***Official*** Road to World Cup 2014

[sledger]

Holds it....holds it....HOLDS IT!

 

[Meridio]

We're ****ed. Panama, we would've had an outside chance. Mexico, no way. It will be something of a minor miracle if we come away from the Azteca Stadium less than 4-0 down.

Stupid USA.

 

[Meridio]

About two hours until kickoff v Mexico and with Winston Reid out injured we're even more ****ed than before. Best we can hope for is something like a 3-1 loss; if we can somehow pinch an away goal and then hope like hell that Wellington turns on a windy, miserable day for the home leg me may have the slightest chance of scoring an upset.

Stupid selections not helping our cause either - how the hell Jeremy Christie gets a game is beyond me. There's a reason he's been without a club for two years; it's because he's ****.

 

[Uppercut]

Don't be too pessimistic- you're surely not far behind teams like Panama that Mexico have already really struggled with. It's a decent tactical match-up for you guys too.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Shame to see U-R-Gay will be in the 32 after they opened a can of arse whupping on Jordan. Very, very hard team to warm to.

Be cool if NZ can make it. Must be donkey's since Mexico missed out tho.

 

[Meridio]

Na, reckon you're underestimating how poor we are. It's impossible to overstate just how important Ryan Nelsen was to the NZ team, and with Reid also out, our defence is looking slow and shaky. We've also got two players in the starting lineup who are without clubs, while other players are being played out of position; and our best attacking player (Marco Rojas, plays for Stuttgart) has been left on the bench because he's been injured the last few months. Plus, we' re playing at altitude in the Azteca Stadium in front of 100,000 Mexicans; none of our players have experienced anything like that before.

Having said that, it's as good a time as any to be playing Mexico given how poor they've been. We'll be looking to park the bus and hope Mexico get frustrated. I suppose stranger things have happened.

 

[Pothas]

Shame to see U-R-Gay will be in the 32 after they opened a can of arse whupping on Jordan. Very, very hard team to warm to.

Be cool if NZ can make it. Must be donkey's since Mexico missed out tho.

Dislike them all you want but surley the World Cup is better for having them in than Jordan? Even more so given what happened the last time the World Cup was in Brazil.

Really hope NZ can do something, Mexico just don't deserve to qualify.

 

[BoyBrumby]

I dunno. Whatever they add is negated by the kicking anything that moves and cynical cheating aspects of their play.

The Argies are already there, don't see a poor man's Argentina is necessary.

 

[wellAlbidarned]

These mexicans seem to hate anyone getting in their gill. Make em cry boys.

 

[wellAlbidarned]

Gooooooooooooooooooooooal of mexicoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

 

[Meridio]

2-0 down at half time and we look utterly village. Don't think we've put more than 3 passes together at any point all game.

 

[Bahnz]

Ouch that sounded painful. Man New Zealand miss Ryan Nelson. He wasn't just a great player, he was a great director, constantly barking at his fellow defenders - maneuvering them into the right positions on the field and pushing them to get the best out of themselves. Without him, this was always likely to be too big an ask.

 

[Meridio]

Yep, he was pretty much the sole reason we got to the last World Cup and did so well there.

Anyway, second half we were actually a bit better - we at least attempted to pass the ball to our own players rather than mindlessly hoofing it forwards. Was no coincidence that that started happening when James and Rojas came on. I'm still absolutely flabbergasted that a guy who hasn't played club football for two years can be selected in a key position in NZ's biggest game in the last four years. If we had any actual football journalists, Ricki Herbert would be crucified.

Just a 4-0 victory needed in Wellington next week then.

 

[James]

Ouch that sounded painful. Man New Zealand miss Ryan Nelson. He wasn't just a great player, he was a great director, constantly barking at his fellow defenders - maneuvering them into the right positions on the field and pushing them to get the best out of themselves. Without him, this was always likely to be too big an ask.

We missed Winston Reid more than missing Ryan Nelson. Reid continues to be awesome in defense for the Hammers week after week and was why he was Player of the Year last season.

I didn't watch the game, but in seeing the highlights, some very soft goals in there. Perhaps put that down to the altitude, but as others have said, our lineup was just rubbish to start with.

 

[andruid]

Chicharito!

 

[BoyBrumby]

Word is Woy's following Pellegrini's lead and benching Hart for the friendly versus Voodoo Chile tonight.

 

[GIMH]

Word is Woy's following Pellegrini's lead and benching Hart for the friendly versus Voodoo Chile tonight.

It was always going to be the case that Hart sat one of the games out wasn't it?

Forgot that it was tonight, something to watch, good ****

 

[BoyBrumby]

Forster in ahead of Ruddy. Interesting.

Very dodgy on crosses from what I've seen, especially for such a big lad.

Baines starts at LB. Think he has every right to be considered the man in possession now.

 

[GIMH]

Hollywood goalkeeping

 

[grecian]

pfft, this 'keepers not much good, pretty sure Banks saved one from a similar header.