7 January 2018

1) The end of an era for the Socceroo Realm

It’s been a year of transition for the Socceroo Realm. The personal webspace that’s been home for it for almost 20 years is now a thing of the past. While the site is still alive on the alphalink domain (select “Archive” from the main menu here to reach it), moving house in November and changing internet providers means I’ve lost access to it. Eventually, presuming the host ISP gets its act together, it will disappear totally. So it’s only this site, hosted by WordPress, that is being updated.

The old Socceroo Realm website as it stands now

2) Australia through to play Honduras as Ange Postecoglou shoots through

The other big event of 2017 was World Cup qualification for Russia 2018. Australia struggled through the group phase, and while they did well to score 19 points and only lose 1 game for the entire phase, it wasn’t enough to secure a top two spot and therefore direct qualification. So it was off to the playoffs where they overcame a stubborn Syria and a meek Honduras. Although, to coach Ange Postecoglou’s credit, the team played some of their best football for the entire campaign. Speaking of Ange…

3) Australia to play France, Peru & Denmark at Russia 2018; Ange Postecoglou quits

Ange Postecoglou shoots through. Yes, qualifies for the World Cup. Yes, quits the team. It’s possibly never happened anywhere else in the world before. A combination of preciousness to occasional media criticism, a long held grudge against Football Federation Australia and another job lined up, seemed behind the decision. Indeed, Postecoglou has signed with Yokohama F Marinos in the J-League, which was the rumoured outcome all along.

4) The Iran Game 20 Years On – Recounting the Memories

On more a personal note, and the reason for the Socceroo Realm in the first place, the infamous Iran Game of 1997 had its 20th anniversary. Strangely not too much fanfare about it compared to the last milestone of the 15th anniversary. No doubt because all the players of the time have retired, and there’s only so much it can gnaw at our soul anymore – especially since Australia had just qualified for its fourth World Cup in succession. Maybe I need to watch the match again to rekindled the distress and torture of that infamous night? The post linked above is actually a slightly modified version of the one written 5 years ago. With the old website no longer active, more of these “Blasts from the Past” will be feature in future.

5) Pros and Cons of a 48-team World Cup

In the world if FIFA, rarely something happens without controversy, and this time it’s the decision to expand the World Cup to 48 teams for 2026. You know what? Despite being a bit indifferent about it in the post above, now I believe it’s the right thing to do. It will happen sooner or later so may as well be sooner.

Honourable Mentions…

Australia featured in the Confederations Cup this year and performed well enough, and in what was once a staple in the Socceroo Realm, a “What Went Wrong” post returned, albeit for not qualifying for Russia 2018 directly. While I’ve written nothing all year about the women’s team, the Matildas, they are on fire. Winning the four-team Tournament of Nations in the USA in July and August by beating the hosts 1-0, Japan 4-2 and Brazil 6-1, and then beating Brazil in Australia in two internationals in September. On the back of this success, Australia plans to bid for the Women’s World Cup of 2023. Let’s hope it’s not a repeat of the last time Australia made such a bid – for the 2007 edition. With Australia the only bidder, FIFA extended the deadline and asked China to bid, and duly awarded it to them.