One of the biggest stories to come out of this world cup was not much of a surprise, but nevertheless here it is: The Bundesliga is really very good. Presumably it's been good for quite a while and people didn't notice because they were too busy with Rooney and Ronaldo and Ronaldinho and Italy all of those other World Cup success stories. Nevertheless, I think it is now generally acknowledged that the Bundesliga is really very good, and probably was last year, and possibly even the year before that.

So, with that in mind. can I take you back a few years to here.

Might I remind you also of the specific context of those comments: The Aussieroos had stuffed up in the previous game, and Pim had been asked why he had picked Josh Kennedy and Michael Beauchamp (who were on the midseason break for Karlsruhe and Nuremburg and therefore had not played for 3 weeks) over "match fit" A-league players who had played across Christmas.

"If you train for three weeks with Nuremberg or with Karlsruhe, I have to be very honest, I still think that's better than playing A-League games."

I suspect that if we have any Bundesliga players come the next lot of qualification matches, their inclusion in any Australian squad (regardless of Xmas break) will just be an outright given. Indeed, questions will be seriously asked if they are excluded.

I'm a huge advocate for the A-league and all it's achieved, but before we bury Pim and against the background of that much liked 3rd placed team from the world cup, it's time to say that just possibly, Pim was spot on.


Cheers
md


Edited by md_: 12/7/2010 06:23:07 PM

He may have been right in his assessment, but he was wrong to be the national coach saying it.

His role was the Australian Team, not the development of players in the Australian league - that's the role of the technical director.

Granted, but surely this type of comment is not helpful. After his comments to the Dutch media after the Germany game, coupled with these, it is pretty clear that Pim has/had no faith in Australian football. He enjoyed our "fighting spirit", but not our technical abilities. So why the fuck did he take the job??? Surely he knew enough about us before taking the job. And if he didnt know anything about us, he should not have been chosen.

I do think the NT coach has a duty to promote the game and our players in general.

As I said after the Serbia win, this whole campaign will be seen in a different historical light in 4 years time. Pim made a terrible error with the German match - but redeemed himself with Ghana and Serbia. His comments have been the truth throughout his tenure.

I'm not one to look for sugar coating.

This.

Sure he's meant to be doing his best for the team immediately, but he has a responsibility to encourage those in the A-League to perform their best for a place, even if they're not going to get it. By doing this there will be an increase in quality as the players will all have a feel of what if I make the squad?

Also in a country where our domestic league is infantile and trying to find it's feet in an egg ball dominated sports psyche, to say our league is of a worse standard than training abroad just reaffirms what the borderline/unconverted market who we are trying to attract, that our league is unworthy of their time.

Pim's coaching and opinion is worth shit. He managed to turn the Socceroos into a terrible 'long ball' team. The German result was a long time coming. I only wish we were hammered earlier so that Pim could of been sacked before the World Cup.
Any punter knows that the Bundesliga is one of the best in the World, so what!
However, Pim's opinion is full of contradictions. What players was he refering to? Josh Kennedy and Michael Beauchamp, ha! One is really big and the other is reappearing in the A-league for a second time. To suggest that there are no better players than these two in the A-league is a lie and demostrates Pim's predujices against the domestic game.

The anti Pim brigade just cannot stomach the fact that he has been one of the most successful National Team managers in our history.

Yes he was right, I think that if English was his first language he would have put his comment more diplomatically - but as it is he was asked a question and, shock and horror!, he answered it - truthfully no less. How much have we been wanting the truth to come from our NT managers? Too often we have gotten nothing, or evasions, or even worse deflections to the player group. I for one found his attitude refreshing - even if I didn't always agree with his assessments.

No anti Pim brigade. I just think some people didn't like his style of football and fair enough, because it is a game of opinions.
I agree Pim's comments probably sounded worse due to English being his second language, though the media in this country don't need much to discredit our game. Even now I hear commentators from England quoting Pim about this issue. It demostrates how much these comments were overblown by the Aus media. I think for any new coach working here they must try to understand the football landscape before making an assesment on it.
I read comments from Lavicka and Van Schip talking about the A-league and they were more pragmatic, this is called diplomacy to answer a question, perception in this game is everything.

Pim should be congratulated for doing an admirable job with the Australian team. We are clearly not even the best team in Asia (though we believe we are!) yet we were able to get through qualifying relatively easily.

Those who criticise usually know little about the technical aspects of football at the upper levels. They have local club football brains.

We need an Ajax style youth system here if we want success. Maybe in 10-20 yrs we can compete in the upper levels if we do all the right things.

Pim was right but we are still a baby football country and find it difficult to understand the depth of knowledge required at the highest levels.

Pim should have been briefed on the typical Aussie fan psyche: We can beat anyone, anytime, anyhow, beacsue we do in cricket and Union. He then would have said something more palatable, however untruthful it might have been. Seriously, the comments were inappropriate not beacsue they were wrong, but because he didn't take into account the local football landscape at the time. May be he wasn't briefed by the FFA?

Its funny how Verbeek's other comment about the A-League prior to playing Qatar in Qatar has been ignored. When he was asked about the A-League quality. He simply said: "Its good, it was a team from Australia that played in the Asian Champions league final, not one from Qatar. Adelaide United is from Australia, no?"

exactly. Local supporters think they know more about the development systems, the coaching, the training in Europe by watching the odd EPL match on TV than someone who was there to see it first hand over many years.

Easier to knock that acknowledge, also a typical Australian trait - sadly.

That was also an honest call from Verbeek.

I still call bullshit on his assessment.

Your only saying that because you got no where near the final ;)

For all Pim's successes he will always be remembered for, his failure.

Pim did what was asked of him - qualify for the World Cup and the Asian cup. Once there he made one tactical error in playing a high line with an ageing backline against a quick team that cost us going any further.

In 2006 Hiddink still had us attacking with 2 minutes to go against a 10 man Italian side with unused subs waiting on the bench. If he had more defensive we would have gone to extra time - and possibly won. However, his tactical error cost us.

In 1997 Venables has us up 2 - 0 at the MCG and we didn't try and contain the game and finish it on the break. Another tactical error that meant we went no further - with arguably our best ever side.

Let's thank Pim for the job he did and look at his record realistically.

On the whole I was pretty happy with him and the results that he helped orchestrate.It was exactly what was required at the particular point in our football history.We badly needed to consolidate our success from Germany by getting back on the world stage for 2010.

As the administration at FFA takes the game in Australia to new heights regarding revenue streams it will be then that we can start to dream of revolutionising our football.The time may well be now with our new coach

Pim got us easily to the WC having probably the most difficult job imaginable for an international coach. Players spread ALL OVER Europe and playing games ALL OVER Asia in different climates, time zones, cultures etc. I give the guy massive credit here.
With the benefit of hindsight the 4-0 vs Germany seems kind of 'realstic' given what the Germans did to the Poms and Argies. They probably would have still comfortably won even if Pim had chosen better tactics and a more attacking line-up. Germany were on fire that night and Muskat spent the whole game trying to defend his 'mates' in the team.

His only perceived problem was his bluntness which is a common Dutch trait. I tended to give him the benefit of the doubt because it can be hard to say what you really mean when talking to the press etc if English isn't your native tongue.

We just got to be realistic about how hard the Socceroo job is, how limited our playing stocks are going to become shortly and how much more important it is to keep on making the WC rather than trying to be some sort of 'entertainers' as well.

Pim is a man manager not a coach. He got us to the World Cup relying on indiviuals (Cahill, Schwarz,Kewell) who were better than their opposition, but when it came to applying tactics using domestic players he failed miserably. We can say whatever we want about A-league players but Adelaide and Sydney have shown that domestic players can match it with Asian opposition using the adequate tactics and good selections. Pim is not the man to take our game forward he is the man who massages egos and cannot make the hard decisions when it is time to drop players.