They Come From a Land Down Under

[archie#10]

This is a story played on the 9.0.3 patch with all leagues from the following countries; Australia, Indonesia, South Korea, Croatia, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Holland, Norway, Portugal, Ireland, Scotland, Spain and Turkey. Hope you enjoy.

1 June 2008

FFA Sack Verbeek.

By Michael Lynch

The Football Federation of Australia (FFA) today announced the shock axing of national team coach Pim Verbeek. CEO Ben Buckley stated the reasons behind the sacking would remain private, however it is believed that Verbeek's constant degrading comments on the A-League have lead to the decision.

In the running for the job are former candidates Frenchman Phillipe Troussier, Dutch legend and former Socceroo Assistant Johann Neeskens as well as surprise choice, recently retired Socceroo defender Hugh Jaars.

It is believed Jaars' Dutch background has helped him in being considered for the job.

3 June 2008

It wasn't like the FFA to go out on alimb like this but they'd taken a chance on me. I was the new manager of the Australian Football side. I met FFA CEO Ben Buckley and Chairman Frank Lowy and they told me they wanted me to qualify the team for the next World Cup in South Africa in 2010.

Later that day I got on the phone to one of my three assistants, Graham Arnold, and told him he was no longer needed in the national team set up. It was a rather straight forward decision, as he'd failed so miserably as head coach during 2007's Asian Nations Cup. I then turned my attention to two fronts. In the immediate future was the need for an U19 coach. More longer term was scouting for my first friendly against South Africa at Loftus Road in a couple months.

9 June 2008

After being knocked back by Dutchmen Sef Vergoossen and Arno Pijpers I turned my attention for an U19 coach local, offering the job to Sydney FC's Youth Team coach Steve O'Connor. He called back later that day announcing that he had accepted my offer and would continue on with Sydney FC Youths whilst working with the Australian U19's.

[archie#10]

13 August 2008

The time had come to name my first ever Socceroos squad. There were quite a few first teamers unavailable through injury for the clash against 2010 World Cup hosts South Africa. The game was due to take place at London's Loftus Road.

The players missing through injury were;

-Tim Cahill, Everton (ENG), broken foot, 2-5 weeks

-Mark Viduka, Newcastle United (ENG), achilles, 4-5 months

-Adam Federici, Reading (ENG), bruised foot, 1-2 weeks

-Patrick Kisnorbo, Leicester City (ENG), cruciate ligaments, 3-6 weeks

-Scott Chipperfield, Basel (SUI), sprained ankle, 4-5 weeks

-Brett Emerton, Blackburn Rovers (ENG), heel, 1 week

-Archie Thompson, Melbourne Victory (AUS), groin, 1-2 weeks.

The squad I chose contained three debutants, Adelaide United Goalkeeper Eugene Galekovic, Hull City midfielder Richard Garcia and FC Twente striker Nikita Rukavytsya. The 26 man squad averaged 17 caps per player with Fulham 'keeper Mark Schwarzer the most experienced with 57. The major point of concern was that our five man strikeforce had just four international goals between them.

16 August 2008

INJURY

I recieved a phone call from Fulham's Aussie physio Jason Palmer who informed me of a twisted ankle Mark Schwarzer picked up in training. He would be replaced by Melbourne Victory's uncapped 27yo goalkeeper Michael Theoklitos, with Brad Jones likely to start.

[archie#10]

19 August 2008

Friendly vs South Africa @ Loftus Road, London. Crowd: 13341

GK- B. Jones (6.8)

RB- L. Neill (5.3) (M. Milligan 76')

CB- C. Moore (7.0)

CB- M. Beauchamp (7.6) (M. Spiranovic 85')

LB- L. Wilkshire (6.4)

RM- R. Garcia (6.6) (J. Griffiths 76')

CM- M. Bresciano (7.9)

CM- V. Grella (6.7)

LM- H. Kewell (6.8) (D. Carney 66' (6.6)

ST- S. McDonald (6.2) (N. Rukavytsya 66' (6.6)

ST- J. Kennedy (6.3) (B. Djite 85')

Unused Subs: E. Galekovic, S. Stefanutto, J. Culina

AUS: 1 (M. Bresciano 77')

RSA: 2 (M. Modubi 15', B. McCarthy 66'pen)

MOM: M. Bresciano (AUS) 7.9

My first game in charge and we were completely outclassed by a lower ranked South African side. Their long shooting radar was on from the get go and every time we turned the ball over in midfield they'd run forward and take a pot shot from around 25 yards and more times than not test Brad Jones, who was winning just his second cap. South Africa broke through on the quarter of an hour mark after Queensland Roar defender Craig Moore gave Chelsea midfielder Michael Modubi too much space as the South African nodded in from a corner. Six minutes after the hour mark Lucas Neill continued his horrid night, fouling Benni McCarthy in the box. The big Blackburn Rovers striker coverted his own penalty for 2-0. Mark Bresciano saved some face for us after scoring a pearler from a run that began in his own half with just under 15 minutes left.

It was clear we were missing the link between midfield and strikers so a tactical change from the 4-4-2 would be imminent. I also saw how much we missed Tim Cahill and I would need to find a player who could do a similar job for the next game. To a lesser extent we also missed Brett Emerton and his raids down the right but Bresciano played the role on the right differently but successfully. Finally, Lucas Neill played probably his worst game in a Socceroos shirt and I told him I wouldn't be accepting that type of performance again from my captain.

[PluckaDuck]

Really good start mate, And I reckon the entire nation was behind you in the sacking of Graham Arnold!

[BenArsenal]

I love the title.

[archie#10]

Ben - cheers mate, I'm pretty happy with the title too.

Plucka - I had to get him as far away as possible. Can you imagine what the likes of Cahill, Kewell an Neill think of him in real life. What a dud

Story note: All monetary values in Australian dollars

20 August 2008

The day after coming on for a five minute cameo against South Africa, Matthew Spiranovic (CB, 20yo, 3 caps) completed a move from on Bundesliga.2 side to another, leaving Nurnberg for St. Pauli for a fee of $220k.

21 August 2008

Our attention now turned to the road to South Africa and the World Cup Asian Qualifying Section. Two groups of five teams were drawn for the final round of matches. Top two go through automatically to South Africa. The two third place teams play off for the right to play Oceania's number one qualifier. The winner of the Asia-Oceania play off also goes to South Africa

GROUP A

AUSTRALIA

Bahrain

Japan

Qatar

Uzbekistan

GROUP B

Iran

North Korea

Saudi Arabia

South Korea

U.A.E.

Our first game was on September 10 away to Uzbekistan. An away win to start qualification would be crucial.

[archie#10]

4 September 2008

Time had come to name the squad for our first World Cup qualifier against the Uzbeks. Four changes were made to the squad that faced South Africa.

IN

-Mark Schwarzer - GK, 35yo, 57 caps, Fulham (ENG)

-Adam Federici - GK, 23yo, uncapped, Reading (ENG)

-Brett Emerton - RB/RM, 29yo, 66 caps, 14 goals, Blackburn Rovers (ENG)

-John Aloisi - ST, 32yo, 53 caps, 26 goals, Sydney FC (AUS)

OUT

-Eugene Galekovic - GK, uncapped, Adelaide United (AUS)

-Michael Theoklitos - GK, uncapped, Melbourne Victory (AUS)

-Richard Garcia - AMR, 1 cap, 0 goals, Hull City (ENG)

-Carl Valeri - DM/MC, 10 caps, 0 goals, Grosetto (ITA)

Players out injured;

-Mark Viduka, Newcastle United (ENG), achilles, 3-4 months

-Richard Garcia, Hull City (ENG), foot, 3-4 weeks

-Tim Cahill, Everton (ENG), foot, 1-2 weeks

Schwarzer and Federici came into replace A-League goalkeeping duo Galekovic and Theoklitos. Garcia missed through injury and was replaced by a similar, yet more experienced Emerton. With Culina and Grella in the squad, there wasn't much room for Carl Valeri, so he made way for another attacking option in John Aloisi

10 September 2008

WCQ vs Uzbekistan @ Pakhtakor, Tashkent. Crowd: 53988

GK- M. Schwarzer (6.9)

RB- L. Neill (7.4)

CB- C. Moore (7.0)

CB- M. Beauchamp (7.0)

LB- L. Wilkshire (7.5)

CM- V. Grella (6.9)

CM- J. Culina (6.8) (N. Carle 70' (6.8)

AMR- M. Sterjovski (7.2)

AMC- M. Bresciano (7.5)

AML- H. Kewell (6.3) (D. Carney 45' (6.8)

ST- S. McDonald (7.0) (J. Aloisi 82' (8.1)

Unused Subs: B. Jones, S. Stefanutto, J. North, M. Spiranovic, J. Griffiths, J. Kennedy

Injury: H. Kewell (fractured ribs) 4 weeks

UZB 0

AUS 3 (S. McDonald 3', J. Aloisi 90', 90+4')

MOM: L. Wilkshire (AUS) 7.5

This was a game we dominated and probably should have finished six or seven nil. Scott McDonald scored his first for his country, capitalising on a scramble in the Uzbek penalty area, and poking home from close range. Poor finishing was costing us dearly, until the introduction of John Aloisi with just eight minutes left. Just before the 90 minutes, he swivelled and shot from the edge of the area, placing it in the bottom corner before the keeper could even react. As the end of added time fast approached the Sydney FC striker tried his luck from all of 25 yards, and a howler from the keeper gave Aloisi his second and the team our third. The only lowlight, apart from poor finishing, was a rib injury that would keep Harry Kewell out for about four weeks.

Other results
Group A				Group B
BAH 3:2 JPN			SAU 0:0 IRN
QAT 0:0 UZB			UAE 1:0 PRK
UZB 0:3 AUS			PRK 0:2 KOR
QAT 3:0 BAH			UAE 0:2 SAU

QAT	2	+3	4	SAU	2	+2	4
AUS	1	+3	3	KOR	1	+2	3
BAH	2	-2	3	UAE	2	-1	3
UZB	2	-3	1	IRN	1	 0	1
JPN	1	-1	0	PRK	2	-3	0

[archie#10]

17 September 2008

The new ranking details were released and we climbed one place to be 43rd. The team with the biggest rise was Bosnia & Herzegovina, who jumped 26 places to their new position of 52nd. Belarus suffered the biggest fall, moving down the rankings 17 spots to 75th.

TOP 3

1 - Spain

2 - Brazil

3 - Italy

---------

43 - Australia

19 September 2008

INJURY

Shanghai Shenhua's club physio sent a fax through to FFA headquarters informing of a broken ankle defender Mark Milligan picked up at training the injury will keep the former Sydney FC and Newcastle Jets man out for 3 months.

7 October 2008

INJURY

Norwich City's on loan left winger David Carney was today ruled out for 4 weeks after straining his back in the weights room. After speaking with Carney's Australian club teammate Adrian Leijer, Carney may well have been showing off for the teams new female club physio.

9 October 2008

With the next World Cup Qualifier against Qatar fast approaching it was time to make some changes to the squad.

IN

-Tim Cahill - AMC, 28yo, 28 caps, 13 goals, Everton (ENG)

-Scott Chipperfield - AML/C, 32yo, 54 caps 11 goals, Basel (SUI)

-Richard Garcia - AMR, 1 cap, Hull City (ENG)

OUT

-David Carney, AML/R, 15 caps, 1 goal, Norwich City (ENG)

-Mark Milligan, RB, 6 caps, 0 goal, Shanghai Shenhua (CHN)

-Mile Sterjovski, AMR, 40 caps, 7 goals, Derby County (ENG)

Unavailable thorugh injury

-Mark Viduka, Newcastle United (ENG), achilles, 2-3 months

-Patrick Kisnorbo, Leicester City (ENG), knee, 2 months

-Mark Milligan, Shanghai Shenhua (CHN), ankle, 3 months

-David Carney, Norwich City (ENG), back, 4 weeks

Tim Cahill made a welcome return to the Socceroos squad after a long lay off through injury. Experienced left sided midfielder Scott Chipperfield was also brought back into the squad. Richard Garcia from Hull City would replace Derby County's Mile Sterjovski as a right sided option.

13 October 2008

INJURY

Having just returned from 4 weeks out through a rib injury, injury prone star Harry Kewell would be sidlined for another month, this time with an ankle injury. Mile Sterjovski, who was originally dropped for this game, got a reprieve and would play in the game in two days time.

[archie#10]

14 October 2008

We dropped the one place we gained in last months ranking and dropped back to 44th. The big climbers of the month were the African's of Liberia, who rose a solid 15 spots to be 137th. Smaller drops were the order of the month, with the 8 places conceeded by Norway the most drastic. The scandinavians finished the month two places ahead of us in 42nd.

TOP 3

1 - Spain

2 - Brazil

3 - Italy

-----------

44 - Australia

15 October 2008

WCQ vs Qatar @ Members Equity Stadium, Perth. Crowd: 18442

GK- M. Schwarzer (7.1)

RB- L. Neill (capt) (8.2)

CB- C. Moore (7.3)

CB- M. Spiranovic (7.4) (J. McKain 83')

LB- S. Stefanutto (7.1)

CM- V. Grella (7.7)

CM- N. Carle (7.7)

AMR- M. Bresciano (7.7)

AMC- T. Cahill (9.9)

AML- S. Chipperfield (7.1) (M. Sterjovski 74' (6.7)

ST- J. Aloisi (7.1) (S. McDonald 78')

Unused Subs: B. Jones, L. Wilkshire, B. Emerton, J. Culina, J. Griffiths, J. Kennedy

AUS 5 (T. Cahill 11', 32', 37' 49', L. Neill 27')

QAT 1 (H. Yasser 61')

MOM: T. Cahill (AUS) 9.9

This game was the Tim Cahill show and it was terrific to have him back. Goal one came from some terrible Qatari defending. Nick Carle had a paddock to place his through ball in and duly delivered, Cahill doing the rest with a neat finish. Captain Lucas Neill then scored his first Socceroos' goal in his 44th international. An uncharacteristic foray down the right wing capped off with a cool finish at the keepers near post. Cahill still had another three goals in him, the pick coming just after the half hour. Taking on three Qatari defenders, with a cool head he rounded the keeper and placed into the back of the net. The goal we conceeded was the only lowlight, however I couldn't complain too much with the result.

OTHER RESULTS
Group A				Group B
AUS 5:1 QAT			IRN 2:0 PRK
JPN 0:2 UZB			KOR 2:1 UAE

AUS	2	+7	6	KOR	2	+3	6
QAT	3	-1	4	IRN	2	+2	4
UZB	3	-1	4	KSA	2	+2	4
BAH	2	-2	3	UAE	3	-2	3	
JPN	2	-3	0	PRK	3	-5	0

[PluckaDuck]

Fantastic ouple of performance's there, and nice to see that king Timmy is absolutely dominating!

[Spav]

C'mon the Socceroos.

[archie#10]

Thanks Plucka and Spav. Nice (and surprising) to see I have some readers.

28 October 2008

INJURY

I recieved news out of Wellington today of reserve centre back Jon McKain's knee injury. The clubs captain would miss the next couple of months after straining ligaments in a training drill. Not a huge loss, but inconvenient.

9 November 2008

I was in Saudi Arabia to watch the Asian Under 19 Championship Final. Australia took on Japan in stiffling conditions. Australia took the lead just after the half hour through Piacenza winger Michael Zullo. It took Japan until the 76th minute to mount a meaningful attack, which they capitalised from. Kazuki Fijiwara scoring a fantastic solo effort. Japan clinched the title three minutes later when Adelaide United defender Daniel Mullen scored an own goal, handing Japan the trophy.

Asian U19 Championship Final

Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium, Jeddah, KSA

Japan 2 (Kazuki Fijiwara 76', Daniel Mullen 79'og)

Australia 1 (Michael Zullo 33')

12 November 2008

I moved on to South Korea to watch the second leg of the Asian Champions League Final between Pohang Steelers and Melbourne Victory. Melbourne had taken the first leg 2-1 thanks to goals from Archie Thompson and Leigh Broxham.

In the second leg it was again Archie Thompson who was the hero, getting on the end of a Leigh Broxham through ball and converting after 76 minutes. Melbourne held on to become Australia's first ever Champions League winner, despite sitting last in the A-League.

AFC Champions League Final 2nd Leg

Pohang Steelers (KOR) 0

Melbourne Victory (AUS) 1 (Archie Thompson 72')

MV 3-1 on aggregate

13 November 2008

This months was an exceptionally good one for us in the rankings. We climbed 10 place to finish 34th. But it was the European minnows Estonia with the biggest climb of the month, jumping 27 place to 111. Another month of only small falls saw Wales hit the hardest, dropping 7 places to 67th.

TOP 3

(last months pos. in brackets)

1 - Brazil (2)

2 - Holland (4)

3 - Argentina (5)

-----------------

34 - Australia (44)

[Balthazars]

Haven't had time to catch up properly, but just popping in to say good work so far. Good to see a story about 'real' Aussie football!

[archie#10]

Thanks Balthazars, hope you continue reading

14 November 2008

With the World Cup Qualifier against Bahrain in five days I was asked to name the squad for the game. The changes from the Qatar demolition job were;

IN-

-Harry Kewell - AML, 30yo, 38 caps, 11 goals, Galatasaray (TUR)

-David Carney - AML/R, 24yo, 15 caps, 1 goal, Norwich City (ENG)

-Archie Thompson - ST, 30yo, 20 caps, 21 goals, Melbourne Victory (AUS)

OUT-

-Jon McKain - CB, 13 caps, Wellington Phoenix

-Joel Griffiths - ST, 3 caps, 1 goal, Beijing Guo'an (CHN)

-Nikita Rukavytsya - ST, 1 cap, FC Twente (NED)

Unavailable through injury

-Mark Viduka, Newcastle United (ENG), achilles, 3-6 weeks

-Patrick Kisnorbo, Leicester City (ENG), knee, 1-2 weeks

-Mark Milligan, Shanghai Shenhua (CHN), ankle, 2-5 weeks

-Jon McKain, Wellington Phoenix (AUS), knee, 6-7 weeks

We got the chance to welcome Harry Kewell back from injury whilst David Carney replace Joel Griffiths. Meanwhile Archie Thompson was called up in his final chance to impress, replacing Nikita Rukavytsya, who in my opinion had already overtaken the likes of Thompson and maybe even the constantly injured Mark Viduka

16 November 2008

INJURY

Young gun Matthew Spiranovic was removed from the squad after injuring his elbow. He would miss a week. Another youngster Ryan McGowan, who was plying his trade with Sparta Prague in the Czech Republic, was called up for his first taste of senior international football.

18 November 2008

INJURY

Another blow as David Carney, who was just returning from injury was ruled out with a broken shoulderand set to be out for four weeks. Another uncapped player was called up, with Nurnberg midfielder Dario Vidosic drafted in.

[gavrenwick]

Some good stuff here archie. As im currently with Cook Islands, ill be watching you and Australia very closely

[PluckaDuck]

Good to see Harry back, But a huge loss in David Carney. KUTGW Mate!

[Spav]

It's an absolute shame that a player like Kewell only has about 40 caps irl.

[archie#10]

Gav, cheers mate, hope you stick around. I'm keeping my eye on your Cook Islands story mate.

Plucka, it is a blow to lose Carney, but Kewell is a straight swap.

Spav, agree 100%, an absolute shame.

Hope you guys stick around.

19 November 2008

WCQ vs Bahrain @ National Stadium, Isa Town. Crowd: 35986

GK- M. Schwarzer (6.8)

RB- L. Neill (capt) (7.2)

CB- C. Moore (7.3)

CB- M. Beauchamp (6.9)

LB- L. Wilkshire (7.0)

CM- V. Grella (6.7) (J. Culina HT (6.6)

CM- M. Bresciano (7.7)

AMR- B. Emerton (7.4)

AMC- T. Cahill (7.4)

AML- H. Kewell (6.6) (S. Chipperfield 77')

ST- J. Kennedy (7.2) (S. McDonald 77')

Unused Subs: B. Jones, S. Stefanutto, R. McGowan, J. North, R. Garcia, A. Thompson

BAH 0

AUS 2 (J. Kennedy 8', T. Cahill 64')

MOM: M. Bresciano (AUS) 7.7

We got of to a decent start. Mark Bresciano flicked on a Lucas Neill throw in and it was nodded in by Josh Kennedy. The Bahraini opponents defended well until the 64th minute when Tim Cahill got on the end of a Bresciano corner and made it 2-0. Bresciano took out the man of the match award with two assists.

OTHER RESULTS
Group A				Group B
BAH 0:2 AUS			KSA 3:0 KOR
QAT 3:1 JPN			UAE 2:1 IRN

AUS	3	+9	9	KSA	3	+5	7
QAT	4	+1	7	KOR	3	 0	6
UZB	3	-1	4	UAE	4	-1	6
BAH	3	-4	3	IRN	3	+1	4	
JPN	3	-5	0	PRK	3	-5	0

[BenArsenal]

It's an absolute shame that a player like Kewell only has about 40 caps irl.

Yeah. Mainly due to injury, and the fact that Australia pre-AFC doesn't really play that many games.

[archie#10]

2 December 2008

It was time to cast my votes for both the World Footballer of the Year aswell as the Asian Player of the Year. For the World Player my votes went;

5 - Mario Gomez (Stuttgart/Germany)

3 - Andrea Pirlo (A.C. Milan/Italy)

1 - Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Inter/Sweden)

The Asian Player of the Year was voted with a different format. I had one vote to award and three players to choose from and voting for your own players is permitted. My vote in bold;

Tim Cahill (Everton/Australia)

Brett Emerton (Blackburn Rovers/Australia)

Park Ji-Sung (Manchester United/South Korea)

17 December 2007

We added to our 10 place jump of the month before by climbing another 4 spots in the latest rankings to finish the month 30th. But that leap was dwarfed by our fellow Asian competitors from the UAE, who moved up 22 spots to 87th. The biggest fall came from Europe, where Lithuania gave up eight spots to be 83rd.

TOP 3

(last months pos. in brackets)

1 - Brazil (1)

2 - Holland (2)

3 - Spain (4)

---------------

30 - Australia (34)

1 January 2009

It was award time for both FIFA and the FFA. The local ceremony held in Melbourne announced 2008's Best 11 as follows;

M. Schwarzer, L. Neill, C. Moore, M. Beauchamp, L. Wilkshire, V. Grella, M. Bresciano, M. Sterjovski, T. Cahill, H. Kewell, J. Aloisi.

Subs - B. Jones, N. Carle, D. Carney, J. Culina, S. McDonald, S. Stefanutto, J. Kennedy

In Europe, at the gala FIFA awards night. The big award of the night was the World Footballer of the Year. The top three were;

World Footballer of the Year

1- Frank Lampard (Chelsea/England)

2- Lionel Messi (Barcelona/Argentina)

3- Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal/Spain)

Finally in Qatar, Asia's night of nights crowned Socceroo Tim Cahill as Asia's top player of 2008, beating international teammate Brett Emerton and Korean Park Ji-Sung.

6 January 2009

TRANSFER

Jade North(RB, 27yo, 17 caps) had only spent a season in Korea but already he was on the move. He was however staying in the country, swapping Incheon United for Daegu FC with a transfer fee of $675k swapping between the clubs.

[Saxonaitor]

Wow I Am soo exited Being Australian Myself It's always good to heara Story About The Socceroos

Nikita Rukavytsya out? I don't agree!

Great Story

[archie#10]

Cheers for the support Sax, I'd imagine Ruka will play an important role in the future

8 January 2009

Our first Asian Cup Qualifier was on its way, a clash against Indonesia at Adelaide's Hindmarsh Stadium. I made four changes to the squad that easily accounted for Bahrain nearly two months ago.

IN-

-Mark Viduka - ST, 33yo, 43caps, 11 goals, Newcastle United (ENG)

-David Carney - AML/R, 25yo, 15 caps, 1 goal, Norwich City (ENG)

-Matthew Spiranovic - CB, 20yo, 4 caps, St. Pauli (GER)

-Mark Milligan - RB, 23yo, 6 caps, Shanghai Shenhua (CHN)

OUT-

-Bruce Djite - ST, 5 caps, Genclerbirligi (TUR)

-Dario Vidosic - AMR/C, uncapped, Nurnberg (GER)

-Archie Thompson - ST, 20 caps, 21 goals, Melbourne Victory (AUS)

-Jade North - RB, 17 caps, Daegu FC (KOR)

With no potential first teamers out through injury I had basically everyone to choose from. One change was straight forward. I told Archie Thompson that he was no longer a part of my plans and replaced him with Mark Viduka. At 33, this was the Duke's last chance to impress before I pushed on with a core group towards the World Cup. Also rejoining were Mark Milligan, David Carney and Matthew Spiranovic who had all revovered from the injuries that kept them out of the last game.

9 January 2009

TRANSFER

Youngster Ryan McGowan (CB, 19yo, uncapped), who had swapped Hearts for Sparta Prague in the summer, returned to the UK. A $475k fee was agreed as the promising defender joined Premier League club Bolton Wanderers on a two and a half year deal.

13 January

Rankings time and again we made another small step up the table, this time one spot to be 29th. It wasn't a month of big rises or falls. Montenegro's five place leap to 110th was the biggest climb. Cameroon's 4 place fall to 25th the biggest for the month.

TOP 3

(last months pos. in brackets)

1 - Brazil (1)

2 - Holland (2)

3 - Italy (4)

--------------

29 - Australia (30)

[Spav]

The Asian Player of the Year was voted with a different format. I had one vote to award and three players to choose from and voting for your own players is permitted. My vote in bold;

Tim Cahill (Everton/Australia)

Brett Emerton (Blackburn Rovers/Australia)

Park Ji-Sung (Manchester United/South Korea)

Finally in Qatar, Asia's night of nights crowned Socceroo Tim Cahill as Asia's top player of 2008, beating international teammate Brett Emerton and Korean Park Ji-Sung.

Wahey, you tipped the trifecta. I hope you had a few bucks on it.

[archie#10]

Spav, I didn't, but idea for FM10 maybe?

14 January 2009

ACQ vs Indonesia @ Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide. Crowd: 16480

GK- M. Schwarzer (7.0)

RB- L. Neill (7.3)

CB- M. Spiranovic (7.3)

CB- R. McGowan (7.2)

LB- L. Wilkshire (7.4)

CM- V. Grella (6.8) (S. Chipperfield 81')

CM- J. Culina (7.8)

AMR- M. Bresciano (7.9)

AMC- T. Cahill (7.5)

AML- H. Kewell (7.0) (D. Carney 85')

ST- S. McDonald (6.9) (J. Kennedy 78')

Unused Subs: A. Federici, M. Milligan, S. Stefanutto, B. Emerton

AUS 4 (D. Prasetyo 31'og, J. Culina 35', T. Cahill 45', L. Wilkshire 66'pen)

INA 1 (B. Sudarsono 52')

MOM: M. Bresciano (AUS) 7.9

A slow and sluggish opening saw the Indonesian's gain control until thei debutant goalkeeper Dian Agus Prasetyo bundled Mark Bresciano's cross into the back of the net. Four minutes later and Jason Culina made it 2-0, with neat finish from a Scott McDonald cut back. Just before the break Tim Cahill made it 3-0, recieving the ball with his back to goal, he turned quickly before placing the ball at the keepers near post. The visitors pulled one back seven minutes after the restart, Budi Sudarsono scoring a superb solo goal. Luke Wilkshire finished the scoring after Bresciano was brought down in the box. All in all a solid performance but I would prefer us to start more energetic next time round.

ASIAN CUP QUALIFIERS
OTHER GROUP B RESULTS
AUS 4:1 INA
KUW 3:1 OMA

AUS	1	+3	3
KUW	1	+2	3
OMA	1	-2	0
INA	1	-3	0

[archie#10]

17 January 2009

INJURY

Back up right back Mark Milligan has been ruled out for 6 weeks after rolling his ankle just 11 days out from our second Asian Cup Qualifier. Jade North will be called up for the squad I name in five days.

22 January 2009

Kuwait would be the visitors and I had the luxury of naming a near full strength line up. The changes from the Indonesia clash were;

IN

-Jade North - RB, 27yo, 17 caps, Daegu FC (KOR)

-Nikita Rukavytsya - ST, 21yo, 1 cap, FC Twente (NED)

OUT

-Mark Milligan - RB, 6 caps, Shanghai Shenhua (CHN)

-John Aloisi - ST, 55 caps, 28 goals, Sydney FC (AUS)

As expected, North came in for the injured Milligan, whilst the experienced John Aloisi had played for the Socceroos for the last time and was replaced by youngster Nikita Rukavytsya

28 January 2009

ACQ vs Kuwait @ ANZ Stadium, Sydney. Crowd: 75721

GK- M. Schwarzer (7.2)

RB- L. Neill (8.0)

CB- M. Spiranovic (8.0)

CB- R. McGowan (7.3)

LB- L. Wilkshire (8.1) (S. Stefanutto 73' (6.7)

CM- V. Grella (7.6)

CM- M. Bresciano (7.5)

AMR- B. Emerton (8.1)

AMC- T. Cahill (7.5)

AML- H. Kewell (6.8) (S. Chipperfield 61' (6.8)

ST- J. Kennedy (7.4) (S. McDonald 75' (6.6)

Unused Subs: A. Federici, J. North, J. Culina, D. Carney

AUS 4 (L. Wilkshire 14', J. Kennedy 28', M. Spiranovic 45+2', B. Emerton 89')

KUW 0

MOM: B. Emerton (AUS) 8.1

Luke Wilkshire made it two from two scoring a pearler of a free kick from 25 yards. Just before the half hour, Mark Bresciano's corner was nodded home by Josh Kennedy. Another corner was the reason for the third. Kennedy got his head on the end of an out-swinger by Bresciano and the rebound fell to centre back Matthew Spiranovic who calmly slotted his first goal for the country. With Wilkshire off the field, Brett Emerton stepped up to convert a free-kick from the edge of the area to end the game 4-0.

ASIAN CUP QUALIFIERS
OTHER GROUP B RESULTS
AUS 4:0 KUW
INA 0:0 OMA

AUS	2	+7	6
KUW	2	-2	3
OMA	2	-2	1
INA	2	-3	1

[archie#10]

1 February 2009

TRANSFER

Youngster Neil Kilkenny (CM, 23yo, 2 caps) moved up a division swapping League 1 Leeds United for Championship side Barnsley for $475k

5 February 2009

The biggest game in our World Cup Qualifying campaign was the next challenge. The crafty Japanese in Tokyo. There was two changes made and one player missing through injury.

IN

-Neil Kilkenny - CM, 23yo, 2 caps, Barnsley (ENG)

-Nathan Burns - ST, 20yo, 2 caps, AEK Athens (GRE)

OUT

-Nick Carle - AMC, 9 caps, Crystal Palace (ENG)

-Mark Viduka - ST, 43 caps, 11 goals, Newcastle United (ENG)

INJURED

-Mark Milligan, Shanghai Shenhua (CHN), sprained Ankle, 3-4 weeks

It is likely Mark Viduka has played his last game for the Socceroos and was replaced by the youthful AEK Athens striker Nathan Burns. Crystal Palace midfielder Nick Carle made way for Neil Kilkenny. Despite making good progress, Mark Milligan was still about a month away.

8 February 2009

INJURY

Celtic striker Scott McDonald was today ruled out of the Japan clash. In his place, Bruce Djite was given a chance to make his sixth appearance.

11 February 2009

WCQ vs Japan @ National Stadium, Tokyo. Crowd: 50333

Gk- M. Schwarzer (8.1)

RB- L. Neill (8.3)

CB- C. Moore (7.1) (M. Spiranovic 72' (7.1)

CB- R. McGowan (7.3)

LB- L. Wilkshire (7.4)

CM- V. Grella (8.0) (N. Rukavytsya 80')

CM- M. Bresciano (8.2)

AMR- B. Emerton (9.5)

AMC- T. Cahill (8.2)

AML- H. Kewell (8.0)

ST- J. Kennedy (7.9) (B. Djite 65' (8.2)

Unused Subs: A. Federici, J. North, S. Stefanutto, J. Culina, D. Carney, S. Chipperfield

JPN 2 (K. Ikeda 13', K. Nakada 74')

AUS 8 (L. Neill 11', B. Emerton 15' 51' 54', T. Cahill 32', J. Kennedy 34', B. Djite 79' 85')

MOM: B. Emerton (AUS) 9.5

Well, what a performance. Absolute domination from start to finish and a result no-one would have expected. Lucas Neill got the goals started after 11 minutes with a sublime finish on a tight angle. Japan hit straight back through Ikeda and a potentially tight match was in store. However another three first half goals had the game dead and buried at the break. In the second half Brett Emerton completed his hat-trick and late call-up Bruce Djite made the most of his reprieve banging in two late goals thanks to huge errors by the Japanese keeper. Now a win in our next WCQ against Uzbekistan in Perth could secure us a spot in the World Cup Finals with three games to play.

OTHER RESULTS
Group A				Group B
JAP 2:8 AUS			IRN 3:1 KOR
UZB 1:1 BAH			PRK 2:1 KSA

AUS	4	+15	12	KSA	4	+4	7
QAT	4	+1	7	IRN	4	+3	7
UZB	4	-1	5	KOR	4	-2	6
BAH	4	-4	4	UAE	4	-1	6	
JPN	4	-11	0	PRK	4	-4	3

[PluckaDuck]

Brilliant win for you and the boys!!! And good to see Bruce Djite doing well.

Just noticed, You picked Nathan Burns! It's a shame you and Pim Verbeek don't think alike.

[Saxonaitor]

Am Glad To See Nathan Burns and Nikita Back in the squad!

8-2!!!! Japan Got BBQ'ed

Wow

Little Question: Judgeing by your results would you say That Australia is a relativly easy job?

[PluckaDuck]

BBQ'ed, I like that

[archie#10]

Cheers Plucka it was a great win. In regards to the selection, and in particular up front, I've retired Viduka, Aloisi and Thompson so it's very much out with the old and in with the new.

Sax, I'd have to say it is pretty straight forward, the qualifiers are basically warm up games for the finals which we've just about qualified for already

18 February 2009

It was that 'special' time again when the world rankings are released and once again we made a small move up the table. A two place gain taking us to 27th. The biggest risers were our fellow Asian's Vietnam, who jumped 32 places to be 137th. The biggest fall belonged to the Syrians who were in 121st after a 19 place fall.

TOP 3

(Last month in brackets)

1 - Brazil (1)

2 - Holland (2)

3 - Argentina (4)

------------------------

27 - Australia (29)

28 February 2009

I was a special guest in Wellington, New Zealand as the Phoenix became the first kiwi side to play in an Australia league Grand Final. They needed a 77th minute strike from young All White Costa Barbarouses to defeat the unlucky Central Coast Mariners.

Hyundai A-League Grand Final

Westpac Stadium, Wellington, NZL

Wellington Phoenix 1 (C. Barbarouses 77')

Central Coast Mariners 0

19 March 2009

Another quiet month flew by and despite no playing a single game, we still picked up a position in the rankings to be 26th. Carribean nation St Vincent & the Grenadines got a rare headline in being the months biggest climbers. They finished 111th thanks to an eight place climb. The Iraqis suffered the greatest fall of the month, giving up 11 places to be 104th.

TOP 3

(Last month in brackets)

1 - Brazil (1)

2 - Holland (2)

3 - Argentina (3)

------------------------

26 - Australia (27)

26 March 2009

A potentially crucial World Cup qualifier against Uzbekistant in Perth was fast approaching and I named just one change to the squad.

IN

-Scott McDonald - ST, 25yo, 14 caps, 1 goals, Celtic (SCO)

OUT

-Nikita Rukavytsya - ST, 2 caps, FC Twente (HOL)

Our young Holland based striker Nikita Rukavytsya was tired and in need of a rest so would sit out this game with the more experienced Scott McDonald returning. A win in this game could be the clincher for a World Cup berth so cool heads would be needed.

[Saxonaitor]

Cmon Scotty (Personally I think he likes the cold better) seems to play better in it anyway

[archie#10]

Sax, Gordon Strachan wont be to happy with me bringing him all that way to use him how I do in this next match

1 April 2009

WCQ vs Uzbekistan @ Members Equity Stadium, Perth. Crowd: 18440

WIN TO SECURE QUALIFICATION

GK- M. Schwarzer (7.5)

RB- L. Neill (6.9)

CB- C. Moore (7.2) (J. North 80')

CB- R. McGowan (7.2)

LB- L. Wilkshire (7.1)

CM- V. Grella (7.0)

CM- M. Bresciano (8.2)

AMR- B. Emerton (7.5)

AMC- T. Cahill (7.5)

AML- H. Kewell (6.8) (J. Culina 73' (6.6)

ST- J. Kennedy (7.9) (B. Djite 73' (6.4)

Unused Subs: A. Federici, S. Stefanutto, M. Spiranovic, N. Burns, S. McDonald

AUS 3 (J. Kennedy 4', T. Cahill 36', M. Bresciano 72')

UZB 0

MOM: M. Bresciano (AUS) 8.2

A comfortable win as we become the first side to qualify for the 2010 World Cup other than host South Africa. We got off to flyer with big man Josh Kennedy who started ahead of Scott McDonald, heading home from a Brett Emerton cross after just four minutes. Tim Cahill scored once again with a fine volley from the edge of the area. Mark Bresciano sealed the win and therefore qualification to the World Cup with a long range curler with 18 minutes remaining.

OTHER RESULTS
Group A				Group B
JAP 3:1 BAH			IRN 2:0 KSA
UZB 4:1 QAT			PRK 1:3 UAE
AUS 3:0 UZB			KSA 3:0 UAE
BAH 1:0 QAT			KOR 1:2 PRK

AUS	5	+18	15	IRN	5	+5	10
UZB	6	-1	8	KSA	6	+5	10
------------------------------------------------------------
QAT	6	-3	7	UAE	6	-2	9
------------------------------------------------------------
BAH	6	-5	7	KOR	5	-3	6	
JPN	5	-9	3	PRK	6	-5	6

Australia qualify for WC

[Saxonaitor]

Well done Archie!

2010 here we come!!! That will be a challenge surely:D:D:D

Good Luck

[archie#10]

Thanks for the support there Sax, always appreciated

2 April 2009

With qualification for the World Cup finals secured we were now ready to slip into preparation mode, despite having three WCQ's and Asian Cup qual's remaining. I sent my assistant, former Australian star and most capped Socceroo of all time Alex Tobin, to arrange one or two friendlies against lower quality opposition, so I could test the depth of my talent pool. The fixtures arranged were;

-New Zealand @ North Harbour Stadium, Auckland. 5 Sep 2009

-Fiji @ National Sports Stadium, Suva. 9 Sep 2009

15 April 2009

Our post qualification rankings were announced and we saw a rise of five spots to 21. That was overshadowed by the massive 33 places Montenegro left behind to end the month in 68th. Slovenia dropped 17 spots down to 90th.

TOP 3

(Last month in brackets)

1 - Brazil (1)

2 - Holland (2)

3 - Spain (5)

---------------------

21 - Australia (26)

[Spav]

Well done, archie.

[archie#10]

Thanks a heap Spav

17 May 2009

It had been a quiet month until this day, were we got some good news and some bad news.

First the good news, without even lifting a finger over the course of a month, we still climbed another five spots, this time ending the month 16th. African minnows Niger had the biggest climb, their rise 15 places taking them to 89th. Just below them was Norway, who dropped 28 places over the month.

TOP 3

(last month in brackets)

1 - Holland (2)

2 - Brazil (1)

3 - Argentina (4)

-----------------------

16 - Australia (21)

Now for the days bad news;

INJURY

Tim Cahill was today ruled out for 3-4 months after suffering a calf injury. Whilst there was no vital games in the immediate future, he was key to our success and an important cog in our machine. The injury would see disruption to a core team that I was trying to bring stability to. Nick Carle and Nathan Burns would be the two I turn to.

22 May 2009

INJURY

Yet another injury to our squad, this one not so damaging. Derby County winger Mile Sterjovski would miss the next 5-6 weeks with a knee injury.

[CAFCIan75]

A great read Archie, I will be interested to see how your mighty Oz team fair against some of the bigger nations at the World Cup Finals.

[archie#10]

Cheers Ian, hope you stick around to find out mate

31 May 2009

With us already qualified it was important to not take the foot off the pedal in these competitive games and use them to hone our tactics and get a stable first 11 to gel. With that in mind, the only two changes were forced on me through injury;

IN

-Joel Griffiths - AMR/ST, 29yo, 3 caps, 1 goal, Beijing Guo'an (CHN)

-Nick Carle - AMC, 27yo, 9 caps, Crystal Palace (ENG)

OUT

-Tim Cahill - AMC, 34 caps, 21 goals, Everton (ENG)

-Mile Sterjovski - AMR, 41 caps, 7 goals, Derby County (ENG)

INJURIES

-Mile Sterjovski, Derby County (ENG), knee, 4-5 weeks

-Tim Cahill, Everton (ENG), calf, 3 months

Both changes were positionally straight swaps, but quality wise they were light years apart. Carle would be given the chance to impress from the start. Griffiths would be lucky to make the bench.

6 June 2009

WCQ vs Qatar @ Khalifa International Stadium, Doha. Crowd: 49992

GK- M. Schwarzer (6.8)

RB- L. Neill (7.0)

CB- M. Spiranovic (6.8)

CB- R. McGowan (6.8)

LB- L. Wilkshire (7.0)

CM- V. Grella (6.6) (N. Kilkenny 77')

CM- M. Bresciano (7.5)

AMR- B. Emerton (7.7)

AMC- N. Carle (7.4)

AML- D. Carney (7.1) (S. Chipperfield 79')

ST- J. Kennedy (6.8) (S. McDonald 59' (5.8)

Unused Subs: A. Federici, J. North, S. Stefanutto, M. Beauchamp, N. Burns, B. Djite

QAT 1 (T. Ali 6')

AUS 2 (N. Carle 24', M. Bresciano 65')

MOM: B. Emerton (AUS) 7.7

The match was played in sweltering conditions and the pitch was poor but I let the boys know they weren't excuses for professional footballers. The Qatari's took the lead early through Talal Ali after the defense fell asleep at a corner. Ring-in Nick Carle was in the right place at the right time to tap in the rebound from David Carney's attempt after 24 minutes. Just after the hour Mark Bresciano secured the three points with a beautiful curling effort from 25 yards, but in truth the Qatari's were unlucky to walk away empty handed.

OTHER RESULTS
Group A				Group B
QAT 1:2 AUS			PRK 1:3 IRN
UZB 1:1 JAP			UAE 2:1 KOR

AUS	6	+19	18	IRN	6	+7	13
UZB	7	-1	9	UAE	7	-1	12
--------------------------------------------------------------------
QAT	7	-4	7	KSA	6	+5	10
--------------------------------------------------------------------
BAH	6	-5	7	KOR	6	-4	6	
JPN	6	-9	4	PRK	7	-7	6
AUS have qualified

[PluckaDuck]

You didn't play Bruce or Nathan, I can see why you struggled to win now:D

[archie#10]

I'm getting the results and still I cop flak over my selection policy. Geez this is a tough gig

10 June 2009

We were forced to bend our backs again four days later, this time in Sydney against Bahrain, who still had a sniff of qualification.

WCQ vs Bahrain @ ANZ Stadium, Sydney. Crowd: 78208

GK- M. Schwarzer (7.0)

RB- L. Neill (7.7)

CB- M. Spiranovic (7.1)

CB- R. McGowan (7.1)

LB- L. Wilkshire (7.3)

CM- V. Grella (7.0)

CM- N. Kilkenny (6.8) (J. Culina 71' (7.4)

AMR- B. Emerton (6.8) (N. Burns 62' (6.8)

AMC- M. Bresciano (6.8) (J. Griffiths 82')

AML- H. Kewell (7.9)

ST- J. Kennedy (7.6)

Unused Subs: A. Federici, J. North, S. Stefanutto, M. Beauchamp, S. Chipperfield, B. Djite

AUS 3 (H. Kewell 36'pen, J. Kennedy 54', J. Culina 90+1')

BAH 0

MOM: H. Kewell (AUS) 7.9

After big Josh Kennedy was bought down in the box it was Harry Kewell who calmly stepped up, took the responibility and converted. We were never threatened from there. Nine minutes after the break, Kennedy got himself on the score sheet, heading in from Wilkshire's cross. In injury time substitute Jason Culina cracked one home from the edge of the area to put the icing on the cake.

Elsewhere in something of a surprise, it was the United Arab Emirates who were the first qualifiers from group B and in doing so they joined us as Asia's two qualifiers so far.

OTHER RESULTS
Group A				Group B
AUS 3:0 BAH			IRN 1:2 UAE
JAP 3:2 QAT			KOR 2:0 KSA

AUS	7	+22	21	UAE	8	0	15
UZB	7	-1	9	IRN	7	+6	13
-----------------------------------------------------------
QAT	8	-5	7	KSA	7	+3	10
-----------------------------------------------------------
JPN	7	-8	7	KOR	7	-2	9	
BAH	7	-8	7	PRK	7	-7	6

AUS QUALIFIED			UAE QUALIFIED

[archie#10]

17 June 2009

Now it was time for our final qualifier. At home in front of nearly 80,000, it would be a celebration of all that we'd achieved. We also had a fantastic opportunity to end our fierce rival Japan's qualification dreams. After thumping them 8-2 on their own patch, the crowd were expecting something similar here.

WCQ vs Japan @ ANZ Stadium, Sydney. Crowd: 78884

GK- M. Schwarzer (7.0)

RB- L. Neill (7.2)

CB- M. Spiranovic (6.9) (J. North 77')

CB- R. McGowan (7.1)

LB- L. Wilkshire (7.6)

CM- V. Grella (7.2)

CM- J. Culina (7.6)

AMR- B. Emerton (7.8)

AMC- M. Bresciano (7.5)

AML- H. Kewell (6.8) (S. Chipperfield 72' (6.6)

ST- J. Kennedy (6.9) (B. Djite 59' (6.2)

Unused Subs: A. Federici, S. Stefanutto, M. Beauchamp, N. Kilkenny, N. Burns, S. McDonald

AUS 3 (M. Bresciano 3', B. Emerton 18', J. Culina 45')

JAP 1 (H. Takabayashi 78')

MOM: B. Emerton (AUS) 7.8

We got off to a great start, with Mark Bresciano scoring what is fast becoming a trademark long range curling effort after just three minutes. It was very much right place right time for Brett Emerton as Jason Culina's shot cannoned off the post and straight inton his path. Culina did get on the score sheet though, after calmly converting past Japan's keeper after going one on one thanks to a defensive lapse. Japan did pull one back through there best player on the night, but the party was well under way and I don't even think the fans noticed.

FINAL WCQ POSITIONS

 GROUP A
| Pos   | Inf   | Team       |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   | Q     | Australia  |       | 8     | 8     | 0     | 0     | 29    | 5     | +24   | 24    | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   | Q     | Bahrain    |       | 8     | 3     | 1     | 4     | 8     | 14    | -6    | 10    | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   | Pl    | Uzbekistan |       | 8     | 2     | 3     | 3     | 8     | 11    | -3    | 9     | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Qatar      |       | 8     | 2     | 1     | 5     | 11    | 16    | -5    | 7     | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   |       | Japan      |       | 8     | 2     | 1     | 5     | 13    | 23    | -10   | 7     | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
|       |       |            |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

GROUP B
| Pos   | Inf   | Team         |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   | Q     | U.A.E.       |       | 8     | 5     | 0     | 3     | 11    | 11    | 0     | 15    | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   | Q     | Iran         |       | 8     | 4     | 2     | 2     | 12    | 6     | +6    | 14    | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   | Pl    | Saudi Arabia |       | 8     | 4     | 1     | 3     | 12    | 6     | +6    | 13    | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | South Korea  |       | 8     | 3     | 1     | 4     | 9     | 11    | -2    | 10    | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   |       | North Korea  |       | 8     | 2     | 0     | 6     | 6     | 16    | -10   | 6     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
|       |       |              |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

The region was shocked that two of it's hevyweights had missed out on qualification. In Japan and South Korea, you had two of the most technically gifted nations in Asia. Uzbekistan and Saudi Arabia would play a two-legged play off with the winner going on to play another two-legged play off against Oceania's champion for a spot in the World Cup.

[archie#10]

15 July 2009

Our post World Cup qualification campaign ranking were announced. We rose another three spots to finish the month in 13th. The big risers this month were Oceania minnows Tahiti, who jumped 37 places to be 150th. African's Algeria dropped 35 spots to 113.

TOP 3

(Last Month in Brackets)

1 - Spain (4)

2 - Argentina (3)

3 - Brazil (2)

-----------------

13 - Australia (16)

25 July 2009

TRANSFER

My first choice centre-back Matthew Spiranovic (CB, 21 yo, 10 caps, 1 goal) made his second move in a year. He left behind second division Germany side St. Pauli to move to recently relegated Wigan Athletic for $3.5m.

29 July 2009

TRANSFER

A second young defender made a move in the space of a week. Mark Milligan (RB, 24yo, 7 caps) moved from Chinese Super League side Shanghai Shenhua to their rivals Changchun Yatai for $1.1m

[archie#10]

12 August 2009

Once again we enjoyed a rise in the rankings without playing a match. This one was a historic as it was the first time we'd been in the top 10. Elsewhere El Salvador's rise of a massive 44 places to 107th was the biggest of the month. The 12 places given up by Trinidad & Tobago represented the biggest fall.

TOP 3

(Last month in brackets)

1 - Argentina (2)

2 - Spain (1)

3 - Brazil (3)

-----------------------

10 - Australia (13)

18 August 2009

INJURY

Young defender Matthew Spiranovic was today ruled out for 2 months after suffering a hip injury training with club side Wigan Athletic. With our next two matches uing squads made up of predominantly fringe players, his loss wont be felt to heavily.

21 August 2009

TRANSFER

Left Back Luke Wilkshire swapped Russian outfit Dinamo Moscow for English side Middlesborough for a transfer fee of $5.5m. Wilkshire was at Boro early in his career.

[Saxonaitor]

Wow 10th

I Dream a lot to!!

Good Job Wonder what the World Cup Groups will be like

[archie#10]

Hey Sax, I was thrilled to hit the top ten, and really hoping to rush through the friendlies and Asian Cup Quals to play the WC. I've got confidence in the team

30 August 2009

With a mini-tour of Oceania beginning on September 5, it was time for me to announce the squad. This team would be understrength and inexperienced on the international stage, but woul be given a great chance to impress.

| Pkd    | Inf    | Name              | Club                   | Team   | Caps   | Goals  | Yth Apps | Yth Gls| Value  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| GK     |        | Adam Federici     | Reading                | Main   | -      | -      | 5        | -      | $5.25M | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      |        | Brad Jones        | Middlesbrough          | Main   | 2      | -      | -        | -      | $500K  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S1     |        | Danny Vukovic     | Central Coast Mariners | Main   | -      | -      | 15       | -      | $1.7M  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S2     | Wnt    | Jade North        | Daegu                  | Main   | 19     | -      | 6        | -      | $800K  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DR     |        | Mark Milligan     | Changchun              | Main   | 6      | -      | 22       | 5      | $1.1M  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S3     |        | Adrian Leijer     | Fulham                 | Main   | 1      | -      | 20       | 1      | $2.1M  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DC     | Wnt    | Patrick Kisnorbo  | Leicester              | Main   | 14     | -      | -        | -      | $1.5M  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S4     |        | Jonathan McKain   | Wellington Phoenix     | Main   | 13     | -      | 9        | -      | $2.2M  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      |        | Alex Wilkinson    | Central Coast Mariners | Main   | -      | -      | -        | -      | $2.6M  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DL     |        | Shane Stefanutto  | Siena                  | Main   | 3      | -      | -        | -      | $4.3M  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DC     | Wnt    | Ryan McGowan      | Bolton                 | Main   | 7      | -      | 2        | -      | $1.9M  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S5     |        | Leigh Broxham     | Melbourne Victory      | Main   | 1      | -      | 12       | -      | $875K  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| MC     | Wnt    | Carl Valeri       | Grosseto               | Main   | 10     | -      | -        | -      | $2M    | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      | Wnt    | Neil Kilkenny     | Barnsley               | Main   | 4      | -      | 4        | -      | $475K  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S7     |        | Travis Dodd       | Adelaide United        | Main   | 2      | 1      | -        | -      | $2.2M  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      | Wnt    | Massimo Murdocca  | Grosseto               | Main   | -      | -      | 2        | -      | $230K  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S6     | Wnt    | Dario Vidosic     | Nürnberg               | Main   | -      | -      | 17       | 3      | $150K  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      |        | Nathan Burns      | AEK                    | Main   | 3      | -      | 17       | 5      | $1.7M  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| AMR    |        | Joel Griffiths    | Beijing                | Main   | 4      | 1      | 5        | 1      | $1.3M  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| MC     | Wnt    | James Troisi      | OFI                    | Main   | 3      | -      | 12       | 4      | $250K  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| AML    | Wnt    | Ryan Griffiths    | Beijing                | Main   | 5      | -      | -        | -      | $475K  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| AMC    | Wnt    | James Holland     | AZ                     | Main   | 1      | -      | 9        | 3      | $400K  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S8     |        | Nikita Rukavytsya | FC Twente              | Main   | 2      | -      | 19       | 2      | $2.5M  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      | Wnt    | David Williams    | Brøndby                | Main   | 1      | -      | 16       | 5      | $475K  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| ST     |        | Bruce Djite       | Gençlerbirligi         | Main   | 8      | 2      | 15       | 2      | $8M    | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S9     |        | Matt Simon        | Central Coast Mariners | Main   | -      | -      | -        | -      | $240K  | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
|        |        |                   |                        |        |        |        |          |        |        | 
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

The 26 man squad had recieved just 109 caps all up at an average of about 4 each. The most experienced player in the squad was Jade North with 19 caps. There was six players named without a senior cap. On the goalsoring front Bruce Djite's two goals made him the squads highest scorer, with Travis Dodd and Joel Griffiths having a goal a piece.

TOUR SCHEDULE

5 Sep - New Zealand vs Australia @ North Harbour Stadium, Auckland.

9 Sep - Fiji vs Australia @ National Sports Stadium, Suva

[gavrenwick]

Excellent pal. Hope my Cook Islands can emulate your success

[Manxie_Ash]

Here's hoping the Griffiths brothers give you the same effort that they have for me Beijing team KUTGW

[archie#10]

Thanks for the support mate. Your doing a great job with the Cook Islands. I'm keeping a close eye on it.

Same goes to you Manxie, I'm enjoying your Beijing story. I hope the Griffiths boys do well too, but in irl I am not a Joel Griffiths fan at all

5 September 2009

We were taking on our eastern neighbours for the first time since our move into Asia. Goalkeeper Adam Federici was making his debut with three others on the bench a chance to join him.

Friendly vs New Zealand @ North Harbour Stadium, Auckland. Crowd: 17462

GK- A. Federici (6.8)

RB- M. Milligan (7.3)

CB- P. Kisnorbo (7.0) (J. North 83')

CB- R. McGowan (6.3) (J. McKain 62' (6.8)

LB- S. Stefanutto (7.5)

CM- C. Valeri (6.8) (L. Broxham 62' (6.8)

CM- N. Kilkenny (6.8)

AMR- J. Griffiths (7.8)

AMC- N. Burns (6.9) (D. Vidosic 73' (7.3)

AML- R. Griffiths (6.8)

ST- B. Djite (6.5) (M. Simon HT (6.5) (N. Rukavytsya 67' (6.3)

Unused Subs: D. Vukovic, A. Leijer, J. Holland

NZL 0

AUS 2 (J. Griffiths 27', D. Vidosic 79')

MOM: J. Griffiths (AUS) 7.8

We got off to a poor start but eventually settled in to the game. It took 27 minutes for us to make the break through, with Joel Griffiths scoring his second goal in the green and gold. Cutting in from the right flank he cruised past a defender and smashed the ball home from a tight angle. We didn't score again until 11 minutes from time. Dario Vidosic scoring on debut after coming on for the struggling Nathan Burns just six minutes earlier.

INJURIES

The injury that forced Bruce Djite off at halftime should be recorved in time for the Fiji clash in four days time. However the man that replaced him, Matt Simon, would miss 5 weeks with a twisted ankle. He would be replaced by his club teammate at Central Coast, Nik Mrdja (ST, 30yo, 1 cap).

Also on the injury front despite not playing or even being in the matchday squad, defender Jon McKain was ruled out for three weeks. His thigh strain meant a call up to another Central Coast Mariner, this time centre back Nigel Boogaard (CB, 23yo, uncapped)

[archie#10]

9 September 2009

Time for our second and final friendly of our pre-season tour against Fiji. A game we should win comfortably, however our makeshift squad was struggling to gel.

9 Sep 2009

Friendly vs Fiji @ National Sports Stadium, Suva. Crowd: 24959

GK- D. Vukovic (6.9)

RB- J. North (7.4) (M. Milligan 72' (6.8)

CB- A. Wilkinson (7.2)

CB- R. McGowan (5.9)

LB- S. Stefanutto (7.7) (A. Leijer 62' (6.6)

CM- L. Broxham (7.0)

CM- N. Kilkenny (6.2) (J. Holland 38' (8.6)

AMR- J. Griffiths (6.8) ( M. Murdocca 62' (6.7)

AMC- D. Vidosic (7.0)

AML- J. Troisi (6.8) (R. Griffiths 72' (6.7)

ST- D. Williams (7.9) (N. Rukavytsya 72' (6.4)

Unused Subs: A. Federici, N. Boogaard, N. Mrdja

FIJ 0

AUS 3 (D. Williams 28', J. Holland 45+1' 51')

MOM: J. Holland (AUS) 8.6

It was just a pass for the boys in this game. David Williams goal was probably the best I'd seen in my time as Australian manager. His 30 yarder was curling the whole way and had even the most hardcore Fijian fan applauding. James Holland came off the bench after just 38 minutes to replace the injured Neil Kilkenny, and just before the break stepped through a massive hole in the Fijian back four and calmly slotted our second. Six minutes after half time, Holland scored his second and our third, capitalising on a well placed Danny Vukovic clearance.

[sydfc4ever]

been hoping someone would do an Australian story, keep it up mate. I'm noticing a lack of Sydney FC players in your squad then again, I can't blame you!