There was a time, not too long ago, when Australian football was almost exclusively powered by patriotism.
It was a time where buzzwords like ‘spirit’, ‘passion’ and ‘grit’ were the main threads in our footballing fabric, where the underdog tag was warranted, celebrated and worn with unabashed pride.
We were the Socceroos – ready to punch above our weight, fight to the end and resolve to come back stronger should we come up second-best. This, in the eyes of the majority, was our shared and accepted identity.
Though things have changed. Or at least, are in the process of changing.
Judging from the reactions to the recent friendlies against Belgium and Saudi Arabia, the Australian footballing public has never been more self-aware, more analytical or more demanding of our doctrine. We know where we stand, where we’re going and what it’ll take for us to get there. We’re not afraid to prod and poke, to criticise and lament and call for alternatives.
The minority has become the overwhelming majority. Accepting the status quo is a thing of the past, and we’ve evolved beyond recognition as a result. It’s a movement of thought that has reached an unprecedented peak with the beginning of Ange Postecoglou’s reign. And it’s completely necessary given the watershed period our national team is going through.
Postecoglou finds himself in a privileged but precarious position: he has the power to usher in a new generation, but most importantly, to also cultivate a new footballing identity.
At the same time it also presents an opportunity for us as a collective nation to embrace this new Australia. To do away with old expectations, or lack thereof, and move towards a model that we can be proud of at a technical level, and not just in the nationalistic sense that we’ve become known for.
We saw this first ignite in Brazil, a campaign that taught us that success comes in different forms. Sure, what the Socceroos achieved at the World Cup was far from cause for mass celebration, but it was an indication of the sort of brand and culture we’ve been yearning for.
On the evidence of the past week, it’s a yearning that seems to be burning brighter and brighter.
The critical assessment of the Belgium and Saudi Arabia games has played out in line with this belief system. No punches were pulled, no lilies were gilded – the diagnoses were both honest and constructive.
Against Belgium, we were given a frank reminder of where we sit on the international spectrum. Despite a widespread feeling of optimism beforehand, the game in fact exposed our limitations all across the park.
There was no shying away from our defensive frailties and our lack of control and authority in the midfield. And although we scraped through with a much needed victory against the Saudis, it was a widely condemned performance – and rightly so.
We’re all in unanimous agreement that it was the type of game that we shouldn’t just be winning – but also controlling, dominating and dictating right to the very end. It’s a refreshingly progressive way of thinking about our football, and it’s exactly what’s needed to take things to the next level.
Thankfully, as Mitchell Grima wrote earlier this week, Postecoglou appears to be set on carrying out such a deed.
In saying this, I can’t help but think back to something an overseas friend told me after the World Cup game against the Netherlands. He was completely taken aback by the Socceroos’ performance; by their boldness of play, their willingness to attack, their controlled and purposeful build-up.
According to him, it was a very “un-Australian” performance.
A backhanded compliment it may have been, but it’s the sort of appraisal we should nail to the mast as a sign of the way forward.
The Minister
Guest
It's quite evident the KSI (Icelandic FA) have their heads screwed on properly. Talk about a country punching above its weight... What is Australia's plan? Thanks for posting that Fut. Very interesting.
Futbanous
Guest
Found this article in relation to what The Minister & I discussed about Iceland,plenty of them similar by a quick google. http://sport.stv.tv/football/international/301436-scotland-should-look-to-iceland-to-arrest-talent-freeze/ Fascinating stuff, a population of 300,000(Central Coast ), a registered player base of 22,100 and over 100 players under the age of 25 in various European leagues. Sort of a loaves & fishes job. Love this from Big Sam "When targeting highly rated young striker, Veigar Pall Gunnarsson as manager of Bolton, Sam Allardyce commented, “When you consider the fact that the population of Iceland is similar to the population of Bolton, it becomes astonishing how many good footballers come from Iceland. They’re playing all across Europe.” Perhaps the Mariners COE can do a similar job?
The Minister
Guest
The Iceland win didn't surprise me. They have a few very handy players at good European clubs. The scoreline was surprising. Maybe Turkey took them lightly and didn't do their homework. Iceland have no pedigree in international football whatsoever but have just very recently made huge progress (play-off for WC v Croatia after finishing second in their group) and I wonder how the current Aussie side would fare against them...
Futbanous
Guest
Sometimes teams can punch above their weight The Minister. Take Iceland(FIFA ranking 46) who beat Turkey(FR 32) 3-0 the other day in a European Cup qualifier. I would ask two questions from that result,one is how a small nation can beat Turkey with a strong domestic League & two how come their ranked 46th & Australia is 79th. Regardless of Australia scratching currently for International standard players,I find it difficult to believe that there's enough Icelandic footballers of International standard to conjure up a 3-0 win against Turkey. Sometimes World football is a bewildering beast to say the least,then again there may be a rational explanation for Iceland's win,just can't put my finger on it.
JonJax
Guest
The Australian football public has evolved into a more discerning consumer- true. Case in point, the SFC uprising against Frank Farina. The Old guard is still out there- pushing their dross -also true. Case in point, Robbie Slater commenting on AU A-League games, early on in the AU Gombau project- lamenting the lack of hoofing the ball down town and chasing second balls. Perseverance and education is required and fearlessness in "calling out" the recalcitrants.
Wicked Ninja
Guest
Agreed. So happy that their pledge on Pozible was successful.
Midfielder
Guest
Domenic Nice article, and well written. In principal I agree. I say this in respect for our history and millions of players who have played the game in Australia. Our IQ level has certainty gone up. However there is a tendency to over play how bad the past was. The NSL was without doubt the worst run sporting body in Australia, and we still hearing about anti-football conspiracies and the like, that were seen it at every turn. It make us look bitter and jaded.... Without doubt the media often stuck the boot in but often we deserved it and by no means was it ever as bad as the axis of evil made out [Ch 7, 3AW, Herald Sun] ... The same applies to the technical stuff... small sided games for U 9's did not start in Hal... simply the rules already existing were slightly improved... we did appreciate technical standards... What has changed by a lot nay changed mega is the reporting of Football and this is further spreading the word.. News today is reporting a large fall in RL ratings Nine down 9%, Fox down 8% and Sky [NZ] down 20% ... If we increase our ratings and crowds the improved media and more inches will happen and as night follows day having to fill more pages will will of it itself improve technical reporting which will further spread the word.. As always the evolution continues... and in closing technical knowledge has always been there .. the SBS view of the world is not always correct... however they have led the charge on technical discussions and for that well done.
The Minister
Guest
That schmaltzy "Aussie Battler" tag should be retired from the Australian vocabulary permanently. Makes me cringe every time. To me it comes across as a "get out of jail free card" for being a bit of a loser. It's not where Australia should be striving to be in the 21st century. As for the socceroos...nothing to do with Ange at the moment. Put Sir Alex in charge of this below average troupe and I'll dare him to get better results. Over half of the current NT squad are not of international standard if measured by comparing to average European teams. We need to be patient. This trough will probably take a few years. Hopefully in a few years time we will have the majority of the squad playing first team football at reputable European clubs again and not in China,Korea,Japan,The Middle East etc, or the English lower leagues. But let's not stress about it too much. This sort of famine/feast cycle is not uncommon in international football and every country goes through peaks and troughs at one point or another.
Johnno
Guest
A good article. It seems Australian football has now progressed where SBS is not the head technical director, and Les and Johnny Warren as the heads running the show giving us our skills.
Domitian
Guest
Watching the WC I had a vision of Australia being more than a team that strives to compete with the worlds best, I saw a team that pushed the worlds best to become better. Football at times grows stale with teams too bound by reputations and superstars too comfortable in their own ego. It needs to keep evolving and I think Australia, through Asia, can and should be a part of this process.
AZ_RBB
Guest
I'm looking forward to the start of Leopold Method as a fully fledged publication. It'll do wonders for Australian football knowledge if it really takes off.
Bondy
Guest
We have to keep building for our future ,lets see where we are in a years time .
Wayne78
Guest
Well put Domenic. I for one have always hated the 'Aussie battler' image the Socceroos have had in the past. We're better than that. With Ange I think we're finally stepping away from that for sure
Wayne78
Guest
Well put Domenic. I for one have always hated the 'Aussie battler' image the Socceroos have had in the past. We're better than that. With Ange I think we're finally stepping away from that for sure
Stevo
Roar Rookie
Domenic, not sure how long you've been on this planet but I can assure you that knowledgable football followers have never accepted that the Socceroos' lot was only ever going to amount to just passion and spirit. There has always been analysis and criticism about our skill and playing style but this probably didn't make it to the media of the past that was looking for simplistic headlines. We now have many forms of media that allow people to debate these issues and get their comments aired without being constrained by the traditional 'press'. The arrival of the internet and Foxsports has changed the landscape for the better IMO and Fairfax for instance now has a handful of journos who write on football. A far cry form the past when you had a single journo who was given a column buried in the paper while AFL/NRL occupied the back 20 pages.