Our destiny lies beyond this World Cup
22/07/10 23:33
World Cup done and dusted. The body clock is back to normal, and I am weening myself off the increased doses of caffeine and late night vegemite toast.
Like many others I have been reflecting on what this World Cup has meant for Australian Football. The conclusion? The journey is just as important as the end result.
32 Nations fought long and hard for qualification and a chance to grace the fields of South Africa in the hope of snatching an elusive win, the chance to dream of taking the scalp of a Germany, Spain, Italy or Brazil. Socceroos fans around the country and the world dreamed of a repeat performance, and maybe, a better performance than last time, or maybe just a bit of Karma.
But, if I could take the liberty of getting all Les Murray-esque for just a moment, Football is not always a game that rewards hope or delivers justice. It is often a cruel master that punishes weakness and inadequacy as relentlessly as it deals out inexplicable results, undeserved victories and little reward for massive effort. Like life itself, the best and most gracious do not ways come out on top. A mirror to society, and a reminder that yes - life is hard. A team game, that requires a melding of minds beyond the 11 players on the field, the subs on the bench or the manager steering the tactics. And so many variables to throw off the best laid plans...vuvuzuelas, Jabulani, Pim Verbeek etc.
Like many others I have been reflecting on what this World Cup has meant for Australian Football. The conclusion? The journey is just as important as the end result.
32 Nations fought long and hard for qualification and a chance to grace the fields of South Africa in the hope of snatching an elusive win, the chance to dream of taking the scalp of a Germany, Spain, Italy or Brazil. Socceroos fans around the country and the world dreamed of a repeat performance, and maybe, a better performance than last time, or maybe just a bit of Karma.
But, if I could take the liberty of getting all Les Murray-esque for just a moment, Football is not always a game that rewards hope or delivers justice. It is often a cruel master that punishes weakness and inadequacy as relentlessly as it deals out inexplicable results, undeserved victories and little reward for massive effort. Like life itself, the best and most gracious do not ways come out on top. A mirror to society, and a reminder that yes - life is hard. A team game, that requires a melding of minds beyond the 11 players on the field, the subs on the bench or the manager steering the tactics. And so many variables to throw off the best laid plans...vuvuzuelas, Jabulani, Pim Verbeek etc.
Cruel Master.....
So when there is imbalance, uncertainty, a chink in the armour, lack of resolve and just downright poor decision making, we get results like the one for the Australians against Germany at this World Cup. Football, however, like life, can also spring a surprise and turn of fortune like no other sport. As football fans we know this, and this tension is what addicts us to the game.
What the Australian general sporting public are also beginning to realise, though, is that as one tournament comes to a close, so many new opportunities arise for the game. The talking points are massive no matter what the results. New managers, Asian cup campaigns, a new set of qualifiers to play, new young stars emerging, a new A-League season - these just scratch the surface of what we have to look forward to seeing and reading about. The implications of Australia as a respected world football nation, as we now undoubtedly are, mean that our football destiny is not tied up with making the second round of a tournament, or playing friendlies against England to a sell-out SCG. The exposure the game gets from being part of a massive world movement should sustain it in perpetuity.
Our destiny lies beyond this World Cup, and in fact it lies beyond any World Cup. It is tied in to the swelling tide of momentum that simply comes with being part of World Football..
So was I disappointed we did not make the round of 16? Yes. But this World Cup lacked the overwhelming urgency for success that lingered over Germany '06. It was not do or die for the game in Australia, because with every year that passes, with every event, it is becoming clearer that we are mixing comfortably into the company of other nations who love the game.
So it eased the pain. We should enjoy the ride, and look forward to the next four year journey and all that it throws our way.
This article appears in Half Time Heroes World Cup Review Edition
Get it!
0 Comments
Cruel Kewell World
20/06/10 01:45
If it's not his groin, it’s his arm. Harry Kewell’s body parts are once more the talking point of Australian Football.
For proud Aussie fans watching World Cup 2010, it hurts, because the slow motion and stills give us the real answers. There is movement of the hand, but it seems to be associated with an attempt to chest the ball. Look at his head though - perfectly still - he has no idea, the ball is coming so quickly. Deliberate - no way! Unfortunately however, if the arm is extended from the body, it is deemed that way.
Harsh, harsh luck. Whatever the case, proud Socceroos, you can hold your head high.
images via Videos : Ghana v Australia : The World Game on SBS
For proud Aussie fans watching World Cup 2010, it hurts, because the slow motion and stills give us the real answers. There is movement of the hand, but it seems to be associated with an attempt to chest the ball. Look at his head though - perfectly still - he has no idea, the ball is coming so quickly. Deliberate - no way! Unfortunately however, if the arm is extended from the body, it is deemed that way.
Harsh, harsh luck. Whatever the case, proud Socceroos, you can hold your head high.
images via Videos : Ghana v Australia : The World Game on SBS
Footage Found: Aus v Chile WC 1974
01/05/10 22:53
Stuff of Legend, and our only points in the 1974 World Cup in Germany..
If you are trying to put faces to names, the line up looked like this:
Rale RASIC (AUS)
If you are trying to put faces to names, the line up looked like this:
- [1] Jack REILLY (GK)
- [2] Doug UTJESENOVIC
- [3] Peter WILSON
- [4] Manfred SCHAEFER
- [5] Colin CURRAN (-83')
- [6] Ray RICHARDS
- [7] Jimmy ROONEY
- [8] Jimmy MACKAY
- [11] Attila ABONYI
- [12] Adrian ALSTON (-65')
- [20] Branko BULJEVIC
- Substitute(s)
- [21] Jimmy MILISAVLJEVIC (GK)
- [22] Allan MAHER (GK)
- [9] John WARREN
- [10] Gary MANUEL
- [13] Peter OLLERTON (+65')
- [14] Max TOLSON
- [15] Harry WILLIAMS (+83')
- [16] Ivo RUDIC
- [17] Dave HARDING
- [18] John WATKISS
- [19] Ernie CAMPBELL
Rale RASIC (AUS)
Rumour: Socceroo's World Cup strip revealed?
04/02/10 21:53
Football shirt mega-site football shirt culture reveal what they say is the Nike designed Socceroo’s Home and Away strip for this year’s football festival in South Africa, the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Pop on over to their site for a sneek peak.
Pop on over to their site for a sneek peak.
Some Perspective..
20/06/09 10:58
Sun Herald Football Luminary Matthew Hall (www.twitter.com/Matthew_Hall) summarises the week that was for Tim Cahill saga:
And puts it all in perspective:
It's clear the knives are still sharpened, even after all these years, ready to slash at any opportunity and despite the claims of 'support' of the FFA World Cup bid by rival codes. Australia faces a tough road to securing the hosting rights in either 2018 or 2022. Unfortunately, some of it's biggest battles will be within it's own borders, where our bid will be subject to deliberate thwarting through the jealousy, envy and fear of rival codes.
Batten down the hatches for another stab on the back page from the Sunday Tele tomorrow morning...
In brief: "Tim's welcome anytime," claimed a guy called Mim Salvato, the owner of the bar where Cahill's shenanigans took place (or not).
And puts it all in perspective:
It's a jungle out there - as Cahill has discovered over the past few days. The saga is further complicated by News Ltd's financial interest in rugby league, a sport riddled at the professional level with so much controversy it should hold its own World Cup just for poor behaviour. Australia would be clear favourites but, on his worst night out, Cahill would struggle to qualify for that tournament.
It's clear the knives are still sharpened, even after all these years, ready to slash at any opportunity and despite the claims of 'support' of the FFA World Cup bid by rival codes. Australia faces a tough road to securing the hosting rights in either 2018 or 2022. Unfortunately, some of it's biggest battles will be within it's own borders, where our bid will be subject to deliberate thwarting through the jealousy, envy and fear of rival codes.
Batten down the hatches for another stab on the back page from the Sunday Tele tomorrow morning...
Jones Jumps to Cahill's Defence
15/06/09 22:25
Alan Jones on 2GB gives the Sunday Telegraph’s Neil Breen a huge serve over the reporting of the alleged incident involving Tim Cahill. Breen states a couple of times that the story had been raised to show how NRL players are treated much more severely than other sportsmen for any off field trouble they get into. It is clear the Tele has been feeling the strain of months and months of bad news for it’s betrothed NRL. Even if the allegations against Cahill were true, they hardly equate to the continuing and shocking record of anti-social behaviour by NRL players ‘out of hours’.
Now normally, I am no fan of the Jones’ bulldozer style of interviewing...but...um...somehow, I found no sympathy for the dinosaur on the other end of the line. I am sure many Football fans around Australia and back in Everton would feel the same way.
Click the link below for the audio:
Alan Jones gets stuck in
Now normally, I am no fan of the Jones’ bulldozer style of interviewing...but...um...somehow, I found no sympathy for the dinosaur on the other end of the line. I am sure many Football fans around Australia and back in Everton would feel the same way.
Click the link below for the audio:
Alan Jones gets stuck in
Australia's World Cup Bid 2018-2022 Launched
14/06/09 19:27
Despite News Limited best attempts to tarnish the occasion, the 2018-2022 bid got underway in fine style today in Canberra.
The Blatant vested media interest trying to blemish Cahill & the World Cup Bid being launched today was thinner on hairs than a Pim comb over. Just another Dinosaur trying to divert attention away from yet another NRL scandal. The fact that the telegraph editors RANG Buckley to DEMAND an enquiry is absurd! "We demand you make this a story!". Let’s see the CCTV footage. Let us see the Police Investigation. At LEAST get Chk Chk Boom Girl to fake an eye-witness account!
If the dinosaurs at Murdoch Press don't understand the sport and cannot cover it, their job is threatened and they become irrelevant, so the next best thing they can do is to bring it down. Same old story. Meanwhile, a successful World Cup bid would bring in multiples more revenue to the country than most major sporting events combined.
Click below to watch the official film. Its a cracker.
The Blatant vested media interest trying to blemish Cahill & the World Cup Bid being launched today was thinner on hairs than a Pim comb over. Just another Dinosaur trying to divert attention away from yet another NRL scandal. The fact that the telegraph editors RANG Buckley to DEMAND an enquiry is absurd! "We demand you make this a story!". Let’s see the CCTV footage. Let us see the Police Investigation. At LEAST get Chk Chk Boom Girl to fake an eye-witness account!
If the dinosaurs at Murdoch Press don't understand the sport and cannot cover it, their job is threatened and they become irrelevant, so the next best thing they can do is to bring it down. Same old story. Meanwhile, a successful World Cup bid would bring in multiples more revenue to the country than most major sporting events combined.
Click below to watch the official film. Its a cracker.
That'll do Pim. That'll Do.
07/06/09 12:46
We are a Football Nation torn.
On the one hand, we breath a collective sigh of relief as we gain a point in Doha and qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
On the other hand we have that familiar empty feeling that comes with winning ugly. Maybe we were spoilt by Guus Hiddink.
The analysers will tell us all that we need to change our system drastically to play and be successful against the European powers. The knockers will say they were bored to tears. The bandwagoners will puff up their chests and parrot the morning papers. Those of us old enough to own scarves and jerseys that carry words like ‘Australian Soccer Association’ and ‘Soccer Australia’ will remember the ghosts of qualifications past - cue the drama of the 1994, 1998, and 2002 campaigns.
For me, for the first time in a long time - actually, the first time ever - I found myself agreeing with ABC pundit Gerard Whateley’s comments on Offsiders this morning:
We need World Cup qualification to get into the Nation’s sporting psyche. Let’s not take a World Cup qualification lightly. We ARE there, one year early, undefeated and with zero against on the group table. We may not be there next time around because next time we simply might not be good enough, lucky enough, smart enough.
As for South Africa 2010, yes, we have plenty of work to do. Verbeek has already given hints in his post match interview that the defensive and conservative approach is an important platform from which he can build. But, to build a team is one thing. To build a footballing nation though, we need World Cups under our belt, and that is the point.
We may be a Football Nation torn, but every time we qualify for a World Cup, we get closer to becoming a Football Nation.
On the one hand, we breath a collective sigh of relief as we gain a point in Doha and qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
On the other hand we have that familiar empty feeling that comes with winning ugly. Maybe we were spoilt by Guus Hiddink.
The analysers will tell us all that we need to change our system drastically to play and be successful against the European powers. The knockers will say they were bored to tears. The bandwagoners will puff up their chests and parrot the morning papers. Those of us old enough to own scarves and jerseys that carry words like ‘Australian Soccer Association’ and ‘Soccer Australia’ will remember the ghosts of qualifications past - cue the drama of the 1994, 1998, and 2002 campaigns.
For me, for the first time in a long time - actually, the first time ever - I found myself agreeing with ABC pundit Gerard Whateley’s comments on Offsiders this morning:
I do think that's why it's so important that we don't take this morning for granted. Because in all likelihood we won't make the next World Cup is the risk. I know it's not the celebration of kicking the penalty goal and having the signature moment, but I agree with you, I turned the radio news on this morning and it was the third item in sport and I think it should be the lead item in the news full stop.
We need World Cup qualification to get into the Nation’s sporting psyche. Let’s not take a World Cup qualification lightly. We ARE there, one year early, undefeated and with zero against on the group table. We may not be there next time around because next time we simply might not be good enough, lucky enough, smart enough.
As for South Africa 2010, yes, we have plenty of work to do. Verbeek has already given hints in his post match interview that the defensive and conservative approach is an important platform from which he can build. But, to build a team is one thing. To build a footballing nation though, we need World Cups under our belt, and that is the point.
We may be a Football Nation torn, but every time we qualify for a World Cup, we get closer to becoming a Football Nation.
Socceroos record TV audience..again
04/04/09 16:14
The Sydney Morning Herald Reports today that:
That’s a record audience for Australian Pay TV. I guess Fox will still be interested in renewing those television rights in a few years time.
An average viewership of 431,000 tuned in to watch Pim Verbeek's men move to within touching distance of next year's World Cup, with a peak half-hour audience of 508,000 viewers...Nearly one million viewers tuned in at some point during the match, although the final figure does not include those who watched the game at Foxtel-enabled venues.
That’s a record audience for Australian Pay TV. I guess Fox will still be interested in renewing those television rights in a few years time.
Asian adventure pays off for the Socceroos
03/04/09 23:40
We always knew the path through Asia would be good for the Socceroos and Australian football. More games against meaningful opposition, a real chance to avoid sudden death qualifiers just months before the World Cup itself, certainly no hostile last minute playoffs against hardened South American opposition, and a new and lucrative market for its players and the local game.
During and after our first Asian Championship we also experienced the more difficult aspects of the move to the Asian Football Confederation. The broad scope of its membership meant that the National Team would be playing in hot, energy sapping conditions one round, then playing a freezing China the next. Pim’s lads would face relentless distractions in between, ranging from flightless chickens on the playing pitch to monotonic and mesmerizing drones over stadium loudspeakers, to fly in fly out 48 hour jaunts to who knows where.
However, this week’s victory against Uzbekistan at a stormy Sydney Football Stadium brought the acute importance of our move to Asia to bear in no uncertain terms. We have all but qualified for the World Cup 2010 a full year before the event even starts. Even though the hapless Qataris have left us with a little more work to do, our qualification is all but secured and we have the best part of a year to prepare for our second successive World Cup campaign.
It’s a far cry from the painstaking playoffs that plagued us in the 80s and 90s and the emotion charged qualification path in late 2005. We now have a year of preparation that will include yet another potential windfall for the FFA as we draw the attention of other top flight national teams. Talk of a match against the Dutch in Sydney or Melbourne has already started, and no doubt many a savvy promoter has pondered an Australia vs England matchup to build the excitement up towards South Africa 2010. The side will have time to consolidate combinations and experiment with variations in formation and approach (two up front, anyone?). In the mean time, there is still the Asian Cup qualification to keep the edge on and remind us all that football is a funny game and there are never any certainties no matter who you are or who you play.
However it pans out, the team that runs out for Australia at World Cup 2010 will have a solid preparation under its belt. We won’t be left wondering just what these Socceroos are capable of achieving. We’ll be watching in South Africa.
During and after our first Asian Championship we also experienced the more difficult aspects of the move to the Asian Football Confederation. The broad scope of its membership meant that the National Team would be playing in hot, energy sapping conditions one round, then playing a freezing China the next. Pim’s lads would face relentless distractions in between, ranging from flightless chickens on the playing pitch to monotonic and mesmerizing drones over stadium loudspeakers, to fly in fly out 48 hour jaunts to who knows where.
However, this week’s victory against Uzbekistan at a stormy Sydney Football Stadium brought the acute importance of our move to Asia to bear in no uncertain terms. We have all but qualified for the World Cup 2010 a full year before the event even starts. Even though the hapless Qataris have left us with a little more work to do, our qualification is all but secured and we have the best part of a year to prepare for our second successive World Cup campaign.
It’s a far cry from the painstaking playoffs that plagued us in the 80s and 90s and the emotion charged qualification path in late 2005. We now have a year of preparation that will include yet another potential windfall for the FFA as we draw the attention of other top flight national teams. Talk of a match against the Dutch in Sydney or Melbourne has already started, and no doubt many a savvy promoter has pondered an Australia vs England matchup to build the excitement up towards South Africa 2010. The side will have time to consolidate combinations and experiment with variations in formation and approach (two up front, anyone?). In the mean time, there is still the Asian Cup qualification to keep the edge on and remind us all that football is a funny game and there are never any certainties no matter who you are or who you play.
However it pans out, the team that runs out for Australia at World Cup 2010 will have a solid preparation under its belt. We won’t be left wondering just what these Socceroos are capable of achieving. We’ll be watching in South Africa.
Anzac Day Football
24/03/09 22:49
The FFA has today announced an annual football match against the Turks to commemorate Anzac Day each year. It starts immediately this year with the young Socceroos playing in Turkey, and in 2010, a match will be held in Australia, with the hosts of the match to alternate from there - and depending on commitments in South Africa, it could be the full senior National Team that gets the guernsey.
Despite the cries of protest that you will hear from dinosaurs attached to the other codes over the coming days, weeks and on the weekend itself, you have to admit, it’s a pretty legitimate event and a masterstroke by the FFA- and not just financially.
This football calendar year, the Turkish Super Lig clubs poached players from around the football world, including names such as Roberto Carlos, Milan Baros and our own Harry Kewell, and spent upwards of 50 million pounds stirling in the process. The Aussie roll call extends to Bruce Djite, Mile Jedinak, Michael Petkovic and James Troisi
The Turkish version of Foxtel, Digiturk, bought the television rights to the league in 2004 for 135.85 million New Turkish lira (US$99 million). Did I mention the Turks are football MAD? No doubt there will be a decent attendance when games between the flagship teams are eventually played each year, and no doubt the FFA will earn some extra dough from the deal.
The big rub, however, is the geo-political advantage of having a mate (pardon the Anzac Day pun) on the border between Europe and Asia. As the SMH reports:
Despite the cries of protest that you will hear from dinosaurs attached to the other codes over the coming days, weeks and on the weekend itself, you have to admit, it’s a pretty legitimate event and a masterstroke by the FFA- and not just financially.
This football calendar year, the Turkish Super Lig clubs poached players from around the football world, including names such as Roberto Carlos, Milan Baros and our own Harry Kewell, and spent upwards of 50 million pounds stirling in the process. The Aussie roll call extends to Bruce Djite, Mile Jedinak, Michael Petkovic and James Troisi
The Turkish version of Foxtel, Digiturk, bought the television rights to the league in 2004 for 135.85 million New Turkish lira (US$99 million). Did I mention the Turks are football MAD? No doubt there will be a decent attendance when games between the flagship teams are eventually played each year, and no doubt the FFA will earn some extra dough from the deal.
The big rub, however, is the geo-political advantage of having a mate (pardon the Anzac Day pun) on the border between Europe and Asia. As the SMH reports:
Yes, Rebecca, we have bigger fish to fry than out-doing Rugby League, AFL and Union on a public holiday weekend. This is where the big boys play. It is the World Game after all ;-)With Australia lobbying for the 2018 World Cup, this could prove vital given Turkey's influence on Eurasian football and the Islamic world.
FFA using viral video to promote the Sydney WCQ?
18/03/09 22:35
Apparently, yes.
Ad Agency Lowe, based in Sydney, has made this viral video to promote the April 1 Uzbekistan vs Socceroos World Cup Qualifier in Sydney. Looks like it is soaring across the interwebs. According to twitter sources, it is in the top 100 You Tube clips this week.
Help the cause by clicking play below....
Ad Agency Lowe, based in Sydney, has made this viral video to promote the April 1 Uzbekistan vs Socceroos World Cup Qualifier in Sydney. Looks like it is soaring across the interwebs. According to twitter sources, it is in the top 100 You Tube clips this week.
Help the cause by clicking play below....
Mission Ugly
11/02/09 23:32
Japan 0- Australia 0
Australian players raising there hands in the air in celebration at the fulltime whistle was a tell-tale sign. They had a mission to come away with a result at Yokohama, and as ugly as it looked, it was mission accomplished. For 90 minutes there was surge after surge of Japanese attacking play that could just not find the final pass, or moment of brilliance to strike a killer blow. It seemed like the dam would break and the goals would come flooding, particularly in the last quarter of an hour where we continually lost the ball in midfield.
Tim Cahill was visibly upset at being replaced towards the final whistle. Understandable for a top flight competitive athlete. But it is a manager's job to marshall the talent and keep the eye on the prize. Keeping Cahill and Kennedy on the pitch, together, may have been the most obvious choice, indeed the Japanese probably expected the move. However, sticking with the lone striker paid dividends for Verbeek in terms of our chances of qualification to South Africa. Granted, not so much for the purists who despise the one striker solution.
Schwarzer once again pulled off routine yet solid saves to keep Australia in the match. Craig Moores experience in top flight football helped put the lock on the chain. Lady luck slipped the key into her breast pocket, and we survived. A deflected shot spraying wide when a Japanese goal seemed certain provided an elegant synopsis. Japan, after making this match the focus of a 5 week training camp, and in front of a fantastic but expectant home crowd, was under too much pressure to get a win, and they simply could not step up. For the Aussies to come away from the game with a draw is one thing. To keep Japan scoreless at home with just a couple of days in camp, a weakened midfield and a raft of injuries is another. Although we are not mathematically there yet, we have one big fat green and gold toe in South Africa.
Australian players raising there hands in the air in celebration at the fulltime whistle was a tell-tale sign. They had a mission to come away with a result at Yokohama, and as ugly as it looked, it was mission accomplished. For 90 minutes there was surge after surge of Japanese attacking play that could just not find the final pass, or moment of brilliance to strike a killer blow. It seemed like the dam would break and the goals would come flooding, particularly in the last quarter of an hour where we continually lost the ball in midfield.
Tim Cahill was visibly upset at being replaced towards the final whistle. Understandable for a top flight competitive athlete. But it is a manager's job to marshall the talent and keep the eye on the prize. Keeping Cahill and Kennedy on the pitch, together, may have been the most obvious choice, indeed the Japanese probably expected the move. However, sticking with the lone striker paid dividends for Verbeek in terms of our chances of qualification to South Africa. Granted, not so much for the purists who despise the one striker solution.
Schwarzer once again pulled off routine yet solid saves to keep Australia in the match. Craig Moores experience in top flight football helped put the lock on the chain. Lady luck slipped the key into her breast pocket, and we survived. A deflected shot spraying wide when a Japanese goal seemed certain provided an elegant synopsis. Japan, after making this match the focus of a 5 week training camp, and in front of a fantastic but expectant home crowd, was under too much pressure to get a win, and they simply could not step up. For the Aussies to come away from the game with a draw is one thing. To keep Japan scoreless at home with just a couple of days in camp, a weakened midfield and a raft of injuries is another. Although we are not mathematically there yet, we have one big fat green and gold toe in South Africa.
Pim is coming up trumps
29/03/08 18:24
In my opinion, the Socceroos draw with China this week has solidified Verbeek's position as the man to take us to the 2010 World Cup.
The way the guy responded to the late injury dramas, his ability to think outside the box and utilise an otherwise pedestrian Brett Holman in such a way as to frustrate the Chinese shows he has the class and nouse to get us through.
Although we were impotent up front, that was not the point of the exercise; We clearly have a manager that can get a team to stick to a game plan and see the big picture, despite trying conditions.
3 goals for and zero against after two games, on top of the table and two points clear, with a round of two home matches and two away coming up in June.
Its looking good.
The way the guy responded to the late injury dramas, his ability to think outside the box and utilise an otherwise pedestrian Brett Holman in such a way as to frustrate the Chinese shows he has the class and nouse to get us through.
Although we were impotent up front, that was not the point of the exercise; We clearly have a manager that can get a team to stick to a game plan and see the big picture, despite trying conditions.
3 goals for and zero against after two games, on top of the table and two points clear, with a round of two home matches and two away coming up in June.
Its looking good.
Forsatti foiled again...
06/02/08 18:23
Australia 3 - Qatar 0
Best moments of the match tonight:
1. Pim returning an out of play ball with a curling pass from a right foot instep.
2. Forsatti sitting on his chair with his head in his hands.
The Socceroos played inspiring, entertaining, quick flowing, and pressing football (at least for the first half, after which they got tired and needed a biscuit.......fair nuff......it's a long plane trip.)
Thank you. Goodnight.
Best moments of the match tonight:
1. Pim returning an out of play ball with a curling pass from a right foot instep.
2. Forsatti sitting on his chair with his head in his hands.
The Socceroos played inspiring, entertaining, quick flowing, and pressing football (at least for the first half, after which they got tired and needed a biscuit.......fair nuff......it's a long plane trip.)
Thank you. Goodnight.
Pim Verbeek lands the job
06/12/07 18:17
After much heartache, and heartbreak, courtesy of 'dirty' Dick Advocaat, Ben 'Mr. Invisible' Buckley has announced Pim Verbeek as the new Australian Senior National Team Coach - and the good news is he has signed until 2010 and he will live in Australia.
Pim - let me be the first to call him 'Pimmo' - sports a poor track record at club level but did help Aussie Gus with the sensational Koreans in 2002.
Wikipedia says
We just do not have the $$ to do any better. So for the money I think Buckley did OK.
'Avago Pimmo!!!!!!
Pim - let me be the first to call him 'Pimmo' - sports a poor track record at club level but did help Aussie Gus with the sensational Koreans in 2002.
Wikipedia says
Pim Verbeek (born March 12, 1956 in Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland) is a Dutch football manager who was the head coach of the South Korea national football team until July 2007. Verbeek was also an assistant under predecessors Guus Hiddink in 2002 and Dick Advocaat in 2006.Note: Don't make the mistake of comparing his CV to Hiddink, Advocaat, Houllier et al. Instead compare him to a Troussier, Viera, Klinsmann, et al, or better still Frank Farina or Arnie.
The Korea Football Association signed him to a coaching contract on June 26, 2006 until 2008. His brother Robert Verbeek is also a football coach. Pim led Korea to a third-place finish at the 2007 AFC Asian Cup, guaranteeing them an automatic berth in the 2011 tournament. He resigned after the third-place game, however, saying he needs a break from coaching for approximately five months.
We just do not have the $$ to do any better. So for the money I think Buckley did OK.
'Avago Pimmo!!!!!!
Guus, you f****d us
22/11/07 18:13
Russia slides through the final round of Euro qualifying under the blessed wing of Guus Hiddink.
The domino effect on world class football managers is set in motion as England bomb out, sack their Manager Steve MacLaren.
All of a sudden any remote (and I do stress *remote*) chance of the FFA signing a Mourinho or a Fabio Capello go out the door as they immediately declare their interest in the England job.
Which leaves us with a chance of snagging manager by email......Jurgen Klinsmann....or whatever his name is.
The domino effect on world class football managers is set in motion as England bomb out, sack their Manager Steve MacLaren.
All of a sudden any remote (and I do stress *remote*) chance of the FFA signing a Mourinho or a Fabio Capello go out the door as they immediately declare their interest in the England job.
Which leaves us with a chance of snagging manager by email......Jurgen Klinsmann....or whatever his name is.
We Want It All
06/11/07 18:19
Cockerill:
The football community in this country now wants everything, and it wants it now. The legacy of the World Cup is that expectations have been raised to unrealistic levels. Verbeek will satisfy the cultural cringe which demands a foreign coach for the Socceroos, but the honeymoon won't last long. Australia is not a major football power, at least not yet. But plenty of people think it is, as Verbeek is about to find out.Sad but true.
Silver Lining
23/07/07 18:06
The Australia v Japan match on Saturday created a new Australian pay TV record audience with an average of 419,000 people watching the game on Fox Sports.
A-League of their own
16/07/07 18:04
Stand up Mark Milligan, David Carney and Michael Beauchamp.
This is what its all about. 1-0 would have been a satisfactory result. 2-0 a better one, but 4-0 is emphatic. Against the run of play, yes. But for once the Australians played like a mature football outfit, kept their heads and just marked up (most of the time). Ironically it was the young guns who led the way.
There are few better ways to silence your critics, and it's the way we all hoped it would have been from the start.
The analysis will sober us up, and the hangover will reveal that we now have to sleep with an in-form Japan on Saturday night, and that at the end of the day we beat a minnow of world football and it felt like beating Brazil.
But as I noted here, days like these are where we steel ourselves for our Asian qualification path, World Cup 2010 and beyond. And the Socceroos of the future led the way.
This is what its all about. 1-0 would have been a satisfactory result. 2-0 a better one, but 4-0 is emphatic. Against the run of play, yes. But for once the Australians played like a mature football outfit, kept their heads and just marked up (most of the time). Ironically it was the young guns who led the way.
There are few better ways to silence your critics, and it's the way we all hoped it would have been from the start.
The analysis will sober us up, and the hangover will reveal that we now have to sleep with an in-form Japan on Saturday night, and that at the end of the day we beat a minnow of world football and it felt like beating Brazil.
But as I noted here, days like these are where we steel ourselves for our Asian qualification path, World Cup 2010 and beyond. And the Socceroos of the future led the way.
Welcome to Asia
10/07/07 18:00
Welcome to Asia, Australian Football.
The torrid encounter against Oman, and, no doubt, the pain that is yet to come against Iraq and co, is the reason we will probably equal or better our performance at the next World Cup in South Africa.
Most of us, including this two-bobber, celebrated when we were accepted into Asia. The exposure, the tougher but fairer qualifying route, and the increased quality of the opposition would mean Australian Football would no longer be spinning it's wheels on the world and domestic scene.
I believe the Asian Cup will show us what that really means. Hard slog, reality checks, reputations and millionaire players count for nothing. Just performance on the park. And what that really means is that the National Team will get better. What we may just see at this Asian Cup, though, is that performances may get worse in the short term, until we make the shift in mindset.
Until earlier this year we didn't see the other side of the coin - stifling heat and humidity, stretcher bearers as 12th and 13th men, intolerant refereeing and monsoon showers.
Come qualifying time for the World Cup next year and into 2009, however, and there will be no more surprises, and no more naiveté to trip us up against teams like Iran, as has happened in the painful past.
The lads may have the bottle to do well in this tournament, but our opener has shown that there are many elements besides pure football to overcome. Hard games against wily opposition will make us stronger, and gutsy efforts to overcome these tough obstacles build the legend and draw the fans.
The Asian Cup looks set to be all it promised to be - an excellent proving ground for the Australian game and the 2010 Socceroos.
The torrid encounter against Oman, and, no doubt, the pain that is yet to come against Iraq and co, is the reason we will probably equal or better our performance at the next World Cup in South Africa.
Most of us, including this two-bobber, celebrated when we were accepted into Asia. The exposure, the tougher but fairer qualifying route, and the increased quality of the opposition would mean Australian Football would no longer be spinning it's wheels on the world and domestic scene.
I believe the Asian Cup will show us what that really means. Hard slog, reality checks, reputations and millionaire players count for nothing. Just performance on the park. And what that really means is that the National Team will get better. What we may just see at this Asian Cup, though, is that performances may get worse in the short term, until we make the shift in mindset.
Until earlier this year we didn't see the other side of the coin - stifling heat and humidity, stretcher bearers as 12th and 13th men, intolerant refereeing and monsoon showers.
Come qualifying time for the World Cup next year and into 2009, however, and there will be no more surprises, and no more naiveté to trip us up against teams like Iran, as has happened in the painful past.
The lads may have the bottle to do well in this tournament, but our opener has shown that there are many elements besides pure football to overcome. Hard games against wily opposition will make us stronger, and gutsy efforts to overcome these tough obstacles build the legend and draw the fans.
The Asian Cup looks set to be all it promised to be - an excellent proving ground for the Australian game and the 2010 Socceroos.
Leeding the way
01/07/07 17:57
Ahhh......the good old days...
Thanks to the Age
Thats what I was reminded of as I watched the Socceroos v Singapore highlights on SBS this afternoon.
Kewell takes on and skins a player on the left flank, and crosses in for Mark Viduka to nod it into the back of the net.
Not since those heady days back at Leeds Utd have we had the chance to enjoy a match when both Harry and Dukes have hit the score-sheet in the most convincing of fashion.
I'm an optimist, and whilst many have criticised the performance as being a lack lustre one, I put it down to a stiff week of intense physical training in stifling conditions. For me its more important to see the big man Viduka putting some goals away for country as per his club form, Schwarzer making some great saves and the side recovering after a dodgy first half effort.
And when you look at the quality that was sitting on the bench or not even named in the starting squad. you have to look forward to the coming month with many positive thoughts.
I will be watching some of the games live, thank goodness, thanks to Conaldo's generosity, or the local Newcastle pub. But kudo's go th the Australian FourFourTwo website - your text commentary was fantastic for us non Fox viewers.
Kewell and Viduka, thanks for bringing back the memories...
Thanks to the Age
Thats what I was reminded of as I watched the Socceroos v Singapore highlights on SBS this afternoon.
Kewell takes on and skins a player on the left flank, and crosses in for Mark Viduka to nod it into the back of the net.
Not since those heady days back at Leeds Utd have we had the chance to enjoy a match when both Harry and Dukes have hit the score-sheet in the most convincing of fashion.
I'm an optimist, and whilst many have criticised the performance as being a lack lustre one, I put it down to a stiff week of intense physical training in stifling conditions. For me its more important to see the big man Viduka putting some goals away for country as per his club form, Schwarzer making some great saves and the side recovering after a dodgy first half effort.
And when you look at the quality that was sitting on the bench or not even named in the starting squad. you have to look forward to the coming month with many positive thoughts.
I will be watching some of the games live, thank goodness, thanks to Conaldo's generosity, or the local Newcastle pub. But kudo's go th the Australian FourFourTwo website - your text commentary was fantastic for us non Fox viewers.
Kewell and Viduka, thanks for bringing back the memories...
Brett Emerton: Superman
09/06/07 17:56
Ok he couldn't take a free kick to save his life. And I do cringe when he takes a pot at goal from 30 m out.
But as news.com.au points out, Emo may just be the fittest man in one of the fittest teams in Australian sport.
Running an average of 12 km in a match is one thing, but doing it up to 3 times a week (as per the EPL and associated comps) is phenomenal. For the 55 games, including Socceroos performances, that he played last season, that's 660km over 11 months...equivalent to running more than 1 marathon every month.
So when the guy plays 50+ games a year at club level, and then backs up for every game the National Team plays, you know for sure where his massive Phar Lap heart is.......did I just make a horse racing analogy?
But as news.com.au points out, Emo may just be the fittest man in one of the fittest teams in Australian sport.
Running an average of 12 km in a match is one thing, but doing it up to 3 times a week (as per the EPL and associated comps) is phenomenal. For the 55 games, including Socceroos performances, that he played last season, that's 660km over 11 months...equivalent to running more than 1 marathon every month.
So when the guy plays 50+ games a year at club level, and then backs up for every game the National Team plays, you know for sure where his massive Phar Lap heart is.......did I just make a horse racing analogy?
Zeljko Kalac: AC Milan Cheerleader
17/05/07 17:52
You've gotta love Spider.
Every time there is a picture of the Milan players celebrating a goal or their latest victory, an inevitable 7 foot figure looms large in the camera lens, patting people on the head in celebration. Tracksuit clad. Keeper gloves always on, strapped and fixed, ready for action. Jumping up and down, a million dollar smile on his face, celebrating with his team mates.
In fact in a recent May 6 interview with SBS he confessed he was the team clown, relaxing some of the other players who were taking things a bit too seriously.
I can just see it now - Spider standing over a scowling Gattuso in the dressing room - 'relax mate, its just a Champions League quarter final'
He has even taught them Aussie slang. Cue Jesus loving Kaka....'Hang on mate, I just gotta go choke a brown dog....'' (That works on so many levels).
And I'll never forget his laconic description of life as a professional footballer on the SBS's fantastic program, The Away Game.
You have to admire him - he maintains a positive attitude at Milan, despite his perpetual presence on the bench - he has only played 3 UCL games for Milan. Yet he is the quintessential optimist and always comes across as being someone who is happy to bide his time.
I guess when you think about it he has a lot to be happy about.
Zeljko joins Harry Kewell and Craig Johnston as the only Australians to own a European Champions League medal. And he has re-signed with Milan for another 2 years. Maybe he knows his time will come. Dida won't be there forever.
And, take note all you parents sending your kiddies off to AFL camp over summer, maybe he is just OK with getting the $350 000 winners bonus, just for being there in Athens and just playing his small part this season.
Onya Spider, I'd be laughing too.
Every time there is a picture of the Milan players celebrating a goal or their latest victory, an inevitable 7 foot figure looms large in the camera lens, patting people on the head in celebration. Tracksuit clad. Keeper gloves always on, strapped and fixed, ready for action. Jumping up and down, a million dollar smile on his face, celebrating with his team mates.
In fact in a recent May 6 interview with SBS he confessed he was the team clown, relaxing some of the other players who were taking things a bit too seriously.
I can just see it now - Spider standing over a scowling Gattuso in the dressing room - 'relax mate, its just a Champions League quarter final'
He has even taught them Aussie slang. Cue Jesus loving Kaka....'Hang on mate, I just gotta go choke a brown dog....'' (That works on so many levels).
And I'll never forget his laconic description of life as a professional footballer on the SBS's fantastic program, The Away Game.
Monday sleep, eat. train. sleep. train. eatetc etc
Tuesday eat. train. sleep. free time. eat. train.
Wed train. eat. train. sleep. train
You have to admire him - he maintains a positive attitude at Milan, despite his perpetual presence on the bench - he has only played 3 UCL games for Milan. Yet he is the quintessential optimist and always comes across as being someone who is happy to bide his time.
I guess when you think about it he has a lot to be happy about.
Zeljko joins Harry Kewell and Craig Johnston as the only Australians to own a European Champions League medal. And he has re-signed with Milan for another 2 years. Maybe he knows his time will come. Dida won't be there forever.
And, take note all you parents sending your kiddies off to AFL camp over summer, maybe he is just OK with getting the $350 000 winners bonus, just for being there in Athens and just playing his small part this season.
Onya Spider, I'd be laughing too.
Where have all the good times gone?
18/04/07 17:47
Or should I say, where have all the band-wagoners gone?
Watching the Australia vs China game in the pub the other day, I was a lone viewer squinting at a tiny, volumeless screen, surrounded by a sea of rugby watchers playing pool and barely glancing at the three big screen plasmas that were up in the main bar of the local establishment, showing back to back rugby type games.
But before long, I had curious on-lookers joining me in my little corner, checking the score, and asking if this was live or a replay. In fact a common theme for the night was - 'Oh I didnt know this was on'
I have noticed a similar phenomenon for Syd FC and Adelaide U ACL games - no one talking about it much over the water cooler, and general dis-interest across the board.
The theme continues with the fare of our favourite Socceroo World Cup heroes.
Harry's back - no interest. Cahill injured, Craig Moore's hammy, Viduka's form, Brett Holman's hair band, where has Guus gone to? - no one seems to be bothered.
Let alone Olympic Qualifiers for the Olyroos and Matildas (anyone catch Mel and Kochy praising Katie Gill for her hat-trick in the 10 - 0 drubbing of Chinese Taipei by the Matildas the other morning? Nuh).
I have to say, though, when you bring it up with general sports fans, you can see a gleam in their eye - I think there is a chink in the psychic armour of traditional resistance to the game which has been worn down by the efforts of Lowy and Co. No amount of effort by the axis of evil is going to drag that down too quickly.
But I guess this post is just a clarion call to all the band-wagoners - the Asia cup is coming, and the Aussies are going to win it - and we are going to beat the pants offa the Argies and the Uruguayans in front of sellout Aussie crowds, to boot.
If you know any of these guys, spread the word cause they probably won't know its coming.....get your seats on the wagon now...it leaves town around the end of May......
Watching the Australia vs China game in the pub the other day, I was a lone viewer squinting at a tiny, volumeless screen, surrounded by a sea of rugby watchers playing pool and barely glancing at the three big screen plasmas that were up in the main bar of the local establishment, showing back to back rugby type games.
But before long, I had curious on-lookers joining me in my little corner, checking the score, and asking if this was live or a replay. In fact a common theme for the night was - 'Oh I didnt know this was on'
I have noticed a similar phenomenon for Syd FC and Adelaide U ACL games - no one talking about it much over the water cooler, and general dis-interest across the board.
The theme continues with the fare of our favourite Socceroo World Cup heroes.
Harry's back - no interest. Cahill injured, Craig Moore's hammy, Viduka's form, Brett Holman's hair band, where has Guus gone to? - no one seems to be bothered.
Let alone Olympic Qualifiers for the Olyroos and Matildas (anyone catch Mel and Kochy praising Katie Gill for her hat-trick in the 10 - 0 drubbing of Chinese Taipei by the Matildas the other morning? Nuh).
I have to say, though, when you bring it up with general sports fans, you can see a gleam in their eye - I think there is a chink in the psychic armour of traditional resistance to the game which has been worn down by the efforts of Lowy and Co. No amount of effort by the axis of evil is going to drag that down too quickly.
But I guess this post is just a clarion call to all the band-wagoners - the Asia cup is coming, and the Aussies are going to win it - and we are going to beat the pants offa the Argies and the Uruguayans in front of sellout Aussie crowds, to boot.
If you know any of these guys, spread the word cause they probably won't know its coming.....get your seats on the wagon now...it leaves town around the end of May......
Its a Kewell, Kewell world
30/03/07 18:37
The troubled one, Harry Kewell. is set to make his return next month, after 9 months of rehabilitation.
We all know the cliche line: The man they apparently call 'sick note' has never been able to consistently reproduce the mesmeric form he had at Leeds, form that opened doors to Chelsea, Arsenal, Barcelona and his boyhood fantasy club, Liverpool FC.
But the glimpses have always been there since those times - wonder goals for the Reds, ripping Uruguay apart in Sydney and just being on the spot vs. Croatia to send us hurtling into our quarter final frenzy. There have also been the heartbreaks - coming off injured in the Champions League Final, or hobbling onto the bench straight from the dressing room before the Italy QF.
He'll run out in a reserve grade team for Liverpool, and once again we'll all hold our collective breath and hope he won't tweak, pull, tear or break anything in the leadup to the Asian Cup. So it was for the lead up to the World Cup in Germany, so it is again this year for I-M-T-V.
The buzz around the football web used to be that without Harry, we were always behind the eight-ball. Since his enforced absence, however, the National Team has thrown aside the need for the 'one saviour' crutch. The total football approach of the Hiddink era re-inforced the fact that no individual is greater than the whole team. Sure, Australia is a far better side with him in it, but now I think its more that Harry adds a new dimension to our attack, rather than being a crucial linch-pin that keeps the wheels on the wagon. I would worry more if a Vinnie Grella or Jason Culina were unavailable for the AFC Finals because that type of player has a larger impact on our overall system.
Now the talk is of Harry moving on from Liverpool, and I imagine the Asian Cup Finals and his return this year will outline his destiny for the years to come. For a guy who has had so many troubled weeks of injury, he is still the best player we have ever produced. Hopefully this won't be yet another heartbreak return, and we'll see him in Sydney and Melbourne again in June.
Best of luck H, break a leg....
Digging to China
11/03/07 17:42
I have been pondering this week, how big a television audience the Australia vs China friendly match will draw. I am not talking about Foxtel Subscribers. I am thinking more about how many Asian viewers there will be. According to this guy's figures, it could be a bucket-load.
So lets start here....8.28 billion Asians watched the world cup. Now of course thats cumulative, over the course of the largest single sporting event in the world.
After about 10 minutes of hunting around on this interwebby thing, I found this page, which floored me...
There are 250 million regular football fans in China.
In fact, this is such a nugget, its worth a copy and paste:
China has more television sets than any other country in the world, which means that it represents a huge and growing audience for football.
These television sets are being well and truly used. 400 million Chinese watched the China versus Brazil match at the 2002 FIFA World Cup™. In total, China delivered a cumulative viewing audience of almost six billion to this event, representing 20% of the global audience.
Over 50% of the population in major Chinese cities chooses football as its favourite sport. Team China matches have an average TV rating of at least 30%. With at least six leading Chinese players now playing for European clubs, the standard of play is rising sharply and audience interest is keeping pace.
Okay thats good. Its time to get the old calculator out...
Lets see, if the football viewing population of China is potentially 250 million, and team China Matches average a TV rating of at least 30% , then thats 75 million people.
No that cant be right.....
250 000 000 x 0.30 = 75 000 000
That is right.
So nearly four times the entire population of Australia will tune in to watch the game on Saturday night in China.
Thats ridiculous.