From a Socceroos perspective though, delighted to see both Arzani and Velupillay do so well. Their combination could be useful for Oz.

The commentators were saying that a tiny nick on the ball is irrelevant if Arzani was still going to have a chance of controlling it before being taken out. That makes sense to me and I have no skin in this game - Mariners fan. P.S. it definitely wasn't a dive. He was scythed down.

I love McGree and he's definitely worth persisting with. Too good not to be featuring for the Socceroos.

Speaking of RWBs... Atkinson has been doing pretty well in recent times for City. I'd prefer Strain, but I'd defintely prefer Atkinson (at anywhere near his best) over Miller or Karacic.

That is exactly my view. All through his career he's been alternately brilliant and MIA. Not Socceroo quality for me.

I reckon there's only one. Popa can't see past his size even though he dismantled Popa's team in the second half of the last GF and was voted the best player in the league for the Mariners treble winning season. John Hutcho is a personal friend of mine and when Nizz was training by himself and...

How interesting. I wrote Lawrie's biography and he never mentioned that in the many sessions we had together. I'm not doubting you though because he had a massive scouting network and took a lot of pride in the success of boys on whose career he'd had an impact.

https://www.theroar.com.au/2025/03/29/popas-led-socceroos-to-verge-of-wc-qualification-but-could-big-selection-calls-come-back-to-bite-australia/

But there are massive anomalies in this system. You're seriously suggesting Bennie, Kalik, D'Agostino and Mabil are better than Triantis, Balard, Irankunda and Nisbet?

In all seriousness, I don't think this ranking system works at all. Just to make sure I'm understanding it correctly ... you're ranking players on the basis of the team they play for and how that team is ranked in Europe? Messi is currently playing for Miami - he wouldn't get near Argentina...

Nizz is still adjusting to Scotland where conditions are sooooo different to Oz. He does have his fans at RC and his team mates obviously rate him. I expect him to be doing really well by the end of the season. He's doing pretty well now.

Clearly The World Game people know their football books... https://www.sbs.com.au/sport/article/recommended-football-books-from-the-twg-audience/vd6ziym3s

I also loved The Secret Footballer books - absolutely brilliant insight into professional football in England.

I agree. Although 40 might have been good - 8 groups of 5 so each team is guaranteed 4 matches. Every confed gets an extra slot plus extra playoff slots. It would have meant more dead rubbers though so 32 probably the perfect number.

Nisbet's best position is #10 but he can play anywhere in the middle.

He's very, very far from being Aaron Mooy. Mind you, so was Aaron Mooy at that age.

Would NZ risk its certain place in every future World Cup (and the money that comes with that) for a much better competitive and game-growing future?

Here's something I prepared earlier... https://www.theroar.com.au/2024/10/23/the-east-is-the-east-and-west-is-the-west-the-asian-football-confederation-is-too-big-and-the-reasons-why-it-needs-to-be-split/

This worry is never far from my mind. It's part of the reason I keep writing articles about splitting Asia into East and West with East absorbing Oceania.

And in the second half they could combine to take on a Turkish selection.