Soccerroos squad announced for South Korea match

[My Chumps]

Yeah Galekovic has been in great form, and probably deserves to play a friendly some time just to give him a cap, BUT the man is 31 for Petes sake.
Schwazer will be around for the 2014 world cup and for goalkeepers we then need to be thinking about 2018. I don't think Eugene will still be in good form (or even playing) by then. It will be Ryan or Langerak that's got the gig then.
Ryan, Federici, Langerak and even Brad Jones who's had a few starts for Liverpool this year are above Galek in the pecking order. Sorry Hawka, I know you're a mad Adelaide fan...

http://www.smh.com.au/news/football/aleague-fails-the-grade-for-pim/2008/01/23/1201024992652.html

"If you train for three weeks with Nurnberg [Beauchamp] or with Karlsruhe [Kennedy], I have to be very honest, I still think that's better than playing A-League games," he said.

"I saw the important [A-League] games last weekend and you can see players under pressure that they didn't bring the same performance that I have seen before, so they are still not very consistent at the moment. The players have to show me they can do a job against Qatar."

But the League has improved a fark load since then Cij... and Pim couldn't tell his arse from his elbow!

I'm personally quite happy with the squad.
Leckie, Oar, Babalj (played in the A-League last season), Rogic, Rukavystya, Behich, McGowan, Holland and Spiranovic... Good batch of youngsters there!
Would like to see Kruse, Rhys Williams and perhaps Michael Zullo getting a gig too in the near future.
I don't think any A-League players mentioned deserve a spot over these lads tbh, except maybe Moyes who's been killing it for WSW, sorry guys.

[Chelskiman]

here's a fun fact; only four players in the squad currently play in the A-League

Tomas Rogic, Mathew Ryan, Michael Thwaite and Aziz Behich

It also doesn't tell the full story though.  In my opinion Behich shouldn't even be there.  No way he deserves a spot over the likes of Josh Rose and/or Craig Goodwin.  Also, how Aaron Mooy didn't get picked is beyond me.  He's an outstanding talent and he should really be in out first team already.  Nice to see they got something right with the addition of Rogic though.  Thumbs up for that, I guess.

As for Paartalu, it's touch and go.  If this was 12 months ago he would be in, but he hasn't been at his best this season.  Still, it would have been nice to see him get a call up, but this time I can understand why he didn't.

[Cicjose]

Yeah Galekovic has been in great form, and probably deserves to play a friendly some time just to give him a cap, BUT the man is 31 for Petes sake.
Schwazer will be around for the 2014 world cup and for goalkeepers we then need to be thinking about 2018. I don't think Eugene will still be in good form (or even playing) by then. It will be Ryan or Langerak that's got the gig then.
Ryan, Federici, Langerak and even Brad Jones who's had a few starts for Liverpool this year are above Galek in the pecking order. Sorry Hawka, I know you're a mad Adelaide fan...

http://www.smh.com.au/news/football/aleague-fails-the-grade-for-pim/2008/01/23/1201024992652.html

"If you train for three weeks with Nurnberg [Beauchamp] or with Karlsruhe [Kennedy], I have to be very honest, I still think that's better than playing A-League games," he said.

"I saw the important [A-League] games last weekend and you can see players under pressure that they didn't bring the same performance that I have seen before, so they are still not very consistent at the moment. The players have to show me they can do a job against Qatar."

But the League has improved a fark load since then Cij... and Pim couldn't tell his arse from his elbow!

I'm personally quite happy with the squad.
Leckie, Oar, Babalj (played in the A-League last season), Rogic, Rukavystya, Behich, McGowan, Holland and Spiranovic... Good batch of youngsters there!
Would like to see Kruse, Rhys Williams and perhaps Michael Zullo getting a gig too in the near future.
I don't think any A-League players mentioned deserve a spot over these lads tbh, except maybe Moyes who's been killing it for WSW, sorry guys.

the quality of the league hasn't improved one bit only the profile of the imports

[Chelskiman]

You're an idiot if you think it hasn't improved.  Of course it's improved.  I've watched every single A-League and the difference between the first season and this season is huge.  You have to remember the league is less than a decade old.  It's not going to be able to compete with any European leagues.  Hell, even the MLS is still ahead of us at the moment.  You can't expect Barcelona like quality in every single game, that's just silly to think that.  The A-League is getting better each season and, tbh, I don't even care how negative you are to our league, I love it and I'll continue to support it every season.

[Cicjose]

You're an idiot if you think it hasn't improved.  Of course it's improved.  I've watched every single A-League and the difference between the first season and this season is huge.  You have to remember the league is less than a decade old.  It's not going to be able to compete with any European leagues.  Hell, even the MLS is still ahead of us at the moment.  You can't expect Barcelona like quality in every single game, that's just silly to think that.  The A-League is getting better each season and, tbh, I don't even care how negative you are to our league, I love it and I'll continue to support it every season.

you are the one like Craig Foster who thinks everyone should play like Barcelona

the MLS will always be ahead of us because they actually get people to the games.....

for the A League to be remotely successful we need to learn from what has been done right in leagues that are not so old like the MLS and J and K Leagues until we can do that the game cannot and will not move forward

Clubs run and controlled by the governing body, (Gold Coast (defunct), North Queensland (defunct),  Newcastle Jets, Adelaide United, WSW)

rushed expansion plans, poor attendances, owner boycotts, high stadium costs, poor compensation for grass roots football, owners breaching the licencing agreements;

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/a-league/rolled-gold-now-ffa-face-a-bill-for-1m-20120229-1u3jo.html
________

We might have a professional standard at the top but instead of working from the bottom and helping those teams who develop the kids from an early age to properly unite under the one banner to form a pathway to the top because the "ethnic" clubs are not welcome

We are also expecting players to be up to the A League standard when the very teams who develop the players before they reach our national standard are alienated from the governing body.

You might think on field it has improved... off field its a mess that needs to be cleaned up before we can move forward as a footballing nation

Add to the fact we have the head of the A League Frank Lowy was head of one of the successful teams of the Australian Soccer Federation, withdrew them from the competition and was instrumental in forming a breakaway competition which became the NSL.

But the same Frank Lowy revoked the licence of Clive Palmer who tried to do exactly what Frank Lowy did 35 years ago

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/breaking/13062768/clive-palmer-launches-ffa-rival-football-australia/

However, Palmer and FA’s newly-appointed chief executive, former A-League chief Archie Fraser, said the organisation was not necessarily out to topple FFA but would act as watchdog and forum for ideas in the sport.

Palmer likened it, ironically, to the Lowy Institute, an independent think tank for international policy set up by fellow billionaire Lowy.

“What does Football Australia plan to do? It plans to publish papers, hold press conferences, seek opinions, lobby the government, lobby the FFA for a better outcome for Australians and the game in Australia,” Palmer told the press conference.

“It’s much like the Lowy institute to the broader economy, where Frank Lowy’s done a great job to make people and politicians accountable for public policy.”

“The FFA has lurched from one disaster to another and needs to be replaced,” the statement quoted Palmer as saying.

Admittedly this did not work for Palmer but Palmer was right, the game is going back to the dark ages with Lowy and Buckley at the helm

[fidou]

Lets get realistic even if football was the only sport we played in Australia and we sere mad for it. We would still be behind European nations on quality etc. So lets deal with what we have got and instead of being knockers about the quality of the game and support it for what it is. You don't see 2nd and 3rd division supporters in England knocking there teams quality. They are just there to support what is out on the pitch.

[tbagrocks]

What the fridge :-\ I thought all Socceroos games were to be on delay at SBS, where's this game? :o

[Cicjose]

online

[elephants]

The game is live on foxsports 1.

Go Michael Thwaite!!

[Hawka]

RUKA!

[tbagrocks]

The game is live on foxsports 1.

Go Michael Thwaite!!

I'm sure it is! But I only want to get the sports package at $16 a month, but no the nazi's at fox want to charge $70 for a basic package, channels I'll never flowering watch! Just give me the flowering sports channels you nazi's!

[Cicjose]

1-1 at the break can we win?

[McRooster]

The game is live on foxsports 1.

Go Michael Thwaite!!

I'm sure it is! But I only want to get the sports package at $16 a month, but no the nazi's at fox want to charge $70 for a basic package, channels I'll never flowering watch! Just give me the flowering sports channels you nazi's!

Two words tbag 'Justin TV'  ;)

[Tominator]

Think there is an over-reliance on guys like Schwarzer and Neill

[Cicjose]

2-1 win

Rukavysytya and Cornthwaite