Artless A-League is crippling the Socceroos
Craig Foster
January 6, 2008
The naming of the locally based training squad that will assemble this week for the all-important opening World Cup qualifier against Qatar on February 6 gives us a sense of how far behind we are so close to the game. It also raises some serious questions about the coaching, and football style, in the A-League.
At a time when Qatar are undertaking three high-quality preparation matches, Socceroos coach Pim Verbeek is calling into camp a largely inexperienced squad to assess whether they are good enough to play international football.
Yet the style of play in the A-League is hurting their chances of proving their quality. Surely Verbeek would have concluded already that the A-League is highly competitive physically, but lacks tactical sophistication. This reflects our ties to British football.
When the former technical director of French football and World Cup-winning coach, Aime Jacquet, visited in 2006 he described the local league in terms of tactical simplicity and a lack of speed of technique.
This view was reiterated by countryman Philippe Troussier when he was in Australia vying for the Socceroos coaching position. Troussier described the Sydney FC-Newcastle match as a "game of first intention" - meaning it was played between only one or two teammates with little scheming outside of the most obvious direct route to goal.
Verbeek's ultimate challenge then is to get the local players to adapt to a tactically superior style of play extremely quickly. He would normally have at least several months to achieve this.
Judging from his public comments, Verbeek is a typical Dutch coach: he wants to control all elements of the match through winning the ball back quickly, playing in the opponent's half, and maintaining possession through forwards and backwards passing sequences, and playing the ball out from the defence. Unlike Guus Hiddink, however, he must make do with domestic footballers unfamiliar with this system.
Indeed, the A-League is fast becoming the English Premier League of Asia: it is fast and combative; places little emphasis on maintaining possession; lacks tactical sophistication; the general standard of defending is poor; teams cannot consistently control their matches; and there is no variation in the speed of play.
Finally, every coach takes the very English route of wanting to get the ball down the other end as soon as possible. Players are told to play out from the back only as a last resort. While this isn't surprising, given our cultural baggage, it is disappointing that the problem hasn't been addressed through better education of the league's coaches, or through importing coaching talent.
This schizophrenic approach to our domestic and international games is hurting the Socceroos' qualification chances.
It can be argued that the A-League's record crowds prove that the crash-and-bash style of football is what the public want. But I believe they will just as readily accept a different style of game, if not prefer a greater level of sophistication.
But, like England over the past 40 years, the style we play domestically is jeopardising our international success. Crash and bash doesn't work at a higher level.
Just think back to the Asian Cup last year. Australia launched long balls from the back and tried to play at one pace for the whole game - just as every A-League team does.
The "A-League style" - which largely confuses effort for quality - didn't work against Oman and it certainly failed against Iraq. In terms of pure football, Thailand embarrassed us. In our last match, Japan showed us how the game should be played.
This, I fear, is the road Australia are again heading down, just when we had hoped for fundamental change.
Verbeek now must overcome these cultural drawbacks in record time. At least in years gone by we had a Milan Ivanovic, Ned Zelic or Paul Okon to play the ball out from the back.
Who in the A-League consistently brings the ball forward and builds the play or takes their time to play the ball across the defence to build an opening?
Mark Milligan is capable of doing this but rarely does; Ljubo Milicevic was the great hope yet fell out with Melbourne Victory coach Ernie Merrick (at least partly over this issue, I assume); Angelo Costanzo when he plays in defence is the closest we have to that type of player. And that's pretty much it.
The cultures of the national leagues of countries such as Portugal, France, Germany and Holland are consistent with how their national teams play. This make it easier for new players to adapt when called up for international duty.
The successful footballing cultures - such as Italy's and Brazil's - encompass every important aspect of the game. That's why Fabio Capello is now coaching England and Verbeek is following up Hiddink's good work.
Like his compatriot, Verbeek will find Australian players highly adaptable and coachable, partly because they are such willing students and workers.
However, their club coaches are not helping. Perpetuating the physical brand of football played in Australia does them no favours.
It is time to move forward from a disastrous 2007. Beyond strikers Joel Griffiths and Alex Brosque, who are near-certain starters for the Socceroos against Qatar, the rest of the squad will need to prove their adaptability as much as their quality.
Because if Australia play like an A-League club, we will not be going to South Africa.
Source: The Sun-Herald
Copyright (c) 2008. The Sydney Morning Herald.
Verbeek wants Viduka to play on for Socceroos
15 hours ago
SYDNEY (AFP) - New Australian coach Pim Verbeek sees convincing Newcastle's Mark Viduka to prolong his international career as a top priority ahead of next February's 2010 World Cup qualifiers.
The Dutchman has taken over the Socceroos and says European-based players are vital to helping Australia overcome Qatar, China and Iraq in their tough World Cup qualifying group.
Verbeek will have to balance the needs of his team against the demands of the European clubs where the majority of Australia's stars play their football.
"When I travel to Sydney on Thursday I will watch as much A-League football as I can because it's these players who will be so important to us, especially in the first two games," Verbeek told Sydney's Sun-Herald newspaper.
"But the European players are also absolutely crucial for us and I want to contact Mark Viduka, for one, because I need to know what his thoughts are.
"It's not about the age of players, it's about their quality. He has so much of that and I hope he will stay involved."
Viduka, who led Australia at last year's World Cup and this year's Asian Cup, has been toying with retirement from the international game after 14 years to concentrate on his club career with Newcastle United in England's Premier League.
Viduka, 32, has only scored six goals in 32 internationals, but he has been prolific in club football with 158 goals in 302 league appearances, going back to 1995.
Verbeek, who coached South Korea to the semi-finals of last July's Asian Cup, has been appointed largely on his record in Asian football.
"We are in the hardest World Cup group of all but we must not be afraid. We are good enough to win every game," Verbeek said.
"At the very least we have to win all our home games. That is absolutely vital.
"Fortunately, I know a lot about the countries we are about to face. During my time with South Korea we played against Qatar at the Asian Games and the Olympics.
"Iraq beat us in the semi-finals of the Asian Cup and, of course, also beat Australia, and we also faced them in the Asian Games and a friendly.
"So I am aware of the strengths and weaknesses of both Qatar and Iraq. I have also studied China closely for many years."
Copyright (c) 2007 AFP. All rights reserved.
Welsh quits Crows
Adelaide forward Scott Welsh has walked out on the Crows and will enter the pre-season draft.
Welsh, 28, quit the Crows on Tuesday after failing to agree to a new deal with the club.
Crows football operations manager John Reid said the club was 'disappointed the negotiations couldn't be resolved'.
"The basic fundamental difference was Scott being offered a one-year contract by the club, and him requiring a one-year contract with trigger points to a second year related to performance and behaviour," Reid said in a statement.
"Unfortunately the behaviour issues this year were significant to the point that the club believed Scott needed to have a season where there were no behavioural issues at all before it would negotiate another season."
Welsh was ordered to undergo behaviour counselling after Adelaide's three-time leading goal-kicker was involved in an incident outside a local nightclub in September. No charges were laid.
Welsh switched to the Crows after playing 35 games for the Kangaroos, including the 1996 premiership win.
Copyright 2007 Yahoo! Australia & NZ Pty Limited. All rights reserved.
Crows star charged with driving offence
Adelaide Crows midfielder Scott Thompson has been charged with dangerous driving over a car accident last weekend.
Police say Thompson, 24, was behind the wheel when his car ploughed into a tree on Saturday night, allegedly while doing burn-outs in front of friends.
Crows football operations manager John Reid did not indicate whether the club would impose its own penalty, saying the matter was now before the courts.
However, Reid said Thompson was "remorseful".
"Scott Thompson was involved in a car accident on the weekend and has been charged with dangerous driving," Reid said in a statement.
"Scott is remorseful for his actions.
"Fortunately, no one was seriously injured ..."
Reid stressed neither alcohol nor drugs were involved.
Thompson was one of Adelaide's outstanding performers in the 2007 season, polling the most votes (18) by a Crow on Brownlow Medal night, and had been mentioned as a possible candidate for the club captaincy.
Copyright 2007 Yahoo! Australia & NZ Pty Limited. All rights reserved.
Archer bids for Kangaroos board position
Retired Kangaroos great and anti-relocation advocate Glenn Archer has put his hand up to be on the club's board as it prepares for a decision set to determine both the Roos' and the AFL's future direction.
Archer, the club's games record-holder who retired at the end of last season, said the time was right for him to declare his intentions to be on the board.
The Kangaroos have been given a 30-day deadline by the AFL to decide whether to move to the Gold Coast in 2010.
If they don't, the league says it will introduce a 17th team into the competition based in the region.
But Archer said he supported the Kangaroos making a go of things in Victoria for the next two years, and seeing if they could survive without relocating to the Gold Coast.
"Not if I had my way," Archer told Melbourne radio station SEN about his thoughts on moving the club from Melbourne.
"I don't think anyone wants to leave Arden Street if they're a North Melbourne person.
"I think we owe it to our supporters and members to have one last crack, and if don't make a go of it, we're off.
"I'd like to give it a red-hot crack for two years, get membership up, some more corporate dollars and some more non-footy related revenue in.
"If we can't, we've got to go."
Archer and premiership-winning coach Denis Pagan have both been approached to join the Kangaroos board, with a vacancy arising officially as chairman Graham Duff stood down.
Duff wants to devote more time to his job as Racing Victoria chairman and resigned his post at the board's meeting in Melbourne.
Archer was not at Wednesday's meeting at which the board was given the 30-day Gold Coast deadline.
He is currently holidaying, while fellow board member and media personality James Brayshaw was also absent as his wife was preparing to give birth.
Brayshaw, the co-host of the Nine Network's The Footy Show, has been mentioned as a possible interim chairman of the club replacing Duff.
Copyright 2007 Yahoo! Australia & NZ Pty Limited. All rights reserved.
Scott, Begley join Dockers staff
Fremantle have appointed Brisbane two-time premiership player Chris Scott as an assistant coach and former St Kilda and Adelaide player James Begley as their leadership and development manager.
The two additions continue the revamping of the Dockers' football department under new coach Mark Harvey, following Chris Bond's appointment as list development manager and Dean Wallis as an assistant coach.
"It is very pleasing that we have been able to secure the services of each of our targeted candidates for key roles," chief executive Cameron Schwab said.
He said a skills coach would be appointed soon to complete the roster of football staff.
Copyright 2007 Yahoo! Australia & NZ Pty Limited. All rights reserved.
Settle early says Roos captain
AAP - Saturday September 8, 4:09 PM
Kangaroos skipper Adam Simpson has urged his players to overcome their nerves quickly as the side plays before its biggest crowd in years in Sunday's AFL qualifying final against Geelong at the MCG.
Simpson said he was anxious about Sunday's game but more concerned about how some of the players without finals experience will handle the occasion.
"I'm probably more worried about the boys getting off to a good start and letting the nerves settle," Simpson said.
"That's one big thing with finals, you just want to try and relax as soon as you can and then it just turns into a bit of a normal game after the first 10 minutes.
"We haven't played in more than 50,000 in seven years.
"I think both sides will have some players who haven't had a lot of finals experience but you just can't match the MCG with however many we get there - hopefully 70 or 80,000 people," he said.
"We haven't played in front of a big crowd and with this type of atmosphere it's great to have it back.
"Normally we're watching games at this time of year and our supporters are too."
The Kangaroos' last finals experience was an agonising one as they were crushed by Port Adelaide in the 2005 first elimination final before a small crowd at Telstra Dome.
"It didn't really feel like a final the last time we played Port - there were 25,000 there," Simpson said.
"I think our confidence was pretty high, Port Adelaide weren't the team they were the year before (when they won the grand final) but they beat us by 87 points - that was a really disappointing day."
But he said the Kangaroos would go into Sunday's match in a positive frame of mind despite Geelong's dominance this season.
"You've got to go in confident I think but they're a very good team.
"We've just got to worry about ourselves and if we get beaten on the day because they're too good well, as long as we have a crack.
"The fact we're both playing in a neutral ground, there's no real advantage.
"If we were playing Port Adelaide in Adelaide obviously it's not even but I think the ground's neutral and whether we finished first or fourth it didn't really matter."
And he forecast the two sides would enter the game without any late surprise inclusions.
"I don't think there will be any changes from our side and I don't think Geelong are a team that does that.
"They're a team that, what you see is what you get, and it's been working for them so I don't think they'll change anything."
Simpson said the Roos had vastly improved this season in terms of concentration and consistency over four quarters.
"Last year we'd fade out for a half, this year we fade out for five or ten minutes every now and then," he said.
"But it's more about what we do about it because we know what they're going to do, they come pretty hard.
The Kangaroos dismissed suggestions there was a fitness problem with forward Corey Jones, who did not train on Saturday and restricted himself to one or two handballs.
Copyright @ 2007 Yahoo! Australia & NZ Pty Limited. All rights reserved.
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