Hudson frustrated

All Whites coach Anthony Hudson is perplexed at perceived negativity over what he believes is his strongest national squad to date.

His way of expressing his perplexity was to fly off on an unexpected tangent during Thursday’s All Whites media session in Wellington.

Hudson turned a simple question into the ability of Ryan Thomas - having arrived in Wellington yersterday - to be ready for the first leg of New Zealand’s FIFA World Cup qualifier against Fiji tomorrow , into a monologue on negativity surrounding his squad.

‘‘You know, the New Caledonia tour we had the same scenario where players come in late, and it’s a really long flight. Coupled with that we’re flying again tomorrow, it’s a big ask to get quickly recovered and be fresh for the game on Saturday,’’ Hudson said, before slowly moving his attention to items that have clearly been on his mind.

‘‘I’ll see how things go in the next 24 hours and make a decision, but he’s a very important player to us, a top top player. We’re so pleased he’s back involved with us and part of the team. We’re in a good position because if any of these players weren’t to play, we’ve got a strong squad now.

‘‘This is the strongest squad we’ve had, and, I don’t get it. I feel really positive about this squad. I feel positive about where we’re at. This is not just myself and players coming out and saying we’re a strong team.

‘‘We’ve got a very strong squad, a great balance in the squad, but there was also a lot of negativity around the selection and I don’t quite get that, I find it really bizarre.’’