The Longest Derby II- This time it's 'Perth'onal

Groan... Ok, so I end my post drought with a pithy poor pun, but the heady, desperate days before a knockout play off game do strange things to a Football Tragic's brainwaves.

Since the last time they played Perth the Phoenix have picked themselves up, dusted themselves off and marched towards the A-League playoffs, finishing fourth in the ten team league. The fact that they finished fourth is a matter of some pride, not just scraping into a generous play-off quota, but firmly entrenched in the midst of the top six.

A few weeks ago they picked up a record crowd of 19,258 at 'home' in Christchurch. An event which would go along way towards a Cantabrian claim for an A-League spot. However unlikely this may seem you'd have to think that Canterbury would make a good fist of it. Their sporting teams have an unparalled knack of performing when it counts; Their Rugby and Cricket teams in particular have set the standard for domestic success in Aotearoa, and the Englishness of Christchurch lends itself to the leisurely pursuit of all colonial sports, not least of all Football. It would be fantastic if the Nix could cast off the phony war against Perth, and play a real derby against our traditional Southern rivals. The Cantabrian fans would also be loathe to share their team with the rest of the country. Even though Wellington is proudly parochial, and the Phoenix are Harbour City heroes through and through the Yellow Fever are made up of football fans from all over the Country, and are happy to share their team.

Despite the improbable fancy of two NZ teams in the A-League it is in fact Melbourne who will become the first A-League team to get a proper City Derby,when the Melbourne Heart starts beating next season. And why not? To the Melbourne Victory the Phoenix record home crowd of 19,000,is a paltry figure, and still below their season average of 21,105.

So the challenge of restoring NZL's transtasman football dignity remains the sole burden of the Phoenix, for now at least. This weekend Wellington city is fair fizzing at the prospect of sudden death finals footie- this is coupled with a delicious Perth V. Wellington doubleheader at the Stadium. (The Western Force Rugby team take on the Wgtn Hurricanes tonight. How many Perthites are taking in both games I wonder?)

It seems as though the Phoenix home attendance record is set be nixed again as fans flock to the city. My old football coach from Rotorua rung me up saying he is in town for the game and wants to catch up. If this random occurance is anything to go by I'd say a 25,000-30,000 home crowd could be on the cards, as fairweather fans, or those yet to be tempted by the Nix, throw their misgivings to the wind, and join New Zealand's team in the A-League.

So the season comes to ahead tomorrow for the Nix, if Dadi is fit to play I hope he isn't assigned Penalty duties. But if Paul Ifill comes to play with the vision and calmness he has found in recent weeks, and if Manny Muscat keeps his Maltese crosses flying into Tim Brown's educated melon at the far post then the 'Longest Derby' promises to be less one sided this time around.

I think that the Nix will beat Perth tomorrow; Fortress Wellington has been tough to seige this season, but I don't think the Nix have got the goods to trump Melbourne or Sydney if they meet them in the final But as they say in Rugby League, you have to lose a final to win a final, so the Nix first ever taste of playoff footie will be invaluable in their quest for A-League glory.

On a personal note I am about to disappear into the black hole known as the NZ International Arts Festival from this Friday 26 Feb until March 21. I have been working on this Festival as the Education Coordinator, and soon the fruits of my labour will fall from the tree.

I may not return from this journey quite as sane of mind nor as fleet of foot as before. Wish me luck, for the arts can be a dangerous place to play:

Phoenix Lose the Longest Derby

Wellington Phoenix went down 2-0 to Perth, in what may euphemistically be called 'the Longest Derby'.

In a league dominated by teams from Australia's Eastern Seaboard, Wellington and Perth are the geographically distant outsiders. It somehow seems right to think of Wellington v. Perth as a derby of a different kind. It is their very uncommonness that they have in common, like the disparite dogmas of Glasgow Rangers and Celtic, which unites the fierce rivals in an uncomfortable bond.

The Wellington to Perth road trip must be one of the longest in domestic football, and makes a sweet mockery out of the cosy bonhomie of, say, the Maltese or Andorran football leagues. Perhaps only Russia has a domestic football match that requires a 10,000+ Kilometre round trip. (Happy to be corrected in the comments section below.)

Eugene Dadi had a baffling, meandering, sort of homecoming. Fouled from the first minute, he was goaded into picking up a soft early yellow and was lucky not to see red mere minutes later. It seemed like he was hell bent on reacquainting his studs with the shins of every one of his ex-team mates. The strategy failed, the Perth Glory's covert fouling was much more effective in disrupting Dadi's flow and getting under his skin; Paul Ifill also copped a bit of attention, repeatedly being spilled over by the Glory game plan of harassment and niggle. It was not a pretty game, but Perth's two first half goals were at least quality finishes, even if the Nix defence was generous in its absentia.

In the second half Dadi's horror show return to the Indian Oceanside reached its nadir with a pathetic 73rd minute penalty, limply rolled to the keeper, after a clownish run up.

In what was a forgettable night for the Nix; feeble up front and phantoms at the back, perhaps the thing I'd most like to blot from the record is the terrible 'Come Play' commemorative jerseys.

The sentiment, at least, was fantastic. This was the 'Come Play' Round, where each team wore a special jersey to promote Australia's World Cup bid, and each player's top will be auctioned off for charity afterwards. Although the Phoenix are a NZ based team the potential spin off for NZ football from Australia hosting the World Cup could be huge.

But the shirts themselves were a throw back to the eighties- hypercolour tied dyed messes with cutesy little Kangaroos on them. Gok Wan should stick to shopping malls for his makeovers, and leave the football shirts alone.

Ironically the 'Come Play' round, which was meant to draw attention to the A-League as a supporting factor in Australia's World Cup Bid, was defined by ill discipline and confrontation. Plenty of bookings, poor tackles and silly fouls. North Queensland's All White Jeremy Brockie had his ankle snapped in a rash challenge by Brisbane Roar's Michael Zullo, so much for transtasman goodwill and cooperation in the name of the World Cup. Brockie's dream of appearing in a World Cup is probably as busted as his leg, while Zullo blithely played on, hoping to be in contention. for the Socceroos' squad. Even 'God' wasn't in a charitable mood; North Queensland's Robbie Fowler sulked in the stands after being benched.

The Central Coast v. Gold Coast game, a true derby at least in geographical terms if not history, was typical of the round. It was feisty, marred by fouls and dust ups, but still managed to be a snore fest.(I literally fell asleep watching it.) The casual observer might think that the invitation to come play was confused about what code it was referring to.

If this was meant to be the shop window for the beautiful game in Australia, then those tie-dyed t-shirts should be ripped into rags, and used to wipe the window clean.

Dadi is King of the Castle

Saturday 9 January 2010 was a very special day in Wellington, New Zealand.

The sun was beaming down on our own little patch of South Pacific paradise, and tourists scoffed ice-creams in the Botanic Gardens and on the Waterfront. Amongst them a handful of Brisbane Roar fans, in town to see their team take on the resurgent Wellington Phoenix.

It was the second to last day of my holidays. I started the day by heading up to the Town Belt with Miro to gather pinecones for the winter- it may seem like an odd choice of activity, but it is actually really fun and a 'recession friendly' father and son activity. Watching Miro stagger about the steep forest calling out for 'cones' gave me great joy, and now we have a few bags of starter fuel for our home fire.

After lunch I headed up to the Dell in the Botanic Gardens to partake in pre-game beer and a spot of Kubb, which urban legend has it was a training routine for viking warriors. This yard game is like a cross between Jenga, Petanque and Chess, and is easy to pick up but hard to put down.

It is quite a nice way to spend a sunny afternoon, hanging out with my footballing cohort Richard Hallam, whose aim was well off that day, missing the King by a country mile, despite the look of concentration in this (posed) shot:

After the half drunken game of Kubb we hightailed it to the stadium to watch the Nix.

The first half was nothing special really- the Nix defended well, but to be honest Brisbane looked an inferior force compared to past incarnations of the Queensland Oranje. Their one or two real chances of the half were snuffed out by former Brisbane keeper Liam Reddy, now wearing the Amber and Black of Wellington.

But the second half, oh, the second half. I moved from my usual spot near the Yellow Fever around to the rejects zone of aisle 10 by halfway, to try and get a different perspective on the game. I am glad I did, for I was in a prime spot to see Eugene Dadi stamp his mark on the match and his mark on Wellington, by producing a wonderfully timed overhead volley. Then, mere minutes later, he completed a debutant brace with an instinctive finish after some great build up work. The Nix kept attacking, and despite a consolation goal to the Roar (which in itself was a fine finish) the three points were safe.


The next day I went up to Martin Luckie Park with 20 other Yellow Feverites for the weekly kickaround, and spirits were high. Finally this season there is renewed optimism in the Phoenix camp and hushed voices are even discussing play-off football.

When life seems complicated, and even the sport you love is drawn into the maelstrom of chaos and terror, (an event which was made all the worse for the cackhanded political maneuvering afterwards) it is sometimes nice to just sit back and contemplate the simple things in life:

A gorgeous summer's day; pinecone hunting; obscure viking lawn games; and overhead bicycle kicks.

Enjoy Dadi's cool goal again, courtesy of 101 Great Goals:

My Heart Belongs to Dadi

As Cole Porter so eloquently penned, and Ella Fitzgerald so elegantly sung:

"While tearin' off a game of golf
I may make a play for the caddie
But when I do, I don't follow through
'Cause my heart belongs to Dadi"

Wellington Phoenix have signed Ivorian international Eugene Dadi from Perth Glory. Dadi will be a physical presence up front and will no doubt be a great foil for the skillful Paul Ifill and Chris Greenacre to play off. Every time I watched Perth play the Nix I was impressed with Dadi. Like Ifill he seems to have more time than most, while others are scurrying into position he shuffles along at his own pace, calmly summing up the options before delivering a telling final ball.

The fact that the Phoenix attacking trio mentioned above are all foreigners makes a mockery of Asian Football Federation Chairman Bin Hammam's claim that Wellington Phoenix is an ersatz national team, and is being used solely for the purpose of strengthening our qualification for major tournaments. While there is no doubt that NZ football is stronger for the presence of the Phoenix, and that Ben Sigmund, Mark Paston and the other Wellington based All Whites must relish the regular competition of the A-League, the chance for those guys to train and play with the likes of Dadi and Ifill is just as important.

I think a Wellington Phoenix made up purely of Kiwis would have a detrimental effect on the game here, but if Bin Hamman had his way then the Phoenix will have to become registered as a fully Australian entity and our Kiwi players will count as foreign imports. While this is plainly ridiculous a balance is needed to keep the Phoenix as a development path for Kiwis while allowing the best of the rest of the World through the doors; increasing international profile, crowd revenue and allowing invaluable experience of different styles and cultures for our National team players.

So Dadi is coming home to Wellington. I look forward to seeing him in action this very weekend against the Brisbane Roar at Westpac Stadium. He will surely be a Yellow Fever favourite with a name that lends itself to clever chants based on Cole Porter songs and family-friendly puns.