Comments on: Australia labour to victory against Bahrain

By: jimbo

jimbo — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 13:27:51 +0000

Matsu,
the swine flu is the fault of our rugby league players who have poor hygene and share hotel rooms with their drunken team mates and strange women.

May our Socceroos gold and green give the Samurai Blue a game good.

You haven’t appeared on the Iron Chef program lately have you?

By: jimbo

jimbo — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 13:23:34 +0000

Bay35Pablo
yeah the refereeing was hopeless in the Bahrain game and didn’t help the spectacle.

He blew the whistle every time the Aussies touched one of the Bahrainis, who of course fell over dramatically. The stretcher got plenty of use and when it came off the field they miraculously got back up and came back on.

It amazes me the cheating and time wasting tactics that some of these Asian teams use, when they are the ones that need to win and a draw is no good to them – stupid really.

By: Matsu

Matsu — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 13:08:36 +0000

Cavalier? Thats the spirit.
As they say down under, “good on ya, mate.”

. . . and dont go too hard on your boys when they lose to the “understrength” (and gauze-masked) Samurai Blue. (^c,~)

By: Captain Random

Captain Random — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 05:57:51 +0000

I thought the ref gave away a lot of soft fouls. The thought occured during the game that if this ref is representative of referees from the Arab region, then that could be part of the reason that their teams struggle on the world stage. Simply put, they’re used to soft fouls being awarded, and struggle when they aren’t. (There are many other factors, of course.)

Similarly, Australia struggles against the kind of ref like the one we had against Bahrain because they are used to greater tolerance for the physical stuff.

By: Bay35Pablo

Bay35Pablo — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 04:44:24 +0000

Was it just me, or were the refs garbage. I’m not being one eyed, but they really seemed far more willing to dish out the penalties and yellow cards to Australia.

By: Mike Tuckerman

Mike Tuckerman — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 04:40:34 +0000

We’re a cavalier bunch Down Under, my dear Matsu.

I’ve known for a long time that Japan are referred to as Samurai Blue but having had my descriptor changed by more than one editor, I thought I’d play it safe this time and adopt the same misnomer that everyone else does.

Still, criticism accepted and I’ll go against the grain from here on in!

By: Matsu

Matsu — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 11:10:02 +0000

Well Mike, Now that youre back in OZ, Im afraid Im going to have to start treating you like any other Ozzie reporter. Im afraid I have to take you to task for your improper use of the Japan NT trademark.

Please take a close look at this picture:

http://www.toyskingtoys.com/images/141z.jpg

Hey! Thats right! . . . the nickname of the Japan NT is “Samurai Blue”

You, of all people, should know better. “Samurai” is used as a modifier, in Japanese, and rarely if ever as a stand-alone noun, the way it is used in English. The folks at Saturday Night Live actually had it correct, back when they did their skits on “Samurai Chef”, “Samurai Dentist”, “Samurai Barber” . . .etc. So please help out, by getting the name right in your own articles, and if possible, by trying to set straight all the clueless gits who keep calling the Japan NT “the Blue Samurai”.

By: Mike Tuckerman

Mike Tuckerman — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 03:07:32 +0000

In regard to Holman, I just don’t think Pim has any viable alternatives in mind.

Others have also noted it, but I too wasn’t overly impressed with Mile Jedinak’s performance. If we need a player to consistently play square balls to a team-mate standing two metres away, we already have Jason Culina.

By: whiskeymac

whiskeymac — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 01:18:59 +0000

Sj – …cheeky comparison, like it…

Carle’s appearance did smack of tokensim on Pims part. Pim was probably grateful Carle didnt score a brace.imagine what he would have had to do then =)

By: whiskeymac

whiskeymac — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 01:15:22 +0000

yeah i must say, and no disrepect to those who came on, but i was disappointed with those changes when they did come. they were hardly experimental and didn’t give rise to anything new being found out or realised… there’s nothing experminetal in a line up that swaps coyne for north. I understand that Spiranovic was ill and cldnt play, more the shame, but williams maybe? still hope springs eternal for the japan game (allegedly an understrength Japan team being sent over which wont take away bragging rights if we win)… and then ireland..and then holland.

By: Slippery Jim

Slippery Jim — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 01:14:14 +0000

Whiskeymac, probably gave Carle 8 mins on the park when we were 1-0 up for the same reason SBS Journo Vitor Sobral got a run in a match for A-League team Gold Coast Utd recently…

http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/blogs/vitor-sobral/another-day-in-the-life-of-an-a-league-player-190840/

By: Vicentin

Vicentin — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 01:10:00 +0000

Ok, I lied. +1. Where is the hypocrisy – you’ve stated (by strong implication before you get technical on me) that I’m one of the ignorant masses and my opinion has no value as I don’t have the appropriate credentials? I’ve then suggested for consistency you should desist too unless you wish to offer your expert credentials. Selective use of statistics and opinions of people that you choose to “regard” to support your arguments while ignoring others ….blah blah blah

Stop hitting me!
What?
Stop hitting me! I came here for an argument.
Oh, that’s next door, this is being hit on the head lessons.

By: Pippinu

Pippinu — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 01:00:59 +0000

whiskey
this is the question isn’t it? for the last 25 to 30 minutes, we could have given a couple of blokes some real game time and seen what they’re capable of

By: whiskeymac

whiskeymac — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 00:54:14 +0000

exactly pip. why continually stick with Holman for over 80 minutes when he already knows what he does for the team – surely these next few games now provide an opportunity to try out others he isnt so sure about, like Carle, or could give a chance too (vidosic or djite) etc.

By: Pippinu

Pippinu — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 00:46:07 +0000

sj
I can’t answer Pim’s question, I don’t really follow Carle or his team (I can’t even remember which team he plays for).

But – we all know he played well in the one and only start he has ever had at NT level (when Baan was caretaker and I think it was against Nigeria, where Carney scored a screamer to win the game).

Now that might be about 18 months ago now, not sure.

It just seems a little pig-headed of Pim that he wouldn’t give Carle more than 7 minutes once our WC spot was all but secured.

By: Slippery Jim

Slippery Jim — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 00:24:53 +0000

Vicentin, are you seriously being so hypocritical as to lecture me on the fact that ‘this is a blog, other people are entitled to their opinions’ and I ‘should respect that’ etc etc, and then have the cheek to tell me “Perhaps you should desist from offering your opinion too…”?

I am simply responding to your comments and those of others, that’s how conversation and discussion works. I go one better than a lot of people on the roar by providing reasons, facts, and quotes from experts to explain why I hold those opinions.
~~~

Slippery Jim

“I don’t want to speak about Nicky Carle anymore. Let’s start playing football first. How many games did he play the last months? Years? Let’s first show himself, his qualities, the last time he played well was here in the A-League. That’s two years ago.”

-Socceroos coach Pim Verbeek

By: Pippinu

Pippinu — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 23:10:35 +0000

I’ll just say this about Holman. From the moment I laid eyes on him a few years back when he debuted for the Socceroos, I haven’t liked him. There, I’ve admitted to my own personal prejudice on the matter (I’ve never seen him play at club level, and we all have to admit that he has played for at least one decent team in a decent comp).

My main reason for my dislike? His first touch was, and remains, absolutely dreadful, honestly, it’s shocking beyond description – so I just have trouble watching him because I anticipate that anytime he receives the ball, he’ll either have to regather it (and thankfully he has the engine and maybe even smarts to find plenty of space), or he’ll lose it as quickly as he received it.

So I admit to everyone, it grates on me watching him play.

There, I’ve said it.

I’ll add – I’m not an unabashed Carle fan – I don’t really know whether he has what it takes. I know that he played one good game when he got a start under Baan (was it against Nigeria??) – but agree with others that Pim could have given him more than 7 minutes the other night – it was hardly life and death by that point.

By: Vicentin

Vicentin — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 22:46:53 +0000

SJ, it’s a blog and one is allowed to have an opinion – something you should think about respecting occasionally. Keep bringing out your selective quotes and statistics while ignoring all those that don’t support your argument – we all know your M.O. Bring up Kewell comments about Holman/Ignore Cahills on Nick Carle etc and then continue your “full field press” until others can’t be arsed to argue against you anymore. Life is too short. Using your argument anything that Graham Arnold (or think of more comical examples) says – as he has coached a National Team, has great merit, but anyone else’s has none as they are a pleb. Perhaps you should desist from offering your opinion too unless you want to divulge your professional footballing expertise status? I’m finished on this one – see Life is too short.

By: The Bear

The Bear — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 22:03:53 +0000

I don’t mind laboured wins against a desperate Bahraini team, especially when Pim is taking chances playing squad members. I think Holman had his chance..that’s gotta be about 25 caps now! Interestingly Holman plays club as a striker, but Pim chooses to play him as a CAM, does anyone else think that is strange? LOl, “chaos in human form”… may just put that quote in my sig.

By: Slippery Jim

Slippery Jim — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 21:09:21 +0000

Vicentin, I take it you are a qualified national coach then, after all of those decades of experience and knowledge? No? Then perhaps Pim, Guus, van Marwijk and other professional national managers still know best when it comes to player selection…

~~~

Slippery Jim

“There was no balance on the midfield, Brett Holman had all the time and space to do whatever he wanted…Nigel de Jong, Mark van Bommel and Rafael van der Vaart had trouble anticipating his movement and need to learn from this match…against Russia with playmaker (Andrei) Arshavin, Van Bommel and De Jong played well but against (Australia’s) Brett Holman they never got control”

- Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk

By: Ben of Phnom Penh

Ben of Phnom Penh — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 16:10:15 +0000

I’m struggling to understand what the point of the article is, unless it is an attempt by the author to set a new benchmark for journalistic ineptitude, in which case it is a masterpiece.

By: Midfielder

Midfielder — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 14:55:27 +0000

Jimbo

That guy is an arse and should be fired for writing that stuff.

By: jimbo

jimbo — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 14:32:12 +0000

The anti-soccer tripe in the Telegraph continues:

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,25619046-5017479,00.html

This is news?
This is sports journalism?

How many more novice league writers are going to share their wisdom about football between now and the World Cup next year?

By: Ben of Phnom Penh

Ben of Phnom Penh — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 14:31:55 +0000

Midfielder, I agree that Troisi is one that is ready to step up.

By: Midfielder

Midfielder — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 13:54:25 +0000

Vicentin

Just for you enjoy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXHeWruItPQ&feature=PlayList&p=82489A03EDFE5DB7&index=4&playnext=5&playnext_from=PL

Plus http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=&search_query=james+troisi&aq=0&oq=james+tro

By: Vicentin

Vicentin — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 12:42:06 +0000

Midfielder – I rate Troisi too, and would like him to be given a decent chance as well. In fact I believe he’s capable of running around a lot like Holman but has footballing qualities to boot. SJ, in my ignorant opinion amassed over nearly forty years of playing, watching and coaching the game Holman’s got nothing – but a dopey haircut.

By: tifosi

tifosi — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 11:20:04 +0000

slippery jim

i think the cheer was more for holman coming off than carle coming on. I dont think he is a great player either.

By: Slippery Jim

Slippery Jim — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 09:55:55 +0000

Vicentin, not so sly, just my opinion based on facts not mythology. And a critical mass of national managers feel that Holman is better than Carle by quite some distance – and they are the ones with matter. I am thankful that the ignorant masses are not in charge of our national squad.

By: Midfielder

Midfielder — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 09:53:40 +0000

Can I say as LOUD as I can the JAMES TROISI is a much better player than Nicky and is playing first grade each week and scoring goals on a regular basic… the real tragedy is why Troisi is not in the squad … I understand from media reports that Pim has spoken to Troisi and his time will come very soon…

On the Scotty thing I was at the game last night and can honestly say his touch and balance is well above most on the team but as I have said before Ruka and David Williams must also come into consideration..also never forget the other two stirkers on the bench … Dario VIDOSIC, & Bruce DJITE

By: Eamonn

Eamonn — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 09:46:26 +0000

Mick of Newie

As a Celtic fan can I just say Scott McDonald, in my view, missed the chances to win Celtic the title. It went to a blue team and that hurt. But more importantly Scott might score a lot for Celtic but we tend to attack any bugger who turns up, and we have creative guys like Nakamura and a heap of big fellas alongside him to help him….oh and a huge budget compared to the other SPL teams.

Scott scored many this season…but the two he missed…and he missed many..would have won us the title!

My money is on Nikita Rukavystya from the bench in the World Cup. He’s fast, caused the Argentinians a stir in the Olympics and he’s as much chance of getting a goal as anyone. Let’s hope he gets some game time in Holland this year.

But why does Wilkshire take the free kicks…does he think he’s our Ronaldo!