Soccer: All Whites flying many flags as specialist joins World Cup campaign

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The All Whites have hired a soccer boffin to help plot their World Cup campaign.

Chris Bradley, the British head of the French soccer analysis firm Amisco, will join the squad when they go into camp on May 19. His appointment adds to the All Whites' United Nations feel.

The Birmingham-based Bradley is actually an Aussie. The team's technical adviser, Raul Blanco, is an Argentinian who has lived in Australia for many years, and has coached the Socceroos. All Whites sports scientist Kenny McMillan is a Scot, who works for English premier league side Aston Villa. Team doctor Celeste Geertsema is a South African who has made Auckland her home.

The All Whites contacted Bradley through McMillan, who in turn had met Ricki Herbert when he worked for the now defunct New Zealand Knights.

Analysis, a massive part of the modern game, is a time-consuming business. Bradley's arrival will give the All Whites world-class information on their Group F opposition Slovakia, Italy and Paraguay, and for their four-game buildup.

McMillan was able to give Herbert limited information at the Confederations Cup in South Africa last year, but his other duties made it difficult to do the job properly.

The art of using the mass of available information is boiling it down into useful nutshells that help rather than confuse players. McMillan told the Herald from England that the analysis included team traits and formations, and individual characteristics such as where players made errors.

"Having this available will give our players a lot of confidence," he said.

Italy's general style, and their all-consuming defence, is well known, but Slovakia and Paraguay are more mysterious.

Blanco was prepared to offer a couple of nutshells publicly. Paraguay are particularly aggressive trying to win the ball back, while Slovakia are more conservative in this area.

Behind closed doors, the analysis is far more intricate than that and Bradley will be at the heart of this part of the operation.

As for other appointments, New Zealand Football is expected to employ a high-calibre security expert to stay at New Zealand's second hotel which will house, among others, players' families and the media.

One look at the rather dire warnings issued by travel agents for those going to the World Cup in South Africa - which has many violently crime-ridden areas - tells you why.