New Zealand - The All Whites.
Head coach Ricki Herbert takes his lowly ranked New Zealad side to the World Cup finals for only the second time. The 'All Whites' (or as Michael Barrymore would say the 'Aw wites') will look to better their previous finish of 1982, however achieving a better finish seems all but certain. The '82 World Cup in Spain saw New Zealnd grouped with Zico's Brazil, Dalglish's Scotland and a very strong Soviet Union side. In their 3 games The 'All Whites' conceded 12 goals, and only managed to hit the back of the net themselves twice.
Ricki Herbert's men should provide a sterner test for the worlds best. In the FIFA World Cup 2010 in South Africa they will encounter Slovakia, Paraguay and the mighty Italians, in a group they may well fancy themselves to spring a surprise or two in. The OFC Nations Cup Winners of 2008 qualified for this years World Cup by defeating Asian Football Confederation's fifth placed side Bahrain in a 2 legged play-off. After securing a 0-0 in Bahrain, New Zealand defeated Bahrain in front of a record crowd in Wellington 1-0, courtesy of a 45th minute strike from Plymouth Argyle striker Rory Fallon.
New Zealand were quick to name their 23 man squad for this years tournament. It features no fewer than 6 British based players, the most recognised being their talismanic centre half and captain Ryan Nelsen. The Blackburn Rovers stopper has been an integral member of the Blackburn side for 5 years and has a wealth of Premiership experince, which will be invaluable to New Zealand in their South African quest.
30 Man Preliminery Squad:
Goalkeepers:
James Bannatyne (TeamWellington), Glen Moss (Melbourne Victory), Mark Paston (Wellington Phoenix)
Defenders:
Andy Boyens (New York Red Bulls), Tony Lochhead (Wellington Phoenix), Ryan Nelsen (Blackburn Rovers), Winston Reid (FC Midtjylland), Ben Sigmund (Wellington Phoenix), Tommy Smith (Ipswich Town), Ivan Vicelich (Auckland City)
Midfielders:
Andy Barron (Team Wellington), Leo Bertos (Wellington Phoenix), Tim Brown (Wellington Phoenix), Jeremy Christie (FC Tampa Bay Rowdies), Aaron Clapham (Canterbury United), Simon Elliott (unattached), Michael McGlinchey (Motherwell), David Mulligan (unattached)
Strikers:
Jeremy Brockie (Newcastle Jets), Rory Fallon (Plymouth Argyle), Chris Killen (Middlesbrough), Shane Smeltz (Gold Coast United), Chris Wood (West Bromwich Albion)
KEY MAN: Ryan Nelsen (Defender, Centre, Blackburn Rovers) Captains his side with pride and determination, very under rated centre half.
ONE TO WATCH: Shane Smeltz (Striker, Centre, Gold Coast United) Has an eye for goal, having scored 15 times in 27 games for his country. A good world cup could see clubs from across the globe taking a gamble on the 28 year old.
Craig Stewart
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