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That hangover won’t go away, and it will only seem real once Sepp pulls his balls from the pot on December 4th, and we know which heavyweights NZ will be knocking around with. The 1981 / 2 qualification was like a long-running soap opera with twists and turns all over the place. The drama here was like the T20 cricket version; condensed into a timeframe that suited those with attention issues perfectly. But, despite the abbreviated nature of the “campaign” there were several aspects, some of them good fortune, that helped the All Whites qualify. John O’Neill That’s right; old Possum Head. Not the most popular person in some quarters in New Zealand, but it was his decision to reclassify Australians as Asians (surely not a decision popular in Queensland) that turned Oceania into NZ’s baby. Not only did this change mean that a side ranked 24th in the world no longer remained a permanent obstacle to qualification, but it effectively guaranteed NZ passage to the Confederations Cup, and the much needed match practice in June. FIFA Continental Shifting So the yellow and gold obstacle was removed, but since 1982 Australia had not had a lot of joy in qualifying for the finals either. During that period, Oceania victors would be rewarded with a play-off against the 5th place South American team.
Terry Serepisos Imagine of Terry had not had that fateful trip to the barber’s and decided that he needed a football team. The backbone of this side is around the Phoenix players who turn out together every week under the same coach. Had it not been for Terry some would be in other A-League sides, some would be in the US, and Sigmund and Paston would probably not have had the exposure to top level football that they have. And there would have been no packed White Out last weekend at the new Home of Football. There would have been 8,000 stragglers rattling around North Harbour Stadium creating all the atmosphere of an Accountants’ convention. Uncle Sepp- comes to the party again FIFA came to the party not once, but twice. The change of the eligibility rules meant that New Zealand got strengthened by the addition of Fallon and McGlinchey. One of them scored the deciding goal and then thanked Jesus. The other is in desperate need of subtitles, but both were vital parts of the team. And they will be in South Africa too. The Asian Upset This one is based purely on a hunch, but does anyone think Ricki Herbert didn’t let out a little yip when Bahrain equalised in the 93rd minute, second leg, to oust Saudi Arabia on the Away Goals’ rule? Finishing at Home If any proof is required that getting the home leg second in football is the way to go it was here. Bahrain must look back on that first leg and kick themselves for playing so conservatively. NZ parked the bus a bit in that match, and then came back to Wellington knowing exactly what was required. Put it this way, if it had been NZ 1-0 Bahrain going into the 2nd leg in Manama, would the home side have played like they did last month? So a few things certainly went our way. But we do not need to feel embarrassed about that; it’s not easy being stuck away on the toenails of world football. Something had to go our way sooner or later. Comments here
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