This is what I've been telling you all about the Roar - never realised you were exactly like me when it came to the national team. Fantastic, gang.

There's so many threads and posts about how we're 'suddenly' shit or 'not ready' for the World Cup - but why only coming out of the woodwork en masse when it's too late? Pim was never going to experiment to any great degree at any stage in the leadup.

The amount of realism sweeping through the ranks is encouraging, however - I don't think last place in this group will even be a disgrace. It's a pleasure to play on the biggest stage at all, and while it would be nice to continue, I don't think it's likely.

Of course, like most of you, I disagree with most of the things Pim has done while in charge. Not taking Carle is madness, for example - we have holding midfielders out the wazoo, and one and a half people that can create something. And as much as I'd like to be proven otherwise, I think it's realistic to expect that no plan b and no tactical flexibility from our coach will most likely lead to an early exit.

Does that make me a bad supporter? No. Does that make me "un-Australian" or somesuch? No. It just makes me realistic when it comes to supporting my teams. It's not pessimism, it's not setting yourself up for failure - it's just setting a level of expectation based on the evidence you have.