Socceroos Name New Head Coach
August 12, 2010
After a period of Dutch influence the Football Federation Australia has selected a German coach to take over the role. Pim Verbeek had stepped aside after the 2010 World Cup.
Holger Osieck was named as coach on 11 August, just ahead of the friendly against Slovenia. His main claim to fame is that he was assistant coach to the German side when they won the 1990 World Cup. He also has coaching experience in Asia after having coached the Urawa Red Diamonds in Japan. Three years ago he led them to victory in the Asian Champions League.
A key factor in the selection of Osieck was his ability to work with youth players and take them through the system to reach full international level.
It will be interesting to see what style he imposes on the Socceroos. With Verbeek most fans thought his team played unattractive football.
If you want to keep up with news about the Socceroos on your mobile visit socceroos.mobi
Best World Cup Goals or Skills
July 18, 2010
The World Cup may be over for another four years but it is still good to look back at some of the best goals or skills shown from the 2010 World Cup and also years gone by.
To start with I was just watching a couple of videos on youtube that showcase some great skills from the 2002 World Cup finals. The list you will see in the video are below.
10 Larsson – Sweden vs. Senegal
9 Denilson – Brazil vs. Germany
8 Diouf – Sewden vs. Senegal
7 Sas – Brazil vs. Turkey
6 Ronaldinho – Brazil vs. China
5 Gomez – Costa Rica vs. Brazil
4 Blanco – Mexico vs. Italy
3 Figo – Portugal vs. USA
2 Mansiz – Brazil vs. Turkey
1 Svensson – Sweden vs. Senegal
Also from past World Cups there was a video that shows the top ten goals from the 2006 Germany World Cup finals. There are some awesome goals in this video.
My favourite was the Frings goal which was goal B. I loved the wicked amount of movement on the ball.
What is your favourite goal from the 2006 World Cup?
Below are some of the best goals from the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa. We did not see as many long range goals at the 2010 finals as we did at the 2006 finals.
What happened while I was away
July 16, 2010
I have just returned from a ten night cruise on the Pacific Jewel. While onboard I had limited internet access so was not able to post to this blog. Since my return I have been catching up with what has happened in the world of sport.
The big news was of course Spain winning the World Cup soccer, or was it LeBron James deciding to leave the Cavs and signup with the Miami Heat?
Spain defeated the Netherlands 1-0 in extra-time. I managed to watch some of the match on the ship and was glad to see Spain win. The Netherlands came so close to scoring when a shot by Arjen Robben was just deflected wide by the boot of the Spanish keeper Iker Casillas. As the teams battled it out in extra-time it was Andres Iniesta’s 116th-minute strike that saw Spain get the one goal that gave them the World Cup victory.
The big news in the NBA was of course the LeBron James decision to join Miami Heat and create the dream team of himself, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. He said the reason was that he wants to win championships. You can see the reasons why for yourself in the video below.
Mark Webber winning the Brittish Formula One grand prix was another big item. Webber was a bit annoyed with his team after they gave exclusive use of an updated front wing to Sebastian Vettel. Vettel took pole ahead of Webber however the Australian got the jump on his teammate at the start of the race and was never headed. The win moved Webber to third on the driver’s championship.
“I’ve always loved Silverstone,” said Mark. “I won at the track in Formula Ford, Formula 3000 and in Sportscars and to win there in F1 is the icing on the cake. The British Grand Prix is one of the most prestigious races on the calendar; every driver wants to win it and I’ve now got the trophy sitting on my mantelpiece.”
Another big event taking place right now is le Tour de France. I saw that Australia’s Cadel Evans had taken the leader’s yellow jersey only to see him drop off the pace in a later stage. It was revealed later that he had broken a bone in his elbow after a fall. Following stage 11 Evans was in 18th position 7 minutes 47 seconds behind race leader Andy Schleck.
The big news out of stage 11 was the disqualification of Mark Renshaw for headbutting Kiwi Julian Dean during a sprint finish.
Germany Demolish Argentina
July 3, 2010
When the Socceroos lost 4-0 against Germany in the group stage at the 2010 FIFA World Cup not many would have thought we would again see that scoreline against the likes of Argentina. Well it has happened again as Germany thumped Diego Maradona’s Argentina.
The German’s have now racked up four goals in three of their matches after also getting four against England in the round 2 clash when they won 4-1.
Germany scored early with a glancing header off the head of Thomas Mueller. The goal saw Germany up 1-0 after just three minutes.
Argentina had a few shot on goal in the first half but the German’s were smothering in defence. Messi did not have the space to make a difference in the match.
In the second half it was all Germany. In the 68th minute Lukas Podolski made a break down the left and sent the ball across to Miroslav Klose who just had to tap the ball in for his 13th World Cup goal.
Now Argentina had to push forward to try to come back from 2-0 down. This left the back open for Germany to exploit.
Bastian Schweinhgsteiger was able to tip-toe his way through the Argentina defence before cutting the ball back for Arne Friedrich to score with another simple tap in.
At this stage Argentina were gone and it was a matter of how many would Germany score. The answer was four as Klose again scored when he volleyed an Ozil cross. This goal gave him 14 for his World Cup career and sees him just one behind Ronaldo for the overall most World Cup goals scored. He is jointly second with Gerd Muller.
So there you have it the young Germany team has trampled over another opponent at the World Cup and now find themselves in the semi-finals at the World Cup football where they will face the winner of the Spain – Paraguay match.
Cruel Blow for Ghana as they Bow Out of the FIFA World Cup
July 3, 2010
Ghana should have been the first African team to have reached the semifinal stage of the FIFA World Cup however an intentional handball followed by a missed penalty in the dying seconds of extra-time denied them a win. They then lost the match after going down 4-2 to Uruguay in a penalty shoot-out.
An intentional hand ball saw Uruguay’s Luis Suarez sent off as he cleared the ball from the line seconds after legally blocking a goal bound shot. As he left the field in tears his mood quickly changed to one of joy as he turned to see Ghana’s Asamoah Gyan send his penalty shot crashing against the crossbar and into the crowd.
The penalty would have seen Ghana advance 2-1 after both teams were locked at 1-1 and the end of regulation time and extra-time.
Ghana had opened the scoring when Sulley Muntari blasted a long range left-foot shot that moved wickedly away from the keeper. In time added-on at the end of the first half Muntari connected with the ball from 35-metres out.
At the 55-minute mark Diego Forlan beautifully struck a free-kick from the left side of the field and beat Ghana’s keeper Richard Kingson.
As time wound down in extra-time Ghana pushed for the win and had a few shots saved that were on target.
Right at the end we saw the handball. Unlike Harry Kewell’s in the match between Australia and Ghana it clearly was an intentional act. In Rugby League or Rugby Union an act like that would result in a penalty try. Perhaps FIFA should think about the same. The goal should have been awarded without the need for a penalty.
Unfortunately for Ghana it does not work that way and they are a heartbroken nation after seeing their football teams run end at the World Cup.
Dutch Stun Brazil to Advance to World Cup Semis
July 2, 2010
The Netherlands have come from a goal behind to stun the Brazilians at the FIFA 2010 World Cup. Robinho had given Brazil the early lead when he broke clear to shoot past the Dutch goalkeeper after just 10 minutes.
Brazil had earlier had a goal disallowed after an offside call.
After the early goal Brazil continued to trouble the Dutch with wave after wave of attack however the Dutch managed to hold firm.
In the second half a long searching cross from the left by Wesley Sneijder was headed into the Dutch goal by Brazilian Felipe Melo. He and keeper Julio Cesar both went for the ball when the Dutch where not even close to having a play on the ball. The Brazilians were shocked.
Worse was to come for Brazil. A corner was taken by Anjen Robben which Dirk Kuyt met with a header, his flick then found an unmarked Wesley Sneijder who sent the ball off his head into the Brazilian goal.
What had gone wrong? Brazil had been so dominant in the first half, now they found themselves 2-1 down in the quarter-final of the World Cup. Sneijder had scored at the 68th minute mark so there was still plenty of time.
Instead of playing with purpose in pursuit of the goal to level the match the Brazilian’s seemed to panic. They saw Melo sent off for stomping on Sneijder. The Brazilians were playing without the rhythm and brilliance seen in the first half.
The Dutch did not give in and amazingly it is Brazil who are heading home.
The Dutch advanced to play the winner of the Uruguay v Ghana match.
Hodgson to Manage Liverpool
July 1, 2010
Roy Hodgson has been named as the new manager of Liverpool football club. He takes over from Rafael Benitez who left by mutual agreement and now manages Inter Milan.
Hodgson moves from Fulham who he coached to the Europa League final. He becomes the 18th manager in Liverpool’s history.
The 62-year-old has also been with Inter Milan and was Switzerland manager, taking them to the last 16 in 1994.
Steven Gerrard has backed the appointment of Hodgson. “The club have made a good appointment in Roy Hodgson,” said the Liverpool captain to Liverpoolfc.tv.
As a Liverpool fan I also think the appointment of Roy Hodgson is a good move. I look forward to seeing the team challenge for the English Premier League title in the upcoming season.
Spain Get Win Over Portugal
June 29, 2010
Portugal at the last World Cup reached the final four, this time around they have been eliminated by Spain in the second round.
The match came alive for Spain after Fernando Torres was replaced by Fernando Llorente after 58 minutes. Not long after it almost became the perfect substitution. In the 60th minute a cross came in that he dived to head only to see it go straight at the keeper.
Not long after the Llorente effort David Villa went close to scoring. The pressure was mounting and and finally some Spanish brilliance saw the deadlock broken. Some beautiful passing which included a great back heel saw Villa take a shot from close range. His shot was blocked but he followed up to shoot high into the net at the 63rd minute.
After that it was Spain who continued to attack. The had several good efforts saved by the keeper.
Cristiano Ronaldo never got into the match for Portugal and in the end 1-0 was enough to see the European champions advance. The play Paraguay who defeated Japan in the first penalty shoot-out of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Spain must be feeling confident now. They have one of the easier quarter-final matchups and are looking at their first ever World Cup. The only worry is perhaps the form of Fernando Torres who still has not scored at the tournament.
Upcoming matches – Quarter-finals:
Netherlands vs. Brazil – 2 Jul
Uruguay vs. Ghana – 2 Jul
Argentina vs. Germany - 3 Jul
Paraguay vs. Spain – 3 Jul
Paraguay Advance After Penalty Shoot-out
June 29, 2010
90 minutes of regular time and 30 minutes of extra-time did not see a single goal from Paraguay and Japan.
Japan seemed to be sent on with an attitude of playing safely. At this stage of the tournament you should be going after a win. With such a negative attitude it came as no surprise that Japan did not score.
In the end it came down to a penalty shoot-out. Komano will be the unfortunate one known as the player that failed under the immense pressure of a shoot-out. His attempt disappeared over the goal after clipping the cross bar.
Oscar Cardozo calmly rolled home the winning goal to give the South Americans a 5-3 win and a berth in the quarter-finals at the FIFA World Cup where they will play Spain.
Japan can feel some satisfaction knowing that they won twice on foreign soil, something they had never done. They also got out of the group stage for the first time when playing away from home. The sad fact is that they could have defeated Paraguay if they attacked more.
For Paraguay the dream lives on and they now find themselves in the quarter finals at the World Cup.
Blatter Should be Sacked?
June 29, 2010
I remember at the World Cup in Germany in 2006 there were quite a few questionable decisions that more than likely could have been ruled correctly by a video referee. Back then there were calls for video assistance in the games.
Since then FIFA have toyed with the idea however we now find ourselves in the 2010 World Cup and there are no video referees. Other sports have got with the times and introduced that technology into their games.
Sepp Blatter has gone onto the record to say that the game should not be slowed down by video reviews and the like.
I can think of more than a handful of incidents that could have quickly been correctly ruled if a video referee was called into play.
Brazil scored a goal when the player concerned handled the ball not once but twice. Kaka was sent off when a player fell to the ground when holding his face and television replays showed it was an acting performance worthy of an academy award.
New Zealand could also feel that a video referee may have ruled correctly when they had a penalty awarded against them with an Italian player appeared to make the most of a slight bit of contact.
The biggest mistake of the World Cup came in the England – Germany match when the world saw that Frank Lampard had scored. That would have made the score 2-2 and who knows what would have happened from there.
Blatter apologized to the England team however that comes as little consolation. On the same day that the referee blunder may have cost England a match the Mexican team also had a blatant error cost them a goal.
Tevez from Argentina was a mile offside in the lead up to the first goal that he scored. Once again a television replay could have provided the correct result.
Maybe ruling on penalty decisions is going too far but FIFA really needs to start looking at what technology they can introduce into the game.
Bring in technology Mr Blatter or step aside and let some one else make the tough decision that you don’t seem capable of making.
Do you agree? I would love to see your comments below.
