From: Abubakr on
On Aug 11, 9:20 pm, "The Scrutineer" <vla...(a)bigpond.com> wrote:
> "Abubakr" <deltara...(a)gmail.com> wrote in message
>
> news:039eaca5-b576-4b85-9543-b37ce9ce7584(a)q40g2000prg.googlegroups.com...
>
> > On Aug 11, 5:06 pm, "The Scrutineer" <vla...(a)bigpond.com> wrote:
> >> The new coach of the Australian National Football team, a well spoken
> >> man,
> >> and arrives with a wealth of experience including assisting the German
> >> triumph in 1990.
>
> >> All the best Holger!!!
>
> > Who? Hasn't he been out of the loop for too long?
>
> He last coached Urawa to AFC Champions League success in 2007, so not too
> long, and anyways, he has no competitive matches until the Asian Cup which
> we are already qualified for in 2011. Just a bunch of friendlies and a new
> crop of talent to mould into a WC team eventually. By that he knows the
> Asian region well at a club level, which should put him in a good position
> on the international level.

Three years is a long time in football. Apparently he's bosom buddies
with Der Keiser and minions at FIFA so this appointment seems to be as
much about the WC bids as coaching of the NT.

> He has a tough act to follow in Pim for mine!!!

Really?
From: The Scrutineer on
>> He last coached Urawa to AFC Champions League success in 2007, so not too
>> long, and anyways, he has no competitive matches until the Asian Cup
>> which
>> we are already qualified for in 2011. Just a bunch of friendlies and a
>> new
>> crop of talent to mould into a WC team eventually. By that he knows the
>> Asian region well at a club level, which should put him in a good
>> position
>> on the international level.
>
> Three years is a long time in football. Apparently he's bosom buddies
> with Der Keiser and minions at FIFA so this appointment seems to be as
> much about the WC bids as coaching of the NT.

Hit the nail on the head!!!

>> He has a tough act to follow in Pim for mine!!!
>
> Really?

Yes!!! Never been easy for a coach to qualify Australia to a WC and an Asian
cup with consummate ease as Pim did!!! And nearly get out from the group of
death, while equaling the points record for the group phase at a WC. If he
goes one better, only then will he have succeeded Pim!!!

From: Abubakr on
On Aug 11, 10:22 pm, "The Scrutineer" <vla...(a)bigpond.com> wrote:
> >> He last coached Urawa to AFC Champions League success in 2007, so not too
> >> long, and anyways, he has no competitive matches until the Asian Cup
> >> which
> >> we are already qualified for in 2011. Just a bunch of friendlies and a
> >> new
> >> crop of talent to mould into a WC team eventually. By that he knows the
> >> Asian region well at a club level, which should put him in a good
> >> position
> >> on the international level.
>
> > Three years is a long time in football. Apparently he's bosom buddies
> > with Der Keiser and minions at FIFA so this appointment seems to be as
> > much about the WC bids as coaching of the NT.
>
> Hit the nail on the head!!!
>
> >> He has a tough act to follow in Pim for mine!!!
>
> > Really?
>
> Yes!!! Never been easy for a coach to qualify Australia to a WC and an Asian
> cup with consummate ease as Pim did!!!

The WC was anything but easy on the actual field of play with
Australia getting outplayed often but scraping a goal at a set piece
or some such fortuitous occurrence on many an occasion.

>And nearly get out from the group of
> death,

"Nearly" is a euphemism. They were hanging by a hairs breadth going
into the final match and the results thereafter made it look closer
than it was. Good game against Serbia but they were outclassed by the
other two team, well and truly, despite the gutsy draw against Ghana.

>while equaling the points record for the group phase at a WC.

So equal top out of three attempts. Yep, he's just behind Hiddink but
ahead of Rale Rasic whose team didn't even score a goal.

>If he
> goes one better, only then will he have succeeded Pim!!!

That's true.
From: Mango on


"Abubakr" <deltarasha(a)gmail.com> wrote in message
news:683dfa29-7496-46e4-a6b7-541c0921c765(a)f20g2000pro.googlegroups.com...
> On Aug 11, 10:22 pm, "The Scrutineer" <vla...(a)bigpond.com> wrote:
>> >> He last coached Urawa to AFC Champions League success in 2007, so not
>> >> too
>> >> long, and anyways, he has no competitive matches until the Asian Cup
>> >> which
>> >> we are already qualified for in 2011. Just a bunch of friendlies and a
>> >> new
>> >> crop of talent to mould into a WC team eventually. By that he knows
>> >> the
>> >> Asian region well at a club level, which should put him in a good
>> >> position
>> >> on the international level.
>>
>> > Three years is a long time in football. Apparently he's bosom buddies
>> > with Der Keiser and minions at FIFA so this appointment seems to be as
>> > much about the WC bids as coaching of the NT.
>>
>> Hit the nail on the head!!!
>>
>> >> He has a tough act to follow in Pim for mine!!!
>>
>> > Really?
>>
>> Yes!!! Never been easy for a coach to qualify Australia to a WC and an
>> Asian
>> cup with consummate ease as Pim did!!!
>
> The WC was anything but easy on the actual field of play with
> Australia getting outplayed often but scraping a goal at a set piece
> or some such fortuitous occurrence on many an occasion.
>
>>And nearly get out from the group of
>> death,
>
> "Nearly" is a euphemism. They were hanging by a hairs breadth going
> into the final match and the results thereafter made it look closer
> than it was. Good game against Serbia but they were outclassed by the
> other two team, well and truly, despite the gutsy draw against Ghana.
>

Not sure how you can say we were outclassed by Ghana. We were definitely
outclassed by the German's, but we performed better against Ghana than we
did against Serbia IMO. The only period of the game that Ghana were on top
was the period when they scored their goal. After that, even though we were
down to 10 we either matched them or were more creative. Against Serbia we
were under the pump for most of the 1st half and also the last 10 minutes.
We just managed to get two goals in the period that we had. Missingf out on
goal difference is "nearly", although its true we never looked like
qualifying after the 1st game.

>>while equaling the points record for the group phase at a WC.
>
> So equal top out of three attempts. Yep, he's just behind Hiddink but
> ahead of Rale Rasic whose team didn't even score a goal.
>
>>If he
>> goes one better, only then will he have succeeded Pim!!!
>
> That's true.

From: Jellore on
On Aug 11, 5:06 pm, "The Scrutineer" <vla...(a)bigpond.com> wrote:
> The new coach of the Australian National Football team, a well spoken man,
> and arrives with a wealth of experience including assisting the German
> triumph in 1990.
>
> All the best Holger!!!

Not the best start last night, I know he was only watching from the
stands, however he faces a tough task to get the team to "peak" for
Asia in January, as LN said in the post-match interview.