He has the ability to divide opinion like few in the game in Australia, but none have ever faulted Craig Foster’s love for the Socceroos.
Foster has never been shy of an opinion, and is paid to convey his thoughts by SBS.
But the former Socceroo, capped 29 times by his country, surely let passion stand in the way of reason in his remarkable attack on Pim Verbeek in the wake of the Socceroos’ 4-0 loss to Germany.
Crushing disappointment and incredulity greeted the result in Durban.
But for those in the know, the overriding emotion was more of anger than anything else.
You only had to witness Foster’s strong words to host Les Murray and pundit Craig Johnston to see that.
Foster believes the playing group has lost confidence in Verbeek, and there was plenty in the display against the Germans to suggest he might not be far from the truth.
But Foster’s suggestion that team selection be run past a national technical committee is well offside.
Foster believes a committee, compiled of former national team captains and other esteemed minds, would never have let Verbeek put his painfully defensive 4-6-0 out on the pitch.
“When that teamsheet came out, they would have walked in and said, ‘Mate, what’s happening?’,” Foster said.
“Australia could send some captains in and sit (Verbeek) down and say ‘You justify how you’re going to approach Ghana. What’s the approach and what’s the team. If we don’t like it, we’re going to change it. And if you don’t like that, you can walk’.”
A surprised Craig Johnston – between Foster and host Les Murray – immediately highlighted Foster’s “passion and tension”.
But Foster’s rant had already stirred memories of his infamous stoush with then-Young Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou.
When the steam stopped leaking from his ears, surely Foster doesn’t truly believe such a committee would work?
No coach would work under such a system.
Managers are hired to make the big decisions. Their careers live and die by the consequences.
Verbeek – for the first time showing the strain of pressure – has a damning stubborn streak and appears to lack the sort of nous to test the world’s best.
Unlike his predecessor Guus Hiddink, he also seems incapable of getting the best out of his selected squad. The images of Verbeek talking to a stone-cold Mark Bresciano on Tuesday needed no deciphering.
But undermining Verbeek’s responsibilities – at this stage or any – would do further harm to the Socceroos’ cause. Sacking him is incomprehensible.
Verbeek was the man charged by Football Federation Australia to guide the country through qualifying and onto the grandest of stages.
He’ll be gone soon enough for the foreign soil of Morocco, but he is here for now.
While it would take a drastic reversal of form, the Socceroos can still save their World Cup campaign.
Further muddying the waters of doubt won’t help them a jot.
jackblack
Guest
fozz was basically pointing out that the team line up and tactics for the Germany game were ridiculous.....it was an untried formation with several 2nd string players playing out of position. i freaked when i saw the lineup....his point is that anyone who knows anything about football would have questioned the tactics well before the game.....clearly no one in the FFA has this role...... lastly alot of people say that Fozz is not objective.....do we want someone without an opinion???...... he is an analyst and clearly has his views on the best way to play each game which for me is what i expect from a football expert. In my opinion he has been proved correct on so many occasions.....He questioned the abilities of Ang Post, Verbeek and Arnold....why because over the long run they are did nothing to improve the quality of football players or the way we play the game. Just look at how good nathan burns is playing for AEK and ask urslef why he wasnt in the WC played only a month ago....littlelone the olympics under arnold??? If you dont like what Fozz is saying...then just keep on playing the longball up the middle.
Wug
Guest
All this negativity is pointless. Let's just get behind the socceroos and hope.........
Annie Girl
Guest
I believe Craig Foster has exceptional insight into the game of football. I love his comments before, during and after a game. Sure, he was fired up about the loss and that got the better of him. He is human- he has passion for this wonderful game and he doesnt want to see Australia take significant steps backwards, which we have done under Verbeek. Let him rant! He will calm down. It's all good. Go Fozzie!
Al
Guest
They would be told to "suck it and keep on sucking it".
Al
Guest
Plus futsal, Warren was huge in wanting to get young Aussie kids playing futsal.
Mick
Guest
Foz went over the top but Robbie Slater & Simon Hill have been saying during the qualifiers Australia is getting results so the performance does not matter...... so you go from 1 extreme to the other
Eamonn Flanagan
Guest
Fozzie v Cockerill both seemed to have lost the plot. Fozzie is great but his thoughts on the former Captains giving approval are laughable? What Coach would work under the regime? Okay okay who would you have? Get Santa Cilaura on to it Okon, Wadey and the Foz himself...can you imagine how that would work? Or The Duke..let him do it by himself as he's the only one to captain a World Cup team.
Midfielder
Guest
Fozzie ... is becoming a joke ... and sadly those things he does well are being over shadowed by his rants...
Adam C
Guest
A technical committee isn't a good idea - a better one would be, say, hiring a decent manager.
cruyff turn
Roar Rookie
Fozz, like all of us, has a right to be angry after the performance against Germany, as well as the tactics used by Verbeek. But the idea of a technical committee overseeing the coach's work is poorly thought out. First, FFA are making noises about forking out $6 million for the next coach - so with that money it'll be a big name. Now can anyone imagine this guy being answerable to a bunch of former Australian players - some of whom may have no coaching experience? I can just see Kosmina or Yankos trying to grill a Rijkaard or someone of that ilk!!! The man would think, "Who the f*** are these people? I'm on $6million a year, I've played and coached at the highest level, and I'm having to report to these clowns?" Also, TWG and particularly Fozz, have been banging on for as long as I can remember about having a foreign influence in our coaching system. That I totally agree with, for we don't have the expertise to get the best out of our players, especially at youth level. Yet I find it hugely ironic, as well as contradictory, that the national coach (most likely a foreigner) would have to be answerable to a group of former Socceroos.
Harvey the Scouser
Roar Guru
itd be a bit like John Travolta bursting onto the training track saying: hi guys, I'm here to motivate you to new heights oh, wait,
Gob Bluth
Guest
Zero chance of any big name coach this country wants ever agreeing to that deal. And you can forget any coach ever listening to Foster as well, his playing career was decidely average and him bursting into a change room, holding a teamsheet and saying "what's going on here" would be a farce.
Harvey the Scouser
Roar Guru
he used to refer to "width" a fair bit, at a time when no one in Australia referred to "width"
Fisher Price
Guest
All Warren said was "Brazil" and "penetrate the flanks".
Ainsand
Guest
Well "Shock Jock" Craig Foster has done what his paymaster wants. More people tuning in to SBS to watch the coverage and bump up the advertising rates so that SBS can get back the $25m for the 2010 & 2014 World cup broadcast rights. In these days of mutiple media outlets/options you have to make yourself noticed.
Joe FC
Guest
Can't argue with you Paddy.
bazza
Guest
Should they get Craig Foster to manage the Socceroos or someone who knows what they are doing?
yossarian
Guest
DAC007 from what the FFA have said they aren't attracting any coaches of note for the gig after he's gone now! I think all the signs are there that this position going forward is a poisoned chalice, and other than money and a nice lifestyle in Oz there is very little else going for it - correct me if I'm wrong but isn't Lowey saying that we'll have to 'up' the money even more to try and attract someone?. Generally like Foster, although his continual myopic view of South American football can grate at times, but to sack PV now is akin to firing the captain of the Titanic just before it disappeared beneath the waves, and then saying to the band 'what do you think we should do?'.
drew777
Roar Pro
anyone have a link to those pictures of Bres and Verbeerk?
Lu
Guest
Imagine a group of ex Argentinian captains went up to Maradona during Argentinas semi-disasterous qualifying campaign and questioned the great mans approach.. they would be imprisioned for treason.. lol