Rumours concerning the new Socceroos head coach have been circulating since midway through the World Cup. A number of names have been tossed into the mix, including the ubiquitous Philipe Troussier (who impressed me as the Japan boss in 2002), the former Cameroon coach Paul Le Guin, Lothar Matthaus, Jose Peckerman and El Loco, Marcelo Bielsa. It's hard to know just who else the FFA has been talking to and precisely who is really interested.
There are a few things I would like to know about them too. Are they genuinely interested in developing the game in Australia? We don't really need any more 'paying out' on the A-League, Verbeek-style. We do need encouragement, mentoring and an emphasis of finding and developing talent. Will the new coach reside in Australia? I think that they should. Will there be an emphasis on a more attacking football, as opposed to the dire defensiveness of the Verbeek era? I hope that the new coach can find that happy medium between strong defence and a desire to attack.
Pim Verbeek had significant success with the Socceroos, fullfilling his remit impeccably. But the manner in which a team plays is just as important as the results and if football is to win over more hearts in Australia, then the post-Verbeek head coach needs to ring in the changes.
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