Three changes to Socceroos squad for WC Qualifiers

Now JB, the issue here is your issue with what Ange is doing. All those great players you mentioned above, outside of Kewell, how many were ever chased by Barcelona or Real Madrid & even today, Kewell at his peak, these teams would not look at him. Zelich, Okon, Bresc, Cullina & Grella, all heroes of mine at their peak would not get anywhere near Barcelona or Real Madrid.

Nemesis. "All great players" Punter made a statement and asked a question and when I cited 5 players (even allowing for positional changes) he changes his statement to "attacking" midfielders. The blunt truth is that in comparing players from each "generation" opinions are formed and that is what has happened here, opinions and suggestions (ifs) emerge that in themselves are impossible to verify,but as someone else has said, it makes for good discussion. Mooy,Rogic and Luongo?????? I hope they go on to finish their careers playing at Barcelona or Real Madrid but that is a "hope" and I won't hold my breath. Cheers jb.

They've beaten the two weakest teams in the group...one at home and the other at a neutral venue. The match against us, even in Saudi Arabia, will be a good marker of whether they are a genuine contender or not.

punter you are spot on. Australians found it much easier to compete in foreign markets when those markets were restricted. 50 years ago, Australians used to regularly win major Tennis Championships. We'd dominate in the pool at the Olympics. Now we're not so dominant. 20 years go, when Manchester United won the first Premier League title, there were only 3 players in the squad who were from outside the UK and Eire. Schmeichel, Kanchelskis and Cantona. There was not a single African, Asian, South American, or Central American in the squad. When Leicester won the Premier League last season, the squad had players from Africa, Asia (including Australia!), Central America and South America. Interestingly, in 1992/92 (first season of the Premier League) Leicester played in the 2nd Division an the whole squad was from England. So, it's obvious to anyone who follows football that Australian players face much more competition for places at the best clubs, or in the best leagues of Europe. Every player who makes it today has truly competed with the best in the world to get his spot.

People also have to realize that if you are a foreigner you really have to stand out in any league in the world to hold your place. Every club in the world in any league looks at foreign players as the players who make a difference in their team. They generally also cost more. A-league is also like this, and we churn through new foreign players every season. Therefore if an Aussie goes overseas, he really has to stand out like Mooy at Huddersfield or Rogic at Celtic. It is ultra competitive with the global nature of the game. Otherwise if Mooy was a similar standard to most of his team, they would be most likely picking an English guy in his place. They will always pick a local over a foreign player, if the foreign player doesn't live up to expectations. There is just that little bit more pressure to perform and hold your place, because you are much more disposable if things go wrong.

It may be a useless debate Matt, but something that has got to be asked, today, looking at those top teams in Europe they are far more Africans, Sth Americans, Eastern European & even Asian players then there was even back to the beginning of this century.

j binnie, all great players. I just wonder if Rogic, Luongo, Mooy moved to Empoli, Parma, Palermo today, would the football community in Australia be as much in awe as we were when those boys moved there 20 years ago? I get the feeling we wouldn't be as excited today.

agree and while Okon et al played at the highest standards at the time, and taking nothing away from their pedigree, I do wonder whether were they playing in the prime today, would they be good enough in current standards to play in the top euro leagues? Obviously a useless debate but an interesting thought nonetheless.

All great players JB & my heroes, loved all those players mentioned Notice I did not include Jedinak or Milligan in the current Socceroos in my initial list, because I was talking about attacking midfielders. Australia has never produced a player like Rogic, Mooy is probably ahead of Bresc, Luongo is more skillful then Cullina & Grella I would class with Jedinak as a defensive midfielder. Okon & Zelic are in my eyes in the top 5-6 players Australia has ever produced, but they are not attacking midfielders, either sweepers or deep lying midfielders. In your own way I think you have proved my point, this current Socceroo side has players that match the golden generation & more especially in this attacking midfield role, the current team only have not ever matched Viduka, but then Australia has only ever had 1 Dukes. And Kewell is a class of his own. Like I said, I don't understand your agenda against Ange's team, they are playing better then any Socceroos side I have seen since I started following them in 1974.

punter - You asked Between 1991 and 2009 ,18 years,we had Okon ,Zelic and Culina all putting in spells at Serie a, the Bundesliga, the Belgian league, the Eredivise,and even English leagues putting together numbers like Okon 220 games, Zelic 223 games and Culina 175 games. Just in case you question me using Okon and Zelic as midfielders I will add Grella who has 245 games in Serie a on his CV and Bresciano who played in 330 games in the same league all between 1998 and 2011. As you are aware there are others apart from Kewell and Viduka but I'll leave the subject there. Your 3 nominees are still young and may well go on to emulate the players I have mentioned ,I sincerely hope so.Cheers jb

Agree totally with that last sentence Ben

Agree Punter. These are gloriously exciting times

I am not sure what to make of this upcoming fixture. The Saudi's are two from two however from the bits of the games I saw the Falcons were lucky to come away from each game with any points, let alone a total of six. They are looking a bit long in the tooth in defence which bereft them of drive in transition, even relatively early on in the games. The Thai's dragged them out of position on a number of occasion (something we'll need to watch when we face the War Elephants). This could be a good game for wide players with pace, something that Goodwin brings to the table in spades. As such I can't see all of Mooy-Rogic-Luongo starting as it seems to make us narrow.

JB, your point???? What are you trying to say, I'm confused. I appreciate that on the administrative side of things, not all things are good for football in this country. On the field, while not yet perfect, i see we are heading in the right direction, take out not being able to produce a Kewell or Viduka, the current system are producing the best football Socceroos have ever played & some of the technically better players we have produced, when has Australia ever produced 3 midfileders of the quality of Mooy, Rogic & Luongo at the same time.

Bondy- Your statement did raise a doubt in my mind for in this World Cup campaign I distinctly remember a 0-2 loss away to Jordan. Now that is only one loss in 10 matches, a very good record indeed ,but one has to remember it is the Asian champions we are talking about, playing in the opening rounds of a world cup programme that is designed to sort out the so called"minnows" in the early rounds,and one has to think, as "champions', those results were expected of the Socceroos. Now that the second round is about to start ,with the opponents of a slightly higher standard, some interesting games are ahead against Saudi Arabia,Japan,Iraq and UAE with Thailand making up the five opponents.This is the WC "system" at work hoping to "cull" the entrants down to a manageable number for the finals "proper".Cheers jb

Bondy& Other interested parties. Surely It is simply a matter of arithmetic. If we accept the average age of the general Socceroo selection is around 26 then it is also true that when the HAL started in 2004/5 those players would have been aged 14/15. Get it? So it stands to reason that many of them would have taken part in our highest standard of play,the HAL.. As someone else once said,it is not rocket science. Cheers jb.

It'll be good to see Goodwin get a run I'd pop him on the left wing for his speed and want to take players on I see Jeggo as more of a holding midfielder whose probably as good as Jedinak ...

Jeggo, Goodwin, McGowan, Leckie - Will AU be the next CCM???? Can't help but think Gombau has had some influence on the Jeggo / Goodwin selections.

Elbows, arms, smashed over the sideline, a fierce shot & a header, 2 nil up, 2 man down, the Asian teams will be too shell shocked in the 2nd half to take advantage of the 2 man advantage.

What a front two they would be. Well at least for the first half hour before they both get sent off.