Socceroos (Graham Arnold and) The Socceroos Thread

[FreoRicci]

100% agree with players' and their unwise decisions to move abroad.
Sainsbury did this. Developmental wise, he regressed. Played more international games then club games, which is embarrassing considering the international break comes around every so often, and club play nearly 50 games a season. Now is in Israel, as a result of lack of gametime.
But looking back, the Golden Generation more or less did this too. Kewell left at 16. Viduka went across from NSL to Croatia. Perhaps the youth today isn't as talented or that the international football has gotten better compounded by inflated wages. Lots at play here.
Africa certainly have progressed and talents have broken through. I don't think going to Asia has worsen Australia tbh.
Whats another key issue is that since 05, the money have poured in significantly as compared to the dark early 2000s whereas politically and family have disrupted the systems today, developmental models in place. Not a good look. A League is affected by those in power.

Don't think Australia have capitalized on the growth of the round ball since 05. They stuffed it up and playing catch up.

 

[Mr_Bojangles]

Jordan . Guaranteed loss there.

Vital win. Would really have to * it up now. I think the significance escaping with a result like that is diluted by the fact that it's under Arnold.

 

[Mr_Bojangles]

Iran losing in the last minute to their neighbours is a big blow too. Could come down to a blockbuster between the two in the final game in Tehran. THey should get an Aussie ref to do it for the lols.

 

[giggler99]

Amazing that he made the squad to four World Cups, always ware the shirt with distinction.

 

[Mr_Bojangles]

A great workhorse for the team. His switch from midfield to his old right back position during the Asian Cup final was pivotal.

 

[Van_Dyke]

Mat Ryan to be the new skipper?

 

[Mr_Bojangles]

Would have been Sainsbury if he hadn't made s**t career choices.

 

[ioppolo]

Whatever happened to Bailey Wright? He captains Bristol City right?

 

[Topkent]

My god the talent pool in Australia is dire at the moment. You see countries like Zambia, Canada, Mali etc represented at a high level in the champions league and we have half of our best team playing reserves or not at all.

Our 90s and Naughties teams would beat our 2010s team by 5 goals almost everytime

 

[TubbsFarquhar]

My god the talent pool in Australia is dire at the moment. You see countries like Zambia, Canada, Mali etc represented at a high level in the champions league and we have half of our best team playing reserves or not at all.

Our 90s and Naughties teams would beat our 2010s team by 5 goals almost everytime

Just to add to this, Sarpreet Singh made his debut for Bayern overnight. Who from Australia is remotely close to that?

 

[Quokka]

I've bought tickets to the Socceroos WC qualifier in Perth next year vs Kewait, won't be expecting much but at least it will be the first competitive match I'll see live after getting to a few friendlies over the years.

 

[Elmer_Judd]

Caltex services stations rebranded as Ampol

amp.9news.com.au

The Ampol Socceroos eh ? Works for me.

 

[Bomberboyokay]

Caltex services stations rebranded as Ampol

amp.9news.com.au

The Ampol Socceroos eh ? Works for me.

Neither. Sponsorship expired at the end of 2019.

 

[Holden Hillbilly]

David Squires on ... the most unlikely potential saviour of Australian football

Our cartoonist takes a look at the curious case of a Shrewsbury Town player with an eye-catching nickname

www.theguardian.com

 

[giggler99]

David Squires on ... the most unlikely potential saviour of Australian football

Our cartoonist takes a look at the curious case of a Shrewsbury Town player with an eye-catching nickname

www.theguardian.com

haha! Brilliant from Squires again! he never disappoints!

 

[giggler99]

Arnold has Copa America 'plans A, B and C' if clubs don't release Socceroos | The World Game

Australia will take on Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia and Chile at the prestigious South American championship, which starts in June.
But because the Socceroos are an invited nation and its a tournament outside of their confederation, they won't be afforded the FIFA protection that forces clubs to release players for international duty.
Instead, Arnold will have to convince individual clubs to release Australian players - and the veteran coach is vowing to do everything within his powers.
"I will do my best to get all the best players out at the Copa America," Graham said.
"But that's got to come with a lot of conversations and planning.
"I've got a great assistant - Rene Meulensteen - who knows a lot of the coaches over in the Europe.
"I've also got a lot of their phone numbers. We speak over the phone and they're great people.
"I can imagine when I have conversations with the coaches overseas, they will see the Copa America as a great experience for the player."
If Arnold is unable to cobble together his first-choice Socceroos, he is expected to field a large number of Olyroos players in a bid to give them big-game experience ahead of the Olympics.
Arnold said A-League players would also be in the mix.
"I have ... plans for A, B and C to make sure we go to the Copa America and perform well," Arnold said.
"I do also believe with the Olyroos, the preparation is important for them (leading into the Olympics).
"But also we've got some great players here in the A-League, 25-, 26-year-olds who could step up and do a great job, if we can't get (first-choice Socceroos)."
Arnold was in Perth on Wednesday promoting the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier clash with Kuwait, which will be played at HBF Park on March 26.
Australia currently sit first in their group with four wins from as many games and Arnold is confident of coming away with the goods against second-placed Kuwait.
"We expect to win the game and put on a great performance," Arnold said.
"We will bring our strongest team available - I'm promising that - unless there's some type of injury that we can't do anything about."

Arnold has Copa America 'plans A, B and C' if clubs don't release Socceroos | The World Game

Socceroos coach Graham Arnold will do his best smooth talking over the coming months in a bid to convince clubs to release Australia's star players for the 2020 Copa America.

theworldgame.sbs.com.au

 

[giggler99]

Asian World Cup qualifiers set to be postponed due to coronavirus | The World Game

The next Asian qualifiers for the World Cup in Qatar were due to be staged on the final week of this month but are now set to be called off.
A FIFA statement released on Friday (AEDT) revealed that an update on the fixtures will follow "in the coming days" after consultation with AFC member associations.
The next batch of Asian Cup qualifiers were also slated for this month but are similarly in line to be postponed due to the virus, which originated in China, that has killed over 3,000 people.
"FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) met at the Home of FIFA to discuss football activities in Asia." a FIFA statement read.
"For both FIFA and the AFC, the well-being and health of all individuals involved in football matches remains the highest priority, and as such, a formal proposal to postpone upcoming matches in the Asian FIFA World Cup 2022 and AFC Asian Cup 2023 qualifiers will now be shared with the relevant member associations.
"FIFA and the AFC will provide an update on these fixtures in the coming days following consultation with the AFC member associations.
"FIFA will continue to monitor the situation in relation to COVID-19 in cooperation with the World Health Organisation (WHO), the confederations and the member associations.
"Information on other international matches may be provided by the relevant confederation or member association."

Asian World Cup qualifiers set to be postponed due to coronavirus | The World Game

FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) are to propose that the upcoming Asian World Cup and Asian Cup qualifiers are postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak.

theworldgame.sbs.com.au

 

[Quokka]

Bugger that'd be the Perth game. I've got tickets to that, luckily haven't booked flights yet.

 

[Zidane98]

Bugger that'd be the Perth game. I've got tickets to that, luckily haven't booked flights yet.

Don't see why it should affect Aus V Kuwait. Obviously games involving China / Iran / Nth & Sth Korea should be postponed.

 

[gaskin]

Don't see why it should affect Aus V Kuwait. Obviously games involving China / Iran / Nth & Sth Korea should be postponed.

Agreed, but the talk over the last week or so has been that it will be postponed.

 

[giggler99]

Coronavirus: Socceroos' World Cup qualifiers postponed

The Socceroos' final four matches of the group phase were scheduled to take place during the international window of March 23-31 and June 1-9.
"Following consultation with Asia's member associations, FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) have agreed to postpone the upcoming Asian qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022," FIFA said in a statement on Tuesday (AEDT).
Top of Group B following four consecutive victories, Graham Arnold's men were to face Kuwait in Perth on Thursday March 6, before travelling to take on Nepal on Tuesday March 31.
They were to wrap up with home games on Thursday June 4 against Taiwan and then Jordan five days later at yet to be decided venues.
FIFA added that the matches could still go ahead if the member associations due to play each other mutually agree, subject to prior approval from both FIFA and the AFC.
Australia have qualified for five World Cups, including the last four.
FIFA and the AFC have also agreed to postpone the AFC Futsal Championship in Turkmenistan, which serves as the qualifiers for the FIFA Futsal World Cup in Lithuania, until 5-16 August 2020.

Coronavirus: Socceroos' World Cup qualifiers postponed | The World Game

Australia's charge towards booking their automatic ticket to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar has been put on hold due to the outbreak of coronavirus.

theworldgame.sbs.com.au

 

[nobbyiscool]

Anyone else watching the Uruguay qualifier from 2005 on the Socceroos facebook page?

I last watched this game maybe 15 months ago when Fox Sports showed it - maybe on Christmas Day when they're just showing old content?

It's one of those things, like a great movie. It doesn't matter at what point you turn it on, you're hooked. I defy anyone to turn this game off once you've started watching it.

"JOHNNY! MY SON!!!"

 

[nobbyiscool]

Whenever I watch games from this era, I always have the same 3 takeaways.

1. I don't think I'll ever get over Kewell's body letting him down when he got to Liverpool. This guy could've been a genuine world beater. Like, a top 10 player in the world kind of guy. But Liverpool's failure to manage him and his career properly forever ruined him.

2. Viduka is another guy who didn't reach the heights that he could've. Back in those days we used to criticise the negligence to let Christian Vieri get away (and got stuck with Max!) Thing is, we had our own Christian Vieri who, had he made the right moves at the right time, could've been absolutely anything. But he stayed at Hajduk for too long, he made a dud move to Celtic (and Celtic are my number 1 European team!), and then after elevating Leeds during their period of regular Champions League appearances, never got the really big move that he needed. I don't know who Viduka's manager was, but he was failed really badly.

The way I see it, we knew exactly how good Kewell could've and should've been if his body had cooperated. With Viduka, I think there'll forever be a "what if?" I do think that Viduka could've helped his legacy a bit if he'd played a season of A-League back when it was fledgling. Disappearing into obscurity was probably in keeping with his demeanour, but it didn't befit the player that he was.

Takeaway 3) What happened to us? What happened to our development? I doubt we have a single player in our current A-League that would dislodge one of these players. You could probably argue about Skoko vs Mooy and Popovic vs Spiranovic, but no one else is even close.

We should now be reaping the rewards of this golden generation. We thought they'd elevate the game, and in a generation we'd reap the rewards. But we wasted it. And I don't think we'll ever really know why.

 

[ioppolo]

Whenever I watch games from this era, I always have the same 3 takeaways.

1. I don't think I'll ever get over Kewell's body letting him down when he got to Liverpool. This guy could've been a genuine world beater. Like, a top 10 player in the world kind of guy. But Liverpool's failure to manage him and his career properly forever ruined him.

2. Viduka is another guy who didn't reach the heights that he could've. Back in those days we used to criticise the negligence to let Christian Vieri get away (and got stuck with Max!) Thing is, we had our own Christian Vieri who, had he made the right moves at the right time, could've been absolutely anything. But he stayed at Hajduk for too long, he made a dud move to Celtic (and Celtic are my number 1 European team!), and then after elevating Leeds during their period of regular Champions League appearances, never got the really big move that he needed. I don't know who Viduka's manager was, but he was failed really badly.

The way I see it, we knew exactly how good Kewell could've and should've been if his body had cooperated. With Viduka, I think there'll forever be a "what if?" I do think that Viduka could've helped his legacy a bit if he'd played a season of A-League back when it was fledgling. Disappearing into obscurity was probably in keeping with his demeanour, but it didn't befit the player that he was.

Takeaway 3) What happened to us? What happened to our development? I doubt we have a single player in our current A-League that would dislodge one of these players. You could probably argue about Skoko vs Mooy and Popovic vs Spiranovic, but no one else is even close.

We should now be reaping the rewards of this golden generation. We thought they'd elevate the game, and in a generation we'd reap the rewards. But we wasted it. And I don't think we'll ever really know why.

I think it's that golden generations just sometimes happen.

Iceland right now may be the best they'll ever be.

Hungary were the king of the 1950s

Romania had a damn good side in the late 90s.

Ivory Coast team of the 2006 world cup, I doubt they'll ever be that good again.

 

[Topkent]

Whenever I watch games from this era, I always have the same 3 takeaways.

1. I don't think I'll ever get over Kewell's body letting him down when he got to Liverpool. This guy could've been a genuine world beater. Like, a top 10 player in the world kind of guy. But Liverpool's failure to manage him and his career properly forever ruined him.

2. Viduka is another guy who didn't reach the heights that he could've. Back in those days we used to criticise the negligence to let Christian Vieri get away (and got stuck with Max!) Thing is, we had our own Christian Vieri who, had he made the right moves at the right time, could've been absolutely anything. But he stayed at Hajduk for too long, he made a dud move to Celtic (and Celtic are my number 1 European team!), and then after elevating Leeds during their period of regular Champions League appearances, never got the really big move that he needed. I don't know who Viduka's manager was, but he was failed really badly.

The way I see it, we knew exactly how good Kewell could've and should've been if his body had cooperated. With Viduka, I think there'll forever be a "what if?" I do think that Viduka could've helped his legacy a bit if he'd played a season of A-League back when it was fledgling. Disappearing into obscurity was probably in keeping with his demeanour, but it didn't befit the player that he was.

Takeaway 3) What happened to us? What happened to our development? I doubt we have a single player in our current A-League that would dislodge one of these players. You could probably argue about Skoko vs Mooy and Popovic vs Spiranovic, but no one else is even close.

We should now be reaping the rewards of this golden generation. We thought they'd elevate the game, and in a generation we'd reap the rewards. But we wasted it. And I don't think we'll ever really know why.

In england they did a piece on the Leeds 4 Liverpool 3 game where Dukes scored 4, had Gary Neville and Carragher answer questions about it afterwards. Gary Neville in particular said Sir Alex used to spend minutes telling the United side how good Viduka was and they'd drop a midfielder infront of him, Neville himself said he was good enough to play in any team in the world and would be even better in this modern era.

Last 4 minutes basically