Football Fever with newstalksb's voice of Football, Jason Payne and Bonny Jansen. Hello there, Back at our regular Monday spot we go for Football Fever with FIFA Plus stream New Zealand football live and free on FIFA plus dot com. I'm Jason Pine. Bonnie Jensen's here too. We couldn't wait till Thursday to unpack the action on and off the field on Saturday at the Derby, Bonnie, could we How are you.
What a weekend? Piney? You honestly can't beat it. You know, like, I've never been to watch a Premier League game in England, but I was like, you know, I assume that that would be pretty pretty top tier and I just felt Saturday was so so impressive and you know, Auckland came out on top. But I think regardless, there's plenty to be proud of and Kiwi.
Football indeed, yeah, unprecedented as far as the occasion was concerned, from what I could see. Let's start with the off field stuff. For Darby two point I Walkland FC Wellington Phoenix at go Media Stadium Saturday, the atmosphere pre game. That was the first chance I've had to be at Lily World, which is the bar basically adjacent to the stadium where the port and anybody who supports anybody who's
playing can gather. It was just incredible. It was like being in a South American country or a European country, or outside a Premier League ground. Just the energy and the noise amazing.
Just incredible. I completely agree, and I actually have FOMO and I'm a bit envious of the fans because I'm there having to work, and I'm just I just you know, all these fans are sitting there and enjoying a beer and you know, just like chanting away and the hype is real, and you know, for that to be happening well before kickoff, yeah, just incredible. Evens caught up with the people tailgating, the tailgating community that are doing it out the front of the stadium, and the car park
that had been there for hours before kickoff. It's yeah, it was really awesome. And I think as well caught up with Wellington Phoenix fans and yes, obviously the Auckland and their rivals, but I think they were equally impressed with what a show and what an occasion has put on here by Auckland.
Well, every every Phoenix fan I spoke too, said exactly the same thing, because every other time they've come to Auckland, they've been part of the home crowd, right because all the games up in Auckland have been Wellington Phoenix home games, and those who have traveled over to Australia to watch the Phoenix play. I don't know that they would have got anything like that sort of experience at any of
those games. But I love seeing, you know, you know, little pockets of yellow shirts dotted in and amongst all the black and blue, and there was so much black and blue man merchandise. Sales must be through the roof. But there was. But there was no nastiness about it. There was no there was no ad grow There was good natured banter, of course there was. I even got called out a couple of times. But I loved it. I absolutely loved it. You know, there were so many
parts of it. I loved the key core of the port. You know, there was a guy there with the megaphone yelling out the chants, and so everybody was at the bar basically would have learnt the chance. So when during the game those chants began, people knew what to say. They knew the words. I just you know, I saw. I don't know whether this is a good or bad thing, but Wayne Brown, the Mayor of Auckland, bouncing up and down in the middle of the bar with his blue and back shirt on.
It was just mental brilliant. It is. It's really cool, I think. I think, what's so cool is it? It's become a real fad, Like it's a it's a cool thing to be following this team, and it's it's such a trend. You know, a lot of my mates are going down and they're wanting to get the merch and you know that they want to be part of it all summer long. And I think your hats off to this this new team. The marketing has been impeccable and I've created that that hype. It's yeah, it's just as
you say, unprecedented. Yeah, really really impressed. And I can't wait till I have a game where I'm not needing to work and can go on sit down in Lily World before the match.
Well, I'm sure that will happen. I'm sure that will happen at some stage. I think that RB might we needed you to be on the tools for such a big occasion, but I'm sure we get the opportunity at some stage. And in the march down the stairs, it's just so cool having that bar so close as a gathering point. I mean, you don't have to you don't have to go in there and you know, have a beer or have a drink or whatever. But that's the
meeting point, isn't it. And ever one march down the stairs it was I just I just thought it was sensational. The atmosphere created terrific. So on the field, Hierarchi Sarki back for Auckland f C. That was that proved to be a huge in for Auckland f C because I thought he was the best player out there. Tim Payne,
Sam Sutton back for Wellington Phoenix. Louis Vus Strata often jed in the first half when that happened, How worried were you given the fact that he has been so crucial, so integral to this team.
Yeah, I mean I found a bit of confidence for Auckland f C knowing it was cam Houson coming on and he's, you know, a really good solid player and a leader to some degree as well. So I wasn't too worried in that respect, but I did notice just the presence of Louis Vastrata missing after he went off. You know, he's he's been standout for this team, as you say, and you could definitely notice when he wasn't on the field like you could the week before when Hiroki Sakai wasn't there.
How good was Sakai? How good is he? What a player?
He's so good and that you know that that own goal obviously, it's like it was kind of almost a carmon copy of what happened in their first game. And he's so smart and just yeah, I really rate him.
Yeah, he was the architect of the opening goal. Phoenix haven't considered a first half goal all season, or I hadn't up until then. In fact, before Saturday, the three goals that conceded had all been after the seventy fifth minute, so they'd been water tight for you know, five sixths of every game. But yeah, across it came from from Sakai. This one was an aerial delivery, competed to the one against Bruceblyne that was along the deck. Either way, the
result was the same. Isaac Hughes couldn't head it away. It was just coming too quickly. There was a man behind him, Liam Gillian. I think who would have turned the ball and if Hughes hadn't so yeah, one Bill. It was funnily enough. It came just as I actually thought Wellington was starting to grow into the game with
for Strata having gone. It felt to me as though Cam Howison, yes good as he was, took a little bit of time to get into the game when he arrived, because you don't expect to arrive in the twentieth minute, really do you? And I just thought Wellington were getting some ascendancy, but when Auckland scored, it just changed the complexion of things almost instantly. Nando Pineke's goal on the seventy minute mark, what did you make of that in
terms of I mean again Sarkuai with a delivery. What did you make of Josh olloway Emi coming for that and then changing his mind?
Yeah, it wasn't a good goalkeeping decision at all. Yeah, I was worried for Josh holloway Emy. Even his first touch of the game was you could tell he was nervous after what happened last time. I think, you know, I don't know if he lacks confidence clearly, maybe a bit indecisive, but yeah, I yeah, not a good goalkeeping decision, but good on Nando. He was in the right position to finish it off.
Yeah, he didn't get a lot of protection at the far post, Josh Elloemi, you know, the players jumping for the ball with Nando Pineker. You know, I think could have done better. But yeah, no, you've got to give it to Nando. You know, he hadn't scored a lot of goals before he got to Walkland. Now he's got two in six games. He must be absolutely loving it.
And it gave them the buffer Auckland FC. But then in the eighty second minute, Costa Barbarusis with a goal for Wellington five one hundred and thirty two minutes Auckland without conceding. Then Costa scored the goal. It's set up a really exciting finish.
Yeah. Did they got the momentum And I you know, I said on the podcast last week, I wanted the Phoenix to win, or I wanted to a draw at least just for the narrative. And I was kind of hoping towards the end of that game they would get another and it would end into all and how fun that would have been for the fans, you know, to have four goals in that game, but obviously wasn't to be. I think the Phoenix can, you know, kind of hold their heads high though with the performance. I think they, Yeah,
they don't go for it as much. I don't think they take as many risks as Auckland too. As Auckland f C do. You can kind of see that as given on the stat sheet. You know, Auckland had far more shots on goal. But yeah, they're not a bad side, the Phoenix, and I don't think anyone will be ruling them out.
Yeah, I think the stats show that chief ye is all about efficiency when it comes to the attacking third. Yeah, the shots stat Auckland had twenty shots, Wellington had six, so then itself shows you that, you know, Auckland fired off over three times as many. But in terms of shots on target, Wellington had three on target and Auckland had four on targets, so four out of twenty compared to three out of six. The efficiency of getting shots
on target is much much high for Wellington. So but then you think to yourself, well, imagine if they had twice as many shots at goal.
Yeah, exactly, and they shared the position. The position was fifty fifty percent each across the match. So you know, Wellington have the ball, they just need to be creating more opportunities. And you know, obviously cost is clinical when he needs to be like, let's get him on the ball war and let's create more opportunities. So I'm not the coach, but I do wonder if maybe that's what they'll be looking to do, looking to work on, you know, going forward.
Yeah, I thought Marco rohas made an impact when he came on. It was great to see him. As I understand it, he's getting closer and closer to being able to start matches. So I think once Marco Rohass is in the starting eleven, you'll see a bit more in terms of the creativity in the front third. I really want to see Wellington go back to a back four as well from here. I you know, the way they played it on the weekend with with Sheridan and pain
Hughes wooton I'm forgetting somebody here but Sutton. Yeah, yeah, So the way they played it with the back five and then for some inexplicable reason, Tim Payne became a striker in the second half just I guess to match the physicality up top with Pineker and Dan Hall. But I just really want to see them go back to a back four of Pain Wooton, Hughes, Sutton with Rufa and Retroy sitting in front and then four attacking players
the way that they did it last year. I know the personnel's different, but they could, for argument's sake, go with a front four of Aeshiga Barbarusis Nagasawa and Rojas or Stefan Kolakowski. I would just like them to, like to see them be a bit more bold and play with four. You know, it's really a four to three to three depending on which way you want to look at it. But one of the midfield three has an attacking brief, like in Nagasawa for example.
Yeah, I like it, and that'll, you know, only help them create more opportunities up the top and yet use that position to actually get something from it. So I don't mind it. Piney look at you.
Go, well, I mean I just I think, do.
You watch do you watch football or something? Well, it's luck you. It's like, yeah, so you're a football commentator.
Well, I've watched the odd match most but a lot of some people some people think that doesn't qualify me any more than anybody else to have an opinion, which I think is right. We all watch the game, we all see it in different ways. You know, Chief sees it in a different way than I see it. Then you see it than Steve Coriker sees it. That's the beauty of it. It'll be a bit boring if we all had the same view and the same sort of global outlook as far as football is concerned. And you're
right they are a good team. They'll be there or thereabouts in the six. But the fact is after six games they've lost two, both of them though to Auckland. You know, on their travels they've been good. Apart from the weekend they've they've won all three of their games in Australia. I think they'll still be there or thereabouts when the playoff positions are decided. This was quite a spicy match at times, wasn't it.
It was a spicy match. And just going back to your last point, Peney, I think the Phoenix are good and how good it is that both teams are competitive, you know, it would have sucked if if you know, the Phoenix came up to Auckland this weekend and you know, got thrashed three or four nil, and it just wasn't like that. And I don't think it's either going to be between these two teams just given the rivalry. But you're really really glad they're competitive in terms of the
spice of the match. So Alex Paulson three times in the first half, Oh, that was so stressing me out right in front of the port as well. At first I was like, okay, guys, come on like that. They were terrible tackles on Ap and yeah, I was just like, oh my gosh. But then by the third one, I was like, okay, it's Ap milking this now, like it's becoming a bit of a joke.
I thought the one I thought cost As one was actually and I said this in commentary because Jacob Spoonley, being the goalkeeper that he is, was trying to say it was a bad challenge by Costa, But I sort of wonder where cost is supposed to go in a situation like that, you know, he was the balls plut was sort of headed on, lobbed through Paulson comes out
to get it. Cost Us sort of looking at the ball and then all of a sudden he's right there and he's he kind of runs into Pauls and I guess you could look at it in a different way.
Nobody left his league there.
Oh, that was in the second half. That was in the second half. Which one are you talking about when.
It was down in front of the in front of the port.
Yeah, no, no, well they jumped, they jumped together.
They jumped together, but then his leg was kind of like left out sideways. I'm not sure.
Okay, well, yeah, maybe you saw it again, maybe we saw it differently, but yeah, like it was it just it created the storyline that may or may not have even been a storyline that you know, Wellington Phoenix's former keeper was being targeted by his former teammates. There was one in the second half we cost the left a foot and when when Paulson cleared it and he was given a yellow car for that, rightly, so I thought.
The other one, obviously, was the Alex Rufe for Louis Toomey coming together, where you know, Louis kind of fell on the ball and and Rufer just started to try and kick it. Out from under him over vigorously. Steve Coricle was having absolute kittens on the sideline, you know, and Rufin knew exactly what he was doing. I thought, though I heard Louis too, you interviewed afterwards and he said, I think Rufa left went on me, but I probably deserved it. I thought that was quite good from him.
Yeah, no, it's good. Louis would have been up for for the banter knowing him, but yeah, it was. It was, I reckon, a real shame from from Alex Rufer. It's just yeah, too hot headed and you know, probably not leading by example as the skipper when there's a lot of young fans out there watching. But yeah, it was
certainly again created this narrative. What I also liked, going back to ap was that early in the game or every time he touched the ball, all the Auckland FC fans cheered really loudly, and I thought that was Yeah, that was a nice note as well.
Yeah, I think I was trying to drown out the booze that were coming from the yellow fever. Oh, by the way, I must say, great traveling support. Yes, they you know much as the result went against them. You know, they chanted and cheered and did everything that in away team supporters should do. Uh and it was good to
see such huge numbers there. I thought they were They were good too, and as I say, the banter was was really good between the between the two there was a bit of spice off the field as well in the In the postmatch, both coaches were asked about the you know, the relationship between the two sides, the rivalry which is quickly built. During the week, John calo Ataliano
had done a media conference. This was either on the Thursday or the Friday, where he had said that he thought that Auckland f C had been lucky in the first five games of the season and he thought that they were vulnerable there for the taking words to that effect. He was asked about those comments afterwards and whether he regretted saying those words to add some fuel to this fire.
You told me, in what league in the world a team gets five out of six home games? For me, I don't know. If you want to call it luck, you want to call Paul planning, you want to call a gift, you can call it whatever you want. I think that was the point I was shoting to make, and I stick to it. I mean, I asked you, do you think it's fair that a team has five out of six games at home as the start of the season, or if you can count to me, what
team has had that opportunity. That was the point I was shoying to make and I.
Stick by that.
Again. They beat us on the park. There's no luck about that. They deserve to win. That's I'd never ever say that. But there is an advantage when you play five out of six games you don't travel. We went to Perth, played Central Coast, which is an extra day. We played in Sydney. They've had one trip, which in fairness they did win. But again, when you start going through you know the rigmarole of going home in a way it does you know, it can be quite taxing.
So that's gian Callo a Taliano. Here is Steve Coriker. This is the order in which the priest conferences were done. Gian Callo Italiana was first, so we heard say that first. It was put back to Steve Kriker about the comments and whether they had an impact on the team and what he made of the comments by jian Callotelliano.
Yeah, I'm a little bit disappointed, to be honest with you. With Chief, you mentioned a couple of things in the media which you know, a little bit disrespectful to our team. You know that they were there for the taking. We've been lucky. We haven't been lucky. You know, you need a little bit of luck obviously to win games. But we won all six, so you know, you don't get lucky by by doing that. There's you know, the process
you have to go through. Obviously we've had a few home games early on, but at the back end of the season we still have to play the same amount of games away from homes. And I don't make the rules, don't I don't do the draws. So obviously you know we were the better team. And you know I use that in motivation for the boys as well, because it helps. Helps. Every little inch helps in derby games. Pinned up on the wall to make sure all the players saw it,
because you know, we haven't been lucky. We've we've been working hard for for these wins. We've been playing good football. You know, it's probably a little bit out of it wasn't necessary needed. You know, I think they're they're a good football team. We respect them, you know, I think he needs to sharre little bit more respect for us.
What do you make of all of that?
I completely agree with with Chief. Ye, I think they have had a very very lucky draw to start off their their campaign. You know, going back to the Wellington Phoenix women last season, they had heaps of away games to begin with and that absolutely screwed them. But yeah, just I like how Steve Kroker responded in terms of putting it up on the wall, using it as ammunition and yeah, kind of letting the letting the football talk.
But I think Chief he you know, had a place to say and I'm kind of glad he got a bit fired up because I felt like we would get it. It was a bit lackluster, you know, out of the Phoenix camp and them hyping up this rivalry. I feel like it's more come from the Auckland fans, the Auckland team and supporters.
Yeah, I think he's absolutely got a point as well. You know, the maths would say that in the first six games of the season, for Auckland f C. To only have to go to Australia once and not even have to go to an away game as such, because it was unite round when everybody was in Sydney. They haven't had to go to the away ground of any team apart from not in Australia anyway. Wellington, yes, of course, and they negotiated that they won that, but they haven't
had to go to an away Australian ground yet. But like Steve Corik has said, he doesn't make the drawer, he doesn't make the rules. They're presented with the draw and he's dead right back into the season, Bonnie. Five of their last eight games are away from March mid March to the end of the season in early May. They've got to go to Newcastle, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne Victory and Western United and they only have three games at
home in that time. So it's all swings and roundabouts things. Yeah, things even themselves out across the season in a twenty six game season. Yeah, thirteen games at home and thirteen games away and you know, but what it has done is given them a very comfortable launching pad. But they've still had to take advantage of that launching pad.
Yeah for sure. No, you're absolutely right, and yeah, times are going to be tested when they go and play over in Melbourne. You know, from this weekend, So yeah, looking forward, I am intrigued as well. You know, it's obviously helped with the hype and the momentum, and I'm just intrigued to see if they'll be able to continue this. You know, so far, so good six games in, but yeah, who knows what's going to happen.
Well, let's have a look at their next few fixtures. They've got Melbourne City away on Sunday, which is going to be a difficult game. Melbourne City are playing really really well. They dealt to Brisbane on the weekend, not that that is much of a high bar because Brisbane have been pretty poor the season. But then they have Western United at home just before Christmas, and then the Mariner is away between Christmas and New Year, so that's not on the on a three game swing, that's not,
I guess, really really hard. But then you come to January. Here is January schedule for Auckland FC. Melbourne victory at home. That's Auckland's home game on New Year's Day. Then they've got to go to Perth, the longest away trip they'll have, back home for a game against Melbourne City and then a way to Adelaide and Western Sydney Wanderers. That is
a tough January. I think by the end of January we'll have an idea on what you're talking about, whether they can continue it on or not, whether they are the real deal.
No, one hundred percent, And I hope I hope they are because I want this to continue. I want, you know, Auckland f Seed and the Wellington Phoenix to stay up near the top of the table. It's just making this whole narrative so much better. But I am, you know, a little bit worried that is it too good to be true? We'll soon find out.
Well, I guess they can only plage game, aren't they? Six from six? Here they are top of the table eighteen points, Wellington Phoenix a fifth on ten points, just on the crowd twenty five two hundred and fifty three clearly a made up number because because well, I mean they said during the week, they said during the week that at full capacity we can get to twenty five. Sorry,
twenty six was twenty six, wasn't it? Twenty six two five three, which is exactly one more person than the twenty six two five two who were there in Wellington for the first Derby. Right, that's what turned up for the first Derby twenty six two five two. They said, during the week we've opened up extra seats and if everybody comes twenty six two five three, Bonnie, come on. There were empty seats there.
Well, there were empty seats pinting, but there were a lot of full seats. And I took a photo of the other of the stand which you would have been in, so you wouldn't have really been able to see it, right, but you would have been able to see the stand that I was in. But there were so many people on the on the bank, on both sides, on the south and north stands.
But if it only sold, if they've only sold twenty six, two hundred and fifty three tickets and there are empty seats, then how can there have been two thousand.
Of people move from their seats to the banks, is what I'm trying to say. Think about the think about like that all the all the game entertainment they had going on in and around the stadium, Like I don't think people were seated in their seats the whole game.
Well, I guess we'll have to disagree on this, but again, it's a nice little piece of banter. What it's done as well is boosted Auckland's first four home games attendance to seventy eight one and thirty six. That's their first four games. Do you know that is more than the New Zealand Knights got across their entire two seasons of existence in just four games.
That's crazy. But yeah, I just can't believe you've found that yet another just fantastic stat Piny wasn't mine.
I can't claim it was. I was handed that one, but it is. It does show just the night and day between Auckland f C and the New Zealand Knights of two thousand and five, six seven, just you know, just night and day. A couple of other things. Hamoush curded the coin toss our Olympic high jump champion, adding a bit of glitz and glamour. You sent me a message unless it was a TYPEO. Was there a barber in the corporate area?
Yes, there was a barber in the corporate area. I was honestly like, this is so Auckland f C. Like they've just honestly just gone above and beyond it so America. You know, it was in the Black Night Lounge and they had a full I think it was sponsored by Heineken, and they had a barber, people lining up to have a little fresh, fresh trim before kickoff, and yeah, just
like it was a whole spectacle. And then in the year, this big bang and these fireworks are going off, and then year, you know, you hear the crowd cheering as three skydivers are coming in with the ball, Like I was just like, oh my gosh, this is so excessive. But yeah, brilliant, you know, brilliant in game entertainment for sure.
Yep, they've nailed that for sure. And even a barber in the corporate area, you know that's a talking point.
Yeah, it's awesome.
Yeah, well people getting their hair cut.
Yeah, people were. They were sitting on there and I was like, I could have done with a little trim. But I'm not sure if that barbers do girls here. Maybe they do. But to guess who I was sitting next to Piney in the corporate.
Area, I won't be able to guess. Was it someone famous?
It was someone famous?
Was it has no?
Okay, I got I got very nervous. It was Dan Carter, Dan Carter, he was he I was sitting there by myself in the kind of corporate area seats where it's people just can kind of sit wherever. And then I was sitting on a solo chair and there were about four seats next to me, and he comes up behind me and goes, hey, are these seats taken? And I just like froze. I was like, sorry, pardon. I was like, no, you sit there. So he sat like literally right next to me in the seat for the whole first half.
And as I've said, I've controversially said I was going for the Phoenix on Saturday, so I was like cheering for them, and then I had to but I was like trying to contain myself because I didn't want him to hate me because he was going for Auckland. O spoiler alert, So Dan Carter, if you're listening to this podcast, sorry, I was really shy and didn't say hi.
I'm sure it wouldn't have been the first time that somebody was starstrike sitting next to next to Dan Carter. But again, yeah, the celebrities are out in force to watch this team play. So Auckland f c away at Melbourne City on Sunday. Melbourne City a fourth that'll be a good game actually, and the Wellington Phoenix about it. Back home, they'll lick their wounds, pick themselves up, dust
themselves off and host eighth place to MacArthur. That is on Saturday afternoon at five o'clock at Sky Stadium Football Fever with Jason Vine and Bonnie Jess And following that, the Wellington Phoenix women had a game yesterday Sunday at Pottdoor Park in the Ninja A league came to town and Brisbane were going really well. They lost their first game to Canberra, but then won their next three without conceding a goal. Second on the table. The Phoenix beat
them to one. This is a very very very good result.
Oh, stoked for Stoked for the Phoenix, really solid result particularly you know they went up one now then they can conceded another and they you know, stayed in the game. And Annalie Longo to you know, just take charge steady of the ship as a skipper. Very very impressed. And yes, you know Brisbane Raw were missing their two best players to make Yellock Yellop and Sean Fryer who were offered the Matildas. But yes, so bloody brilliant to get the job done.
Absolutely, andally Longo back. She had that really nasty bang on the face against Newcastle which saw her miss the game against Adelaide last weekend. Came back a couple of goals, maybe a touch of fortune with the second one with the Brisbane goalkeeper kind of misjudging the shot, which I'm sure if Anale Longo was honest, she'd say she didn't hit as perfectly as she would have liked, but it went in, as did her goal in the first half.
She said afterwards it was nice to be in the headlines for the right reasons rather than try to get her dog off the field.
Yes, seriously, she's been in the headlines for a few different things, obviously with that injury in the dog. So yeah, it was. It was awesome and I think that's you know, that's kind of like Heroki is like with AFC. She shows leadership through football and yeah, very.
Very good indeed. Yeh. So Phoenix scored first, but has been leveled up just before halftime. Then anally Longo scored the winning goal in the second half. We've got our first look at new US center back Olivia Kelly. She came on at halftime. Looks to be a good acquisition Grace Jarley. Only the last fifteen minutes she hasn't quite found her feet and fired her best shots on her return to Phoenix, she'd has she Grace.
Yeah, it is interesting and I am intrigued to hear if maybe she's carrying a little niggle or an injury. But clearly Paul Temp's Temple just wanted to try something new, and yeah, I don't think you know this is going to be a long term thing, Grace Jarlie on the bench, even saying with Emma Maine, I think once they find how to unlock those two forwards, you know they'll be really lethal. But for now it's obviously not working. And I don't mind Paul Temple making a big call at that.
Well, I mean, Grace Jarlie is not a bad play aff coming off the bench either to change your game if that's what they see her best uses at the moment. So she came on at the end. Wellington Phoenix up to seventh. So after three straight losses, two straight wins, they've got second placed Melbourne victory away on Friday night. That's tough short turn around two from Sunday to Friday.
Claudia bunge. Of course back at Melbourne victory. How do you assess their chances of getting something out of that game?
It will be tough, it will be really tough. I just hope it's a close, competitive game and I think they can you know, even if they don't get the result, they can come away happy. Yeah. I just like it's great to see, you know, as you just said, seventh on the table. I hope you know, they can keep going now with this momentum finally after a couple of alright results. Yeah, things should maybe play in their play in their favor a little bit more.
And there was a celebrity at that game as well, not Dan Carter, but I think Macy Fraser was there.
Macy Fraser. Yeah, they saw that that photo of her. That is very intriguing. I mean it is the off season in the nws L. We know that she didn't play basically since the Olympics, so I don't think she did play at all for Utah Royals. Maybe she you know, wasn't wasn't for her over there, and I mean she obviously played great for the Wellington Phoenix and that's where she you know, enjoyed her football. So maybe it's not a bad thing for her to come back.
Well, I'm with wait and see on that, whether in fact you know it would be a good move for the player or for the club. Who knows. You know, it's there's, there's, there's never a perfect fit anywhere. I don't and I'd love to see her go back to Utah really make a good, good go at it. You know, she's such a talented player, and when she got that move, there was such high excitement. And even when she played a couple of games, she didn't really look out of place,
did she. She looked okay at that level, Oh, she looked.
Great, and she was so good on and off the ball, and even you know, with a few opportunities with the football ferns, she again looks really good. I just think she needs to to find what works for her. Obviously, you know, she's carrying some injuries and for whatever reason, she didn't play the second half of the season in Utah Royals. But I just hope she can find it, because she would be. She's too good of a player not to be playing football.
Really, hang on, that's it on a nutshell. She's far too good to be watching games of football. Rather than be playing in games of football. It's hope for some positive news on the Macy Fraser front in twenty twenty five. This is football fever. It's finished with keep's overseas. Would another goal a significant goal? This one on his thirty third birthday for Nottingham Forest in a three to two victory against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Now the last
time that Nottingham Forest won at Old Trafford. Chris Wood had just turned three years old, so it was thirty years since they'd last done it. He is now Nottingham Forest's all time leading Premier League goal scorer. You kind of run out of ways to explain just how significant this is and how well Chris Wood is going, and how much he has loved in that club and helping them to stay up in the top half of the table. I think their fifth or sixth after the latest round
of matches. He's just doing amazing. Libby Cacaci got his first goal for Empeli this morning in a four one away when at Verona. That's his first goal since twenty twenty two when he scored for the All Whites, his first club goal since he scored for the Phoenix against the Mariners back in March of twenty twenty. He's had a number of goals ruled out for offside or a foul or whatever for em police, so to see him
finally get his first one was really call. There's some great pictures of him celebrating with his teammates this morning, and he like just is playing really well for Saint Poulton in Austria. He scored the winner in their latest game and has been a big part of them winning four games in a row. What about our women around the place?
Yeah, vick Erson, you're not going to believe this, Piney, because I suddenly didn't played in goal for Rangers against West Dyke in the Scottish Cup. They won twenty four.
One, twenty four one.
I just don't like, I don't believe it. But how does she concede?
Well, I just that's exactly what I was thinking.
I'm going to go back and watch the highlights.
Twenty four one. Maybe she just lost concentration for a milli second. I wonder what the score was when West Dyke got their goal. Was it would it have been like one all or two to one or maybe it was they scored first well, who knows, maybe Rangers had to come from one nil down to win twenty four to one.
Goodness was crazy. And Hannah Blake and Mickey Foster that both started for Durham FC in the Women's FA Cup and had a big one well one there went over Birmingham who are won ahead of them in the Women's Championship, so I think those two teams are going to be rivals all season.
Good stuff. Great to see Mickey Foster in particular kicking on from her time at Wellington Phoenix. So just finally this week the news that Auckland City FC, who are playing in the expanded FIFA Club World Cup next year, had the draw during the week. It was made in Miami,
I think, and Byern Munich. Boker Juniors and ben Fica are in their group, which is I think a tremendous draw for Auckland City to get to play against Bayern Munich, you know, one of the best sides on the planet, Boca Juniors out of Argentina, Benficer from Portugal Locke, I think it would be drawing a very long bow to expect them to advance from that group. But the experience of playing sides like that. That's got to be cooled, isn't it.
I think if you're Auckland's city, you know, and you wait for these draws to come out, you actually want to play a good team because all of the teams are going to be good, so why not play it, you know, a top team like Bayern Munich, just just for the experience to have that on your football CV, to say you played against that team. I think, you know, even though it is a tough draw for them, a lot of the players and staff will be, you know, excited for that opportunity.
Absolutely right. When else are you going to get the chance to rub shoulders with teams like that? You're absolutely right?
Is that Harry Kane's team?
Harry Kane in the unit that is Harry Kane's team. Whether he plays or not, I guess remains to be seen. It's in the off season. It's kind of June next year, so it might be that some players elect not to go. But imagine that imagined Auckland City up against Harry Kane.
Pretty cool. I'm also interested to see whether Cam Howison and Liam Gillion get released from Auckland f C, which I understand is potentially in talks to go and play obviously because they helped helped Auckland City get to get to that World Cup.
So it was such a It's such a long off season for the A League. Isn't it all over by the end of May? You know, as long as they can, you know, once they even get back from the club world couple of stonny B July seasons to start till October. Yeah, be good if they were, be good. If they were. Yeah, they've been. Howison in particular has been a real servant,
hasn't he for Auckland City FC? So yeah, I feel like that that's a yeah, that's a yeah, surely a likely scenario, you'd think, all right, Bonnie, that wraps us for a bumper edition. Again, they all seem to be these days of football fever, so we all. I think it's probably just to finish. It's probably quite a good idea, I think for Auckland FC and Wellington Phoenix to get a bit of breathing space from one another now, you know,
twice in six weeks or whatever it was. I think they can go about their business now, accumulate points so to get into the regular season and then back together on the twenty second of February, by which time we'll have a very good idea of how the respective campaigns go. So I think I think some breathing space from one another's probably not a bad thing.
Yeah, bring it on. We'll see you back then in February.
Look forward to it, and we'll see you back next Monday for a new edition of Football Fever. This is Football Fever. Fever