Given that the Saudi match now means nothing, is it time to shoot Arnold right now, even if we just need to use Muelensteen and Vidmar next game. Get him out, I think he is hopeless and nothing will change for the better with him in charge any longer.

I sometimes think oh yeah maybe it is the whole system not producing players blah blah but then I remember we play Oman, Saudi Arabia and China and should be comfortably better than these tinpot teams to at least qualify automatically for a WC

Scraped into the last one by a coat of paint against Syria. 

The 2 before that we had a lot of legacy players from before the A league. 37 year old Tim Cahill. Remember him?

But the chickens have come home to roost now. No development, no conveyor belt. 

He didnt play under him at either Mariners or Sydney FC

And get who? Who is coming in for 2 matches? We'd have to sign them up for a full world cup cycle and the FA couldn't afford them on a 4 year contract.

This

Just remember Arnie is paid very handsomely.

I'm sure there is a lot of quality out there who would come at a similar price.

Oman and China yes

Saudi Arabia are no mugs.  They are on top of the qualifier table for good reason 

Marcelo.  Please Johnson do it now

Why   can't    they   afford   it?   Wasn't    30%    of   the  A-league   just   recently     sold    for    $130m  ??

$25k. Ridiculous. Particularly when just about nobody is wearing a mask these days.

That was fucked. Who dobbed him in anyway?

It could be a performance-based contract.  Qualify and then get to coach in the WC.  Get out of the Groups and you win a BBQ at  JJ's home, beer included.

We kept trying to bring the ball up the right hand side regardless of what happened. Grant has slimmed down so he no longer has the body to dominate physically like he used to but he also either does not have the pace he once did or he was too afraid to try it tonight because his characteristic runs down the right were non existent.

Tilio came on and in a moment showed the danger he represents - then the next time the ball comes up the left and he is begging for it Hrustic kills the attack by holding the ball up, turns into trouble, then gives it away. The side has been coached to such negative possession based football that there is no point bringing on a Tilio - who wants the ball to be slipped through a tiny gap up the wing just like it does with City then he earns his place with what happens next.

I am really down on Hrustic - cannot understand the praise he has received by some posters (genuinely confused). The longer the game went on the worse he played and he killed so much of our attack by bad decision making, bad touch, and bad passing that we had nothing to offer through the middle. Then we'd go up the right hand side again...

The greatness of players like Tilio and Folami is that they choose to be in those tight spaces and they work their magic best that way - but Arnold says 'if there is any opposition player within 2 metres go back and get it to Ryan because I remember when he played well'. Don't pick them if you are not going to play to their strengths.

Pointless bringing Fornaroli and JMac on like he did. Neither had a chance to utilise their skills with us playing like we were. Both were invisible.

I think that Japanese team was totally beatable - but not by us using the players he chose and playing the style of football that Arnold demands.

Great play by Japan to get their goals. One as a team and one as an individual. But watching the defenders all standing still for the cutback like the ref had blown his whistle was dumbfounding. There was no desperation at all in that moment.

Arnold out. His player choice, substitutions and tactics all suck.

Wait, what ?

Is   that   true ??

Anyone but Arnold. We had similar circumstances in 2006 replacing Farina with Hiddink a few months out from the qualifiers. Paid dividends big time. Three months isnt too short to find new coach, hold a few training camps, perhaps a friendly or two followed by UEA and then the big one. Arnold is damaged goods, everything he touches turns to shit and these last ditch qualifiers will be no different. A new coach, even if its inanimate carbon rod, might freshen up the place and give a flicker of hope.

Time for Football Australia to organise a couple of friendlies between the end of the European season and 7 June. You would have to think they would at least organise that.

As a Leeds supporter and total Bielsa fan, I do not think he is the man for the Socceroos. His approach is all about ‘the system’ and players being extraordinarily fit … to outrun the opposition. He also depends on individuals being superior to their opponents. Bielsa’s system is very exposed if players aren’t good enough to beat their opponents one on one … as Leeds experienced once our top players were injured. 

Hrustic is a quality player - can't believe anyone is saying he's overrated on here. Every promising opportunity came from him tonight. He put the ball on a silver fucking platter for Duke to score. Had that gone in its a completely different ballgame. Still pissed that goal got scrubbed off - the keeper made contact with Sainsbury, not the other way round - should've been a goal. Anyway I still think we went ok considering the players that were unavailable and/ or didn't get picked. Hopefully that's Grant's last game in a gold shirt - he's been pretty good for us in the past, but he's done.

NZ have a good chance of qualifying for Qatar so the A-league has an equal chance of being represented

Atkinson should have played.

So Roar are you seriously saying the “ greatness” of Tilio and Fornaroli  plus J Mac would have better served the team than Hrustic? What are you on? CanI get some? Difficult to believe those comments

He doesn't depend on players being superior than the opposition. Leeds' players are bog average however he got the best out of them. Then it begun to catch up with him toward the end of his reign.

I think he would suit us. He likes to work with what he has got and builds around that. Historically Australia relies on its physical prowess so hopefully he could harness that. At least more than most national teams.

Get it done. He could revolutionise the game here ala what Hiddink and Postecoglou have done.

What are you on? Seems like it affects your ability to even reply to the right post?!!

That early pass by Hrustic into space seemed a fluke but he gets the ball into areas only Rogic can. It's been a very rough morning so it's time to enjoy the rare UK sun and let the dust settle. 

How     many   World   Cups     did   we    qualify    for   under    the   old   FFA  ?

Wasn't   it   4  out   of  4 ?

Ok whatever you say. It’s no coincidence that without our top players Leeds just set a new EPL record - first club to concede 20 goals in a month!! 

I remember a do or die game against Iraq for world cup 14 and against Thailand for 2018 we were so desperate. It was an Opposite this time under arnie for the home games against the Saudis and Japan we just sat back with no sight of urgency even in the last 10 minutes. Couldn't believe my eyes ...what got to lose ??..draw means nothing anyway

Like Steven Lowy said, "be careful what you wish for". Maybe he was right. James Johnson says all the right things, but he's been around for a while, and wondering what he has actually done?! He's been sitting on his hands with Arnie. We've had 1 win in our last 6 qualifiers, and in that game we won, Rene was coaching us! 

Completely agree. This side has no spirit. No heart. No fight. No aggression. No passion.

The playoffs and the WC all happen outside the Scottish Premiership season, therefore, Ange could do both jobs ;)