I'm not going into my "ifs" and "buts" about the game. We all have our views - and they don't mean much one way or the other. Fundamentally, we were beaten by a better side on the day.
Suffice to say, like every fan, I'm devastated and feel numb.
Having been with the team for 19 of the 26 months of Frank's time as coach, and knowing many of them and how important this was to them (as well as all of us), I know it will be hurting like mad. I know precisely what it meant to Frank and I bled for him as he bowed his head.
I have caught up on all your messages during the day.
I don't know what the answer is re. confederations and paths. There's arguments and merits one way or the other. Maybe FIFA should look at organising the game along roughly similar lines to economic zones (eg. North America, South America, Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East and Africa).
However, there are a couple of issues which need to be addressed:
* We should not wait until 2003 to appoint a coach. He should be appointed soon and be given full support for four years.
* I believe Frank should be re-appointed. For a start, I doubt that SocAus could afford anyone outside of Australia. Second, we're past the point of not having an Australian in the job. Third, the players respect him. Fourth, he should be given more than 26 months. Fifth, there's no-one else in Australia who could do a better job. Sixth, the media like him and corporates like him: instead of the people we've had responsible in the past for matters such as business development, we should be pushing Frank out there with them - not to 'do' the deals, but to talk the sweet talk. He's very good at it. (Instead, we get highly paid agents in Melbourne who "forget" to invite major sponsors to major events!).
* We should make a policy decision that only the coach and assistant coach need to go to friendly matches overseas, and we hire in the other support staff locally. That immediately reduces the cost of an overseas game by about 8 people; and we should pursue more friendly games in Europe more regularly. It doesn't have to be a glamour team of Europe, but just a team which is no more than two hours away from London.
* SocAus has to pursue the issue of (a) qualification and (b) meaningful competition every other second year. We were beaten by a team that had 20 World Cup qualifying games together. We had 8 with three different squads spread over seven months.
* There were some things which shouldn't have happened. The stuff-up re. Danny Tiatto meant there was one less option for the two games - that's simply not good enough; there should have been better foresight and planning regarding security issues and food - I doubt these mattered one iota on the day, but they were a distraction which could, and should, have been avoided.
* The Board should develop a change management strategy that focuses on survival, growth, development and qualification. This would start with reducing the number of staff who are not involved in 'core business' in SocAus and looking at ways of taking on administrative/financial partners for the beleagured NSL - there are options.
* Soc Aus should be writing to every junior player in the country (under the coach's signature) along the lines of how we hope they enjoyed the campaign, how we valued their support, how it's wonderful to have them playing as we need future 'Harry's', and that by them playing we're helping to keep the dream alive.
Now is the time to start working on 2006.
P.S. To return to a familiar theme, it was 32 degrees when I left Sydney this afternoon. I am now in Melbourne and it iis 16%, windy and wet. :)
Written by Bonita Mersiades
Daytime numb denial now passing into severe anger - hearing Joiny Warren ranting on SportReport tonight made me want to find his no. - the guy is the ultimate whinger - "not blaming any individual" but "we need to start again from ground up" - if he's so smart why didn't he suggest things earlier
Very easy for him to complain about the much-mooted Laz/Agostino/Kewell option but he claimed that formation reaped huge rewards - I seem to remember many many other chances with the earlier formation. He'd also stated that with Kewell playing up front we had no Recoba - total bollocks, it is simply just a different formation. Uruguay were going to deal with either formation in the same way - basically use all their ability to snuff out our attack, ride their luck and pray that we'd lose faith - which I think despite what many have said we didn't do until the 3rd goal.
The guy is so obsessed with Sth American football he should hand in his Oz Citizenship and move there - Trying to understand his motives for being such a 'smart -arse' as he put it but the guy revels in making statements after the fact - take careful notice next time anyone presses him for a prediction - smug guys like that do zilch for the code - so he made it in 74 so what he was just a player.
His comments that we 'just weren't good enough' are typical of so many I've heard today -especially from those which someone noted this morning would now be quickly leaving space on the bandwagon. He claimed we weren't good enough against 4th placed in Asia and neither v 5th placed Uruguay. I personally hate people who try to rewrite history -the game v Iran if he cares to view it again shows very clearly that the better team were hard done by. Likewise, todays result did not reflect a true picture of the match - at worst it should have been 2-1 and at best for oz, maybe 2-2.
He even noted that Frank Arok said "the kid will make the same mistake as me and play the big names for the crunch games at the end" - with all due respect to FA (who I do respect immensely), what did he expect Farina to do? Not play Kewell and Viduka? Maybe we could have got our away goal that way becuase Uruguay wuld have been too cocky or not known what to expect but I'd guarantee at least 6 or 7 would have been planted in the other net.
Re-examining our approach to everything a la joiny suggests will have absolutely zero effect on the result next time. The two things that will are either:
1. we finally get a bit of luck in the crunch games or
2. we somehow make a way to force more games for our best team - but they have to be real games, not meaningless friendlies or
3. we get a fairer path to the finals eg. by being allowed to play in a true group setup like just about every other country in the world. Best option here is for Oceania qualifiers to start early with a two week tournament and best two to go into separate random Asian groups - so bleeding obvious!
Written by Mick Kugelman
1. Uruguay were the better team - battle hardened and it showed
2. If we get direct qualification through Oceania we should grab it BUT if we don't we should lobby to go in a final Asian pool of 4 teams where we can play 4 teams in home and away qualifiers and help swell the coffers of Soc Oz and produced a battle hardened team.
3.We should threaten to leave FIFA if the deal for us is not changed to one of above.
4. In desperation I'm looking for positives, but the media coverage this time as opposed to Iran was much greater
5. Like it or not soccer people including SocAus will have to concentrate in improving the NSL.
6. Spare a thought for people like us in Canberra and Gippsland. In 4 months I've lost my NSL team AND the WC dream.
7. If your lucky enough to still have an NSL team, support it and encourage others.
8. Australian needs to get into another Continental tournament every four years between World Cups (eg. Asian Cup).
9. Oh yeah, life (somehow) goes on
Written by Peter Kunz
I've had the rest of the day to have a little think about today's disappointment, and it's nowhere near the same as four years ago.
I think it's mostly because we were outplayed over the two legs and can't claim that we were hard done by on the fixture.
We can on the fixturing, and FIFA's path for the Oceania qualifier, but not on the result of the game on the park and over two legs.
Uruguay was a class above us today, and although the 3-0 score was not truly reflective of the balance of the game, it wasn't so far off as to be ridiculous.
We had about three good chances, but Schwarzer himself made three red-hot saves, as well as having little chance in the three goals that did go in. There were also a couple of other Uruguay missed chances.
I saw an earlier game that morning where the result didn't reflect the balance of the game, but as this one did, it's one that has to be copped fair and square. We weren't robbed, we weren't badly represented on the park, and we weren't let down by bad coaching decisions. We were out-played and perhaps out-coached over the two legs, and if we're prepared to accept wins when we win in these circumstances, we have to accept the losses when they come as well.
Given that our main aim was to score an away goal, Frank's team selection was about right, and it would not have made sense as I heard Rale Rasic say after the fact this morning, that we should have tried to defend for the whole game. Fair enough if you have a two-goal or three-goal lead to defend, but nonsense with just the one.
Even at 0-2 the aim was right and we had to take a gamble at the back in our attempts to get that single game-winning goal.
Maybe Frank could have insisted that Harry play on the wing where I reckon he was more effective for us against France and in the first leg, but after Muscat's substitution which itself was a proper move given his carding, that change was made.
I'm a little disappointed that we didn't get a better game out of Emerton - maybe he was trying to be a bit fancy over these three last games with back-heels and fancy touches - all perfect for a testimonial or exhibition game, but scarcely something that should he should be using as the foundation for his play at this level.
So I'm very disappointed I'll not see us on the worls stage again this time around, but if we can't earn our way in, we shouldn't be there.
We could probably beat eight or more of the qualifiers, but then some of the other nations that missed out with us could probably beat sixteen or more of them, so that's not any justification for claims that we should be there.
Thanks for this ride Frank and the team - I'll be aboard for the next one too. And the ones after that.
Written by Alan Clark
Its not been mentioned so far so I assume it wasn't shown on Australian TV, but on Sky's coverage over here, they were showing some live crowd shots prior to the sides taking the field, when all of a sudden a scoreline flashes up on the screen "Fulltime: Uruguay 3 Australia 0", at which point I joked to my Australian mate that I hope they weren't right!
Now, I'm not suggesting for a moment there was any funny business going on, but it was one hell of a prediction! They actually showed exactly the same caption at the end of the game, at which point the Sky anchorman in the studio made a quip about the Uruguayan producer have a bet on the game or something.
Very strange......
Written by Graeme McGinty
Now after a few weeks I want to put a few things on this list, these are questions and maybe some one can asked them. I discussed this with a few people when I am down under, so sorry if you read this now for the second time. The questions are about the Uruguayan Games. Its not about if Kewell plays on the right position or things like that, thats a decision of the coach. Also no question if Frank is the right coach, than you have to ask me WHO is the right coach and I have no answer for this.............
1. I am a fan from Paul Okon, but in all three games (France, Uruguay) I saw NO tackle of him. On his position he had to make a lot of tough tackles. I think it was, because he was afraid to get a new injury.
2. I watched once the training of the Socceroos. There was nothing about tactic, just running. Tony Franken was the keeper coach, I was behind the goal and I saw that he asked Schwarzer what to do next. A coach has to tell the players what's to do, not the other way. I think that a few people from the Coaching crew are afraid to tell the high paid millionaires what's to do.
3. After the Melbourne game, a few of the players are at the bar of the Hotel drinking Alcohol. The celebrated the victory, I said to them...but there is another game coming soon?! The wake up call was at 04:30 in the morning, at 3 o'clock a few are at the bar. Later on guy said to me, Andre, we missed you there, we had a great party. Everyone knows that Alcohol is a big problem before a long flight, not only for professionals.
4. The Hotel, the Casino. I think the Team was more than two weeks at this nice place. But thats not a good place for Team before a big match. Every minute there are a lot of journalist, fans and crazy people like me hanging around, very noisy, TV people, I saw prostitutes and a lot of party people who tried to get in contact with the stars. For me a wrong place.
5. To play with exact the same Team and the same tactic against Uruguay like a week before is for me, a big mistake. No coach on the world will do that. Frank had his team against France for the first time together, but its a mistake. I don't want to talk about old times, but I have one Australian example. In 73, before the Iran game, Rasic played a test match against a U23 Team. Than he heard the Iranian coach will watch the match. Rasic changed his team on every position, Wilson played as forward, Abonyi in defence and so on. Iran's coach said after the match with a smile, that they will easily beat this Australian Team, they lost 0-3.
6. Farina said, they want to score in Montevideo. But than you have to play for a goal, or you have to stay back to hold the result. Australia played nothing of that. It was more in the middle, not 100% forward not 100% defence, for me it looks like that the did not know what to do. They were victims of there own tactic. Its a decision of the coach to play with out a sweeper, but to have the defence in a row, its for me also a mistake, and we saw that in the first goal.
7. Frank said, that he was right to stay with the Team in the middle of Montevideo, because in the heart of Buenos Aires are living a lot of Uruguayan people, so they will have the same problems there like in Uruguay. But I think there was never the question to stay in the middle of Buenos Aires. But to stay outside, at a quite place will be a good thing for an preparation.
8. After the games, an Ex Socceroo told me, Andre, you are right with a few of the things you said, but I think we will learn from it!!! How many years will Australia learn from there mistakes?
You see, a lot of questions and no answer...........
Is there someone who taped some interviews with me from TV?
Peter Wilson told me, that he watched not the games...shame shame
Written by André Krüger