Australia are definitely the better side out there don't know why people think otherwise.
They do this against everyone, sit deep and do fudge all then score on the counters usually in late game. Poppa is a football terrorist.
It works too, ten games unbeaten.
They are far better than us.
They do this against everyone, sit deep and do fudge all then score on the counters usually in late game. Poppa is a football terrorist.
It works too, ten games unbeaten.
They are far better than us.
i think a lot of the blame for the poor performance and result on Tuesday night is down to the inadequacies of Bazeley as a coach.
To my mind there's a big gap in effectiveness between Baze and Pops as national team coaches.
The difference between Bazeley and Popovich is that Bazeley has never been manager of a pro football side while Popovich has been tested and gained experience across several years as manager of pro club football sides and shown competency by winning the A-League premiership twice and the Asian Champions League (three time A-League Coaxch of the Year).
His coaching career actually startd at a very good level, as assistant coach at Crystal Palace for a season and a half.
Baze's coaching background by comparison is extremely modest.
In pro football, the best he's reached is two seasons as assistant to the charlaton Hudson at Colorado and a very brief spell as assitant at the Jets.
Otherwise youth national team manager or assistant and national team assistant.
He's one of those guys you see all over the world whose level is national youth coaching but can't effectivley step up to senior national team managemnt.
I found the NZ u-20's under Bazeley at the last u-20 World Cup were a hard watch.
Same problems as with the current All Whites - shakey defensively and not much cutting edge in front of goal.
Ultimately, for the AW's to progreess, they need a more capable manager.
Would be good if NZF were able to find someone - but candidates would be few and far between. They'd have to be willing to work for comparative peanuts in international terms - and in a football backwater on the OFC which wouldn't progrees their career much in emplyability internationally.
Except that the chance to coach in a World Cup next year would burnish an ambitious coach's CV.
NZF should keep Bazeley working for them - but only as an assistant or youth coach..