The Unused Subs

In the wake of Giancarlo Italiano's resignation, Chris Greenacre has been handed the keys to the Phoenix Kingdom for a 4th time, and he joins us on the bench this week to talk all about it.

On the surface it seems to be going really well: back-to-back wins, 3 matches unbeaten, one point outside the A-League top six. But Greeny says his focus isn't on ladder position or the playoffs, it's all about the 90-minute performance at the weekend, and putting pride back into the jersey, the club, and giving the fans and Yellow Fever something to be proud of.

Greeny talks about his four different stints in charge of Wellington, what he's learnt along the way, and says that picking up the pieces this time around was undoubtedly the most difficult assignment of the lot.

With a view to next season, we ask what the club is doing to retain the services of Ifeanyi Eze, we try our best to get Paul Ifill a gig amongst Greeny's coaching staff with disastrous results, before Chris tells us a few stories about our ultimate storyteller... including when Iffy came face to face with the iconic Blanket Man!

Also today, we reveal our grand prize winner for the 'Subs For Subs' competition that's been running for the last 3 weeks! Who is going to walk away with $500 for their football fees this year? And we take a look at the All Whites' kit for the FIFA World Cup!

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This week we are joined by none other than JESSE RANDALL: the Wellington kid carving up for Auckland FC, making the Phoenix pay dearly at derby time!

Jesse talks about AFC's all-important win over Newcastle at the weekend, and what has made the Jets so hard to play against this season. Aspirations for the A-League, the FIFA World Cup, his move to Dundee United are all covered off, plus who is that guy in the photo that pops up when you search 'Auckland FC Players' on Google?!

Goran spent some time with Jason Pine over the weekend, and the results of that coming together are in this episode as well. If you didn't already know The Voice of Football, you will after this!

This episode is a special one though because it reunites Jesse with his former coach Paul Ifill. Jesse tells us Iffy's single piece of advice that still lives with him to this day, which has enhanced his stocks as one of the most lethal finishers in the A-League!

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Injured Auckland FC goalkeeper OLI SAIL joins the bench today - the perfect replacement for Jacob Spoonley who finds himself in Australia on proper work-related duty. Oli helps Goran and Iffy preview the BIG CLASH this Saturday, with Auckland heading to Newcastle to face the high-flying Jets. A win for AFC keeps them in the Premiers Plate mix, but a third loss to Newcastle for the season would see them 7 points adrift of top spot... huge game incoming!

James McOnie of Crowd Goes Wild fame is a big football fan, having covered some of the All Whites' biggest fixtures in history. In a new segment, he tells Goran about his love for the beautiful game, where it all started, his unrealistic expectations for our national team, and who Kevin Fallon had a tough time coaching!

After we leave James in Goran's Garden, we talk about Ben Waine's magical run in the FA Cup - he's off to the quarter finals with Port Vale! And focus on Oli's recovery too; remember, he injured his knee on Auckland FC debut in Perth... playing against his former club. How is Oli handling the disappointment of not being in the selection mix for the 2026 FIFA World Cup?

As Oli is a goalkeeper, and knows NZ's best keeping options very well and what they offer Darren Bazeley and the All Whites, the big question is this: WHO starts in goal when the World Cup begins... is it ALEX PAULSEN or MAX CROCOMBE? A difficult question indeed!

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Kiwis talk football too!
#football #soccer #newzealand

Head coach of the Wellington Phoenix Women BEV PRIESTMAN is our special guest this week on The Unused Subs, and what a treat it was to spend time with this energizer bunny of a football manager. Things we cover off in this episode:

* How she's adapted to the various injuries and unavailable players in her squad to put the Nix within striking distance of silverware
* Bev's connection to New Zealand
* Coping with the stress that came from the Olympics drone spying scandal
* An update on Macey Fraser
* How women's football can learn from the mistakes of the men's game
* What it's like to win an Olympic gold medal... not that she ever received one for her efforts in Tokyo!

Along the way, we're interrupted by two famous All Whites goal scorers who just happened to be sifting around our home ground of Tyler St Sport, and Paul Ifill does his best to contend with the heat and the lack of power in Honiara while on duty with the Samoan Women's national team... every now and then, he just intermittently drops off the call - sorry about that!

PLUS! We reveal our 'SUBS FOR SUBS' initiative, where we offer to contribute cold hard cash for one lucky kiwi's NZ club football fees!

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Kiwis talk football too!#football #soccer #newzealand

The Unused Subs is proudly presented by McDonald's!

Boy, oh boy... what a week for the Wellington Phoenix. What a result for Auckland FC! The 6th kiwi derby became a routine dismantling of the Black & Yellow, with AFC claiming their sixth straight win in a 5 star performance in the capital. Shortly after full-time, Giancarlo Italiano stepped down from his role as Phoenix Head Coach. The Unused Subs talk about Chiefy's decision, and use it to analyze the GOOD, the BAD and the UGLY of his stint as head coach.

Goran drove from Auckland to Wellington and back again to hang out with the Yellow Fever on gameday, and thanks to the efforts of Ethan Fransen and friends we were able to mic a few of them up and hear their genuine reactions to the game... and the goals... in a Behind The Scenes EXCLUSIVE! Don't worry, it's family friendly. For the most part!

The Subs also chat about Josh Oluwayemi's SHOCKING own goal... what in the WORLD was he thinking?! And an old favourite is BACK in the saddle! It's Chris Greenacre's 4th run as a Nix head coach, we wonder whether he deserves the job on a permanent basis, and if PAUL IFILL will finally answer the calls of the fans and step into a role to support him?

And does Spoon want a goalkeeper coach role?

FOLLOW THE UNUSED SUBS!
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theunusedsubs/
TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@theunusedsubs
Kiwis talk football too!
#football #soccer #newzealand