I started off my column last week mentioning Michael Cockerill and his curious column urging the Socceroos to go all out and “entertain” us against Uzbekistan, and he deserves another mention this week for doing a complete 360-degree turn on that on national television, saying he was a “results first” person and that qualifying for South Africa is more important than playing with style.
Jeez, Mike, please make up your mind, will you?
But at least Cocko knows who Pim Verbeek is, unlike Ken Sutcliffe, Channel Nine’s face of sport, who called the Australian national-team manager “Tim” in the evening bulletin before the game.
Walkley Award-winning stuff from the Who’s Who of News.
Hardly award-winning football, either, from Verbeek’s side, and you could tell our Dutch boss wasn’t happy with what he was seeing, grimacing on the bench like he was suffering from wind and agitatedly pacing up and down the sideline.
I doubt there was anyone at Stadium Australia other than the most inebriated Fanatic who liked what they were seeing up until Josh Kennedy pulled a rabbit out of hat in the 66th minute and sent the crowd into paroxysms of delight and Harry Kewell made it two to the good with a penalty in the 73rd .
Yes, the conditions were awful but that was no excuse for Australia being outclipped for a large part of the match by a group of Central Asians with mullets who were suffering jetlag.
The fitness levels of the Socceroos have to be questioned – or at the very least what they are doing in training.
But Australia has the three points it wanted and, depending on the result of Bahrain vs Qatar today, we could be on our way to the World Cup in South Africa.
Congratulations to Verbeek, his assistants Henk Duut and Graham Arnold, and the entire playing group. To qualify for the World Cup with three games to spare is a tremendous achievement.
I’ve asked it before, though: How are we going to go when we get there?
What presents to me as the Socceroos’ most urgent problem is striking options. Scott McDonald just doesn’t seem to have what it takes at this level and last night appeared more effective when he trailed off to the wing than he was as a target man.
The Socceroos need a world-class striker, a Mark Viduka or identikit of one, badly.
In defence, too, the selection of Michael Beauchamp was a worry when it was announced – and he lived up to expectations. Not that the Aalborg defender is a bad player, but he just never plays well for the national team and he was caught out a number of times in the first half because of poor positioning, dereliction of effort and lack of pace. Other than his height, what does he offer the team? I’m not trying to be mean. It’s a legitimate question I think needs to be answered.
The habit of just picking a player because he’s getting game time with his club – something Verbeek favours with McDonald, Beauchamp and Hull’s Richard Garcia all being picked for the starting XI – clearly doesn’t always guarantee form or the attacking chemistry required to get that “result”.
It wasn’t until Kennedy came on (arguably the most out-of-form, out-of-favour player in the entire squad) that the Socceroos looked consistently dangerous and took the game to the tiring Uzbekis. So a lot of unanswered questions for the Socceroos.
We got the “result” but at the World Cup we’re going to need to get results with style to get beyond the first round.
Like everyone else, I’m just waiting for that elusive alchemy to come.
Green n Gold 2010
Guest
SACK PIM!!! SUCKS AT ATTRACTIVE FOOTBALL FELLAS!! BRING ON PHIL TROUSSIER!! START NICKY CARLE!!!!
Midfielder
Guest
Sorry left some off A post from MV fans forum I agree with just posting here I think people often underestimate how difficult it can be to qualify for the world cup and I believe it should never be taken for granted no matter what team you have. In fact qualification into major tournaments is not exactly a given either. As I have mentioned the following case studies. England probably thought that anyone could have taken them into Euro08, especially when you have some big names like they do... Croatia ruined the party at Wembley, but they really had themselves to blame I reckon Cameroon and Nigeria probably took World Cup qualification for granted in the WC06 campaign, two respected nations with considerable talent. Holland with the talent they had and with Louis van Gaal in charge probably thought they would make WC02, didn't happen, Ireland pipped them to the playoff spot with Iran. I have heard time and time again about England v Poland at Wembley in 1973 So credit where credit is due for Pim. As I have said before people need to realise that there are nothing given with regards to World Cup Qualification and in elongated campaigns results are more important. Quality of play can be important in sudden death playoffs as an away goal for example can prove invaluable and the stakes are ultra high. Another issue is that it is simply impractical to always be able to play fantastic coherent football when the team only has two days training like with Japan awa If people look closely, even the European powerhouses have stuttered at times like France and Italy have often been sluggish, plus look to South America where in the initial stages it was Paraguay who had the early running and Argentina are getting beaten 6-1 by Bolivia etc Of course there is a need for Pim to develop the quality of play skills and tactical capacity in handling/reading high pressure situations like World Cup Football but that it catered for by some high quality friendlies like the one we have organised against Holland, with there being a need for a few more. Perhaps a few training camps to get some of the fringe players who have come on since 06 into gear and familiar and fluent with the system needs to be held. Similar to what Guus did in place of the Colombia friendly
Midfielder
Guest
A post from MV fans forum I agree with just posting here ...As I have said before people need to realise that there is nothing given with regards to World Cup Qualification and in elongated campaigns results are more important. Quality of play can be important in sudden death playoffs as an away goal for example can prove invaluable and the stakes are ultra high. Another issue is that it is simply impractical to always be able to play fantastic coherent football when the team only has two days training like with Japan awa If people look closely, even the European powerhouses have stuttered at times like France and Italy have often been sluggish, plus look to South America where in the initial stages it was Paraguay who had the early running and Argentina are getting beaten 6-1 by Bolivia etc Of course there is a need for Pim to develop the quality of play skills and tactical capacity in handling/reading high pressure situations like World Cup Football but that it catered for by some high quality friendlies like the one we have organised against Holland, with there being a need for a few more. Perhaps a few training camps to get some of the fringe players who have come on since 06 into gear and familiar and fluent with the system needs to be held. Similar to what Guus did in place of the Colombia friendly
Captain Random
Guest
People are blinded by results? How else would you measure a team's success? The best style is winning style. We all remember Iran '97. Does anyone really think we have a chance against a top-tier nation if we open the game up and play all-out atttack?
jimbo
Guest
Its weird. We've got a team that doesn't look too good at times but is unbeaten in five games and not conceded a goal. We've got a team that's even beaten Holland in Holland and beat them quite impressively. I'm thinking sh1t we are going to get thrashed in the WC, but hey, that tinny Dutch b@stard keeps on winning and keeps getting results. Maybe we'll get the results in the WC and make it to the knockout rounds - who the fark knows?
Midfielder
Guest
Would be interesting to see Jedi & Troisi in Center mid with Djite up front ...
rory
Guest
id love to see troisi and djite paired upfront, they would know eachothers game so well and add a bit more fluency in attack surely. or even seeing either one of em along side mcdonald, he needs a bigger skillful striker to hold the ball up for him like samaras and Jan vennegor of hesselink do at celtic, either one of the turksih based lads or big dukes himself would be lovely. and nicky deserves a shot, hes a starting regular at his club, it might be the championship but weve all seen his flair at home in the a-league. heres to pim though for gettin us to the brink of qualification, lets just hope he mixes it up and tests these other fellas against the irish and the other friendlies weve got lined up
Midfielder
Guest
Ben Agree especially Triosi..
Ben from Phnom Penh
Guest
Now the pressure is off somewhat will we see Triosi, Djite, Carle etc have a run? One hopes so.
Midfielder
Guest
Shonin Honestly .... these people who keep saying a bunch mostly of second league player should be playing like they are top and if they don't we are doomed .... Honestly .... making the WC is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooo important nay critical to the long term development of football in Australia so many posts by so many thinking people explaining why .... but ... honestly these folk who keep listening and re stating the impatient one's wishes like they had any real hope of being achieved... honestly they drive you made don't they mate .. I mean honestly I want it to be Christmas tomorrow so let it be so... so this bunch of players older and most struggling to get off the bench in second tier leagues honestly they should play like Brazil and take risks galore...
kevin from glebe
Guest
yes i think youre right Millster just getting there is more important than playing with flair at this stage of the campaign. if we had tried to play with flair and results didnt go our way then people would have been up in arms like many times before. i like many others have experienced already too much heartache with the soceroos not qualifying for many world cups and coming oh so close.
Millster
Guest
Ummm.... ok.... I would have thought that step one in winning a worrld cup was "just getting there" myself....
Shonin
Guest
Some people are so blinded by results. Do you honestly think, the frequent inept displays like in the first half will get us anywhere in the world cup? When will the national team stop relying on opponents to get tired to get the upper hand? I'm so sick of people saying Pim will adopt a different strategy in the world cup. Thats a load of bull. Through the whole campaign, Pim has shown little or no evidence that he is ready to adopt an attacking approach. If Pim has no courage to attack, tbh weaker opponents, then why would he do so against stronger opponent? Like the great Johnny Warren said, we should be thinking about winning world cups, not just getting there.
Dave
Guest
Time for the Socceroos to be given some FTA coverage?: "Socceroos set subscription TV record Thursday, 2 April 2009 The Australia v Uzbekistan World Cup Qualifier football match last night created a new Australian subscription TV record audience with an average audience of 431,000 people watching the game on FOX SPORTS. The three and a half hour telecast reached just under one million Australian viewers according to ratings recorded by OzTAM Data. These figures do not include the huge number of people who watched the match at one of the 4,000 FOX SPORTS venues around Australia. “This is an outstanding result for FOX SPORTS and the Australian subscription TV industry as it again reinforces our commitment to and investment in Australian sport” said FOX SPORTS CEO David Malone. “To achieve audiences of this magnitude is a clear indication of the strong growth of subscription TV and further evidence of the viewing audiences we can deliver.” Football Federation Australia (FFA) CEO, Ben Buckley, said that the record FOX SPORTS audience was further evidence of the popularity of the Qantas Socceroos. “We know from the 2006 FIFA World Cup that the Qantas Socceroos have a large following and Australians are genuinely excited about the possibility of us participating the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The Australia v Uzbekistan World Cup Qualifier had a higher average audience than any program in the history of Australian Subscription TV and a peak half hour audience of 508,000." From the FFA website.
Koala Bear
Guest
Millster, we haven't had a real midfielder with personality since the retirement of Zelic and Okon ... Culina is a fine player no question about that, but he does not have the personality to take a game by the scruff of the neck and put his stamp on the game .. Bresh comes close, but Pimbo, I think holds him back, by making him play right side of the field too much.. An example of Okon days .. I recall a match at Hampton Park Scotland.. the Roos dominated Scotland .. some years ago now .. but it was an extraordinary performance by Okon. He was totally in control of the midfield and leading the team with real authority.. Not too eager to release the ball .. but holding it ... moving forward ... making precision passes .. Culina is a fine player but is too eager to release the ball too soon instead of taking on players before making the killer pass... We can remedy the situation by giving Nicky Carle a go .. Someone who can carry the ball and get past a player before releasing that killer pass... A real personality player... My God we need one in a hurry... Millster, you better go back to the ANZ and tell Brett Holman he can stop chasing shadows now .. the game is over .. and we won .. :lol: ~~~~~~~~ KB
Pippinu
Roar Guru
Jimbo I'm a bit of a homebody, and avoid being in places where there are other people.
jimbo
Guest
Pip, nice touch. Hate to disappoint you but I got a personal message from Ben too. He's my buddy and I really was at the game, not like you. Still waiting for my email from Andy Dimitriou thanking me for attending a couple of Swans games last year or an update on how our AFL World Cup quest is going.
Pippinu
Roar Guru
Just got this personalised message from my good mate, Bucks (I'm sure he won't mind me sharing it with you all, we have that sort of relationship): Hi Pippu Wednesday night was another great occasion for football in Australia. While we haven't definitely booked our berth at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa yet, we're very close. I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who attended the match in person. It truly was a miserable night weather-wise in Sydney, but we still had a very vocal, passionate sea of gold around the Stadium and I know the players and coaching staff appreciated it. With only three games to go, all of us are quietly confident of making it to South Africa and I hope you can continue to be part of the journey. Thanks again for supporting the Qantas Socceroos. Cheers Ben Buckley
dasilva
Roar Guru
Agree Millster Culina distribution and long range passing was exceptional against Uzbekistan. He gave a lot of pin point passes that match.
Pippinu
Roar Guru
Millster you are correct about Culina - and really, Carle is well short of his quality. Only yesterday I wrote that Culina is as good on the attacking side of midfield as he is on the defensive side, and why GC has an unbelievably good signing there (of which I'm extremely jealous).