It’s not too late. Frank Lowy, David Gallop and the rest of the FFA must act now and change the Socceroos manager, saving us from the looming embarrassment that will be Brazil next June.
The FFA heads have to show leadership, making the type of tough call they were reluctant to with Pim Verbeek and have so far dogmatically refused under take against Holger Osieck.
But yesterday morning’s embarrassing 6-0 defeat in Brasilia should serve as the perfect evidence of why change is necessary, and now.
This looked a team with no purposeful plan, a collection of our most experienced players thrown out by a manager disposed to relying on these veterans to work it out for themselves.
Yes, there was something resembling a plan, and that was to sit back and try and limit the damage.
Right from the opening few minutes it was clear that the Roos looked happy to drop off to their 18 yard box and give Brazil the ball.
The decision to effectively sit and counter can be an effective tactic if the team has been set up with the right instructions, balance of players and, more importantly, the right frame of mind.
That’s the key point here.
For whatever reason it didn’t appear that the players yesterday believed they could do anything to contain or hurt a Brazil side that admittedly is looking great ahead of a home World Cup in less than nine months.
There looked to be very little urgency or organisation in the defensive game-plan.
When Neymar got the ball down and ran at right back Ryan McGowan, ducking back on the inside to find space for the cross that led to the opener, there was no-one doubling up with McGowan to block Neymar’s avenue.
He had all the time to dink a cross over that exposed Matt McKay for Bernard to volley against the post and Jo to follow-up.
The classy Brazilians exposed every aging weakness in this Roos side, moving the ball crisply, winning it swiftly, stretching us by utilising the flanks and exposing every gap on the Roos structure.
The Socceroos were both unable to put up an effective barrier of resistance or sustain anything resembling a passage of possession.
Only when we won a succession of corners and aimed them at the likes of Sash Ognenovski, Josh Kennedy and Mile Jedinak did we look anything like a threat.
This was a team that looked frightened, the type of characteristic that is often said to be associated with younger sides.
Yet here was a side featuring a spine full of players in their mid-30’s.
Rather than be emboldened for the challenge, they look like a team afraid to take a risk and make a mistake.
In many ways, yesterdays performance and result seemed an inevitability. One that has been years in the making.
Perhaps it’s the type of result the powers that be needed to see.
Surely now there can be no doubt that the national team, under its current leader, with a team far beyond its used-by date, will struggle in Brazil.
It’s unlikely the likes of Lowy and Gallop will hear too much of a clamour for change from the dressing room. Why?
The reality is that Osieck has extended the national careers of most of the players on show yesterday by at least a few years.
Change would bring them much uncertainty.
It’s not often you’ll hear me agreeing with John Kosmina, but for once I found myself nodding with his post match suggestion that the Roos should start building towards a home Asian Cup in 16 months.
Out with the current manager and a bevy of players and in with a fresh man able to inspire a change in the national team’s psyche.
Right now it looks a team being administered its final rights.
What it needs is a manager strong enough to come in and make the tough calls to resuscitate, just as Guus Hiddink did in 2005.
Whether there is a suitable candidate overseas depends on the strength of the FFA’s scouting network. He must be a manager who has clearly demonstrated an ability to build a competitive team, on the up, in a short period.
We’re not looking for one that’s going to win the World Cup, but one that’s at least competitive in the first stage, and on the rise towards January 2015.
If no suitable candidate is available, the FFA should have no hesitation in going for an Australian.
To my mind there are two managers most suited, Ange Postecoglou and Graham Arnold.
The latter comes from the position of having worked closely with Hiddink in 2005 and 2006 to bring significant structural change in a short space of time.
Since then he has clearly demonstrated, at A-League level, that he can build something.
The question the FFA would need to ask
is just how much Arnold has learnt from his previous national team experience and what he would do differently.
Primarily, Arnold would need to show he can distance himself from the friendships he forged both as a teammate and manager of many of the current crop.
Postecoglou comes from not having worked in the Socceroos set up.
Therefore it may be easier for him to take a more umbrella approach, distancing himself from the current batch, allowing him to make the tough calls needed.
While his experience with the A-League All-Stars wasn’t exactly the perfect interview, he has demonstrated, with the Brisbane Roar and Melbourne Victory, he has the strength to do things his way.
Irrespective, either man appears capable of getting more out of our World Cup campaign and building towards the Asian Cup than Osieck. It’s time for FFA to bite the bullet.
nachos supreme
Guest
Will pay closer attention in future. A thousand pardons. :) Comment regarding La Paz was more about the playing conditions rather than the culture shock the average Sth American player may feel travelling somewhere where the locals no habla. But with the cookie cutter nature of 5 star travel that the modern day player enjoys I doubt they will be exposed to enough local culture for it to affect them? Unless they take their headphones off on the walk from bus to the change room that is.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
@nachos supreme If you read my original Tweet, I specifically said: "only the CONMEBOL & CAF nations seem to have anything that resembles the AFC qualification." Fair enough if you think Sth Americans travelling to Uzbekistan or Jordan will find it no different to travelling around their Spanish-speaking, Spanish-cultured home continent.
nachos supreme
Guest
geographic condescension aside, "Let’s see how the Sth American nation goes when they have to travel for an away knock-out match in either Jordan or Uzbekistan in November." Suggests to me you think the South American qualification process doesn't throw up challenging places to play? I put it to you that playing in La Paz is equal to the arduous conditions of playing in Uzbekistan or Jordan
tommaso
Guest
Not only we need a strong confident coach but also decent assistant coaches - Vidmar and Okon are very average to say the least - what they have done with the underage australian teams is just as bad as HO.
fadida
Guest
The transition should have already happened. A nucleus of younger guys should have already played 5-10 games and we wouldn't be needing to debut them v Brasil. Disagree completely that another coach couldn't do better with what we have. For a start they'd pick a different side, not based on old favourites whose best years are long gone, who are wandering slowly around the middle east
Bondy
Guest
I think there is a general sensus here that if we were defeated that a dogged effort for about an hour by the roos until the class of Brazil shone through and they won by 3-4 clear goals in the end although giving our supporters hope,unfortunately it was disorganisation from the get go and the performance has left the supporters flat and concerned not buoyant and optimistic towards the future 14 -15. We do look like a terribly lethargic team ,constantly.
Griffo
Roar Guru
How many years have most of these players had the nucleus of the coaches plan drilled into them? I remember the Thai game in Brisbane with the constant long ball, and the post match presser of Holger saying that wasn't the plan and he would have to still work on it. (Not the first time that happened). Either some players aren't listening, or Holger just cannot get his message between their ears. Sometimes I think it's both...
Stevo
Guest
I think Michael Lynch put it well: "Yes, there is a massive gulf in class but over the decades Australian teams have often managed to bridge he ability gap between themselves and their opponents and at least be competitive exercising those unfashionable but often effective virtues of hard work, grit and fighting spirit." http://www.theage.com.au/sport/soccer/socceroos-lesson-from-brazil-be-afraid-be-very-afraid-20130908-2tdb3.html#ixzz2eOQdxvnG
NUFCMVFC
Roar Guru
The thing is, we can ask the FFA to mandate Osieck to blood younger people but fact is there is no one to fill the boots of the old guard and we would have been thumped 10-0 instead The quality simply isn't there and I don't think any other coach could get much more out of the current crop than Holger is able to, he started out OK but as the old guard gets even older there has been an alarming drop in the past 1.5 years in particular, just look at the differences of how we got through the first WCQ group and the second We have to accept that when we do blood the next generation (which is what I think the 2015 Asian Cup should be used for) there will be a drop in quality for a few years, and it really is touch and go for making the 2018 World Cup The u20 tournaments have given me some hope for 2019 and beyond though at least speaking of the Asian Cup, one of the good things about joining Asia I recall was that the ACQ's would have been great for blooding a lot of up and comers, but obviously the nations finishing in the upper echelons of the tournament gain automatic qualification for the next edition
King Kong
Guest
I just don't understand why this Holger is so dumb. Many criticized that MacKay played out of position. However, he played well in the match against Japan in Brisbane. Now, MacKay has become a important player in the socceroos squad because he can play 2 positions. With this, then why Holger would not use half of the match against Brazil to test more (or train up more) players in different positions, for instance, Rhy Williams, Langerak, Cornthwaite or Holland?
King Kong
Guest
I just don't get why FFA cannot see how bad this coach has been. If he was smart enough, he would replace half of the players in the second half, at least, just in case socceroos would lose big he had an excuse of testing the squad. He is so dumb. Remember that when socceroos won England, under Farina, England replaced 10 players. And Farina congratulated socceroos that they had won two teams. Remember? Why this Holger does not have the common sense in soccer that a friendly is for testing! When Neill was about to be suspended, Holger still used him. It is just amazingly unbelievable that he is an international coach.
King Kong
Guest
This Holger has never performed. Holger had just succeeded a very good team after the 2010 World Cup. That very good socceroos with a ranking inside top 20s and highest in Asia could only got 2nd place in the 2011 Asian Cup. Ever since, the socceroos' ranking "number" has linked firmly with the All Ordinaries Index of the ASX, going up continuously in number (20 to 46). Remember that the highest ranking that socceroos had was 16 in 2009. Apart from observation, the statistics also tells what should be written in Holger's report card. He never put in effort to regenerate the team with younger players. In business term, it is call “eating on old capital”. Secondly, it is not too late to replace Holger. There are 9 months before the next Asian Cup in Australia' home soil. Why too late. Not late at all. Do it now.
jack
Guest
I would think this coach would struggle if he coached an HAL club where everybody is all on the same salary cap. He cant get a his team up against teams ranked well below us. he plays palyers out of position.... he brings in guys in tehre 30's..... For a guy on his money he has got it far too wrong. We will get destroyed by Frnace.
Brick Tamlin of the Pants Party
Guest
I've been waiting a long time to see a boy band member get flattened,the best bit was he asked to be subbed off straight away and then proceeded to vomit right in front of the dug out,priceless.
JAJI
Guest
Maybe a Uruguay as well......
fadida
Guest
I'd suggest that MV. CCM and WSW would all be set up much tighter and more organised than the NT, simply because the respective coaches are better.
fadida
Guest
There is not even a plan A antman! Agree completely that coaching in the A-league has surpassed that at NT level
fadida
Guest
yep Stevo. a tactical shambles. You wouldn't see this from GA or AP's teams
fadida
Guest
He does indeed get it wrong far too often. And he doesn't learn.
fadida
Guest
Agree Brick. Osieck is getting far less than the sum of the parts. Damning.........