Chris Wood has been on fire for Nottingham Forest this season – and New Zealand coach Darren Bazeley is impressed by his willingness to fly 22 hours to become an All Whites record-breaker
Chris Wood has been on fire for Nottingham Forest this season – and New Zealand coach Darren Bazeley is impressed by his willingness to fly 22 hours to become an All Whites record-breaker Chris Wood has been on fire for Nottingham Forest this season – and New Zealand coach Darren Bazeley is impressed by his willingness to fly 22 hours to become an All Whites record-breaker
He was a Wembley play-off winner in a team with three players who went on to become international managers.
Five years after being advised to retire by his Wolves boss, following three knee operations, he played at the Club World Cup. And at every international break, he faces the longest wait in world football for the Premier League’s in-form striker to touch down after a 22-hour flight.
Darren Bazeley has one of the grand old game’s most colourful back stories – now he’s the envy of every manager across the Pacific whenever Chris Wood steps off the plane to pull on the All Whites jersey of New Zealand.
Next time you hear simpering Premier League snowflakes whine about coach travel to a distant away game, remind them of Wood’s 22,000-mile commute to play for his national team.
The Nottingham Forest striker is having the “time of his life” for club and country after banging in eight goals in as many games – but there are no short cuts to glory. After his appointment with Newcastle at the City Ground on Sunday, Wood will dash off to the other side of the planet to play in the All Whites’ World Cup qualifying double-header with Vanuatu and Samoa.
He should make it to the Land of the Long White Cloud by Tuesday. And on his return, after picking up his luggage from the baggage carousel, the formality of three points awaits Wood and Forest at Arsenal. Head coach Bazeley believes Wood – already New Zealand’s record scorer with 36 goals from 78 caps – will fire the All Whites to the 2026 World Cup.
Along with team-mate Ben Waine, of Plymouth Argyle, he is the longest-distance goalscorer in world football. No wonder Bazeley, who is due to become a grandfather for the first time on Christmas Day, has the air of a manger whose Christmases have all come at once.
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Alex Livesey – FIFA)
“As well as being our captain and our best-known player worldwide, Woodsy is a top man all round,” said the former Watford and Wolves winger. “He is a passionate New Zealander who wants to break the records for appearances and goals, and he makes himself available for every camp.
“That’s easier said than done when you are making a 22,000-mile round trip every month, but the whole country is so proud of the hot streak he’s been on in the Premier League. Although he is making the headlines for his finishing, and of course the service he is getting from both flanks at Nottingham Forest has been fantastic, he is also a very good footballer outside the box.
“When he comes over to play for New Zealand, he doesn’t make excuses or go looking to blame jetlag. One of the Kiwi sporting community’s common traits is resilience, whether it’s the All Blacks rugby team, punching above our weight in Olympic sports like cycling and rowing, and the Black Caps cricket team have just won a Test series 3-0 in India, which nobody saw coming.
“Woodsy is resilient, humble and hard-working, but the best thing about him is that he has no ego. Everything he’s achieved in the game is down to honest graft – and he keeps coming up with the goods.
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Alex Livesey – FIFA)
“Last month, when we beat Tahiti 3-0 in Vanuatu on a dreadful pitch, Chris scored one of the goals, and then I left him on the bench for an hour against Malaysia to try and protect his workload. He got a huge ovation when he came on – and within about 10 minutes he scored again. As head coach, I’m lucky that I can pick one of the most in-form strikers in Europe and it’s fantastic to see him enjoying success for both Forest and New Zealand. It looks like he’s having the time of his life.”
Bazeley, 52, never played in the Premier League – although he was in the Watford team who made it to the top flight in 1999 along with future Wales manager Robert Page and Alon Hazan, who is now in charge of Israel ’s national team.
At Wolves, he played in 80 consecutive games until a torn cartilage ruled him out for 18 months. Manager Dave Jones advised him to retire, but Bazeley refused to cash in his chips and played on for another six seasons, ending his career at Waitakere United in New Zealand, where he won the title as both player and as No.2 to his former Wolves team-mate Neil Emblen.
“I played for Waitakere at the Club World Cup in Japan when I was 35,” said Bazeley. “Then Keith Pritchett (another ex-Watford player who managed New Zealand in 1996-97) helped me to get involved in the national team’s coaching set-up at Under-17 level. I’ve also worked with the Colorado Rapids in the States and Newcastle Jets in Australia before coming back here.
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Nottingham Forest FC via Getty I)
“In the Oceania World Cup group, which covers a vast area, we are expected to win, but we pride ourselves on having a deep culture and connectivity.
“Woodsy plays his football on the other side of the world but he has maintained a strong connection with his homeland. H he wants to beat the record for most international appearances (he is currently 10 short of Ivan Vicelich’s 88 caps) and I’m fortunate to be the New Zealand coach who picks him as my captain.”
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