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    • International Retirement
      • Zephyr Manager Steve Hall declared his international retirement today after failing to be called up for the New Zealand team to play New Caledonia. "Fortunately I'm still able to consider representative honours as I played today in the Town versus Country at North Wellington club" said Hall "and you'll find my name on the card for the second team on the same day although I never got on the field, in fact I never even put my kit on". Hall said he had not phoned Rikki Herbert for an explanation but he knew Herbert had a lot on his mind with the recent form of the Phoenix. "I'm tempted to give Rikki a few pointers again" said Hall "but I've got every confidence New Zealand will beat New Caledonia this evening but disappointed I won't see any of the million for qualifying for the Confederations Cup. Hall would not say what his fee for playing for Country was over the weekend but said "I love football and will play for free if I have to". Hall played no international games for either his birth country or his adopted country but always felt he was close to a call up.Zephyr Rovers FC

    • FNZ Soundly Beaten
      • Zephyr Rovers Manager Steve Hall said that Zephyr Rovers had had no problems disposing of lower league opposition today at the Shed of Dreams, despite George Nash (pictured) being full of the flu. "We were five goals to nil up when I decided to have a run in the outfield""said Hall "but when it got back to 5 - 2 I scurried back into the goals for fear of them getting back in it". Hall said Rovers stabilised after his return to goal and Rovers went on to score another four goals unanswered. "I actually had a clean sheet when I was in goal but the stand ins let a couple in" said Hall "and the distribution went from excellent to very poor, which explains why I couldn't buy a goal in the outfield". Hall said the fear was the teams Rovers were playing were not close to the standard of Division 1 so the Rover would have to lift their game several notches if another Div 1 campaign was to be contemplated. "We still need to strengthen the squad" said Hall "unless we end up in Div 2 where we'd be ok". Final: Rovers 9 FNZ 2Zephyr Rovers FC

    • Phoenix Horrible
      • Zephyr Rovers Manager Steve Hall said he had made a mistake in watching the Wellingto Phoenix game against Adelaide in the hope pf gainimg managerial inspiration for the forthcoming Division 1 campaign. "The Phoenix lost 3 - 0 and were shocking" said Hall "and frankly I could have subbed on and made a bigger impact". Hall said the game showed the pressure of being a football manager and getting a team motivated. "I'm lucky really with Rovers that some of the players come naturally hyped up"said Hall "it doesn't usually take much to get a discussion going between me and George during a game, and he's lucky I don't usually understand a word of what he says in the heat of the moment". Hall said if the Phoenix neded a pre-match pep talk before their next match he'd be happy to send his Chairman down to say a few words. "I'm sure Goerge would put a bomb under them"" said Hall "they wouldn't want to come back to the dressing room having lost three nil that is for sure".Zephyr Rovers FC

    • Moss Shocker
      • Zephyr Rovers Manager Steve Hall confirmed he was available for immediate call up after watching a shocking performance from Glen Moss as the Phoenix went down to Melbourne at the Ring of Fire. "They seemed to have a bit more water on the pitch than we do down at the Shed of Dreams and Moss made a few errors"said Hall "perhaps he needs to come down and watch Rovers and see what diving around on concrete feels like". Hall said that carpet on concrete was the perfect way to harden Moss up for the remaining A League fixtures. "What I find interesting about indoor keeping is that if you survive the fall onto the concrete floor then you forget about the carpet burns you get whilst doing it" explained Hall "and once in a while when you bend your finger back, you can at least have the joy of the carpet turning from red to green so you can see it". Hall said Rovers would welcome Moss coming down for a bit if toughening up. "We will give anone advice in this team"said Hall "no one is too big to be brought down to earth".Zephyr Rovers FC

    • Rovers Outclassed
      • The return of Pete Roberts to the Rovers line up did not prevent a loss to Harp Shooters at the Shed of dreams. ""We have no excuses for this one"said Rovers Manager Steve Hall "we had a pretty strong line up out for the game, we had a lot of possession and territory, but we weren't good enough to put them away". Hall said Harp Shooters play a defensive quick break style that proved highly effective against Rovers. "We need a few more goals for all our efforts, but we tried to get too close and didn't shoot enough from distance" said Hall "perhaps Ben White would have made a difference but most likely it was the lack of a stable line up that is impacting on us the most". Hall said there was no doubt the teams at the bottom half of Division 1 had improved a lot over the second half of the season. "There are no easy game in Division 1 now"said Hall "we just got beaten by all the teams in the lower half after beating two of them in the first round". Final: Rovers 3 Harp Shooters 6Zephyr Rovers FC

    • Rovers Return
      • Zephyr Rovers Manager Steve Hall confirmed this afternoon that Pete Roberts would be one of several players to return for the rematch against Harp Shooters for the wooden spoon. "We've suddenly got Matty (pictured) and Pete back, and John, Eddie and Dan are all available"said Hall "so we probably have the strongest line up for some weeks". Hall said it wasn't exactly a case of revenge over Harp Shooters, he was treating it as a pre-season friendly. "Ok so it will be sweet if we can get one back over them and I assure everyone I'll be playing in goal" said Hall "but it is the grading games now that matter more and we need to win those to stay in Division 1 for next season". Hall said he was looking forward as well to the Phoenix game later today for inspiration. "I think you can get recharged watching a bit of football"said Hall "I've already watched three Premier League games and the highlights, so the world doesn't seem such a bleak place today".Zephyr Rovers FC

    • Punished
      • "I don't want to talk about it" said Zephyr Rovers Manager Steve Hall as Rovers were today whipped by Ten Left Feet. "We would go a long way to find a worse game than that" said Hall "we started brightly enough but we didn't build from the back very well and the distribution wasn't too flash". Hall said playing himself out field hadn't worked that well. ""I was a bit knackered from lack of recent outfield experience" said Hall "but I don't think I got a ball to feet from the back all day, so I appreciated that I need to get back into goal so that we can get some quality ball delivered up front". Hall said it was interesting that the defence thought the attacking was at fault. "Everyone is entitled to their opinion but as manager I know I'm right" said Hall "at the end of the day we need to get back to positions we know and I know this squad has it in them to beat Ten Left Feet again, but full credit today as they took us to the cleaners". Hall said he needed to rebuild the squad to ensure more depth was available. "I'll be taking a look at Robbie Keene (pictured)" said Hall "on the tele". Final: Rovers 2 Ten Left Feet 10Zephyr Rovers FC

    • Scraping For Left Feet
      • Zephyr Rovers Manager conceded this evening that Rovers wouldn't be launching a serious attempt to win the Division 1 plate. "We've won in before and unfortunately we've loss a bit of enthusiasm in recent weeks and will have to rebuild for next season" said Hall "we only have three squad players members available for the match against Ten Left Feet and we're even short of rings ins at this point". Hall said he decided to use the play offs as part of the pre-season build up and would try new players out as he identified potential new squad members. "Pete Roberts says he's only a week away from a come back" said Hall "but we're going to be hit with no recognised goal scorer this week and with Matty (pictured), George, John, Ben all out, I'm not giving us much of a chance". Hall said he would take the unusual step of playing outfield for the match. "I know I'm best at keeper because I can organise the team best from back there" said Hall "but these are desperate days so I'll give it a crack". Hall said it was a short term change as "the team will miss my distribution from the back". Hall said keeper was by no means as easy as it looked.Zephyr Rovers FC

    • No Time To Revisit Goals
      • Zephyr Rovers Manager Steve Hall (pictured) rubbished media speculation that Rovers would review its ambition to be the best club in Wellington by 30 June 2030. "I've talked to the Chairman and we think it is a goal we can not only achieve, but which with better luck on the availability front we might have got close to this season" said Hall "we certainly learnt it is a squad game and you can't win the season with five or even seven players". Hall said Rovers had had a tough season with keeping consistent starting line ups. "We've been forced to blood new players and there is no doubt we could use a bit more goal scoring grunt right now"said Hall "Matty is currently taking too much on himself and he needs a foil to both take the heat off him as well as score a few goals themselves". Hall said first class strikers with proven goal scoring records could approach the club and would be given a trial in the new season.Zephyr Rovers FC

    • Close But No Cigar
      • Zephyr Rovers disappointingly bowed out of this seasons Division one semi-finals after a loss to lowly Harp Shooters. "We had the team to do the business but we didn't do it" said Zephyr Rovers Manager Steve Hall "we had a really off day with our shooting and I think about seven shots went narrowly over the bar". Hall said with so many players having missed chunks of the season, it was hardly surprising that Rovers had a disjointed look to them for the match. "We needed support for Matty and with John just having come back from overseas, and the likes of Pete Roberts still out injured, we just didn't have the usual spring in our step". Rovers were 5 - 2 down before a late come back which almost saw a draw rescued. "We would have got through with one more goal so that is how fine a point it is" said Hall "there was so little in it in the end and we went out on goal differential which is bitterly disappointing". Hall said all that was left for the season it seemed was character building. "I don't mind admitting I hate losing" said Hall "and this was gutting in the circustances".Zephyr Rovers FC

    • Phoenix Final
      • Zephyr Rovers Chairman George Nash (pictured) and Manager Steve Hall attended the final of the A League pre-season tournament at the stadium tonight. "We had a pre-match conference at the Thistle "said Nash "and of course we talked about our chance of taking three points of Harp Shooters to qualify for the finals". Rovers are looking short of players for the match but should be able to field five regulars. "We know Harp Shooters play a defensive formation"said Nash "they never seem to score many but they have a very solid defence who can frustrate you". Nash said he learnt little from the Phoenix match but was impressed by the penalty taking. "If Rangers ever need specialist penalty takers then these guys might get a game" said Nash "and of course I want to take the penalties for Rovers if we ever get one".Zephyr Rovers FC

    • Cao Kid Returns
      • John Cao (pictured) will be back from his northern hemisphere trip for the game this Friday against Harp Shooters. "We'll have all of the contingent that went overseas back for this one" said Hall "but funnily a lot of the guys who played the middle part of the season won't be". Hall said that he was looking into permanent recruitment of new players but with a busy schedule he hadn't had time to do the usual scouting to see who was available on the market. Ï must admit I've watched a few lower league indoor teams and thought about flogging some of their players" said Hall "but usually we pick up players who are known already to the team". Hall said he wasn't that concerned how players arrived at the club. " If I get an e mail from the Internet to say someone wants a trial then we'll take a look at them for sure" said Hall "providing they have a track record that suggests they'll fit into the team and be able to play at Division 1 standard". Hall said a goal scorer had to be the priority. "We're pretty good defensively when we have our best line up"suggested Hall "but we need to get more goals in the net".Zephyr Rovers FC

    • Thumped
      • Zephyr Rovers were soundly beaten today by an in form Don Logan team at the Shed of Dreams. "We had two players on debut and George coming back from surgery" said Hall "but they turned out a strong team and simply took us to the cleaners". Hall made the rare move of bringing himself out into the outfield in the second half but the goals kept coming. Ï thought they played very well and would have been a handful for our best line up" said Hall "but the reality is you can't afford to debut two new players in the same game and expect to have team cohesion". Hall said with injuries and unavailability it was getting hard to maintain continuity. "You'd think a squad of ten for five starting positions would be enough"bemoaned Hall "but the reality this season is we needed more". Hall said the result meant a win in the last match would be needed to steer Rovers through to a semi-final. "We missed Matty and John today (both pictured)" said Hall "and even with themback we still need a Jamie like replacement to put some goals in". Final: Rovers 5 Don Logan 13Zephyr Rovers FC

    • Tough Road Ahead
      • Zephyr Rovers Manager Steve Hall said today that one more win should see Rovers through to the final but warned that notwithstanding Rovers had beaten Harp Shooters and Don Logan in the first round, both teams were tough opponents. "We won't be able to sleep walk to the finals, Don Logan has been in good form and Harp Shooters tend to play a defensive pattern and can be very hard to break down". Hall said Rovers were particularly short for this weeks fixture against Don Logan. "It is starting to look like we'll have to bring in two or three new players and we've lost all our recognised strikers for this one so it will be a hard ask". Hall said the departure of Jamie Johnstone and the absence of Matty Cantwell (pictured) might make goals hard to come by. "We may have to play it very tight and hope we can sneak it 4 -3"confessed Hall "but we won't know how our new players will fit in so that is the great unknown".Zephyr Rovers FC

    • Bellies Down
      • Zephyr Rovers sent of Jamie Johnston today in style by beating Jimmie Five Bellies at the Shed of Dreams. "We had six for this match and it was one of our stronger line ups of recent times" said Hall ""only problem for Jimmies was that they were up against it because they only had four players". Hal said if it was difficult to play against ten players in eleven aside then it wasn't that easy to break down four players in five aside. Understandably they played deep in their half and tried to get breaks to score against us"said Hall "and whilst we looked comfortable for the whole match we couldn't break them down that easily so a big score was never going to eventuate". Hall said it was only at the end that Rovers slackened off and gave Jimmies a few cheap goals. "This result puts us firmly in second place"said Hall "but you could see enough to know we have to find another level to be competitive in a semi-final or final against them". Hall said Eddie Hussey would be back in the country next week and it was a case of goodye Jamie and hello Eddie. "An Irishman for a Scotsman" chuckled Hall "I'm not sure if that is a good deal or not". Final: Rovers 10 Jimmies 5Zephyr Rovers FC

    • Back Home Laddie
      • Zephyr Rovers Chairman George Nash (pictured) and Manager Steve Hall attended a farewell function for Jamie Johnston last evening. "Jamie has been a good servant to Rovers and whilst we were hoping he'd be around for another thirty years or so, we understand that family comes first and Jamie needs to return home at this point" said Nash "I understand this all too well and we wish Jamie well and hope he will return to the Rovers fold should he return to New Zealand further down the track". Manager Hall said it was unusual to be drinking before a big match so whilst he had appeared to have been drinking beer, he had in fact not swallowed. "Not everyone can make a drink disappear without drinking it"said Hall "but with a big game coming up I knew we had to go to the function and give the appearance of enjoying ourselves" said Hall and I was particularly impressed with Jamie who really did look like he was drinking that scotch, it certainly fooled me". Hall denied media speculation that he had booked a seat for Nash on the same flight.Zephyr Rovers FC

    • Fire In Their Bellies
      • Zephyr Rovers Manager Steve Hall said Zephyr Rovers would have to play with "fire in their bellies"" if they were to get a result against Jimmy Five Bellies. Ï don't think there is much doubt that when these guys play their strongest line up they are the class act of the division" said Zephyr Rovers Manager Steve Hall "they are the team that we measure ourselves against in our desire to win this league by 2030". Hall said whilst he acknowledged that Rovers had the opportunity to consolidate second place if they could win the match, he knew that this match would be a chance to have a peak at possibly the strongest team in the league. "We know Els Gaye is currently top but that won't mean a thing at semi-final time"said Hall "we know these guys have the fire power and fortunately this week we'll have a good line up out to test them". Hall said Matty Cantwell (pictured) would be forming a potent strike force with Jamie Johnston who would be playing his last match for the Rovers before returning to Scotland.Zephyr Rovers FC

    • Feet Second
      • Zephyr Rovers never looked in much danger today at the Shed of Dreams as they dispatched Ten Left Feet 7 - 2. "We resorted to using Tim Hall again this week due to so many players being unavailable"said Zephyr Rovers Manager Steve Hall "" and he managed to score a goal which makes him the youngest player in the team and quite possibly the league to do so". Hall said he had planned to bring his son Tim into the squad as part of the youth development programme about 2027. "We're looking to win this league by 30 June 2030 and obviously I'd be amiss as a manager if I didn't have a long term plan to strengthen the squad"said Hall "so yes I am looking ahead to see when we can draft in new players and you can be sure we'll be keeping an eye on other players to make the step up to play for Rovers". Hall said a solid defensive effort backed by the twinkle toes of Matty Cantwell had seen the team through. "We were the only team playing with our right feet"said Hall "so it helped us win this one". Final: Rovers 7 Ten Left Feet 2Zephyr Rovers FC

    • More Left Feet
      • Zephyr Rovers would again be playing old enemy Ten Left Feet this Friday at the Shed of Dreams. "We've been playing these guys since our Division 7 days and they're always a tough nut to crack, especially as they seem to have large squad an you never know who will turn up" said Rovers Manager Steve Hall and that's why we may no heed whatsoever to the popular press who I'm sure are thinking we will walk away with this one". Rovers have been struggling with absences and injuries this season and have tried a few new players to get make up the numbers. "My son will be playing again this week a sit is still school holidays and we're not confident yet we'll get our five players"said hall "but getting a team on the park is a big consideration in this league and no team is able to play their strongest line up week in week out". Hall said he had considered dragging Colin "Chopper"Mc Intosh out of retirement again but hadn't had the opportunity to see if his zimmer frame could get through the court doors. "There was also the question of what would happen if Chopper saved a goal with the zimmer frame"said Hall ""I don't think they've formulated a rule on that eventuality yet".Zephyr Rovers FC

    • Aberdeen Calls
      • Jamie Johnston has announced today that he will be returning to Scotland for family reasons and is unsure when or if he will return to New Zealand. "I've tried to get him a transfer to a Scottish club" said Zephyr Rovers Manager Steve Hall "but apparently he thinks there is another team up there besides Glasgow Rangers, which George Nash assures me there isn't". Hall said Johnston had been a useful acquisition with his speed and handy left boot and the team would miss him. "We'll be looking to get a few of the lads along to his send off, of that I think we can be sure" said Hall "we'll probably end up with George getting the kilt out and doing a few of those highland jigs around the bar". Hall said Johnston would play two more games for Rovers before his departure".Zephyr Rovers FC

    • Mercy Mercy Mercer
      • A depleted Zephyr Rovers today took on fellow leaders Mercer at the Shed of Dreams. "We got a mate of Ben's Kenny and my son to play for us and George was back for another run" said Hall "so we cobbled together a team although we looked a bit shaky at the start". Mercer got out to an early lead and were 4 - 1 up before Rovers started to knit it together. "We knuckled down and I thought we were getting the better of them midway through the second half when we got back to 4 - 3 down" said Hall "but unfortunately we then made two subs and lost the pattern, which handed the initiative back to Mercer". Hall said a bad throw out from the back saw it all fall apart. "I was trying to get them on a quick break but they intercepted and at 5 - 3 we didn't have the time to come back" said Hall "they got one more and it ended 6 - 3". Hall said that was probably Mercers strongest line up so their wasn't that much to fear if Rovers could put out a full line up. "We're not at full strength this week although Ben White (pictured) is starting to return to his old form which is good" said Hall "but we can improve and as long as we make the top four we can beat anyone". Rovers 3 Mercer 6Zephyr Rovers FC

    • Holidays In The Sun
      • Zephyr Rovers will be without a "galaxy of stars" for their match against Mercer this Thursday at the Shed of Dreams. "Remarkably we have three players out of the country, either swanning around Europe or putting their feet up on the Sunshine Coast" said Rovers Manager Steve Hall "so we've not only had to draft George (pictured) back in but we'll have two players making their debut for Rovers including my son who is on his school holidays". Hall said it was difficult to plan holidays in a league that never had an off-season. "I can understand people wanting to get away from Wellington at this time of the year as the weather is less than optimal" said Hall "but just because it has been raining for three weeks doesn't mean they all had to go at the same time". Mercer and Rovers are currently two of the four teams that are first equal in the league. "They got thrashed a few weeks ago fielding an understrength team so I'm sure there best line up will be out there" said Hall "but we'll give them a game and you never know we might steal the points if we're lucky".Zephyr Rovers FC

    • Back On Form
      • The return of Matty Cantwell (pictured) and Jamie Johnston provided firepower for Rovers in a return to form at the Shed of Dreams. "I probably should confess it also saw the return of Player Chariman George Nash who played part of both halves up front" said Hall "but he looked a bit underdone and struggled to find both the net and his breath". Rovers dominated the match and Ben White was also back to form showing his ability to hit the net from a defensive position. "It's always good to have a number of threats as the opposition find it hard to close everyone down" said Hall "so with Matty and Jamie doing the damage up front and Ben, John and Dan capable of scoring as well we had plenty of options". Hall said the game was largely over by half time against a team that had one two out of three like Rovers. "After today we are in second place and their are four teams all on 19 points" said Hall "It's going to be a great race and we play Mercer next week who knocked of Els Gaye this afternoon". Final: Rovers 11 Datacom 5Zephyr Rovers FC

    • Spanish Stroll
      • Zephy Rovers Manager Steve Hall said he thought Rovers were more like the Spanish than the Germans after watching the Euro 2008 final this morning. "Clearly the Germans are methodicial and the Spanish have more flair" said Hall "and I think we're more a flair team than a bunch of robots". Hall admitted that he had considered robots for the team but had found they weren't quite up to scratch. "I got hold of one of those Lost In Space DVD's and watched the robot in going on about danger danger" said Hall "I tend to think we don't need a defender who flpas his arms and yells stuff out without doing anything". Hall said he thought Torres had showed a lot of pace. "He reminded me a lot of myself when I was his age" said Hall "the only difference is he earns a lot of money and I was somehow overlooked".Zephyr Rovers FC

    • Gaye Old Time
      • Zephyr Rovers had three players shortly before kick off today against defending Division 1 Chapions Els Gaye. "We eventually got there will the help of a Mercer player and we played really well for most of the match" said Zephyr Rovers Manager Steve Hall "but whilst we had more territory and more shots, we lacked players like Jamie and Matt to put them away". Hall said the game was very close until the last few minutes. "It was 4 - 4 at one point but I went in the outfield for the last five minutes" said Hall "and I opened up quite a few gaps in my own defence and Ben (pictured) in goal got to experience what is like to give the opposition free shots on goal". Hall said it was encouraging though with an understrength team to run the champions close. "We know we can beat them on our day and as long as we make the top four we'll get our chance" said hall "we'll have to get on the winning track again next week". Rovers 4 Els Gaye 7Zephyr Rovers FC

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