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Brazil 2014 WCQ


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  • 2 weeks later...

I switched off after half an hour, whenever the ball was in our half we booted it as far away as possible to Brosque in a 1 on 4 situation. Don't think we strung more than 6 passes together while I was watching, everything was so direct and the structure was woeful. Sticking Holman who has been our best player as an AMC out on the left where he used to always struggle was criminal.

Can't see us getting 1 of the automatic spots unless things change dramatically, and that will only happen with a change of coach.

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Not sure why I bothered to waste my time getting up so early to watch this horrible performance...

We really are not going anywhere with our current squad, Cahill had a great chance early to put us up 1-0 after about 4 minutes... Besides that we always play the same style of football and we really aren't going anywhere. In need of a change in the squad. Jordan were just to good for us in every part of the game. Also - gtfo Carney.

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Now thank goodness I didn't get up to watch this one.

I am really sad to say we have come to closing stages of a glory era in the history of our national team. However we have never bothered about seriously replacing the likes of Aloisi, Viduka, Kewell, Cahill, Moore and Neill. We have put too little game time into Spiranovic, Zullo, Oar, Leckie, Good and Babalj.

Seriously we need to put time into these kids. Now I know Archie is scoring goals at the moment in the team but FFS how much longer can we go back to the well. If we actually gave game time to Leckie, Burns, Djite and Babalj we might actually see what they are like on the international stage.

James Holland, Nikita Rukyavitsia, Adam Sarota, Rhys Williams, CHRIS HERD, James Troisi. Why don't these guys get a call up? Give them some chances in a friendly, try and develop some players.

It is obvious the FFA have no strategy to continuing the fruition of the national team. Like I said there is only so many times you can go to the well and pick Archie, Neill and those who continue to show age has got to them.

INJECT SOME YOUTH INTO THE TEAM HOLGER!!!!!!!!!!

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I actually have no issues with Archie in the team, because he always competes at 100% and provides that bit of flair that the other old blokes do not.

Agree with everything else you say though @toogood18

Nikita did sweet F all against Lebanon, need to get Troisi on board asap.

Behich, Zullo, even Cassio are better options than Carney.

Edited by sharpy
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We really need to have a change of philosophy, currently Holger tries to put his biggest XI names on the team sheet and hope they gel as a unit once on the park. Problem is Holman & Cahill both play the same role and can't be on the park at the same time if you want to have a cohesive midfield-forwardline. Meanwhile Brosque is ineffective as a target man, Wilkshire and Carney can't cross, Lucas and Og are brutally slow and the whole thing looks like a huge steaming pile of shit when they hit the park.

Holman is our key man, we need to effectively build the squad around his style of game giving him freedom in midfield to feed off a striker who can hold up the ball (Babalj or Bulut?). Playing a 4-2-3-1 suits our strengths which is pacy/tricky wingers (Troisi, Kruse, Ruka, Leckie, Oar, etc) and an attacking midfielder who can get into goalscoring positions (Holman or Cahill).

Bresciano is best suited to the defensive playmaker role (similar to Arteta at Arsenal) if you had a hard running, tackling DM beside him like Herd or Wilkshire we'd be pretty sound in the middle of the park.

At the back it's pretty clear that Neill is past it and needs to be replaced, Williams is the long term successor but DeVere is quality and would easily slot in at RCB. Ideally we'd have a left footed defender playing at LCB, Lowry, Madaschi and Bosnar all fit the bill, with Curtis Good a long term prospect for the position. The full back positions seem to be our biggest problem with Carney being generally shit, and Wilkshire being on a steady decline for the past 2 years. McGowan & Franjic are the 2 best replacements off the top of my head and Davidson & Zullo are more than adequate replacements for Carney.

At either end of the park Schwarzer is still producing the goods and we have Federici & Langerak if he starts to decline. Up front we need a strong technically sound striker who can bring the attacking midfielders into the game. Babalj & Bulut are the only 2 we have with that ability, alternately Kennedy would probably also be effective if Holger stopped directing everyone to bomb it to his head.

So in short:

Schwarzer

McGowan - Williams - Bosnar - Zullo

Bresciano - Herd

Kruse - Holman - Troisi

Babalj

and the rest - DeVere, Davidson, Lowry, Wilkshire, Sarota, Holland, Ruka, Leckie, Oar, Kennedy, Bulut

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  • 3 weeks later...

Qantas Socceroos Squad v Iraq

Mark BRESCIANO, Alex BROSQUE,Tim CAHILL, James HOLLAND, Brett HOLMAN, Mile JEDINAK, Brad JONES (gk), Robbie KRUSE, Mitchell LANGERAK (gk), Ryan McGOWAN, Matthew McKAY, Mark MILLIGAN, Lucas NEILL, Jade NORTH, Tommy OAR, Nikita RUKAVYTSYA, Adam SAROTA, Mark SCHWARZER (gk), Matthew SPIRANOVIC, Archie THOMPSON, Carl VALERI, Luke WILKSHIRE.

Reasonably happy with that, Glad to see Oar, Ruka, McGowan, Sarota, Kruse & Holland in the Squad. Lowry is stiff, has been playing reguarly in the Championship for Milwall. Troisi would have been deserving of a spot too, just not sure who you'd take out for him.

No problems with Archie in there, as he busts his nuts for the NT every time he takes the field.

Just wish someone could force North out of the squad.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Very happy we won and are back on track,

I'm unhappy we won, because it will perpetuate the idea amongst FFA that Holger is getting the job done, which he is clearly not. The team was pretty pathetic last night, barely deserved to win. Holger is still useless and not doing his job properly - particuarly the youth development he spoke so passionately for a few years back.

Sack him sooner rather than later.

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 2 months later...

Mark BRESCIANO Al Gharafa, Qatar 64 (12)

Alex BROSQUE Al-Ain Club, UAE 19 (5)

Robert CORNTHWAITE Chunnam Dragons, Korea Republic 5 (2)

Jason DAVIDSON SC Heracles Almelo, Netherlands 1 (0)

Adam FEDERICI (gk) Reading FC, England 7 (0)

James HOLLAND FK Austria Vienna, Austria 8 (0)

Brett HOLMAN Aston Villa FC, England 57 (8)

Mile JEDINAK Crystal Palace FC, England 37 (3)

Robbie KRUSE Fortuna Dusseldorf, Germany 21 (2)

Mathew LECKIE FSV Frankfurt 1899, Germany 1 (0)

Ryan McGOWAN Shandong Luneng Taishan FC 2 (0)

Matt McKAY Changchun Yatai FC, China PR 33 (1)

Lucas NEILL Al-Wasl Sports Club, UAE 88(0)

Tommy OAR FC Utrecht, Netherlands 6 (0)

Nikita RUKAVYTSYA FSV Mainz, Germany 10 (1)

Mark SCHWARZER (gk) Fulham FC, England 103 (0)

Luke WILKSHIRE FK Dinamo Moscow, Russia 73 (7)

Rhys WILLIAMS Middlesbrough FC, England 10 (0)

Michael ZULLO FC Utrecht, Netherlands 9 (0)

Strongest squad I've seen in some time, fewest questionable inclusion I've probably seen since this side of the 2010 WC.

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