Verbeek is the man

Ok, it looks like not much went on around here while I was away. Anyway I’m back!

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.