Soccer: Herbert's bets plain for seats on plane

Glen Moss. Photo / Dean Purcell

Ricki Herbert has never been averse to the odd wager.

But will those gambling instincts spill over to his naming of the 23 players he and assistant Brian Turner will take to the World Cup?

There is unlikely to be much discussion in coming up with the 18 or so players seen as certainties for the All Whites' group matches in South Africa against Slovakia, Italy and Paraguay.

Settling on the remaining players promises to stir greater debate.

In this week naming his players for the training camp/game with the NZFC All Stars, Herbert has shown his hand - but will he be as bold when it comes to the crunch?

Herbert insists Glen Moss will travel as one of his goalkeepers,even though he will be sidelined by suspension for the first two matches.

Mark Paston is back training after recovering from the broken leg he received playing for the Phoenix not long after his World Cup heroics against Bahrain and will travel. They are likely to share the jersey against the All Stars.

James Bannatyne, enlisted as Paston's understudy in Moss' absence, will be favoured as the third goalkeeper.

But, should Herbert decide on a fourth as added cover, Auckland City's Jacob Spoonley will be in the mix.

Captain Ryan Nelsen, back playing for Blackburn Rovers after he limped out of an English Premier League game before the March friendly against Mexico in Los Angeles, will be joined by Ivan Vicelich, Ben Sigmund, Andy Boyens, Tony Lochhead and newcomers Tommy Smith and Winston Reid as defenders.

Herbert will weigh up all his options before settling on any need to add an extra defender.

David Mulligan is in Melbourne training with a handful of New Zealand and Australian-based players and has been named for the training camp but will still have to hold off challenges from Steven Old and Aaron Scott, James Pritchett and young Tim Myers, who continues to impress.

Tim Brown, Leo Bertos, Simon Elliott - now looking for a club in the US after being released by the San Jose Earthquakes - Michael McGlinchey, on loan to Motherwell from the Central Coast Mariners, and Andy Barron will be named in midfield.

Jeremy Christie, now with Tampa Bay Rowdies in the second-tier US League, can force his way into consideration as Chris James appears to have fallen from grace.

Chad Coombes played in Mexico but has not impressed since. Cole Peverley is one of a number to have played their only international in the dead tie with Fiji, but has been thrown a lifeline with his inclusion in the training camp.

If there is to be a bolter in this team it could be 23-year-old Aaron Clapham, who has stood out in the New Zealand Football Championship and continues to shine to the extent he has been named as the only uncapped player in the training camp line-up.

Up front, Chris Killen and Shane Smeltz will be joined by UK-based Rory Fallon (Plymouth) and Chris Wood (with newly promoted West Bromwich Albion), 10 years their junior, as first-choice strikers.

There are plenty of hopefuls lining up to join them, with Jeremy Brockie, who plays either wide in midfield or up front, most favoured, even though he has yet to score in 17 international appearances.

Costa Barbarouses is another in contention. Kris Bright has made the most of his limited opportunities - but Allan Pearce, Jason Hayne, Greg Draper and Brent Fisher appear to have fallen off Herbert's radar.

Again, if there is to be another selection from left-field, Clapham's Canterbury teammate Russell Kamo, man of the match in their recent win over Auckland City, could force his way into the reckoning.

The focal point of the April 28-May 10 training camp, involving only Australian and New Zealand-based players, will be the May 9 game between a shadow All Whites team and a NZFC All Stars X1.

The latter, selected and coached by Auckland City and Waitakere United coaches Paul Posa and Neil Emblen, will be named next week.