At the moment, NZ is ranked 111 on the FIFA rankings list. When the 8th October list is released, NZ will be the largest mover and go from 111st to about 54th. Currently the Elorating has NZ as 55th ranked country. All indications are that NZ will be in the mid 50s. [in the eloratings, only Iran, Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea has a better ranking than NZ. plus North Korea has improved recently and they might be a bit of trouble as well.] The fifth placed AFC team will be expected to be in their 50-60s at the end of the final AFC group games. Good for a playoff showdown, if you ask me. Although many may debate the ranking systems, but in all accounts, NZ is in a far stronger position to negotiate some very good games in 2009 in the build-up to the playoffs. If you are comparing us to Australia, then you should be aware that historically they have lost 1/3rd of their games to us. And most scores have only one goal in it. The last time we played, Australia scarped a 1-0 win. None of their games against us makes Australia look like world beaters, in fact they know that we are always on their case. We have nabbed a few good results, like 2-2 draw against Wales, 1-1 draw against Estonia, 1-3 win against Georgia. Very solid result against mid ranged european teams. We have loses to solid teams like Brazil, Venezuela and Costa Rica. However those games are all about over one and half year ago and after this WCQ-oceania games there is a lot of room to build up and gain some quality matches in 2009. Currently there are talks of gaining some matches included with the confederation cup games before the WCQ play-offs. PaulGascoigne, I disagree with the odds of 10-1 against. That's a bit harsh. It is really more like a 3-1 odds against that can improve to 2-1 odds or drop to 5-1 odds depending on your bookie.
Indeed, NZ will be close to 54th next month -> link. Only if you really hurry up In December you'll be going down even if you win against Fiji as the games played last year will lose value and you'll only have 3 games in the last 12 months. Wales, yes. Estonia and Georgia - mid ranged? Venezuela and Costa Rica - solid. I'll give you that - but those were still loses. You still have a lot of work to do. Good luck!
Come on mate. In some of the recent games regardless of the 1-0 wins the Aussies have been in third gear. Your best result came a few years back when Australia fielded an Olyroos team. Don't get me wrong, more power to you and I hope you make it, but if the current Australian team have a full quota to select from and field their best team, the Kiwi's are a few levels below them. When you're losing 4 and 5-0 to teams like Venezuela, you're a fair way off Australia.
Those results are with our second line-ups. We didn't have our top 16 professional players available for the european trip + Brazil and we had still have some newbies on the South America tour. Seriously those results were very surprising. In the game against Brazil, there was like only 6 caps between our two young central defenders marking their strikers. We only had one key player in that team. Even in our line-up against Australia at Caven college, we had 4-5 key players not available. Whereas Australia only had a couple missing and still we made a game out of it despite having no lead up games at all, unlike the Australia who had three games leading up to it. Right up until the New Caldedonia WCQ games this year, we haven't had a full team since 2005. So don't moan and groan about having using second stringers, you had more games and time to brought your first line-ups for the internationals over the last 6 years because you can afford to, whereas we can't afford squat.
Nobody is moaning and groaning about anything. And I only highlighted the one game with second string players. The post I responded to was, even if you weren't intending it to be, virtually intimating that the Kiwi's are up there with Australia. And lets be realistic, they're a fair way off that. This is not meant to belittle NZ, but it's surprising a lot of teams don't ask NZ to play warm up matches before major tournaments because one thing you know you'll always get is a good workout. But they just lack that bit of talent to get to the next level. Anyway, good luck. Hope you make it to South Africa.
Well if anything, Brazil did ask us for the warm up game in 2006 to prepare against you guys in the WC. So it goes to show they were thinking ahead. It's a shame that Japan didn't think about that to better prepare themselves for their game against you, because they definitely need the practice. Fair enough about being behind in the volume of talent. But for a nation of 4 million we are hitting above our weight. Our Olywhites whipped CCM so shouldn't have happen considering how well CCM did in last years A-League, regardless of being a bit out of season. But it's easy to slag the All Whites when they haven't being at full quota of players over the years against sides with full quotas and more selection available to them.
Well you've got your big chance in the Confederations Cup. I don't fancy your chances against Italy or Spain but give BS a reason to go into meltdown and knock off the USA. A lot of their fans are already starting to pencil in a win against Iraq. The make up of the groups will be interesting.
I want NZ to qualify but the 5th place asian team will probably beat you lot unfortunately i hope you prove me wrong
Decent and mid-range are two different things, don't you think? Georgia were 83rd in the ELO Ratings when NZ defeated them. Does that qualify as mid-range? They're 88th now. That hardly qualifies as mid-range.
Well that depends if the mid-range teams are decent... hmm i cant comment as i dont follow the ELO ratings sorry .
AllWhitebeliever was talking about "mid ranged European teams". Anyway, I hope you make it to the World Cup - mid ranged opposition or not
Jeepers, all I did was to name Wales, Estonia and Georgia as mid ranged european teams. OK specifically, Wales is mid mid ranged, Estonia is upper lower ranged and Georgia is the lower mid ranged. Overall, they are summed as mid ranged or specifically lower mid ranged, if you are pedantic. Man don't rub it in. I still got to have some pride left.
No, even if Fiji sneek a win...who cares that much this stage is wrapped up. Anyway the game will be in New Zealand not Fiji.
Nope the games in Fiji. The Fijian Goalkeeper couldn't get into NZ when the match was scheduled laste year, so now the games in Fiji.
The game in NZ was postphoned by both teams and FIFA because of the NZ Govt policy on refusing to allow Fijians who has links to the Military as a protest. So the Fijian GK was not allow in and hence there was an unfair political advantage to the game. They had the away game in Fiji already but was rescheduling the NZ home game firstly in Samoa and because the ground was not up to standard. Then they are decided that NZ's home game is to be played in Fiji with the NZF and FIFA blessings.
NZPA Release NZF Release Squad Summary: In the Squad for match Goalkeepers: Glen Moss (Wellington Phoenix – 8/0) Jacob Spoonley (Auckland City – 0/0) Defenders: David Mulligan (Wellington Phoenix – 21/3) Aaron Scott (Waitakere United – 0/0) Ben Sigmund (Wellington Phoenix – 7/1) Steven Old (Unattached – 18/1) James Pritchett (Auckland City – 8/0) Midfielders: Leo Bertos (Wellington Phoenix – 21/0) Cole Peverley (Hawke’s Bay United – 0/0) Jeremy Christie (Wellington Phoenix – 14/1) Allan Pearce (Waitakere United – 1/0) Jeff Campbell (Waitakere United – 19/3) Jeremy Brockie (Team Wellington – 8/0) Forwards: Greg Draper (Wellington Phoenix – 0/0) Costa Barbarouses (Wellington Phoenix – 0/0) Kris Bright (Kristiansund Ballklubb – 0/0) Out of the squad for match: Tim Brown (suspended) Mark Paston Tony Lochhead Shane Smeltz Ryan Nelsen Chris Killen Simon Elliott Duncan Oughton Jarrod Smith Chris James Andrew Boyens
This is good decision and news for the second tiers players. I'm thinking of a complete start for all the players needing to have international debuts and having the more experienced players on the bench. Although it is not a must win game for WCQ, it is a must win game for the players. I'm thinking of an very inexperienced side with not the usual 4-3-3 formation. Jacob Spoonley Aaron Scott (vc) Ben Sigmund Steven Old James Pritchett Cole Peverley Jeremy Brockie Costa Barbarouses Greg Draper Allan Pearce Kris Bright Bench: Glenn Moss Leo Bertos David Mulligan Jeremy Christie Jeff Campbell This could be an exciting and tough game for them. I expect a fully international experienced Fiji side to play against.
Maybe Bright on the wide and Pearce as a center man is a bit too adventurous, but just interchanging the front positions and maybe swapping Pearce with Brockie is ok with me.
I'm no expert on NZ soccer but something tells me the squad will look something like this: -----------------------------Glen Moss---------------------------- ----Scot--------Sigmund---------------Mulligan-----------Old----- ---Leo Bertos--------Pearce-------Christie------Brockie/Cambell----- ---------------Bright----------------Barbarouses------------------- What do you think?