One comment was that the All Whites were a bunch of no-name journeymen … plus Ryan Nelsen.

Kind of reminds me of a similar comment about the NZ cricket team when Hadlee was the main event:

Graham Gooch once described New Zealand’s Richard Hadlee-led bowling attack as “World XI at one end and Ilford 2nd XI at the other”.

Mind you, as Peter Williams points out on TVNZ , there were some fairly handy cricketers in the Ilford Seconds:

“You look around the guys in the bowling attack – Derek Stirling, Willie Watson, Evan Gray – really good guys all of them but you wouldn’t call them amongst the greats of New Zealand cricket.”

“After being 144/5 New Zealand made 413 – guess who got the runs? Numbers six, seven and eight. Nothing has really changed. Evan Gray made 50 (his highest test score), Hadlee 68 and John Bracewell – batting at number eight – made 110.”

Not to mention that the same Ilford Second XI was competent enough to beat the might of England in England.

The point is that the only exposed form that the Pomgolians rate is in their own backyard.  If they don’t know ‘em, they don’t rate them.

It is kind of ironic too, that the Poms have damned the All Whites because the sole goal scorer is in a team struggling in the Championship (the division below the EPL).

Given that most of the EPL teams are made up of players from everywhere apart from Mother England, it smacks of a bit of hypocrisy.

And as I pointed out today this blog’s Sunderland correspondent, NZ has actually drawn its last two games against UK opposition – Scotland and Wales.  I’m sure that Scotland or Wales would be considered worthy by the same hacks.

Anyway, it’s all irrelevant now.  We’ve made it.

And no, Ireland can’t join Oceania.

There’s been a number of mentions throughout the media but I was interested to see what the (UK) Telegraph had in this gallery:

World Cup qualifiers in pictures

I was expecting perhaps one photo – after all, the All Whites-Bahrain game was far from the only qualifier played over the weekend.

However, FIVE of the fourteen images were from the All Whites game.

There was also a write up:

New Zealand Claim 2010 World Cup place

White noize is indeed being heard around the world.

Click here to view the embedded video.

And plenty of change too.

For a start, all the 1981 home games were played in Auckland at what was then Mt Smart Stadium.  In the afternoon.

Back then, the odd ones out were the overseas pros.

The thought of NZ based pros would have been unthinkable.  The bulk of the All Whites players were National League players although the National League was at the stage a genuine club competition.

Perhaps the biggest difference is the number of games.

The 1981 All Whites had the largest number of games to qualify (I’m far too lazy to find out how many).  The first part involved a mix of Asian and Pacific teams including the old enemy, Oz.

Home and away and yes we drew at home to the Oz but beat them 2-0 in Sydney.  And I was at a dry wedding!!!!

The second phase involved a number of qualifiers competing in a cut throat top 2 take all play off.

Frankly with Saudi Arabia, China, Kuwait all competing for the 2 spots it was seen to be a big ask.

While there’s a lot of comparison today with the one off game with China that sealed the final place, it only came about after the two teams were tied in points and goal difference.

Tonight’s game is only a one off because of the 0-0 draw in the first leg.  The only way that the game can go to penalties if it’s 0-0 at the end of EXTRA time.

OK, time to kick back (boom boom) and watch the game.

A couple of weeks or months ago, no one would have given two proverbials about the away goal rule.

In fact, the major away rule we would have enforced was in late 2007 when Graham Henry would have been sent away – anywhere.  That was the rule.

However, after the All Whites fortuitous/honourable (take your pick) draw with Bahrain at the weekend, we find the away goal rule taking centre stage (instead of centre forward).

The FIFA rule is simple (if you’re a brain surgeon):

1. Winners win

2. If the results are shared, then away goals count double.

Simple.

Mind you, it confuses the hell out of the Yanks:

Barcelona advanced Wednesday to the final of the UEFA Champions League on the away goals rules — waiting more than 90 minutes to score against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in a game that ended 1-1.

Barcelona’s Andres Iniesta, the heart and soul of the team’s midfielder, took a pass from Lionel Messi and buried a shot from about 25 yards into the top of the net, ending Chelsea’s dream of a final rematch against Manchester United. The championship game will be played in Rome on May 27.

Barcelona (which will soon announce its plans for a North American tour this summer) and Chelsea played a 0-0 tie in Spain last week. In the return match, it appeared that Michael Essien’s stunning volley in the first half was going to stand up. And it did, through 90 minutes plus.

Then — boom! Iniesta scores. Barcelona celebrates. Chelsea goes home.

The away goals rule is peculiar to soccer and is positively alien to most American fans. Perhaps it is accepted, perhaps not.

Should the teams instead play extra time, then, if still tied, go to penalty kicks? Are PKs more equitable in resolving a game, or are they just as unsatisfying?

It’s an interesting perspective.

The All Whites could conceivably draw 1-1 or 2-2 and not be beaten in the playoff yet miss out on the away goals rule.

The rule clearly values scoring goals.  You could equally argue it rewards crap defence but that’s the rules.

I’ve tried to get a definitive guide (help me out here!) but the best I can do is assume that extra time will only be played if the score is exactly 0-0 in which case the a draw at the end of extra time will do Bahrain fine.

Let’s just hope it’s pissing with rain and the southerly makes itself known to our Middle Eastern visitors.

And we’re not talking about the rugby version either.

A decent result against Bahrain leaves it all on the line in Wellington on November 14.

I’d take a draw or a high-scoring close loss for the All Whites.

Anyway, here’s an interesting commentary on NZ getting to 2-3 against a very strong Scots team in the 1982 World Cup finals before going down 2-5.

Click here to view the embedded video.

And if that floats your boat, check our every minute of all three games here.

The New Zealand U17 Soccer team has qualified for the World Cup later this year in Nigeria. Lucky sods!  Always wanted to spend some time in Nigeria!

We can only hope it’s an omen for the All Whites (does that make the U17’s the Small Whites?).

The All Whites are just two games away from their dream.

The key difference of course is that the Small Whites only had to beat the Island teams to gain direct entry.

On the other hand, The Big Boys have to first win their way out of Oceania and then take on the fifth ranked Asian team for a ticket to the big dance.

Let’s hope the Small Whites getting to show the groove thing is an omen for the All Whites.

And WTF … Shane Smeltz is now an Australian citizen??????? Yep, the German-born, Aussie-raised Kiwi International is now an Ocker.  Can I tag this as cheating Aussies??

Last night, they beat Uzbekistan 2-0 – read a full report here.

Now you’re most likely thinking so what?

Or how’s that nice Brendan Telfer … is he out of hospital?  (He is apparently and all in time to watch the Masters).

Anyway, back to the Socceroos.

The Socceroos are currently in the final qualifying for Asia – two groups of 5 qualifiers with the top two from each group going straight through.

And in the answer to the so what, the fifth qualifier (I assume a playoff between the two third placed teams?) will play the All Whites home and away for a place in South Africa.  (In case you don’t know, that’s where the next World Cup will be.  And in case you didn’t know that, it will be next year.  And in case you don’t know anything, next is is 2010.)

So first the Ockers.  They’ve played 5 of their 8 games, top their table with 13 out of a possible 15 points, have scored 8 goals and have yet to concede one.  Not a sausage.

If my maths is any good, they need just ONE more point in three games to qualify.

The Japs are currently second 4 points ahead of Bahrain with a game in hand.

In Pool B, it’s a lot tigher with the two Koreas (the mad ones, and the really really mad ones) and Saudi Arabia.

Take your pick for the All Whites’ opponent.

The success of the Socceroos should really give us a little hope.

For a start, we avoid the nightmare scenario of a playoff against the Enemy.  Mind you, it would be the same for the Ozzies.

You would hope that the promising efforts of the Phoenix and some of the yoof teams who give a little heart.

To be fair, it’s hard to say we deserve a place at the World Cup (which is in South Africa in 2010 in case you didn’t know ).

However, the success of the cheating Aussies shows us that football in this area is as strong as anywhere in Asia and while NZ may not be one of the top teams, we have nothing to lose against the fifth ranked Asian team.

We will follow this with some interest.