Australia at the World Cup

[Eric'sCollar]

Well threads are starting to pop up for other nations, might as well try and get something going for us Aussies or anyone that wants to talk about probably the weakest team at the World Cup.

For those who don't know much about the Socceroos, our manager is Ange Postecoglou. Holger Osiek was in charge during the qualification stages but his football was horrible to watch and everyone was fed up and he eventually got the boot despite achieving his goal of getting us to Brazil. There was a lot of pressure on giving an Australian coach a shot and Postecoglou has been by far the stand out Australian coach over the past couple of seasons. His sides play great fast, possession based, attacking football. However, with our squad, he has one hell of a task.

Our golden generation has come to an end, the likes of Schwarzer, Lucas Neill, Harry Kewell etc. Tim Cahill is our one standout player and our only real hope of popping up with a goal. Our best young player overseas, is Robbie Kruse playing at Bayer Leverkusen (he came off the bench at Old Trafford this season) but he has done his ACL and is out. Other than that, we have Tom Rogic who is probably the most hyped player since Kewell, he is playing in the A-League on loan from Celtic.

I'm not taking the piss when I say this, I can't see us managing a shot on goal. Such a tough group with Chile, Spain and Netherlands, if we can grab a goal, that will be enough for most Australian fans. We do however rise when we are the underdogs, so you never know.

We are hosting the 2015 Asian Cup in January and there is pressure on us doing well on home soil, so Postecoglou has really picked a squad with that in mind, there are 10 local players in the initial squad. It's up for debate whether he should have gone with such an inexperienced side with the focus on the Asian Cup or he should have gone with our best possible squad at the time. Here is the 30 man provisional squad.


Goalkeepers: Mat Ryan (Club Brugge/Belgium), Mitchell Langerak (Borussia Dortmund/Germany), Eugene Galekovic (Adelaide United), Mark Birighitti (Newcastle Jets)

Defenders: Josh Brilliante (Newcastle Jets), Ivan Franjic (Brisbane Roar), Jason Davidson (Heracles Almelo/Holland), Matthew Spiranovic (Western Sydney Wanderers), Curtis Good (Dundee United/Scotland), Bailey Wright (Preston North End/England), Luke Wilkshire (Dynamo Moscow/Russia), Alex Wilkinson (Jeonbuk Motors/South Korea), Ryan McGowan (Shandong Luneng/China)

Midfielders: Mile Jedinak (Crystal Palace/England), Mark Milligan (Melbourne Victory), James Holland (Austria Vienna/Austria), Massimo Luongo (Swindon Town/England), Adam Sarota (FC Utrecht/Holland), Oliver Bozanic (Luzern/Switzerland), Matt McKay (Brisbane Roar), Mark Bresciano (Al-Gharafa/Qatar)

Attackers: Tim Cahill (New York Red Bulls/USA), Josh Kennedy (Nagoya Grampus/Japan), Tom Rogic (Melbourne Victory), Dario Vidosic (Sion/Switzerland), Tommy Oar (FC Utrecht/Holland), James Troisi (Melbourne Victory), Ben Halloran (Fortuna Dusseldorf/Germany), Adam Taggart (Newcastle Jets), Mathew Leckie (FSV Frankfurt/Germany)

 

[goldenstatesplash]

Been following them since I moved here, they are practically my second team. They've cast off a few knobheads from their squad like Harry Kewell and Lucas Neil. Ange seems like a pretty switched on and adaptable manager. If they can somehow beat Chile.. Who knows.

I'll be watching for sure.

 

[Mr Pigeon]

I refuse to support a team from a country that have three completely different sports called football. It's just too confusing. Unless you're a cockroach. Then you're clearly a massive cheat.

 

[goldenstatesplash]

I refuse to support a team from a country that have three completely different sports called football. It's just too confusing. Unless you're a cockroach. Then you're clearly a massive cheat.

The other impostor codes are garbage.

 

[utdalltheway]

Never been to Oz but looking at that squad would lead me to think there are a fair amount of Croats &/or Serbs there. More than a couple of names ending in "ic".

 

[EC007]

Nil points.

 

[utdalltheway]

I refuse to support a team from a country that have three completely different sports called football. It's just too confusing. Unless you're a cockroach. Then you're clearly a massive cheat.

aren't there 4: rugby league, rugby union, soccer, and aussie rules?

 

[17 Van der Gouw]

At the last World Cup, New Zealand were the only undefeated team in the tournament; going out after 3 draws. You have to equal that, or the Kiwis are officially better than you. I used to live in Adelaide and know how much this will offend you.

 

[Mr Pigeon]

The other impostor codes are garbage.

We must start a revolution and usurp the other codes' "football" titles.

On another note, I think Australia might surprise a few people. Especially when you consider they have an earlier kick off for the game against Holland and the humidity could affect the Dutch.

 

[Eric'sCollar]

Never been to Oz but looking at that squad would lead me to think there are a fair amount of Croats &/or Serbs there. More than a couple of names ending in "ic".

Very much so. Used to be much worse in the 80s and 90s. Now there is the odd Australian name in the side at least.

 

[Eric'sCollar]

We must start a revolution and usurp the other codes' "football" titles.

On another note, I think Australia might surprise a few people. Especially when you consider they have an earlier kick off for the game against Holland and the humidity could affect the Dutch.

It's the one thing we will have over the other sides, we will be fitter than most. In saying that, we will be chasing the ball for most of the time.

 

[Mr Pigeon]

aren't there 4: rugby league, rugby union, soccer, and aussie rules?

Very true. I was stupidly combining both rugby codes.

 

[Wibble]

Never been to Oz but looking at that squad would lead me to think there are a fair amount of Croats &/or Serbs there. More than a couple of names ending in "ic".

Serbs and Croats are traditionally well represented in some Sydney football clubs.

 

[Wibble]

Australia will be lucky to get a point much less qualify for the next stage.

 

[Mr Pigeon]

It's the one thing we will have over the other sides, we will be fitter than most. In saying that, we will be chasing the ball for most of the time.

I'm well aware how fit Australians are. Spent a month last summer on the Sunshine Coast going to the beach in Mooloolaba and chatting up the locals. Some of the women...... Feck me.

............I've forgotten my point.

 

[utdalltheway]

hopefully the Aussies will do alright. They suffer from a similar problem as the US in that their best athletes tend to focus on other sports. still, they did have that golden generation. it'll take time for that to come around again.

 

[Archie Leach]

Would be happy with a solitary win. We're getting nothing out of this Cup. I think Ange has made the right decision cutting off the old guard, I can't fecking stand Lucas Neill.

 

[Archie Leach]

I refuse to support a team from a country that have three completely different sports called football. It's just too confusing. Unless you're a cockroach. Then you're clearly a massive cheat.

There's footy, there's football and then there's that rugby garbage.

 

[Mr Pigeon]

There's footy, there's football and then there's that rugby garbage.

Get out. It's a gentleman's game where the scumbag cockroach captain can smash someone in the face several times and get away with it because he's the scumbag cockroach captain and the ref is always on the side of NSW and their scumbag cockroach captain - or so I've been led to believe.

 

[EC007]

What did the Aussies here make of this?


I remember the outrage calling Grosso a diver. It was a stonewaller though.

 

[Eric'sCollar]

At the time, we were filthy. Diving, cheating Italian bastard and all that. But once the heat of the moment died down, most of us look at it as really bad defending and if it was an Italian laying on the floor, we would have wanted our player to tumble over him too. So it was very poor defending by Neill and probably was a penalty as he impeded Grosso but at the time, we wanted Grosso's head.

 

[Sean_RedDevil]

Terrible terrible squad + Spain/Netherlands/Chile in the group = 0 points and 1-10 goals

 

[Dutch-Moroccan]

The club in Holland i support is Fc Utrecht.
Tommy Oar and Adam Sarota are playing here.
Does somebody know if they'll have a chance to get in the starting eleven?

 

[Eric'sCollar]

The club in Holland i support is Fc Utrecht.
Tommy Oar is playing here.
Does somebody know if he will play in the starting eleven?

There is a very good chance that he will start. He would be in my starting eleven.

 

[Archie Leach]

The club in Holland i support is Fc Utrecht.
Tommy Oar and Adam Sarota are playing here.
Does somebody know if they'll have a chance to get in the starting eleven?

Probably not although this is a pretty fresh squad so who knows.

 

[Archie Leach]

Hope that clears it up for you.

 

[ZDwyr]

The club in Holland i support is Fc Utrecht.
Tommy Oar and Adam Sarota are playing here.
Does somebody know if they'll have a chance to get in the starting eleven?

I'd say he is very, very likely to start. One of our best younger players. Also, Mat Ryan has had a terrific year in Belgium. We do continually develop good 'keepers.

 

[Dutch-Moroccan]

There is a very good chance that he will start. He would be in my starting eleven.

How about Adam Sarota?
He is not so long ago back from a injury. But he is a magnificent midfielder. I like him very much.

 

[Dutch-Moroccan]

I'd say he is very, very likely to start. One of our best younger players. Also, Mat Ryan has had a terrific year in Belgium. We do continually develop good 'keepers.

He is a good winger. He was the replacement of Dries Mertens when he left to Napoli.

The only thing he could do better is scoring.
He has on the other side a very good cross.

 

[Eric'sCollar]

How about Adam Sarota?
He is not so long ago back from a injury. But he is a magnificent midfielder. I like him very much.

Sarota won't be starting and I would say he is one of the players that could miss out on the 23 man squad. He should make it but I can't see him featuring in Brazil.

 

[ZDwyr]

How about Adam Sarota?
He is not so long ago back from a injury. But he is a magnificent midfielder. I like him very much.

I don't think Sarota will. He will be fighting for a place in the squad of 23. Don't think he has been involved in many of the qualification matches (if any) although I do rate him too.

 

[Dutch-Moroccan]

Sarota won't be starting and I would say he is one of the players that could miss out on the 23 man squad. He should make it but I can't see him featuring in Brazil.

I don't think Sarota will. He will be fighting for a place in the squad of 23. Don't think he has been involved in many of the qualification matches (if any) although I do rate him too.

Hehe thanks guys.
I hope Holland and Australia will break through the second round!

I really think there are possibilities for Australia in the first game against Chile.

 

[Eric'sCollar]

Can't see us even troubling Chile's goal.

 

[ZDwyr]

If we can get a few corners we might have a decent chance. Kennedy and/or Cahill are a good aerial threat. I can't see us getting the ball off Spain. Also, John Aloisi yesterday stated that he believed the local A-League players have the technical capabilities to match it with our group opponents. Why do muppets like that say those kind of things? It helps no one and makes them look stupid.

 

[Cooksen]

We are really going to miss kruze, hopefully Rogic starts as a number 10 for all of our games.

 

[ZDwyr]

We are really going to miss kruze, hopefully Rogic starts as a number 10 for all of our games.

And Rhys Williams. He was looking nailed-on as our CB. It'll be Bresciano I imagine. I'd prefer Rogic though.

 

[Eric'sCollar]

As poor as we are, we have been so unlucky with our better players missing out through injury.

 

[Archie Leach]

We are really going to miss kruze, hopefully Rogic starts as a number 10 for all of our games.

Rogic has been a bit shit for Victory, no?

 

[No F in Chance]

Rogic was pretty poor for Melbourne Victory. Out of the a-league players Troisi was probably the most impressive towards the end of the season.

Really want Ange to do well. Definitely the best we've had since Hiddink

 

[Archie Leach]

That's faint praise.