Injury Problems Mounting for All Whites

Ten days before the first of New Zealand's two home fixtures against Honduras and Paraguay, injuries are beginning to undermine squad depth.

First of all, Rory Fallon pulled out due to recent surgery on a groin injury. He has subsequently been added back to the squad, but having not played football for more than a month, he is only going to play a small part, if any, in the All Whites two matches. Next, Tony Lochhead withdrew from the squad, also because of surgery.

Now, it is being reported that Tommy Smith is harbouring a back injury that may keep him in England. According to comments we picked up on TWTD.co.uk earlier in the week, Smith has had a back niggle for a while. It seems to have been good enough to play most of the season so far, but it would not be surprising if his Ipswich Manager Roy Keane leans on him to take a break during the international window.

And finally, it sounds as if Jeremy Brockie, who has missed the Newcastle Jets' last couple of games, may not be right in time for Honduras either. TribalFootall.com reported Brockie as saying that ""I had a chat with [Jets consulting physiotherapist] Paul Hazell and [coach] Branko Culina, and as much as they both want me to go away and play for my country, we all agreed that if I'm not 100 per cent it's not worth risking. It would not only be harmful for the Jets, it would not do me any good for future New Zealand games if I go over there 70 per cent."

Given these injuries, given Ryan Nelsen has not been 100% fit in recent weeks, given the likes of Simon Elliott and Aaron Clapham are short on match fitness, given the All Whites are playing two games within 72 hours, the depth of the squad is going to be seriously tested in the upcoming friendlies.

Ricki Herbert might now decide its time to give Kosta Barbarouses that phone call.

Wood Features in Mid-Week

Chris Wood made his second Barnsley appearance as a substitute in a 0-0 draw away from home at Scunthorpe. Wood will hope to make his home debut against Cardiff this Saturday. There are some good photos of the big kiwi turning out for his new club here.

Kris Bright was an unused substitute as Shrewsbury suffered a setback against new League 2 leaders Port Vale. The Shrews went down 1-0 and now sit 4th on the table.

Debut Loss for Wood

Chris Wood's loan spell at Barnsley didn't get off to a great start overnight. Although Wood was thrown straight into the starting line up and played a full 90 minues, the Tykes were overwhelmed 3 nil away to Reading. He will be looking forward to his home debut, as Barnsley is a different proposition at Oakwell.

Meanwhile, Tommy Smith was back into Ipswich's starting line up after a break for the Carlton Cup tie mid-week. The Blues came back from a goal down to take a point away to Scunthorpe, a reasonable result that keeps their early season momentum ticking. Interestingly, Roy Keane mentioned that Smith has been suffering from a back issue this season and that was the reason for his rest mid-week. Let's hope that doesn't get in the way of him playing a major part in the All Whites upcoming matches.

In the Premier League Ryan Nelsen helped marshall Blackburn to an important 2-1 away win at Blackpool, a result that bounces Rovers up to 8th. West Ham also picked up a critical 1 nil win, their first, over Tottenham last night. Unfortunately, Winston Reid, having recovered from injury but now sick, wasn't involved in the match squad. With that win and a clean sheet to boot, he may now find it difficult to work his way back into the team. And who reckoned he shouldn't make the trip back to New Zealand?

Finally, some good news for Greg Draper plying his trade for Basingstoke Town in Conference South. He scored two fine goals (according to the Basingstoke Gazette) against Bristol Manor Farm to help his side earn a replay in the 2nd qualifying round of the FA Cup.

First Goal for Smeltz in Turkey

Shane Smeltz scored his first goal for new club Gencerbiligi from the penalty spot overnight. It was an important goal too, giving Gencerbiligi a one nil win over Ankaragucu in the Ankara derby. You can see the penalty here.

Barbarouses Makes Statement to Herbert

Kosta Barbarouses produced a man-of-the-match performance to help Brisbane Roar ease to an extremely comfortable 4 nil home win over a woeful Melbourne Heart. Barbarouses' sharp return to form, which included the opening goal of the match, came only a few days after he was left out of Ricki Herbert's All Whites squad for the upcoming Honduras and Paraguay friendlies.

It may be that Herbert never intended to look beyond his World Cup players in selecting his squad, given these two matches have been billed as a homecoming of sorts (and that policy is open to question). Still, let's hope that the Gaffer has at least taken the time to give Kosta a call to explain his non-selection. His performance tonight, as on a number of occasions this year, leaves this pundit in no doubt he is one of the country's 21 best players. He is also a player very different to most of the All White squad - direct and dynamic. And he is thriving under a system that puts emphasis on ball possession, short passing and movement - a system quite different to that employed by the Phoenix.

Kosta is not without his flaws. He is still too inconsistent and prone to errors and turnovers. Indeed, despite a great pre-season and opening few matches of the season proper, he had fallen into a rough patch and was left out of the starting XI the last couple of weeks. But tonight he was back to his best, pressuring opposition defenders without the ball, then sharp and incisive with it. Long may it last for club. Soon may it begin for country.

Wood Joins Tykes on Loan

Chris Wood has today joined Barnsley on loan for an initial three month spell at Oakwell.

Wood goes straight into the weekend squad for the match against Reading at the Madjeski Stadium. Barnsley currently sit 10th in the Championship, mainly as a result of their strong home form.

Wood will join a (semi-) illustrious list of All Whites who have played at the South Yorkshire club, Allan Pearce, Leo Bertos, David Mulligan, Jeremy Christie and Rory Fallon all started their careers there more than a decade ago. Signed after impressing during the U17 World Cup held in New Zealand in 1999, the Tykes proved a spring board into the English game for each player. Pearce never appeared for the first team and eventually moved on to Lincoln City before returning home. Bertos made twelve appearances before his best period in England at Rochdale followed by spells at a number of lower league outfits prior to his move to the Glory. Rory Fallon had the most success at Barnsley playing 52 times for the first team and scoring 11 goals before moving to Swindon. Mulligan was also a moderate success at Barnsley playing 66 times for the first team before moving to Doncaster after being released at the end of 2003/04 (despite being offered a new contract just 5 months earlier). Christie managed just 10 appearances before signing with the Football Kingz.

Back to Mr Wood - it appears that a rumoured loan deal with Derby was agreed before the close of the transfer window, but injuries to first team players scuppered that move and Barnsley have now swooped.

Good luck to Chris, we'll be watching with interest.

Update - Wood and Reid Miss Cup Tie Selection

Neither Chris Wood or Winston Reid featured for their clubs in mid-week Carling Cup ties. Although both managers played reasonably strong sides, you would have expected that the two young kiwis may have earned selection in match day squads. Both are fringe players at best currently and in Wood's case especially, a loan move appears more and more important if he is to get something out of this season.

Ryan Nelsen returned from injury and had a start in his side's 3-1 loss to Aston Villa. Nelsen was substituted in the 66th minute when the score was 1-1.

One that slipped through the cracks over the weekend was Kris Bright's first league appearance for the Shrews. The young forward was a late substitute in a win over Northampton which returned them to the top of League 2. The Shrews forward combination of Jake Robinson and Matt Harrold have been firing so far this season so Bright may have to bide his time behind the club's big names.

Carling Cup Opportunities for Wood, Reid?

Both Chris Wood and Winston Reid may get some first team football this week in the 3rd round of the Carling Cup. Both West Brom and West Ham are likely to rest players with one eye on the weekend's Premier League fixtures, with Reid and Wood potential beneficiaries. Wood has only had one Premier League appearance this year for West Brom (as a substitute against Liverpool) but did play and score in the previous round of the Carling Cup. Meanwhile, Reid is now recovered from his hip injury and played a full Reserve team match at Everton late last week.

West Ham play at Sunderland Wednesday morning (NZ time) and West Brom host Man City 24 hours later.

Rare Sighting of Steven Old

Steven Old was sighted on Kilmarnock's bench in their 2-1 loss at home to Celtic overnight. For Old, it was a rare inclusion in the match squad, only the third time this season he has been involved in any capacity. Unfortunately, he did not make it onto the pitch, and it is now many months since he notched an appearance for the Scottish Premier League battlers.

Since arriving at Rugby Park prior to last season, Old has only featured in 10 competitive matches for Kilmarnock, most coming at the beginning of last season. Disappointingly for the Manawatu defender, a good number of those appearances were as a stop gap at right full back, hardly his ideal niche. Without knowing too much about Kilmarnock's squad or attending too many trainings and reserve team matches, its difficult to challenge Old's scant opportunities. But while Old has obvious technical limitations and struggles as a distributor, he has shown - notably at the Beijing Olympics - that he is a strong, athletic, reasonably quick defender. For a team that plays much of its football without the ball and under the kosh those are not bad attributes. So, its a pity he's not been given much of a run at centre back.

Old's contract is for three years and he still has the best part of two seasons left to run. So, he has an income sewn up for some time. However, unless there is a change in his situation at Kilmarnock he may be well advised to secure a loan or look for another contract. Otherwise, he risks being unemployable and without a future as a professional footballer once his Kilmarnock days come to an end.

Wood Still Derby County's Number One Loan Target

The Derby Telegraph has reported that Chris Wood remains the number one loan target for Derby County. The Rams currently sit 5th to bottom in the Championship and scoring goals has been a problem. They have only mustered 7 in 7 games and those have been spread across 6 different goalscorers. The young All White striker's strength and nose for goal have generated strong interest from Derby (although another 9 Championship clubs have made inquiries about Wood's availability).

Derby Manager Nigel Clough indicated that they would be closer to bringing a new striker to Pride Park after this week's round of Carling Cup matches. West Brom will host Manchester City and it is believed Wood is a good chance to feature in that match (he scored in WBA's last Carling Cup fixture).

Killen on Target Again

Chris Killen continues to build a handy goal scoring record in China, scoring his 4th in 8 appearances for Shenzen Ruby yesterday. Unfortunately, they lost their 5th game in succession, 3-2 to league leaders Shandong Luneng.

You can see the goal here (and note assist for the first goal).

Bright Pressing for Inclusion

Injury and a winning team have made it difficult for occasional All White striker Kris Bright to break into Shrewsbury Town's starting XI. But he is continuing to make his case via the Shrews Reserve side, scoring his third goal in four matches in a mid-week loss to Oldham. For the moment, he's top goal scorer in the Reserve totesport.com League West. Meanwhile, the Shrews first team are second in League 2 despite a first loss (2 nil to Gillingham) of the season last weekend.

Comeback for Christie

After two months laid up with a groin injury, Jeremy Christie finally made his comeback in FC Tampa Bay's disappointing 3 nil loss to the Rochester Rhinos. Manager Paul Dalgliesh said Dalglish said he hadn't planned on letting Christie go the whole game but had no choice after Tampa Bay fell behind 2-0 in the first half, according to TampaBay.com. "I should have maybe taken him off in hindsight with 20 minutes to go so we didn't push him to keep him fresh for the Austin game," Dalglish said. "But hopefully (tonight), we'll see him a little bit sharper and then Montreal we'll see him a little bit sharper again."

FC Tampa Bay sit 9th and are one spot outside the play-offs with four matches to play, starting with the Austin Aztex this weekend.

More Champions League Football for Oughton

Duncan Oughton is finding it hard to break into Columbus Crew's number one line up, but he is at least playing a part in the franchise's Champions League campaign. After starting the Crew's narrow loss to Mexican side Santos a few weeks back, on Tuesday night Oughton played the full 90 when the Ohio side hosted Trinidad's Joe Public (yes, that's the name of the club). Crew were comfortortable 3 nil winners over the Carribean side. See match report featuring picture of Oughton here.

Columbus sit second in their Champions League group behind Santos and are well set to qualify for the knock out stages. Meanwhile, they continue to lead the MLS Eastern conference, although Andy Boyen's New York Red Bulls are breathing down their neck (like Oughton, Boyens is also struggling to make the match day squad - but he does get to kick lumps out of Thierry Henry and Rafael Marquez at training),

Reid Back from Injury

Winston Reid turned out for West Ham reserves yesterday after recovering from a "torn buttock muscle" that kept him out of action for two weeks. It was a successful hit out for the All White defender, with the Hammers Ressies keeping a clean sheet in a 1 nil win away to Everton. And he might be back in the first team squad for this weekend's crucial match away to Stoke, with defender Tal Ben Haim (and Manager Avram Grant) set to miss the trip in order to observe the Jewish Holy day of Yom Kippur.

Tommy Smith continues to play the full 90.

Smith again played 90 minutes for his Ipswich Town side this morning although it wasn't entirely auspicious as his side fell at home to league leaders QPR, and Smith gave away a penalty. From http://www.twtd.co.uk

In the 67th minute Tommy Smith was booked for a cynical foul on the breaking Mackie on halfway, just prior to the visitors adding their third in slightly bizarre circumstances.

Smith tackled Mackie as the ball was played into feet just inside the area, the loose ball falling for Akos Buzsaky 20 yards out. The Hungarian slammed an unstoppable effort past his international team-mate Fülöp, but referee Keith Stroud had already blown his whistle for a penalty, having somewhat harshly deemed Smith’s challenge a foul. Helguson stepped up to score from the spot.

Ipswich now face another title contender in Cardiff this weekend.

A-League kiwis over the weekend

Kosta (the artist formerly known as Costa) Barbarouses had his first game relegated to the bench this season for the Brisbane Roar. As luck would have it though a bad fall to Brazilian Henrique saw Kosta come of the bench in the as early as the 6th minute, putting in another all effort display before being replaced in the 59th minute with Briabane behind.

Meanwhile Michael McGlinchey played the full 90 for the Central Coast in a win over Melbourne Heart. McGlinchey spending more time wide which doesn't always underline his talents. Jeremy Brockie also put in another good 90 minutes in a Newcastle side that ran in to an impressive Adelaide side.

The All Whites goalkeepers had mixed fortunes with Glen Moss again started for the Gold Coast and pulled of a number of excellent saves as the Coast travelled to Perth and beat the previously unbeaten Glory. Mark Paston however had to spend the evening in the stands as his Wellington Phoenix teammates beat Sydney FC. Also to the fore were the Phoenix' other kiwi's Tim Brown, Leo Bertos, TOny Lochhead and Ben Sigmund.

Smeltz Debuts in Turkey

Shane Smeltz made his debut for new Turkish club Genclerbirligi this morning. There was a start, but no goals for the All White striker, who was replaced after 70 minutes. But at least Genclerbirligi enjoyed its first win of the season, 2-1 over Istanbul BB, thanks to a dubious penalty and a late headed goal from a corner. After four games, Genclerbirligi are 11th of 18 sides in the Turkish Super League.

Chettleburgh's Contract Status Explained

Cory Chettleburgh's contract with Sparta Rotterdam has been clarified by a piece in the Manawatu Standard.

Cory has been awarded a one year deal but that will be extended if he can make 5 appearances for the first team. More details here. Chettleburgh has been in the country for just three weeks but has been training with the first team squad and has played for the reserve team.

Certainly one to watch with interest and a positive for him and NZ under age teams for whom this international experience should prove invaluable.

Kiwis Triumph in Victoria Premier League Final

Jason Hayne, Brent Fisher and Jeff Fleming all played a big part in Green Gulley's Victorian Premier League Grand Final triumph on Saturday night at AAMI stadium in Melbourne. All three Kiwis started and played most of what proved to be a fairly one-sided final, with the Gulley running out 3-0 winners over a disappointing Richmond.

Match report here.

Killen Scores in Shenzen Loss

Chris Killen grabbed his third goal (in six matches) for his new Chinese club, Shenzen Ruby yesterday (sorry, couldnt find a video link). Killen tied the match at 2-2 midway through the second half, but couldn't stop Shenzen falling 4-3 at home to Qindao Jonoon. Shenzen now sit 11th of 16 teams, but - worringly - have lost four on the trot. And there next assignment is away to run away leaders Shandong Luneng (Shane Smeltz's former club).

Smeltz himself is likely to make his debut for his new Turkish club Genclerbirligi tomorrow.

Nelsen Injured in Blacburn Draw

All White skipper Ryan Nelsen pulled up injured in Blackburn's hard fought 1-1 draw with Man City at Eastlands overnight. Nelsen was withdrawn 5 minutes before half time after a typically strong performance for Rovers. The injury was picked up in a challenge with City midfielder Yaya Toure earlier in the half. So far, there has been no word on the extent of the injury or the likely recovery time.

Nelsen was the only Kiwi in action in the Premiership. Neither Chris Wood or Winston Reid featured for their clubs, West Brom and West Ham. But down in the Championship Tommy Smith put in another full shift for Ipswich as the came away from Portsmouth with another useful point after a nil all draw. Ipswich are now third in the Championship.

Ten Clubs Chase Wood

West Bromich Albion has revealed that no fewer than ten Championship clubs have asked about taking the young All White striker on loan. And they are not surprised, citing his good form for WBA last season and his "terrific" World Cup.

But there is still no certainty he will be let go, both Manager Roberto Di Matteo and Sporting Director Dan Ashworth re-emphasising that, while they'd like him to be playing every weekend, Wood is part of the first team squad at the moment, made a excellent cameo at Anfield and hinted he is a good chance to be in the squad to face Spurs in the weekend.

It's worth reading the whole story from Birmingham's Express and Star newspaper here. They say nice things about our Woodsy.

Surgery for Fallon

Rory Fallon had surgery on a hernia on his groin on Friday. Manager Peter Reid indicated to the club website that it was yet unclear how long Fallon would be out of action. "We'll wait for the doctors on that one."

It could well mean Fallon is unavailable for the upcoming All Whites matches versus Honduras and Paraguay. At the very least, he is likey to be short of match fitness.

Don't Get Too Cocky Nelsen Tells Arsenal

I found this quite amusing. Ryan Nelsen has been reported as telling Arsenal not to get too carried away with their hard fought win over Blackburn last weekend. Some Gunners fans are suggesting the win at Ewood Park heralds the arrival of a tougher, more resilient Arsenal not afraid to mix it with the physical sides. Nelsen's obviously not yet convinced. "I didn't sense much different about them. I hope they do better this season as I like the way they play. But it's different coming to a place like this when it's sunny in August rather than February-March when it's cold and windy. It's those games where you win titles so let's see in March."

Clough Confirms Wood Derby Loan Close

Derby Manager Nigel Clough has given the strongest indication yet that Chris Wood may be on his way to Pride Park on loan. According to Clough, "We got quite a way down the road with West Brom and with Chris (Wood) as well - and we hope that as soon as West Brom's injuries clear up, we will be able to get him in. "I think he fits the mould of the younger players we have. He is inexperienced but he has played international football."

Sky Sports UK reported Clough as stating he would go straight into the market as soon as the loan window opens next week.

Chettleburgh to get one year "Amateur" Contract with Sparta Rotterdam

19 year old youth All White, Cory Chettleburgh, has reportedly done enough to win a one year "amateur" contract with Dutch 2nd Division (Eerste Divisie or Jupiler League) side Sparta Rotterdam. Chettleburgh, who holds an EU passport, still has to have the contract cleared by the Dutch Footbal Association (KNVB). It's not clear what "amateur" means, but there is a history of Dutch players signing Australian footballers on an "amateur" basis to avoid transfer red tape issues. Regardless, it is good news for Chettleburgh. Rotterdam was relegated from the Eredivise last year, but are a decent club with a lot of history. They won a league match 12-1 a fortnight ago and sit third in the league after 3 rounds with a real shot at promotion.

Phoenix After Fallon for 150k Pounds

The Daily Mail is reporting that the Wellington Phoenix wants to secure out of favour Rory Fallon from Plymouth Argyle for 150k pounds. There has certainly be no wind of this in New Zealand, and it would be a surprise move by the Wellington club - and seems unlikely. Of concern to Fallon and any prospective employer is the possiblity that his groin injury may be bad enough to require an operation, the last thing the big man needed.