I feel like I have written countless words about Harry Kewell over the years. Certainly it’s fair to say that as good as Kewell was, he wasn’t always loved and has been vexed by more than a few, but the truth, in my opinion – Kewell is our greatest contribution to world football.

Sure, Tim Cahill may be the one the kids adore, the one they all want to emulate, but that’s because many of the current generation simply don’t remember Kewell at his peak.

At his peak, he was a glorious footballing talent who played on the biggest stages. The fact he is an FA Cup and UEFA Champions League winner speaks volumes.

Now 18 years after he made his Socceroos debut he is hanging up the boots and Australian football will be poorer for it, but greater for his contribution.

The fitting farewell would have been a World Cup appearance in Brazil, but it hasn’t eventuated.

Sad, given the national jersey, despite what some would consider his aversion to it at times is where some of his greatest moments came, indeed it’s where Australia came to know a fresh-faced 17-year-old with a mop-top, as he made his debut against Chile and later on scored two of Australia’s three goals in a soul-destroying away goals loss to Iran as the Socceroos fell at the final hurdle before France 98.

Sadly that two-legged shock would be remembered more for the efforts of serial pest Peter Hoare for tearing down the net, but something else was apparent.

Harry Kewell had arrived.

It was years before we went and qualified for the World Cup and we would falter again at the final hurdle to Uruguay in Montevideo before redemption came four years later and Kewell took centre stage in the match before calmly slotting a crucial penalty in the winning shoot out as Australia celebrated.

During that period he had taken the English Premier League by storm, part of a young and to those new to the game now shockingly solvent Leeds United took on all comers.

His teammates Mark Viduka, Lee Bowyer and Alan Smith would all become household names but all bar Viduka would succumb to crippling injuries or off-field issues later in their careers.

Also Leeds teammates of Kewell’s were former England keeper Paul Robinson, Dutch star Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, and England defenders Jonathan Woodgate and a young Rio Ferdinand, but for the most part Kewell was the star and one of the goals he scored there still fills EPL highlight reels.

From there it was to Liverpool where he experienced the highest of highs (Champions League and FA Cup triumphs) and the lowest of lows, the constant and allegedly mismanaged injuries to his hamstring and groin.

The time at Anfield was hard, but he was picked up by Turkish giants Galatasaray in a move that saw scorn heaped upon him by Leeds fans who were irate he could sign with them, after two Leeds fans were killed in riots involving Galatasaray supporters while Kewell was a Leeds player.

Kewell would later state his wearing of the 19 jersey at Galatasaray (his original Leeds squad number) was his way of trying to start the healing process.

Back on the national front Kewell continued to be a regular and enjoyed a stellar World Cup in 2006 scoring the goal that put the Socceroos into the Round of 16, with a draw against Croatia. It was arguably his most memorable moment in the green and gold and a far better way to finish a World Cup than he did in 2010 when controversially sent off against Ghana for ‘handling’ the ball on the goal line.

For Kewell it was a career of immense highs and some miserable lows inflicted upon him by a deteriorating body and the poor decisions of others, including now former Socceroos manager Holger Osieck, whose double standard selection policy saw Lucas Neill play in his team but not Kewell.

It’s sad to see him finish a glittering career in a Melbourne Heart side who aren’t even destined to play A-League finals, but for those who can get there I urge you to, if not at least take a look at some of his finer moments ranked below.

As I once wrote about Kewell – “Form is temporary, class is permanent. And in that regard Harry has always been our greatest.”

5. The penalty v Uruguay: Kewell steps up and calmly slots his goal

4. Screamer for Leeds United: Watch the goal, it’s a cracker

3. Kewell v Iran: A teenage Harry lights up the world with his skills.

2. European Champion: Kewell lifts the Cup with Liverpool

1. Hello Rd of 16: Kewell sends Australia through to play Italy

The post Thank You Harry appeared first on Something Clever.

Once it was confirmed they were hiring an Australian and then more specifically hiring Ange, I got on board with that, because clearly Ange has been successful in the A-League and also demands his team play a style which every football lover appreciates. Postecoglou teams always play to win and think they can control the ball regardless of opposition.

Tuesday night against a half strength Costa Rica was the first chance we would get to see what impact Ange had already had on the squad. I was very concerned when Lucas Neill was allowed to keep the captaincy and named to start. As I’ve said numerous times, Neill should no longer be anywhere near the Socceroos. His play at all levels has declined to the point where his name value should not hold enough value to keep him in the team.

I also don’t believe we should continue to play Bresciano, but I knew Postecoglou loves him and I also know that if the team is able to execute the game plan, Bresc does fit in with that style, so his selection wasn’t a surprise to me.

But with a four month suspension hanging over his head for an illegal transfer that might be the last we see of Bresciano for a while.

I was desperate to see Tom Rogic start, but given his lack of game time at Celtic I understand why he came off the bench.

Besides that I was quite content with the team Ange chose. It was a lot of youth mixed in with just a couple of veterans and whilst I am a huge advocate of playing the kids, you do want some veterans around them.

The performance itself was impressive. Whilst the opposition clearly weren’t at their best, they still are no joke and at full strength are a better side than we have. The team took a few minutes to settle but then started playing “Ange-ball”. There were patches where the accuracy of the passes fell away, but the fact that they kept trying to pass and move and attack is all that matters to me.

I would rather go to Brazil and get smashed trying to win and create chances than to lose anyway whilst trying to minimise the damage. I am confident now that Postecoglou agrees with that.

Jason Davidson was impressive at left back and he looks to be the answer to one of the biggest question mark positions in the squad. Rhys Williams also seems to have cemented himself a spot in the centre of defence. I personally would play him with Sasa Ognenovski but we will see what Ange does with Lucas Neill long term, especially after Neill got into it with the crowd during the game.

The game changed when Rogic and Oar (The Tommy Guns?) were introduced and that comes as no surprise. The Tommys and Timmy are critical to the team and I would be starting them all. I would have Kruse on the right, Oar on the left, Rogic in the middle and Cahill up top unless they go with Kennedy.

Milligan and Jedinak do their job in midfield and I would keep them there to do that dirty work. James Holland shouldn’t go anywhere near the starting team and Matt McKay at this stage of his career shouldn’t be in the squad, even if he is an Ange favourite.

I imagine several defenders will be given a chance to earn the starting job in Brazil, but at least Davidson and Williams look good enough to hold their spots.

Ryan and Langerak have a great battle going to be the keeper and I am fine with either option. They both have great futures and we are in safe hands at the back.

What was more impressive though was that in such a limited time the team were able to implement the system we will be playing going forward. Sure there were hiccups, as there will be, but the team played hard and played in a manner that represents what Australian sport is. We play to beat you and believe we can.

I still don’t expect to do that much in Brazil, but I am more confident that it won’t be embarrassing. If we can be competitive in Brazil, win or go close in the Asian Cup and then start looking towards Russia 2018, then Postecoglou will have been a huge success as manager.

We have the young talent to be optimistic about the future of the team and we have a manager willing to play a style that can utilise that talent. The gap between the Osieck team and the Postecoglou team was noticeable from minute 1 (or maybe minute 5) and that alone speaks volumes.

I hope guys like Rogic and Oar can get real playing time the rest of this season to earn a starting spot and keep their form up, because in this system, guys with that talent are dangerous.

At the end of the day though, we scored with good Ol’ Faithful. Timmy Cahill on a header from a corner. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

The post Socceroos: The New Era appeared first on Something Clever.

Funny, last time I checked Bosnich is a respected football analyst, he may be Neill’s friend but when it comes to his job that shouldn’t be a consideration for him when giving the opinion and analysis he is paid for.

One of the biggest problems with the national setup is that it is and always has been a bit of an old boys club and right now the aging players, all bar Harry Kewell it would seem, hold sway.

Simply put, Neill along with a few of his cohorts have overstayed their welcome and have done so at the peril of the development of the game and the development of the next generation, who were never given a fair crack under Holger Osieck.

Prickly to the media throughout the qualifying campaign, Osieck hardly won any admirers for a number of reasons and his focus it would seem was simply to qualify for Brazil 2014 rather than to build a squad capable of challenging now and into the future, how else could the insistence on age and experience be explained otherwise?

It’s well and good for Neill to say the young players must step up, but when has he stepped up to the plate and actually played well in the last five years? The answer is rarely ever and he is now tarnishing a legacy that already had him most remembered for bringing down Fabio Grosso in the box in Germany 06’. A sad indictment on him, but it’s true.

It’s not that I dislike Lucas Neill the person, I don’t, but as a footballer he shouldn’t be saying ‘I will leave when the coach asks me to’.

He should be saying I want to see my country do its best and right now he can’t really believe he is the way for Australia to do that. Not based on results or performance as the controversial case may be. The results haven’t been there and he has not performed. Not that he is alone, throw in David Carney, Matt McKay, James Holland, Jade North, Michael Thwaite and as good as he has been for Crystal Palace Mile Jedinak, who simply hasn’t fired for his country.

As for Neill, he’s the worst of a bad bunch. A case in point in his ‘stint’ (and I use that in the loosest possible way) in the A-League; his own team had to sit deeper in defence when he played so as not to expose his lack of pace.

If you want a prime example of that, in the rout against Brazil he was ten metres off his man as he scored a goal and stood there looking at his teammates with his hands in the air. Hardly the actions of a leader.

A dose of reality is this quote:“No one outruns father time,” that comment was made by ESPN’s Bill Simmons last year when Kevin Garnett missed a dunk. That’s NBA star Kevin Garnett who has way more world sport cred than Neill ever had, but do compare the two is firstly a slight on Garnett and secondly off topic.

What is true right now is that the Socceroos or if you want ‘Shockeroos’ have been appalling of late, the coach paid with his job, someone had to and he was culpable.

Osieck was culpable of not blooding youth and culpable of playing a squad who struggled time and time again in Asia of all places – anyone who thinks the win over Iraq at Stadium Australia was a success is either blind, ignorant or both.

The result, yeah we got it, but ironically enough the performance was poor and ever since then we have been struggling.

Now there are precious few games left between Australia and what could potentially one of the most embarrassing World Cup campaigns ever and a new manager has to come in take over a sinking ship and make some changes.

As for who that man may be, well, all and sundry know Ange Postecoglou is the front runner due to the cost of paying out Osieck’s contract, if not him maybe the tactically astute Graham Arnold, who certainly has similar traits to Ricki Herbert, the man who took New Zealand’s All Whites to an undefeated FIFA World Cup campaign. Both have relationships with some of Australia’s best up and coming players through the A-League and neither are beholden to any of the old firm, but Postecoglou might bring Harry Kewell back, which if he can show some of the flair he had at the end of his Victory stay won’t be a bad thing.

Of the international options Guus Hiddink and Sir Alex ferguson are some of the more fanciful names being thrown around, neither of them will do it, and nor should they. The risk to their legacies are too great and neither man needs the job.

Some other names are Roberto di matteo, martin O’neill, Frank Rijkaard and Marcelo Bielsa. I’d also like to say Paul le Guen, who did an amazing job with the Omani team, but is probably considered too low profile after a string of failures in Pim Verbeek and Osieck.

So what do the Socceroos need? Simply put a coach with a strong personality capable of changing things and quickly implementing a style that works. As such it’s why Arnold or Ange would be good choices, they know Australian football and would hopefully have the guts to make changes to our side.

There are players right now who are asking for a call up at home and abroad and it’s a shame Mitch Langerak had to have his name associated with a 6-0 thumping. Without him the score would have been over ten and non-football people are wondering if the kid is any good.

Truth is, he is very good. You don’t play for Borussia Dortmund in Germany, arguably the home of some of the best keepers ever without being excellent, so are many of our other youngsters.

Tom Rogic is more than ready for a consistent role and Tommy Oar is as well. Robbie Kruse is there now and while James Holland hasn’t been great you can’t deny the much maligned Brett Holman’s ability to score a goal when it is needed.

Of the older brigade keep Tim Cahill, Mark Schwarzer as a back up and Josh Kennedy as a target-man and sure take Kewell because he has class but it’s time for a change and that change starts at the back.

Trent Sainsbury is more than ready. He has shown it for more than two seasons now and deserves his chance. Matt Spiranovic if fit is an ok pick as is Robbie Cornthwaite. The real issue is still left back, especially after Adama Traore was denied his citizenship, but picking these players is a start and one a new coach should look to make immediately.

We simply need a coach who isn’t afraid and doesn’t rely on the reputations of those who have been there and done it before, because with the exception of Cahill and Schwarzer the rest can’t get it done anymore.

For the record my preferred Australian XI: 4-4-2

Mitch Langerak, Matthew Spiranovic, Robbie Cornthwaite, Trent Sainsbury, Chris Herd, Tom Rogic, Mark Milligan, Brett Holman, Tommy Oar, Tim Cahill, Robbie Kruse

The post Looking Forward the Only Way for Socceroos appeared first on Something Clever.

Whether qualifying is expected or not, I think we can all agree that anything short of qualifying is considered an abject failure. That goal was big for the Socceroos, but it was even bigger for the career of Holger Osieck, who would have been sacked virtually on the spot had we not qualified.

It also turns out that with Jordan going on to beat Oman later that night, a draw would have been enough to qualify anyway, but hindsight is 20/20 and we needed to beat Iraq. Fortunately, we did.

So we are now about a year away from the World Cup Finals themselves and a lot can change between now and then. As one of the first nations to qualify, we don’t know who else will be joining us in Brazil and we are months off from finding out who is in our group. Obviously we could luck into a comfortable group draw or we could be unlucky and draw the dreaded “Group Of Death”, where my luck of the draw, several highly ranked or big name teams are put into the same group, with only two able to qualify for the Round of 16.

That said we do know we will get a top seed, at least one other very good team and then the fourth team is a real wildcard. So what are realistic expectations for the Socceroos in Brazil?

Personally, I have low expectations. I am certainly not ruling out the possibility of coming second in our group, especially if we can avoid a smashing at the hands of the top seed we draw (Germany 4-0 ring any bells), however I think this is a transitional period for the Socceroos.

We are at a weird place right now where a large portion of our team are on their last legs, past their primes and Brazil will be their farewell to the international stage, whereas the rest of the team are young and yet to reach their prime.

Of the 11 who started these last three qualification matches, I would say only Mark Milligan and maybe Brett Holman are in their natural primes, in terms of age. A case could be made that Luke Wilkshire, in his early 30s, is still in his prime, however from what I have seen of him I think he is already slipping and probably will be making his last World Cup appearance in Brazil.

Schwarzer, Neill and Bresciano are way past their primes and others like Cahill, Ognenovski and McKay are certainly on the decline. I doubt we will see any of them still around for the 2018 qualification campaign.

What is really unfortunate is that 2010 was the perfect time for much of the old guard to have their best World Cup showing, but we were unfortunately stuck with Pim Verbeek as manager at the time and wasted an opportunity that comes but once every four years.

2014 was always going to be that transitional period where the previous generation are on their last legs, but the new guard aren’t totally ready yet either. Tommy Oar and Robbie Kruse are stars of the future and Tomas Rogic is possibly our most talented prospect, with fantastic efforts off the bench in the last two matches, but clearly Osieck isn’t quite ready to hand them the keys to the midfield just yet.

This means the upcoming club football season will be a massive factor in both who will be in the Socceroos starting 11 next year and just what our ceiling is. Rogic has moved to Celtic and a big season from him could see him take either Bresciano or Holman’s spot in the side. I personally can’t see Bresciano still being up to the job in a year’s time. He is already too slow and too poor defensively to play against decent opponents, as evidenced by the towelling he received at the hands of Japan. Another year in the mediocre Qatari league and I think we will be in serious trouble if Holger is still expecting him to be that midfield general he was so for many years.

Holman also has many question marks on him as despite the fact that he should be in his prime, his career is in a state of flux. He is at a decent club in Aston Villa but he needs to be getting regularly playing time or go to a club where he can play more. For years I was a Holman hater but he was probably our best player at the 2010 Finals and I started to like him. However, after a good performance against Japan, I thought he was poor in our last two matches. It’s a big season in the career of Brett Holman, for himself and for the Socceroos.

Robbie Kruse and Tommy Oar are both locked in to their spots in the team and with Kruse moving to Bayer Leverkusen, he could have a breakout season on a large scale. If Rogic, Oar and Kruse all have big seasons, that is a great sign for our chances and even better for our future.

However other areas of the field are a concern. We are playing Tim Cahill out of position as a target man striker because we don’t have a heap of options. Josh Kennedy is obviously one and scored the winning goal, but whether Osieck thinks he can start in Brazil, I’m not sure. Archie Thompson can provide speed and energy off the bench, but I don’t think he is good enough to start.

What I’m hoping for is a breakout season for young strikers like Bernie Ibini who has just moved to China to play for Shanghai East and Kerem Bulut who is now playing in Turkey for Akhisar Belediyespor. If either of them can take a step this year, we might have another solid option up front.

Defence is another concern. Lucas Neill doesn’t have a club and whilst he played well for Australia, didn’t even seem to be that good at an A-League level when playing for Sydney FC. I have no idea where he is going to be this season, but he needs to find a job somewhere. Ognenovski is a rock and I trust to be fine, but Wilkshire’s performances were concerning to myself and others and Matt McKay isn’t really a left back.

We might end up playing Ivorian Adama Traore of Melbourne Victory once he is declared eligible for the Socceroos and Michael Zullo is also an option at left back. At right back I think Wilkshire will continue to start, but he needs to step up from his recent performances.

Then there is Schwarzer. Despite having a mediocre season at Fulham, he continues to be a pillar of strength when he plays for the Socceroos. I must admit that before the Japan game I was concerned about him and wondered whether we should be moving on already, but he proved that wrong. I am happy for Mark to start in Brazil and then retire and hand the job over the Mitch Langarak or Matt Ryan. But for right now he needs to find a club. I am sure a decent enough team will snap Schwarzer up but until then, it’s a concern.

Overall the future is bright. I think 2018 is Russia is when we will be at our next peak, with the primes of the Kruse, Oar, Rogic and Co. era. I don’t expect us to get out of the group stage in Brazil, but would just like us to be competitive and not play negative as we did in South Africa because of tactical mismanagement. The nature of our performances is more important to me than trying to play for draws or freaking a 1-0 robbery win. If the team can be competitive and do the country proud, then that’s a successful campaign to me.

In 2018 I see us having an Australian manager (perhaps Popovic, Postecoglou or Vidmar) and a team that will scare a lot of opponents. The A-League is coming off a breakout season and moving forward and we have a great young generation of players coming through. Australian football is in it for the long haul and has to be thinking about the long term plans and right now we are headed in the right direction.

Brazil will be a nice farewell to the stalwarts of the old guard and a great showcase of the new guard. Just don’t put undue pressure on the event with unrealistic expectations. We just accomplished our expectations by getting there at all.

The post We Made It! But Now What? appeared first on Something Clever.

The Green and Gold made it hard for themselves leading up to the final round of Group B with disappointing results, which meant only a win would see them progress in the tournament.

Australia were lucky not to go ahead inside the first 5 minutes with pleasant passing between Tim Cahill and Robbie Kruse resulted in a close range shot from Cahill. The shot was sensationally palmed away by the diving efforts of Ahmed Ibrahim wearing the gloves for Iraq.

The game was played at a frantic pace from the get-go with structural plans nonexistent as the ball went from end to end, neither team dominating possession.

The visitors were putting up a great fight considering they stood at the bottom of the group and this looked to unsettle the Socceroos who struggled to execute their game plan.

Most of the 80,523 supporters at ANZ Stadium were suffering from nerves as the teams went to the halftime break at 0 – 0, a break that Socceroos Manager Holger Osieck would have been desperate to commence to have words with his team.

Nerves were quite evident for the Australians in the second half and the visitors were actually causing a few ‘deep breath’ moments for the home supporters with their attacking plays.

Holger Osieck had to make a big call to change the tempo and did so by taking off Brett Holman, whose performance was well below par.

Tom Rogic, who signed with Celtic FC in Scotland’s domestic league last season, replaced Holman with immediate effect. Within the first 5 minutes of taking to the pitch he posted 3 shots at goal.

As Australia were mounting pressure Osieck surprised everyone by replacing Tim Cahill, who was obviously confused and disgruntled by the decision, for Josh Kennedy. Even the home crowd made their opinions heard with boisterous bellows of “BOOO”’s around the stadium. Playmaker Robbie Kruse was also substituted for Archie Thompson in another surprise move.

Osieck’s unpopular gamble with the fate of the Socceroos future turned out to be a masterstroke as Josh Kennedy headed home the winning goal with only 7 minutes remaining on the clock.

Marco Bresciano found slight open space on the right corner of the 18-yard box and whipped in a cross to Kennedy, who was in open space of his own.

Kennedy made no mistake of the headed shot at goal with a textbook downward header into the bottom right corner and Australia lifted as one with wild celebrations.

The 1 – 0 result consolidated second spot in Group B behind Japan, who qualified for the finals the round before.

Australia are off to the World Cup Finals in Brazil!

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