Socceroos ready to take on football’s finest
Roar Pro By Fred Magee, 9 Jun 2009 Fred Magee is a Roar Pro
- Tagged:
- 2010 World Cup, football, Pim Verbeek, Socceroos
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So after qualifying in the small hours of Sunday morning, I’m ready to jump on the bandwagon with the Socceroos for 2010 World Cup. But the question that I want to ask is this: is everyone else as excited as me?
From the outset, let me say that I am not a football aficionado and don’t pretend to be. However I, like many others, was swept up in the wave of emotion that the Socceroos created in 2006.
I have happy memories of wearing my newly acquired Socceroos strip and sitting at various Sydney venues in the small hours of the morning, watching our boys play on the biggest sporting show on earth outside the Olympics.
Now that they have booked their spot for the 2010 finals, I am ready to do the same and hoping that they can go a stage or two further than they did last time.
I am amazed that since the campaign started, one of the overriding themes has been criticism of tactics and the way the team has played – with Pim Verbeek in the sights of several learned experts.
Surely there have been two goals: first is qualification, and that has been achieved with two games to spare.
The second is to go further than our result in 2006.
Again, I don’t pretend to know the technicalities of football, but I am sure that Verbeek and the entire squad knows that to achieve this that the bar needs to be raised, not just from the performances of the qualifiers, but from how we played in Germany
From the top decks of the bandwagon, it instills me with great confidence to see the team led by Pim Verbeek, who seems to be made of similar stuff as our first savour – “Aussie Guus.”
That, and the fact that the bulk of the squad that will go to South Africa will have experience from 2006 under their belts will count for a lot. It will be one of the most anticipated events next year to see Cahill, Neill, Grella, Kennedy and Schwarzer lead our team on the field and try and go one or two steps better.
And, is it just me or is Harry Kewell looking the best he has been in a very, very long time?
I will be one of the many who will head out to Homebush on Wednesday night to congratulate and celebrate our team’s achievement. I hope that many others do the same and give this squad the praise and the support that it deserves.
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- 2010 World Cup, football, Pim Verbeek, Socceroos
June 9th 2009 @ 7:41am
The Bear said | June 9th 2009 @ 7:41am | Report comment
Yes, Kewell is looking very mobile and fit as a fiddle. His move away from the EPL and into Galatasaray in the Turkish Super League has been very kind to him. This bodes very well for the ‘Roos; perhaps Viduka should rethink his stay in the UK – it may be just the tonic for extending his form and career.
June 9th 2009 @ 8:51am
whiskeymac said | June 9th 2009 @ 8:51am | Report comment
welcome aboard and enjoy the carnival atmosphere of international football, make or break I hope we all enjoy the roos particpation and celebrate our second successive world cup appearance.
June 9th 2009 @ 9:30am
Towser said | June 9th 2009 @ 9:30am | Report comment
Fred
As a lifetime football fan & one who has followed football through the Socceroos for the 40 years I’ve been in Australia nothing for me except winning a World Cup, will ever come close to the 2005 qualification. A culmination of many years of frustration,heartbreak were released in that win. I also connect the win with our acceptance into the Asian football Confederation & the formation of the A-League,a hat trick of events that are shaping the future of the game in Australia.
Having said that I now look forward to what I consider an appearance in the World Cup by a maturing football nation. I make comparisons in this region with “mature” football nations South Korea(7 consecutive appearancea) & Japan(4 consecutive appearances). This means that the euphoria of qualifying no longer carries its own momentum,& qualification comes about by a long term planned operation to keep improving the football standard(which is happening).
What happens at the World Cup is of course a different story. The chance for your nation to pit wits & endeavour against great traditional football nations is captivating for me.
One wish as an ex Pom (but as far as football at International level goes they play a poor second to the Socceroos) is that we meet England at some stage of the World Cup. Italy may have been big at the last World Cup ,but a matchup with England will dwarf it.
June 9th 2009 @ 10:20am
Pippinu said | June 9th 2009 @ 10:20am | Report comment
To qualify for two consecutive WCs is massive, huge, it cannot be understated, but Towser is right that it can’t be compared to Nov 2005, and we’ll probably never have that same feeling again (it’s unlikely we’ll go through a 32 year drought again, touch wood).
Many wise heads have already mentioned on this forum to have realistic expectations about South Africa. It’s silly to talk about going one better when we don’t even know who’s in our group.
A little bad luck on that front, and our campaign could be over within the first 45 minutes of actualy play (as nearly happened last time).
Let’s enjoy this great achievement and gloat about the fact that stacks of countries are yet to lay claim to a prized spot – but let’s cut out the talk of going one better.
June 9th 2009 @ 10:29am
Towser said | June 9th 2009 @ 10:29am | Report comment
Pippinu
The stats on qualification 1 out of 7 nations by FIFA members. Out of the 209 FIFA member countries I dont know what the stats are on the countries who have actually ever qualified,but I would be suprised if its much more than a quarter. As you say enjoy the acheivement,savour the moment,many nations on the planet will never have the chance to do so.
June 9th 2009 @ 10:45am
Millster said | June 9th 2009 @ 10:45am | Report comment
Fred – great column and I like your persoective as a bandwagon guy eager about the game but willing to admit you don’t know the finer details. Its a refreshing piece and I’ll give you a cheer.
I agree qualification is wonderful. But just enjoy the ride in South Africa whatever happens. Last time we got into the round of 16. In reality we are not at the level to do that each time. In fact we have only ever won one single gamee in our history of World Cup finals. So thats why I say enjoy the ride… last weekend’s qualification was in itself the enormous achievement for Australia. I’m hoping wiht my heart for more of course, but not with my head. Just to see the green and gold there is AWESOME!
So enjoy, enjoy, enjoy. And if you keep enjoying and we go back to the world cup in 2014 and then 2018 as well as out boys being there in 2010, then maybe its time for us to start saying “lets really gun for something more”.
Mate good work and no doubt we’ll be partying together in spirit come next August!
June 9th 2009 @ 10:51am
whiskeymac said | June 9th 2009 @ 10:51am | Report comment
I agree, lets just wait and see and be grateful and proud of our boys for the back-back. Unrealistic or untenable goals should be assessed against WC reality. plenty of good teams fall out of the Cup once they are there. Croatia in 06 for example…
With solid qualification Pim and the boys have already provided a good legacy for the next classes (2014 and 2018) to live upto.
June 9th 2009 @ 10:51am
Pippinu said | June 9th 2009 @ 10:51am | Report comment
Towser
you would know that your birthplace experienced its own semi-drounght, failing to qualify in 1974 and1978 (at a time when there were only 16 teams), and that was only eight years after having won the whole shebang.
On top of those stats, are the performances of some countries that have managed to qualify quite a few times, but have rarely got past first base (if ever).
We all love to go thorugh Scotland’s WC history (from memory, seven appearances without ever having got past the group phase). South Korea, almost has a worse record, only saved by having hosted it in 2002, same goes for Japan (although they only started qualifying regularly in the last 4 WCs).
Mexico probably endured an even longer barren phase than Scotland, until they became a bit of a powerhouse in the past decade or so (and will probably get even better).
Then there are all those great African countries, some of whom have only ever qualified once or twice, despite having solid youth records and producing many world class players.
It’s a very tough gig.
June 9th 2009 @ 10:57am
Millster said | June 9th 2009 @ 10:57am | Report comment
Pippu – and my beloved France of course… Champions in 1998 and finallists in 2006… but of course not even qualified in 1994, out in the group stage without scoring a single goal in 2002, and will probably scrape in to the finals but not without a few scares in qualifying this time around (thank god for those Faroe Islands!).
The Dutch are another side that are very erratic in their WC campaigns of late despite having a wonderful pool of talent and managerial / technical expertise to draw from. If my memory is correct they didn’t even qualify for 2002.
June 9th 2009 @ 11:47am
Albert Ross said | June 9th 2009 @ 11:47am | Report comment
Mexico’s chances of playing in WC2010 look a bit dismal. Currenlty they are sitting in 5th place out of 6 in the CONCACAF Fourth Round H-A league with only the top three assured of a place and the fourth place side in a play off against probably one of Uruguay, Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia or perhaps Bolivia. Two of their last 6 matches are against last placed T&T however.
Mexico’s 13 appearances in the WC are partially due to the fact that they qualify from FIFA’s little joke at everyone’s expense, CONCACAF (aka the zone that exists to keep Coke and McD s happy) but once they get there they are usually not disgraced reaching two QFs and 4 R16s since 1970.