Woohoo! Go All Whites!

[Usarka]

Best game of sport I've ever been to was the AW's playing Bahran in Welly.

And I've seen arsenal play at home, I've seen the all blacks play 25 times, including eng, scot. ire and wales, I've seen a number of NRL games, some netball, various club/province/super sports and I've even seen the eel double penetration finals at the amsterdam red light regatta.

[ynot slow]

True but for years they knew how to win! When the AW's learn how to do that, they might be worth following!

Hopefully the guys running NZ soccer will invest the monies due wisely.After 1982 the game reached highs but the idiots in charge nearly bankrupted the game,our subs were set so that each player payed $5-10 off hand and that went to the head office.And also didn't matter if you played for school(secondary)teams in morning and club team in arvo,which meant two subs paid to school and club(and 2 lots of money)to head office.

Hope like heck the ticker tape parade doesn't go ahead,as sure they did fantastic,but in no way is a parade justified.

[Kendog]

no way is a parade justified.

Why not ynot?

[Usarka]

Why not ynot?

Unbeaten in a competition in which 204 countries entered. Meh.

Parades are only justifed if you come first in a game played by 8 countries.

[wysper]

True but for years they knew how to win! When the AW's learn how to do that, they might be worth following!

Yeah it is just for a couple of weeks every four years they forget how.

[wysper]

Unbeaten in a competition in which 204 countries entered. Meh.

Parades are only justifed if you come first in a game played by 8 countries.

or if you spend more money on a big boat with a big sail and sail it faster than some other rich bastard with a big boat and a big sail.

[GOONR]

....And I've seen arsenal play at home.....

Was that highbury or Emirates. I need to get back, haven't been to Emirates yet.

[oldrider]

Yeah it is just for a couple of weeks every four years they forget how.

True! That's why I was careful with my words!

[Winston001]

Unbeaten in a competition in which 204 countries entered. Meh.

Mmmm but lets call a spade a spade: unable to win anything in a competition of the 32 best countries.....



Don't get me wrong - the All Whites played way above any reasonable hopes and deserve parades whatever. But they didn't win anything either (apart from national respect which may evaporate in 6 months). Draws and Nil are a zero sum game. This whole World Cup competition is falling flat because of the lack of goals and excitement.

[Winston001]

Really, so I guess not many people will bother watching the rest of the world cup.
The final probaly wont get many viewers either, only an estimated 715 million people watched the last final.

Oh there is no doubt that soccer is a successful television and arena product. At the moment. But don't be misled by tv audience figures: this is a competition of national teams so even people who don't really care get drawn in to watching because of social pressure, and the natural wish to see your own team do well. TV is dominated by it so you can't escape.

[martybabe]

True but for years they knew how to win! When the AW's learn how to do that, they might be worth following!

Ah but Confucius he say : Not losing is the first step on the stairway to winning.

[oldrider]

Ah but Confucius he say : Not losing is the first step on the stairway to winning.

"Very" true!

Fair to say they are right on track but the job is only half completed, add an equal attack to a defence like that and they would be bringing the "big one" home!

Now that would be something (not impossible) to celebrate!

[ynot slow]

Why not ynot?

My feeling is the squad will dissapear to their clubs and not travel back to NZ,and although they have done bloody fantastic(I thought a draw out of 3 is fine,3 draws excellent)my belief is a ticker tape parade is over the top,fair enough if we went further.In no way does it take away the excellent tourism promotion they've given kiwiland.

[ynot slow]

We came ,we drew, we competed, alas we didn't win,mind you our world ratings will probably put us ahead of Aussie,that'd be great,then we'd never hear the end of Australasia teams,Aussies love the ANZAC idea when they hang on our shirt tails because they're crap,if we're crap it's Aussie only.

[oldrider]

We came ,we drew, we competed, alas we didn't win,mind you our world ratings will probably put us ahead of Aussie,that'd be great,then we'd never hear the end of Australasia teams,Aussies love the ANZAC idea when they hang on our shirt tails because they're crap,if we're crap it's Aussie only.

True! It goes way, way back too!

I.E. when Pha Lap was racing and went to America the Aussies boasted how they had prearranged press releases ready for either outcome!

Aussie horse wins and/or New Zealand horse loses! (heads we win, tails you lose)

They wouldn't be Aussie's if they weren't like that and we wouldn't be Kiwi's if didn't act the way we do!

It's who we are.....ANZAC's.....Australasian's.....whatever, I am sure proud to be one!

Both the Australian and New Zealand teams did well at the World Cup and that fact can not be disputed but they are not coming home as winners, simply as good performers!

Lets keep it in perspective!