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".

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 7

Rovers Versus Champions

Zephyr Rovers have been hit by injuries and unavailability ahead of their match on Friday against current Division 1 champions Els Gaye. "We're playing the current best team in town, a position we aim to be in by 30 June 2030" said Rovers Manager Steve Hall (pictured) "and although we have a squad of ten, we currently haven't got five players for kick off due to injuries and overseas commitments". Hall said at least part of winning an indoor championship was actually finding people who could play the difficult kick off times like 2 pm on a Friday. "It's not the most sort after kick off time in town" said Hall "but with the current injury woes we can barely field a team at any time". Hall said Rovers faced an uphill battle but would put up a fight. "We're not going to roll over and I think it will be tight" predicted Hall "but I think if we had all our players available we'd have a good chance of toppling them".

Heroic Effort Sees Rovers Through

Zephyr Rovers were reduced to four men for the fixture today at the Shed of Dreams before picking up a passer by and putting him straight into the midfield. "We got Joe from Els Gaye to play for us and he did pretty well considering he always waers jeans when he plays" said Rovers Manager Steve Hall "and we certainly needed the extra player as harp Shooters looked a bit strong than the team we played a fortnight ago". Hall said it was a fairly even fixture although Rovers stayed ahead for much of the match. "We were going pretty well until the last five minutes when we ran out of a bit of puff from having no subs" said Hall "I know I had to make quite a few saves in the end and they sneaked two or three goals to make the score respectable". Hall said it was good to get in some keeping practice but with champions Els Gaye coming up next week he was hoping to muster a stronger team. "It's one of the features of this time of the year that football players get injured" said Hall "so we might yet be looking to find some extra talent to boost the squad in coming weeks". Hall said Rovers were definitely looking for a top four place and he thought they would get there as long as they could keep putting five players on the pitch. "We were lucky today as even with injures we had a solid defence and we still have players like Jamie (pictured) who can bang them in the net" said Hall "but a couple more useful guys to call up in a crisis wouldn't go astray".

Final: Rovers 7 Harp Shooters 5

Injuries and Unavailability

Zephyr Rovers were tonight reeling ahead of their match with Harp Shooter tomorrow at the Shed of Dreams. "We've built up a strong squad of ten to cover us for injuries and unavailability" said Rovers manager Steve Hall "but we've currently got only four of the regular squad available for tomorrow so we're struggling". Hall said injuries had hit Mystery Matt, Peter Perfect and Nigel and Eddie had now played his last game for over a month as he was off on an overseas trip for several weeks. "I'm thinking of renaming us the globetrotters" said Hall "we've got Eddie in Ireland, John in Italy and Matty in Oz in coming weeks, and if I go to Palmy North for the weekend then we can say we've gone to the four corners of the Earth". Hall said many underestimated the value of Palmerston North as a holiday venue. "You can get away from the big smoke, watch wheelies outside of Maccas and still be back in time to play your indoor footy during the week" confessed Hall "and I'm told it even has a Warehouse for shopping". Hall said he expected Rovers to account for Harp Shooters as long as five players were available.

Go Tiger

Zephyr Rovers manager Steve Hall said this morning he was always willing to learn from other sports in his bid to get Zephyr Rovers to the top of Wellington indoor sports by 30 June 2030. "I was watching Tiger Woods this morning winning the US Open and it reminded me a bit of George Nash (pictured), and a little bit about myself" said Hall. Hall claimed that Tiger was obviously playing with an injury and that reminded him of George. "Playing on whilst not a 100% is certainly something that George would do" said Hall "whilst what I recognised about myself is the fierce drive to win". Hall said the never say die attitude of Woods was something Rovers needed in the big games. "I think the big thing in indoor football is to be able to come from behind and win" said Hall "we're not going to win every game from scoring first and staying ahead". Hall said he had had no report on when Nash would be back in the team but it would "no doubt be before he is 100%".

Italian Interest

Zephyr Rovers Manager Steve Hall said this evening that he was at a loss to explain the sudden interest in Zephyr Rovers from Italy. "I'm told by our web master that we've had well over two hundred hits from Italy in the last two days" said Hall "I'm guessing it has something to do with John Cao (pictured) although even he can't know that many people surely". Hall said he would be happy to accept offers from Italian players to play in the tough and competitive Wellington lunch time five a side league. "I'm not sure their national team is going so well lately and they may have a few people wanting to leave the country shortly" said Hall "we're prepared to pay at least twice what we pay John for the right player". Hall said he felt Rovers should cash in on the Italian interest. "I'm happy to take Rovers on tour to Italy if the right finance is offered".

Black Friday

Zephyr Rovers Manager Steve Hall (pictured) today advised the entire Rovers squad to lie low for twenty four hours to ensure that there were no mishaps to the squad resulting from Black Friday bad luck. "We don't want to see Pete Roberts twisting his neck to match is stuffed knees" said Hall "and George needs to be careful he doesn't over extend his delicate bits or he'll never make a come back". Hall said a bit of reverse psychology was needed on these sort of days. "The obvious way to ward of any bad karma is to go to the Black Harp and have a beer or three" said Hall "let's face it you're never going to have bad luck in an Irish pub on a black Friday, what are the chances of that?". No points have yet been entered in yet in the Division 1 League table apart from those for paying fees on time. "I suppose you could say that is bad luck" said Hall "we were outside of the top four before we'd even played a game".

Stunning Start

Zephyr Rovers opened their Division 1 campaign with a thrashing of Don Logan FC at the Shed of Dreams this afternoon. "I think it is stunning that with so many players out we can still field a strong team and beat a team that has previously given us a lesson or two" said Hall "we took them to the cleaners in the first spell and it was amazing to be 7 - 0 up at half time, even though Pete Roberts (pictured) had a gammy leg". Hall said Dan Lee slotted in very well at left back and scored a few long range goals in the first half. "We had threat all over the park from Matt and Pete up front to John and Dan at the back" said Hall "but we also looked very steady at the back and they didn't get much of a look in". Hall said Rovers kept the heat on for the first part of the second half and were at one point and got out to 10 - 0. "We then brought Glen on for a run and with the chnages in position we lost a bit of tempo" said Hall "but we were going well until the last two minutes when we let them have three unanswered goals". Hall said it didn't matter due to the lead but Rovers would have to go to the end if they were to beat the top teams. "One win doesn't amke a season" said Hall "and if the boys don't pay up we're not going to get the ten competition points either which will make it tough".

Final: Rovers 12 Don Logan FC 5

Burn Out

Zephyr Rovers Manager Steve Hall said several players including Nigel Burn (pictured) were unavailable for the opening fixture of the Division 1 season against Don Logan FC at the Shed of Dreams. "We've lost Nigel, Eddie, Jamie, George and possibly Ben" said Rovers Manager Steve Hall "those guys would make a pretty strong team all by themselves so we're going to see how good our squad depth is right from the first match". Hall said with Pete Roberts also having a dodgy knee, Rovers would be down to the bare five. "I might have to get Glen back in as cover as he did pretty well last week" said Hall " and we can always use Pete in goal if it gets really desperate". Hall said he hadn't forgotten that Don Logan FC beat Rovers 9 - 4 last season before Rovers beat them in the final by 9 - 6. "We've had two very good tussles against them and I guess you could say they're winning on aggregate" said Hall "but also we won the one that mattered so they're the ones who have something to prove".

Mystery Out Of His Shell

Zephyr Rovers Manager Steve Hall indicated this afternoon that bringing Mystery Matt Cantwell out of his shell would be a key to doing well in the coming season. "He can be a bit shy and reserved although I think he likes his football to do the talking" said Hall "but really we don't want him wearing his shirt over his head too often as he might forget where the goal is and who knows hew might fire goals past me". Hall said it was important to use the skills of Cantwell in the opposing half off the field. "I saw Matty play for two or three minutes in goal last week and I can tell you he is no Gordan Banks" said Hall "and just quietly he won't be regularly at the heart of our defence even if he does play sweeper for his eleven a side team". Organisation is all important in this league and putting Matty up front is one of the easier team selections I make each week" explained Hall "he makes me nervous when he gets the ball right in front of my goal".

Squad Rotation

With Zephyr Rovers now confirmed as a Division 1 side again, manager Steve Hall says Rovers are better placed than previously to do well in the big time. "We have a bigger stronger squad than last time around" said Hall "but we're going to need a bit of squad rotation as several players are heading off overseas for stints and ensuring we have a team out some weeks will be a challenge". Hall said four Friday games would be interesting as we know Friday lunch time is a popular networking time. "It's not uncommon for a football manager to go scouting on a Friday" said Hall "and it is certainly and opportunity to discuss tactics with interested parties although there not as many interested parties as I'd like". Hall said ensuring you get a squad on the park is an important dimension of of indoor football. "You could have the best five players in New Zealand in your squad but if they can never play you're stuffed" said Hall "we have a good talent base and the two key factors this season in doing well will be playing to our potential and getting a team to the game".

Harp Shooters Shot Down

The late arrival of Mystery Matt Cantwell at half time did not dent the enthusiasm of the Rovers team as they took on the Harp Shooters in the Shed of Dreams today. "We drafted in Glen Rhodes (pictured) for the first half and he did pretty well scoring two of our goals" said Hall "and we were looking very strong defensively with both Eddie and Ben in the line up, although we gave Eddie a treat and played him up the park for quite a bit of the half". Hal said Rovers controlled the game defensively and he had very little to do in goal for the whole match. "It's great when the defence in front of you gives virtually no chances" said Hall "so it was just a matter of time before we found a way through their defence although it was never going to be a high scoring game". Hall said the arrival of Cantwell added another dimension and he performed his usual section of mazey dribbles. "He dribbles so much I worry they'll never be able to clean the court up later" said Hall "but we're getting him trained to a pass it every now and again and it provides that nice little surprise element" Hall said it was his third ever clean sheet in this match and going into a Division 1 campaign with the defence operating so well was a bonus. "We've tightened up ever since we got a lesson by Hayden's" said hall "although we'll no doubt see those guys in the guise of Els Gaye before long".

Final: Rovers 5 Harp Shooters 0

White Back In The Fold

Zephyr Rovers Manager Steve Hall said it would be great to have Ben White back in the team for the fixture tomorrow against Harp Shooters at the Shed of Dreams. "Ben was a stalwart of this team for several seasons before getting injured and having all of last season off" said Hall "and I'm sure we'll benefit not only from his defensive qualities this season but his ability to get forward and ping a hard shot in from distance". Hall said beating Harp Shooters would certainly confirm a return to Division 1 for Rovers. "If we can beat three Division 1 team in the grading game than I'm pretty sure we'll be a threat in Division 1" said Hall "not withstanding you can't afford to have too many off days in that division". Hall said several players would rest tomorrow due to niggling injuries but Rovers now had a squad that could cope with some key players being rested. "We've got strength across the whole squad and having depth is a key to consistency in Division 1" said Hall "so I think with the balance we have now and the experience we'll be competitive".

No Comment On Nash Voice Change

Zephyr Rovers Manager Steve Hall would neither confirm nor deny media reports the Chairman George Nash was speaking in a very high voice after his operation yesterday. "I always thought he spoke a bit funny anyway" said Rovers Manager Steve Hall "but we're not going to let the media dine out on what is essentially a private matter and George will be back even if he does squeak like a mouse or a squirrel". Hall was confident Nash would make a full recovery. "He told me a few days back he was expecting to play better after he was fixed up" said Hall "but we're taking that one cautiously and I'm not expecting the second coming Maradona or anything at this stage". Hall said was certain that if Nash could squeak for the ball then he'd still have a chance Matty Cantwell would pass it to him but "he shouldn't expect to much over the first few months back".