Football Fever with News Talks, Enby's Voice of Football Jason Paine and Bonnie Jensen. It is a fresh episode of Football Fever with FIFA Plus stream New Zealand football live and free on FIFA bluss dot Com. I'm Jason Pine alongside me Bonnie Jensen.
Hello, Bonnie, Jason Pine.
How are you very good? Thanks? Very good? Here we are again. We seem to keep on being invited back to the Football Fever studio to produce another episode. There's actually quite a bit to get through today in various sort of layers of for walk. Can we start with the All Whites at the Oceanian Nations Cup in Vanuatu safely through Paul play wins over the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. They'll play Tahiti at midday on Thursday in the semifinal, Fiji Vana two in the other semi and the final
is on Sunday. Relatively comfortable for Darren Baisley and his men in the first couple of games, Any anything stand out from those two matches.
I think the first thing to point on that stood out to me as the crowds. Obviously they have to play over there because it's it's a lower cost. I think it is the reason anyway for those Oceania teams. But I've just been so impressed with the with the people turning up to the to the matches. I think if you were to have the all whites here playing those Oceania teams over in Auckland or summer here in New Zealand, you wouldn't get you wouldn't get turnedouts like that.
So yeah, very very impressed with the with the Yeah, the environment over there, and in terms of the all whites, Yeah, they're doing all right. They're holding their own. I wouldn't say they've amazed me or wowed me, but I guess it's just what we'd expect at this point.
Yeah, I think they've just done what they needed to do right. And they had one less game because New Caledonia pulled out, of course, because of the political unrest in their country. So just the two group games, which you know you're always fancy that they would win. Okay, a couple of goals with Ben Wayne in the first game against the Solomon Island's good to see him score
some goals, his first goals for New Zealand since his deboo. Actually, and skipper for the day, Costa Barbarusis getting the third one, his first goal for New Zealand since twenty seventeen. It seems like a very long time between goals for Costa Barbarusis then against Vanuatu and you're right. The crowd was terrific at Port Villa, which obviously it's a home crowd, so you'd expect that it would be, but I thought
it was tremendous. Max Marter his first two goals for New Zealand, Eli Justin ben Old with his first New Zealand goal. Everyone's just about got a game. I quite like that. The only ones who haven't in the twenty one man squad who haven't got on the field at some stage are Olie Sayle, who presumably now is the third choice goalkeeper, and Tommy Smith, who really he was always going to miss the first two games anyway because
he was best man at Chris Wood's wedding. So I quite liked the way that Darren Baisley has rotated it around, given out day boos. He gave out He gave out the day boos to the uncapped players, all six of them in the first game. Alex Paulson Samsu and both started, can't she Randall, Kelly Hill Van Haddam. I just I think he's he's managed it pretty well across the first couple of games, giving everybody some minutes.
Yeah, I think that's the perk about us being in this confederation. As you know, we go into this tournament, as you know these kind of tournaments as major favorites, and yes, there's reasons why that's not ideal for us, but when you can get players on and get them wearing the fern for the first time and you know, get that first cap game under your belt, it's it's a real confidence booster. So if they're going out and doing it at the Olympics or at a World Cup there,
they're surely less less nervous to do so. So yeah, yeah, always a bonus to see Darren Baizley kind of rotate the squad like that. It'd be interesting to see whether he does that for the knockout stage. I'd say, again, we would still kind of, you know, be hot favorites and should convincingly, convincingly come away with a win. But yeah, it'd be interesting to see how he lines up his team.
Yeah, I can't see the semi final being too much of an issue, you know, without wanting to get too far ahead of ourselves. Tahiti should be relatively comfortable for the team on Thursday, but Figi have had a pretty good tournament. Three wins from three in the other group five one against pm G nine, one against Samway and a one that'll win over Tahiti. Roy Krishna's in that team and we all know how dangerous a player he
can be. Look, I'm not suggesting that Fiji would be favorites to beat the All Whites, not not at all, but that that final, provided of course New Zealand and Fiji both progress to it, should be should be quite a good game on Sunday afternoon. It's also been a chance, as we've talked about on previous pods, that to give the under twenty three players in the team some game time together. Really interesting to see Tyler Binden and Finn
Sermon both start both games. Get a feeling that'll be the center back combination we see for New Zealand in Paris in a month or so.
Yeah, I agree, And I want to touch on Libby Cacace as well, who's played alongside those two guys. And it just makes me really really want to see Libby be that overage player name named for the Olympics. I think he's I kind of I think both of US Piney had Libby named on our over overage player going to the Olympics, and for me, anyway, I kind of wanted it because I see Libby as being the next up and comer for New Zealand, being the next captain
or he is the captain now. But you know, I think he is one of our best players at the moment. He's just he's stood out completely at this tournament and I would like to see him going to the Olympics. And yeah, he works really really nicely alongside Tylerbandon and Finn Sermon.
Yeah, and I think he may well become that because he may become the Chris Wood of the Olympics, if you know what I mean. When Chris Wood's been available for the Olympics as an overage player, he's been almost an automatic selection. I agree. I think Libby is now in that category. I think the only reticence about picking him as an overage player is actually, you've got a bit of If I got a bit of talented left back, we saw Sam Sutton play there in the first game
when Libby was suspended. Lucas Kelly healed obviously, is also under twenty three and could potentially play there too, But yeah, I would still take Libby. I think I might change my original pick. I think I had Sarprech Singh. I actually would now take Tim Payne because I just don't think there's anybody else really who stands out right back. Tim Payne's been being very solid for the Phoenix and
in these two games of this Nation's Cup. Yeah, I think I'd be taking Tim Payne, Libby Kacacci, and Chris Wood now and it might be a bit hard on Sarprech Singh. Not that I'm choosing the team, of course, this is just my opinion, but yeah, I just think would be a lot more solid against some really good teams with a first choice solid right back there in Tim Payne.
I don't know what you think, No, yeah, I was thinking this before coming on the pod, and you know, I wonder if that's what Darren Baizley is thinking with that back four, and whether he'll continue to play that back for throughout the tournament or at least maybe in the final against VG. It's it's a very good point you make that that you know there's not too much strength on that that right side. But then who who
would you have in the midfield? Who does that leave We've got Marco Staminich, We've got Ben Old.
Yeah, Matt Garbett as well as over there, and there's also Matt Dibley ds out of Fulham. He hasn't he's come into an all whites environment but got injured, so
he's in there as well. Because if you if you do line it up as if you take let's say you take Libby and Tim Payne as two of your overage, then the back five Paulson, Payne, Sermon Bind and Kakacci are all at the Nation's Cup, as Ben Old and Ben Wayne you know so and all the other guys we've mentioned who are you know, probably more like your your fringe players, like your Finconchi and Kelly Heild and
Van Haddam. But all of a sudden you've got you know, these guys getting a lot of games together before they get to powers, which has to be good.
Yeah, exactly one hundred percent, and you know it's obviously going to be a huge, huge step up at the Olympics compared to the matches they're playing now. But just to be in the environment together and get the vibes going, get the banter going, and everything that kind of makes a team a good team is a real advantage that we've got over other nations heading into the Olympics.
Just on Marco Staminich news last week that he has joined Nottingham Forest in the Premier League a five year contract, which is an outstanding piece of business. Outstanding piece of business for Marco. He'll go on loan of course to Olympia Coss next season. You weren't that keen on this when you first heard the NOME.
I didn't realize. It was a shock.
But then as you told me, Piney and other guys in the office they were like, no, it's good. They're a really good team and it'll be okay. So yeah, who knows if he stands out there enough and now he'll be back before you know.
Yeah, well they won the Europa Conference League last year Olympia Coss. Of course, Marco Staminch's just played champions the last two seasons with Savna Vesta in Serbia and Copenhagen and Denmark before that, so I think we'll be okay, and I guess it's all part of a plan. I remember when Alex Paulson signed for Bournemouth on a four year deal a few weeks ago, that's the thing he said, They've got a plan for me. And it might be that Alex Pulson goes out on loan somewhere as well.
But I think the eventual aim is to have them playing in the Premier League. And imagine having Marco Staminch alongside Chris Wood and the Nottingham Forest team up against Alex Paulson then golf for Bournemouth. How good.
It's just so cool.
Like the fact we have three kiwis kind in that league or will be in that league eventually is just awesome. And I hope we can kind of keep trending that way, and we certainly have the potential to do that. I mean, if you look at the Phoenix and how many of them are now in the all White squad or the under twenty three squad, it's certainly very exciting.
Football fever with Jason Vine and Bonnie Jensen. The other a League men's club and soon to be a league men's and women's club now is Auckland FC. Of course, they last week unveiled six scholarship players Lewis to me, Liam mc gillian, Finn McKinlay A Dama Kulabali, Oliver Middleton and John T Bidoir. I know you had Lewis to me, I think in your Olympic squad. Didn't You've seen him play a little bit for Eastern Suburbs. He's been very good for them, hasn't he.
Yeah, Louis's really good. He's a really good player.
He's super intelligent and just really really creative on the ball. Obviously, I used to play for Eastern Suburbs, so I followed him a little bit, and yeah, I can see. I was surprised that he was just a scholarship player. I wondered if maybe he would be on a full contract. I thought the same for Liam Gillian as well. He's been another standout that I've followed for Auckland City. I get those two mixed up now, Auckland City and.
Auckland f C.
Yeah, I kind of I'm excited for them, and you know you compared them to those two guys and the other ones, of course, to their scholarship players who have stood up for the Wellington Phoenix this season and it just makes you excited. And I'm the most excited because there's Auckland based players that finally have an opportunity to play professional football and it's really really promising for the future,
as we've just obviously talked about. But yeah, Louis Toomey's unbelievable player and I'm excited for him.
Yeah, I don't think we need to worry too much about the scholarship thing. I remember Mickey Foster was a scholarship player, which you've just signed for Wellington Phoenix and look there how that turned out. So yeah, I'm I'm looking forward to seeing Lewis to me sam a bit at the Wellington Phoenix Academy. But as I say, he's
been terrific for Euston Suburbs. Liam Gillian, his brother Fergus, is at the Phoenix at a couple of games off the bench actually in the A League last season and the others so those were a little bit older, still not old, I think Toomy's an O one and Liam Gillian's and two. Finn McKinley is a central midfielder. He was at Birkenhead for joining Eastern Suburbs season the Under nineteen New Zealand side for the upcoming ofc Under nineteen Championship.
As is a Dama Kola Bali. He is from Western Springs. A utility player. Oliver Middleton is out of Auckland United. He started every National League game last season and is also in that Under nineteen squad. He's an five and johnsy Bidwah He's the younger brother of Riley Bidoirh, formerly of the Phoenix and now of Loudune over in the United States. He's out of Todonga City and has been
very prolific in the last couple of seasons. So good to see those six players rewarded, joining Michael valdcam Howis and Jesse Randall, Francis de Verreez, Maxmutter and Tommy Smith. Now we just need some imports Bonnie.
Yeah, I should also say Piney as well. It is a bit of a family affair in football for Liam Gillian and the Gillian family. Emily Gillion, who is the older sister of Fergus and Liam. She grew up playing football and played for Auckland. I actually played on the same team with her and she's now a futsal Ferm. She's an unbelievable foot sal player, so just a little fun fact for you. But yes, we do need some imports for Auckland.
Good jeans and the Gillian family.
I know Jeeves they've got one more brother, so I'll be interested to see what he gets up to.
All right, Well yep, well what are we now? We're sort of coming to sort of the endish of June. I guess they'll go into pre season soon. New season will start back into September October, so yeah, hopefully the next announcements we hear out of Auckland City. Sorry Auckland f C. Now I'm getting them mixed up. Auckland f C will be some import players and I'm sure that news is certainly to come. This is football. Just on
Mickey Foster. I see she signed with Auckland United. That's that's just over the winter though, right, is that your understanding?
Yeah, it is my understanding.
I hunts he committing to that team, especially when yakkm cover the Football Firms coach has quite a strict rule on her players needing to play professional football. So yeah, I think it's just to keep her fitness up. Although I have had a cheeky look on the kind of the social media's and the forums of the NRFOL League, the Auckland League.
Up here, and I don't think people are too happy with it.
I think, you know, for Auckland United, they've got a lot of really good juniors coming through, So to have a professional footballer come in and potentially steal someone's spot, I think it's a touchy subject.
I think she was at Northern Rovers for a while, Mickey Foster. In fact, I think in her last full season at Northern Rovers she won every single club award at the end of the awards and then she did the same with the Wellington Phoenix. Actually, so as I understand it, you'll probably know a bunch of her former Northern Rovers teammates I think are at Auckland United, are they.
Yes, that's correct.
When a coach moves in the Northern League, a lot of the players tend to follow, and that's what Ben Bate did, so he was with Northern Rovers and yes, you're right, coach Mickey Foster, and she was so good there. I remember playing against her in that league and thinking this girl needs to go and play professional and I mean, look what she's gone on to do. But yes, so she's playing with a bunch of her former teammates and they're killing it in the Lotto n RFL at the moment.
So yeah, I guess it's nice for her to be back with her with her old clubmates and kind of remember her roots a little bit. But I mean it won't be long till she's surely off to the Olympics.
Yeah, indeed. And I guess back at the Phoenix because I don't think she's been confirmed as re signed yet Mickey.
I know she's not.
She's still unattached, and I don't reckon she's coming back well really, yeah, I don't know. I've just got this feeling. You know, all these players are starting to head off from the Phoenix, and I think other players are kind of looking at the big wide world and going, where could I go? If maybe it's to another to another A League team, I'm not sure. But if you look at the little detail that Auckland United put on their kind of signing announcement, they said former Wellington Phoenix player.
Yeah, I thought they would just being I thought they might have just been trolling. But do you reckon that is do you reckon that actually means, well, I guess. I guess if your contract comes to an end and you're not immediately re signed, then in theory you are a former Wellington Phoenix player in Mickey Foster's case. Imagine though that wouldn't Paul Temple and Sean Gilby very keen to have her back?
I think they would, But I think also a lot of other teams would be keen to have her. Surely she was part of that All Stars team that played against Arsenal and Arsenal Woman, and yeah, you'd think that she would have also had a lot of other clubs calling.
So who knows?
Who knows? Indeed, hey, we had a discussion last week about the football ferns and we didn't know about annale Longo's current playing status. For one of our many tens of thousands of listeners, I got in touch and told me that she is playing for Kashmere Tech. The women's first team at Kashmere Tech even sent me a screenshot of their game in the Kate Shepherd Cup against Nelson Suburbs, where she was a goal scorer twice, actually in a
seven nerl win for Kashmere Tech over Nelson Suburbs. So clearly Annale Longo is playing some football at the moment, so I guess that does make her in theory anyway available for the Olympics, doesn't.
It It does, I guess it just depends how strong Yick is on her rule that players need to be playing professional football. But at the same time she was playing professional football but the season's end, same ended, same case as Mickey Foster.
Yeah, it'd be interesting.
There's a lot of good players that have kind of cemented themselves in the midfield, obviously Kate Taylor, Daisy Cleverly, Milia Seinmetz, Katie Kitchen. So yeah, to just be depend whether Yika wants to you know, fresh bring fresh blood in or go.
For ex Indeed, well, at least she's playing, which I guess is better than the alternative when selection would be far far more into the future. Then the fact that she's actually playing for Kashmir Tech right now. Thank you Eric for sending through that information. Football for Football Fever. Let's just finished with Kiwi's overseas. A few of our female players are still in and around the action bomb yep.
Malia Steimetz has just kind of done the Danish Double Cup League thing, her FC nordaland have just beaten bronby two one in their league cup finals, So good on Malia Steimetz.
It's the second.
Start as well for Macy Fraser for her Utah Utah Royals and they played Orlando Pride and had a sexnel defeat.
Poor team. But how cool was it that Macy got to play against Marta.
And Martha got one of those goals, didn't she She might have got more than one, but so Macy had a pretty good view of it. You and I think we're both watching at the same time. You've given me all the instructions is how I can now log on and watch the NWSL, which I've been doing quite regularly actually since she gave me the coaching on how to do it. It's just awesome to see Macy Fraser out there starting as well.
You know.
It's it's what she would have hoped I'm sure when she signed.
Yeah, exactly. It's super promising.
And obviously we're still waiting for Millie Clig to get her debut for Racing Louisville. It looks like she's been dropped from the squad the last couple of weeks, so fingers crossed. She I reckon the best thing for Millie will be to get good minutes at the Olympics and kind of make more of a statement and then can kind of come back into that Louisville team and hopefully hopefully kit up and get on.
But you know, really really promising for Macy.
Also, vick Essen has signed a contract extension at Rangers for the twenty twenty four to twenty five season coming up.
Have you come to a conclusion about who the New Zealand number one goalkeeper is for the football films yet?
I just think they've got to go with Analyte because it's the future. Yes, we know what that can do, and I just don't think there's enough between them that's kind of going to make your break their Olympic campaign, if you know what I mean.
I don't think.
Yeah.
My question is more whether they bring a third goalkeeper into the traveling reserves or whether they just stick with the two, because realistically, I'm not being pessimistic here, Piney, but realistically they're not going to get out of the group stage. It means they're only going to play three games. Do you need to bring an extra keeper? But at the same time, the keepers are probably going to get a lot of action, so maybe you did well.
Also, I guess you're only one injury away from not having a reserve goalkeeper, right, So I mean, any you know, injuries happen, one of analytesal vic Esen could turn their ankle or pull a muscle or I don't know, do anything that would rule them out. So I kind of feel like you have to have somebody in that traveling fem You probably do. Yeah, And because also being over an Europe already, it's not like you could say to Brianna Reribards, for example, hey just be on standby. You know,
she'd have to get there. So yeah, I get the feeling when they name it, they'll probably name a third goalkeeper. Who it'll be, I'm not sure, and you know it's quite likely they won't be needed, but yeah, I think they probably have one there. But yeah, the Vickis and Analyte thing is interesting to me. It's a bit like the Max Crokham, Alex Paulson Olie Sail conundrum that Darren Basley's got, which are all good problems to have. Of course, as far as the menic concerned, I found that I
found Riley Bidwa's scoring highlights online. This past week, he scored for Loudoun United in their two to two draw with my EFC in the us L, that's the second tier below m LS in the United States. He is, of course, the brother we mentioned before of newly signed Auckland FC scholarship player Johnty Bidoa. So a good week for the Bidwah family goals and contracts. Doesn't get much better than that. Yeah, I think that's us for football
fever for today, Bonnie. By the time we Chatnicks, hopefully the All Whites would have secured the OFC Nations Cup. No doubt there'll be some more transfer news here and there, it seems to pop up. I've heard some pretty strong mail on Ben Old and his move. Yeah, so it might be that by this time next week we have further clarity on that. But we'll keep our red to the ground as always and make sure that everybody knows everything that we know. Thanks as always, Bonny. We'll see you next Monday.
We'll see it then the FFV with Bonny and Bonny