The Dutchman has inherited a group of players that contains no genuine big names except for veteran striker Tim Cahill, who is hellbent on taking part in his fourth World Cup and perhaps even scoring a goal which would make him one of only a handful of men to find the net in four tournaments.

The general consensus in Australia and abroad is that the Socceroos are highly unlikely to emulate the class of 2006 and reach the last 16.

The present scenario is similar to that of 2014 when Ange Postecoglou took a set of demoralised yet determined players to Brazil to face Chile, the Netherlands and Spain.

On a technical and tactical front it is hard to expect a repetition of the encouraging stuff provided by Postecoglou's troops four years ago.

You see, the main reason people were opposed to a short-term coach appointment is because van Marwijk is not interested in the long-term future of the Socceroos.

Van Marwijk enjoys a reputation for getting results even though the Netherlands team he took to the World Cup final in Johannesburg will be remembered mostly as an overly physical and negative version of a once admired and loved football nation.

He will do whatever it takes to obtain results with little or no regard to the broader interests of the national team. Why would he? It's not in his 'job description' after all.

This is not having a go at van Marwijk, but questioning the rationale of those who thought that a six-month position for our national team was a bright idea and not a clear band-aid solution to the Socceroos' conundrum.

Postecoglou, in sharp contrast, saw himself as a man on a mission to change the way we played our football when he took over the job in 2013 and his bold approach was rewarded when the Socceroos snared their first major honour by winning the AFC Asian Cup seven months after the World Cup...