Is Eddy Bosnar good enough for the Socceroos?
Columnist By Mike Tuckerman, 7 May 2009 Mike Tuckerman is a Roar Expert
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- Eddy Bosnar, EF United, football, Pim Verbeek, Socceroos
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The Australian Socceroos during a training session in Brisbane, Monday, Oct. 13, 2008, ahead of their World Cup qualifier match against Qatar on Wednesday. AAP Image/Dave Hunt
He’s tall, strong in the air and most importantly, left-sided. He’s also one of the forgotten men of Australian football – at least until World Cup qualifiers roll around, at which point a hardy few in cyberspace will pick up the baton and insist that Eddy Bosnar deserves to be in the national squad.
Yet the question remains: is Eddy Bosnar good enough to play for the Socceroos?
I caught the big man in action at a rain-swept Nihondaira Stadium on Tuesday night as his team JEF United were held to a 2-2 draw on the road at Shimizu S-Pulse.
Bosnar could hardly be blamed for his team conceding twice in the final ten minutes, although the Sydney-born defender got off to an inauspicious start when his first touch in slippery conditions saw him tumble over near the touch-line.
But despite turning in one of his better performances, Bosnar’s overall record in Japan bears closer scrutiny.
Recruited from Dutch club Heracles Almelo in 2008, Bosnar linked up with Croatian coach Josip Kuze at J. League strugglers JEF United.
The two knew each other from their days in Croatian football, but Kuze endured a torrid time in Chiba, and he was sacked a third of the way through the campaign.
Former Liverpool first team coach Alex Miller stepped in with the task of salvaging JEF United from relegation, and he took an immediate shine to the combative defender.
Bosnar has been an ever-present for the Chiba club, yet his biggest weapon – his aggression – is also an achilles’ heel in the tackle-shy J. League.
Last season Bosnar racked up a league-high thirteen yellow cards – a dubious distinction he shared with former Japan skipper Takashi Fukunishi – and the Australian missed several crucial clashes through suspension.
On the penultimate day of the campaign, Bosnar was sent off at Nihondaira Stadium for a second bookable offence, having clattered into Shimizu’s theatrical youngster Keisuke Iwashita.
As the red mist descended Bosnar stood over Iwashita to accuse him of play-acting, before giving referee Toshimitsu Yoshida a mouthful when the inevitable red card came out.
His emotions have got the better of him elsewhere.
After scoring from a thunderous free-kick in a vital win over Kashima Antlers, Bosnar’s wild celebration included booting a water bottle suspiciously close to the Kashima bench – yielding another booking.
If Bosnar lets J. League play-acting get under his skin, or momentarily loses his senses from scoring a goal, it remains to be seen how he might fare in the high-pressure environment of a World Cup finals.
Indeed, his lapses in concentration were brought into sharp focus in JEF United’s recent trip to Albirex Niigata.
Playing in front of 34,060 fans at Big Swan Stadium, Bosnar nodded home a second half equaliser from a corner.
His joy was obvious, but just two minutes later the tall defender was unaware that Niigata striker Hideo Oshima was lurking behind him, and Bosnar’s failure to head clear was punished when Oshima nodded home.
Clutching his hands to his face and shaking his head in disbelief, Bosnar cut a disconsolate figure.
To be fair, his team-mates don’t help.
JEF United possess one of the thinnest squads in the league, and the lack of a commanding goalkeeper means United’s penalty area operates in a state of perpetual crisis.
But despite United only avoiding relegation on the final day last season – with the Chiba side possessing the second-worst defensive record in the league – it won’t stop some fans in Australia from labelling Bosnar as Socceroos material.
Many of those fans have never actually seen Bosnar play.
Pim Verbeek and his scouts have, and as a former coach of Omiya Ardija and Kyoto Sanga, Verbeek knows the J. League well. He seems to have made his mind up on Bosnar, who is routinely overlooked.
A lack of visibility in Australia seems to have worked in Bosnar’s favour – at least where some fans are concerned.
But as far as Pim Verbeek is concerned, Eddy Bosnar appears to be off the radar.
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- Eddy Bosnar, EF United, football, Pim Verbeek, Socceroos
May 7th 2009 @ 8:59pm
Eamonn said | May 7th 2009 @ 8:59pm | Report comment
Greg
Evidence suggests from recent Asian Cup Squad re:Kuwait that Verbeek thinks playing and training in the A-League is clearly better than playing in Asia….
Why else did he leave all the Asian based players out:)
May 8th 2009 @ 12:44pm
Ben of Phnom Penh said | May 8th 2009 @ 12:44pm | Report comment
Cheeky, Eamonn. Part of the call for Eddie Bosnar to be considered may also be a fact that a number of people in Australia are starting to recognise the quality of the J-League. Unfortunately they have then made a direct correlation between this and the ability of Eddie Bosnar.
Brad Jones plays EPL yet often doesn’t make even the Socceroos training squad. Chippers plays in Switzerland yet is a first choice player every single time. There needs to be an assessment of the player and the squad needs that goes over and above the league in which a player finds himself.
May 8th 2009 @ 2:28pm
Tom sydney said | May 8th 2009 @ 2:28pm | Report comment
Reading this article I am a little ashamed to be called an aussie, Mr Tuckerman why would you write such an article????
If you really did not think Eddy was not good enough to play for Australia just leave the aussie battler to ply his trade and make a living for him self. Im not a fan of the big man but watching his games eddy is a fighter and true pro. Eddy is not the best of players but give him some credit he has played for Dinamo Zagreb, Sturm Graz, Heracles Almelo, Everton and of course Jef United. He wanted to play for the socceroos, But I know for a fact from one of his close mates that Eddy admitted he was not good enough for the Socceroos. Mr Tuckerman you should be helping the only aussie in the J league and not bag a true blue aussie. By the way mate I just read the stats in 2009 in ten games Eddy hasnt received a booking, why not mention that?????
Any way lets be proud that we have at least one player no matter of quality in the best league in ASIA.
May 8th 2009 @ 4:38pm
Mike Tuckerman said | May 8th 2009 @ 4:38pm | Report comment
Tom sydney – I’m sorry you feel that way, but rather than trying to “bag” Eddy Bosnar, I’m simply putting forth some objective observations as to why he might be overlooked for the Socceroos to an audience that isn’t always familiar with his performances.
For what it’s worth, I admire Eddy for bringing whole-hearted performances to a league where “passion” is sometimes viewed with suspicion and for perservering in Japan despite the obvious language and cultural barriers.
May 12th 2009 @ 5:10pm
Mike Tuckerman said | May 12th 2009 @ 5:10pm | Report comment
Re: Jade North’s progress at Incheon United
http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/aussies-abroad/north-k-league-far-superior-187175/
November 27th 2009 @ 11:38am
Le Suave said | November 27th 2009 @ 11:38am | Report comment
Mike is correct, he didn’t invent these stats on Eddie, Eddie created them. While I admire him for his obvious talent for being a journey man he needs to show a bit more “smarts” when dealing with the Jackie Gleesons and Buster Keatons of the J League. If the stats of ten games with out a carding for 2009 is true then maybe he’s adapting to a football culture that leaves its honour on the bench and who’s players like to fall faster than their Yen.