Agreed.

Given that Arnie considers Leckie a credible alternative, I’d say there’s not even risk. Leckie has always been useless in the final third.

Potential pay-off, should Volpato start against Japan, is huge.

As for the nonsensical suggestion some others on the forum are making that he’s holding the NT to ransom and that he doesn’t deserve to rewarded for that…

Wake up. We’re shit at football and beggars can’t be choosers. Volpato isn’t a perfect person. FFA and individuals in key positions are a lot further away from perfect. They’ve got to eat humble pie. No-one on this forum will be complaining of Volpato plays for Australia and is a regular starter at Roma

our best team atm 

            Maclaren
         McGree Rogic
Smith Devlin Irvine Atkinson
   Degenek Souttar Sains

Bump for relevance. Think we've all gone through our heads who should be on the scrapheap never to return and who's promising.

It shouldn't really matter so long as the player is in form but we've seen a lot of players who just don't work on the international stage. 

Seeing this now. I've been thinking all day about whether other players would've made ja difference. So glad to see Metcalfe get into the side. Early days for him. It appeared Stensness was more composed with Jeggo at his side. Jeggo not really with anything wrong but noticeably he feared the pass through. I think Genreau can do that. I wish Dougall had played to see his Championship sharpness.

All hindsight but I wonder how a running Atkinson and Elder would've gone with a manager using tactics to get in behind. Indeed Japan would've kept some at bay but I can't help wondering how our better 11 with a suitable system would've gone. 

The whose promising section is going to a long bow to draw. 

Let's face it, throwing the baby out with the bath-water and ostracising communities that care about the game probably wasn't the smartest idea for longevity. 

it did buy short-term success though. The halcyon days of 2006-2015 were still built largely by the NSL though.

And what about the 32 years of unsuccessful campaigns prior to 2005, does the NSL take any blame for that or was that also the A-leagues fault?

If you think 32yrs of unsuccessful campaigns is a dart to throw your kidding yourself.
Part timers/ for how many of those 32yrs for one, a admin that was re active,  no media support, the list could go on and on but the backbone of it all at least we finally broke through.
Use your head mate.

I wonder what the 2026 qualifying path will look like. A top 10 group would be unlikely as the AFC will want to expand on final round participation. Got to wait for the slot allocation. 

Draw is next Friday. Had no idea. 

Didn't realise the WC draw is actually next Friday.
The final draw is scheduled to take place at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center in Doha, Qatar,^[57] on 1 April 2022,^[58] 19:00 AST,
prior to the completion of qualification.

The two winners of the inter-confederation play-offs and the winner of the Path A of the UEFA play-offs will not be known at the time of the draw.^[59]For the draw, the 32 teams will be allocated to four pots based on the FIFA World Rankings of 31 March 2022.

Pot one will contain the hosts Qatar (who were automatically assigned to position A1) and the best seven teams.

Pot two will contain the next best eight teams, with the next best eight teams into pot 3.
Pot 4 will contain the five lowest-ranked teams, along with the placeholders for the two inter-confederation play-off winners and the UEFA Path A play-off winner.

Teams from the same confederation cannot be drawn into the same group except for UEFA teams, for which there will be at least one and no more than two per group. This principle will also apply to the placeholder teams, with constraints applying based on the confederation of both potential winners of each play-off tie.

The draw will start with pot 1 and end with pot 4, with each team selected then allocated into the first available group alphabetically. The position for the team within the group will then be drawn, with the pot 1 teams automatically drawn into position 1 of each group. 

I'm sure the computer will sort it but does this mean the Playoff winner will almost certainly not be facing an Asian or South American opponent?

For example they can't draw the Playoff winner to join a group with say, Japan or Brazil in two respective groups.

I would expect the computer the then process it and then basically the AFC COMNEBOL Playoff winner will be put in a group with teams from any other confederations.

I can't get my head around how saying the AFC team has been drawn with Iran's group but if they lose everything is fine but if they win they'll be put somewhere else. That would just be silly anyway. 

Hard to actually pick who is in our best 23 atm. So many players who are there or there about. But no one really with that next level apart from McGree and Rogic.

If I was in charge and needed to get a result against Japan and Saudi Arabia, this is the squad im taking if people not getting injured, covid, married, vaccinated, ignored because the manager doesn't like them was an issue.

Ryan, Vukovic, Birighitti
Davidson, Karacic, Sainsbury, Degenek, Souttar, Deng, Smith
Luongo, Irvine, Mooy, Rogic, McGree, Jeggo
Hrustic, Rukavytsya, Taggart, Goodwin, Mabil, Boyle 

Does that mean if we qualify we cant be drawn with New Zealand? This is part of the reason we got the group we did in 2006.

It seems so. If it's all rankings based. The 5th South American team if they get in can be an absolute landmine in Pot 4. I think the rankings will see a fair spread of confederations and the computer will allocate accordingly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLGOv9T6ZW8

Brilliant to see what Canada have done the past 3 years.

Ryan, Langerak*, Birighitti
Souttar, Sainsbury, Degenek, Deng, Atkinson, Smith, King
Mooy, Irvine, Devlin, Luongo, Rogic, Hrustic, Mcgree
Boyle, Goodwin, Tilio, Mabil, Maclaren, D’agostino

Was ridiculous that he wasn't picked in the first place. Didn't need to start or even play for that matter but given he was uhming and ahhing between the 2 countries anyway, GA should have just picked him in the squad to get him involved. This is going to be the 2nd player we miss out on under GA's watch. What sets Ange and Hiddink out from all the other coaches we've had in the last 20 yrs is there out of the box and long term thinking. Hiddink picked Kennedy, Wilkshire, Milligan, Patafka and Kilkenny out of nowhere. The first 3 went on to be legends and the latter 2 were super exciting prospects at the time who were nowhere near ready for interantional football but as they had dual nationalities Hiddink picked them. Didn't happen for them in the end, but it was just smart to lock them in. Same to with Eddie thompson picking Kewell when he did... had he waited 12 months more we would have missed out.

Ange did the same also... we didn't lose a single player under his watch in fact even converting some over. 

It's just smart - we aren't Brazil

Actually third player lost under GA if you include John Souttar also. Him, Dykes and Volpato would be very handy additions to this team

Mooy in for Devlin and that is a good team. 

FA snippet of kids playing football for the ball to be stopped by a foot wearing gold socks. Caption says 'coming soon'

New kit? 

Anyone know why Erik Ten Haag wants Rene Meulensteen as his assistant but we wont even let him take the reins for the rest of the campaign? 

Surely if he's good enough to be assistant at united means he can be our head coach? I know he has history there but come on? Just give him the role.

He's never been a head coach that much in his career, he got a chance at Fulham but this was almost a decade ago.

I didn’t see it but a new sponsorship was announced today with Cupra so maybe something with that. 

Arteta wasnt, Mourinho wasnt, plenty of guys were assistants are now top class managers because someone gave them a chance.

It's probably a good thing but I always wonder whether Aide O'Neill or Piscopo will break into the national team squad. Thankfully we are getting better stacked. When they're on song you just wish they could do it instead of some of those lethargic performances put out b the regulars. I know we need to build consistency but I also think a culture where no one's position is safe will at least see top effort for a full 90min.

Must admit I've tried  not to think about these two WCQs coming up in June,  after having to admit how despondent I've  felt about the prospect of Australia not qualifying.

Now I've been away from football discussion for most of the last few months since the last WCQer, it  doesn't seem as disastrous if we don't qualify. Just more of a bonus if we do. 

I'm not sure about  the background of a player called Volpato? He has been mooted for Socceroo selection. 

Shame to read this, having seen little A L recently.

At  the last Asian Cup Ikon was our star forward in terms of creating chances for others.

Sometimes it can be a case of a coach needing experienced players on the pitch.

One has to know one's own game well before they can organise other players around them.

ATM we have massive depth in central midfield with no clear pecking order for starting players.

Some experienced  Socceroo central midfielders are declining, or stagnating, when they need to improve more than they are at this stage of their careers.

Then there is almost a  production line of young  central midfielders improving quickly, but who lack the required big match experience. Particularly in light of the massive pressure of the imminent  sudden death WCQs.

I think that is a bit harsh on Arnie.

To the best of my knowledge, Bozza has undertaken no  contemporary  coach education over the last 20 years. I don't think he has ever coached professionally  either. His understanding of  football in 2022 is outdated.

Many of his peers playing in the same era, particularly ones who have coached in the last five years, or even played more recently, like Mark Milligan, may be in a better position to appraise Arnie's performances.  

any word on when the squad will be announced, 1 week till the friendly