A generation ago Iceland put resources into a new program to nurture the youth and with a population of only 350,000 they are now reaping the rewards and punching well above their weight. Unfortunately, in Australia soccer is third fiddle behind the domestic codes and unless the FFA and the federal government pull their finger out then we will always be a minnow. This World Cup was a massive opportunity lost to put the game on the map here. A more respectable campaign could have sparked a bit of interest from the casual every four year fan in the A League this summer. Instead it’s another failure and everyone is patting the team on the back because they had no expectations. We outplayed France for a half and we completely bitched Denmark and we come away with nothing more than a single point to show for it. There is nothing to be proud of, that was a failure.
The change in manager less than 12 months out didn’t help but Bert probably played the team to its strengths where as Ange was trying to mound the team into a way he probably didn’t have the pieces for. The appointment of Arnold only signals it’s still a Sydney boys club at the end of the day so I’m not holding my breath for change in the next 4 years.
