Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.
AFTER a brief but thorough preparation and a routine skirmish, the Socceroos board the plane today.
To go to the World Cup in Brazil. Not, as you might assume from the air of gloom that has settled over the team, to fly a combat mission over Pyongyang. Before the Socceroos' bags had hit the luggage carousel, even the game's most ebullient character Mark Bosnich — a man who can see the good side to amoebic dysentery — was hoping they "don't get scarred'' in Brazil.
That is the measure of how greatly one substandard hour against a second-string South African team had damaged the already fragile confidence of sceptical critics and a nervous public in an untested line-up.
Since the Socceroos' Serena Williams defeats to Brazil and France — 6-0 6-0 — prompted the sacking of coach Holger Osieck, the appointment of the savvy Ange Postecoglou and the overdue regeneration of the Socceroos has provided reassurance.
Now, however, stark reality. Chile, The Netherlands, Spain. Suddenly Socceroos fans are waking up from nightmares in which they turn up to a stadium in Curitiba or Porto Alegre wearing only their green and gold scarves.
The tone of the media's questions after Monday night's game and at yesterday's final team announcement left Postecoglou in no doubt about the air of trepidation, even sudden mistrust, surrounding his team. He was entitled to bristle when one reporter challenged him about his promise that the Socceroos would excite after the discordant performance against South Africa.
"I didn't say after one game,'' Postecoglou replied evenly. "I said after the World Cup.''
To his credit he has neither raised expectations nor shirked the challenge in Brazil. He has maintained he would strive to maintain high standards and have his team play attractive football from the very start of a devilishly difficult rebuild. But even this causes sleepless nights for some experts. Aren't the Socceroos courting disaster by trying to take the game to the world's best? Should they not park a fleet of buses like the heroically undefeated New Zealanders in South Africa?
Postecoglou, however, is not in the business of reassuring the doubters. If you did not accept his word that the Socceroos were tired after an arduous training block on Monday night and would learn from their moments of over-exuberance and ill-discipline, that's your problem.
Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.
"We'll stick the course,'' he said with reassuring bluntness.
What Postecoglou — or no one else — can provide is a realistic expectation for this newly assembled and partly experimental Socceroos team. Untold glory? Face-saving respectability? A win? A point? A goal?
Inevitably it could we be the emergence of a few promising individuals rather than the team performance that is the highlight. A confident second-half cameo by Ben Halloran on Monday was something to excite the purists, but not necessarily energise the once-every-four-year fan.
"The only time that is important to me is when we play Chile,'' Postecoglou said when asked for a progress report. ''That will give me an assessment of where we are at.''
The upside? If 2006 was a dream fulfilled and 2010 was a rude awakening, the doomsday forecasts for 2014 will make any accomplishment small or great the more precious.
The Socceroos have, at least, packed their lucky charm. The most pessimistic cite the enduring presence of the 34-year-old Tim Cahill as Australia's main strike weapon as a cause for concern. Surely the next Cahill should have emerged. But, yet again, Cahill's boundless energy and defiance were evident in the first 20 minutes against South Africa. He jumped, he scored, he celebrated with passion.
"I'm buzzing,'' he said. "I can't wait. Maybe the fans are used to it (Australian being in the World Cup). Maybe the media are used to it. You probably need to blow it up a bit more for us.''
Even if Cahill is mistaking the press for publicists, you can see his point. Enthusiasm cannot be faked, but it can be created with the type of effort he puts into the game. It can also be infectious. Then there is the leadership of new captain Mile Jedinak, and the calm organisational skills of Mark Bresciano. Both tested at the highest level. And, for those who can't be shaken from their gloom, the Socceroos will at least have lulled Chile, The Netherlands and Spain into a sense of security. Real or false? That's why they play the games.
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Unruffled Ange sticking to plan
Dengan url
http://sportfoxer.blogspot.com/2014/05/unruffled-ange-sticking-to-plan.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Unruffled Ange sticking to plan
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
Unruffled Ange sticking to plan
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar