NZ)
- Michael Boxall (SuperSport Utd, SAF)
- Kip Colvey (San Jose Earthquakes, USA)
- Themi Tzimopoulos (PAS Giannina FC, GRE)
- Deklan Wynne (Vancouver Whitecaps FC, CAN)
- Liam Graham (Chesterfield FC, ENG)
Headlining the squad naming is that Winston Reid hasn’t been considered due to injury. Okay then. We knew that the recently reintegrated Tommy Smith was out hurt but Winston has played every minute for West Ham in between international windows, though he’s suspended for the next one (vs Stoke, in case it’s already happened because you’re reading this late). Hudson called it a hamstring strain and said he picked it up in the Everton loss. Well it must have happened late because he played all 90 minutes in that game and they still had a sub left until the 78th minute.
But the scepticism is down to Hudson and NZF seemingly breaking the news. If they’re saying he’s injured before anyone else has even reported it, that sounds suspiciously like all those times that Reid and Ryan Nelsen were kept out of squads because of exaggerated minor knocks and all that. However Slaven Bilic later confirmed the thing in his Thursday (UK time) presser so apparently it’s legit and he could be out for up to five weeks. He wasn’t gonna play for the next two anyway, suspension and international break as they are. But this really sucks on a Flying Kiwis level. Dammit.
Moving on now, Andrew Durante is gonna need to play a big role, especially if the three-man defence is staying on home soil, what with there being bugger all central defenders here. It’s just Dura, Themi and Boxall who are all good enough players to fill that starters void at least. But given there’s no Reid or Smith it might have been worth picking, say, Sam Brotherton or Luke Adams. Anyone to act as cover somehow. Hudson-Wihongi did a good job filling in during the ONC, so there’s him.
Because even though he’s listed here as a defender (on the press release, their lil graphic thing had him in mids), surely Bill Tuiloma is gonna start in midfield. Surely. That’s where he plays for OM (well, for their reserve team anyway) and it’s where he offers the most to this NZ team. We don’t have another player who can win the ball and spread it around like he does. He’s a defensive midfielder with a professional contract. He can definitely do more than a job in defence but so can others. Just back from injury recently though, so Tony might wanna be careful not to push it with Billy T.
Now we come to the fullbacks where for some ridiculous reason they’ve picked five of them. More fullbacks than centre backs even though Hudson tends to use three CBs and two WBs. NZ Football, ladies and gents. Fenton gives you an option as a winger as well, handily. Both he and Doyle had had injuries to start the A-League season so perhaps that’s why they needed extras in that role. Most likely the starters will be Deklan Wynne and either Kip Colvey or Liam Graham and there’d be nothing wrong with that. All three are great young footy players and Wynne and Colvey both impressed on the last tour. Especially Wynne, he was great against Mexico.
Curiously there’s no recall for Storm Roux. It’s been a long road back for the lad but he captained Central Coast in their last game - which of course means that while all those All Whites are missing for the Phoenix, Stormy will be lining up against them. Given how long he’s been out of the game, it’s understandable that he’d be left out of this team but it’s one to keep a note of in the future in case he becomes a regular absentee. If he’s playing at the level he was before he got hurt then he should be there, no doubt.
UPDATE:
MIDFIELDERS
- Clayton Lewis (Auckland City FC, NZ)
- Michael McGlinchey (Wellington Phoenix, NZ)
- Te Atawhai Hudson-Wihongi (Auckland City FC, NZ)
- Moses Dyer (Eastern Suburbs AFC, NZ)
- Ryan Thomas (PEC Zwolle, NED)
- Henry Cameron (Blackpool FC, ENG)
The important thing to remember about this midfield lot is that while they’re still hyper inexperienced, with Wee Mac’s 40 caps standing out like his red Glaswegian nose amidst a group that otherwise have only 21 between the lot of them, they’re getting older with every game they play.
Henry Cameron returned for the last squad and holds his place having gotten 45 minutes against America. He’s been on the fringes for Blackpool, only getting onto the bench twice for them this season in League Two with a couple of cup appearances the extent of the 19 year old’s first team football this season. But while he does feel like a bit of an edge-of-the-squad lad here also, it wouldn’t take much before he could establish himself as a sure thing within the All Whites. A bit unlucky in that he plays in a position where we have a lot of quality options, most of them also pretty young, still the dude’s got skill that’s for sure.
One of those competing attacking mids would be Master Ryan Thomas, back in the reckoning now that he’s on his way back to full fitness for PEC Zwolle. He’s mostly had to settle for the bench in recent weeks having lost his spot through injury, however the important thing is that he’s fit and available. Thommo’s a slight lad so he might not be fancied to play deeper in midfield but he should at least be an option. He’s played there for Zwolle before and he can also play anywhere across the park in the attacking mid stakes. Definitely one of the better techniques in the squad too. It’ll be great to have him back and you’d probably figure he shapes to start these games so long as he’s fit enough.
The trio of Dyer, Hudson-Wihongi and Lewis remains which looks a little embarrassing to be selecting amateurs, though they’re also regulars in this national team frame. Lewis especially, he had his best spell for the All Whites in the American tour and it’s only a matter of time before he’s got himself a professional contract. He just spent a couple weeks trialling with Burton Albion in the English Championship which is bound to have gotten his name out there further. Hudson-Wihongi can offer something as a depth player, he covered defence in the Nations Cup too. Dyer maybe has some pictures of Hudson to keep being selected. Then again, who else is there?
(Answer: Matt Ridenton. He’s way better than Dyer, come on man.)
And Mike McGlinchey’s name speaks for itself. Only Chris Wood has more caps within this squad. He’ll be starting in the middle and playing an important role.
FORWARDS
- Kosta Barbarouses (Wellington Phoenix, NZ)
- Chris Wood (Leeds Utd, ENG)
- Monty Patterson (Ipswich Town, RNG)
- Marco Rojas (Melbourne Victory, AUS)
- Rory Fallon (Truro City FC, ENG)
El Capitano Chris Wood. With no Winston, that means that Woody gets to take the armband which roughly zero people will have any complaints about. Considering we’ve a little more depth in defence, considering we’re stacked for goalies, considering that there’s not much in the midfield to begin with and considering who else might play the centre forward position… Woody’s probably our most indispensable player.
Remember Jeremy Brockie’s borderline embarrassing goal-scoring record for the national team (by the way, Brox is obviously another guy left out of this squad. Hudson doesn’t appear to rate him and with Chris Wood a guaranteed starter that’s not the worst overlook he’s responsible for)? As it happens, Kosta only has three in 35 games himself which ain’t much better. And Rojas two in 28. Apparently we just don’t score that many goals?
Praise be to Chris Wood then with his 18 – and you’d hope he adds to that across the two games here. The bugger’s sure been firing them in for Leeds of recent time.
Rojas scores for Melbourne Victory though, he’s coming off a pair against the Phoenix the other day, the little bugger. Ah but at the same time you can’t deny how great it is to see Rojas playing regularly and well once again. He can be so damn good on his day. Tends to fade in and out for the national team so these games will be a big opportunity for him. Likewise Kosta if for different reasons. After looking sharp if a tad wasteful in the USA, he’s been far below his best in the A-League and could use a confidence booster.
Monty Python Patterson is listed here as an Ipswich player, which he is, but he’s just gone on loan to Braintree - who play in the Vanarama National League. Fresh from his equaliser against America, the Python has quietly made a few more waves at the club and there are two ways to look at this. One is that he’s earned this loan deal, proving that he’s worth first team footy rather than U23 stuff. The other is that it’s possibly a little demoralising that they couldn’t find him a gig at a Football League club, even if this is still the next level down from L2. Mick McCarthy said some nice things about it all:
MM: “Monty’s been doing OK, but he’s not ready for the first team yet. I know he went away and scored at international level and people will be saying that we’ve not scored and why [did we let him go to Braintree], I’ve heard that already. He’s not ready to play in the first team, that’s why. Playing at Braintree at that level will help him no end.”
Yeah all goods then. After all there are Stirling Sports Premiership guys in this squad and Braintree, despite a weird-as-hell name, play a division above where Rory Fallon makes his keep these days. Rory Fallon who doesn’t add anything to this team on the pitch that we want to see but adds plenty to the squad off of it. He’s everybody’s best friend so they may as well pick him. No dramas as long as he’s sitting towards the end of the bench.