I think 20 000 spectators  in Sydney to celebrate Aus finishing 11th in the Qatar WC is appalling!

When Gallop was CEO of Football Aus he used to compliantly  accept  20 000 crowds for Sydney as reasonable, yet  used to moan when Canberra drew 20 000 crowds and Perth had 23 000 plus crowds.

Obviously Sydney with a massive population of 5 million, are complacent  about the Socceroos these days, and prefer  watching big name European club  teams playing friendlies.

I'm not sure if Hindmarsh has a capacity bigger than the  20 000? I'd surmise much smaller population centres  Perth, Melbourne ( on Tuesday), Gosford , Canberra, Newcastle and Brisbane would easily exceed 20 000 spectators  to celebrate Aus  finishing 11th in Qatar - particularly against high  quality Ecuador.

A bit  frustrating for all the members of this forum residing in Sydney who attended the game against Ecuador.

JON took Socceroo crowds from near zero to fill stadiums... he was constantly in the media bagging on about the games same as he did when he was at rugby.... no CEO since has done this.... JJ needs to get out and do some door stops....

Fair comment.

O'Neill really promoted the games.

JON also had celebrities to work with (such as Kewell & Dukes). 

Kewell was arguably the biggest drawcard in Australian sport when he was at his peak in '06-'10. 

We don't have any stars in the game at the moment. 

The team is greater than the sum of its parts.

We have Souttar who is a epl player and Sam kerr 

See how they go with the women's world cup 

I am afraid that people want competitive matches for their money these days.

Friendly matches are generally poorly attended in this day and age. And Ecuador are hardly a big draw.

Hindmarsh stadium has a capacity of 16500 and I doubt it would sell out.

There are 15,000 seats at Hindmarsh. Not sure if they still sell standing tickets.

It was a friendly also socceroos are invisible in the media 

Won't get 30k for a friendly unless it's France or maybe Italy or Brazil because it's a 'friendly.'

Most of my football mates here in Sydney didn't even know it was on. The international break and some A-League call-ups were the only things that tipped them off that there was A game sometime.

I don't think it was disappointing for a friendly.
The WC feels like ages ago, were nearly a quarter of the way through 2023!
People get disappointed because they have unrealistic expectations, but after 19 years of "new football", we are where we are.  This is it.  There's no massive economic boom lurking around the corner.  There's no meteoric rise on the horizon that will see an overflow of TV ratings and attendances.
Speaking of which, the NRL is currently going through boom times four rounds into their season.  Expanded to 17 teams, and are currently experiencing record TV ratings and attendances.
Remember Fox?   Each round the NRL has games pushing the high 300,000s on Fox Sports (and that's not even counting streaming).
The Socceroos could not even crack 200,000 on FTA on a main commercial channel!
No point moaning about it, this is our reality.  Just enjoy the games - apparently this is a new golden generation. NST is around the corner (but not an NSD).

D2 I don't know what you expect - I think apart from the % of invested football followers it shows we are Not a Football nation more than anything else due to the 2 main codes and the countries DNA.
No matter the fair result we did at the WC we hardly have a major one of 3 "household" star names (barring Mooy imo who wasn't playing) so to speak for the "casual" types to be inspired get ticks And Mid mentions re JJ, tbh its the FA's media machine under JJ who should have made alot more noise in the media left right centre months before for as some post people weren't aware though all my football mates knew and attended.
I don't see Ecuador as a minnow per say but the general pub wouldn't grasp it at all unless as mentioned we played one of the powers.

bettega yer some good points - the trouble bringing up NRLgayfl they have their best players in the game every week for starters, the marketing $$$ machine and their top flight running farfarfar better than ours.
There's no comparo sadly, we have been a mis guided minnow for decades - agree just get on with it, enjoy what your into re our game.



 

The media and footy codes are in bed together and both help each other, the same goes with govt. because if they don't support them they risk going against public support.
PR anyone?

The struggles football has in this country it's real, no wonder it's hard for the game to get what it needs especially in funding!

This is the same as the A-League, the A-League is a good standard, not best in the world, but it's a decent standard & the Socceroos are playing some lovely football & playing a nation (while not the biggest footballing country in the world) is now consistently in the top 4 in Latin America. Plus as mentioned by many here we have many some very exciting new young players coming thru.
Yes the media & the eggball codes are in bed with each other other, but where is the Football media PR people to push this game.

exactly right....... Don't blame the bandwagonners that jump on the Soceroos once every 4 years for not turning up if they arent even made aware of it.

It was very disappointing indeed, I just saw some of the NRL and AFL crowds on the weekend and completely dwarfing the Socceroos crowd on Friday night, no excuses especially when the Sydney Swans drew 37K yesterday and the NRL Brisbane derby got a full house on Friday night too.

Our national deserves the respect it deserves, the questions is does the public care? This is a exciting new team, its not like they are a team full of journeymen and so there plenty to forward too so the question is why?

How many countries have their rival codes get bigger crowds than a national football team which competed in the world's biggest sporting event last year? 

The Suncorp game was most anticipated game probably of the season if you look at the other NRL games its 15-20k max unless its a rival game.

The swans will always pull in big numbers but if you compare them to Giants its a different story they average about 8-10k. 

Not really a quality opposition in the eyes of "average soccer joe knowledge guy"

They should market these games for other states during NRL especially this early in the season. Could of easily played it on Friday night in Perth(smaller flight for the guys too) bit later on TV over here (after the league/arl games) and you probably fill more of the stadium too.

I would have thought there would be more responses like yours, Barca.

A recent 11th at  a WC indicates this may be the best Socceroo team we've had. And, we've got a lot of new young talent emerging.

Another poster labelled this Socceroo team the Achievement Generation. I tend to agree. 

Can't believe Sydney are pulling 37 000 for AFL, when it isn't even a major sport in NSW?   

What is this crap?? Seen this a few times since the WC. 

We made the last 16. Just like we did in 2006. 
That's it. 
No better. No worse. 

Who has come up with these gradings for anything beyond a top 4 in the world cup??
An Aussie thing or FIFA bullcrap?

It isn't crap.

There is a table floating around listing how teams finished in Qatar based on goals scored/ conceded and points accrued.

Japan finished 9th, Senegal 10th and Aus 11th.

Its  a strange ranking but that would make it one the best *results*.  But the best team?

Comparing like with like ie young team, friendly,  this was our team playing against a World Eleven in 1999:

Bosnich, Vidmar, Tobin, Popovich Lazaridis, Corica Zelic Okon Kewell Viduka, Aloisi, Emerton on the bench

We got 88,000 that night.

How does that team of young players compare with what was on the park against Ecuador

Watch it here: https://www.socceroos.com.au/news/top-5-highest-attendances-socceroos-home-matches

That team sheet shows what a travesty it was that we missed out on the 1998 World Cup in France.

Darkest day in Football in this country.......  Sorry the Iran game at MCG, NOT the friendly :)

What a stupid comment, how can you compare players whos stats are in the history books & who playing ability lives solely in some old videos & the memories of some old men to players who are at the start of their careers or those whos the history books are still writing their stories.

How does Matt Ryan who now has 3 campaigns at the WC compare to Bozza, who didn't appear in any, but played 1 season with Man U?

Setting aside your insulting nonsensical opening sentence, to answer your question, I would say Ryan compares very lucky to have played in 3 WC's because he's had very little competition and Arnie loves him (Langers should have got the for this WC). 

Oh and it was Bosnich who kept Schwarzer on the bench.

 On ability , Ryan is behind both of them.

My apologies on my insulting comment, however, I did notice you did choose the easy route, while Ryan didn't have the competition, he has played in 3 WC campaigns & is current captain aiming for 4th at 34 years old, Bozza, who would have been perfect age of 34 for a GK wasn't even playing in 2006.
How do you compare those Socceroos legends to players still at the start of their careers was my real question, which you choose to ignore.

It's like comparing Kewell 1997 to Kewell 2006.

I compared them on the basis of where they were playing and their ability, tat similar ages  
In 1999: 
Harry Kewell was 21. 
Emerton was 20
Aloisi 23
Viduka was  24
Popovic 26
Bozza was 27 
Okon was 27

There is no player currently that could beat a man, period, let alone like Harry.  There is no current Socceroos with the ability to go around players like Okon or Zelic

I've watched many games from that era.

The current team would easily beat the 1999 Socceroos. They are  decidedly  superior tactically. They are also battle hardened, clever and resilient  from playing so many competitive games together against high quality opposition.

Ridiculous.  How many of the current WC squad have been signed up in top  top-tier leagues?  Surely their 11th place finish would have had the agents lining up massive deals 

Please forget about the Socceroos, but you cannot compare football in 1999 to the current time. The Man City team of today would smash the 1999 Premier league champions Man U.

How about Hull City in the Championship? The game has evolved right? I can totally see Dougall outplaying outsmarting Keane and Scholes in midfield. Not even a contest.

No have a look at the 1956 Brazilian team, this team would struggle against every side in the WC last year, does that make Pele a worst player that every player at the WC?
No, you just being silly, we are comparing styles, the game today is much more possession based than in 2006 golden generation, not saying the playing would not adapt, some would & some wouldn't. The 2006 side bar maybe 3-4 players were not renowned as a ball playing team.

You're comparing 70 years with less than 20. How daft!

3-4 ball players was more than we have now. Viduka, Kewell, Bresciano, Culina, Grella, Neill all had ability on the ball. Who do we have now? Mooy, Hrustic, Souttar. The rest are turnover merchants. No wonder our possession and pass completion was so shitty compared with 2006.

Take your head out of your arse.

Sorry dude you totally lost me with that comment. Maybe it's you who should take your head out of your arse & watch a Socceroos game from 2006.
Even worse was the 1997 Iran game with Okon & Zelich, we hardly strung 4 passes together.

Mate if this current generation players were as good as you say they would have been snapped up by top tier clubs after the WC. We have Harry Souttar and that's it.

Ryan couldn't a game in Norway! N O R W A Y, FFS and he's the best keeper we have apparently.

Ryan didn't get a game in Norway because he never was at a club in that country.He was in Denmark  and yes didn't get much game time and was being undermined by the other goal keeper with snide remarks on social media.

I keep thinking about that howler from Zelko vs Croatia in 2006 and other past exhibitions of clumsiness. I'd have Matty any day.

Zeljko had a bet or two to win.

I always find it hilarious when he has the audacity to criticise players performance when he gave probably the worst ever performance in a critical match by a socceroo that I have ever seen. 

It was so bad that it bordered on suspicious. 

He had a shocker but I can't believe it was on purpose. Pretty sure he was very nervous. And that one he dived for that spun and bounced over him. How could you plan that?

He 100% sold us out that game. Amazing we draw that match with the amount of bullshit going against us.

Denmark/Norway same difference.  He's played two dozen games in 2 or so years.  There's a reason for that and its not twitter comments.

I think you are both saying the same thing but attacking it from different angles.... Comparing "styles" and "players" is pointless without context... On sheer fitness alone Hull City 2023 would beat the 1958 Brazilian team.... but that does NOT mean that player for player anyone in the curretn squad for Hull can even come close to Garrincha, Didi or Pele..... 

If, by some "Back to the Future" timetravel, the 2006 Socceroos squad could be frozen in Carbonite at their peak, defrosted in 2021 and trained in today's environment...... we would have beaten Equadore 5-6 nil on the weekend.