More games wanted for national soccer team

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 38183, 24 March 1973, Page 4

More games wanted for national soccer team

By

D. P. MANSBRIDGE)

The World Cup soccer players are backing’ to the hilt the attempt of their team manager, Mr C. J. Dempsey, to have the national team play every side to tour New Zealand in the future.

J. Staines, the captain, and A. Vest, the vicecaptain, said that they were certain they were speaking for all the players when they asked for New Zealand to start preparing for the next World Cup the day after the present series ends.

“The squad must be held together, added to and deleted from as the need arises, but certainly not allowed to break up as soon as we return home,” Vest said.

“Everything the N.Z.F.A. does, on the national scene, in the seasons ahead of us, should be aimed at bringing a squad to peak efficiency for the 1977 World Cup elimination series.

"Too often we have waited until the last minute to get the players ready. Although much was done this time, through the Asian tour, the Oceania tournament and the training camp, it was all concentrated in a few weeks. “We have four years to get ready for the next tournament and we need to gear all of our planning to that end. This obviously means getting the players together as often as possible.

“We should learn from the Australians, for this is what they have done, by having the national team play every team to tour the country. New Zealand should start this process in

the coming season, with the tours of the British clubs. Stoke City and Bournemouth." Staines would not only have the national team meet every incoming side, but the players brought together for training before each of these games. “Let the players assemble on a Thursday evening, having the Friday and Saturday for team preparation, and play on the Sunday,” he said. “If the players are prepared to put in the time and billets for them were arranged, there would be no extra cost for the N.Z.F.A. “The national team should be put at the top of the list when fixtures with touring teams are arranged.” The midfield player, B. Turner, said that when he was in England, playing for the London professional side, Brentford, he was asked by a New Zealand journalist what was needed

to get soccer moving forward in New Zealand. “I told him that what v as needed was men on the N.Z.F.A. with a bit of go. instead of the same old faces. As far as 1 can see. the position is still unchanged. with not enough positive thinking being done about the future. " he said. “They don’t appear to worry too much about the players, as can be seen in the way they go about pre paring the national team in years outside the World Cup. “There is tremendous keenness among the players but it will disappear quicklv if nothing is done to keep them together.” Mr Dempsey, who is the director of tours for the N.Z.F.A. and chairman of the Auckland association, will stress in his report after this World Cup series the need to play the national side against every team to visit New Zealand.