An irreverent look back at NZ Football in the last month
February
1st
Wellington
Phoenix sign Birmingham City Reserve striker, Alex Jones, on loan
until the end of the season.
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| Alex Jones enjoying his holiday in New Zealand |
Ryan
Nelsen has scored a new job as a player agent, representing American Matt
Miazga in his recent $7.7 million move from New York Red Bulls to Chelsea.
February
2nd
Big
day for two Football Ferns, Betsy Haslett signs with Bundesliga side
Werder Bremen, while Rebekah Stott is on the winning team as Melbourne
City beat Sydney 4-1 in the Australian W-League.
February
4th
Auckland
City continue their dominance of the Super City Derby with a 5-1
trashing of rivals Waitakere United, their 9th win in a
row in derby games
Northern Football women's coach, Paul
Greig, is joining USWL team, the New York based, Sky Blues FC as an
assistant coach.
February
5th
NZF
announce that their build up for the Oceania Nations Cup will be a 2
week training camp in Australia, as they have been unable to secure
any games during the March International window.
Coach Anthony Hudson
says “I'll be lying if I sat here and said I was satisfied”
Ernie
Merrick says the Wellington Phoenix aren't winning games because they
are too nice.
Sydney's
Lord Mayor Cleaver Moore and pal of Wellington Mayor Celia
Wade-Brown, get's in on the Save the Nix campaign, writing a
supporting letter to FFA CEO David Gallop.
February
6th
No
10 goal feast this time when the Weenix play Hawke's Bay United, just
the 2 both to Sam Mason-Smith of Hawke's Bay United.
February
7th
Team
Wellington have an easy 3-0 win over 10 man Southern United, who are
still on course to equal the lowest ever number of goals scored in a
National League season of 6.
In
a masterpiece of scheduling WaiBOP United v Canterbury United is on at the
same time as the A-League clash between the Phoenix and Perth Glory (both on Sky TV as well!).
The ASB game being the more eventful one with WaiBOP fighting back to
2 all before a goal of the season contender from Brooke Messenger in
the 3rd minute of added on time gives Canterbury a 3-2
win.While an insipid Phoenix lose 1-0 to Perth Glory. No one seems to mention (or
even see) the “prestigious” Long Distance Derby Cup that was on
the line.
February
8th
The Futsal Whites open their Oceania
Championship campaign in Fiji with a 5-0 win over Vanuatu.
February
9th
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| Tommy Smith Getting married |
All White Tommy Smith announces that
the personal reasons that he missed the Oman game for were that he
was proposing to his girlfriend. He also says the wedding is
scheduled for June 2017 and he's checked it doesn't clash with any
All White's fixtures.
He obviously doesn't rate NZ's chances of
qualifying for the Confederation Cup to be held in Russia in June
2017!
Football Fern, Katie Bowen will be
looking out her ruby red boots as she signs for FC Kansas City
The Futsal Whites win their second
game 3-2 over Tahiti
February
10th
Alex Jones loan transfer to the
Phoenix falls through after NZ Football fail to complete the
paperwork on time. NZF hang out Competitions Manager Daniel Farrow,
who says it was a combination of a person leaving the organisation,
Auckland Anniversary weekend, lack of Internet access and technical difficulties. I suppose it's good to know NZF have finally moved on
from the fax machine as their main means of communicating!
They are appealing to FIFA for an
exemption.
The Phoenix instead sign Hawke's Bay
United's Hamish Watson as injury cover.
The Futsal Whites lose 4-1 to Solomon
Islands, who include Auckland City's Micha Lea'alafa in their ranks
February
11th
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| Waitakere United's Jake Butler 200 games |
Waitakere United's Jake Butler makes
his 200th appearance for the club, but it is Team
Wellington's Ben Harris who steals the show with a hat-trick in a 4-2
win for the capital team.
February
12th
Wellington Phoenix's Andrew Blake
joins Hawke's Bay United for the rest of the season as part of the
Hamish Watson deal.
No surprises from Football Ferns coach,
Tony Reddings, as he names his squad for the Algarve Cup in March.
Futsal Whites beat Fiji 3-1
February
13th
Southern United increase their number
of goals scored for the season by 50% but its still not enough to
beat the Weenix, who are helped by a James McGarry (who ironically is
from Dunedin) hat-trick in a 4-3 win that sees Southern United
confirmed as the wooden spooners for the season.
Phoenix defender Ben
Sigmund manages 45 minutes as he comes back from injury.
The Futsal Whites claim 2nd
place at the Oceania Championship with a 4-1 win over New Caledonia.
It's not enough to qualify for the World Cup in Colombia though,
Solomon Islands will be Oceania's representatives.
February
14th
Auckland City's chance to secure their
7th minor premiership is thwarted by a 5.7 magnitude
earthquake in Christchurch which sees their game against Canterbury
United postponed.
The top 4 of the ASB Premiership is
confirmed as Auckland City, Canterbury United, Team Wellington &
Hawke's Bay United after Hawke's Bay United beat WaiBOP United 2-0 in
Napier. Just the final positions to be decided now.
Wellington Phoenix stun everyone with
a 5-2 thrashing of league leaders Western Sydney Wanderers, Blake
Powell finally finds his scoring boots getting 4.
February
16th
FIFA won't allow Wellington Phoenix's
loan deal for Alex Jones to proceed, saying that while they
acknowledge the individual circumstances at NZF which led to the
delay, they have ruled to protect the integrity of their global
deadlines for the transfers of players.
Phoenix CEO David Dome tells
Australia's Daily football show that negotiations on the licence with
the FFA are progressing slowly but they are progressing and he is
heartened by the way things are going.
Some good news for NZF, The 2015 U20 World Cup has been named
as a finalist in the Event excellence category of the NZ Sports &
Recreation awards
February
17th
Ex Auckland City goalkeeper and
part-time model, Tamati Williams signs with Dutch club RKC Waalwijk
Birmingham City boss, Gary Rowett,
labels the Alex Jones transfer a slap in the face for the player. NZF
CEO Andy Martin is refusing to front up on the issue.
February
18th
WaiBOP's Holly Nixon is appointed as
NZF's women's football development manager
Auckland City win their 7th
minor premiership with a 4-0 defeat of Southern United.
New Zealand Football fail to win
Administrator's of the year at the Halberg Awards
February
19th
10 more years – The Wellington
Phoenix get their A-League licence extension - 10 years, well 4 with 2x3 year reviews to ensure they are meeting FFA's required metrics
Wellingtonian & All White Kosta
Barbarouses is linked with a move back to the Phoenix, although the
rumoured wage of $750k is believed to be fantasy
NZF show some foresight and reschedule
the 1st ASB Premiership Semi Final, set for Thursday 3rd
March at the sandpit to Kiwitea Street on Saturday 5th
March
February
20th
Ernie Merrick declares that the
“...the season's over for us.” after the Phoenix go down 3-2 away
to Newcastle Jets. Hamish Watson has an eventual day scoring twice
before getting himself sent off, receiving a 2nd yellow
card for kicking the ball away.
The Weenix don't fare any better
losing 4-2 to WaiBOP United in Mt Maunganui. A game that is
significant for being WaiBOP's final ever home game.
February
21st
In the battle for 2nd
place, which brings a home semi final and potential qualification for
the O-League, Hawke's Bay United gain a vital 2-0 away win over Team
Wellington.
The game is significant as a little publicised rule
change means that means goal difference is no longer used as the
first separation of teams level on points, head to head results is
which effectively means Hawke's Bay United will finish in 2nd
place
The ASB Premiership makes a further
claim to be a real league, when fans at the Team Wellington game put
up a banner calling for NZF CEO Andy Martin to resign, but are
quickly asked to take it down by Team Wellington officials.
Waitakere United take a 2 goal lead
but are unable to hang on to it and Canterbury United manage to get a
draw in the televised game.
NZF president Deryck Shaw,
vice-president Michael Anderson & Executive Committee member Paul
Cochrane are off to Zurich for a knees-up, sorry FIFA congress, which
will elect a new president to replace banned Sepp Blatter.
All White Storm Roux breaks his leg in
a freak accident while playing for Central Coast Mariners against
Melbourne City and will not be available for the All Whites in the
Oceania Nations Cup
February
22nd
NZF president Deryck Shaw gives CEO
Andy Martin a vote of confidence, although he hints at the problems
being deeper when he says the board would like to meet with the
people that have some issues with NZF to understand their thoughts a
bit further!
February
24th
 |
| Dura - 200 Appearances & 2 more years |
Another player marking 200 appearances this time the Phoenix's Andrew Durante, signs a
new 2 year deal with the Phoenix.
Canterbury United take the lead and
hold it until the 60th minute before Auckland City stage a
comeback and win 3-1 in the round 12 catch up game
February
26th
The
Phoenix start without any recognised strikers and beat Melbourne City
2-1 in a wind affected game, maybe they should try that more often!
Team
Wellington hammer the Weenix 6-1 in the curtain-raiser, which also
determine's the Semi Final make up for the ASB Premiership which will
be Auckland City v Canterbury United & Hawke's Bay United v Team
Wellington.
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| A bald headed Swiss man in charge of FIFA |
A
bald headed Swiss man is replaced as the president of FIFA, by a bald
headed Swiss man!
Gianni Infantino is elected as new FIFA President,
after gaining 115 votes (including NZ's) of 207 in the 2nd
round of voting. He promises to give associations $5million US every
4 years and a 40 team World Cup.
February
27th
New
Zealand's path to the World Cup could change as new FIFA president,
Gianni Infantino says he will look “very closely” at changing it.
Hmmm sure a bald headed Swiss
man in charge of FIFA said something similar a few years ago as
well......
February
28th
Last minute drama in both the early
ASB Premiership games, Southern United twice go ahead before Gary
Ogilvie gets Canterbury United a winner in the 4th minute
of added on time.
In Napier, Hawke's Bay United's Paul
Ifill uses his experience to win and score a last minute penalty that
beat's Waitakere United 2-1. Waitakere United say the game sums up
their season.
In WaiBOP United's last ever game, it
was Auckland City that took the plaudits in a 4-1 win, their 27th
unbeaten game in the ASB Premiership. They didn't really start
playing until Daewoo Kim was sent off when the scores were at 1-1.
It's only the 2nd time in NZ National League history that
a team has gone the regular season unbeaten, the last team to do it
was....Auckland City in 2012
February
29th
More good news for the Phoenix as Roy
Krishna signs on for 2 more years
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| Roy Krishna - 2 more years |
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