The Unused Subs

For the final time in 2025 Jacob & Goran enter the Tyler St Sport studio where they are joined by Paul Ifill.  As the new year approaches rapidly the Subs bench uses this time to review the key moments of the year that was, and look forward to big things in 2026!Michael Boxall’s unlikely goal in the World Cup Qualifier against New Caledonia, Auckland FC winning the Premiers Plate in their very first A-League season, the Wellington Phoenix with an extremely poor showing in the 3rd-ever Kiwi derby, plus kiwi players securing moves to big offshore clubs - just some of the things we look back on from the past 365 days.Looking ahead to 2026 though, the guys make some predictions.  Will Giancarlo Italiano retain his place as head coach of the Phoenix?  We ask the same for Steve Corica; due to his success with AFC surely he’s in danger of being snapped up!  And given that the All Whites are putting themselves in the shop window at the FIFA World Cup, which player will receive the ‘Winston Reid treatment’ and sign for a Premier League club when it’s all said and done?Oh, and there’s serious frustration that the Auckland/Sydney game was postponed due to an unsafe field…  classic A-League eh.  Just find a venue!Happy New Year to you, enjoy the show and we’ll see you again in 2026!FOLLOW THE UNUSED SUBS!Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theunusedsubs/TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@theunusedsubsKiwis talk football too!#football #soccer #newzealand

Last week, Auckland FC’s Lachie Brook joined the Subs Bench at Tyler St Sport and took it upon himself to reveal the secret life of teammate Callan Elliot. The man Lachie described was something of a moody, angry individual, capable of abusing a postman or messing with a stranger’s car for no good reason. In this week’s episode, Callan will attempt to set the record straight and clear his name.But not without some difficulty along the way! From an unscheduled guest popping in, to receiving absolutely no support from former mentor Paul Ifill, it’s clear that the odds are against the AFC wingback. And of course, we have to ask Callan about that brilliant own goal he scored… just to make him feel even better about himself!Away from Lachie’s character assassination, we learn about Callan’s experience as a trialist under Marko Rudan at the Wellington Phoenix, how former Nix player David Williams nearly ‘broke’ Callan one morning at 3am, the difficulties he faced both on and off the pitch when exiting Wellington, and he provides the lowdown on his fellow Evil Twin: who is the real angry man - Callan or Lachie?And because it’s Christmas, Paul Ifill tells a story involving Neil Warnock, a heart rate monitor, a chocolate fountain and man's best friend!? Happy holidays indeed from the lads at The Unused Subs!FOLLOW THE UNUSED SUBS!Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theunusedsubs/TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@theunusedsubsKiwis talk football too!#football #soccer #newzealand

This week on The Unused Subs it’s Lachie Brook of Auckland FC joining the bench. Where doesn’t this chat take us?! When he’s not ripping on his new ‘Best Friend Forever’ Callan Elliot we chat about his growing collection of fabulous goals in the A-League, the son of ‘Goldenballs’ Romeo Beckham, Lachie’s love of music but his disdain of sing-song football initiations, and yes, it seems that all roads lead to… Mormon underwear.But we start with the almost-obvious first question: who did it better when Auckland met Central Coast Mariners - his BFF or Sam Cosgrove? After all, they both scored from stunning diving headers! Perhaps Cal would like to address which net he deposited the ball into, but it was splendid technique nonetheless. Lachie has started playing more centrally in recent weeks for the Black Knights, so does he prefer that or a wider, roaming role? Playing in the middle allowed him to score in the 2nd kiwi derby, a move that he reveals came straight from the training ground!Elsewhere, Jacob and Lachie trade David Beckham stories. How does Becks make a crisp white shirt look so damn good? Spoon also tells us about his time at Chasing the Fox with Team All Whites, and Goran has some big news to share… which is something of a Christmas present come early for the Subs. So chuck on your favourite undies, Mormon or otherwise, and enjoy the latest episode with one half of ‘The Evil Twins’, Lachlan Brook of Auckland FC! Apologies to Callan Elliot in advance.FOLLOW THE UNUSED SUBS!Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theunusedsubs/TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@theunusedsubsKiwis talk football too!#football #soccer #newzealand

If you’ve been with The Unused Subs from the start, you’d know that Tommy Smith kicked off the very first episode back in January when he was plying his trade with Auckland FC. Now in the UK, he makes a welcome return to chat about the All Whites’ FIFA World Cup opponents, and his old team piling on more misery atop a luckless Wellington Phoenix - Saturday’s 3-1 win extends their perfect record over Wellington to 5 wins!All of the key moments in that kiwi derby are discussed: The red card to Manjrekar James, the penalties won by Sam Cosgrove, the inclusion of Logan Rogerson on the right, the performance of Josh Oluwayemi, the impact of referee Adam Kersey… plus: how the Nix can gain a foothold in what appears to be a very one-sided contest.Away from the Kiwi Derby, we now know that the All Whites will meet Belgium, Egypt and Iran at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Tommy chats about how the AWs will approach the fixtures, how his role in the team has changed since his maiden World Cup appearance back in 2010, and how his experience will aid the vast majority of the squad.It’s a chance to stroll down memory lane as well, remembering some of the incredible moments from 15 years ago… as well as how annoying a drug test can be when you’re trying to celebrate with teammates!And if you thought Paul Ifill’s 4 X’s with Collinson Forex was top draw, wait until you hear the names Tommy comes up with for his dream 5 a-side team - and the ones who fail to make the cut!FOLLOW THE UNUSED SUBS!Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theunusedsubs/TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@theunusedsubsKiwis talk football too!#football #soccer #newzealand

The 5th NZ Derby is this Saturday at Go Media Stadium Mt Smart…  and depending on which side of the fence you sit, you’re either gonna love or despise our special guest this week:  Corban Piper of the Wellington Phoenix.In a relatively short A-League career, Corban’s made a name for himself thanks to his physical approach to the game, however he took that to Super Saiyan levels in the 2-1 defeat to Auckland FC last month; a run-in with Dan Hall, a coming-together with Michael Woud, and a Wellington Phoenix legend was born.  In the same breath though, a target was placed on his back ahead of the next meeting between the two sides, for Auckland players and fans alike.In this episode, Corban talks about how he embraces ‘the hate’ and uses it to enhance his on-field performance.  He takes us back to the last derby, into THAT moment, and describes the emotion and feeling of it.  And most importantly, he looks forward to Saturday and what the next 90 minutes holds in store for all of us!We also chat about his love of the gym, which is only eclipsed by his obsession with eggs…  his not so well known osteitis pubis battle, his friendship with Ben Old and the role Corban’s mother played in Oldie’s career, and just what is his best/favourite position…  because he’s played everywhere on the park!What a way to bar up for the next instalment of the Kiwi Derby - Corban Piper, Public Enemy Number 1 on The Unused Subs!FOLLOW THE UNUSED SUBS!Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theunusedsubs/TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@theunusedsubsKiwis talk football too!#football #soccer #newzealand