Interview with Socceroos Coach Ange Postecoglou

Interview with Socceroos Coach Ange Postecoglou ahead of game against Jordan. I spoke to him today via a teleconference first time I interviewed the Socceroos coach. A great experience.

http://www.fourfourtwo.com/au/news/postecoglou-predicts-tough-test-jordan#:jpn3G-2+kZiaMA

Exclusive interview with Andy Keogh part two

My yarn @FourFourTwoOz with Perth Glory striker Andy Keogh. The international Irish attacker says lack of infrastructure is all that's holding A League back.

http://www.fourfourtwo.com/au/features/ready-takeoff-infrastructure-all-thats-holding-league-back-says-keogh

Socceroos - Pain For Spain (Preview) World Cup 2014

Hola Amigo's, Que pasa? 

Following the come down from Australia's greatest ever loss and arguably the Soccerooos greatest ever goal by Sir Tim Cahill Duke of the Left Foot Volley it's almost easy to forget that the Socceroos have one more game to go. Facing Spain was supposed to be the hardest game of the group and due to mitigating circumstances the Socceroos and their coaching and supporting entourage reckon they can beat the La Furia Roja! (that's the Red Fury for you monolinguals)

It's been a Tim Cahillathon following that unbelievable goal against the Clog Botherers. That World Cup moment has gone viral. And just like a New York Times Best Seller, an Oscar Winning Movie or a Hit TV Show, that goal has been translated into a multitude of languages.

Such has been the focus on that one moment, we've all forgotten ( this plebeian included. Hail Sir Tim Cahill Duke of the Left Foot Volley) that the Socceroos actually lost against Holland and have been knocked out of the World Cup. The last game against Spain could see the Red Fury come at the Socceroos as the Red Moderately Furious Fury or the Red Am I Not Bothered cause we won everything already and we haven't had a siesta in six years Fury. 

Overflowing Schooner vs Empty Pint

It's interesting to note the way the English press and Australian press have reacted to being knocked out of the World Cup. Both teams have lost their first two games and both teams have no chance to progress to the next round. Australia are seeing the Schooner as overflowing because the team played well above expectations and scored three goals including Sir Tim Cahill's goal of the tournament. England see the Pint as empty because it's the first time since 1958 they haven't qualified beyond the group stages.

Following the fallout from England's loss to Uruguay I read with some Schadenfreude David James Guardian article  and he sees the dead rubber game Old Blighty have to play against Costa Rica far differently to the way the Socceroos are approaching their dead rubber against Spain. Here are the lines I enjoyed the most:

"England’s last game, against Costa Rica, has got to be the worst game you can play in a World Cup. Ordinarily, you lose a game, and you go home. But to stay on and play for nothing? On the biggest stage in the world? That’s unheard of in English football. And it’s bound to be painful.

There is no pride left to salvage, no opportunity for points that might redeem the side.And whatever tactics Roy Hodgson employs, it will be a no-win situation for him. If the team put in a great performance with a change of personnel, everyone will question why he didn’t play them in the first place. If the team loses, the whole enterprise will be further consigned to failure on an epic scale. It is an impossible task"

Contrast that reaction to the way the Australian media and the way some former Socceroos have reacted and you find most are singing the sides praises.

Even though the players and coaches are disappointed to be heading home earlier than they would have liked Tim Cahill's goal has given the media and supporters something priceless for Australian football and it's future:

An Immortal World Cup moment. Arise Sir Tim Cahill, Duke of the Left Foot Volley

Because expectations were low it seems that moment alone by Sir Tim Cahill Duke of the Left Foot Volley is enough to satisfy the appetite of the Australian football fraternity.

GenNext

Looking ahead to the Pain in Spain game the other Socceroos players must surely have been suffering some Tim Cahill fatigue. I think it's time for the focus to shift on to Generation Next and what plans Socceroos boss Ange Postecocglou (bout time I spelt that right) has to combat the sleeping dog that is Spain.

Some Spanish journo's are saying that the reason Spain has performed so poorly in Brazil 2014 is that the team is tired and not really bothered because they've been there and done that.  Why should we bother Amigos?. We've already won the Euro's and the World Cup. Plus who wants to practice and play the triangle in the school band all the time?

For many years the Socceroos focus was on players with individual brilliance and fantasy.Australia was lucky to be blessed with great players like Ned Zelic, Paul Okon, Harry Kewell and Mark Viduka. Now with GenNext perhaps the future is the style of play, the system and structure of the team and the focus on the sum of the parts rather than the individual. 

By the time the Socceroos play at the next World Cup (they have to qualify of course)  the Rob Baan and Hann Berger Dutch revolution will have taken hold. Small sided games, no results and the fluid 4-3-3 will have had almost ten years to take hold in the Aussie football landscape. Who know what the Socceroos will look like in another four years. 

Strong personalities like Paul Okon, Ned Zelic, Harry Kewell, Tim Cahil and Lucas Neill saw a lot of territorial pissings going in  Socceroos camps and World Cup campaigns over the years. It's now a perfect opportunity for GenNext to make there mark, which is why I hope Ange P goes fully sick with the youth for the Spain game.

Why not give Adam Taggart, Ben Halloran, Oliver Bozanic, Massimo Luongo and Bailey Wrght some game time? I also think Mitch Langerak should get a start. I don't think I could handle anymore Matty Ryan blunders.  

Who knows perhaps the GenNext Hispters can cause their own Immortal World Cup moment by beating World Champions Spain!

Vamos Socceroos farken Vamos!

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.

Socceroos Qualify for Brazil 2014

High Anxiety with the Socceroos

Nothing brings together people in Sydney like a do or die qualifying game for a World Cup berth. The Eurosnob, the Socceroos fanatic , the newbies,  the one night stand theatre goers, the A League purist, the Wallabies , Tennis and Cricket Fans and even those who couldn’t care less about sport. Something about the Socceroos and the World Cup brings Australians together and it’s sharing that common connection with people that are different from me that makes me love moments like this. We all want to be involved in History right?

Omens before the Game

Hearing that two of Iraq’s best players retired made everyone think it was going to be a romp (Me included). But talking to people in the build up (away from Twitter) to real live humans with proper sentences and even a paragraph or two I could hear myself say: “Iraq are a good team with quality players and they would “luve” it like Kevin Keegan if they could stop Australia from qualifying for a third consecutive World Cup especially in our own backyard.”

Before the game Ned Zelic was getting all metta on us taking the piss out of himself by quoting his infamous ubiquitous commentary analysis from the 2010 World Cup “Individual brilliance, fantasy & imagination are the #Ingredients  that the Socceroos need.”

Trying to get into the Stadium

There is stadium etiquette when going to a big game in a group of more than four people.  There are two rules, stay in the group at all times and check that everyone has tickets before you enter. For a control freak like me these rules are sacrosanct but for the others who are loose with their stadium behaviour this can cause great anguish and furious anxiety.

So obviously those two rules were broken.

There are five people in our party. In groups of more than four people it’s common for the group to usually split up in two’s. So we split into my Brother (the Socceroos Fanatic) Jim (a casual Euro snob and Socceroos fanatic) and his friend let’s just call him the Eurosnob.

I am walking with my brother Phillip who loves the Socceroos so much he developed Bell's palsy because of the excitement of going to his first  World Cup in 20006 with unconfirmed scalped tickets. The other member of our party was Jim’s dad. He is the odd one out. He’s old and senile.  So that makes him the odd one out (talk to Darwin).  

So my anxiety levels increase when the group splits. The father gets lost as we are walking to the Stadium and as me and my brother are trying to find our gate and looking for the others and the old man my chemicals start to rise. Finally we find the old man and I yell at Jim (his son): “You let your father walk into a crowd of 80,000 people by himself?”  As we are about to enter through the gates  the poor old bloke announces that he threw away the printed ticket.  

The tickets marshals are on the case, but it’s looking like a long night outside the stadium for the old guy as there is no internet connection to provide proof of purchase.

And then just like magic the old man realises he has another pocket and finds the lost ticket. In we go.....almost because then the poor old man couldn’t get through the turn style, and was struggling with the electronic bar code. Now there are five minutes till kick off and I’m losing it. Again I yell at Jim because I have to yell at someone and apportion the blame.

The Game

Having a don't fuck it up mentality is a crazy mindset to have when playing for a place in the World Cup.  When teams like Iraq in this instance are free to play without pressure it creates a heady mix of butt checks being clenched and underwear becoming wet due to the strain of it all.

The Iraqi players had skill and coupled with the Iraqi time wasting tactics it was stopping the Socceroos momentum. The Iraqi’s held the ball for long periods and were frustrating the Socceroos.  Three really good chances for the Socceroos to score in the first half didn't eventuate in a goal. I feel sorry for the mature aged Rugby couple sitting next to me as I have been swearing like an Australian politician who thinks no-one is listening or watching. Some levity makes its way into the evening when the whistle blew for half time. The wife of the Rugby couple says in a posh accent. "That wasn't impressive at all."

Then in the second half it started raining more heavily and wouldn’t you know it the roof had a leak and it was raining on me and our World Cup Qualification hopes.  It’s not raining goals and after more time wasting by the Iraqi’s someone behind me in the crowd yells “go home to Auburn (a Sydney suburb with lots of Middle Eastern residents)” It gets a hearty laugh from the crowd around him and I yell back “it’s racist but we’ll take it”. John Oliver was right! We are all comfortably racist! But this is the World Cup casual racism is the least of worries. Australia can’t score.

The final 10 minutes of the Socceroos made the world around me amplified to such a level that at times I was losing my focus on the game.  Eyes on the substitutes, eyes on the clock, people yelling shit all over the place kids in front of me turning back in shock at a loud ethnic voice yelling expletives. I could hear conversations from other sections of the crowds that were two or three bays away, the air was getting thin, and then with Tim Cahill off and everyone cursing Holger Jesus scores! Blasphemy has never been so much fun!! I turned to the man from the Rugby couple and said: “79,000 people just un-clenched their butt cheeks”, and he replied: “you don’t have to tell me”.

 

(Picture left: I met Jesus! Josh Kennedy Socceroos winning goal scorer that took Australia to Brazil 2014 with me in the glasses in 2009 on far right)

After the game I shook an Iraqi fans hand outside the stadium and I praised his team for the way they played (when they weren’t flopping and staging) and for the skill of their players.  Does that gesture with the Iraq fan mean I have redeemed myself for being agreeable to a racist comment earlier? Anyway Auburn is an ok place to live in; I’ve heard that it’s quite similar to parts of Hollywood.

If Iraq can one day find some peace and stability in their country and if the Lions of Mesopotamia could play at home in Iraq instead of neutral Qatar surely it won’t be long before they kick some international butt at a World Cup tournament one day?

Some Random Thoughts

•  In today’s PC world of strict definitions of casual human behaviour Australia is casually racist and Holger is casually sexist. But who cares?  We are going to the World Cup!

• Why didn't Adnan Kadhim shoot in the 89th minute? Who cares the Socceroos are going to Brazil!!!

• Without Mark Schwarzer none of us would be here or going to Brazil or have gone to Germany or South Africa.

• Mark Milligan has a high arching kick that if he doesn’t watch himself will get Australia in trouble.

• Watch the Josh Kennedy goal again but this time close your eyes and pay close attention to the noise of anticipation from the crowd when Brecsiano crosses, it is amazing. http://www.foxsports.com.au/football/kennedy-heads-roos-into-wc/video-e6frf423-1226665925490?subcat=1111112039415 …

• Most importantly we got a song for Brazil 2014. Peter Allen is going to make a lot of uncoordinated people go mental! Australians were forced to dance to “When my Baby goes To Rio” during High School as part of the physical education curriculum. Let the bad dance moves begin!! Time to start practicing the anti- rhythm of the"The White Samba"

The Future

• It would be nice to see Tommy Oar play in a central attacking midfield role or at least switch with Brett Holman once or twice. The kid is very dangerous when he runs in the middle.

• This is why I follow football!!! Getting to the party is half the Job!! A year of high quality football banter awaits! Go The Socceroos!!

• I love the Aussie Aussie Ole Ole chant we need more of that in Brazil please, rhyming Aussie slang is in our culture lets use it.