Soccer: Incredible journey drawing to an end - and what a ride

Shane Smeltz. Photo / Brett Phibbs

There was nothing else for it. After the day they had just had - after the three days they had just had - a beer or three was in order.

Danny Hay tried to order the first round. "Sorry, sir," he was told, "today is a religious holiday. We cannot serve alcohol."

Hay and the All Whites coaching staff headed by Ricki Herbert could only laugh, after a few choice words. The day wouldn't be getting any better.

They had just spent two hours crawling back to Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, over a mountain range.

That was on top of being dumped off a flight to Santiago, on top of two days in an airport waiting for non-existent flights, on top of 4-0 and 5-0 hammerings by Costa Rica and Venezuela respectively.

The rest of the team had dispersed in dribbles, sent to various parts of the world in the hope they would eventually end up at the right destination.

International football isn't all business-class travel and treatment, especially when the All Whites are concerned and especially before they did what they did at the World Cup. It was often a case of them living out their own episode of planes, trains and automobiles.

"I have had some shambolic tours but nothing could ever compare to that," Hay remembers of the 2007 trip to central and South America. "It was an ...experience."

It was his last - he retired for a second time soon after.

Herbert has described the two internationals against Honduras and Paraguay as the end of a four-year cycle.

It's really five, dating back to his first game in charge in the 1-0 friendly defeat to Australia in London in June 2005.

It's an amazing journey highlighted by some incredible highs - the 3-1 victory over Georgia (New Zealand's first international win in Europe), the 0-0 draw with Iraq at the 2009 Confederations Cup (the first point at a Fifa tournament), 1-0 defeat of Serbia (then ranked 15 in the world) and, of course, World Cup qualification and an undefeated campaign in South Africa.

Those highs, however, have been matched by demoralising lows - the debacle in Costa Rica and Venezuela, heavy defeats to Spain (5-0), Seville (5-1), Blackburn (4-0) and Chile (4-1) and an anaemic world ranking of 156 which put them below even Samoa.

"When you see the country you play for with a ranking like that, it's embarrassing and you hope no one notices," striker Shane Smeltz says.

"At its lowest point, you think there's no way you're going to get to a World Cup and do what we did. We went to some funny countries, got thumped in a few games and endured some terrible travel arrangements.

"There will be some teams, especially ones at the World Cup, who would never imagine going through some of the things we did. But the tough times make you stronger and it helped us out when you have to go to places likes Bahrain and get a result. I don't think too much fazed us."

Smeltz sat through Herbert's first powerpoint presentation to the players as new All Whites coach in 2005.

He heard what Herbert was aiming for - the third ambition was World Cup qualification - but he didn't really believe it. As a fringe All White, he was more interested in cementing his place in the side.

Hay was also there. He had been coaxed out of international retirement to captain the side against Australia. Unlike Smeltz, he was a believer.

"I thought [World Cup qualification] was a possibility," Hay says. "I knew the sort of players we had and who wasn't there for that game, like Ryan [Nelsen], Simon [Elliott] and Ivan [Vicelich]. The qualification route had been announced and we knew Australia were leaving [Oceania to join Asia].

"Everyone wrote us off against Australia and said we would get flogged.

"They had all their big hitters playing but there was belief in the team. After that game, I thought there was some talent there and a real opportunity for this group to do something special if we could get the best side on the park."

Hay didn't quite appreciate how remarkable. The All Whites played 39 games from 2005 until the end of the World Cup, with 10 wins, 10 draws and 19 defeats. Only five were in New Zealand. They scored 42 goals (15 in their eight World Cup qualifiers) and conceded 71 (five goals on three occasions and four goals five times).

New Zealand lined up against Australia in 2005 ranked 106 in the world, dropped to 156 in 2007 after the heavy defeats to Costa Rica and Venezuela, and experienced some good gains and other dips before settling at their present ranking of 49.

They are unbeaten in their last five meaningful internationals dating back to the first-leg 0-0 draw with Bahrain.

Herbert was initially employed for just one match, the 2005 game with Australia. The All Whites played 11 games in 2006, including one against Brazil, but only three in 2008 because New Zealand Football was virtually bankrupt.

"It's been incredible," Herbert says of the last five years. "I don't think you could write a better script. We've had everything including the kitchen sink thrown at us.

"It hasn't been ideal and you wouldn't want to go through those things again but it's built character. When things got really crucial, those days stood them in good stead. I could walk away from the game now and be happy. Some of the things we achieved will be special, no matter what happens."

After Tuesday, it's all about the next four years and qualifying for Brazil. It will be an interesting ride but unlikely to be as colourful as the last.

2005
Australia 1 New Zealand 0

2006
New Zealand 1 Malaysia 0
New Zealand 2 Malaysia 1
Chile 4 New Zealand 1
Chile 1 New Zealand 0
Hungary 2 New Zealand 0
Georgia 1 New Zealand 3
Estonia 1 New Zealand 1
Brazil 4 New Zealand 0
Charlton 1 New Zealand 1
Blackburn 4 New Zealand 0
Seville FC 5 New Zealand 1

2007
Costa Rica 4 New Zealand 0
Venezuela 5 New Zealand 0
Wales 2 New Zealand 2
Fiji 0 New Zealand 2 (WCQ)
Vanuatu 1 NZ 2 (WCQ)
NZ 4 Vanuatu 1 (WCQ) 2008
New Caledonia 1 NZ 3 (WCQ)
NZ 3 New Caledonia 0 (WCQ)
Fiji 2 New Zealand 0 (WCQ) 2009
Thailand 3 New Zealand 1
Thailand A 2 New Zealand 2
Tanzania 2 New Zealand 1
Botswana 0 New Zealand 0
Italy 4 New Zealand 3
Spain 5 New Zealand 0 (CC)
South Africa 2 NZ 0 (CC)
Iraq 0 New Zealand 0 (CC)
Jordan 1 New Zealand 3
Bahrain 0 NZ 0 (WCQ)
NZ 1 Bahrain 0 (WCQ)

2010
Mexico 2 New Zealand 0
Australia 2 New Zealand 1
Serbia 0 New Zealand 1
Slovenia 3 New Zealand 1
Chile 2 New Zealand 0
Slovakia 1 NZ 1 (WC)
Italy 1 New Zealand 1 (WC)
Paraguay 0 NZ 0 (WC)

* WCQ = World Cup qualifier
* CC = Confederations Cup
* WC = World Cup finals

Overall
* Played 39, won 10, drew 10,
* lost 19, goals for 42, against 71

Ranking
* June 2005: 106
* September 2007: 156
* October 2008: 54
* September 2009: 100
* June 2010: 78
* Today: 49

* NZ's highest ranking is 47, achieved in August 2002.