All Whites must gel quickly — skipper

Press, 20 February 1989, Page 44

All Whites must gel quickly — skipper

PA Auckland The All Whites’ hopes s of success in their World Cup soccer eliminator with Israel next month will depend on the team’s ability to gel together quickly, says the skipper, Ricki Herbert. v - The New Zealand players leave Auckland today for London where they will spend 10 days preparing in England before moving on to Tel Aviv for the March 5 showdown. The All Whites’ biggest problem will be overcoming a lack of match play. They have not played together since the successful two-match series against China-Taipei in early December. In contrast Israel has had an impressive • buildup with recent matches against powerfillEuro- =• pean nations England, Ireland and Wales.

J Coinplicating the New Zealahd problems has ' been the fragmentation of the'team. The bulk of the players are Aucklandbased but two are from Christchurch, one from Wellington and the remainder from Australia (Clint Gosling) and Switzerland (Wynton and Shane Rufer). Consequently the side has not been able to train together at all this year. “Obviously it has been a little bit hard to get an indication on all the players,” said Herbert, who is playing in his third World Cup campaign. “Everyone in Auckland is looking really good. We are fit and ready. Once we get going I think we will be all right. “We are getting 10 days together in England and s that will be the important period for us. Really it’s not too different to what

has happened in the past, going into camp before a series. The only thing here is we will be in England. But I think the football environment there will help us.” New Zealand must get past Israel and Australia on a home and away basis to venture a step nearer to the 1990 finals in Italy. Herbert admits it is a tough task — but not impossible. “We will be going into these matches as the third best side. “But I think we have got quite a good side here. There are some talented players." Amazingly only one All White — Malcolm Dunford — survives from the last team that played in Tel Aviv in 1985, losing 03. Herbert was at that time playing professionally with the English club Wolves.