With their 3-0 loss to the might of Spain, the Socceroos’ World Cup campaign officially came to a close.
Attention now turns to the success, of lack thereof, during the tournament that saw a massively outmatched squad fight against three of the best nations in the world.
Surely not even the most green-and-gold-eyed Socceroo fan thought we were any chance of qualifying from 2014’s ‘Group Of Death’?
On paper, this young side comes home without a point, after conceding nine goals across three games. Part time fans of the team – those who tune in every four years expecting the Socceroos to win based on our nation being traditionally strong at sport – would say it has been an abject failure.
However Ange Postecoglou was appointed only eight months before the competition, where most managers had been in charge for the entire four-year qualifying campaign and preparation period.
We only just scraped through a relatively easy qualifying group under former manager Holger Osieck, who was removed from his post after consecutive 6-0 floggings to Brazil and France.
Ange, armed with the knowledge of the upcoming Asian Cup on home soil in 2015, picked a young side, with one eye to the aforementioned Asian Cup, and the other on the 2018 World Cup. We were never going to get through a group containing world champions Spain, runners-up of the previous World Cup the Netherlands, and South American powerhouse Chile.
The performances put in against Chile, and especially Holland, were exactly what we needed. The fact we led Holland is amazing, with the majority of viewers agreeing we probably deserved to gain at least a point from that game.
More impressive that the performances though, has been Ange’s post-match comments. Although he was happy at the quality of football being played, he was disappointed with the results.
A good manager is never happy with a loss, regardless of the circumstances.
Ange has said, and done, all the right things since his appointment in October last year, and has taken this side forward.
Matt Leckie has been the star to emerge from a young squad. While Tim Cahill stole the headlines with two ripper goals, Leckie’s ability to run at opponents has put top-line sides in Europe on notice.
Mat Ryan, despite an error against the Dutch, has proved himself at the top level. Adam Taggart has just secured a move to Fulham, which means he will play in the second tier of English football next season.
Faced with almost zero hope of qualification, this young side has emerged big winners from the tournament. They have won millions of fans across the world, and more importantly, set themselves up for a huge Asian Cup.
Make no mistake, the expectation will be completely different come January next year, and the Socceroos will be expected to win on home soil.
As for Russia 2018, under Ange, who knows just how far this amazingly talented squad will have developed?
LewDub
Roar Rookie
I love the new attitude the team has, and that seems to come as part of the deal with Ange, but 'World Cup experience' doesn't guarantee success next time around. It was far from a failure but far from a success too.
Baz
Guest
No, not successful at all. Three blot is not a success. An Australian tennis player getting punted in the first round of a Slam is considered a failure. What's the difference?
Bondy
Guest
Terry As I was posting my original comment I was thinking the same our overall success at a Fifa World Cup will always still probably be getting out of the group stage or possibly a Quarter Finals birth regardless of finances, player depth,sponsors etc . The only thing I believe is player talent is spread across multi sports and not just one or two sports " as the myth goes here", Harry Kewell for instance surely could've been good at AFL or NRL if he applied himself to those fields and the same for Billy Slater or a George Gregan in reverse as Socceroo's would've surely come close to representing Australia .
Terry
Guest
Bondy - you make a good point which I largely agree with however those Australians who are more interested in success in any sport rather than success in a global sport are likely to be disappointed in the future if football in this land continues to grow as you wish it to. This is because even if Australia's top athletes choose football over rugby, league or cricket it is still very unlikely to lead to the socceroos winning the football World Cup. The likelihood is that all it will mean is that Australia will still not win the football World Cup and will also not win the 'former British colonies' sports of rugby and cricket.
Brick Tamland of the pants party
Guest
Correct,those who can see the big picture will see this tournament as a success.
Bondy
Guest
What's difficult for the occasional fan who follows a Football World Cup once every four years is that most sports we contest as Australians or that we're more familiar with commercially due to the fact that they're so small in geographical outlay that we're expected as a Nation to not only be competitive but win those World Cups outright Cricket, Union and League I notice that most World Cups that we have won as a Nation Cricket, Rugby Union, Rugby League for instance as a Nation we dont have to qualify for those events in a qualification phase format to get to those World Cups we are automatically through due to the lack of depth to those sports Internationally that for without Australia's presence at those World Cups one could suggest those World Cups couldn't exist or the relevance to them would be minuscule . I know I'm a one eyed Socceroo's fan and dont need to be told but I do see Australia's presence at a Fifa World Cup as a victory even before a ball has been kicked. As a supporter I'm just grateful that our Nation is being exposed to the World ..
Straight Drive
Guest
If we look at it in terms of numbers, as most casual supporters are doing, then no, we didn't succeed. But if we look at the belief Ange's boys gave us for the future, which can't be measured in numbers, then absolutely yes. This, of course, is an unknown variable and only the future will show us if this will bear any fruit or not.
Steve
Guest
I think judgement needs to be reserved on this for a while. The socceroos acquitted themselves well at the WC (out doing many people's expectations particularly in the nimber of goals scored and competitiveness stakes), but the tournament will only be a success IMO if continued improvement is achieved and the WC can be reflected on as the bedrock for that.