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Yet another big game tonight, as we take on the Ities at their own game, no less.

Personally I am stoked we didn't go for Dogger as the coach (as recommended by members of this forum, including me) but rather went for Hiddink, who is showing himself to be a legend tactically etc. (especially seeing how badly DD is tipping in Pyssedas's comp)

My tip - another blinder from Lucas Neill at the back and Viduka and Bresciano to score.... with a 2-1 victory.

I know I am at risk of being un Aussie, but I couldn't give a shite about the game. IT'S ONLY BLOODY SOCCER!!!!!

Give me a good game like Rugby or Cricket any day.

I'm not a soccer fan, but go the Aussies!

No expert on soccer as I stated ................... is it normal for the coach to get more credit for good performances than the players?

Will he also be shouldering the responsibility when they lose?

Cheers

Coaches always get the blame and rarely get the credit. Look at what happened to Eddie Jones and it was the coach making apologies after Souths dismal perfomance on the weekend. However, Guus is having a blinder. He'll probably an OAM out of it and the socceroos get the keys to the city or something like that.

Yeah, his selection of Kalac was a master stroke..





Pls note extreme sarcasm

Wassa wrote:I know I am at risk of being un Aussie, but I couldn't give a shite about the game. IT'S ONLY BLOODY SOCCER!!!!!

Give me a good game like Rugby or Cricket any day.

I have to agree


it's good they are doing so well but the number of "huge soccer fans" coming out of the woodwork really shits me - biggest bandwagon ever!

Ash wrote:

Wassa wrote:I know I am at risk of being un Aussie, but I couldn't give a shite about the game. IT'S ONLY BLOODY SOCCER!!!!!

Give me a good game like Rugby or Cricket any day.

I have to agree


it's good they are doing so well but the number of "huge socker fans" coming out of the woodwork really shits me - biggest bandwagon ever!

Thats exactly how Australian sports work. Whether we care or know much about a sport or not, we are the fastest and strongest of any nation to jump in behind our national team and throw our enormous support behind them, purely because they are representing their country on the world stage in that which this country is most obssessed with and proud of - sport.

hehehe so true

What about Sterjovski Smabb? he's been playing like an absolute champ. Hopefully the lad can get one in tonight.

GO AUSSIES!!!!!

But realistically.....who cares, IT'S JUST BLOODY SOCCER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yeh NTRabbit, that is exactly how Australian sports works. Providing that we are winning, that is.

One very big difference this time. A sport that THE WHOLE WORLD IS INTERESTED IN! Not a sport that we have invented. Not a sport that we are good at, but in which the rest of the world have little interest.

The World Cup is the sporting equivalent of The Search for The Holy Grail!

You can quote Month Python if you like. The fact is, the World Cup is bigger than the Olympic Games re: # of live spectators; # of TV spectators.

Actually, some dude who gave the impression he knew what he was talking about (you never can tell though, can you?) told me more spectators watch Olympics Football (soccer) both live and on TV than all other Olympic sports combined!

Olympics has greater # of participants, but many in sports that even we are not interested in. Even when we are winning! Lawn bowls, swimming, synchronised swimming, shooting, you can go on for ever. If there is a medal to be won, we will be up there before you know it! But often it is only participants rellies and sponsoring associations who are remotely interested.

This is the real big time! Forget cricket, forget rugby, forget Aussie Rules! All of them, no brainers on the world stage!

Agree with Smabb, 2-1 to Aus. This was in response to a rugby league devotee predicting 4-0 to Italy! His sport has been dying for decades, and now he is living/dying in fear. Hoping and betting against his country! Truly sad!

Good morning Australia! Good night Italy

pacman wrote: Agree with Smabb, 2-1 to Aus.

Hmmm glad to have the support, pity we were both wrong. When I wrote that I thought at a bare minimum Harry would come off the bench
The whole game I honestly thought we would win (though Luca Toni gave me a scare or 2) and my main thought near the end was - I hope we can win in ordinary time, instead of winning in extra time or penalties- I actually never doubted that we would, so talk about SPEWING when that penalty was given at the death. I'm still getting over it (and I'm buggered as well).

Other comments:
Yeah Sterjoksi has played well but for me Lucas Neill (forgetting the end there for a minute- when he was hardly done by too) was absolutely brillant and is on track to be one of the worlds top defenders.

Smabb
One ticketed off and tired FOOTBALL fan.

Smabb,
I've got to agree, the Aussie's were robbed this mornng, 6 seconds left on the clock, a dive by the Italian (better stop there) and one f***ed up ref decision.

ROBBED I TELL YA ROBBED.

Well they did Australia proud and were the best team on the pitch, without a doubt. Another poor referee performance!

AC

AC,

You went to Germany didn't you?

Tell us about the trip mate.

Yeh Smabb, absolutely devastating.

Pity about Kewell. No way we could score twice against Italy without Harry. Didn't know he was unavailable.

There again, relying on provincial Aussie press for most info, as time doesn't always permit me to surf.

Definitely robbed, but with hindsight perhaps a good thing. If we had prevailed against Italy, we would have been v Ukraine in the quarter final. The way Ukraine have been playing, if we couldn't win one would have to call in the stewards!

If we had won, we would be in the semi finals! Would be so far up ourselves as to cause international embarrassment! To make matters worse, every greasy, back slapping politician would have tried to get in on the act!

Perhaps brilliant Round of 16 performance was better for us as a nation.

Strange world isn't it?