Re: Round 5 A quick question for Crowdie or any other Kiwi: what effect do you see the Auckland Kingz having on the NZFC for next season? Is it likely that much of the current crop of talent is going to be poached for the new A-League team? If not, where are the Kingz players going to come from?
Re: Round 5 none, i think the Kingz are a complete joke and have no future in the A-League. Johnny Warren was right, they have stolen a place that a Canberra or a Wollongong could of filled.
Re: Round 5 You need to get shagged more The NZFC is a feeder league for the Kingz and I can see the Kingz getting players from overseas and from the NZFC. I think that Kingz players who need more game time will play in the NZFC until their performances improve. The Kingz are an important stepping stone for Kiwi players: Local league => NZFC => Kingz =>Europe/USA
Re: Round 5 still does not justify a place that an Australian team is missing out on! I think the Ningz should play in the NZFC to earn a place in the Oceania Club championship or something like that.
Re: Round 5 You just can't see the big picture can you. If you look at Auckland City, Waitakere United and Waikato FC you will see a large number of the Kingz players playing in these teams.
Re: Round 5 GF, Cardiff (City ?) a Welsh team, plays in the English FA. I'm not very keen about the Kingz being a part of the APL but it's a small football market down here, so let it go through to the keeper (sorry for the mixed metaphors).
O'Neil is being very smart and has worked out that to improve Australia's situation he has to make Australia more important to FIFA. So far this is what he has done: * Moved the OFC headquarters from Auckland to Sydney * Replaced the failing NSL with a new tournament - the APL * Ensured NZ Soccer's support by guaranteeing a New Zealand team a place and then requiring that team to obtain NZ Soccer's support * Openly talked about expanding the tournament to include South East Asian clubs increasing Australia's influence in the football administration world O'Neil wants to have a large multi-national tournament where Soccer Australia maintains the key position.