There is a time for building confidence in your FFA and there is a time for accountability to be the cornerstone of that confidence. After the Olyroos’ performance at the Olympics, this is one of those times.
Bonita Mersiades, Public Affairs of the FFA has said, “people are entitled to their view and for every person who thinks that the team played poorly at the Olympics, there will be another who says that it played well.”
“We did not say that we are champions of the world. All we said was that we would like our teams to win, which is not unreasonable. Why else would we go there?”
Well, Bonita, and the FFA, many of us saw these Olympics as a chance to put on our best performance and best team in a very tough group.
None of this was attained.
Even by your own standards for this tournament, by failing to get a medal, you have failed. And now you are back-peddling.
Football Federation Australia, as your employers, the Australian Public, we would like to arrange an appointment with you. We would like a report as to how our Olympic team failed to win a medal, not even clearing the group phase.
We were told confidently how we had a good chance for a medal. However, many of us noticed that some great talent was left out, and the eventual team had very little semblance to the team that got us into the Olympics in the first place.
I even recall the strut and nonchalance of the FFA’s manager in the pre-Olympic press conference. It was a serious medal assault, not a development luxury, so we were told.
You looked us straight in the eyes and said that a medal was the benchmark for success. You assured us that the best team had been assembled. It is only fitting, then, that your appointed coach be present to explain these details.
Many of us saw the warning signs.
We started noticing that our captain was being played out of position in the lead-up games, and that another notable defensive player seemed destined to be sitting on the bench, replaced by a new recruit.
We actually had a wealth of talent, defensively, in the squad already, and then we had been told that the over-age North was to be joining the lads in China as well.
We could have been building our own Great Wall, it seemed, if required.
There were many head scratching moments with the forward line, as well.
A player freshly drafted in from the Perth Glory started in two of our three group games, despite being told he was earmarked for a bench role and to be used only in cases where a game needed something different up front.
A lot could be said of the tactics, but I feel it would be unjust to ask questions before your manager, Graham Arnold, had the opportunity to be present himself to face the music.
The selections, alone, imply a manager not up to the task.
It is only fitting that we arrange this appointment soon as we all have much work to do. We have a World Cup in South Africa to prepare for, and another Asian Cup (we want a much better effort and result, then last time) ready to kick off in the New Year.
And I think you shall find that these words are not unduly harsh, nor unrepresentative of the majority of Australian football fans.
We are not interested in repeating the mistakes of the past, so let’s hear it.
Give us all something to be confident about. The credibility of Australian Football is at stake.
Pippinu
Roar Guru
We now all understand that PIm is cautious (perhaps ultra cautious), so heading into Tashkent in 10 days time, do people expect Pim to go in with all guns blazaing? 4-2-4? Forget about the 2nd half the other day, there were about 6 changes. Look to the first half, at least 9 of the 11 will be playing in those same positions and it will be a very similar structure (something like a 4-2-2-1-1). The South African manager should be worrying more about where his team is currently ranked than whether Australia plays like Brazil (who have played pragmatically since at least 1994).
jimbo
Guest
After the game today, SA coach Santana said "South Africa are similar to Brazil in the way they play - my players treat the ball with love and care," "That's why we play football. I would never want to play the way Australia play - my players don't have those characteristics." Being Dutch isn't everything and I can't say I disagree especially after the second half performance. We are a bit underdone and will get done by the Uzbeks in a couple of weeks, if we keep playing for a defensive draw. BTW there are 13 football programs (about 20 hours of football) on Fox Sports tomorrow.
Midfielder
Guest
Dasilva Agree ...... who will be next I hope Dutch so as not to break the pattern and style we have been heading for. At the same time local coaches should be inivited to look and see how its done. TBH any if not all the A-League coaches and maybe a couple og the old NSL coaches could do with a bit more training .. it would be good for the A-League ...... remember all but Kossie & Mitchell (he was not appointed at the time)m went overseas to improve and its in the coaching were we need to improve.
dasilva
Guest
Cpaaa, just be patient. Arnold will be sack at least from the under 23 side within a fortnight or so and there is signs that he may even resign as assistant coach of soccerroos. Look at Pim picking bruce Djite to the soccerroos squad and Arnold not even attending the match even though the olympics is over. Its quite suspicious that the assistant coach did not attend Australia vs South Africa. while he is holidaying in Beijing. Mark my word, he will be gone by the end of this month at the most.
Cpaaa
Guest
..sorry just got back in. slippery jim your suggestion on the hire format instead of sackarnold dosnt do it for me and it sounds far to polite. im over giving this man a chance after chance and he still thinks he should be there. he dosnt have the charisma to be choosing and running our elite, actually he dosnt tick any of the boxes at all. i think sackarnold is as polite and diplomatic as it can possibly get. Gary Van Egmond...yep sounds like a good choice to me. only a pity we didnt have him at these olympics, im sure Nicky Carle would of had a look in.
Midfielder
Guest
Bear Welcome to the Roar love the psots love the passion. Also and for the record as was heard at Spirit Point after about 12 rounds ........ ARNOLD OUT
Slippery Jim
Guest
Indeed, The Bear, great post, interesting thoughts, you have finally convinced me to give you a cheer (to be completely honest I can't remember if I have given you one already). I have made similar comments about the great "is sport art" debate in the past...
The Bear
Guest
Thought i'd pop my head in sometime tonight, and what do i see, Slippery Jim offering something positive, more than a Devil's Advocate in your kit bag, eh? I'd throw my support for the Egg. Especially if it means not having to write an essay of Russian Art in the Modern Era for Jim, though i definitely have a soft spot for kooky Minimalist Art. Don't get me started on Dadaism, tho, you won't hear the end of it. Slippery Jim, i have finally resolved our impasse. I do not live in a black and white world, though I think you believe otherwise. I push for playmakers, cos we have an abundance of players who could be called workhorses in the squad incl. Wilkshire, Beauchamp and Holman. If caution mandates that Pim leave playmakers like Carle on the bench, then he will live or die with those decisions. If we continue to fail to create opportunites, let alone finish them, then he will criticised for that. I am only pushing for a balanced squad. I appreciate both edges of the blade, to be honest. Finesse and fitness. In Football, the marriage of the two is ideal, in any one player, but we must accept that is rarely the case in reality. So in Art I can appreciate an IKBlue canvas, and call that Art, as much as a French Impressionist canvas of Water Lillies, or a Dutch styled photo-realist Potrait. Also i like rugs, and tapestries...but that's not Art, that's Craft (sorry, could not help to throw that jibe in). Anyway, the main point is, for me, Football can be Artistic, sure. But it is not Art, in itself. It is Sport, "at the end of the day". So any metaphor you care to use to address aspects of the Artistry of Sport will ultimately fail. Conversely, it goes the same for saying there is Sport in Art, and some Artists may feel competitive (Picasso, ...?maybe) and goal driven, but it would be the exception. Art is transcendent of competition, that's why it works so well, as "ART" BTW, Anti-Football would be to score goals, in your own net. I don't even think Arnold would go that far to prove he has his own "vision" of a unique style of Football. He may prove to be a decent coach one day, but he hasn't got the goods, especially at International level, yet. And why should he? It took Guus alot of time and experiences to be Guus. Let's shake hands and move on, yeah ; ) Graciously, The Bear
Midfielder
Guest
and leave Newcastle in the hands of Con ................... OOOOOO Nooooooo .......... as screamed in Macauthur's Park
Slippery Jim
Guest
You've won me over too, now all we need is the website...how about it cpaaa?
Towser
Guest
Good thought dasilva
dasilva
Guest
OK replacement for Graham Arnold as assistant coach for Australia and the coach of olyroos for London 2012 Gary Van Egmond This will please the people on SBS like Craig Foster because he plays possession football . It will also please people like Cockerill at FOxsports as he is Australian Win win situation to me.
Slippery Jim
Guest
Wouldn't it be more solutions-based and proactive to create a site "Hire [insert suggested replacement for Arnold here] for Australian National team coach" Otherwise it just all comes across as rather sour hate-mongering...just a thought.
Cpaaa
Guest
....so until such a time comes we will continue writing,reading and replying to articles related to graham arnold. so slippery jim your right the site should read olyroos coach or national assistant coach, but the problem remains the same.
Cpaaa
Guest
considering that fans want arnold dropped completely from all national duty i do feel its relevant. and until we have a capable manager making calculated decisions and not hail marys, then i do feel this site will remain open until such a time comes. i just hope it is before 2010
Slippery Jim
Guest
Errr...Arnold is not the national team coach, Pim is, so seems rather unnecessary to sack him as such, cpaaa.
Cpaaa
Guest
all that feel that arnold should not be there. sign the petition WWW.SACKARNOLD.COM the people are voting
Koala Bear
Guest
Towser, I think the A-league is on the right track and will continue to improve technically and tactically.. However, we have always struggled to produce strikers who can smack a ball with such ferocity .. I have seen a lot of Australian football over 45yrs or more, and I can only name a handful that could hit a ball as hard as those Nigerians did last night.. Ray Bartz (midfielder) Charlie Yankos (Central Defender) even Kossie (Striker) .. However, I'm not saying I haven't seen some clever goals in Australian Football, but, for sheer ferocity on a consistent basis no; we need to focus and improve our over all strikes on target like we saw last night.. The Viduks and Kewells have it on occasions; but they had to go to Europe to find the nack.. I do believe we lack the ferocity and power in our shooting in Australia. Maybe the air is thicker down under :) but when you see the goals in European competitions they do seem to travel a lot quicker and faster thru the air on a straight line.. I don't know the answer, but do we need to strengthen up the thighs or more shooting practice for the lads; I think we better find out .. But all in all what has been happening on the local seen is not bad in my opinion.. A damn lot better then in the days of "Soccer Australia".. ~~~~~~~ KB
Vicentin
Guest
I've too much work on at the moment to do it justice, but why don't you invite ol misty over? He'll have something to say on the topic for sure. cheers
Pippinu
Roar Guru
Tapestry is to rug as Carle is to Holman. That's actually a lot cleverer than I first thought - sometimes I truly surprise myself - we could make a thesis out of this! I'll await your responses before I chime in with mine.