Australia to be first to Qualify for the World Cup?

[ripper868]

TBH Qualifying in 06 felt a ****load better than this...probably something to do with dumping Uruguay and their "divine right" out of the cup...this qualification, while awesome and still not yet complete, feels a little hollow for mine.

 

[luffy]

Because it's not history in the making.

 

[ripper868]

I think more to do with who we've had to beat to qualify...i mean qatar, bahrain and uzbeks...

sure before we had golden passage to the playoff with a south american team, but it just felt that we earned 2006 more than this time around playing frankly **** opposition, bar japan.

Don't get me wrong, I'm stoked were a pubic hair away from qualifying but yeah, it just doesn't have the same feel this time around like it did when Stadium Australia was packed for that match vs URgay.

57,000 is a solid crowd but when it's the match that basically means Aus is through to the biggest stage of soccer (yes soccer, this is Australia), I would have expected nothing less than sell-out.

 

[Trumpers_Ghost]

Do or die, one chance only will really get the heart rate going. Adrenalin overload, for me more so than the games in the finals.

This time we've never been troubled, very casual the whole way. I get totally what you mean, but I think as much as the excitement was good, I appreciate the relaxed way this time.

 

[Trumpers_Ghost]

57,000 is a solid crowd but when it's the match that basically means Aus is through to the biggest stage of soccer (yes soccer, this is Australia), I would have expected nothing less than sell-out.

Yeah reasonable crowd for Sydney. Would defenitely have sold out the MCG though. Melburnians just simply like sport more than the Steak and Kidneys.

 

[luffy]

Hey, i'd rather we get in easily than miss out by just a whisker because all the games have been tight, etc, etc.

 

[Ausage]

Nah I think it's because there wasn't a "moment". Uruguay was a massively tense, winner takes all 90 (120) minutes. It was at home, and the entire country knew this was the biggest match (across any sport?) in our history. It had the tension that knowing a Uruguay goal at any point in the game would be sudden death and the continuation of our curse. And then the unbridled joy of "that moment" when Aloisi tucked away the penalty. Combine that with our history, and you have an emotional high that I don't think we'll feel again for a very long time (short of actually making the final or something insane like that).

This has been a situation where we've been expected to go through. The really important games have been away from home (Uzbekistan away, and Bahrain away were very important results). The joy of qualification has been spread evenly over the last 6 months, rather than condensed into 120 minutes.

 

[ripper868]

^that.

 

[social]

I think more to do with who we've had to beat to qualify...i mean qatar, bahrain and uzbeks...

sure before we had golden passage to the playoff with a south american team, but it just felt that we earned 2006 more than this time around playing frankly **** opposition, bar japan.

Don't get me wrong, I'm stoked were a pubic hair away from qualifying but yeah, it just doesn't have the same feel this time around like it did when Stadium Australia was packed for that match vs URgay.

57,000 is a solid crowd but when it's the match that basically means Aus is through to the biggest stage of soccer (yes soccer, this is Australia), I would have expected nothing less than sell-out.

Check out some of the European groups - no doubt Oz would've qualified in the top 2 from a number of them

Anyway, personally I dont care whether we beat 4 kindergarten sides to make it just so long as we did

 

[BoyBrumby]

TBH Qualifying in 06 felt a ****load better than this...probably something to do with dumping Uruguay and their "divine right" out of the cup...this qualification, while awesome and still not yet complete, feels a little hollow for mine.

Boo-****ing-hoo.

"It's so unfair. I can't fit all my money in my wallet, there's not enough space on my walls for my Picassos and my gold bullion is really heavy"

Yeah, tragic stuff for you blokes.

 

[Son Of Coco]

No we get nations steeped in sporting history, said sports mainly being civil war and donkey throwing.

 

[Redbacks]

We were fortunate to get the **** group. If one of Iran, Saudi, North and South Korea been put in our group then a decent 3 way race would have taken place.

If we are safe, watch out for an A-leauge based squad losing 4-0 to Japan in the last round

 

[Burgey]

Boo-****ing-hoo.

"It's so unfair. I can't fit all my money in my wallet, there's not enough space on my walls for my Picassos and my gold bullion is really heavy"

Yeah, tragic stuff for you blokes.

What's up mate? Nervous?

 

[Ausage]

We were fortunate to get the **** group. If one of Iran, Saudi, North and South Korea been put in our group then a decent 3 way race would have taken place.

AWTA. I knew we had the easier group, but I didn't think the difference would be so dramatic. I had always heard good things about the Uzbeks, and I don't think anyone saw North Korea doing as well as they have. As it turned out we got 3 of the 4 weakest teams in the final 10 imo.

Reckon we would have qualified anyway though

 

[luffy]

But basically, every team in Asia is good. Some better than others, but all the teams are tough when at home. As has been shown in the Asian Cup qualifiers, but that may be because we have fielded a **** team for most of those matches.

 

[BoyBrumby]

What's up mate? Nervous?

As an English sports fan: permanently.

But, to be fair to our motley crew of overrated, overpaid, overhyped prima donnas, Don Fabio (the knighthood surely awaits soon) has got them playing like something resembling a team just now.

 

[chaminda_00]

The thing with Asia is the depth isn't great yet. Like Luffy said all the side are decent in say the top 30. But only about five will really test you. We might have got the easy group, but really the way the Saudis and Iran are playing and North Korea's lack of goals. There no reason why the Ubeks can't be the side playing Kiwis. If North Korea drop off and Suadis and Iran keep playing crap. South Korea might win their group easier then us or Japan.

 

[vic_orthdox]

I don't think either of the pubs in the town I'm in will be showing it.

Probably have to listen to Radio!

Which town are you in?

 

[ripper868]

Boo-****ing-hoo.

"It's so unfair. I can't fit all my money in my wallet, there's not enough space on my walls for my Picassos and my gold bullion is really heavy"

Yeah, tragic stuff for you blokes.

Played.

Gunning for NZ to get through, would be sweet.

 

[Trumpers_Ghost]

Which town are you in?

Creswick