World Cup 2022 official thread (incl. remaining Qualifiers!) | PUNT ROAD END | Richmond Tigers Forum
  • IMPORTANT // Please look after your loved ones, yourself and be kind to others. If you are feeling that the world is too hard to handle there is always help - I implore you not to hesitate in contacting one of these wonderful organisations Lifeline and Beyond Blue ... and I'm sure reaching out to our PRE community we will find a way to help. T.

World Cup 2022 official thread (incl. remaining Qualifiers!)

mrposhman

Tiger Legend
Oct 6, 2013
18,088
21,727
I love sport but *smile* hate soccer. Didn't even know this was on until this morning and on hearing about the win my reaction is disappointment that it means I'll have to hear more about it now.

The fact you can play a game for 90 minutes and it's a draw because no-one can score and then the game is basically decided by luck for me sums up why it is a *smile* game.

Worst thing about it is it will take kids away from playing footy.

Always the contrarian TBR. It would seem that billions of people disagree with your view.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user

Ian4

BIN MAN!
May 6, 2004
22,211
4,747
Melbourne
You think the A League stacks up to those levels? Not sure on that Bin. Championship is a brutal league.

across 46 games with small squads, sure the AL will struggle. But if you pitted an AL team, against a bottom half championship team in a 1 off game on neutral territory, I reckon they will win more than they lose.

I know I am going back a few years ago now, but a couple of months after Melbourne Victory won the double in 2015, I watched QPR v Rotherham live at Loftus Road. QPR won 4-0 and I left the game 100% convinced MV would have wiped the floor with that Rotherham team (FYI Rotherham just escaped relegation that season).
 

spook

Kick the f*ckin' goal
Jun 18, 2007
22,273
27,471
Melbourne
Real Football
I love soccer but this nonsense gets my goat. If you want to go down that road it's actually Anything But Your Hands (Unless You're Taking A Throw-In Or You're A Goalie Then Go For It Use Your Hands) Ball. There's only one football code in which the only way to score the maximum is by kicking the ball.

Football comes in many guises: Australian Football, Association Football, both rugbies, US Football, Gaelic Football. They're all football, even the ones that mostly throw it, even the one where only one guy throws it and the only blokes who kick it spend 99% of the game on the bench. They're all codified representations of "there's two hungry tribes, one pig - go". That's what football is. They're all great in their own way. Yes, we would be much stronger at the World Game if it was our only code, but we're multicultural. Vive la différence!

Anyway, great result. If only we had a finisher we would have won that in regulation (4-0 if we'd had Dusty or Buddy up front ;)). Boyle continues to be our most threatening player.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users

TigerForce

Tiger Legend
Apr 26, 2004
71,236
22,153
57
I love sport but *smile* hate soccer. Didn't even know this was on until this morning and on hearing about the win my reaction is disappointment that it means I'll have to hear more about it now.

The fact you can play a game for 90 minutes and it's a draw because no-one can score and then the game is basically decided by luck for me sums up why it is a *smile* game.

Worst thing about it is it will take kids away from playing footy.
:rotfl2Should I respond with a TBR type thesis?......nuh.
 

TigerForce

Tiger Legend
Apr 26, 2004
71,236
22,153
57
FFS if he was a half decent manager we would have qualified months ago. The only reason we had two sudden death matches to make the finals is because Arnold is the Mark Neeld of soccer coaches.
Yeah, a totally different character to Ange. Bit of luck went our way on the risk he took. It's great we're in but France and Denmark look too hard to beat for 2nd spot at least.
 

Panthera Tigris

Tiger Champion
Apr 27, 2010
3,744
1,765
across 46 games with small squads, sure the AL will struggle. But if you pitted an AL team, against a bottom half championship team in a 1 off game on neutral territory, I reckon they will win more than they lose.

I know I am going back a few years ago now, but a couple of months after Melbourne Victory won the double in 2015, I watched QPR v Rotherham live at Loftus Road. QPR won 4-0 and I left the game 100% convinced MV would have wiped the floor with that Rotherham team (FYI Rotherham just escaped relegation that season).
That's where I think the comparison to the second tier of Dutch football was an interesting one. Would you say more comparable squad size to A-League and salary range Ian? My understanding is that it's very much the Dutch management style. They tend to very much go for slimmed down efficiency - hence smaller squads and less ancillary activities compared to English football clubs.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user

tommystigers

Don't Boo! It is hurtful to the inept and corrupt.
Oct 6, 2004
4,460
2,354
I truly hope that we see an attacking style World Cup from the Socceroos.
I'd rather see them swinging a sword than hiding behind a shield.

I can't see us getting past the group stage.
 

WesternTiger

Tiger Legend
Nov 7, 2004
14,715
3,603
Always the contrarian TBR. It would seem that billions of people disagree with your view.
Orders of magnitude different but majority of AFL fans would also disagree with TBR's view on umpiring and the state of the game.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user

Sintiger

Tiger Legend
Aug 11, 2010
18,530
18,463
Camberwell
I can't think of anyone playing regularly in the EPL.
From looking at the team and where they are playing we don't. We have one player at Eintracht Frankfurt and the keeper Ryan is at Real Sociedad but is reserve keeper who probably spends more time eating at the local San Sebastian pintxos bars rather than playing in La Liga

Not meant to be a criticism but it really is a team of no names, internationally anyway. If only we had an international quality striker
 

Baloo

Delisted Free Agent
Nov 8, 2005
44,172
19,044
From looking at the team and where they are playing we don't. We have one player at Eintracht Frankfurt and the keeper Ryan is at Real Sociedad but is reserve keeper who probably spends more time eating at the local San Sebastian pintxos bars rather than playing in La Liga

Not meant to be a criticism but it really is a team of no names, internationally anyway. If only we had an international quality striker
Hopefully Rogic will be back for the World Cup. He's probably our best overseas based goal scorer
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user

Ian4

BIN MAN!
May 6, 2004
22,211
4,747
Melbourne
I love soccer but this nonsense gets my goat.

this is where i need the fishing bait emoji. How else would you expect me to respond to TBR's post?

And honestly, the word "Soccer" in Australia has negative connotations. To me it’s a reference to the ethnic tensions of the old NSL. Supporters of the domestic game refer to the NSL (or bitter fans of the old NSL) as “Old Soccer” and the A-League as “New Football.”

That's where I think the comparison to the second tier of Dutch football was an interesting one. Would you say more comparable squad size to A-League and salary range Ian? My understanding is that it's very much the Dutch management style. They tend to very much go for slimmed down efficiency - hence smaller squads and less ancillary activities compared to English football clubs.

Sorry PT, but I don’t know a lot about the lower tiers of Dutch football. But your description sounds close to the mark.

Which does bring me back to a point I mentioned earlier… Football Australia has been trying to develop a Dutch Philosophy to coaching for the best part of 20 years. We have had Dutch technical directors in the past. This style is very technical and robotic and doesn’t allow kids to use their creativity and flare.

Many of us believe this is one of the main reasons behind the lack of quality youth coming through. Many experts in Australia have been calling for Football Australia to dump this philosophy for a while now.

Hopefully Rogic will be back for the World Cup. He's probably our best overseas based goal scorer

Some would argue its Harry Souttar :mhihi
 
Last edited:

Panthera Tigris

Tiger Champion
Apr 27, 2010
3,744
1,765
From looking at the team and where they are playing we don't. We have one player at Eintracht Frankfurt and the keeper Ryan is at Real Sociedad but is reserve keeper who probably spends more time eating at the local San Sebastian pintxos bars rather than playing in La Liga

Not meant to be a criticism but it really is a team of no names, internationally anyway. If only we had an international quality striker
Aaron Mooy might be a bit past his best. But is still too good to be playing in China on standard alone. He's clearly there for the extra coin, as Chinese clubs notoriously pay above market for international players, relative to level of talent.

Would he still be a regular in a lower ranked club in the top tier of England, Germany, Spain etc? Not sure. But would definitely be in an upper ranked side in England's Championship.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user

Panthera Tigris

Tiger Champion
Apr 27, 2010
3,744
1,765
Sorry PT, but I don’t know a lot about the lower tiers of Dutch football. But your description sounds close to the mark.

Which does bring me back to a point I mentioned earlier… Football Australia has been trying to develop a Dutch Philosophy to coaching for the best part of 20 years. We have had Dutch technical directors in the past. This style is very technical and robotic and doesn’t allow kids to use their creativity.

Many of us believe this is one of the main reasons behind the lack of quality youth coming through. Many experts in Australia have been calling for Football Australia to dump this philosophy for a while now.
Yes, now that I've started coaching my son's team and been through the basic coaching courses, you can see a lot of the hallmarks of the Dutch coaching philosophy through the Australian system. To be fair it probably suited us well at the time and has served us reasonably well in part (coming from a very low base). But time we perhaps built on it by bringing in some other ideas. Rather than throwing the baby out with the bathwater and abandoning totally, keep elements of it that work, but bring in some other ideas that supplement it.

I look at a country like Croatia with fascination. Like the Netherlands, a country that is consistently in the top tier of nations, punching well outside their weight in population terms. And when adjusted for resources (and very haphazard management by many accounts), punching well above even the Netherlands. And they are one country that really does embrace a lot of creativity and initiative/improvisation in their playing culture. A close history and influence in the Australian game, obviously as well.
 

Ian4

BIN MAN!
May 6, 2004
22,211
4,747
Melbourne
Aaron Mooy might be a bit past his best. But is still too good to be playing in China on standard alone. He's clearly there for the extra coin, as Chinese clubs notoriously pay above market for international players, relative to level of talent.

Would he still be a regular in a lower ranked club in the top tier of England, Germany, Spain etc? Not sure. But would definitely be in an upper ranked side in England's Championship.

He's very slow. Don't get me wrong, he has been a great servant to the national team and the game in Australia. And he’s played a crucial part over the past 2 games. But I would be looking to bring in some fresh blood for the next world cup qualifying phase.

I look at a country like Croatia with fascination. Like the Netherlands, a country that is consistently in the top tier of nations, punching well outside their weight in population terms. And when adjusted for resources (and very haphazard management by many accounts), punching well above even the Netherlands. And they are one country that really does embrace a lot of creativity and initiative/improvisation in their playing culture. A close history and influence in the Australian game, obviously as well.

Many would argue we are punching above our weight with the talent we have at our disposal. In Croatia and the Netherlands, its Football than daylight. Hardly the same here.
 

Panthera Tigris

Tiger Champion
Apr 27, 2010
3,744
1,765
17 Million Dutch. Denmark is probably a better comparison with ~6 million
I suppose I also mention Croatia because they have outperformed hugely (even made a world cup final) with only 4mil and much poorer than both Netherlands and the Scandi countries. But yes the Scandi nations are worth looking at. Both Sweden and Denmark tend to perform quite consistently.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user

TrialByVideo

HailBGale!
Mar 1, 2015
4,439
8,575
Just clicked on this thread and I was really surprised to see @The Big Richo's comment because I had contemplated asking him if he'd ever worked in that environment...
I'll take that as a NO I suppose!

Anyway, it's not all bad news big fella.... thought I'd catch up on the replay... no need to rush on over.. CH10 are leaving it up there for a few days!20220614_135315.jpg
 
  • Haha
Reactions: 2 users

AngryAnt

Tiger Legend
Nov 25, 2004
27,158
15,011
Drinking his own bath water me thinks.

This team and the qualifiers have failed to catch the imagination of the Aussie public, something is missing with the squad or is it soccer more generally maybe.

same deal as with all sport during Covid, but we've suffered with having to play most of our qualifiers out of the country.