Aussies Abroad June/July 2014 Review

Welcome back to the Aussies Abroad monthly review compiled by Damian Davies.  

Certainly a respectable showing by our Socceroos in Brazil, with a glimpse of the future.  Matt Leckie, Jason Davidson and Ben Halloran among those that we hope to see much more of in the coming years.  We have a busy few months internationally as we build towards the Asian Cup in January.  Plenty of transfer activity over the past two months as players search for new clubs as the European leagues start their new seasons.  Most of the Asian leagues are in progress, so a lot of our players have been in action.  Some fantastic pre-season stories with players like Chris Herd, Adam Federici and Robbie Kruse all playing in friendlies.  Also encouraging in the next generation of Chris Ikonomidis, Ryan Edwards, Cameron Burgress and Hyuga Tanner all making their senior debuts at their current clubs.

Transfers:-  the European transfer window remains open so plenty of movement for our Aussies Abroad. The Aussie interest in Italy has grown with several of our upcoming players bound to feature in both senior and Primavera teams throughout the year.  With Juventus owned James Troisi yet to confirm his next club as well.  Several younger names still looking for a club include Matthew Fletcher, Robbie Paratore, Connor Thurston and Kerem Bulut, some of those players are rumoured to be heading to the A League. Also now three Aussies at PTT Rayong in Thailand.

Additions/changes to player database:

Saka Adesodun (12 Apr 1990) - transferred from Hjorring IF to Hasle-Loren IL, Norway

Panos Armenkas (5 Aug 1998) - transferred from Watford to Udinese Calcio, Italy

Michael Beauchamp (8 Mar 1981) - transferred to PTT Rayong, Thailand

Josh Brillante (25 Mar 1993) - transferred to Fiorentina, Italy

Julius Doe Davies (30 Sep 1994) - transferred to Otelul Galati, Romania

Shane Lowry (12 Jun 1989) - transferred from Millwall to Leyton Orient, England

Andrew Marveggio (22 Apr 1992) - transferred from SC Telstar to Fortuna Sittard

Brent McGrath (18 Jun 1991) - transferred to Sisaket, Thailand

Dane Milovanovic (2 Dec 1989) - transferred to New Radiant SC, Maldives

Josh Mitchell (8 Jun 1984) - transferred to Liaoning Whowin, China

Tomislav Mrcela (1 Oct 1990) - transferred from NK Hrvatski Dragovoljac to NK  Lokomotiva Zagreb, Croatia

Justin Pasfield (30 May 1985)  transferred to Tampines Rovers, Singapore

Nikita Rukavytsya (22 Jun 1987) - loan return to FSV Mainz, Germany

Robert Stambolziev (26 Oct 1990) - transferred from AEK Kouklion to Niki Volos, Greece

Adam Taggart (2 Jun 1993) - transferred to Fulham, England

Matthew Thompson (18 Aug 1982) - transferred to PTT Rayong, Thailand

James Troisi (3 Jul 1988) - loan return to Juventus, Italy

Jerrad Tyson (21 Sep 1989) - transferred to Sun Pegasus, Hong Kong

Frane Vladislavic (9 Jan 1994) - transferred from Hajduk Split to NK Istra 1961, Croatia

James Wesolowski (25 Aug 1987) - transferred from Oldham Athletic to shrewsbury Town, England

Adrian Zahra (24 Sep 1990) - transferred to Valletta FC, Malta

Removed from player database: 

Luis Abadia (Kaya FC) - uncontracted, whereabouts unknown

Alex Brosque (Al Ain) - transferred to Sydney FC

Simon Colosimo (Dempo) - transferred to Goulburn Valley

Sam Gallagher (Hanoi T&T) - transferred to Newcastle Jets

Richard Garcia (Minnesota United) - transferred to Perth Glory

Brendan Hamill (Seongham Illwa) - transferred to Western Sydney Wanderers

Marko Jesic (Sun Pegasus) - transferred to Rockdale City

Dylan McGowan (Hearts) - transferred to Adelaide United

Nikolas Tsattalios (Kampaniakos Chalastras FC) - transferred to Sydney Olympic

Club Level:-

China (Super League) - the season has resumed and several Aussies doing well.  Jonas Salley (Guizhou Renhe) and Adam Hughes (Harbin Yiteng) continue to play 90 minutes each week for their respective teams. Daniel McBreen has just broken his own record for being the oldest scorer in the CSL at 37. 

Korea (K-League Classic) - with the rise and rise of Alex Wilkinson, playing at the World Cup and then the K-League All Stars, I would expect this league to get some more attention from Aussie followers in the future.  Not to forget, Sasa Ognenovski won the Asian player of the year while in Korea.  We also have Luke DeVere (Gyeongham) and Alex Jovanovic (Jeju United) playing each week.  Both aged in their mid-twenties now, we may see them feature in upcoming Socceroo squads.

Thailand (Premier League) - a surge in the Aussies in Thailand with veterans Michael Beauchamp and Matthew Thompson joining Trent McClenahan at PTT Rayong.  The club are sitting in the relegation zone so the hope would be for the Aussies to help the club pull some points together quickly.  Young striker Brent McGrath has also made the move to Thailand from the VPL.  He now has three goals in three appearances for Sisaket.

Cambodia (C League) - a brief stay in this league saw Adriano Pellegrino make 10 appearances and score 3 goals as Phnom Penh Crown won the league title.

Singapore (S League) - goalkeeper Justin Pasfield has made the move to Asia, now having made 10 league and cup appearances in 7 weeks at Tampines Rovers.

Iceland (2. Deild) - an amazing story.  Kile Kennedy is a goalkeeper who made the brave move to KF Fjardabyggd last season,who at the time were fourth division in Iceland.  His efforts contribted to his team gaining promotion.  Now this campaign his team sit top of the table as they again chase automatic promotion.  Having conceded 12 goals in 13 games, Kile is continuing his strong form.  A long journey from country Victoria.

USA (MLS) - Tim Cahill continues to tackle all before him.  He scored one of the goals of the tournament at his third World Cup.  He has received several individual ackolades at New York, prompting rumours of a return to England. An interesting dinner party discussion of who is the greatest Socceroo of the past 20 years?

Injuries:-   great to see the likes of Robbie Kruse, Trent Sainsbury and Mustafa Amini making their returns from injury ahead of the new season.  Still injury concerns with Josh Kennedy, Tom Rogic, Rhys Williams and Curtis Good as those guys try to get back on the park and see good game time ahead of the Asian Cup.  Terrible news with Michael Zullo doing his knee in training at Utrecht, a long stint on the sidelines for him I am afraid.

Club Competitions:-

Europe                             

(UEFA Champions League) – Adrian Zahra sat on the pine as Valletta were knocked out in qualifying. Neither Tom Rogic or Jackson Irvine appeared for Celtic as they progressed to the 3rd round of qualifying.

(UEFA Europa League) – several Aussies appeared in qualifying ties, but Mark Griffin (Dundalk), Oliver Bozanic (Luzern) and Aziz Behich (Bursapor) have all been eliminated.

South America

(Copa Libertadores) – no Aussies Abroad remain.

Asia

(Asian Champions League) - no Aussies Abroad remain.

(AFC Cup) - no Aussies Abroad remain.

Reserves and Youth:-

No report during European off-season.

International level:- the rejuventation of the Socceroos in a work in progress.  Some tough decisions were made in the lead up to the World Cup.  We then had the excitement of new faces appearing in Brazil.  With several friendlies arranged before next year's World Cup, we have a good 20-30 players that will be fighting for a place in the Socceroos squad with those that were in Brazil. A great period of education as we learn more and see more of players that were often perceived to be under the radar.

Socceroo (capped) of the month – on hold

Nov - Ryan, Dec - Jedinak, Jan - Jedinak, Feb - Ryan, Mar – Kennedy, Apr - Jedinak

Under the radar (uncapped)  - on hold.

Nov - Luongo, Dec - Mrcela, Jan - Giannou, Feb - Wright, Mar – Lowry, Apr - Halloran

Young player (U21) of the month – on hold.

Nov - Ryan Williams, Dec - Cooper, Jan - B.Smith, Feb - Grant, Mar – Tanner, Apr - Ugarkovic

Any changes please e-mail damiandavies@ymail.com 

Socceroos - Spanish Inquisition (Analysis)

I didn't Expect the Spanish Inquisition

Yes I farken started this piece with a farken Monty Python quote. Fear, surprise, ruthless efficiency and a nice red uniform (make that two farken Monty Pyton quotes) is exactly how the La Farken Furiuos Roja took care of the Socceroos in Curtiba.

Matty Ryan opened his legs and let the Spanish  Matador Juan Mata score the third goal plunging his sword into a tiring bull that was the Socceroos campaign as the Aussies ended their World Cup in Brazil with a 3-0 loss without a point and without any real fight left in them.

That's two farken Spanish stereotypes in the two opening paragraphs as well as the who what where and how. I might golf clap myself but just like the Socceroos players I'm too cansado (tired).

In the end the Socceroos two chief weapons (still ripping off Monty Pyton I know) suspended Tim Cahil and half injured Mark Bresciano nullified any chance the Socceroos had of getting anything out of the Spain game. 

After the Aussies performed well above expectations against Chile and Holland fans worst fears materialised in the last group game. Against the country that loves pronouncing every "C" with a heavy "TH" and every second word with a lisp, it was too much to expect anything but a convincing defeat from the Spanish who were just too classy and skillful.

Even though they beat the Socceroos convincingly Spain were playing in second gear and they are out of the World Cup this early because they kept on playing Heavy Metal (possession based ticki tacka football) when the rest of the world had moved on to listening to Grunge (vertical passing, counter attacking football).

At least it wasn't a Pim Verbeek thrashing that happened four years ago in South Africa against Ze Germans, or  a Holger Osieck double six nil thrashing. There was no bravery or Anzac type spirit in this performance where the team played above themselves, unfortunately  it was what everyone expected. 

The Socceroos ended this concert with their worst song, it was a dodgy final third and it's probably my worst music and movie analogy.

You can't blame me though! I hate writing these pieces after the Socceroos lose. I don't know about you but when my team of choice loses I rarely read the match report or opinion pieces . So I don't know why you are even bothering to read this. Are you some sadist who enjoys basking in a loss are you vultures picking at the carcass of defeat?

Hey calm down don't be a Debbie Downer, we got four more years to wait till the next World Cup and the planning starts now! Plus don't forget the Asian Cup in January we expect to win  it easily now after how the Socceroos performed in Brazil. Left foot volleys from Tim Cahill here we come! Right? 

Positives

• I just got one. We don't have to listen to Craig Foster coach the team from the stands anymore. I liked it when there was some drama in the game and the Socceroos were in the fight but this game the assistant coach commentary was too much.

Random Player Analysis

• Mile Jedinak is so laid back in interviews and press conferences he sometimes gets mistaken for a chair. The Jak was guilty of horrible passing and moments of suspect defending and to top it off he got in the way of a Matt McKay volley against Spain. One of the few Socceroos chances on goal in the whole match. Do you agree with Eamonn Flanngan suggestion that he's the worst Croatian we've ever had?
• Matty Ryan. Alexis Sanchez, Robin Van Persie, Arjen Robben, Fernando Torres, Juan Mata, Nutmegs, Flaps and heading the ball 30 meters out from the Goal-line. Poor Matty Ryan had a World Cup to forget and because he is young and potentially has the skills to pay the bills he hasn't been crucified by the media. Mitch Langerack wasn't afforded so much forgiveness I would have loved to have seen him in action against Spain but it wasn't to be.

Bullshit Stories

• Tim Cahill is leaving New York Red Bulls  and sacrificing  his salary of three million plus to take a pay cut for two million and get booed while playing for Sydney FC. Just like Sepp Blatter is going to take away the World Cup from Qatar and give it to Australia, it's bullshit farken!
• Mathew Leckie had a great tournament don't get me wrong but he is far from the finished product, and a few dollars short at being valued at 10 million big ones. Besides the chest shot I don't think he had a shot on target the whole World Cup. To paraphrase Paul Keaitng he is all Ice and no Berg.(that doesn't make sense but remember, you're not even supposed to be reading this)

Facts That Aren't Cool Dude

• Brazil 2014 was Australia's worst World Cup performance in the History of the Universe!
• Australia conceded the most goals in their World Cup History! 
• The Socceroos didn't get a point in Brazil 2014 making this the worst World Cup in the History of Australian football universe!
• NOT getting to the next round means we still can't call them "Our Socceroos". Unless you get out of the group stage it's still "The Socceroos". Sorry but thems the rules
• Dodgy defence was the Socceroos downfall this time, not dodgy penalty decisions or dodgy send offs or dodgy handballs. They did it to themselves.
• Now that Australia's World Cup Odyssey has come to an end I'm sad. The A-League doesn't start till October. what will I write about now? Make up transfer stories like everyone else? An unnamed source suggest that Mathew Leckie is not moving to Barcelona!
• Dead rubbers at the World Cup suck worse than friendlies.

Cheers for reading my thoughts and grievances over the last couple of months.It doesn't get any better for a football writer than writing about the World Cup. I might write a weekly piece till the end of the World Cup just to keep the writing juices flowing.

Cheers
Con Stamocostas

Socceroos - Holland Psycho(Analysis) World Cup 2014 Brazil

The Socceroos Greatest Ever Loss

So the Socceroos couldn't beat the Dutch. Who cares if we lost 3-2 and are now out of contention to move into the next round. Last night's game had enough excitement and drama to last forever in Australian football history.  I may be sounding like an annoying Pollyana but just being in front for a full four minutes against the Orange Botherers is enough to satisfy my football thirst.  Although the Aussies lost I feel good. Almost as good as when the Socceroos beat Japan. It doesn't quite have the euphoria as when the Socceroos drew against Croatia to go into the round of 16 in Germany 2006.

But it's still a special feeling being witness to the Socceroos greatest ever goal, and greatest ever chance of causing one of the greatest ever upsets against one of the greatest Kreas (Van Persie shoulda been sent off for that foul on Jedinak) and possible World Cup contending teams.


What's the difference between the Socceroos and a tea bag? The tea bag spends longer in the cup.

What does a Dutch Footballer do after they win the World Cup? Turn off the PlayStation.

You know you are truly part of a World Cup when you are the punchline for one of it's jokes. And being the butt of a joke is part of the fun of being part of the World's biggest sporting event. As a long suffering football fan in Australia doesn't it feel good to belong to a historic World Cup moment like last night? (even though it did end in heartbreak farken!)

Seeing Tim Cahill's score an Ubermanch goal makes the loss not so bad. Syphilis ridden German Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche had this concept of a human that had other-worldliness qualities.That's what Tim Cahill's Uber goal is for me.

The bar has now been set for every Australian youngster that wants to play for the Socceroos to aim for the same height as Uber Timmy Cahill. The German word Uber means above or beyond. That goal was above or beyond every player or fans wildest dreams.  I wasn't even finished groaning at Arjen Robben's opening goal for Holland when I had to do an about face so I could start cheering, laughing, smiling, exhalting, rejoicing and even a bit of guffawing.

Is Tim Cahill the greatest Socceroo ever? It's not a question anymore it's now a statement.

The Mozz

So which one of you was it? C'mon now be honest. When the Socceroos took the lead through Mile Jedinak's penalty to go up 2-1 in the second half who said out loud "we're gonna win this!" and I know some of you even went further and said "we're gonna win this one easily".

I know this because one of them was sitting next to me. Nice one my brother Phillip. After the Dutch scored the demoralsing third goal I blamed Phillip for the loss. "You stirred up the football gods. You don't say things like that before the game is over, you stirred up the Mozz" I cried!

For those of you that don't know what the Mozz is get Tony Wilson's book Australia United. It's a funny and engaging chronicle of the 2006 World Cup in Germany. In Tony Wilson's own words this is what the Mozz means.

"What the Mozz does is inhabit the etherof the entire universe, wafting around, waiting for the faintest murmur of expressed opinion. The Mozz will then act, swooping down, striking hard, possessing any relevant animal vegetabe or mineral, and transforming the result to the opposite - usually one that is profoundly shit." End of explanation.

And so as Tim Cahill was in hurtling towards the Dutch goal at 2-1 just affter the Jak penalty and with the option of Matt Mckay on his right and another Socceroo on his left the Mozz took hold of Tim Cahill's pass and made it go to long nullifying any attacking opportunity the Socceroos had.

Not soon after Phillip yelled "we're gonna win this one easily"  The Mozz allowed Dutch Winger Memphis to stroll past right back Ryan McGowan allowing him to cut inside, Mathew Leckie tried in vain to get possession back but Memphis got a lucky bounce with the help of the Mozz of course and got the ball back  and passed it to Sneijder who returned the pass back to Memphis who then set up Robin Van Persie for the equalising goal. The Mozz didn't compose Matty Ryan and the ball flew over his head with no hands in the way. The Mozz also made Jason Davidson keep Van Persie onside for his second positioning error in this World Cup.

Later in the game when the Socceroos had another opportunity to score The Mozz  unfortunately made Tommy Oar become too in awe (thanks Wayne Snowdon) of the occasion and he took the wrong option. Finding himself in the Dutch box Oar was in a fantastic position to shoot but instead he fired in a cross that was too hard and the Mozz made Mathew Leckie chest a tame attempt at goal.

The Mozz then  made Tim Cahill get a hamstring injury so Australia lost it's best chance of scoring more goals.

The Mozz is also responsible for making Matty Ryan flap at shot by that man Memphis again that led to the third Dutch goal when Ryan shoulda coulda saved it

But let's get serious it wasn't the Mozz and it wasn't the football gods it was just the cruel mistress that is football that caused the Socceroos to lose. Time to to take a step from the blame game and acknowledge the effort of the Socceroos players and staff in serving up two wonderful World Cup games. The pressure that all involved would have been under and the memories and moments that will never be forgotten makes the critic in me want to have a rest for a while because what the fuck do I know about playing at a World Cup?

Shut Up Pim Verbeek

I really feel like it's time to rejoice at the performance and be optimistic about the future of Australian football. Australia's World Cup group has seen Spain already knocked out. The best team of the better part of the last decade have copped seven goals and scored just one. Australia has a better record than the current World Champs with three goals scored and six against. What if we had a proper defence? None of the Socceroos have the pedigree and recent history the Spanish do.Only Tim Chill and Mark Bresciano have played in World Cups before. 

Before the game and no-one thought that the Socceroos would score any goals! (Pim Verbeek). 

Many thought the A-League was an inferior competition (Pim Verbeek).

How many current and former players A-League were on the pitch Pim?  Eight if i can remember.

The Dutch just like the Chileans before them got the fright of their lives and a real challenge from the Socceroos. No-one besides the players and coaching staff and the most optimistic fan thought the Aussies had any chance of matching our Group B opponents let alone be in a position to draw in the first game and come so close to winning in the second game. 

Sure getting so close and in the end being so far from the desired result is harsh but like Winston Churchill said "Never Despair!, We got the Asian Cup coming up, what's Uber Timmy Cahill going to do next?"

Socceroos - Cholos (Chile) Analysis World Cup 2014 Brasil

What If?, Coulda, Woulda and Shoulda. 

No these are not the names of four Arabic restaurants they are the burning questions that will surround the Socceroos after their 3-1 World Cup opening game loss to Chile in Cuiaba Brasil.

What If?, Shoulda, Woulda and Coulda are usually a luxury in life, moving forward is the mantra and to forget the past is what we're told to live a happy and healthy life. But for football countries like Australia it's almost the lifeblood of the game. 

The Iran game and the Italy game and now the Chile game can now join the illustrious company of Australian World Cup heartbreaks. It is definitely worth arguing that the Chile game has as many questions as the other two. 

This is due in parts to what happened before the Chile game and what happened during the loss to La Roja. Before the game there was a number of player retirements forced or other wise. The debate raged particularly from one of these "retirees" shot botherer Mark Schwarzer. The hero for the Socceroos on many occasions questioned whether sideline botherer Ange Postecoglu had picked the strongest squad. This point of view riled up many fans and even Postecoglu himself.

Also lets not forget the number of Socceroos that suffered injuries before the World Cup meant the team was short of key players and there was fear and trepidation that the youngsters would be overawed by the occasion.

The What Ifs?

• What if Ryhs Williams. Robbie Kruse and Tom Rogic hadn't got injured before the World Cup? The Socceroos would have had much more experience and quality with this triumvirate if they were in Brasil. 
• What if Harry Kewell and Mark Schwarzer hadn't retired. You wonder what kind of difference they would have made. 
• What if the youngsters had more game time together rather than just two or three friendlies to get the team harmony and cohesion in place?
• What if Tim Cahill wasn't offside for that would be equalising goal? 
• What if Bresh's volley was an inch up and to the right, up and to the right?

The Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda's 

• Mile Jedinak shoulda played better! In all the analysis after the game Robbie Slater is the only one that kept it real. The Jak was responsible for both opening goals. 
• Tommy Oar coulda played better but it wasn't all his fault but I'll come back to that later.
• Maty Ryan shoulda stayed on his line! Schwarzer woulda done better and the Socceroos coulda stayed at 0-0 for a bit longer.
• Mathew "I played a brilliant farken game" Leckie shoulda used the shoot farken mentality when he surged down the right hand side and shot with his left foot instead of cutting in on his right. It coulda been one of the all time clashic World Cup goals!
• Ange Postecoglu coulda and shoulda made better subs it woulda made a difference with 20 mins to go! Read below why.

Ange got it Wrong

Ange Postecoglu got his pre- World Cup wish. He wanted the Socceroos to be a team that the Australian sporting public would be excited by again. The game was a tense watch. The Aussies took the fight to Chile. Most fans before the game and after the first 20 mins thought an arse whipping was coming. But the team fought back, were brave and showed that true Aussie fighting spirit. Ange got his wish; The Socceroos are an exciting team to watch again. 

But alas for me that's not good enough. Ange Postecoglu got the last 20 mins wrong. The talk from Ange post match has been that the during the first 20 mins the team was overawed particularly the youngsters. He said that their inexperience showed and that the team was nervous and that''s why they copped two goals in the first 20 mins. 

But I disagree. It wasn't nerves it wasn't inexperience it was Alexis Sanchez quality and flair and poor defending by Mile Jedinak. Dirty Sanchez ripped the Socceroos apart  and I blame Mile Jedinak! For the first Chilito goal he was out jumped for the header that fell to Alexis Sanchez and for the second goal he was turned inside out like a ballroom dancer  by the Cholo Sanchez again. 

Perhaps blaming it all on Mile is unfair but he deserves some castigation. Sometimes that kind of quality is almost impossible to defend against.   A back heel before the first goal set up the cross down the right but Mile Jedinak was out jumped by a much smaller Chilito who headed the ball back to Sanchez who then performed keyhole surgery with that strike beating Spiranovich and Ryan at the near post. The second goal it was Sanchez skill again that caused the space to open and it was Jedinak who was beaten. Not the youngsters fault. 

But back to how Ange got it wrong. Lets harp back to 2006. Against both Japan and Croatia when the Socceroos needed goals there were literally four strikers on the pitch. The Socceroos are a crossing team. They don't do ticka tacka or triangles they look to go out wide and cross to targets in the box. One target in the box with the game on the line is not taking a risk. In my opinion Ange was too conservative. Why didn't Ange leave on Tommy Oar and bring on Taggart instead? Tim Cahill can't do everything by himself and in the end he couldn't. 

One target in the box for a crossing team is not enough!

Sure Josh Kennedy was injured but the lack of Strikers in the squad  pre theWord Cup was alarming and it was the Socceroos undoing as they tried valiantly to find that equalising goal. 

It would have been an interseting last 10 mins if someone like Tom Juric and  Adam Taggart joined Tim Cahill on the pitch as the Socceroos pushed for that equaliser.  Tommy Oar had an average game because he had no-one to cross to. 

Citing the the Ivory Coast as an example they too are a crossing team and once they brought on Didier Drogba they scored two goals in their comeback win against Japan. 

Hopefully Ange learns from this when the Socceroos play the Orange Botherers Holland. 

Tim Cahill Does it Again

I am tempted to call this blog "Head Farken Super Timmy Cahill". Some A Football Story readers would know that I went to High School with Tim Cahill. He was three years behind me and he always had a football with him as he walked the KNHS hallways. 

At the time of writing this blog Tim Cahill has scored more World Cup goals than Lionel Messi and Christiano Ronaldo combined. I'm sure you football stat lovers already know Campsie's most famous Son's name is up there with Baggio, Klinsmann, Robben, Van Persie and Mattheus as one of the few footballers in the World who have scored at three consecutive World Cups. It's a wonderful talking point and this piece of knowledge must be taught in Australian schools with other notable Aussie achievements that have affected the World. Like ACDC, The Selfie and Top Shelfing.

To be Embarrassed or NOT to be Embarrassed THAT is the QUESTION

Leading up to the Socceroos friendly send off as they head of to the World Cup in Brazil I got some Questions that have been swirling in my head.

When Socceroos boss Ange Postecoglu announced his Socceroos squad I paid close attention to his accompanying comments at the press conference:

"We'll have the whole nation watching in the middle of the night. I'm not going to tell them to get up and not feel great about it”

"And then our responsibility as I said is to excite them when they watch. To give them maybe that glimpse of a future and who knows maybe take them on a little bit of a wild ride through here when the unexpected happens."

Reading between the lines the main objective for the World Cup in Brazil is for the Socceroos not to be embarrassing Australia.  Consecutive six nil thrashings against France and Brazil meant that things had to change.

As the team goes through the rigmarole of press conferences, media and sponsor appearances and even some training I asked myself:

 Is this the worst Socceroos squad on paper I’ve seen since I’ve been following the team since 1988? On paper probably yes. Experience wise probably yes.

Will the Socceroos get smashed? In the cold hard light of day probably yes. But in Australia we don’t get many cold hard days our days are warm easy and laidback. In Brazil against Chile, Netherlands and Spain it could be miserable embarrassing and frustrating.

While the messages coming out from the Socceroos PR machine are positive are fans, pundits. Players and coaches deluded into thinking the team have any chance of not being embarrassed? It’s not so bad to lie to yourself sometimes. Unfortunately the scoreboard doesn’t lie. So most fans are being realistic and lots of Joe and Jane Public are saying: “we’re gonna get thrashed!”

 “The Socceroos defence looks like a mad women’s breakfast”

Many questions surround the final 23 man squad and then even more questions abound in who will take the field against LA Roja nickname for Chile means “the Red One who will thrash the Socceroos”

For years the Socceroos had mainstays in defence Alex Tobin and Milan Ivanovic, Lucas Neill and Craig Moore, Now the question of who will be in this Socceroos defence is still a ponderous one. Even the Ubermunch Ange Postecoglu doesn’t know. Curtis Good’s hip flexor just doesn’t want to heal, Trent Sainsbury fell on a sprinkler and his knee refused to get better in time for the World Cup. Mathew Spiranivich knee’s and hamstrings are one awkward lunge away from a lay off and that leaves Alex Wilkinson who tried to dribble to himself against Ecuador and it cost the Socceroos a goal. That’s why AP gets paid the big bux. As my Maths teacher Mr Sayburn used to say “The Socceroos defense looks like a mad women’s breakfast.” (He actually would say your Maths homework looks like a mad women's breakfast"

The midfield isn’t looking so stable at the moment either. Can Mile Jedinak bring that EPL form to the Socceroos? Jedinak got himself injured in the last game of the EPL. His groin refused to dive into anymore tackles. The Jak won’t get the time and space that the EPL defenders afforded him during his first season in Europe and expect him to be well covered by opposition defences at the World Cup.

“At what point do we accept that Marc Bresciano Is a Vampire?”

Another Question is: Can Marc Bresciano still bring it? After missing all those months suspended after someone at his club filled out the wrong form. FIFA and Centrelink must have a similar bureaucracy fill in the the wrong form and they take away your payments and penalise you for months.

And another question? At what point do we accept that Marc Bresciano is a Vampire? Look at 2006, 2010 and 2014 Bresh. Someone’s cabinet or safe is missing quite a large batch of their Elixir of Youth, Perhaps he is an Alchemist or some Druid in disguise because Bresh hasn't aged since the 2006 World Cup. He looks the same as he did when he scored against Uruguay and did the statue pose. C’mon Bresh score @ the World Cup & do the Statue!   

Pic Above is Marc Bresciano a Vampire like Pharell appears to be?

SHOOT FARKEN

Should I ask a question about the attack? Sure I will. By the time the defense and midfield are run ragged at some point the Socceroos will have to attack.

Such is the fashion these days of  world football that not playing with Strikers and flooding the team with midfielders is now the norm., The Shoot Farken school of thought is slowly been erased and just like universal health care and free education Strikers will be gazed upon in moments of nostalgia.

 Super Timmy Cahill another candidate for a Vampire as he too hasn’t aged and neither has his ability to leap higher than most tall defenders could be the Socceroos only Striker along with Josh Kennedy. Adam Taggart won’t probably make it in this World Cup squad (I’d like to see him go though I’m in the SHOOT FARKEN minority) Set pieces and Tommy Oar crossing for his life could be the Socceroos best chances.

Any more Questions? NO? Good. Let’s play!