SOS to the Euroroos: come home and play!
Roar Guru By dasilva, 6 Mar 2009 dasilva is a Roar Guru
- Tagged:
- football, Guus Hiddink, Mark Bresciano, Mark Viduka, Matthew Spiranovic, Nick Carle, Pim Verbeek, Socceroos
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I wrote about this after the Indonesian game, but I believe this question has to be re-asked after last night’s horrific performance against Kuwait, where we were totally outplayed.
Not only did we play poorly, the Kuwait team were toying with the Socceroos, doing fancy tricks and making a mockery of our team.
When Cornthwaite was subbed on and placed as a striker up front with our team hoofing long balls desperately trying to grab an equaliser, it was the final humiliation of this side.
After all the talk about how far the game has grown and how much we learned from Guus Hiddink, and how much he revolutionised our game, long balls to Cornthwaite was all that resulted from this Dutch revolution.
I’m not criticising the tactic, as Australia look threatening from it. But it was depressing and sobering to see our team being reduced to that amateurish pub-football level.
It is clear that the A-League team are not up to the challenge.
So where are the Euroroos?
I’m not expecting a first choice XI, such as Cahill, Kewell, Neill, Schwarzer, Grella, and so on.
However, I do believe that players who are not playing and struggling to get game time from their clubs should be putting their hands up to represent Australia like they did back in 2005 when nine Euroroos played against Bahrain during a similar non-FIFA date.
FFA should be calling up second tier European players to come to Australia and play. If the clubs say no, then fine, but at least we would have tried.
Here are a few players that could have made the difference:
Joshua Kennedy
For five matches in a row, he couldn’t even get himself on the Karlsruhe bench. He is out of favour from his team and wants to leave the club. Why not give him a call?
Nick Carle
Although in favour with his club, he is currently serving a three match suspension due to a red card. Perhaps we should give him something to do when he is serving his suspension and give him his first cap under Pim Verbeek. Sure Pim doesn’t rate him, but even he would admit he is good enough for the A-League XI.
Shane Steffanutto
He is out of season for his Norwegian club FC Lyn Oslo and was considered good enough to make the senior squad against Japan and Bahrain. Hasn’t represented Australia since November 2006 and would love a call up.
Luke Wilkshire
We wasted an opportunity to get him to play against Indonesia when he was out of season, which would have given him match practice for the Japan match. Now he is playing preseason matches for Dinamo Moscow. Nevertheless, some attempt could have been made to get him as he is only playing pre-season matches.
Mark Bresciano
Got red carded in the recent Catania Vs Palermo derby. This was a great opportunity to have some matches during this three match suspension and he would have added a lot of class to this line up.
Other players to be considered include Adrian Leijer, David Carney, Mile Sterjovski, Matthew Spiranovich (who just recovered from injury), Nathan Burns, Dario Vidosic, James Holland, Brett Holman, David Williams, Jacob Burns and even a Mark Viduka, who are all struggling to get game time from their respective squads.
Sure, it would be a sacrifice to travel across the world to play for Australia on a non-FIFA date. But after watching a performance like this, it’s a sacrifice the players have to make or we may miss out on qualifying for the Asia Cup.
Recommend this story.
March 6th 2009 @ 2:23pm
David V. said | March 6th 2009 @ 2:23pm | Report comment
Firstly, the fact that Arnold continues to be involved in the national team set-up is a disgrace. Nothing more to go in that.
Secondly, the poor performance of our domestic-based side in the Asian Cup thus far can be put down to the fact that the gap between domestic and foreign-based Australian players is greater than most countries, or that management is incapable of getting the best out of them, or simply that these players have been undermined by poor coaching from the start. Not only that, but the woeful lack of creativity in the side can be seen as exposing a dearth of home-grown creative talent in our league.
But to Pim Verbeek. Am I the only one who’s having reservations about him despite the fact that we’re realistically only a win or two away from qualifying for the 2010 World Cup? Our performances in the qualifiers haven’t been that great and we, along with Japan, do have the benefit of being in the easier of the two qualifying groups. The football hasn’t exactly convinced or inspired. In fact, Verbeek was never the ideal appointment in my books. His record is mediocre at best, and South Korea were just as bad if not worse than we were in the Asian Cup, only that they got one stage further.
The FFA really should have given far more thought to appointing a national team coach, and done so much earlier than they actually did, in fact they should have done so right after the last World Cup when a few good coaches did become available. I’d rather have taken Troussier, Michel, LeRoy, Beenhakker, Milutinovic et al over Verbeek any day of the week.
March 6th 2009 @ 2:45pm
The Auteur said | March 6th 2009 @ 2:45pm | Report comment
Is Troussier still available?
March 6th 2009 @ 2:51pm
Sam said | March 6th 2009 @ 2:51pm | Report comment
David V
Hopefully we will qualify with him which we realistically should. I have a good feeling about the Uzbekistan game coming up in Sydney. After we qualify we need to fully reassess. I would even appoint someone like Troussier or Milutinovic simply for the World Cup.
March 6th 2009 @ 3:21pm
David V. said | March 6th 2009 @ 3:21pm | Report comment
We played like we had 11 Gerrards on the park last night.
March 6th 2009 @ 3:55pm
md said | March 6th 2009 @ 3:55pm | Report comment
David V. I don’t have reservations about Pim yet.
I think he if you were to sit down and write a report card for him, he is doing quite well on most indicators. He is not doing well in bringing A-leaguers through to A-teamers though – and that is something I am sure he will work on, once he has qualification wrapped up.
Judging him based on the games for which there was no preparation is not a fair assessment of how a team he has coached will go at the WC. After the benefit of a camp, the socceroos will hum again – as they did against Holland and Qatar. Both Japan and Kuwait had extensive camps prior to playing Australia.
Maybe we should have had an A-league camp excluding the grand finalists – or had a series of camps throughout the A-league season. I’m sure that is something that is now in the mix – but given that the team mostly comprised the tards and the pissants, I am not sure there would have been a lot of point.
So, David V, Jesse Fink and everyone else, relax. Have a beer. She’ll be right.
Cheers
md.
March 6th 2009 @ 4:10pm
David V. said | March 6th 2009 @ 4:10pm | Report comment
Teams have walked into the World Cup (and other tournaments) and suffered humiliation.
Pim’s record is ordinary at best. South Korea were drab and uninspiring and he’s done the same thing to Australia.
March 6th 2009 @ 4:19pm
dasilva said | March 6th 2009 @ 4:19pm | Report comment
I’m having reservations about Pim. I do believe he is a hell of a lot better then Graham Arnold and would defend accusations about that and our sides have progress since the Asia Cup debacle.
Whether he is good enough for the national team and do well at the world cup. I starting to have doubts. I still give him tentative support but that’s it.
His CV isn’t great (although it is better then Troussier who mostly coached amateur clubs in France before having some success with Japan at the World Cup). however if PIm decides to leave and a Rob Baan or a Han Berger (1 of only 5 coaches in dutch history to ever win more then 200 games in eredivisie) take over who are both have far more impressive CV and a lot more experience then Pim Verbeek then I wouldn’t be unhappy.
I’ll still give Pim a pass mark. Which is to qualify to the world cup comfortably. We’ll see how good pim is later on this year during the june qualifiers with plenty of preparation.
March 6th 2009 @ 4:33pm
David V. said | March 6th 2009 @ 4:33pm | Report comment
dasilva,
Troussier’s national team record has been pretty good. He took Ivory Coast to within a hair’s breath of a World Cup, only missing out due to being in the same group as Nigeria. He also got Burkina Faso to the semi-finals of the Nations Cup, on home soil, with far fewer stars than many African teams.
March 6th 2009 @ 6:26pm
Midfielder said | March 6th 2009 @ 6:26pm | Report comment
Das
Good article nay excellent one Das … but when all about are screaming and yelling and panic sets in… its those with a clam head who come out on top 19 times out of 20… it’s to late to change coach and besides we don’t have the coin otherwise I am sure Arnold OUT would be gone.
Lets hope Pim takes a deep breath and gets it back together again.
March 6th 2009 @ 7:10pm
dasilva said | March 6th 2009 @ 7:10pm | Report comment
David V
I’ll concede the point
Troussier has a better international team record and I guess that’s the one that really counts in terms of who should have gotten the job for the National Team.
Midfielder
Thanks
Yeah it’s too late to change coach. Unless Guus Hiddink comes rushing back to Australia we should keep supporting Pim.