The Soccceroos’ lethargic performance in their win over Bahrain on Thursday morning has drawn much criticism from football pundits across the nation. Here is a good example of respected journalists smashing the green and gold with valid and legitimate reasons. Of course, all this is done with a furrow of genuine concern and it’s not meant to be a stab at football. I hope.
However, while I am also not terribly happy with the lacklustre showing, I am happy for one thing.
We won.
No matter how we do it, getting three points away from home was the main objective and we achieved it. And by doing so in an ugly fashion, I think we’ve actually taken a positive step. I know it sounds crazy, but winning ugly is a hidden talent of good football teams.
Everyone would love for the Socceroos to play the free-flowing champagne football that Arsenal does, but the truth is that it doesn’t always happen. Teams, no matter how good they are, have off days. And the most important thing is that we achieved a result when it was our off day.
It’s easy to win games when everything clicks, when all the flicks and tricks come off, when all the 50-50 decisions go our way. However, it’s not easy to win when we don’t bring our A game. But good teams find a way of winning. Good teams can grind out results, no matter how ugly the play, and the fact that we managed to do it makes me quite happy.
This win, along with our performance in Uzbekistan when we repelled wave after wave of attack in the second half, shows that we’ve got character and maturity.
Heads up Australia, it’s the kick up the bum we needed.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Football Simulation
On Fox Sports FC last night Andy Harper said something which I (for once) found interesting. He was referring to the topic of diving and his quote was that “football is a form of entertainment, and like in other forms of entertainment, you need your devilish characters.” I have to admit that I actually agree.
The act of diving – or simulation – has been depicted as the very thing that is wrong with football. It’s unsportsmanlike, it’s cheap, it’s an attempt to make a mockery out of the governing bodies of the game, and ultimately, it’s cheating. Paul Trimboli hit the nail on the head last night when he said that followers of other football codes look down on (our) football and its divers because it’s not a “manly” way to cheat. It’s cheating, but not only is it cheating, it’s cheating in a pansy way.
But Harps might be onto something here because, like he said, every form of entertainment will have its bad guys. Whether it be Hopoate’s finger up the bum, the Storms’ invention of the grapple tackle, Long John Daly’s “healthy” image as a professional athlete, Harbhajan high-fiving Sreesanth in the face, or Dennis Rodman (everything about him), their will be idiots in every sport and every field who will try to bend rules and push boundaries.
So instead of player education, I think we should concentrate on furthering referee’s standards. I know it sounds harsh, since the whole point of simulation is to fool the referee, but at the end of the day there are three refs, and usually only one diver at a time. Plus, it is ultimately the referee’s job to carry out the rules of the game, and identifying (and penalising) divers is therefore a part of the job.
I think the stress on player education will fall on deaf ears, simply for the fact that the guys who dive already know they aren’t meant to but still do it anyway. You can’t wipe out that element out of the game. They’ve been taught from the onset that diving is wrong, and they know full well the penalties involved if they get caught. So I say if they still persist on doing it, then let them. Just smash them with increased penalty, say a four week suspension for first offenders, a ten game suspension for repeat offenders, and the electric chair for those who cop a third strike. Let them know that they are running a risk if they dive.
And more importantly, shame them. If they are caught, let the world know that they dived, that they are cheats. Put it in such a negative way that murderers seem like angels compared to divers. That sort of stigma is something no sportsperson will ever want to stick with throughout their careers.
After all, sports fans have very long memories. Just ask Murali.
The act of diving – or simulation – has been depicted as the very thing that is wrong with football. It’s unsportsmanlike, it’s cheap, it’s an attempt to make a mockery out of the governing bodies of the game, and ultimately, it’s cheating. Paul Trimboli hit the nail on the head last night when he said that followers of other football codes look down on (our) football and its divers because it’s not a “manly” way to cheat. It’s cheating, but not only is it cheating, it’s cheating in a pansy way.
But Harps might be onto something here because, like he said, every form of entertainment will have its bad guys. Whether it be Hopoate’s finger up the bum, the Storms’ invention of the grapple tackle, Long John Daly’s “healthy” image as a professional athlete, Harbhajan high-fiving Sreesanth in the face, or Dennis Rodman (everything about him), their will be idiots in every sport and every field who will try to bend rules and push boundaries.
So instead of player education, I think we should concentrate on furthering referee’s standards. I know it sounds harsh, since the whole point of simulation is to fool the referee, but at the end of the day there are three refs, and usually only one diver at a time. Plus, it is ultimately the referee’s job to carry out the rules of the game, and identifying (and penalising) divers is therefore a part of the job.
I think the stress on player education will fall on deaf ears, simply for the fact that the guys who dive already know they aren’t meant to but still do it anyway. You can’t wipe out that element out of the game. They’ve been taught from the onset that diving is wrong, and they know full well the penalties involved if they get caught. So I say if they still persist on doing it, then let them. Just smash them with increased penalty, say a four week suspension for first offenders, a ten game suspension for repeat offenders, and the electric chair for those who cop a third strike. Let them know that they are running a risk if they dive.
And more importantly, shame them. If they are caught, let the world know that they dived, that they are cheats. Put it in such a negative way that murderers seem like angels compared to divers. That sort of stigma is something no sportsperson will ever want to stick with throughout their careers.
After all, sports fans have very long memories. Just ask Murali.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Sydney FC, Please Wake Up
Total amazement is the only expression I can think of after the Mariners chased down our three goal lead last night. Actually, it was the only expression I can think of without swearing and showing my true feelings.
Dead set, the boys and Kossie need to look at themselves long and hard before they hop into the surf for their wind-down this morning, because it is borderline unprofessional to lose a three goal lead with only 25 to go. Yes it’s happened before, and it’ll definitely happen again, but it’s such a poor advertisement for the league that a team can come back from being totally dead and buried. It’s not the Saturday morning local league, it’s the biggest football competition in the country, but some of the defending last night was amateur at best. It might have been great fun for the neutrals, but as an FC fan I’m simply quite disgusted.
While the goals we scored were world class, it doesn’t mask the fact that without the brilliant Ivan Necevski in goal the result could have been much worse. Pim Verbeek’s earliest assessment of the A-League was that teams were looking good coming forward, but the defending was woeful at times. He reiterated time and time again that the defending in the A-League would not suffice on the international stage, as there were too many mistakes, too many lapses in concentration which would be punished by international classed strikers. Last night’s performance is exactly what he’s talking about.
Much has been made of the Coast’s “fighting spirit” and “never say die attitude” (insert other cheesy cliché), but we should have had enough class to sit back and defy what they threw at us (and to be honest the most they threw at us were just long balls and chips over our flat footed back four).
Once we were that far up, it should have been a simple case of keep ball. Short crisp passes, force the opposition to make something out of it, change their formation, and then hit them on the counter. But no, we still pushed forward unnecessarily, and gave up possession far too easily trying to play miracle passes, and ended up giving the Coast plenty of opportunities to play themselves back into the match.
Inexperienced, naïve and stupid are all ways to describe the performance last night. Whatever it is, we need to work it out because I’m sick of the inconsistency in our game. We’re meant to be title contenders, but we’re definitely not going to win anything defending like the way we did last night.
Dead set, the boys and Kossie need to look at themselves long and hard before they hop into the surf for their wind-down this morning, because it is borderline unprofessional to lose a three goal lead with only 25 to go. Yes it’s happened before, and it’ll definitely happen again, but it’s such a poor advertisement for the league that a team can come back from being totally dead and buried. It’s not the Saturday morning local league, it’s the biggest football competition in the country, but some of the defending last night was amateur at best. It might have been great fun for the neutrals, but as an FC fan I’m simply quite disgusted.
While the goals we scored were world class, it doesn’t mask the fact that without the brilliant Ivan Necevski in goal the result could have been much worse. Pim Verbeek’s earliest assessment of the A-League was that teams were looking good coming forward, but the defending was woeful at times. He reiterated time and time again that the defending in the A-League would not suffice on the international stage, as there were too many mistakes, too many lapses in concentration which would be punished by international classed strikers. Last night’s performance is exactly what he’s talking about.
Much has been made of the Coast’s “fighting spirit” and “never say die attitude” (insert other cheesy cliché), but we should have had enough class to sit back and defy what they threw at us (and to be honest the most they threw at us were just long balls and chips over our flat footed back four).
Once we were that far up, it should have been a simple case of keep ball. Short crisp passes, force the opposition to make something out of it, change their formation, and then hit them on the counter. But no, we still pushed forward unnecessarily, and gave up possession far too easily trying to play miracle passes, and ended up giving the Coast plenty of opportunities to play themselves back into the match.
Inexperienced, naïve and stupid are all ways to describe the performance last night. Whatever it is, we need to work it out because I’m sick of the inconsistency in our game. We’re meant to be title contenders, but we’re definitely not going to win anything defending like the way we did last night.
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