I think Australia’s sporting culture has always embraced any sport but the recent showing of the sold out MCG crowd in a dead-rubber qualifier, albeit against quality opposition and a chance to celebrate, was proof football is becoming an ever-growing part of our top tier football landscape.

Securing the 2018 or 2022 World Cup Finals would place the true football alongside AFL as the country’s most followed football code. I was at both Sydney qualifiers and was impressed but the Melbourne sporting public rightly own the tag “sporting capital of Australia”. Kudos to Melbourne for their effort.

Yes, I do remember the 1997 qualifier well, I was 15 at the time and it was a bad memory for me. There were a number of reasons why we lost that match and the biggest one was that our manager underestimated the opponents after we were up early in the match.

I think that in this day and age sports with a soul is important. I’m not someone that thinks a team should compromise spectacular displays of athleticism for results. That’s just me.

But yes, I am happy that the Socceroos have qualified and have achieved such a high place in the rankings. I don’t actually think that the side plays ugly football and doesn’t play beautifully, I think that their style has been criticised far too harshly by the Australian media, especially those from parts of the media that have an agenda against football.

1) FFA – the Australian Government scrapped the NSL and the ethnic tag was lost
2) Frank Lowey – he is the money man and if the A – League falls over this man tried all he could to keep it going.
3) SBS – should not be over looked as thier contribution to the game and thier stubborn outlook that it is ‘the world game’ and it is ‘football’. weather you agree or disagree with the commentator they love football and they love the Socceroos.
4) Attitude – the Socceroos seem more professional
5) Self Belief – call it arrogance or just self worth, I think every time the Socceroos run on the park they think they can win
6) Holland – Guus, Pim, Henk and tulips (although they might be from Afganistan tulip that is ) all come from there.
7) Asia -better comp, better teams, better football
Midfield, we have a midfield that can get the ball from the back line control and give meaning full service.
9) AIS – its a dedicated play to harness youth and give them some structured training and development.
10) The Australian public more knowledgable and support the Socceroos in thier droves, with crowds that any other international code would salivate over.
11) David Beckham / Posh hes a name and he has a product also play a bit of football has become a household name in Australia.
12) Aussie Government – has seen the potential in football, knows it the world game, keep the kids playing sport and funds WC bids.
13) Passion –
14) Pride – there seems to be a pride a want to play and an honor to play, i feel that the national team is know more important than the clubs. this is because of Kewell, Viduka, Schawarzter, Cahill they have set the bar to play for Australia its high and means a lot
15) Its doesnt have to compete with the other codes, its different from league, union and AFL. you can watch both Football and x or y with out being a traitor.
16) Kids the youth are keen and future is bright

“…Once the Socceroos‘ weak point, their backline has conceded just one goal in 14 World Cup qualifiers….”

To me that reads: one goal in 14 qualifiers. How can that possibly be intended to mean the final round with 8 games?

18. Good players like Rhys Williams really really do want to be part of the Australian NT

The reason why we are above Portugal and Mexico and also teams like Czech Republic.

Portugal are 3rd in their european qualifiers group and are struggling to qualify to the world cup. They are 7 points behind the group leaders Denmark and Most likely Denmark will qualify in Portugal expense.

Czech republic are 4th in their group behind Slovakia, Northern Ireland and Poland. 8 points behind group leaders.

Mexico are 4th in their group 6 points behind group leaders Costa Rica having lost to El Salvador, Honduras and USA in a WCQ. They are fighting for their lives in the WCQ and are no guarantee to qualify.

Portugal and Czech Republic and MExico may argue to be better players then Australia on paper but when it comes to pure results which is the ranking is based on then it’s not implausible to say that Australia are rank above those teams.

It’s true that for the neutral, Arsenal is easily the easiest on the eye in the EPL (especially when they have their best team on the paddock).

It’s also true that their defence has not been up to “big 4″ standard for yonks – and everyone knows it!!

But your post highights something that is so obvious, it’s always a surprise to me that people forget it: if you’re going to focus 100% on how you push the ball around the paddock, and have zero focus on set pieces – you are going to get done like a dinner time after time after time – such that it actually defeats the whole purpose of why you’re out there in the first place (a bit like having a weak keeper such that you are giving the opposition a two goal start every game).

As time goes on with no success to show for it, however, more and more of their supporters are becoming restless at this intransigency, for instance, recently when Arsene Wenger attended a meeting in which he had to field venemous comments and questions from Arsenal’s own shareholders about, among other things, the atrocious Arsenal defending, and the failure to win trophies.

Some of the dialogue from this meeting:

SHAREHOLDER: We have some great footballers in defence, but they don’t seem well drilled. Would you consider giving Tony Adams or Martin Keown a coaching role here?

WENGER: If we had a weakness this year it was defensively because, offensively, we performed well.

SHAREHOLDER: At Man United in the Champions League, you saw the way we defended the corner which led to their goal. The whole back four left three players unmarked, while Adebayor just wandered off.

WENGER: He’s a striker, he was looking to get forward and score.

SHAREHOLDER: Isn’t it the job of the coaches to make sure, when we’re defending, a player the size of Adebayor is marking?

WENGER: Do you really think you work 25 years in football but don’t tell these things to your players? You have to accept mistakes. With that goal I agree with you, it was a problem of concentration, but when a player is offensive-minded he can make this kind of mistake.

I’m a great believer in unbridled enthusiasm, but occasionally it pays to read one more time what you are about to put up before putting it up (not that I do that myself, I must admit, so yes, I am a hypocrite many times over).

Simon C would rather lose while playing the game “beautifully”.

One wonders whether he is old enough to remember the Iran game from 1997? A game in which we attacked the opposition goal from the outset and for a solid hour, peppering it with absolute impunity in a manner I have never, ever witnessed in any game before or since.

And yet we never made it to France? Why? Because:
1. lack of professionalism
2. manager switching off
3. a general and genuine distaste amongst the Australian side to make the game ugly
4. a complete lack of street smarts

Of course, the last two points are related. Any team on Earth with half an idea will make things as ugly as is possible if it means the ultimate prize – and that inlcudes all the Latin countries – in fact, above all, it especially includes them!!

Argentina did it in a home qualifier against us in 1993 – in one of the very ugliest games you are ever going to see, happily held out for a nil-all draw to make it to the WC (they actually won 1-0 when we scored a bizarre own goal from the corner flag that has to be seen to be believed).

In fact Brazil played as ugly as sin to win the WC in 1994 (they had little choice, they were up against an Italian team that had made survival on any basis the name of the game).

In fact footballing history of the last few decades suggests that ugly wins as often as not, maybe more so.

How is it possible that such unrealistic, over romanticsed sentiments can exist in the modern age?

Give me some of that stuff your on mate

I recommend reading Tim Vickery’s excellent article here:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/tim_vickery/07/15/copa.final/

In part, he obeserved:

“Argentina was overcome [3-0 against Brazil in the final of the Copa America] in physical terms — it lost the key 50-50 balls, and was unable to cope with the pace of the Brazilian counterattack. Argentina also found it difficult to pass its way through a Brazil side whose midfield was based more on lung power than finesse, and who made gratuitous use of the tactical foul. Brazil committed 37 fouls in the match — a huge amount in the context of the competition. They were not violent fouls, but they were enough to slow down the rhythm of Argentina’s passing.

It was in part for these very reasons that Brazil switched styles, putting the talent up front or at fullback and filling the midfield, which used to be the brains of the team, with battlers. My personal view is that it is not nearly as pleasing on the eye as the soccer it used to play. But the results are there in black and white, and now Brazil can add another Copa America win to its bulging trophy case.”

Brazil play a beautiful game and are ranked number 1 – we have talent that is potentially equal to the Brazilians and we have laid the foundations for a youth training regime in this country that will look at technically beautiful football, we can easily play the romantic game and still be successful.

WRONG. We conceded 4 goals. Why does everyone just conveniently forget that we lost to Iraq and China

2 things the media always wrongly assume
1) we conceded 1 goal in qualification
2) we were the last team to qualify for 2006 WC

SJ – well in the article’s defence there was also Neeskens. Neeskens and Duut means there is validity in saying dutch assistant”s”. Speaking of Neeskens anyone know what he is upto now (Braca stint with Frank Rijkaard) – pity he wasnt around for longer.

Mid
the best bit about that story is to hear the Nurnberg assistant acknowledge that to have a young player starting out in the NT is great motivation for him to perform well at club level, and therefore it’s great for the club – that it’s a two way street – it’s true and it’s great to hear a club acknowledge that.

Very much related to this article see the link below … will add more latter good article BTW.

http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/106756,new-deals-for-dario-and-spira.aspx

YOUNG Australian duo Matt Spiranovic and Dario Vidosic have signed new contracts with FC Nürnberg tying them to the club until 2011 with the option of a further year.

The Bavarian club, who will compete in Germany’s Bundesliga next season, moved to ensure the promising pair’s futures remained at the club on Wednesday by extending their current deals.

Nürnberg director Martin Bader said: “Matthew and Dario have shown that they can be relied on. We see that they are able to take the next step now and become a steady part for us.”

Spiranovic, 21, and Vidosic, 22, have both already been capped by the Socceroos and the news is a boost for the pair who are hopeful of making the Australia squad for the 2010 World Cup.

Nürnberg trainer Michael Oenning added: “I’m looking forward to keep on working with two young players who are also already in the Australian national team.

“That will also be an additional motivation for them to do a really good job for us.”

Vidosic, who played a big role in helping Nürnberg claim promotion last season with three goals at the back end of the campaign, admitted he was delighted with the contract extension but acknowledged he wants to repay the club for the faith they’ve shown in him.

“The trust that I’ve got here, I want to give it back and play my part in the new aim of remaining in the league,” Vidosic said.

Spiranovic, on the other hand, played little part in Nürnberg’s promotion campaign last season after a frustrating run with injuries kept him on the sidelines.

Although the length of the contract extension may have come as a surprise, with English Premier League club Fulham rumoured to be interested in the Socceroo, Nürnberg felt it was appropriate to secure his future.

Bader added: “When Matthew is fit, he is, because of his height, a complete central defender.”

And after a luckless run with injuries Spiranovic was positive about his future claiming: “I’m happy that I can be with them again. Now I’m only looking ahead.”

come on ‘roos!

I now about Henk Duut, but Graeme Arnold is Dutch now?