I get hope from that clinical Japan display in the UAE despite the heat. Interesting  results in Concacaf 

I went into Thursday night thinking 1 nil down was an ok result for us. That second goal is a killer for us. We all know the dirty fucking Saudis will be throwing bucket loads of cash at the referee so expect every dive to be rewarded with a penalty. They were gifted their first 6 points by 3 (1 vs Thailand and 2 vs Iraq) 80 something minute penalties. Let's not forget the clear as day penalty not awarded to us against them in late on in Adelaide (that would have been effectively a +2 in goal difference). Point being - we have screwed ourselves, we could have been in a position where these scum Middle Eastern tactics would be irrelevant and now we have to win big, something we haven't been capable of for a long time and hope that there is some sort of integrity maintained in the KSA vs JAP game. 

would have to rate as a laugh seeing Saudi Arabia at a world cup wouldn't it

Didn't they make 2006??

Yeah 2:2 vs Tunisia where they conceded in the last second. 4:0 loss to Ukraine and a 1:0 loss to a completely changed Spain 11. Well we lost 3:0 to a Spain B side. 

If Hasebe is gone who takes his place? One thing is for sure Japan are stingy when it comes to goals conceded.

4-0 to Ukraine?? I'm guessing andriy shevchencko

Takahagi

Thanks for the information, and make sure you get the win against Saudi for us!

This match was my first time in Japan and I'm loving it, great country.

He scored at least one. I remember putting 20 on him to get the golden boot. I they'd smash Tunisia and Saudi and he'd get one against Spain. 0:0 against Switzerland and then out to Italy. Who did Italy beat?

What annoys me is we've dropped so many points and each time the players and Ange say they need to get better. 5 bloody times now. We lead in Saudi and then imploded and almost lost. We lead in Thailand and need to compose ourselves and we self destructed. We were lucky not to lose to Japan but had a few half chances ourselves. We lead Iraq and refused to shut up shop and missed one or two chances around the box. We had qualification within reach and we didn't seem to react enough. 

Can't these players realise that they need to get forward to make it easier for themselves? Show some grit and have a shot and feed the ball in. 

I am not sure if you are right to say 99% of Japanese want the Socceroos to win.  I don't know where you got the figure from. Hope you did not make that up to suck up to the forum members.

Halilhodzic is not necessarily strongly pushing for a change of guard. Nothing special about experimenting and including promising young players. A normal process of strengthening any NT: the veterans such as Hasebe, Kawashima, Nagatomo, etc. will also be gone by the end of the Russian WC. There is no one player guaranteed for a regular spot in the team. You mentioned Yoshida, but even Yoshida is not guaranteed. It's his philosophy that his team is formed with the players playing well at the time of the match, and he will try to stick to it doggedly.

Basically, Kagawa left because he would be unlikely to start against SA. It's little to do with injury. Injury concerns the media reported are just to cover his sorry ass. Or there might well have been a battle between Halihodzic and Kagawa's sponsors, and it might well be that Kagawa left as advised by his side. (Intriguingly Halilhodzic's leaving he mentioned at his post-match interview indicated Halilhodzic has fought against some section of the JFA.)

I don't know where you got info that Honda has been in poor form at club level. He has been short of match fitness because he had hamstring injury and only started to play two weeks ago. He scored a brilliant goal in his debut match. As all other players in the NT, his position is not guaranteed and as other veteran players, he will retire eventually.

It's going to be a very difficult game for Japan against SA, but they are expected to win. For what margin? difficult to tell. 

Not sure at the moment. It depends on how Halilhodzic wants to play against SA, I suppose.
If he plays with the same formation they played against the Socceroos, Yamaguchi or Takahagi, might be tried, although it would be unlikely, imo, that he would employ the same tactics against SA in SA in the heat. If he switches to 4-3-3, or a variation of 4-3-3, then there are a number of options in terms of who to play, I guess. 

With the gift of hindsight, the away games against Saudi and Iran when we were leading, but Ange refused to revert to a defensive Christmas Tree formation, 4-3-2-1, which could've shut up shop, are starting to look like being decisive now at this stage  of the campaign. 

sI like the way Korea and Japan go about their football. Mates of mine off forum used to say Japan was soft, but recently there is little evidence of gamespersonship in their football.

I've lived in the ME. It is very much part of their culture in time wasting, and using gamespersonship to win. Ironically, Cahill put one over the UAE with blatant pushing his marker out  of position and scoring for Aus!

we are sooo fucking lucky uae beat saudi thats all I can say. Imagine if they had won that one?!

This game will be a true test of the 3 at the back no flexibilty system of Ange.
If the Thais copy Japan and have their fast wingers raiding down our vacant flanks they have a good chance of keeping it close.One thing is sure,if we put in another poor performance and concede goals,the three at the back system should be buried.

Storm predicted for Melbourne Tues,  wind rain and top of 11. You would think that would help us more than the Thai team but who knows, might just make it scrappier for everyone 

Problem is tho we may score goals, but the system we play leaves us exposed with back 3 for counter like we have seen game after game.I'm not convinced we can score 4 goals as we a struggling in open play to score to team look confused and confidence is down.We have a manager who got ahead of himself bigtime and doesn't play to the teams strengths and very stubborn and focused on experiment with a new system before results.9 games with this system only one good performance against Chile we didn't even win that to yet not brave enough to say has not worked.Our last 2 games was about results nothing else now we have to rely on results.

This team is not bad as it's playing the system has derailed it for me.We were flying 12 months ago looking to top group look at us now.No manager experiments during a world cup campaign like he has done.

May have a point,but I blame poor coaching in those situations to. Ange knows one way and that's it and doesn't want to change. For example players and keeper being told play out from back at all cost even if it's not on how many times has it cost us.

Ryan in goals while its pissing down with rain and windy, Thailand got this.

Galekovic has come in for Frederici. I can't remember what exactly happened with Jones. Did he demand a starting spot or just say he wanted to concentrate on club matters? 

its fucking winter in melbourne. wat did they expect ? bout the time you want a game further up north
I really do fucking wonder what they do at FFA

If we lose and fail to qualify then Ange would be gone anyway. Basically this is the last opportunity he has to show us his shitty system works. And only against Thailand at that.

Just watched Luxembourg hold France to a 0:0 draw. Anything can happen on Tuesday.... 

he said something like it's not worth him to come all this way to sit on the bench.  

Didn't they just batter the Netherlands?

There was a report that he didn't want to be in the squad if he didn't have a chance of playing, but his camp denied that. I think they also denied that the socceroos had contacted them at all. So make of that what you will.

Fucking this so much.

-PB

Ange is a great tournament manager, just a crappy qualifying manager.

We looked OK at the Confeds Cup and won the AC but have been spluttering all qualifying.

Has no ability to change formations to suit game conditions.  How many games should we have shut up shop to protect 2 points?