World Cup Qualifier 2005

 

 

Part 1- The build-up

 

 

Confederations Cup time, June 2005, could certainly be viewed as a watershed in Australian football history. After conceding 10 goals in 3 games (against Germany, Argentina and Tunisia), being thoroughly outplayed in each, and still with no conceivable idea as to the best formation or personnel, Frank Farina, superb striker cum crap coach, stood at the precipice of football failure. Gratefully, and by the mercy of God, circumstances conspired to have him turfed into the abyss of Australian football coaching failures, along with the likes of:

• Arok (fits all the qualities necessary for any Hungarian madman – a legend);

• Thompson (the boring, tight-arse Scot whose tenure as Australian coach; included some of the most uneventful, defensive football ever witnessed (0-0 draws being par for the course] and a wonderful homoerotic adventure with Ned ‘We all wish you went to play for Croatia’ Zelic);

• Venables (THAT Iran game was an unfortunate footnote to the Venables era, as he introduced a verve and sparkle to the Australian game not witnessed since those wacky Arok days);

• Blanco (the stereotype for any Latin American no-hoper); and 

• Rudi ‘if we haven’t scored seven goals we can’t possibly win’ Gutendorf.

The search for the next Australian coaching victim (oops, I mean, visionary) was on for young and old. Whilst Australia is presently bereft of real coaching talent. Eddie Krncevic [who looked too comfortable with that Louis Vuitton handbag at that Melbourne Victory game about a month ago to ever be seriously considered for the top job] and Zoran Matic [now too old, but in his prime, the best NSL club coach, leading Adelaide City to 11 straight finals appearances, with some of the best counter-attacking football this country will ever see; interesting to note that current A-League leaders Adelaide United play a near identical style – almost as if current coaches John Kosmina and Aurelio Vidmar, themselves no strangers to Aussie World Cup heartache, found a dusty old scrap book in one of the old lockers at Hindmarsh Stadium], the FFA needed to look abroad. That the FFA aimed so high is proof of the revolution which has consumed Australian football over the past 18 to 24 months.

 

Guus Hiddink’s coaching pedigree stands almost without peer in the world game, and his recruitment as managing aficionado and tactical guru extraordinaire of the Australian national team stands to this date as the greatest coup of the Lowy/O’Neill administration. At club level, Guus has had the pleasure of coaching Spanish giants Valencia and Real Madrid, but his coaching genius has been best consummated with his original Dutch club, PSV Eindhoven, with whom he has won 16 Dutch championships, 11 Dutch cups and their only European Cup in 1988 against perennial losing finalist, Benfica, Europe’s equivalent to Collingwood.

 

In fact, the Goose stands without question as one of the world’s five best current managers. The other four are as follows, in no particular order, apart from the Portuguese conquistador who sits atop the list, a man more arrogant than a Wayne Carey pack mark, and no traumatic psychological equivalent to the 1998 Grand Final to speak of either:

1. Jose Mourinho, the Special One, who presides over the Russian Revolution at Chelsea – the best I have ever seen;

2. Mr. Man United himself, Sir Alex Ferguson - apart from his surprising lack of tactical nous for a top level manager, the records speak for themselves – the Kevin Sheedy of English football. Much as Sheedy has tortured Richmond fans by failing to rule out a return to Punt Road, Fergie has done the same with rabid Rangers supporters who have had to endure a disastrous 2005/06 season under Alex McLeish;

3. Brioni’s finest fashion advertisement, Fabio Capello - championships with Juventus, AS Roma, AC Milan and Real Madrid, probably some European Cups thrown in there too for good measure – Your Honour, the defence rests;  and

4. Superkraut Otto Rehhagel - the Greek triumph at Euro 2004 was testimony to his knowledge of his own player’s strengths and weaknesses, as the Greeks went on to beat the holders (France - more overrated than St. Kilda at a Rod Butterss self-appreciation night), the favourites (the Czech Republic – like the Roos circa 1991, so pretty to watch, but oh-so fragile) and the hosts (Portugal – twice). Moreover, he remains the only manager in the 40 year history of the Bundesliga to win the second division and first division titles in consecutive seasons. He achieved this amazing feat in the late ‘90’s with Kaiserslautern – akin to allowing SANFL Port Magpies special dispensation to enter the AFL competition after winning their 66^th SANFL premiership, then beating either the Crows or Collingwood for both minor and major premierships in the following year [although this is arguably a less difficult feat to accomplish, given the tradition, pedigree and PASSION of the great SA working man’s club]

Honourable mentions here go to Marcello Lippi, the current cigar-smoking Italian national team coach who also made a habit of losing Champions’ League finals with Juventus; Giovanni Trapattoni, a prolific winner at club level in the Serie A but who is now slowly dementing in Stuttgart; the recently retired Martin O’Neill, who never gets anything less than 110% from his teams, but left Celtic to care for his ill wife; Frank Rijkaard with his Ronaldinho-powered excitement machine in Barcelona; and Louis van Gaal, whose love of supercharged total football, razzle dazzle, flamboyant right wingers, Marc Overmars, perpetually raising the ire of the Barcelona faithful and keeping Rivaldo on the substiutes’ bench has been well publicised.

 

With the Goose having led a marvellous Dutch side in France ’98 to the brink of the final, after having pushed the Ronaldo-led Brazilians to penalties in the semi, and then taking plucky South Korea the same distance four years later (with the help of a myriad of dubious and plainly incorrect refereeing decisions along the way – suffer in your jocks, all you Lygon Street Azzurri wannabees), the earnest rugby man Mr O’Neil and Mr Westfield himself put two and two together, saw that it made at least 6.7, and got their man. Aussie Guus was handed the task of restoring pride and glory to Australian football after the embarrassment of Montevideo ‘01, and the folly of allowing an intellectual Lilliputian such as Frank Farina the task of masterminding a path to World Cup qualification.