The sequels are worse than the prequels.

IMO he should've played Leckie when fit and before that Giannou or even tried Rogic as a striker. We have a long history of playing midfielders as strikers.

I'm not completely over Arnie but just angry at the moment. After all Ange put me through many matches of watching Kruse as a lone striker.

What other aussie strikers are there to select? Matt Simon?

just fixed this for you

Spot on. Blind Freddy could see MacLaren was never going to score yet he kept on playing him and then didn't start Mabil in the final game. I had no problems with Arnie up until this.

Arnie is a big part of the problem. He picks JMac to start then the team strategy is to send aerial crosses into a little fella who can't score goals. Madness.
Then he benches Mabil who was scoring goals. Threw on Nabbout who wasn't ready.
These are all Arnie calls, which were big mistakes.

When you pick strikers (and other attecking players) who cant score for their clubs, what do you think will happen when they play for the national team.

The Socceroos are an overrated national team expected to do much when they can offer so little? 

I'd say that's what half the forum think. 

Arnie is not the problem with the national team. Any other coach (whether we still had Ange, Bert, Bielsa or Guardiola) would still have had to deal with the mass injury crisis, the lack of even one goal scorer, the loss of Cahill and Jedinak, teams parking the bus, Rogic not replicating his Celtic form and playing in a part of the world where we have always struggled. 

actually i must give credit where credit is due. he's been a pretty good leader of that team. it still doesn't mean CCM should have signed him on a 2 year deal. 

The Asian cup is a brilliant tournament and the reason is there is so much variety in the teams and how they play. You have the Arab teams, then the Persians(Iran), the Uzbeks who play like a European team, the developed East Asian teams, the developing East Asian teams and then Australia. All we need is New Zealand in the mix who play a more defensive style of "European football" and this tournament would be amazing.

It is incredibly unique because no other tournament in the world has such variety. There is the World Cup but if you look at it from the point of which teams can legitimately win the tournament then it becomes the top four European teams against the top three South American teams. There are such huge mismatches that everything prior to Quarter finals pretty much serves as warm ups for the big teams. Not knocking the World Cup as I love it but just pointing out how unique the Asian Cup is and how heavily underrated it is in this country. 

Matt Simon isn't a star by any means but has a role to play and does a decent job of it.

There are definitely worse strikers in the league.

Leckie is highly highly highly overrated. No decision making no composure no touch. Moves so well though and can dribble so when he pulls things off he looks like a star but never mind the 20 times before that he's given the ball away.

Timmy Cahill should still be in the squad and wasn't given enough of a go at recent clubs (millwall and city) and for oz due to age bias 

Boyle is (was) our most effective player

James Triosi should be in the squad at least and is highly underrated. Performed at every club hes been at apart from Atlanta where he wasn't given a fair crack. Imo has starred whenever playing for oz connecting mid to attack. Right to be pissed. He's a jerk so then everyone tries chop him down but he's a rolls royce

Agree with this. We've always looked best with Milligan and Luongo in mid anyway. The best I've seen us play since 2011 was the child match where Irvine and Luongo played CM. 

It is a paradox, isn't it. Listening to the Guardian Football podcast the other day and they were discussing Huddersfield's squad and they basically describe Mooy as the only player in the squad who would be guaranteed to find another EPL team starting position if Hudders go down. Yet, like you two, I am ambivalent about Mooy missing out on this tournament.

Glad I'm not the only one who has thought this - plays poorly for Australia imo

Personally think missing boyle is bigger than missing mooy and leckie

Losing Aaron Mooy for the Asian Cup is not the nightmare it is painted as. In meaningful international competition since the  beginning of the main Round of WCQ in September 2016  he has played for Australia 17 times for 0 goals and assists against Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Thailand.  

This is coming from someone who flew to Japan to watch them play last year. 

Adam?  Where are you? Where is peacock ? I want an apology. This is our NT manager when in meltdown mode. It will eventually come back to haunt him in this job. 
Right now I have no love for this team. I love when they play for their overseas clubs and following the Aussies abroad. I can't get on board with Arnie. 

yeah ange turned into a right sour cnut. i was all for him, but he needed to grow some thicker skin. the NT job isnt for you if you can't handle some basic press questions.  still though, he has noooothing on arnies meltdown.

where is his apology btw?  does adam peacock still have it?

Ange always came across as angry and grumpy (and sweaty).  Don't know him so it's hard to tell what he's like in everyday life. Hopefully Arnie era moves us forward with better all round results.

Just watching The 2015 Asian Cup wrap. Ange even at that stage was an angry old man. While I don't think we will win the Asian Cup, I think the Arnie era from then forward  will be a great time for the Socceroos.

An evil part of me secretly wants Arnie to fail because he has picked grant, and because he also comes across as a massive bellend. Which is harsh because not only is it our national team but I’m sure he’s a good bloke in real life when away from the media and sidelines.

I concur with soccer_fan

Not me. I always loved Harry. He was a bit of a knob when he talked, but he didn't beat around the bush, and didn't act like a goose like good old Timmy does in occasion.

I'm just not a fan of Timmy the man, always acknowledged his playing abilities in his peak.