Agree.

I'm guilty of only watching Ten for football, so  rarely see Ten ads promoting games.

What is this crap?? Seen this a few times since the WC. 

We made the last 16. Just like we did in 2006. 
That's it. 
No better. No worse. 

Who has come up with these gradings for anything beyond a top 4 in the world cup??
An Aussie thing or FIFA bullcrap?

It isn't crap.

There is a table floating around listing how teams finished in Qatar based on goals scored/ conceded and points accrued.

Japan finished 9th, Senegal 10th and Aus 11th.

Its  a strange ranking but that would make it one the best *results*.  But the best team?

Comparing like with like ie young team, friendly,  this was our team playing against a World Eleven in 1999:

Bosnich, Vidmar, Tobin, Popovich Lazaridis, Corica Zelic Okon Kewell Viduka, Aloisi, Emerton on the bench

We got 88,000 that night.

How does that team of young players compare with what was on the park against Ecuador

Watch it here: https://www.socceroos.com.au/news/top-5-highest-attendances-socceroos-home-matches

That team sheet shows what a travesty it was that we missed out on the 1998 World Cup in France.

agree Enzo...and with Butler.

I tend to think after the very lean performing years/WC's some are getting ahead of themselves, especially when looking at stats that on paper looks good but its not always as clear cut on the pitch for me......
We've improved no doubt about it - comparing to the past since 06 thank the lord for we hit bottom performance wise but there's a long way to go and I look forward to the Asian Cup especially against nations we've struggled of late to see how we follow up after the WC......

As for the crowd as some mentioned it really is on the FA not doing enough that they thouroughly deserved more and the AFL/NRL just started their season with all the marketing (if you have Fox like I do Sydney wise NRL gets pumped ) they have its a no brainer for the many into those codes or not, Swans not suprised being one of the first games here and the amount of ex vics and those who jumped on board, again marketing is farfar better than for our Roos.
D2 I hardly miss a Roo game but nope I didn't go due to family function though many of my regular football mates did that normally I'm with for we always arrange a group buy.

Yeah, I'm sure Gosford, Canberra and Newcastle would have all got 30 000 spectators for a friendly international!

Have you ever been to Sydney? Getting from northern Beaches to Paramatta is a bit off putting for some.

Imagine if we had the quality of coaches we have now with those players...

Not terry venebles flying in for the weekend from his spanish investement complex 

Darkest day in Football in this country.......  Sorry the Iran game at MCG, NOT the friendly :)

What a stupid comment, how can you compare players whos stats are in the history books & who playing ability lives solely in some old videos & the memories of some old men to players who are at the start of their careers or those whos the history books are still writing their stories.

How does Matt Ryan who now has 3 campaigns at the WC compare to Bozza, who didn't appear in any, but played 1 season with Man U?

I've watched many games from that era.

The current team would easily beat the 1999 Socceroos. They are  decidedly  superior tactically. They are also battle hardened, clever and resilient  from playing so many competitive games together against high quality opposition.

Good on you for attending most Soccerooo games, LFC.

We in the Aussie regions, are envious you have such easy access to Socceroo fixtures.

Setting aside your insulting nonsensical opening sentence, to answer your question, I would say Ryan compares very lucky to have played in 3 WC's because he's had very little competition and Arnie loves him (Langers should have got the for this WC). 

Oh and it was Bosnich who kept Schwarzer on the bench.

 On ability , Ryan is behind both of them.

I've watched a lot of Socceroo games prior to 2005.

Despite the clubs they played with, only Bresc, Kewell, possibly Grella, maybe Chippers, would displace players in the current  Socceroo line up.  

Ridiculous.  How many of the current WC squad have been signed up in top  top-tier leagues?  Surely their 11th place finish would have had the agents lining up massive deals 

My apologies on my insulting comment, however, I did notice you did choose the easy route, while Ryan didn't have the competition, he has played in 3 WC campaigns & is current captain aiming for 4th at 34 years old, Bozza, who would have been perfect age of 34 for a GK wasn't even playing in 2006.
How do you compare those Socceroos legends to players still at the start of their careers was my real question, which you choose to ignore.

It's like comparing Kewell 1997 to Kewell 2006.

I remember standing in the mud in the rain behind the North end goal at the old Olympic Park in early 1998 on the other side of the athletics track feeling miserable with about 117 other miserable Socceroos fans at what I recall was the national teams first game back in Melbourne after the MCG qualifying disaster v Iran.
   I think we were playing either Chile or Paraguay and their fans were occupying the covered West stand in numbers, while us ‘roos fans shuffled around in the cold, mud and drizzle.
Reckon we lost the game too.
My feeling is that all up, we have actually come a long long way since back then.  

Please forget about the Socceroos, but you cannot compare football in 1999 to the current time. The Man City team of today would smash the 1999 Premier league champions Man U.

That's a bit silly, decentric. Are you saying Duke is a better striker than Viduka? Irvine a better box to box than Cahill? Degenek better than Emerton? Rowles better than Neill and Moore? It's a bit like saying Marcus Harris is a better batsman than Steve Waugh because he is tactically better and chases harder in the field. Superior individual ability will almost always triumph over tactics, work rate etc, all else being equal. No Duke isn't a better striker than Dooks because he likes to track back and chase hard moving cohesively as part of an organised team unit, even a fat lazy Viduka living on a diet of big macs and milkshakes is a better striker than Duke. The current Socceroos would get absolutely toweled by the golden gen. Even Guardiola coaching them they would still get hammered. 

Come to think of it, decentric, this is  probably the stupidest thing I've ever read. What's next, is Mclaren a better striker than Romario because he is better adapted to the modern game? Its great that we made it to the second round and everything but let's not get carried away.

How about Hull City in the Championship? The game has evolved right? I can totally see Dougall outplaying outsmarting Keane and Scholes in midfield. Not even a contest.

Again this stupid comparison, how can you compare Marcus Harris to Steve Waugh? One has finished his career, the other is still going.

You can only compare styles, yes today's game would smash the game of the Golden Gen time. How you do not see that I do not understand.
This is not saying the like of Dukes, Breschs & Kewell playing in today's game would not excel, just that the playing style is totally different, if not sure what I mean go & have a look at some of those 2006 WC games.

not being smug but yes proximity has its privilidges even though many out of the big smoke can't stand it, one of the main reasons why I like being here even though I've mentioned to the wife lets move out of the city.
Like going to Gelatissimo "choices" I would miss what the city has on the tap.

Carrying on with the ongoing debate of players of the past to present you posted :
"The current team would easily beat the 1999 Socceroos. They are  decidedly  superior tactically. They are also battle hardened, clever and resilient  from playing so many competitive games together against high quality opposition."         

In bold imo thats a given whoever gets to the level pulling on a NT shirt, some more than others but all have portions of all described.
Tactically well thats a different kettle for the game has changed since 06 to 2023 yer, so thats not a balanced comparison as well.
The 06 and pre if coached as per today would be just as sound.

What I see the difference is the quality of skill levels and those with the nouse of giving nice ball at the right time that with all the wonderful level of coaching today we give away alot wouldn't you agree. We sure are not possion monsters thats for sure but we're more so keeping shape better than before.

from another of your posts :
"Despite the clubs they played with, only Bresc, Kewell, possibly Grella, maybe Chippers, would displace players in the current  Socceroo line up."

So is Neil and Moore forgotten by many ?
They sure weren't too bad a CB pairing imo as roar as it was back then.
Laza may not be a sound running back defender as required today but as a attacking LB you could say he was ahead of his time (for here) by his flank attacking raids and cross's.

The mention re Ryan, yer I can't say much re Bozza for he blew it big time but good ol MS I rate above our Matty I'm sorry to others, his Club career smokes his and he done ok for us between the sticks.

Anyway this topic always comes along and we all have our opinions thats healthy, maybe I'm a harsh judge or expectations too high for I believe we need a core playing in higher leagues than current but thats my belief and the way I see it. Souttar is the only one in one though I think I;ve missed someone else therefore maybe 2.
We need more.

No have a look at the 1956 Brazilian team, this team would struggle against every side in the WC last year, does that make Pele a worst player that every player at the WC?
No, you just being silly, we are comparing styles, the game today is much more possession based than in 2006 golden generation, not saying the playing would not adapt, some would & some wouldn't. The 2006 side bar maybe 3-4 players were not renowned as a ball playing team.

Totally!!
I was so disappointed when I realised last week that game was "next Friday" not "this Friday".
Was hard to care much about a Socceroos friendly in that context even though I obviously watched it and enjoyed the game

Playing style, tactics , evolves over time but individual ability is still the single most valuable and predictable commodity in determining outcome. Uh no todays game wouldnt smash the golden gen, at least not the Socceroos. Under Guus we easily played the most slickest, cohesive, balanced, attractive football in our history. That was a combination of players with excellent ability and Guus's man management and tactical nous. Do you really think Arnie's administered backs to the wall, invoking Anzac spirit , do whatever it takes tactics would overrun Guus's golden gen? Even the golden gen under Farina would still hammer them.

I get concerned when people put way too much emphasis on the coaching, tactical side of things. Football has gone backwards in Australia because we stopped teaching kids how to run at defenders and develop individual flair and put their destiny in the hands of master tacticians who train the kids into generic robots who pass sideways and follow coaches orders. It truly fucked football in Australia. Notice how Ange does well in the SPL but not Europe. That main determinant of that is budget, not coaches tactics.

We cannot compare players playing at the at higher levels currently to the 2000 generations.
Look at current top leagues & you have a greater % of 'foreign' players whether it be from deepest darkest Africa to Northern Africa, to the Asians, to the larger qty of Sth Americans & even Nth Americans in the top leagues. So that is one thing, in the early 2000s, the competition was not that strong.
Playing styles, Even my good friend Ronaldo, as good as he struggles in this forwards pressing world, players evolve. All the front 3 of Liverpool press, Ronaldo doesn't.
Today I wonder how the Neills, Grellas, Moores, Emertons, Lazzas, Wilshires would have dealt with the pressing world where 1st touch is so important. As mush as I love Cahill, could he play attacking midfielder for one of the better teams with his lack of a good first touch & lack of a creative game.
Okon, Zelich, Dukes, Bresc & Kewell had good to strong 1st touches, but the other Aussies were known for it's battle hardened ability.

You're comparing 70 years with less than 20. How daft!

3-4 ball players was more than we have now. Viduka, Kewell, Bresciano, Culina, Grella, Neill all had ability on the ball. Who do we have now? Mooy, Hrustic, Souttar. The rest are turnover merchants. No wonder our possession and pass completion was so shitty compared with 2006.

Take your head out of your arse.

I begged to differ, I was in Germany & after Brazil game was drinking with some Brazilian fans, so proud of the Aussie performance, I thought bit of luck we could've got a draw, expecting praise from the Brazilians fans, instead they just you don't play 'jogo bonita', you play ugly football, you not good enough.
Totally disappointed I disagreed, until I got home & a months last saw the replay of the game & yes we fought hard, we played hard, but skill level we were well, well below their standard, there was no comparison.

There is too many of you old heads that should stop comparing from the past, remember we didnt qualify for a single World Cup until 2006 from 1974 with the GG era too.

This group might not be as talented as the GG team but as a team they were excellent at the World Cup and statically finished as the best ever Socceroos team to compete at the World Cup and pushed the world champions until the last kick, that's pretty good to me! 

And im not the biggest Arnie fan either but I give him massive credit for creating this team which did an incredible job with what was on paper too.

So get behind this team and this new generation of exciting players because this is plenty to look forward too!