Speaker 1: Football Fever with News Talks nb's voice of Football Jason
Speaker 1: Payne and Bonny Jansen. Hello and welcome into Football Fever
Speaker 1: with FIFA Plus stream New Zealand football live and free
Speaker 1: on FIFA plus dot com. I'm Jason Pine Bonny Jansen
Speaker 1: here as well. We were both involved in football live
Speaker 1: and free on FIFA Plus dot com over the weekend.
Speaker 1: Ironically enough, Bonny, you had the calls of the Chatham
Speaker 1: Cup Final and the Kate Shepherd Cup Final either the
Speaker 1: All Whites Mexico. How was your weekend?
Speaker 2: Yeah, no, not too bad, Piney, good to you know,
Speaker 2: get in amongst the footy action and it's starting to
Speaker 2: really feel like it's ramping up into the A League.
Speaker 1: Absolutely agree with that. I will get your thoughts on
Speaker 1: the Kate Shepherd Cup Final, Auckland United another piece of
Speaker 1: silverware for them and the Chatham Cup Final. Wellington Olympic
Speaker 1: for the first time in a decade and a half
Speaker 1: winning that Paul Eifel going back to back with different
Speaker 1: clubs as a coach. Lots of other things to talk
Speaker 1: as well, including some kiwi's overseas, some inch or moves
Speaker 1: for some of our top female players, and a bit
Speaker 1: on our under twenties as well, but can we start
Speaker 1: with your whites. I hope that's okay. They played Mexico
Speaker 1: at the Rose Bold and Pasadena yesterday, a three nil defeat.
Speaker 1: I called this one for FIFA plus. I've got some thoughts,
Speaker 1: but I'd be keen to hear what your sort of
Speaker 1: top line takeaways were from this one.
Speaker 2: You know, I was a bit gutted, to be fair, Piney.
Speaker 2: I mean, we know Mexico are such a good footballing side.
Speaker 2: It's their number one sport New Zealand, nearing one hundred
Speaker 2: in the world. However, with the team that we had
Speaker 2: going into it, the full entire squad, the starting eleven,
Speaker 2: I did have higher expectations for this match, at least,
Speaker 2: maybe not on the score line, but on the park,
Speaker 2: and I don't think we got that.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I totally agree. I had really high expectations. I
Speaker 1: saw the team and I thought this is as good
Speaker 1: a team as can be put out with the players
Speaker 1: who are available. In fact, really, I mean Supris I
Speaker 1: think would probably have an argument to be part of
Speaker 1: our best eleven if he was there. Other than that,
Speaker 1: I think it was pretty close and I was so
Speaker 1: looking forward to watching Joe Bell, Marco Staminitch and Matt
Speaker 1: Garbett combine in midfield. We haven't seen that very often.
Speaker 1: Ben old, you know, fresh out of his new club
Speaker 1: in France, and what a great a league season he had.
Speaker 1: Costa barbarussis the saying Chris Ward our leading goal scorer,
Speaker 1: and there was so little in the way of excitement
Speaker 1: in the attacking penalty area. I just I was really
Speaker 1: underwhelmed by the way we attacked or didn't attack.
Speaker 2: You know, I feel exactly the same. And you, you know,
Speaker 2: the question comes back to are we playing two harder teams?
Speaker 2: You know, we go from playing in an Oceania competition
Speaker 2: where we're scoring you know, goals near the double digits,
Speaker 2: and then you go and play some of the best
Speaker 2: in the world and maybe, I mean, we're clearly just
Speaker 2: not up to that level. At the same time, though,
Speaker 2: I wonder if I mean, we're being too hard on
Speaker 2: this side. I spoke with Matt Garbett before the match
Speaker 2: and asked if he feels is an expectation with the
Speaker 2: players they had available to do well, and he said,
Speaker 2: you know, not quote unquote, but he said not not really.
Speaker 2: He said, it's just an opportunity to go out there
Speaker 2: and test themselves, and he didn't have two higher expectations.
Speaker 2: So maybe maybe we have two high expectations of them.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think, But I think you look at these
Speaker 1: players and I think we should have high expectations of them.
Speaker 1: And I'm pretty sure Matt Carvertt would have gone out
Speaker 1: there with every intention of trying to win the game.
Speaker 1: And I've heard these guys talk about, you know the
Speaker 1: fact that now they're not just happy being out there
Speaker 1: against teams the like of Mexico and the US. So
Speaker 1: they're going to face on Wednesday, you know, teams in
Speaker 1: the top twenty in the world. Their job now is
Speaker 1: to win football matches. They are professional footballers, and whether
Speaker 1: they're wearing their club shirt or the shirt of New Zealand,
Speaker 1: they their job is to go out there and win
Speaker 1: football games, regardless of who it is against. And look,
Speaker 1: yes they would have they were up against a team
Speaker 1: that is clearly ranked higher in the world. But I
Speaker 1: just go back to you know, we had fifty forty
Speaker 1: eight percent of possession, so position was split pretty much.
Speaker 1: Even we had three attempts on goal according to the stats.
Speaker 1: I can't actually remember three. I can remember Tommy Smith
Speaker 1: having a really good opportunity when a ball skimmed off
Speaker 1: a defensive head and across the face of goal from
Speaker 1: a corner and he couldn't quite get there in time.
Speaker 1: But I can't remember actually anything else of real note,
Speaker 1: and I think your land on a great point about Oceania.
Speaker 1: It just creates such a gap and quality, you know,
Speaker 1: when you're beating these sides three four and five nil
Speaker 1: without having to really get out of second gear. Then
Speaker 1: you come up against a team like Mexico and it
Speaker 1: is just such a step up that the adjustment is
Speaker 1: too difficult.
Speaker 2: Oh one hundred percent pinting. And you get the same
Speaker 2: on the women's side as well. And we'll talk about
Speaker 2: the under twenties shortly, and even in the age groups,
Speaker 2: you know, it's trickling through and we just look like
Speaker 2: we're playing similar styles of football in the way we
Speaker 2: can't attack and we can't you know, creating any chances
Speaker 2: from the position we have, and it's something quite concerning
Speaker 2: and I think New Zealand football have to look at
Speaker 2: across all age groups and both genders.
Speaker 1: I think the issue we face now with the men's
Speaker 1: game in particular, and it's been the case for the
Speaker 1: women already is the direct entry into World Cups that
Speaker 1: we now get in the men's through Oceania because there
Speaker 1: is no temptation now to leave Oceania. It's been talked
Speaker 1: about and talked about and talked about ever since Australia
Speaker 1: left and what was that they went to the two
Speaker 1: thousand and six World Cup, I think out of Asia.
Speaker 1: You know, it's just constantly talked about, but it has
Speaker 1: never it's never got any further than the discussion from
Speaker 1: what I can see, So there's no need for us
Speaker 1: to leave Oceanny and now to make men's World Cups.
Speaker 1: So you know, I can't see this, Steven, I guess
Speaker 1: the only thing I would say is that with the
Speaker 1: players playing now at good, really good clubs around the world,
Speaker 1: they will as players get better. It is just now
Speaker 1: a matter of meshing themselves together. They have so little
Speaker 1: time together, Bonnie, as you know, when they come together
Speaker 1: it's only ever for a window, it's a week. You know,
Speaker 1: How are you supposed to find cohesion when you come
Speaker 1: from club environments all around the world at different levels,
Speaker 1: where your club coaches are playing vastly different systems from
Speaker 1: what you're supposed to put together once you join the
Speaker 1: national side.
Speaker 2: Yeah, no, exactly, And it is hard because these players
Speaker 2: are playing top level football around the world and as
Speaker 2: you say, they're not getting a lot of time together.
Speaker 3: But you put it back to that question. Yes, we're
Speaker 3: in Oceania.
Speaker 2: We're going to stick with that now because of the
Speaker 2: direct ticket into the World Cup. But maybe there needs
Speaker 2: to be a middle ground and the opposition we play.
Speaker 2: And I know it's not as easy as just saying
Speaker 2: we would like to play you know, those teams this week.
Speaker 2: But you know, maybe let's not aim for top twenty
Speaker 2: in the world like what we've got with Mexico and USA,
Speaker 2: and we find a team more at our level. So
Speaker 2: not only it's good for the players to you know,
Speaker 2: get some confidence under them and be able to knock
Speaker 2: the ball about and have good opportunities on goal and clip,
Speaker 2: it's good for the fans as well. You know, I
Speaker 2: think New Zealand football fans are sick of seeing these
Speaker 2: New Zealand teams obviously lose and not get a shot
Speaker 2: off on goal.
Speaker 1: I mean, it can't be that hard to get games
Speaker 1: because we've got Mexico in the US, you know, in
Speaker 1: a window and maybe You're right, maybe we need to
Speaker 1: have games, you know, to build confidence in the where
Speaker 1: we are in our development arc at the moment, against
Speaker 1: teams who are in the forties rather than in the teams.
Speaker 1: And look, I've just got brought the FIFA rankings up
Speaker 1: in front of me. Here Canada are currently fortieth, to
Speaker 1: Nizia forty first, Perua forty second, Chile forty third, then Slovakia, Romania, Algeria, Scotland,
Speaker 1: Costa Rica, Norway. These are maybe the types of teams
Speaker 1: and we have had games against some of those in
Speaker 1: recent times. But yeah, look, at the risk of repeating myself,
Speaker 1: I was just I was just really really I had
Speaker 1: high hopes like you did from this group of players,
Speaker 1: and they just weren't realized what we do have. That
Speaker 1: was a second game on Wednesday against the United States
Speaker 1: and Cincinnati. Just before we leave this one, Michael box
Speaker 1: Or congratulations to him fifty caps. He was skipper for
Speaker 1: the date. Good to see him reached that milestone. Would
Speaker 1: you be making any changes if you were Darren Baisley
Speaker 1: for game two on Wednesday against the States.
Speaker 2: I would like to see Alex Paulson have a go.
Speaker 2: We've talked about this who should be the number one
Speaker 2: goalkeeper And it's clear that Bays likes Croak him in there.
Speaker 2: But I just think why not have a have a go,
Speaker 2: have a player around now, and we know Alex Paulson
Speaker 2: is certainly up for it. I'd also like to potentially
Speaker 2: see Eli just start ahead of Barbarusis and maybe Nando
Speaker 2: and for Tommy Smith. But again that's more personal preferences
Speaker 2: and that the team is pretty good as it is.
Speaker 1: No, I think that's what well, that's what I asked
Speaker 1: you was for your personal your opinion is extremely valid. Yeah, yeah,
Speaker 1: so no, I wouldn't argue if those if any of
Speaker 1: those changes were made. I'd quite like to see Finn
Speaker 1: Sermon coming, if I'm honest. I know Nando's left and
Speaker 1: Finn Sermon's more of a right footer, you know. I
Speaker 1: think going forward, it feels to me as though Finn
Speaker 1: Sermon and Tyler Binden who is not here, are likely
Speaker 1: to be the long term solution, and I may also
Speaker 1: be involved in that. In that conversation, I too would
Speaker 1: like to see Alex Paulson get a game and goal.
Speaker 1: I think if you've got two internationals and you've got
Speaker 1: two goalkeepers like Max Crokham and Alex Paulson and Olie
Speaker 1: Sail to a lesser extent, who are really vying for
Speaker 1: that number one spot. Then I think they both need
Speaker 1: to get a game, and I too hope that that
Speaker 1: Alex Paulson gets a game and goal I'd bring in
Speaker 1: Finn Sermon. I'd probably leave the front six the way
Speaker 1: they are and just to see if, actually, you know,
Speaker 1: because they've had a game together now and two or
Speaker 1: three more training sessions, whether they can become a little
Speaker 1: bit more cohesive. Yeah, Eli just has probably got a point.
Speaker 1: I've probably got a he could make a point or
Speaker 1: state a case for being there. And you know, it
Speaker 1: may well be that he starts, but I'd like to
Speaker 1: I'd certainly like to see Bell, Staminich and Garbet play again,
Speaker 1: and I'd like to see a bit more from them,
Speaker 1: if I'm honest. In the in the game against the
Speaker 1: United States, which is eleven o'clock on Wednesday, New Zealand
Speaker 1: time the f f FE with Piny and Bonnie, let's
Speaker 1: move through our under twenty women. Their World Cup in
Speaker 1: Columbia is done. Losses to Japan seven nil, Austria. Austria
Speaker 1: not Australia Austria three to one, and today they also
Speaker 1: lost three to one to Garner. It was a shame
Speaker 1: to see them lose their coach Leon Bernie through illness
Speaker 1: before the final game. We don't know that the full
Speaker 1: extent of that, but we wish Leon Bernie all the
Speaker 1: best and a swift recovery from whatever it was that
Speaker 1: prevented him from being involved in the last game. By
Speaker 1: the sounds of it, he has been very unwell. So yeah,
Speaker 1: just just hoping that it's something that you know, that
Speaker 1: passes quickly and he's he's back in there. A couple
Speaker 1: of crucial VR decisions in this latest game. Early gold
Speaker 1: is allowed for offside penalty overturns when the score was won.
Speaker 1: All I think the Japan game just showed again the
Speaker 1: goal class, even at under twenty level, between the likes
Speaker 1: of ourselves and the likes of a country like Japan.
Speaker 2: You know, I completely agree, and we just spoke about
Speaker 2: it before. You know, these these players come off such
Speaker 2: a high, having played it Oceania tournaments and scoring heaps
Speaker 2: of goals and creating so many opportunities, and then they
Speaker 2: come into matches like this and just you know, out
Speaker 2: of their depth. Sadly, I think, you know, I would
Speaker 2: have liked to see this group of players do a
Speaker 2: little bit better. I've followed quite a few of them
Speaker 2: over the last few years, so I had potentially higher
Speaker 2: expectations of them. Yeah, at the same time, I thought
Speaker 2: maybe the coaches could have just changed up the lineups.
Speaker 2: I think they stuck with the same goalkeeper for the
Speaker 2: three matches and very similar lineups. And I know it
Speaker 2: is a World Cup, so you know you can't just
Speaker 2: take things too lightly. But I mean, it is an
Speaker 2: under twenty World Cup, and you're building towards the ferns.
Speaker 2: You know, you're on the on the door of the ferns,
Speaker 2: and why not just give plays a go and see
Speaker 2: different combinations.
Speaker 1: Yep, No, a good point, And you're right, it's striking
Speaker 1: that balance, isn't it. Between This is a pinnacle tournament
Speaker 1: and we're not just here to give everybody a go,
Speaker 1: but also giving players the experience of playing at a
Speaker 1: World Cup. And you're right, there weren't a heck of
Speaker 1: a lot of changes. I guess if we flip it
Speaker 1: to some positives, some of these players will now head back, well,
Speaker 1: they'll all head back to their clubs. Some will come
Speaker 1: back to Wellington Phoenix in the A League, others up
Speaker 1: to the MLS. Hopefully Millie Clegg will get a look
Speaker 1: in once she gets back to the not the MLS,
Speaker 1: the NWSL. My genders mixed up there, My apologies. But
Speaker 1: once she gets back to her club at Racing Louisville,
Speaker 1: you know, will she start to get some games. That's
Speaker 1: what you hope is that the experience they take away,
Speaker 1: even if it wasn't to be a winning experience, will
Speaker 1: actually be a good experience regardless.
Speaker 2: Yeah, one hundred percent. And the other thing is is,
Speaker 2: you know, all these players, a lot of these players
Speaker 2: playing in this team play professional football now, and which
Speaker 2: is just crazy to me. I remember the cycles of
Speaker 2: you know, my group growing up in the under seventeens
Speaker 2: and the under twenties and you know those we weren't
Speaker 2: playing professional women's football at that age, and it's just
Speaker 2: crazy that there's a pathway now and there's an opportunity
Speaker 2: for these young players to play top level football and
Speaker 2: get paid for it. So yeah, it's pretty insane that
Speaker 2: that's where the sport is for women anyway.
Speaker 1: Tokay, oh no, look absolutely endorsed that the pathways that
Speaker 1: are available now for our young women in particular that
Speaker 1: never existed before even a generation ago, or even ten
Speaker 1: to fifteen years ago, Bonnie, you know, were never available
Speaker 1: to these players. Now they really are and yeah, and
Speaker 1: it can only be good for the growth of the
Speaker 1: women's game. Here, let's stay with the women's game domestically.
Speaker 1: Kate Shepherd Cup final. You were there on commentary on
Speaker 1: Saturday nighters or Saturday afternoon for this one. Auckland United
Speaker 1: their second Kate Shepherd Cup in three years. They beat
Speaker 1: Western Springs who won last year. Of course, one nil.
Speaker 1: What a goal to win it. If you're going to win,
Speaker 1: if you're gonna win a cup final, that's the kind
Speaker 1: of goal you want to score. The one that Charlotte
Speaker 1: Roach got.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it was a great goal and got honor. To
Speaker 2: be fair, we were getting quite frustrated because she had
Speaker 2: some great runs, but she kept getting caught off side
Speaker 2: and also had opportunities where it was almost a clear
Speaker 2: cut chance in front of goal and she was missing
Speaker 2: those ones. So it was like she clearly wanted to
Speaker 2: win it for her team in the most spectacular way,
Speaker 2: and that she did. I mean, she's another player I
Speaker 2: believe that she just narrowly missed out on the Under
Speaker 2: twenty World Cups, so I'm sure she's made a bit
Speaker 2: more of a name for herself after that goal.
Speaker 1: It's great those sorts of clips go viral, don't they.
Speaker 1: You know a lot of people are going to watch
Speaker 1: that and take note of of Charlotte Roach. Third trophy
Speaker 1: of the season for Auckland United. They've won the OFC
Speaker 1: Women's Champions League and the Lotto NRFL Women's Premiership. Can
Speaker 1: you just give us some context here? How much better
Speaker 1: are they than everybody else?
Speaker 3: The Auckland United?
Speaker 1: Yeah?
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think it was hard to tell on Saturday,
Speaker 2: sadly because the wind was insane and it made for
Speaker 2: quite a messy match. I was disappointed in that respect.
Speaker 2: But they're a good side and they've been clearly dominant
Speaker 2: in the last few years. They've brought on over a
Speaker 2: lot of players from Northern Rovers who used to be
Speaker 2: one of the dominant teams in the Lotto in RFL,
Speaker 2: Ben Baked who used to coach. They have brought a
Speaker 2: bunch of players over. They've they've been a tight group
Speaker 2: for some time now and you can see that really
Speaker 2: clicking and working out for them. It just takes you know.
Speaker 2: I think in these domestic competitions it's really hard because
Speaker 2: when a coach goes somewhere attends a lot of players
Speaker 2: will go and follow them, so who knows how long
Speaker 2: they'll stay dominant for. But Springs, you know they're just
Speaker 2: as good considering they lost a lot of players after
Speaker 2: last season when they won the Kate Shepperd Cup. They
Speaker 2: also held their own on Saturday. So definitely quite competitive
Speaker 2: league up here. But Auckley United definitely breaking through.
Speaker 1: All right, Who are there? I see Chloe k Not
Speaker 1: there isn't she so clearly former pro So she's going
Speaker 1: to be a key player. Who else is? Or who
Speaker 1: else stood out for you in the cup final and
Speaker 1: and stands out for them consistently.
Speaker 2: Yeah, there's a player to Leisha Green and she's their captain.
Speaker 2: She's right full back and just like it's such a
Speaker 2: solid player for this team and has been for years.
Speaker 2: She came over as well from Northern Rovers and she
Speaker 2: just can press the ball so high and you know,
Speaker 2: be such an attacking player. She's she's solid. There's another
Speaker 2: young player Alexis Cook who again another one who missed
Speaker 2: out on the under twenty selection. Again, There's there's Chelsea Elliott,
Speaker 2: who is Mickey Foster's partner actually, and she plays center
Speaker 2: back and she's another solid player who has been in
Speaker 2: the Northern League for some time. So I think it's
Speaker 2: just these this kind of experience of playing top level
Speaker 2: football in this league.
Speaker 1: All right, Well done to Auckland United. Another Kate Shepherd
Speaker 1: up and another piece of silverware for them. The Chatham
Speaker 1: Cup Final followed. This went the distance, Wellington Olympic winning
Speaker 1: for the first time in fifteen years. They beat Auckland
Speaker 1: City five to four on penalties. Before we get to
Speaker 1: the penalty shootout, it was nila for a long time,
Speaker 1: then an own goal put Wellington Olympic ahead, and then
Speaker 1: Auckland City an added time at the end of the
Speaker 1: regulation ninety minutes, with Staipukic getting the header which drew
Speaker 1: them level. He is a player, that kid, isn't he?
Speaker 1: What is he? Seventeen years old? What a prospect?
Speaker 2: Could you hear me going on about him on the
Speaker 2: commentary painting I was running out of words because I
Speaker 2: was just so impressed with this kid. For an Auckland
Speaker 2: City side who have so many good players, they've been
Speaker 2: dominant for so many years. For this young seventeen year
Speaker 2: old kid to basically, you know, run the game for them,
Speaker 2: he was just incredible. And what I was so excited
Speaker 2: about was up in the North Harbor stands is above
Speaker 2: the stands are the auklandf C, the New A Leagues
Speaker 2: team's offices, and you could see the lights on and
Speaker 2: a few silhouettes in there, which probably would have been
Speaker 2: Steve Corricker and Terry mcflynn, maybe even Nick Becker. So
Speaker 2: I'm just I'm sure they would have been just as
Speaker 2: impressed in Stipe. Stipe's performance, and I'm sure maybe he's
Speaker 2: had a few calls from them since.
Speaker 3: But yeah, what a player.
Speaker 1: He just he just didn't He just didn't look seventeen,
Speaker 1: did he. You know, he just looked completely at home
Speaker 1: out there in the biggest domestic cup game of the
Speaker 1: of the season against you know, Wellington Olympic are a
Speaker 1: good team and Auckland City are stacked as well. These
Speaker 1: are clearly the two best domestic teams in the entire country.
Speaker 1: He just looked entirely unaffected by it all.
Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely, And he was having a real great tussle
Speaker 2: with the Wellington Olympic fullback Rubis.
Speaker 3: I think his name is, yeah, John John Rubis.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 2: They were having some great battles up that side of
Speaker 2: the park and even with Ukich's goal, well he just
Speaker 2: you know, got in front of his defender and put
Speaker 2: his body in front of it. Was you know, obviously
Speaker 2: they needed that goal to stay in the game.
Speaker 3: So good on him.
Speaker 2: And yeah, as you say, Auckland said, he is such
Speaker 2: a good side so Wellington Olympics so very impressed by
Speaker 2: his performance.
Speaker 1: He did win the Jack Batty Cup, which is the
Speaker 1: man of the match or Player of the Match award,
Speaker 1: you know, outstanding display. And even though he wasn't on
Speaker 1: the winning side, he you know, he still did enough
Speaker 1: to turn everybody's head. So yes, so well done. Must
Speaker 1: mention Wellington o limpit. They did win it after all,
Speaker 1: and and you know, like I say, a very very
Speaker 1: good team. Scott Scott Pasale has been a goalkeeper who's
Speaker 1: gone around, you know sort of you know, had had
Speaker 1: various little delliances with professional football. One of the better
Speaker 1: domestic keepers for a long time. He saved the fifth penalty,
Speaker 1: didn't he, But then they had to take it again.
Speaker 1: He was miles off his line. I listened to you
Speaker 1: and Andrew and the commentary and you're so right. He's
Speaker 1: almost out at the end of the six hard box.
Speaker 4: Yeah.
Speaker 2: No, well it's hilarious and good on him for backing
Speaker 2: that up second time.
Speaker 4: Yeah.
Speaker 2: I've followed Scott for years and yeah, it was great
Speaker 2: to see him win it for his team. I think
Speaker 2: I was just so impressed by the way Wellington Olympic
Speaker 2: had maintained their tactic and still managed to win. I
Speaker 2: mean it was it didn't make for a super exciting
Speaker 2: game of football because they had they hadn't parked the bus,
Speaker 2: but they had a clear tactic from from Paul Eifel
Speaker 2: obviously their coach, and in terms of just sitting back,
Speaker 2: letting Auckland City come and then go for the go
Speaker 2: for the counter and it worked for them. Obviously they
Speaker 2: scored that that goal, which was an own goal, but yeah,
Speaker 2: they really gave it to Auckland City and I think,
Speaker 2: you know, the Aucklanders were just kind of like, we
Speaker 2: played our best. We couldn't we couldn't figure out their tactics.
Speaker 1: Yeah, Ben Mata said afterwards, you know, the biggest emotion
Speaker 1: was relief probably that they that they'd won it. There
Speaker 1: was a lot of expectation on them. They've been on
Speaker 1: an incredible unbeaten run domestically, and yeah, for them to
Speaker 1: win it, great for them and Paul Ethel as well.
Speaker 1: He won it with christ Church United year. Also on penalties,
Speaker 1: I actually messaged Paul Lie earlier in the day and
Speaker 1: because he told me that when Christoot United went to
Speaker 1: penalties last year that only two or three guys put
Speaker 1: their hands up to take one, and they had to
Speaker 1: really look around for guys who wanted to take a penalty,
Speaker 1: or at least didn't absolutely not want to take one.
Speaker 1: So I missed him and said, look, I hope you
Speaker 1: get guys if you get to a penalty shootout, I
Speaker 1: hope you get guys put their hands up this time.
Speaker 1: And he came back he said, hopefully we don't get
Speaker 1: to that. So I thought of him when the equalizer
Speaker 1: went in. Because extra time. Honestly, I wonder whether we're
Speaker 1: at the point now where we just do away with
Speaker 1: extra time. How often is it, you know, and how
Speaker 1: often has a goal scored an extra time? Really the
Speaker 1: two teams just get so cagey and just play for penalties.
Speaker 1: I wonder we would just go to penalties.
Speaker 2: I completely disagree Painting. I don't think any team wants
Speaker 2: it settled on penalties. I think only the neutral football
Speaker 2: fan wants it settled on that. And who scores an
Speaker 2: extra time Auckland City do? They scored two extra time
Speaker 2: goals against Birkenhead and the Chatham Cup semifinal.
Speaker 1: There you go. I stand correct, I stand correct. Maybe
Speaker 1: it was just me wanting to get to bed, yeah,
Speaker 1: rather than stay up for the extra thirty minutes penalties
Speaker 1: after that, Now, well do'n to wellent Olympic. Well done
Speaker 1: to Auckland United, our domestic cup winners for twenty twenty
Speaker 1: four Football Fever. All right, let's go to the A leagues.
Speaker 1: Nanda Pinekert, as we mentioned or sort of speculated on
Speaker 1: the podcast a week ago, has indeed signed for Auckland FC.
Speaker 1: You had the chance to have a chat to him.
Speaker 3: Yeah, he was great.
Speaker 2: He was excited to come back home. I mean you
Speaker 2: obviously ask him the question of why you're returning to
Speaker 2: the A League. You're playing not top level football in Europe,
Speaker 2: but you're playing some good football over there. And he
Speaker 2: actually came back and said, well, Bonnie, he thinks the
Speaker 2: A league's better than where he's been playing over in Ireland.
Speaker 2: So yeah, good on him there for backing that and
Speaker 2: coming back. I know there'll be a lot of Kiwi
Speaker 2: fans that will enjoy seeing him back here. And he's
Speaker 2: got a lot of mates in the Auckland f C
Speaker 2: team as well, and Max Mutter and Francis Debriz, so yeah,
Speaker 2: really exciting.
Speaker 1: I had a couple of others who I think there
Speaker 1: were four went there in the or there are four
Speaker 1: in the in the all white squad currently from Auckland
Speaker 1: f C. Alex Paulson, Tommy Smith, Nando of course, and
Speaker 1: who am I forgetting Logan Rogersons.
Speaker 2: Yeah, well that right now. And then there's obviously eleven
Speaker 2: all whites which is just insane, that have signed for
Speaker 2: Auckland f C. There's seven for the Phoenix, so a good.
Speaker 3: Good amount there.
Speaker 2: And that was the other thing he said, you know,
Speaker 2: it's so exciting that this many all whites are playing
Speaker 2: down in the A League. You know, it makes them
Speaker 2: really puts them in front of their fans and you know,
Speaker 2: shows young Kiwis that it is possible to play for
Speaker 2: your country and play pro and you know, kind of
Speaker 2: right here in your backyard, so it's exciting.
Speaker 1: So I think Nando Ponix has got quite a high ceiling.
Speaker 1: I've always thought that about him, especially being a left
Speaker 1: sided center back who was comfortable with the ball at
Speaker 1: his feet and can rake those forty to five yard
Speaker 1: passes from left back to right wing. I think he's
Speaker 1: got a really high ceiling. And I don't think his
Speaker 1: ceiling is either the Irish League or the A League.
Speaker 1: But so I rate the fact that he's come back.
Speaker 1: Thinks the A League's better than the Irish League. Come back,
Speaker 1: have a couple of years, play well, and then go
Speaker 1: off shore again if you want to. It never ceases
Speaker 1: to amaze me. Why players, and we'll talk about a
Speaker 1: couple in a moment, don't they stay without a club
Speaker 1: rather than thinking about the possibility of coming back to
Speaker 1: either the A League Means or women's. You know, there
Speaker 1: seems to still be this stigma about it being a
Speaker 1: backward step, where as has been proven time and time
Speaker 1: and time again. If you play well in the A
Speaker 1: League Men's or the A League Women's, you're on TV
Speaker 1: every week, your clips are everywhere. You know you are
Speaker 1: going to get noticed. I mean, wouldn't you rather be
Speaker 1: playing than not playing.
Speaker 2: Yeah, one hundred percent. And this league is only growing.
Speaker 2: That was That was another thing Nando said was added
Speaker 2: another team to the to the men's A league in
Speaker 2: Auckland f C. They wouldn't have done that if the
Speaker 2: league was struggling or anything. And it's it's getting more
Speaker 2: and more respect around the world, the men's and women's competitions.
Speaker 2: So yeah, good on him for coming back. I'm personally
Speaker 2: really excited to see him.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I am too. I am too. Like I say,
Speaker 1: I've always been an admirer of Nando Punica and and
Speaker 1: I hope he does really well at Auckland FC. Still
Speaker 1: no further news of import signings for Auckland f C.
Speaker 1: They've still got those four slots up their sleeves, so
Speaker 1: we'll check in each Monday on the Football Fever podcast
Speaker 1: and perhaps bring you news a week from now about
Speaker 1: a couple of imports. Speaking of which, Down and Wellington
Speaker 1: their two new Japanese players have arrived and begun training
Speaker 1: with the side in the last few days. Are kazuk
Speaker 1: Kazuki Nagasawa and Hidiki Ishiga have arrived and begun training.
Speaker 1: As I say, I actually had the opportunity earlier today
Speaker 1: to to meet both of these players. They seem like
Speaker 1: very very nice human beings. I didn't watch them train,
Speaker 1: so I can't comment on their football ability, not that
Speaker 1: that's my place to do that, but they seem very
Speaker 1: very like good men. And actually had a very brief
Speaker 1: chat with Kazuki Nagasawa. I asked him. First of all,
Speaker 1: how to move to Wellington had come about.
Speaker 4: A long time. I was wondering to move to the
Speaker 4: the foreign country team, and the last last year I
Speaker 4: injured the knee two years ago and I recovered last
Speaker 4: year the last season. Then I feel like fit now
Speaker 4: and I play good and that maybe coach to see
Speaker 4: the game. What's the game? And he offered me.
Speaker 1: Then I decided, So didn't you have to think long
Speaker 1: and hard about it? Did you have other opportunities, other offers,
Speaker 1: and why did you choose Wellington?
Speaker 4: The first of all, I have the choice to stay
Speaker 4: in Japan and maybe the out of the season, I
Speaker 4: have another choice to the move to the other team.
Speaker 4: But the that went to offer me and the he
Speaker 4: said the coach said the my ability, Uh, heave my ability,
Speaker 4: So that's why I breave the decide. This on this decision.
Speaker 1: Yeah, the coach sees you can play in lots of
Speaker 1: different positions. He's listed about five or six positions. Where
Speaker 1: is your favorite position?
Speaker 4: And the last team I I was playing the sixer,
Speaker 4: and I that is the most like the fit position
Speaker 4: for me because the I could uh control the game
Speaker 4: and I could the feed the the both sides and
Speaker 4: I contra that that is one of the strong point
Speaker 4: to control the game. It's so that's why I I
Speaker 4: feel the the sixer or the central midfield, that's feeling
Speaker 4: good for me. But when I played in the Blah
Speaker 4: Blah I Verretts, I was playing the side also, so
Speaker 4: I could play everywhere. If the coach need.
Speaker 1: And the I League, the standard of the A League
Speaker 1: compared to the J League or J two, How do
Speaker 1: you assess the strength of the A League by comparison?
Speaker 4: Uh huh, strength is is the I think the area
Speaker 4: is more physical physical physicality, and they have everybody have
Speaker 4: a strong body, and like the Mita Duke and like
Speaker 4: the Andrena boot the old Austrian player when they come
Speaker 4: to the Japan, everybody has a good like physicality and
Speaker 4: they're good like strong body. So I actually I didn't
Speaker 4: see the game the area before, but I feel like
Speaker 4: this is more like strong and more no not also
Speaker 4: they have the technique, but I feel like everybody like
Speaker 4: have a strong body and speed and the transition is
Speaker 4: very fast. That is kind of my thing.
Speaker 1: That is a Kazuki Nagasawa. I think you can tell
Speaker 1: a lot about a person just by the way that
Speaker 1: they are around media situations. Clearly English is the second language.
Speaker 1: I just liked them immediately, Bonnie.
Speaker 2: Yeah, no, it sounded sounded like a great guy and
Speaker 2: excited to be in Wellington, and that's that's all you
Speaker 2: can really ask for. And the fact, I mean we
Speaker 2: spoke about it last week. I just loved the way
Speaker 2: that that Japanese players play their football. They've got such
Speaker 2: a fantastic style and they're so smart on and off
Speaker 2: the So yeah, I'm excited by the fact he's here
Speaker 2: and that he can play multiple positions.
Speaker 1: Just before we move on from the Phoenix, just as
Speaker 1: we have been recording, luckily we keep our notifications open.
Speaker 1: Academy graduate Matt Sheridan has signed an upgraded three year
Speaker 1: contract extension with the Phoenix, so he'll be at the
Speaker 1: club long term or certainly he signed a long term
Speaker 1: contract extension. I thought he looked good. Actually, Matt Sheridan
Speaker 1: in his opportunities with the Phoenix last season, so good
Speaker 1: to see him sign on for the next three years.
Speaker 1: Football Fever with Jason Vine and Bonnie Jensen. Do you
Speaker 1: want to finish with Key's overseas? It's a men's window
Speaker 1: at the moment. It's not a lot of players playing
Speaker 1: in men's competitions. Want to ask you about a couple
Speaker 1: of players in a sec Bonnie. Hannah Blake meantime starting
Speaker 1: lineup for her new side Durham in the UK Women's Championship.
Speaker 1: They had a two one win over Sheffield United to
Speaker 1: open their season, so good start for Hannah Blake. Now
Speaker 1: Lis Anton has signed. She was at Perth. Right has
Speaker 1: she gone to Canberra?
Speaker 2: Yeah, she's gone to Camberra United. I think that was
Speaker 2: announced today, which is exciting for her. There's obviously Ruby
Speaker 2: Nathan who has re signed the other football Fern with
Speaker 2: Cambra United. Devin Jackson played there last year. Still not
Speaker 2: sure what her movements are, but yeah, really exciting to
Speaker 2: see Liz Anton still in the A League. I think
Speaker 2: she's become one of the best defenders in the competition,
Speaker 2: and I believe she really enjoyed Perth but obviously keen
Speaker 2: for a change. So it'd be interesting to see how
Speaker 2: she goes at Camberra.
Speaker 1: Indeed it will. We'll keep an eye on los Anton now,
Speaker 1: Mickey Foster. We mentioned her before in terms of her
Speaker 1: partner playing for Auckland United, and we mentioned her on
Speaker 1: the podcast last week. It's not really being sure what
Speaker 1: the situation was with her continued future or not with
Speaker 1: Wellington Phoenix. I think we can pretty much say now
Speaker 1: that she's not coming back. What have you heard?
Speaker 2: Yeah, and I understand she is potentially on a plane
Speaker 2: or about to hit on a plane to Europe, which
Speaker 2: is exciting. I think you and I have sit the
Speaker 2: standard quite high for her and we think you know
Speaker 2: she can she's I mean personally, I think she's probably
Speaker 2: ready to move on for the from the Phoenix. So yeah,
Speaker 2: I'm not sure where she's where she'll sign. There's quite
Speaker 2: a few kiwis playing in Denmark right now. Maybe she'll
Speaker 2: want to go and link up with them, but who knows.
Speaker 2: Need I need to get on the phone with her
Speaker 2: and try and do some more again.
Speaker 1: Yeah I should, I should have asked you to do
Speaker 1: that before we started recording, but you know, all the
Speaker 1: best to Mickey and I agree, totally agree. Yeah, she's
Speaker 1: got a high ceiling as well beyond the A League.
Speaker 1: Women's so interested to find out where she turns up
Speaker 1: Jackie Hand. Now, what is the situation with Jackie Han.
Speaker 1: She's left Lewis FC, where she had a year long contract.
Speaker 1: I haven't seen her turn up anywhere. The new European
Speaker 1: seasons have all pretty much got underway. Jackie Hand is
Speaker 1: far too good a player not to be playing at
Speaker 1: the club somewhere. What's going on here?
Speaker 4: Yeah?
Speaker 2: I know, crazy Again, I'm not too sure. Maybe you know,
Speaker 2: she could fall back on somewhere like the Phoenix, but
Speaker 2: she was over in Europe. Why not stay there and
Speaker 2: try and find an opportunity. I'm not sure. The WSL
Speaker 2: the Woman's Super League, the equivalent to the men's Premier League.
Speaker 2: I don't think their windows have closed yet. Could be
Speaker 2: an opportunity there, But again that that is quite a
Speaker 2: step up from where she's been.
Speaker 3: But she's she's a bloody good player.
Speaker 2: I don't know if I'm allowed to say that, but yeah,
Speaker 2: so I would love her to stay over there again,
Speaker 2: someone I'm gonna have to get on the phone with
Speaker 2: and ask her what's up.
Speaker 1: But I just bring up the point I did before,
Speaker 1: And I know it might seem like a backward step,
Speaker 1: and maybe the Women's A League is even even regarded
Speaker 1: as more of a backward step than the men's A League.
Speaker 1: I don't know, But what is better playing or not playing?
Speaker 2: Yeah, exactly one hundred percent, I think sometimes and I'm
Speaker 2: not pointing out Jackie in any you know, in any
Speaker 2: She's no different anyone else. But sometimes with these footballers
Speaker 2: is some arrogance in terms of, you know, I want
Speaker 2: to set my sights a little bit higher. And we
Speaker 2: were even just talking earlier in the podcast on the
Speaker 2: A League actually is quite a well respected league and
Speaker 2: there's some really good players and you can then go
Speaker 2: and get scouted onto other big teams like Millie Klegg,
Speaker 2: like Macy Fraser, like Courtney Vine who played for Sydney,
Speaker 2: and obviously the Australian Forden has gone on and now
Speaker 2: is starting in the NWSL in America. So yeah, I
Speaker 2: don't think the A League should be looked down on
Speaker 2: and potentially as much as it is. But again, the
Speaker 2: Jackie might have reasons for wanting to stay over that
Speaker 2: side of the world.
Speaker 1: So this reminds me, and I'm she may well have
Speaker 1: a couple of vines in the fire here. I'm sure
Speaker 1: her agent is doing the work for her, same agent
Speaker 1: as Kate Taylor, I understand. So yeah, so you know,
Speaker 1: maybe that she ends up in France or someone like that. Anyway,
Speaker 1: this reminds me of Callen Elliott. Kellen Elliott left the
Speaker 1: Phoenix because he you know, so, I don't know the
Speaker 1: ins and outs exactly, but they couldn't reach terms, so
Speaker 1: call and Elliott went overseas to try and find a club.
Speaker 1: He signed for Motherwell but never played for them, and
Speaker 1: now he's back at Auckland f C. But by the
Speaker 1: time that New a League season starts, he would have
Speaker 1: been the best part of a year and a half
Speaker 1: without playing a competitive game of football as a as
Speaker 1: a kid. And you in his early twenties with aspirations
Speaker 1: for his club career and his international career, and you
Speaker 1: could look at it through this lens, he's basically wasted
Speaker 1: eighteen months.
Speaker 2: No, yeah, one hundred percent. I think the only thing
Speaker 2: different with the women's and maybe I should have pointed
Speaker 2: out this earlier, is that potentially, you know, it's quite
Speaker 2: an unaffordable, unachievable ask to you know, RC's players who
Speaker 2: are committing, these female players, committing their life to football,
Speaker 2: but then come back to the A League and beyond
Speaker 2: a part time salary. Yes, someone like Jackie might be
Speaker 2: paid a little bit more on it. She might be
Speaker 2: able to make it work, but that is quite a
Speaker 2: you know, she would have been on a better salary.
Speaker 2: I wouldn't say it was an amazing salary in the
Speaker 2: league that she's in, but it would have been probably
Speaker 2: full time and enough to get by, and coming back
Speaker 2: to the A League, playing out of town, away from home,
Speaker 2: it might not be achievable for it.
Speaker 1: That's a very good point, yep, that is a very
Speaker 1: good point. That money has to come into the equation
Speaker 1: as well. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Jackie Han
Speaker 1: turns up somewhere. As I said before, she is far
Speaker 1: too good a player to not be playing football, So
Speaker 1: let's hope that she turns up somewhere real soon. Just
Speaker 1: before we go normally we focus exclusively on Kiwis on
Speaker 1: football fever, but I know that you had a bit
Speaker 1: of a tear in your eye earlier today watching Alex
Speaker 1: Morgan play her final game.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I was so emotional Pioneer Alex Morgan. I think
Speaker 2: ever since she came to New Zealand last year when
Speaker 2: they had the USA had the tour against New Zealand,
Speaker 2: you were there as well, Pioneer. I was just being
Speaker 2: in awe of her, And you know, she's created such
Speaker 2: opportunities for female footballers on and off the field. Her
Speaker 2: involvement in the game has been unmatched. And you know,
Speaker 2: she said and when she announced that she was retiring,
Speaker 2: she her daughter, her four year old daughter said to
Speaker 2: her the other day, Mum, I want to be a
Speaker 2: professional footballer when I'm older. And Alex was just so happy,
Speaker 2: not because her daughter was going to play football, but
Speaker 2: because there was an opportunity now for a woman to
Speaker 2: see that pathway and believe it. And you know, it
Speaker 2: goes back to what we were talking about earlier. I
Speaker 2: didn't even know you could play woman's football professionally as
Speaker 2: a job, and that's why I work a media now.
Speaker 2: So yeah, she's just done so much for the game,
Speaker 2: and certainly a player I'm gonna personally miss yep.
Speaker 1: I enjoyed the chance to to you know what, I
Speaker 1: don't think I could say we met her, but well
Speaker 1: you might have ided and I just sent me with
Speaker 1: a micro I sent me with a microphone, but I too.
Speaker 3: Will you not call that meeting?
Speaker 2: Well I did, Well, it's broadened out these we're friends,
Speaker 2: but I couldn't see that.
Speaker 1: I can see you follow her on Instagram, follows your back,
Speaker 1: but you know, well, you know there's always time for that.
Speaker 1: I totally agree. Trailblazer and one of many who have
Speaker 1: opened up these pathways and open up the eyes of
Speaker 1: young girls in particular who now can see a way
Speaker 1: to a livelihood a professional career in football. And yeah,
Speaker 1: she's played a huge, huge part in that.
Speaker 2: And she's also a bloody good player, Like we can't
Speaker 2: forget how many goals she's scored, so yeah, certainly just
Speaker 2: on and off the field, unmatched.
Speaker 1: Brilliant stuff. That brings to an end what has become
Speaker 1: a bumper episode of Football Fever, which we like. It
Speaker 1: means that there's lots to talk about. We're back next Monday,
Speaker 1: when we can break down the second International between the
Speaker 1: or Whites and the United States this time, and any
Speaker 1: other news that drops in the next week or so
Speaker 1: regarding the A leagues. Regarding domestic football, stuff always pops up.
Speaker 1: We get into the time of the season where there's
Speaker 1: always plenty to talk about. Have a great week, Bonnie
Speaker 1: will check it next Monday.
Speaker 2: Mart A is what don't we Eve