Some good detail there from Reg22 on some stuff I wasn't aware of. Though yes Johnny Warren is a legend in Australian football.
But I still consider the 1974 side weaker than the 2022 version. Just like I consider the 1982 AWs weaker than the 2010 team.
Sure it was only a 16 team WC in 1974, but the strength of the sport worldwide has grown immensely since then, outside of Europe & Sth America. I still don't think the Socceroos would have been the 16th ranked team in the world in 1974 despite their WC qualification. Much like the AWs weren't world number 24, in 1982.
And on Arnold he's been around the Socceroos a long time in a coaching capacity - back to being Hiddink's assistant from 2005. It's been a far from smooth ride. Maybe we need to give our next AWs coach a 2 WC cycles for a change to see what they can do (as long as the first cycle goes okay).
Sorry for getting off topic. Must be due a Pragnell update.
But I still consider the 1974 side weaker than the 2022 version. Just like I consider the 1982 AWs weaker than the 2010 team.
Sure it was only a 16 team WC in 1974, but the strength of the sport worldwide has grown immensely since then, outside of Europe & Sth America. I still don't think the Socceroos would have been the 16th ranked team in the world in 1974 despite their WC qualification. Much like the AWs weren't world number 24, in 1982.
And on Arnold he's been around the Socceroos a long time in a coaching capacity - back to being Hiddink's assistant from 2005. It's been a far from smooth ride. Maybe we need to give our next AWs coach a 2 WC cycles for a change to see what they can do (as long as the first cycle goes okay).
Sorry for getting off topic. Must be due a Pragnell update.
When you say the Socceroos would not be ranked 16th, that is not the main point. The main point is the 2022 side were ranked 38 and that the 1974 would be higher than that because that is the central argument.
Also disagree on the 2010 All Whites vs 1982. Again you seem to compare 2010 All Whites with 1982 All Whites as if the rest of the World has stood still. The main criteria when making a comparison is relative comparison to the rest of the world, surely? The 2010 All Whites would not have survived the same qualification campaign as the 1982 side. The 1982 All whites may not have been ranked 24 but they would not have been 88 as the 2010 side was. Also Bahrain had an "arguably" legitimate goal ruled out in the dying moments and lets not even get into the worst penalty taken in WC qualifying history. Who did 2010 have comparable to Rufer? (player of the century, no less) Ricky Herbert? ( signed by Wolves) Brian Turner? If NZ were in same group as Brazil in 2010 tournament normal service would have resumed. As you can see from the pasting that Brazil gave the same side of "professionals" in Geneva and at the Olympics.