It’s
happening – yes it’s hard to believe, but the All White’s are
playing a game at home! Yes for the first time since a dour 0-0 draw
against South Africa in May 2014, it’s happening, coach Anthony
Hudson is getting to show his team on home soil for the first time
(he’s only been in the job two years!). Yes New Zealand play New
Caledonia at QBE Stadium in Auckland on Saturday 12th
November (KO 3pm) in a World Cup Qualifying match.
Now you’d
think this would be the sort of game I’d be at like a shot. It’s
international football, it’s a world cup qualifier and it’s New
Zealand, and I was even in Auckland this week......But I’m not
going.
Why? Well
it’s not because of cost or getting time off work, if I was into
click bait I would be saying the reason is much more SHOCKING than
that!
When it was
announced that the All White’s would be playing at home, I had to
consult one of my lists to remember when the last home game was and
while I was doing that I consulted my list (yes I have a lot of lists
– I am a football anorak!) that was of All White’s games that I
have been to. That’s when I discovered the fact I could really be a
jinx and made the decision that I wouldn’t go to the New Caledonia
game.
What I
discovered was that I haven’t seen the All White’s win live since
they beat Denmark U23 2-1 at Newtown Park on 23rd
January 1995 (a game that was probably more significant for being
refereed by Linda Black, making it the first ever Men's FIFA international
controlled by a Woman). That’s 21 years!!!! 21 years without seeing the
All White’s win live. Now this isn’t the sort of stat that Sky TV
in the UK put out, when the say something like Manchester United
haven’t won at Peterborough in 75 years, but neglect to point out
they have only played twice during that time. No in the last
21 years I have seen the All White’s play quite a few times.
 |
| The program from the last time I saw the All Whites win |
Since that
day when goals to a 20 year old insurance clerk called Simon Elliott and a 27 year old manager called Mark Elrick (yes it was that long ago that players had real jobs and they would get listed in the program!) gave us a 2-1 win against
kids of Denmark. I have seen the All White’s play live in Auckland,
Tallinn, Ostrowiec Swietokryzski, Paris, Lyon, London, Geneva,
Edinburgh, Wrexham & Wellington. I have seen them play the likes
of Brazil, France, Poland, Colombia, Scotland & Japan. I have
been in crowds of 30-40 000 and have been one of 7 All White’s fans
in a crowd of 10 000 Polish fans.
 |
| 5 of the 7 All White fans at Poland v NZ in 2003 Photo Kevin Clarke |
I have seen
them unluckily lose to Estonia because of a goalkeeping howler, almost beat
Scotland, get torn apart by France & Brazil, play Australia off
the park but lose to a 90th
minute goal and come back from 2-0 down to get a draw with a Wales
side that included Ryan Giggs and Craig Bellamy.
In all I have
seen them play 15 times in 8 different countries in the last 21 years,
which given the paucity of games that they play (an average of 7 a
year) and that many of them are in tournament format and I was spending a lot more time watching my first country, Scotland, it’s not that
bad of a record. What is bad is the fact they haven’t won any of
the games I have been to. I’m starting to think it is me.
So
I have made the conscious decision not to go to the New Caledonia
game in the hope that the All White’s will win. Anthony Hudson can thank me after the game!
So if you are in
Auckland on Saturday get along to QBE Stadium. If you aren’t in
Auckland the game will be on Sky TV at 3pm
 |
| Wales & New Zealand line up for the National Anthems, Racecourse Ground, Wrexham, 2007 |
The All
White's games I have seen since I saw them win in 1995
1998
Drew 0-0 with Chile in Auckland
Lost 0-1 to South Korea in Auckland
2002
Lost 2-3 to Estonia in Tallinn
Lost 0-2 to Poland in Ostrowiec Swietokryzski
2003
Drew 1-1 with Scotland in Edinburgh
Confederations Cup
Lost 0-3 to Japan in Paris
Lost 1-3 to Colombia in Lyon
Lost 0-5 to France in Paris
2005
Lost 0-1 to Australia at Craven Cottage (Fulham), London
2006
Lost 0-4 to Brazil in Geneva, Switzerland
2007
Drew 2-2 with Wales at Wrexham, Wales
2010
Drew 1-1 with Honduras in Auckland
Lost 0-2 to Paraguay in Wellington
2012
Lost 2-3 to Jamaica in Auckland
2013
Lost 2-4 to Mexico in Wellington
 |
| Kiwi fans outside the ticket "office" at the A-le Coq Arena, Tallinn, Estonia |
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