Flying Kiwis – July 30
It’s always a pleasant way to start with a couple kiwi footballers going head to head and this week it was Abby Erceg versus Katie Bowen in the NWSL over in the States. North Carolina Courage against the Utah Royals.
Who’ll Be The New Wellington Phoenix Captain?
We’re still a few months away from Welly Nix articles that don’t begin with the yarn about how Ufuk Talay is pretty much having to build this squad back up from scratch. Maybe once the actual footy starts and we can get into all that. For now though there are still plenty of areas where the Nix are playing catch-up.
Flying Kiwis – July 23
OH WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT!? Nothing much to see, just Sarpreet Singh playing for Bayern Munich against Arsenal is all. Getting minutes alongside Robert Lewandowski and Kingsley Coman and Joshua Kimmich and the lads. Then a few days later we did it all over again as Singh was given twenty-odd minutes off the bench against the might of Real Madrid.
Righto Then, Where Are We At With The Wellington Phoenix’s Recruitment Drive?
Only one of the five imports is staying on from last season. Only four of the top seventeen players in terms of minutes played are still at the club. Of the starting XI from the playoff game last season there are only three still there. Of the 44 goals scored (excluding OGs), only six are still at the club. Only two current players have played more than 50 times for the Nix. Every single jersey number from 1-12 is available.
Flying Kiwis – July 16
It’s been fourteen long months since he was stretchered off injured against Swansea in the Premier League but Winnie finally got back on the field this week in preseason action for West Ham.
Trying To Figure Out What A Current All Whites Squad Might Look Like
You wouldn’t believe it but the All Whites have confirmed another game for later in the year. Three days after they take on Ireland in Dublin in November they’ll meet Lithuania in Vilnius, making full use of the FIFA window in the process.
Flying Kiwis – July 9
Signing season is always a wonderful time of the year and as we cruise on through the month of July it means that all them European teams are looking to stock up. Sarpreet Singh is going to be the golden signing of this year but don’t sleep on this sneaky nugget as Ria Percival has made the switch from West Ham across town to Tottenham in the English Super League.
Sarpreet Singh Is Now The Poster Boy For Future Welly Nix Recruitment
For a club with an entire country of players to take a peek at and with an obviously limited financial muscle, not to mention a club that’s always asked to justify its own existence, the business of developing players is a necessary investment. Like, not just some romantic ideal… it’s an absolute necessity in order to be a competitive team in a foreign league.
What’ll It Take For The Football Ferns To Get To That Next Level?
It’s a long World Cup when you don’t make it out of the group stages – Abby Erceg is already back training with the North Carolina Courage and would have played on the weekend had it not been for a minor niggle and this was before the World Cup semi-finals had even happened.
Flying Kiwis – July 2
It’s officially been confirmed. Sarpreet Singh will be signing with the Bayern Munich reserves on a three year deal with the hope that he’ll emerge into the first team picture towards the end of that contract, and will be doing so at a transfer fee of something in the range of $750k to $1m NZD.
Fritz Schmid, We Hardly Knew Ye… Now About The Rest Of This Mess…
What are we supposed to think when a manager skips out on a national team that doesn’t even play in the first place? Nothing, to be honest. It was already an empty void so it can’t get any emptier.
Flying Kiwis – June 25
Unless you live under an online rock then you’ve probably heard this one already but let’s break this one down because… wow. Sarpreet Singh, Wellington Phoenix creative midfielder, is currently in Germany ahead of a prospective move to Bayern Munich. Yes, that Bayern Munich.
The Ufuk Talay x Welly Nix Era Is Beginning With Another Massive Rebuild, Unfortunately
Of the 23 players who played on senior contracts under Mark Rudan, how many are under contract for next season? Just seven. An absolutely ridiculous amount of player turnover and at this point, with only one player left who’s played more than 52 times for the club, and frankly those dreams of continuity have been absolutely drenched at this point.
Footy Ferns at the 2019 World Cup: The End of the Line vs Cameroon
In the end it wasn’t to be. With numbers forward, pressing for a desperate winner into the final minute of stoppage time, the Ferns got caught on the break by Cameroon and a bit of Ajara Nchout magic allowed her to cut inside and curl one inside the far post with eleven seconds remaining in the game and put Cameroon through into the next round with a 2-1 victory.
Footy Ferns at the 2019 World Cup: Previewing An All-Or-Nothing Game vs Cameroon
So here we are then. On game and ninety minutes with basically the entire World Cup campaign on the line. The Ferns had two objectives coming into this tournament: to win their first World Cup game and the make the knockouts stages for the first time ever.
Flying Kiwis – June 18
These remain rather slim times for the Flying Kiwis crew but a few hearty souls are holding things down amidst all the World Cups and off-seasons. It was US Open Cup week in the States and that meant a unique opportunity for our Kiwi x MLS & Kiwi x USL crew to compete on a level playing field.
Footy Ferns at the 2019 World Cup: Getting Outclassed vs Canada
It won’t take too long to sum that game up, it started with Canada in control and it ended with Canada in control and in between they scored twice while the kiwis barely even threatened.
Power Ranking The Instagram Farewells Of All These Ex-Wellington Phoenix Players
It’s never easy saying goodbye, but last year’s Wellington Phoenix squad seem to be getting pretty good at it. When Mark Rudan took over the Nix he barely had half a squad to work with and now he’s left the Nix and his successor, our beloved Uffie Talay… barely has half a squad to work with.
Footy Ferns at the 2019 World Cup: A Heartbreaker vs Netherlands
Heartbreaking. To get so close to a famous result and to concede at the end… it’s devastating, it’s shattering, it’s deflating. After ninety-plus minutes of resolute defence and an absolutely spot on tactical approach from Tom Sermanni the Ferns were on the brink of a valuable point against the Netherlands but couldn’t quite close it out, Jill Roord popping up with the stoppage time winner.
Flying Kiwis – June 12
Where to start? Where to start? The only proper game we’ve got feels like as good a place as any, with the Rapids and the Loons going head to head in an MLS x Flying Kiwis Derby.