It’s not about who he picked, but who he didn’t pick. He’s left out Nathan Burns and Bruce Djite. If these boys are fit and playing well for the next few years they will be the next Harry Kewell and Mark Viduka of Australian football, so it is baffling as to why Arnold has left them out.

He gave two reasons why they were left out. The first was that they couldn’t handle the heat and second was that they weren’t ‘mature enough’. These are lame excuses. Not only did Pim Verbeek think they were mature enough to be in the senior Socceroos squad (Djite also played in the heat of Doha), but both these boys played a successful Asian Champions League campaign for Adelaide United recently, in extreme conditions.

There are eighteen players to choose. This however, includes two goalkeepers and three overage players, so there are only really 13 spots for outfield players, which means there is meant to be tough competition. This however does not excuse what Arnold has done. Look at the overage players he’s chosen. Jade North is a fine player, however, there are already six defenders in the squad so he really isn’t needed. The most ridiculous selection is that of Archie Thompson. With all due respect his selection is hindering the progress of Australian football as a whole. His selection is partially responsible (as well as the lame excuses Arnold gave) for Burns’ and Djite’s non-selection, our best young talents. There was no need for Thompson to go to Beijing, not at least to stop these promising youngsters from achieving their Olympic dream.

The worst part of all this is that Pim Verbeek already gave Burns and Djite their senior Socceroos debuts recently. This means that the head coach sees these youngsters being a part of the 2010 World Cup campaign. How then, can Arnold completely ignore this and just not pick them?

To say that our preparation was ‘not ideal’ would be an understatement. Before I even begin with the problems we’ve had in the past few days, months beforehand, the Chinese FA decided to hold this match at an isolated city, at altitude. They even pushed back the Chinese League so that the national squad would have adequate preparation time. So what this meant was that they’d have over two and a half weeks to prepare at 1,900 metres above sea level. We had the best part of two and a half days, because of our European based players, not to mention the A-League which already finished last month.

So weeks beforehand, we knew this would be tough for us. China may not be the most formidable opposition, but they certainly aren’t the worst team in Asia. So the time came for us to slowly start preparing for Kunming. Unfortunately, call it a conspiracy, or just bad luck and bad timing, but all of our big stars happened to get injured this week. Cahill, Kennedy, Sterjovski, McDonald and Emerton all ruled out in recent days. After a poor showing in Singapore, Kewell and Djite were ruled out just before the start of the big game against China. This meant that Archie Thompson had to start as a lone striker today. The curse then continued, he was tackled early on and had to be substituted in the 9th minute. What a nightmare, but we still managed to hold on.

We played well, but were helped by the way China played. You’d expect a huge crowd in a formidable place like China to put pressure on the visitors, but it never really happened. For all the preparation they had at altitude, they really lacked the killer punch. Their passes were always going astray and they never really looked like they were trying to tire us down. Having said that, we really didn’t have much venom in our attack either but that’s understandable, seeing as all our main attackers were ruled out. 0-0 was a fair result. The next qualifiers are in June where all the European players will be available and will be much better prepared. I can’t wait.

Before I criticise the dark side of the Grand final, I would like to congratulate the Newcastle Jets on a deserved victory. It was a pleasure to watch their unique stylish football, the only one of its kind in the league. The Australian public was amazing as well, especially all the fans who came down the F3 to watch the game, not to mention the atmosphere in the stadium. It seems football in our country is going from strength to strength, however, as we will see, it has its downside as well.

Unfortunately the Grand Final will be remembered for its controversies and not the brilliant strike by Mark Bridge. From the moment the first ball was kicked (almost literally) to that dramatic final whistle, there were shirts being pulled, there were death stares everywhere, pushing, pulling, and, as we all know, the referee wasn’t spared either. This is the A-League, not Rugby League. Actually, that wasn’t a fair comment, because even in the roughest of rugby games, there would only be one or two fights. In the A-League final there were at least three rough incidents between the players themselves and the referees. I have to say, Danny Vukovic deserved his 9 month ban for striking the referee.

This thuggish culture within Australian football just has to stop. Now that we are in the Asian Confederation, many already perceive us as a rough, physical nation and the referees are being influenced to hand out more fouls against us, and more yellow cards. If the biggest football game in Australia is so spiteful, what does that do to our reputation?

What about this ‘ganging up’ on referees? Sure, there was a clear hand ball in the box, and it was a penalty, but this is unacceptable, and this sort of behaviour is a dark cloud on the game. My question is this. How you EVER in the history of football seen a decision reversed? I mean why can’t the players ever get this into their head, the decision hasn’t, never has, and never will be reversed. So why all the commotion?

Referees make mistakes, but that’s just part of the game. Many (including the commentators) watching the Grand Final did not see that hand ball until they saw replays. We must accept these decisions and hope that next time the decisions go our way. There is no need to create a scene.

I remember on that fateful day when we were wrongfully knocked out of the World Cup by Italy, our boys were devastated. They did a lap of honour, didn’t talk to the referee again, and took the defeat graciously. Looking back at that now, I am so proud of them. This wasn’t a meaningless friendly, it was the biggest game ever in the history of Australian football, and they hardly complained, even though they were robbed. I hope that one day, every football team reacts in the same manner, for the good of the game.

When we first heard about this idea we were over the moon. Manchester United V Arsenal at Telstra Stadium in front of 80,000 people is a mouth watering prospect, however, this should not, and will not ever happen. The negatives far outweigh the positives.

First up, why are we playing a 39th game in this bloody packed calendar anyway? Are the players begging to be jet lagged and play another day when they are already working overtime?

Next thing is, how on earth are they going to figure out who plays who in this 39th game? 38 games means each team plays each other twice, once home and once away, so this ‘international round’ means one team will play another one more time. How is this fair? How do they determine this ‘third’ ‘home and away’ fixture? Why does one team have to play Manchester United (for example) three times in the season whereas a fellow struggling team, only has to play them twice and hence be at an advantage (assuming Manchester United is still a good team in 2011).

The cities which will potentially host these games will watch their local leagues take a back seat to the Premier League. January is usually peak season, especially in the Asian leagues where most of the proposed cities are going to be. Their local leagues will suffer because the big boys will come to town and beat them up with their publicity.

The thing that concerns me the most on top of what I’ve already said is that Australia is not going to get a good match anyway. If this ambitious plan goes through, then surely China and the USA will host games with Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool. Australia will be left with the leftovers for example, a match between Bolton and Reading. This match would probably sell out anyway, but is it really worth it? I mean come on, for once I can confidently say I’d rather see Sydney FC playing Melbourne Victory instead, because I know the standard of that game will be just as bad as the Bolton V Reading game. The Premier League maybe the biggest league in the world, but the majority of people only care about the so called ‘Big 4′, and a minority would care about the likes of Newcastle, Everton, Tottenham and West Ham. There is very little interest otherwise.

Don’t get me wrong, if there was a Premier League match in Australia I’d be the first to get tickets, but I don’t want to see two teams playing that are about to be relegated, nor do I want to see the Australian game suffer because of it. The bigger clubs should focus on having pre-season tours in Asia and the US. I dream of Man United/Chelsea or Liverpool coming down to Sydney one day to play Sydney FC. Sydney FC V Arsenal would be the ultimate dream. The big Premier League clubs should stick to pre season tours, as, in this way, we can all have our cake and eat it too.

Branko Culina said something similar when he said something along the lines of “we WILL be in the Grand Final this season”. At least “Kossie” has proven himself. I just hope he can fulfil his goals, and we Sydney fans expect nothing less! If losing is not an option, I look forward to us winning on Friday and winning the Championship on Sunday February 24. Watch out in the Asian Champions League in 2009!

Despite the tougher road through Asia, I agree with what John Aloisi when he said we’d be better prepared once we eventually (hopefully) qualify. Its not all bad, so long as we win our home games, and play sensibly away from home and get a result, we’ll finish in the top two of the group each time, ensuring our qualification. Its easier said than done though, but I believe if we can create a fortress in Australia where nobody can even think about taking points from us, we are more than half way there. The hot climates and high altitudes we’ll have to travel to won’t worry us as much, a draw will do just fine. Verbeek himself has outlined his 12 point plan.

Tomorrow Qatar is going to play very negatively with 10 men behind the ball its important that we don’t let them counter attack and that we are creative enough to crack their stubborn defence. David Carney is a must for this game, down at left back, he can do all of these things. Kewell would have been useful as well, but we’ll survive without him. Bresciano and Culina combined with the height of Kennedy and a Scott McDonald still in great form should be too much for Qatar no matter how defensive they want to be. My only worry is that we are severely underprepared. Here’s my starting XI:

Schwarzer

Emerton Moore Neill Carney

Wilkshire Cahill Culina Bresciano

McDonald Kennedy

Why the hell was Nashat Akram refused a work permit required for his impending signing to Manchester City? Apparently Iraq isn’t in the top 70 ranked teams in the world. If this is the Premier League’s “rule” then somebody PLEASE answer me these questions:

- How did Gudjohnsen play for Chelsea?
- How is Benjani (one of the top scorers this season) playing for Portsmouth?
- What about Lua Lua?
- Benny McCarthy?
- DWIGHT YORKE for crying out loud
- What about that Angolan Man United just signed?

All these players come from National teams with ranks below 70. Iraq is clearly being discriminated against, just because of that stupid war going on there. Makes me sick.

The Sydney FC fans have made the hilarious claim that Pim Verbeek looks like “Goldmember” from the 2002 Austin Powers movie! You be the judge, but personally I think there is a resemblance and that it is a hilarious observation!

So Goldmember doesn’t like the A-League. Well he later clarified himself to say that he didn’t mean to offend anyone, only that it was the “reality” that the A-League was poor. When questioned about our Bundesliga boys, namely Kennedy and Beauchamp, he said that players training for Bundesliga clubs are better prepared than those who actually play in matches in the A-League. Kewell has agreed with Goldmember’s claim.

Initially I also was insulted by this claim, until I went to the semi final on Friday night. It was the most random football I’d ever seen. No plan. No strategy. No skill. No quality whatsoever. The only time anything of substance happened is when Juninho had the ball, but what was the point? He’d make a good pass but the strikers couldn’t even finish off the easiest of chances. Maybe my standards were too high, seeing as I watch Premier League every week, but I thought I could expect a little bit from the A-League. I should have stayed at home and gone on Youtube and watched a Bundesliga training session. I would have saved $25 as well.

Just to fill you in on some old news, the long search for Guus Hiddink’s successor is over and Pim Verbeek is the man. Personally I am happy with this appointment, but I think the FFA gave the public the wrong impression when they promised a ‘big name’, because clearly we couldn’t afford a ‘big name’ coach. Verbeek will be good, because he is Dutch, he has experience in Asia, and has had experience working with Hiddink. These are all very key issues if we are to qualify for South Africa. I think he can do the job.

He has guaranteed us qualification. Strong words, but I can see that he is committed, especially since he will be based in Australia.

He has named a 25 man preliminary squad for the upcoming qualifier against Qatar. There has been some poor defending in the A-League recently and he wants to see who is up for the challenge of playing Qatar. He also hinted that there maybe an SOS call to the European based players. With the first match at home, he should have enough to win, dropping points at home isn’t an option. The pressure is on, especially on the A-League defenders not to choke.

I am still very confident of progressing. The most important thing will be that we must pick up all nine points at home. Everyone is talking about 40 degree temperatures in the Middle East, but they are forgetting the fact that if we build a formidable fortress here, we will have one foot into the next round. If we can do that, and get a draw here and there away from home (we are more than capable of winning, but I’m just being realistic and conservative) we will have no problems progressing. For some of the qualifiers, our European stars will not be available. I am still confident though, especially seeing the way we qualified for the Olympics in extreme conditions, with our youngsters, all A-League players.

John Aloisi has come out and said this draw means we will be better prepared for the World Cup, if we qualify. I totally agree with him. This will be a challenge, and will bring out the best in the team. Who knows, we could do better than we did in Germany. Quarter finals, Semi Finals anyone?

PS I’m going on a holiday for a month, so hopefully Melissa can keep you informed while I’m away.