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On Tuesday night, thousands of Australian football fans will have to put their hands up and in unison say, “I’m sorry, Holger.”
They will have to say sorry for doubting whether he was the right man for the job and sorry for wanting him axed over the last 18 months.
The end of the ‘golden era’ for the Socceroos, which occurred between the end of the last World Cup and the 2011 Asian Cup final loss to Japan, had been on the cards for some time.
The teams for the 2006 and 2010 World Cups, with the omission of one or two players, notably Mark Viduka, were pretty much the same.
The 2014 World Cup was always going to be tricky for whichever manager came in.
What Holger did, however, was not sack all of the old guys for the new. Nor did he beg the older players like Brett Emerton and Jason Culina to hang around.
He instead mixed the old with the new; let natural attrition allow those like Vince Grella and Harry Kewell to move on, and keep those still able to perform at international level, like Mark Bresciano, Tim Cahill and Lucas Neill.
He didn’t neglect the new, nor did he neglect the A-League. Unlike Pim Verbeek, who rubbished the A-League, Holger promoted players from the national competition to the national team if form was warranted.
He has brought through younger players like Robbie Kruse and Tommy Oar, whilst sticking with those still playing well enough to play for Australia.
A few hiccups along the way shouldn’t take away from the fact Holgar has managed the Australian team very well since he took over three years ago.
This team doesn’t have anywhere near the quality to win a World Cup. Unlike the 2006 team that made the Round of 16 and had a genuine chance to do something amazing, this current team won’t get close to that.
However, making the World Cup and coming home with a wet sail will be a great achievement for Holger and this current squad of players.
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