A-League Favourites

[marc71178]

We have to travel thousands of miles to play in conditions we havent been used to, against sides we havent had to play before from a completely different part of the world.

In which case, what's the point in actually qualifying for the World Cup then, since then you'd have to travel thousands of miles to play in conditions you hadn't been used to, against sides you hadn't had to play?

 

[BoyBrumby]

IIRC Oz actually qualified back in 1974 (more than we did thanks to Cloughie's "clown" ), who did they beat to qualify then?

NZ certainly qualified in '82(they were in a group with Scotland, Brazil & The Soviet Union I think, again if memory serves yer Sweaties d1cked 'em 5-2), which is the first WC in my living memory (I'd have been 2 in '78), so presumably they won a play-off back then too.

 

[Simon]

Why should such a rank poor area get 2 spots in the World Cup?

we shouldnt, but should such a poor confederation exist in its current form?
playing in Asia is good for us, we deserve more competition and should get the chance to have a structured system to make it...

 

[Simon]

Oh dear, oh dear.

And you think he'll help you get to World Cups?

hes better than any striker NZ have, which was the point i was making...
our best system is one with Viduka up front with Bresciano and Kewell in behind with Emerton and Elrich on the wings...

 

[Simon]

In which case, what's the point in actually qualifying for the World Cup then, since then you'd have to travel thousands of miles to play in conditions you hadn't been used to, against sides you hadn't had to play?

compared to other countries though, is it really fair?

 

[Blaze]

NZ certainly qualified in '82(they were in a group with Scotland, Brazil & The Soviet Union I think, again if memory serves yer Sweaties d1cked 'em 5-2), which is the first WC in my living memory (I'd have been 2 in '78), so presumably they won a play-off back then too.

Ahhh those were the days.. NZ qualified through about 12 matches against all kinds of teams. I will look it up somewhere and try find their qualification run

 

[Simon]

Ahhh those were the days.. NZ qualified through about 12 matches against all kinds of teams. I will look it up somewhere and try find their qualification run

yeh i think australia might have done the same thing, played bunches of teams in europe and that...

 

[Blaze]

Found it just like that..


1982 NZ qualified for World Cup finals, after a huge long haul: Australia 3-3; Fiji won 4 - 0; Chinese Taipei 0 - 0; Indonesia won 2 - 0; Australia won 2 - 0; Indonesia won 5 - 0; Chinese Taipei won 2 - 0; Fiji won 13 - 0; China PR 0 - 0; China PR won 1 - 0; Kuwait lost 1 - 2; Saudi Arabia 2 - 2; Kuwait 2 - 2; Saudi Arabia won 5 - 0; China PR won 2 - 1.

 

[Blaze]

So we qualified through asia sort of back then...

 

[duffer]

Yet there's massive crying every 4 years when they don't get an automatic place.

This is a joke, and how long before other countries ask to move to an easier region?

Australia has only been able to gain entry because they've proven to the Asian financial powers that be that our involvement is financially beneficial to the AFC. I don't think that the Kiwis have anything that they can bring to the table in this regard so unless the whole of Oceania is absorbed into the AFC, they've got buckleys.

 

[Blaze]

Australias path to the 1982 World Cup finals was via the Oceania qualifying group. This group consisted of New Zealand, Indonesia, Taiwan and Fiji. The winner of the group would go onto the next stage of qualification. (NZ)

Thus New Zealand found themselves taking on the cream of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the People's Republic of China in a further qualifying group, with the top two nations securing the last berths in Spain. And after six round-robin matches apiece, New Zealand and China were locked together in second place, forcing a play-off in the neutral territory of Singapore on January 10, 1982, the means by which one nation would experience agony, the other ecstasy.

NZ beat china and won through.. wow that is a tough run to get to a world cup. I have never realised how many games they played to get through. Can any one find any info on Aussies run when they made it?

 

[duffer]

Oh dear, oh dear.

And you think he'll help you get to World Cups?

24 goals in 113 La Liga games playing primarily as an attacking midfielder, he's a very good player and would compliment Viduka very well if selected.

 

[marc71178]

compared to other countries though, is it really fair?

I don't see what was wrong with the old system - for a start it kept you in your own continent.

 

[marc71178]

24 goals in 113 La Liga games playing primarily as an attacking midfielder, he's a very good player and would compliment Viduka very well if selected.

He's changed a hell of a lot from when he was a useless striker at Coventry then.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

IIRC Oz actually qualified back in 1974 (more than we did thanks to Cloughie's "clown" ), who did they beat to qualify then?

Then they were in Asia. Qualified by knocking out Iraq, Indonesia, New Zealand, Iran (in a two-legged play-off, incidentally) and South Korea (in ANOTHER two-legged play-off)

*hugs RSSSF*

 

[superkingdave]

hes better than any striker NZ have, which was the point i was making...

*cough*Chris Killen*cough* :

 

[Simon]

I don't see what was wrong with the old system - for a start it kept you in your own continent.

so playing in South America keeps us on our own continent?

 

[marc71178]

As a play-off is much different to playing all games there.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Didn't get on so well @ home against Iran either....

An Aussie team managed by El Tw@t throwing away a two-goal lead, it doesn't get much better than that!!

 

[Simon]

As a play-off is much different to playing all games there.

how is it different? we still had to qualifying by playing a country not in the same region...

u cant just pick and chose situations to suit your argument marc...