After tonight there fate is set in cement.

Part of me wants to lose to US or Mexico in a playoff. So youngsters get to feel some pain and don't take qualifying for granted.
Losing against the other Asian group in a playoff would also hurt.


The part that wants us to make it is stronger though.

I also have a whole different part that wishes we would go back to Oceania and team up with South Americain qualifying (top 2 from Oc). So at least we play Brazil, Arg, Colom etc in points matches even if we don't qualify.

Its probably what Australia needs, a few play off matches to recapture the glory days of 2006. Australia should be able to beat the 4th best Concacaf side which could be Canada or Honduras let alone the USA.

Uzbek would be tough.

If we finish 4th in this group with 3 home games left it is a disaster.

Its a cash cow for the FFA if Australia was to come 3rd. I think the home crowds would sell out too for do or die matches, If this is the hole the Socceroo's dug then they need to do it the hard way to qualify.

Have a feeling we will win the next 3 games comfortably..draws away from home arent bad results..our expectations on an ordinary roos outfit..perhaps the worst ever are a bit unrealistic. The hard stuff is out of the way now..id expect a strong finish..im predicting a 2nd place finish.

Trouble is that Mooy looks decidedly average for large parts of the match, whereas at Huddersfield Town he is something very special. Rogic, too, when he plays for Aus.

And Kruse, who has oodles of ability, is just patchy as fuck.

So, yes, it is the worst side in ages and without a proper striker. But, even still, they don't get the most out of their individual components.

I think it's telling that Irvine does well for Australia while Mooy and Rogic are so-so. Irvine is used to carrying Burton Albion against superior opposition in the Championship. While Rogic and Mooy are accustomed to playing around top-class footballers (potentially world-class footballers). Suddenly, for the Australian NT, they're all at sea when they're surrounded by mediocre team-mates.

Finishing 2nd is a good possibility. However we must win the next two games against UAE and Saudi Arabia at home.

A lot of pessimism for a side that is undefeated in 6/6 matches

That's the thing. We haven't lost but no one else had drawn. Maximum points are being spread. It's frustrating as we've lead in every game except Japan.

Just need to win all 3 at home.  If we can salvage a point away to Japan that would be even better.

There were many when the draw came out who said we just needed to snare wins at home and draw away.  I think what's thrown us a little off course was the Thailand game.  Besides that we can't really say it's a dismal failure, and as john said, teams are winning rather than drawing around us.

It's interesting to see the USA is actually last in CONCACAF at the moment.  Will be good to see the table on the 29th of March

Not sure why everyone is surprised most players playing divison 2 or lower or outside top 5 leagues. Poor youth development and selecting 18 year old who has plsyed hardly any a league games and average players like Mclaren who have done stuff all to lead the line against Thailand. Ange can talk all he wants but Ange is deluded if he thinks this team can play his style. I heard that picking young players like McGree is good like they did with DaSilva previously for experience because DaSilva has really kicked on hasn't he? Pick players ready who gonna make a difference today this is world Cup qualifying or did we not learn with leaving Cahill at home v Thailand? I think Ange has got ahead of himself. But hopefully with home games we should get some points but I think teams no longer fear us as much as they once did. We have struggled with some teams at home before. Japan should wipe us away as they should of at our ground.

Saudi need to stuff up at some point. We're going to have to be extremely patient. Saudi face UAE away and Japan at the end. They're bound to drop something there. 

I'm annoyed were even having this conversation. We should have secure wins today and in Thailand and we'd be sitting much more relaxed at the top. Hoping for a miracle that Iraq get a draw in Riyadh.

Win our home games and we're through. Saudi and Japan still have to play each other and still have tough away trips to come. I think people are forgetting we needed a goal in the last 10 minutes of the last campaign just to qualify

With the way we have played so far I'm not sure we could win the third place play-off, let alone a trip to Central America.

We just struggle to score from open play and put teams away.

Which is why it staggers me that Ange doesn't start with Nathan Burns more often. Burnsy is not perfect but a big step in the right direction.

As is Jackson Irvine. Thankfully, he got a start. And he was our best, along with Mitch Langerak. Irvine and Burns are the kind who make things happen.

This we don't got enough of. I'm a big fan of Aaron Mooy and Tom Rogic, but they look lacklustre when they're not surrounded by top-class teammates. The other two just grin and bear it and make stuff happen.

Mooy gets played too high up the pitch and luongo has been constantly average in that dm role.

Rogic struggles more than anyone on rubbish pitches due to his style of play

This! We stuffed up on this game, it also shows how poor we really are when travelling we lucky we have our home games coming up.

I was happy to know that the 5th asian team actually plays off against the north American 4th team. Cause we would have no chance against the last place south american team,let alonr the fith placed one

you wouldn't be saying that if you were planning on going to Russia... like me.

Correct.  Mooy looks good at his club because he has been playing alongside their second best player in Hogg, who is far and away better than any defensive midfielder Australia has.  Since Hogg has been out, Mooy's club form has dipped substantially.

Does FFA make some cash out of a playoff ?

except they will play it in sydney. 

it should be in melbourne.

Mate I don't think the rather numeric Euro-bloods in the Aussie Soccer Community care about what NZ says. NZF annual turnover is 5 mil. FFA work on 100 mill annual turnover. Two different kettles of fish.

Yes, but risk losing FIFA 10 mill if you don't make it to Russia.

After that despicable atmosphere produced at the etihad against japan melbourne needs a break.Also produce F all Socceroos.

Yup, Rogic and his FIFA trick stick dribbling won't work on those wet Suncorp-esque bogholes.

-PB

Doesn't matter anyway. He's suspended for the next match.

as others has said. missing out on russia is the kick up the backside we need to get the national development system back on track because it is failing at the moment, youth development is at an all time low. however of course we all want to qualify.

Saudi host japan in the final game when japan will have almost certainly allready qualified. They could easily get atleast a point there. They should beat iraq Tuesday, so if they somehow win in the uae we would need atleast atleast 10 points to have a chance.