Friday, March 06, 2009

Socceroos 0 v Kuwait 1

I'm disappointed. This was like watching the Roar play the semi final. Open goals missed then one goal finishes it off.

Some players played like they had already started the end of year celebrations. Kuwait didn't. For part-timers they were all over us. For most of the game they were the better team, closing down the Socceroos all over the park.

Kuwaits back line was very solid. Australia's was shakey. The goal came from poor defending from a free kick. A number of Australians had stage fright and didn't play their game well. Poor passing and missed tackles were evident. Realistically we were lucky not to concede more goals - the post saved us.

Archie Thompson. We think you are great. But what were you doing?

Matt Simon - I thought was the best player in the first half of the A-League this year - at this level looks out of his depth.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

dunno bout the part timers tag. the biggest money in asia is in the west. these guys, if they aren`t making a nice living in kuwait, then they are probably earning their cash in saudi. a very decent side that has beaten us before.

missed the game, but am enjoying sifting through the blogsphere in the aftermath. the passion! the quickly written solutions! great drama, great fun. is it the players? is it the coach? it couldn`t be playing a decent opponent ...

qualification for any tourney is earned. if you don`t qualify its cos you didn`t deserve to. 4 more games to go though, so early days.

clayton

john said...

Ah so wise Honerable Clayton san

Oman who beat Kuwait away will be feeling OK.

If we were going to bring the Europeans in we probably should have in the cool at home...

Ange P on FoxSports made some vieled comments about lack of plan B - implies the coach. The looked like they didn't know what they were doing. And Kuwait looked like they were thinking 'is that all? I thought these guys where good?'

Anonymous said...

hi john,

i could be wrong on their part timer status, but they came to play, didn`t they? iraq also love playing us. bahrain, iran, saudi arabia, oman ... pretty much anyone in west asia loves a chance to play against asia. i`m loving it. this is not oceania.

to be honest i`d prefer a bit less drama pre and post game. i can`t quite shake the feeling that the a-leaguers are being hung out to dry. first by their coach, then by the media.

no plan b eh? lack of preparation is a choice, not a fact of life. if the club`s have won a secret club vs nation battle, then the ffa has a lot to answer for. if pim just couldn`t be arsed bringing these guys together to prepare beforehand, then ditto. these games didn`t come up a week ago; we knew they were coming, and we didn`t prepare.

slagging his starting strikers beforehand, and all the smug talk about the a-league ... i used to think he was a straight talker, but now i see a politician. getting his excuses out before the team he doesn`t believe in goes out and loses. handing someone a #107 jersey is also a great motivational tool.

hell, even after the match, when he tried to talk nice (i`m thinking on instruction from his bosses), it sounded plastic and he still got a backhander or two in on the a-league (something like "we have players who should be in bigger and better leagues in this group").

and while i`m on such a great ranting roll, one of his a-league complaints is the openness of the game. may this never go away. aussies don`t go for the draw. we go for the win, and we accept the risks that come with that. ok, the environment doesn`t allow for promotion/relegation (and the pressures that come with that), but i think going for the win and taking risks is part of the aussie mindset. does he "get" us aussies?

i`m gonna stop before i get started on the talent he won`t use. nick carle can`t make a 40 player camp? travis dodd isn`t in a 20 player a-leaguer squad? he doesn`t trust anybody with x-factor? barbiero for zullo when you`re chasing a game? heff in midfield ... he loves grafters.

well, for better or for worse, he`s our coach. but he needs to buck up.

clayton

ps. i wanted troussier

pss. could another game like this one at home lead to the dreaded "you don`t know what you are doing?" chant? coaches love that one.