Johnny_Sack
Years ago
Congrats to NZ on making the biggest single sporting event on the planet...
Wouldn't it be great if we found ourselves in the same group come next year...
billo
Years ago
NOt sure how to feel about this, obviously it's good when your little brother does well, but it sort of cheapens our qualification effort if they can just waltz along and get in. Would be nice to get them in the group, surely an easy win, but there's always the risk it turns into a derby and the odds go back to 50/50.
Johnny_Sack
Years ago
Billo - by cheapening - i assume you mean when we got to Germany by scraping through against Uruguay???
Bahrain and Uruguay don't really compare if that's what you mean... Fact is the last time we had a do or die game against the best "loser" from Asia ('97 Iran) - we only lost through poor coaching (the Terry Venables disaster - up 2-0 after 50 mins in the second game - and the rest is history...)...
Beating Uruguay was a genuine miracle, by any measuring stick...
LC
Years ago
Good effort, and Aussies beat Oman overnight to all but assure qualification for the Asian Cup.
billo
Years ago
Johnny, by cheapening I mean we struggled through 3 do or die qualifiers, once to Iran where the serial pest played his role and once to Uruguay before we finally reversed roles. It took us three campaigns and 8 years of heart break to make the big show while our Johnny come lately brothers from the south just waltz on in on their first attempt.
On a side note when Terry Veneables was England's assistant coach behind Steve McClaren they were easily the 2 biggest used car salesmen to lead a nation in the history of world football.
Johnny_Sack
Years ago
That's what i thought you meant Billo. Oh well - that's history now. As traumatic as those two campaigns were for us - i think they did open up a lot of "Sheilas, Wogs and P##fterrs" types' eyes to what a great game football is... Also made it all the sweeter when the Australian Football team finally made it.
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