Will the Socceroos qualify for Germany 2006 ?

[EnglishRose]

I have a feeling we'll be playing Uruguay (5th South American team for the final WC spot).

Here's the squad to qualify (Hope Frank Farina esquire is listening)

(1-4-4-2)

Schwarzer

Muscat Moore Murphy Popovic

Emerton Bresciano Kewell Lazaridis

Aloisi Agostino

Viduka's on the bench....I think he's overrated anyway.

[DJellett]

No

[Waughney]

Viduka is one of Australia's best players, he is definately not overrated.
Anyway, I think the socceroos will still find it hard to qualify through South America, we should be qualifiying through Asia.

[Simon]

i think we will qualify, if we have our strongest side on the paddock, we should aim for an away draw in south america and a home win. IMO this will be our starting 11

-----------Schwarzer--------------
Neill - Moore (c) - Popovic - Lazaridis

Emerton - Grella - Bresciano - Chipperfield

Kewell

Viduka

a 4-4-1-1 formation, similar to the formation that Man utd play with scholes inbetween the midfield and van nistelrooy. The rest of the team picks itself basically. Grella will be ready to be a starting midfielder soon, Bench spots will be Cahill, Zdrillic, Laybutt, Kalac (gk), Elrich, Colosimo, a few other younger players could come up before qualifying, but i think Farina has been picking players snice the uruguay game that will be there for 2006.

[Craig]

Viduka must start for Australia, he is Australia's best striker IMO.

If Australia draw Uruguay, forget it, if they get Colombia or Venezula then they have an equal opportunity.

Unless New Zealand pull off a mircle, then we dont have much chance of going to South America.

[marc71178]

Does John Aloisi still play?!!

[Craig]

Well he didnt play v Turkey.

We saw Christian Vieri's younger brother Max make his debut for Australia. It's because Max was born in Sydney (Christian was born in Bolonga - sp), he plays for Napoli in Serie B.

[luckyeddie]

Whilst Viduka might be an Australian hero, he is a spineless worm who should take a lot of responsibility for Leeds getting relegated.

(thinks about it)

On second thoughts, go, Viduka. W00t. Woo hoo. Top bloke. (not fond of Leeds myself)

[ash chaulk]

Despotovski...............Goalski.........over the topski.........sonofabitch passes to smith oh **** i hope i pronounced that correctly

[Craig]

Originally Posted by luckyeddie

Whilst Viduka might be an Australian hero, he is a spineless worm who should take a lot of responsibility for Leeds getting relegated.

(thinks about it)

On second thoughts, go, Viduka. W00t. Woo hoo. Top bloke. (not fond of Leeds myself)

And maybe next season is the season Derby move up the table and into promotion play-off zone. You guys have a good keeper in Lee Grant and some decent players...

[luckyeddie]

Originally Posted by Craig

And maybe next season is the season Derby move up the table and into promotion play-off zone. You guys have a good keeper in Lee Grant and some decent players...

Not likely, I'm afraid.

We have fewer decent players now than a few weeks ago. Youl Mawene refused his new contract and walked out (wanted premiership wages) although most of the kids have signed new ones. Leon Osman and some of the other successes were loan signings.

We are 34 million in debt with a team of schoolboys. Another season in the bottom six, I reckon.

[Craig]

Well if you guys play like you did against Preston, then that is a start.

[luckyeddie]

Originally Posted by Craig

Well if you guys play like you did against Preston, then that is a start.

Oh, there's immense promise there, Craig, that's for sure.

The debts are crippling, though, there's no prospect of refinancing and they were one of the clubs who refused to use temporary receivership as a means of avoiding their financial responsibilities.

For the next 10 years or so (barring a miraculous reaching the cup final or the like) we will be a 'selling' club. Still, I've got fabulous memories.

[Craig]

Like playing in the EPL?

Still I guess you hope for Ambramovich type take over?

[luckyeddie]

Originally Posted by Craig

Like playing in the EPL?

Still I guess you hope for Ambramovich type take over?

Hardly - on both counts.
We had a chairman who was quite happy to pump a chunk of his own money in and to sanction a number of deals the club could not afford.

As far as playing in the EPL is concerned - meh!
I'm talking about the time when Derby were the number 1 team in England, a spell in the early to mid 1970's when they ALWAYS finished above Man U, usually above Liverpool and Leeds and won the championship twice. Although we didn't manage to win the European Cup (at that time, only Man U and Celtic had won it from the UK), we enjoyed reasonable success, were robbed in the European Cup semi-final against Juventus (there was suspicion of bribery at the time, Helmut Haller in the ref's dressing room at half time, dubious penalties, inexplicable disallowing of a couple of Derby goals etc etc), beat the likes of AC Milan, Inter, Real Madrid, Benfica and so on.

Derby had Roy McFarland and Colin Todd as centre-backs, Francis Lee, Gerry Daly, Bruce Rioch, Charlie George, Kevin Hector, David Nish, Archie Gemmill etc etc etc. All were considered stars on the world stage. Successive chairmen on ego trips made it impossible for Brian Clough to work so he quit, then sacked his successor Dave Mackay just a few matches into the season (we had just finished third). That was the beginning of the end.

A revival in the 1990's after Robert Maxwell took over the club was a blip. Maxwell got into financial trouble, sold the best players (Dean Saunders and Oooo Mark Wright), pocketed the cash and scarpered.

This is a small town club, remember.