Hoops

NH: World Cup: Australia-Germany

i can only hope your wrong about Kewell not being played if thats the case we are cancelling our chances out. we really need to go 4-4-2 and kewell and kennedy both need to be in that, and in their natural positions. i dont want to see kewell in defence and kennedy in goal with schwarzer up front because verbeek wants to throw the other team off!

Wouldn't surprise me to see Harry again on the bench next game. He expected to start against Germany and was furious when he found out he was on the bench...........and that story as to how he was warming up HT is BS. The only thing Verbeek planned Harry warming that night was the bench.

I do agree with harry at 100% and verbeek keeps going on about how bresc and kennedy werent looking good at training. its training like i know they gotta do well but they also need to take it easy to make sure they will be 100% for the game. verbeek should be playing the stars, there is a reason why they are stars. i understand kewell's frustration too, he has spent this whole year getting his injury up to scratch, putting himself through the paces more than ever and then just sits on the side line. i swear if i dont see him on against ghana im gonna go nuts!

The FFA is infatuated with Dutch coaches, so I completely expect another Dutch coach once Verbeek goes. I've heard Frank Rikjaard's name being thrown around, as well as another few names but no where near as big as Rikjaard's. Whoever it is must bring forth with them an attacking philosophy and be looking at developing Australia over the the long run rather than just being concerned with their own repuations ala Verbeek.

The coach must also be able to get the team together on the same page. Though not reported through mainstream media, I've been told from some friends with ties to the FFA that the squad is extremely disjointed. Harry Kewell is 100% fit and Bresc is an automatic selection 99 times out of 100. That's all I can really say on that topic......

Chewy, what would your thoughts be on the next coach? There has been speculation about Graham Arnold taking over but i hope this doesnt happen, he is a good assistant but we saw he doesnt have what it takes to lead the team.

I personally loved Guus Hiddink's style not just because he got us to the group of 16 etc but he really did good with the players and brought the best out. i think he left just a bit too early as we did not reach our prime but he was certainly getting us there very well. Verbeek as you said is just interested in the result and his reputation rather than the future of football in australia. I think Hiddink needs to come back for another stint and get the team back on track and develop some young guns. And yes i do know guus hiddink isnt an option anymore as i think i heard he has no intention of staying in international football. but regardless who you are everyone has a price tag.

I don't tend to post on here but the Australian football team is something I'm very opinionated on so I may as well post my thoughts.

I've thought that the management of the Socceroos over the last 4 years has been nothing short of abysmal at best.

Hiddink not only was looking at the short term, but he was looking at the long term for Australia football. When Hiddink came in he changed the lineup up. Brought Wilkshire into the squad, gave Culina and Grella prominent roles and got Dukes on board with what he was selling.

He brought Beauchamp and Milligan along to the world cup in 06 for experience. He indentified these players as two young guys who would be starting in four years time, and they needed the experience. Well 4 years has come and Beauchamp is on the bench and Milligan isn't even in the squad.

In the last four years, Verbeek (and Graham Arnold before him) have hardly changed the starting lineup. Some people might say, 4 years older, 4 years of more chemistry, 4 years wiser. I however, think 4 years older, 4 years further past their prime, 4 years slower......

Verbeek was only concerned about qualifying for the World Cup and that's it. And in Asia, you can get away with playing the defensive style and hoping to pinch a goal, because we are physically stronger than the smaller Asians.

However, this gameplan does not work against the more European/African styled teams. These guys are fast, and simply carve up the Australian defense like a hot knife thru butter. And this is only the beginning. We don't have enough young talent who have been properly developed. 4 years ago we had plenty of young talent, for example, Nathan Burns and Bruce Djite were considered two of the next big things. They weren't developed properly, and now look at em, completely off the Socceroos radar.

Germany should have won at least 6-0, Socceroos were let off lightly. And I can't see it getting any better against Ghana (who are too pacey and skillful) or the Serbians (who are more physical than us).

It's going to take a lot of work to even manage a point this world cup. tbh, with the position we have put ourselves in with squad management over the last 4 years, I would not be surprised to see us fail to qualify for 2014.

I for one am a big football fan as well as basketball, i dont actually know which one i love more. in saying that i do have a sixers season ticket but not a adelaide united one.

regardless the final result of that game was very disappointing. for those that watched from the get go i think you will agree that Australia was suprisingly getting the ball up front and were generating a few opportunities (well potentially) but once the Germans found their path of attack and got those first 2 goals you could tell the confidence dropped and frustration was in the air like a bad fart in an elevator.

All in all i was expecting a loss but my heart was looking for the upset which never came. there is only so much torture a man can take and i for one bailed out at the 3rd goal. i think Pim Verbeek should have stuck to his style and not try something new against a strong team like Germany that is by no means the time to begin experimenting, thats when you stick to what you know and hope for the best. I think it is still doable but Verbeek needs to wake up and go attacking a draw will not be sufficient. and even though i said he should stick to what he knows which was defending he cant afford to think like that against ghana and the serbs. we need to bring out the 4-4-2 formation and when cahill comes back for the serb game he needs to be in centre midfield.

thats my two cents anyway. we could do it but we have a massive hill to get there and we need germany to beat all the other teams in the group to.

Teh red card itself and the automatic 1 match ban cannot be appealed.

However FIFA review all red cards and can increase the ban by a further 1 game as outlined below:

"While Cahill will definitely miss Saturday's must-win battle with Ghana in Rustenburg, the FIFA will review the decision and has the option to double the mandatory one-match ban."

Link: http://linky.com.au/jpukg

Germany were clearly the superior team - no doubt. But I thought that Verbeek made some major blunders. He went away from his tried and tested formula that he used throughout Asian qualifying where we conceded just the soliary goal, and in the biggest assignment of his career. It backfired big time.

He played players out of position, such as Cahill and Garcia in striker positions instead of the midfield, and essentially it took our best player - Cahill - out of the game.

It was arguably our worst performance on the world stage for years.

As for the red card - what a shocking decision. And under FIFA rules, there is no appeal process. Cahill has no further course of action available to him. So on the basis of a really bad referee decision, he not only missed nearly the erntire second half against Germany, but he also misses out on an additional game for what was at best a soft Yellow card tackle.

Was waiting for someone to throw it out there!

While Aussie Rules is all about a frenzied attack on the big white sticks, Soccer is a defense orientated game in which a team looks to make the most of its opportunities when cracks in defense open up. A heavily defensive team means you are looking for the draw. Big risk by PV. Looks like he put up the white flag and sent out a second team to save his best team for the two games that matters.