And so the journey begins. No more sleeps, no more talk...this really is it. In approximately 1 hour the touring party will hit the road for the train ride to the Brisbane International airport. I have to be honest and say that I am really not looking forward to the travelling time, however of course the excitement of getting on the ground in Africa is more than enough inspiration to have to put myself through it.
After a 1 hour train ride, the travel continues with an 8 hour spell through to Singapore. I suspect Changi airport will not know what's hit it, as I have read that there is a new FIFA store open just in time for our arrival.....there goes the savings! With a 5 hour stop over, there will be plenty of time for shopping, relaxing, drinking and I am sure reflection on the next 10 hour flight over to Johannesburg. From Joburg we see ourselves met by the tour hosts where we then embark on a 7-8 hour bus ride down to our home away from home...Durban. All in all I believe the transit will equate to approximately 36 hours...just dandy!
Houston, Flight DJ2010 is all clear and ready for take off....the final bottle of jim in my hand, the final bottle of jim.......
08 June 2010
07 June 2010
It's time to go........Socceroo supporters!
Well it's about time. I have to be honest, if I go through one more check list it will be the end of me. What we don't have now we don't have! Although I am hoping more than anything in this world that we do, as the regular response of "we'll just get one over there if we need to" may come back to bite one in the proverbial.
The anticipation levels of course have been at their absolute optimum, and not at all been alleviated by the fact that the fanatics have placed our beloved camping ground on a live web cam over the last week. Every spare minute of the day has been spent watching a web cam of a cricket stadium filled with tents. There has been hardly a soul to be seen, not a bird in the air, no not even a tumbleweed to roll across the field. But for some bewildering reason, fanatics tourists have been drawn to the web cam like a moth to a flame.
The rehearsal over the weekend went reasonably well, however I am not 100 percent positive we have got ourselves close enough to tour fit??? I am sure that all the effort and sacrifice will be made to ensure that we hit the ground running. Actually the more I think about it the weekend didn't exactly ease the pain and depression of the wait. The mighty Capalaba Bulldogs had a slip up, the Lions lost at the death and Sam Stosur was beaten in the French Open final.
It can't all be that bad though can it? Put your hand up if you are off to the World Cup...Launch control let the countdown commence! T-Minus 19 hours and 8 minutes.
The anticipation levels of course have been at their absolute optimum, and not at all been alleviated by the fact that the fanatics have placed our beloved camping ground on a live web cam over the last week. Every spare minute of the day has been spent watching a web cam of a cricket stadium filled with tents. There has been hardly a soul to be seen, not a bird in the air, no not even a tumbleweed to roll across the field. But for some bewildering reason, fanatics tourists have been drawn to the web cam like a moth to a flame.
The rehearsal over the weekend went reasonably well, however I am not 100 percent positive we have got ourselves close enough to tour fit??? I am sure that all the effort and sacrifice will be made to ensure that we hit the ground running. Actually the more I think about it the weekend didn't exactly ease the pain and depression of the wait. The mighty Capalaba Bulldogs had a slip up, the Lions lost at the death and Sam Stosur was beaten in the French Open final.
It can't all be that bad though can it? Put your hand up if you are off to the World Cup...Launch control let the countdown commence! T-Minus 19 hours and 8 minutes.
05 June 2010
Bring on the U.S.
Tonight Australia takes on the might of the USA ranked 14 in the world, in what should be a very good indicator of where the Socceroos are in terms of final preperations for the all important first world cup game against Germany. The media indicates that the full squad should be available in time for the German clash, however Carney, Holman and Emerton remain unavailable until training commences tomorrow. It is believed that one H Kewell will be named on the bench after completing a training match overnight.
It was interesting to watch highlights of training and the Australians working on a regime to combat the might of "jabulani". One could have been forgiven for thinking it was a local junior side utilising Australia's training facility. Yes that's right, maybe work on shape, possibly work on the game plan against Germany....no, teams are having to practice long distance passing because of the most dynamic football ever seen on this planet. Turning more than a Shane Warne leggy, the now famous jabulani has everybody baffled and we will see who has the last laugh in less than a week, when South Africa kicks off the greatest sporting event on this planet.
On a personal note, work is now complete for a 4 week period. Obviously at this point with 3 more sleeps until departure, the travelling party has turned it's focus in providing the greatest support it possibly can to our national team. Clearly the group are leaving no stones unturned to be the best possible supporters and have taken a leaf out of the Socceroos training manual to taper our training for optimum performance on the 13th of this month against German supporters. If it's good enough for the Socceroos, it is good enough for us I figure, so there may well be some fatigue over the next couple of days, however the group is managing to work hard and of course is sustaining a high level of fluid intake. Given tonight we cannot be on the ground in Johannesburg, there will be a practice run at one of our many training venues, with the first rehearsal of the obligatory team tunes a must given the limited knowledge of a few team members.
52 bottles of jim on the wall, 52 bottles of jim......
It was interesting to watch highlights of training and the Australians working on a regime to combat the might of "jabulani". One could have been forgiven for thinking it was a local junior side utilising Australia's training facility. Yes that's right, maybe work on shape, possibly work on the game plan against Germany....no, teams are having to practice long distance passing because of the most dynamic football ever seen on this planet. Turning more than a Shane Warne leggy, the now famous jabulani has everybody baffled and we will see who has the last laugh in less than a week, when South Africa kicks off the greatest sporting event on this planet.
On a personal note, work is now complete for a 4 week period. Obviously at this point with 3 more sleeps until departure, the travelling party has turned it's focus in providing the greatest support it possibly can to our national team. Clearly the group are leaving no stones unturned to be the best possible supporters and have taken a leaf out of the Socceroos training manual to taper our training for optimum performance on the 13th of this month against German supporters. If it's good enough for the Socceroos, it is good enough for us I figure, so there may well be some fatigue over the next couple of days, however the group is managing to work hard and of course is sustaining a high level of fluid intake. Given tonight we cannot be on the ground in Johannesburg, there will be a practice run at one of our many training venues, with the first rehearsal of the obligatory team tunes a must given the limited knowledge of a few team members.
52 bottles of jim on the wall, 52 bottles of jim......
02 June 2010
HQ Durban LIVE
For those who wish to keep up with the action on the ground in Durban...look no further. The fanatics have placed Live Webcams around the Kingsmead cricket ground, home of the official Fanatics football supporters, so family and friends can stay in touch with the...ok well let's just say watch live and be done with it. I certainly can't promise viewers prime time programming!
See it all at http://www.thefanatics.com/live
See it all at http://www.thefanatics.com/live
23 it is!
Finally after almost 4 years of preparation and qualification, Australia has submitted it's final 23 man squad to represent the nation at the 2010 Fifa World Cup. I must admit when it came to the crunch I certainly didn't see the final omission coming. Whilst the writing was on the wall for Galekovic, Lowry, Holland and Oar, the general consensus would not have expected Rhys Williams to receive the final "go directly to jail card".
Since his introduction to the national team, Williams has in my opinion shown more than enough to justify selection within Australia's elite. The one positive from a negative is that we as a football identity have the ability to leave out quality players rather than include players that may be essentially making up the numbers.
I can't help but think that Williams may have had some ongoing injury problems that have influenced the final decision on his inclusion. That said, it would be a an injustice to the 23 man squad to say that none of them deserved to be there. Yes we all have our own opinion on the quality of particular players, but the reality is that there is really only one person that is responsible for the players that influence the Socceroos results and why should we question that man for taking those he believes will best serve him within the structure that he has built.
Pim Verbeek may not go down as the greatest national team coach of all time, but the percentages and results cannot be ignored, no matter how good we think the product is that he has presented and produced for all to see. Although cliche, he has achieved that of which no other has before him, and orchestrated the Socceroos qualification route via Asia for the first time ever in this countries footballing history.
I wish the final 23 well and can't wait to get on the ground to support the team in South Africa next week....
you take one down and pass it around, there'll be 76 bottles of Jim on the wall.....
Since his introduction to the national team, Williams has in my opinion shown more than enough to justify selection within Australia's elite. The one positive from a negative is that we as a football identity have the ability to leave out quality players rather than include players that may be essentially making up the numbers.
I can't help but think that Williams may have had some ongoing injury problems that have influenced the final decision on his inclusion. That said, it would be a an injustice to the 23 man squad to say that none of them deserved to be there. Yes we all have our own opinion on the quality of particular players, but the reality is that there is really only one person that is responsible for the players that influence the Socceroos results and why should we question that man for taking those he believes will best serve him within the structure that he has built.
Pim Verbeek may not go down as the greatest national team coach of all time, but the percentages and results cannot be ignored, no matter how good we think the product is that he has presented and produced for all to see. Although cliche, he has achieved that of which no other has before him, and orchestrated the Socceroos qualification route via Asia for the first time ever in this countries footballing history.
I wish the final 23 well and can't wait to get on the ground to support the team in South Africa next week....
you take one down and pass it around, there'll be 76 bottles of Jim on the wall.....
Australia 1 Denmark 0 Jabulani 10
Whilst the result was not essential, in the words of Paul Trimbole, "the Socceroos seem to be able to find a way to to get a result". Unfortunately though finding a way is not necessarily all that convincing, nor pleasing for the "fluent football" purists. My thoughts were that a lot of positives came out of the game for Australia. The fitness of the squad has most certainly improved since the game against our trans tasman rivals. The quality of parts of play, more so in the second half, were very pleasing to watch. And dare I say it, Brett Holman proved to me he is not just a hard worker.
One very alarming note however was the success of "jabulani", the official match ball of the World Cup. The way it eluded the players feet and managed to race at speed across the end line was amazing. It was better at it than any other ball I have ever seen! In all seriousness though, it was very evident all of the players on the pitch were having issues with speed and accuracy of pass along with the flight of the ball. Have we made the importance of scoring more goals negate the ability for players to be able to actually play pure football?
I can't for one minute believe that the players will not adapt, and as expected most of the negative feedback on jabulani has been provided by the goalkeepers themselves, including one Mr Buffon and our own Mr Schwarzer. If I am Pim Verbeek, I am off to Rebel Sport Johannesburg to buy 50 Jabulani's!....which of course I am sure is already provided to the teams involved. Surely?
It appears there is also one last wait for the final 23 man squad to be announced. Pim is reported to be weighing up injury concerns and we, the Australian public, should be aware of the offical Green and Gold Army at approximately 4pm our time today. All the best to the lads, may the Schwarz be with you!
And so the countdown continues.....86 bottles of Jim on the wall, 86 bottles of Jim......
One very alarming note however was the success of "jabulani", the official match ball of the World Cup. The way it eluded the players feet and managed to race at speed across the end line was amazing. It was better at it than any other ball I have ever seen! In all seriousness though, it was very evident all of the players on the pitch were having issues with speed and accuracy of pass along with the flight of the ball. Have we made the importance of scoring more goals negate the ability for players to be able to actually play pure football?
I can't for one minute believe that the players will not adapt, and as expected most of the negative feedback on jabulani has been provided by the goalkeepers themselves, including one Mr Buffon and our own Mr Schwarzer. If I am Pim Verbeek, I am off to Rebel Sport Johannesburg to buy 50 Jabulani's!....which of course I am sure is already provided to the teams involved. Surely?
It appears there is also one last wait for the final 23 man squad to be announced. Pim is reported to be weighing up injury concerns and we, the Australian public, should be aware of the offical Green and Gold Army at approximately 4pm our time today. All the best to the lads, may the Schwarz be with you!
And so the countdown continues.....86 bottles of Jim on the wall, 86 bottles of Jim......
01 June 2010
All down to one....
....week to go. Noooooooooooooo! On the day that marks 1 week until departure, the Socceroos will test their metal against Denmark. It appears that Verbeek has named a side that appears close to what may be the starting 11 against Germany in Durban.
Mark Schwarzer, Luke Wilkshire, Craig Moore, Lucas Neill, Scott Chipperfield, Vince Grella, Jason Culina, Richard Garcia, Tim Cahill, Mark Bresciano, Josh Kennedy
One would assume that providing he is fit, Brett Emerton may take the place of Garcia on the right hand side of midfield. It has also been well publicised that Harry Kewell may well be utilised in the lone strikers role in place of Josh Kennedy (aka god). All is yet to be revealed, but in the meantime, in only a short few hours after the game tonight, each country is required to submit their final 23 man squads to participate in the Finals stage.
It is evident at this point, (other than a huge change of tact), that Eugene Galekovic, Tommy Oar and James Holland will be omitted from the squad. There has been much debate and personal preference over the those who should and those who shouldn't and of course all of us are the experts. For me, I find it worrying that Dario Vidosic may be left to ponder what might have been. From a very simplistic view point, he is the only "striker" apart from Kennedy to have scored for Australia in some time. You could also argue that he is not seen as a striker, but his absolute versatility is the key. I personally would also like to see Tommy Oar available for a role in the games. Without trying to draw comparison, Kewell was good at such a young age as he was given the flexibility to express himself with flair. Young Tommy I also believe is strong enough to do so late in games when the wind is out of the sail, despite his relative lack of exposure to a higher level of quality opposition. All this said, I am sure there will be very valid reasons for the omissions by the coaching staff. If I were to take a guess, those to miss out unfortunately will be: Galekovic, Lowry, Oar, Carney and Jedinak.
Whilst the fitness taper for the Socceroos will indicate a lack of endurance over the closing stages of tonight's game, I am confident that the supporters as a whole are expecting and almost demanding an improvement in the tactical play from our national team. Yes they are trials, no they don't win you the world cup, but I am sure that the team themselves will be striving for individual team goals and benchmarks throughout the game.
Make sure you tune in to Fox Sports tonight at 10 pm for the live coverage...there is one thing for sure, I certainly will be!
7 days, 1 hour and 55 mins.....
Mark Schwarzer, Luke Wilkshire, Craig Moore, Lucas Neill, Scott Chipperfield, Vince Grella, Jason Culina, Richard Garcia, Tim Cahill, Mark Bresciano, Josh Kennedy
One would assume that providing he is fit, Brett Emerton may take the place of Garcia on the right hand side of midfield. It has also been well publicised that Harry Kewell may well be utilised in the lone strikers role in place of Josh Kennedy (aka god). All is yet to be revealed, but in the meantime, in only a short few hours after the game tonight, each country is required to submit their final 23 man squads to participate in the Finals stage.
It is evident at this point, (other than a huge change of tact), that Eugene Galekovic, Tommy Oar and James Holland will be omitted from the squad. There has been much debate and personal preference over the those who should and those who shouldn't and of course all of us are the experts. For me, I find it worrying that Dario Vidosic may be left to ponder what might have been. From a very simplistic view point, he is the only "striker" apart from Kennedy to have scored for Australia in some time. You could also argue that he is not seen as a striker, but his absolute versatility is the key. I personally would also like to see Tommy Oar available for a role in the games. Without trying to draw comparison, Kewell was good at such a young age as he was given the flexibility to express himself with flair. Young Tommy I also believe is strong enough to do so late in games when the wind is out of the sail, despite his relative lack of exposure to a higher level of quality opposition. All this said, I am sure there will be very valid reasons for the omissions by the coaching staff. If I were to take a guess, those to miss out unfortunately will be: Galekovic, Lowry, Oar, Carney and Jedinak.
Whilst the fitness taper for the Socceroos will indicate a lack of endurance over the closing stages of tonight's game, I am confident that the supporters as a whole are expecting and almost demanding an improvement in the tactical play from our national team. Yes they are trials, no they don't win you the world cup, but I am sure that the team themselves will be striving for individual team goals and benchmarks throughout the game.
Make sure you tune in to Fox Sports tonight at 10 pm for the live coverage...there is one thing for sure, I certainly will be!
7 days, 1 hour and 55 mins.....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
The Frank Arok Express Germany 2006
Bar and Disco Carriage...All aboard!
