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Home / Sport / Football / Football Ferns

Michael Burgess: Sarpreet Singh's rise could usher in golden generation for New Zealand Football

Michael Burgess
By Michael Burgess
Senior Sports Journalist·NZ Herald·
7 Aug, 2019 07:00 AM3 mins to read

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Sarpreet Singh of Bayern Munich challenges Christian Eriksen of Tottenham Hotspur. Photo / Getty

Sarpreet Singh of Bayern Munich challenges Christian Eriksen of Tottenham Hotspur. Photo / Getty

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COMMENT:

Good times could be on the way for football in this country — but will New Zealand Football be smart enough to capitalise on it?

That's the overriding question ahead of a pivotal period for the game.

The remarkable rise of Sarpreet Singh has rightly dominated the headlines over the last two months.

His progress at Bayern Munich has been extremely promising. The 20-year-old is well ahead of schedule.

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He was expected to spend one to two seasons as part of a large pool of players in the reserves but now looks part of the extended first team squad.

Whatever happens over the next nine months, Singh is guaranteed the best possible footballing education at Bayern, and already appeals as a future All Whites captain.

Chris Wood is also set for a statement season. The recent lack of national team activity could be a blessing in disguise for the 27-year-old, who will be well rested.

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He got through some difficult times in the last campaign — the sophomore season is always tough in the Premier League — and hit the 10 league goal mark again, to help Burnley stay up.

One suspects it won't be easy for the Lancashire club in 2019-2020, but Wood's experience (71 Premier League games) should see him thrive regardless.

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Chris Wood of Burnley. Photo / Photosport
Chris Wood of Burnley. Photo / Photosport

Ryan Thomas, arguably the forgotten man of New Zealand football, has the chance to finally launch his career at PSV Eindhoven, one of Holland's big three, after his injury woes.

Winston Reid is also on the comeback trail, and hopefully has another one or two good campaigns left at West Ham.

There are plenty of other young Kiwis scattered around European clubs, including alumni of the Junior All Whites who performed so well at their World Cup in June, while Declan Edge's unique venture in Sweden with Torslanda will be watched with interest.

Some go under the radar. Two Kiwis featured in Champions League qualifying last week, with Greg Draper (The New Saints) and Max Mata, who got to face Celtic playing for his Estonian club.

The core of the Football Ferns are scattered across professional clubs. But after their disappointing performances at the World Cup in France, there will probably be just as much interest in the emergence of the next generation, headlined by the graduates from the under-17 team that took the bronze medal in Uruguay last year.

On the national front, Ufuk Talay's brave approach in signing local players to the Wellington Phoenix should be commended and will hopefully pay off.

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The security around their A-League licence allows more long-term planning at the Nix and the news that Team Wellington and the Ole Academy have signed a memorandum of understanding is also a positive.

All seems rosy on the playing scene, now NZF need to do their part.

They have to get the appointment of the All Whites coach right, after the Fritz Schmid fiasco.

The next man needs to be the right coach, not just the guy that looks right, and someone who has relevant, credible experience and a decent understanding of the environment.

There is a golden generation of players coming, and they need to have the chance to shine.

NZF also need to make a decision on their technical director, still filled on an interim basis by Andy Boyens, whose youth (35 years old) and lack of coaching experience probably count against him on the permanent front.

After a few years of stumbling over big decisions, now is the time to show it's a new chapter.

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