Football Fever with News Talks MB's voice of Football Jason Paine and Bonny Jansen.
Hello there and welcome into a fresh episode of Football Fever. I'm Jason Pine and Bonnie Jansen alongside Auckland FC are a thing. Their life has begun and what a way to start. How did you enjoy Saturday at go Media Stadium?
Bonnie follow follow Aucklandsie that great night Bindy had I had to start. It's been in my head that that chant all weekend since the match. Just absolute scenes. I think that afternoon of football at Mount Smart I'm going to be remembering for a long time. Just yeah, goosebumps thinking back to it. What a spectacle it was.
Yeah, I think the off field stuff is what I want to talk about first, because you know we can get to the game. Obviously in a very good performance to start for Auckland FC, but everything that was wrapped around the day. Again, you have to give a huge rap to this football club for the way they hype this up. They got the marketing machine going, they got everybody in behind it. They basically built it and the fans came a sell out at Mount Smart, just so much energy.
I just thought the occasion was terrific.
And you know, if you're watching that from the other side of the Tasman and looking at this new football club and thinking, Okay, how they're going to go, you know, you look at the people that turned up in the atmosphere that was created, just absolutely terrific.
You're absolutely right, Piney, And I mean with millionaire owners like Bill Foley and investors like Ali Williams and a Mobray, Steven Adams, you know you kind of expect it's going to be something pretty special on opening match, but I don't think anyone quite anticipated how good it really was. And you know a lot of that you have to put down to the marketing, as you say, and the club really making a big fuss about this opening game, but also the fans. I think just the camaraderie and
the hype from the before Gates opened. There were ques Piney, you probably wouldn't have seen from the commentary box, but ques to the Gates, which I've just never really seen at a sporting fixture in New Zealand for some time. And then you know in the Lily World Bar that's the neighboring bar at Mount Smart, you know, just absolutely packed us speaking with some mates that go there often for Warriors games and they said, there's never been lines
like that for the bar. And obviously then when the gates opened, the port fans kind of all started gathering around the concourse and they were all singing their chance. I was at in amongst it, trying to learn, but learn from them, and that the drums were going and then the march happened, and that was about four point fifteen, I think around around then, as they went down between the West Stand and the South Stand down to Bay
twenty two. So yeah, it was just from the start, you know, the build up obviously during the game twelfth Man, but right from the get go they were unreal.
Yeah, description Yeah, we had a drone up in the sky coverage and so you were able to see what was happening around the ground. And yeah, just the the cues of people, the throngs of people heading to Mount Smart and you know, yes, I know this happens at Warriors games as well. Of course it doesn't, and you know they've got a very loyal and long standing fan base, but for that to happen on opening day of this football club's life, imagine those players walking out into that arena.
You know, I know a lot of them have played big clubs before, but I mean as a show of support for a brand new football club. You know, if that's not going to inspire you to play well, I don't know what is just incredible And you have to give it to the port the active support. They came as advertised as you say, they stood and chanted for ninety minutes, and that's what football fandom is all about. I just cannot give a big enough rap to the
fans of the team that turned up. Look, it was all brand new, of course, and you know it's a twelve or thirteen game home season. But if you went along on Saturday and I'd be going away saying when's the next game? When can I come back and do that again?
Yeah? I think that was a lot of messaging from kids, in particular to their parents. I also heard a lot of can we get a shirt? Can I get the home shirt? Can I get the away shirt? And that was one thing that really stood out to me was how many how many blue shirts people were already wearing. And you know that's that's before all the cues to the merch stands and before you know after all the
salouts around Auckland. Spoke with Nick Becker after the game and he said, yeah, just you know, people have been struggling to get merched because it's been so popular. Definitely, you're going back one hundred percent. The whole game day experience. I think they nailed. They had the big blow up slide that I believe Ali Williams and Nick Becker wanted from the get go down the hill of the kind of north side of the park, and I was lucky enough to go down it before gates opened, which was
which was pretty entertaining, but they were just ques. I spoke with someone in the office earlier and he said for the whole second half they were waiting in the line for that slide, but it wasn't an issue because he was parked up while his kids were in the line. He was just parked up on the hill and drawing a beer in the sun, watching the footy. So yeah, they've definitely nailed that gam to experience. You know, they were lucky with the weather. I'm not sure it'll be
that lucky every week, hopefully it is. Another thing they nailed was the time of kickoff five pm. Perfect.
Yeah, absolutely, just before we get onto the game itself. You've had a very busy day. By the sounds of it, you got very nice. I know you were there very early on. You were you were doing work for the Herald and for z B. You were sliding down the slide. By the sounds of things, you were, you were mixing
with the fans, you were doing all that. But then I know then from the many messages I received from you, that you you then found your way into the corporate area, which I think was a good reward for you having done all that work. What was it like in What was it like in in the in the in the corporate area in terms of the buzz in there and and a few of the cleibes that you spotted, Yeah.
It was definitely very cool in there. There were a lot of you know, people that were avid football fans, really excited, but also you know a lot of just celebritties. And the unknown first person I saw and I walked in was Lisa Carrington, obviously the Olympic gold medalist, A bunch of broadcasters like Samantha Hayes and Heather Duples, c Allen, Ali Williams is obviously there. Nick Becker Bill Foley and
then of course the Prime Minister Christopher Luxen. So yeah, some very very big names, a lot of faces, which was cool.
Yeah, you said, I'm just going to read and he has a message.
One of the messages you sent to me Lisa Carrington, Arwen good and Beial, Carlos, Spencer, Hamish, Carter, Andy Ellis, Christopher Luxeon, Jeremy Wells, Samantha Hayes, Brody Kane.
You just get on sending these names to me.
Well, you asked for that pinting because I thought you were going to spit a few off on the commentary, so I was, you know, just wanting to keep you in the loop with what was going on in the stands. But no, it was it was awesome that yeah, really good vibes and as I say, the sun was shining. It was like just the perfect setup for footy.
Tim Brown and Winston Read of course as well part of the ownership group, they were there, they featured on Sky's coverage and yeah, just just adding to the occasion. So yep, absolutely terrific. Let's talk about the game. I don't think it could have been better planned as far as the way the team played. They came out with energy,
they came out with intent. I think they were a little bit there was a lot of adrenaline flowing through them in the first little while, a few nerves, but scoring a goal as they did after just eight minutes was the perfect start to the football club's life and own goal. That'll be a quiz question in years to come. Who scored the first goal for Auckland FC in.
The A League.
It's Harry van der Sag, the Brisbane raw defender, but set up with a really brilliant piece of work from from Logan Rogerson initial league Gazumo Mai and then Hiroki Sakai who crossed it across and Harry vander sak diverted it into his own net. What a way to start a goal inside eight minutes.
Yeah, it was pretty cool. And twenty four hours earlier we had been at the stadium for the pre match press conference and it was about that time on the clock and about the steminth eighth minute where they had had the scoreboard pre set to one nel Auckland City with almost that exact time, and so you know, twenty four hours later when they when they scored that goal in that minute, that was pretty special. Gmo may that pass.
I just couldn't stop replaying that on the highlights, that kind of no look one touch pass out to Hiroki Saki, who was just incredible. Like you can see why they named him Skipper. The energy on the field was unmatched.
And I just also thought it was just he's done a lot, right. He's been to three World Cups, He's played over seventy times for Japan, He's played in some big legs in Europe. But the delight and the joy and I'm pretty sure he's not making this up when he scored the goal and at the end of the game just showed you know that this does mean something to him. He's not here just to you know, to tick a box, and I don't think there was ever any suggestion that he was. But he was just delighted
with the whole thing. He came to the he came to the postmatch press conference, and he was he.
Was trying to claim the goal. He reckons he was. I said, oh, great cross, and he said, I we're shooting. And so I said, look at you trying to claim.
The goal and he's here, and obviously they're in high spirits after the game but you're right, Saki terrific. I thought Louis Vastrautta, the Belgian midfielder, he is going to be a brilliant anchor for that team, sitting at the base of midfield. Juremo may agree had a really good game. Like I really liked Francis Devreese as well. I thought he got up and down really nicely, up and down the left and set up the second goal for Logan Rogerson. What a finish, by the way.
Yeah, such a classy from from Logan. I agree with you. Franny was unreal. I don't know if he's saw he got a blood nose.
Yeah, taught hanging out his nose for the last two minutes.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I feel like I've got a lot of memories of that happening with Franny playing back at Eastern Suburbs. But I thought as well, he worked really well with Liam Gillian, who I think Liam Gillian as well had a great game. He just you know, brought into the crowd in the atmosphere. He would have been nervous, you know, he's he's in Aucklander and he's only still young. But I am like pretty confident he's going to be you know, securing his spot in the All Whites pretty
soon after that. I just think like, as the games go by, he's just only going to get better and better.
We interviewed him on the Sky coverage after the game as well, and it was it was just I was watching him just before we chatted to him, and he's working as way along this line of fans to sign autographs and get selfies, and I thought to himself, you know, he must be thinking to himself, this is just incredible. You know, he's basically now you know, yes, he's been
a good player. He could play domestically, you know for a couple of three years, but now he's a professional footballer and people were getting him to sign their you know, not even their not even their merch. I saw a couple of kids with just their just their normal hoodies and he was signing those, and yeah, just just just awesome.
I thought, Yeah, thought Leam Gillian was good. In fact, I didn't think there was a bad player out there really for Auckland f C. They you know, they they were clearly all you know, really really amped up for the whole thing, even the subs who came on. Great to see Cam Howison get out there. I thought Jesse Randall came on and gave a good account of himself.
You know.
It was just a really good all round, all round performance. So yeah, two nil three points in the bag to start.
Next up.
They're back at home, so we don't wait for very long to get back there Sydney FC. Someday there'll be a tough, tough game, but a derby of sorts for Steve Coricker and Terry mcflynn the team they used to play for in Coraricker's coach case used to coach four o'clock Sunday. What do you think, I mean, they're probably not going to get twenty five down again, but you'd have to hope they'd be sort of what round fifteen.
Yeah, i'd hope at least ten thousand, especially you know, long weekend. I think the weather might be looking right. Yeah, I would say around that they as you talked about, they put on a great show and just going back to the fans, you know, they certainly brought into it as well, and it's one of those you know, you can now see it, you can be it, and I think that was the case for you know, the ones
signing or asking for Liam Gillian's signature. Franny Devrees. I heard from Nick Becker again that he brought Bill Foley down to the changing room to meet the team and give a little speech post game. But some of the players had were stuck out on the field for two hours signing signatures and things like that. So I think the fans, you know, got the most out of the match. And yeah, there's there's no reason why they'll be coming back in the masses from next week.
Absolutely all right, So sid THEFC come to town.
That's four o'clock on Sunday, back at go Media Stadium.
Football Fever, News Talk SIV SO.
Then twenty four hours later or thereabouts, we were at Sky Stadium for the Wellington Phoenix's opener in the A League men's season. Western United were the visitors. Costa Barbarusa scored for the Phoenix just before halftime, Angus Thurgate equalizing for Western United in the second half and it ended one all with a share of the points for the Phoenix.
Starting debuts for Nagasawa, a Shiga Ollaway Yemian goal and eighteen year old academy product Nathan Walker, who only found out I think on the day that he was playing because Sam Sutton had a tummy bug. Then we had seventeen year old Jaden Smith coming off the bench, the third youngest Phoenix player of all time.
Compared to the hype and the hooplar of the day before.
At Mount Smart, this was a little more understated on what was actually a beautiful day in Wellington yesterday. About this morning before recording, I think the Phoenix will probably look at this as two points dropped.
I think they should have won this game.
I think they'll be really disappointed, particularly off the back the last season, which you know was just amazing finishing top two. I think they'll be gutted. They looked the better team in the second half, maybe could have been better. They looked the better team in the first half, rather could have been better in the second half. And I think it was a sloppy goal to concede.
Yeah, I just think they know you look at the goal and it is a really nice goal. Angus Thurgate is a I think he's west. He was Western United's best players today and the way he is involved in the build up. He nice little turn into space, a little pass into the path of Noah Boda Chie pulls it back. Olie Laval completely misses it, but Thurgate's following up and tracks across the area and just bangs this one into the bottom corner.
It's a really good finish.
Probably, you know, you look back and I'm sure they'll be looking at it this week. Could they have blocked the shot on the edge of the area or whatever it was. But the Phoenix had a couple of other really good chances. Cost I had hit the outside of the post with one when it was nil all early in the second half. He was one on one and tried to lob the keeper. Maybe he could have taken a lower shot at goal. Alex Ruth had a chance late on. I think they had the chances to win it.
It's not catastrophic. It's one game and they take a point from it, and you know, the Phoenix done off and win their opening game, as you pointed out on the podcast last week. But I just think it's a it's an opportunity lost. Western United were not better than Wellington Phoenix. The Phoenix probably should have won that game.
Yeah, exactly, And if anything, you know, they can take a lot of lessons from from that match. You know, they'll be just as disappointed as as chief. He will that you know that the players will know that that wasn't the best from them. Chief. He said afterwards that you know, you could tell that they haven't spent a lot of time together yet, but there was certainly a lot of promise. You know, Nathan Walker is as you mentioned Piney, I really thought he stood out for me.
You know, he's clearly young and inexperience at this level. You know, a few kind of final touches and final execution could could improve on. But in terms of what he offered, and you know, just the energy he brought to the team, I thought it was really excited.
Yeah, and there's other players to come back to, And that point was made afterwards. Marco Rojas Paulo retre two players who we haven't seen in round one. They're still to come back and I think those two in particular will have a massive impact when they do come back. As far as players who played well, Look, I thought cost I had a good game. You know, I mentioned the chances, so I thought he was again just showed. It's just three hundred and twenty fifth game of a
league footballs. You know, he's been around. It seems like for ever ninety four goals in the A League now, so you'd have to think that if he continues along this route hill you know, in the first half of the season, he'll probably raise the bat wrong sport, I know, but he'll bring up the one hundred goals. And I thought Scott Wooton was just terrific in the heart of Wellington's defense, with you know, youngsters really all around him,
Isaac Hughes, Matt Sheridan Walker himself. You know, I just thought Scott Wooton showed again that he's just a very composed and solid defender at this level. I think he's gonna be especially with Finn Serman having left the club now. I thought Scott Woughton had a good game too.
Yeah, what did you make of the three at the back? Piney?
I prefer it when they play back for.
Do you think that was because Sam Sutton wasn't there That's why they switched to.
That Maybe, But then I don't yeah, potentially, I don't know. I just like it better when they play back for.
I just think it should be payin Wooton another center back, whether that's you know, Hughes or Sheridan or whoever, and then Sutton, I just think it's a much and you so maybe without Sutton they didn't necessarily have another option at left back, you know, Lucas Kelly Hill's not there either, so yeah, maybe they did it because of that, and it would have been perhaps hard for for Nathan Walker, who's not really a left back by trade, to have an A League debut as a left back. That would
have been probably tough on the kid. So yeah, I don't think we'll see it as the regular formation this year. I think once Sam Sutton's fit and to me he was only sick. He actually got stitches in his knee, but that isn't the reason he missed the game. He either got food pausing or wake up yesterday morning for Nohow, I'm well, you know, chief is that he basically throwing up all night and so just wasn't able to come.
So hopefully that's just a one week thing and we may see a back for in the next game against Perth. What what did you think of it?
Yeah? I think I completely agree. I'm not sure that's what they'll stick with, and you know, maybe they were just playing around with it. First game of the season it looked like as well. Auckland left C switched to a three at the back for the last fifteen to twenty minutes or so when they brought on Tommy Smith. So just probably early days, just a bit of trial an ear going on.
Okay, So next time for Wellington Phoenix they get on the on the plane and head all the way over to Western Australia. Perth Glory away on Saturday night as their next game and then opening derby of the season which is going to be, yeah, going to be absolutely brilliant in Round three. Other Round one games the Central Coast Mariners and Melbourne Victory open on Friday night with a repeat of last year's Grand Final, a nilill draw.
Auckland FC of course two nil winners over Brisbane. Melbourne City beat Newcastle one nil in the Sydney derby, another sellout Sydney FC getting there two one over West in Sydney. We had the Phoenix in Western United won all yesterday and then MacArthur six' one winners over Perth with Olie Sale and goal for Perth. The last five games for Perth Glory the last four games of last year they lost four to eight nil, four to three and seven to one. They've lost the opening game of this season
six to one by Mike count Bonnie. That's twenty nine goals conceded in the last five games.
Doesn't look good for Oli Sale, does it.
I don't know whether he could have done much about some of the goals, but I mean, because you've got to defend as well, you know, and it's on MacArthur. You don't look at MacArthur go wow, that's an amazing attacking side six to one to open the.
Season five mil a halftime as well. When I saw that, I was like, damn, we almost had Auckland f seed top of the table for the first week. But no, yeah, not not ideal as I mean, huge result. Great for MacArthur, who lost obviously a few players from all their scandals last year. So you're not a baudy fit.
Yeap Macarth the top of the I did. I must go back to the Auckland game. The chant we are top of the league was great from the from the port. You know we've only had we've only had two games. But yeah, as I said to Jacob Spooney and commentary, it's actually correct. They are top of the League.
I do just have to point out one more line and one of the chants Piney that I thought, might you know rile up some Wellington Phoenix fans, but it was the fire of the next is truly gone fall O follow Aucklandlefsie.
Oh you're a convert. You're a convert. I can't wait for the derby.
Let's have a look at Kiwi's playing around the world as far as the men are concerned. Great to see Finn Sermon get a long awaited MLS debut for Portland Timbers. They had a one old drawer with the Seattle Sounders. Finn was terrific and he got big raps from his coach Phil Neville. Portland are into the playoffs for the MLS. They'll play Vancouver in the first round. But yeah, he's had to wait and wait and wait some more Finn Sermon.
Great to see that debut. And I've had a look at a couple of fan forums and they really like Finn Sermon. The fans of Portland Timber so great to see Minnesota United Michael Boxer and Charlotte Bill Tilham's team. They'll also be in the playoffs. We had a key we v KeyWe game in the Dutch out of the visy. Matt Garbot and Ryan Thomas neither got on the field actually, but nack Brada that's Matt Garbett's team betting pecks Waller
two one. Andre DeJong set up a goal and scored another one the winner actually an extra time for Stellenbosch against AmaZulu, who we used to play for in the Knockout Cup in South Africa. And unfortunately ben Old is on crutches. I saw a couple of photos of this over the last twelve hours or so, injured after he got back from All White's duty. He'll miss or did miss this weekend's game and we'll undergo further tests this week.
Not a great sight to see Ben Old hobbling around on crutches at Saint etti N. Hopefully it's not as bad as it as it appears. What about our women.
Yeah, we had three kiwi's playing the same English Championship game Durham versus Sunderland. Hannah Blake scored Durham's only goal and Mickey Foster came off the bench. Katie Kitchen played the full ninety minutes for Sunderland, who won two to one. CJ. Bott played ninety minutes for Lisa in their one Neil win over Everton in the Super League in New Zealand under twenty internationals. So your Hearing made her bundes League debut for Potsdam. I think that very cool.
Maya Hahn's team. You remember Maya Hahn who used to play. Yeah, I think that's the same team that Maya Hahn is and she shifted her allegiance to Germany having played I think age group internationals for New Zealand. She was out of OOLI Academy. I think that's Maya Han's team Potsdam. Yeah, I must admit I this completely escaped my intention attention until you pointed it out to me that saw A Hearing was even at Potsdam.
Yeah. Well, I didn't even know she had left New Zealand. Actually she'd been playing I believe for Auckland United, switched from over from Northern Rovers, and yeah, she'd been such a good talent here in the domestic league. And then I just happened to be scrolling on Twitter and saw that she had made her debut, So yeah, I have to check in with her and Mayer. I know Maya very well. I played school football with her. So, yeah, that's not good to mean that I didn't know that.
Where is Millie Clegg.
Millie Clegg, she hasn't She hasn't played yet. I don't think she's made her debut for Racing Louisville sadly, but I just hope she does before the end of the season, which is coming up very soon. Yeah. I think Racing Louisville is still kind of it'll come down to the wire whether they'll make the playoffs in the NWSL or not.
Okay, so it's more likely that they'll Yeah, that they'll stick with the tried and true. I guess Finn Sermon had to wait for a while, didn't he. So maybe it's the same with Millie Clegg. Would love to see her make her debut in Racing Louisville Colors at some stage. Just a quick mention of New Zealand at the Under
seventeen Women's World Cup a draw with the hosts. The Dominican Republic won one during the week the goal was an own goal or in fact over the weekend this game was so what they play Ecuador in their final group game midday Wednesday. If they win, they progress to the quarterfinals.
Yeah, they'd be pretty cool. And you know, remembering back, I can't even remember what year that was now, maybe twenty seventeen, twenty eighteen when we had that under seventeen women's team goal all the way to third. So how good would that be if we saw a repeat of that. But yeah, one all against the hosts.
Not too bad, not too bad at all. So midday Wednesday against Ecuador and in the National League. Just something I wanted to point out was Saski A Vospa, the former Wellington Phoenix defender, scoring an absolute banger an added time for Auckland United to beat Western Springs.
One. Have you seen this goal?
Do they call it a worldy piney? Is that what they call one of those those goals?
A worldy city?
Yea, I've heard them referred to as worldies, bangers, an absolute cracker.
You got to find the different words for it, but it's it's a terrific goal.
Yeah, unreal from Saskia. She's solid for Auckland United and a good important result for them. You know, to get up over Western Springs are not not an easy task, so yeah, that'd be a good confidence booster heading into kind of the second half of the National League now yep.
And the men also, we just have a quick look at the table Auckland City are top with ten points and then it's just a real cluster of teams. Coastal Spirit, Birkenhead, Western Springs, Napier City, Rovers, Wellington Olympic, cash Mere Tech all within two points of each other, and even the Phoenix Reserves and Eastern Suburbs have four Western Suburbs at the bottom with just a point from their first four games, so yeah, it could go anyway, and the same with
the women. And I think this is what you want, don't you want a competitive a competitive league where you don't really know from from week to week who's going to do well. And you know, I actually ran into Katie Duncan, who's coaching Eastern Suburbs. They were flying down to Wellington to play the Phoenix Reserves yesterday had a good five mil winner. She said, yeah, it's a really really even league, that's what they're and she was singing the praises of Waterside Carori as well.
Yeah, no exactly, and I kind of like the length of it, you know, nine rounds and just you know, all or nothing. So yeah, it's good. Both men's and women's competitions are tight.
As you say, all right, that is us on Football Fever.
We are back next Monday with a new fresh edition of the podcast. So you'll be well, you'll be doing exactly the same things on Sunday at the Auckland FC game. Will you be sliding down the slide and getting into the corporate areas and joining the march or what?
I'm hoping that I don't need to work and I can just enjoy it as a fan. Maybe I'll try and sneak into the to the south stand and you have a have a good proper listen of these chants, get involved, maybe sing a few more, and then I can report back on what the what the port atmosphere is really like throughout the game.
Piny, what a great start to life for Auckland FC, winners in their first A League men's match and a terrific occasion at Mount Smart. We look forward to many more occasions like that across the summer months. We're back with a fresh edition of Football Fever next Monday.
The f f F with Pony and Body