Are the Socceroos a better team than England ?

[Craig]

Still not a friendly though.

 

[Craig]

I don't see what point you're trying to make Craigos.

Making some random idiotic post.

Happy?

 

[Johnners]

He made some good saves, true, but he was hopelessly out of position for their first goal (admittedly he wasn't helped by some turd marking, but anticipation is at least 50% of the keeper's art) & he took his eye off the ball for the second, hence the big airswing. If he'd have been looking to take a touch (as he easily could've done) Gaz Neville's international goals tally would still be zero. Ends up in the debit column for mine.

As to the question in hand, I think it's fairly obvious England have the better players (how many Aussies would make a combined XI? Maybe Kewell fit & in form at a stretch), but we consistently punch below our weight & Australia lately are punching above theirs.

Kewell (if fit), Cahill, Neill & Schwarzer would be the only hopes imo. Bresciano is quality, but he hasn't really fired on international level imo. Emerton has been a great player for us as well, and maybe a slight chance if it was a tour squad. Viduka, Culina, Moore & Grella are probably the best of the rest.

 

[Cloete]

No, just a meaningless competition that Brazil use to pick mainly C stringers in.

To be fair they certainly proved otherwise at the last one. But they produced a joke of a team at the 2001 Cup, but Australia's was probably a 2nd XI too so the result against France was certainly impressive.

 

[Cloete]

Making some random idiotic post.

Happy?

Actually that was my fault. I re-read it and got the jist that you were trying to point out it was at an international tournament as opposed to a friendly. Just that really long, bracketed sentence threw me off a bit.

 

[sledger]

as a team, yes, i would say they are better, by quite a way at the moment. In terms of ability probably not quite...overall.

 

[Johnners]

No, just a meaningless competition that Brazil use to pick mainly C stringers in.

The French & Brazlian teams that we beat. Fair point the Brazilian team may not've been their top team, but the fact remains it was still brazil, a far more talented footballing nation that Australia, and chances are at that stage, their B team would've won more than they lost against us.

The French Team on the other Hand was a strong line-up, and was hardly anything to be sneezed upon.

Australia (AUS)   
[1] SCHWARZER Mark (GK )  
[2] MUSCAT Kevin  
[3] MOORE Craig  
[4] OKON Paul  
[5] VIDMAR Tony  
[6] POPOVIC Tony  
[7] SKOKO Josip ( - 79)  
[8] LAZARIDIS Stan  
[10] EMERTON Brett  
[17] CORICA Steve  
[20] ZANE Clayton ( - 88) 

France (FRA) 
[12] COUPET Gregory (GK)  
[5] GILLET Nicolas  
[6] DJORKAEFF Youri ( -88)  
[11] WILTORD Sylvain  
[14] NEE Frederic ( -71)  
[15] BRECHET Jeremie  
[16] DACOURT Olivier ( -74)  
[18] LEBOEUF Frank  
[19] KAREMBEU Christian  
[20] CAMARA Zoumana  
[22] ROBERT Laurent  

 
Brazil (BRA) 
[1] DIDA (GK)  
[2] ZE MARIA  
[4] EDMILSON  
[8] VAMPETA  
[11] CARLOS MIGUEL ( -66)  
[15] CLAUDIO CACAPA  
[16] LEO  
[18] ROCHEMBACK ( -91)  
[20] RAMON  
[21] WASHINGTON  
[22] MAGNO ALVES

 

[bugssy]

What a 1-1 draw with a Paraguay shorn of their top players?

2 - 0 v bahrain, but do they count lol not the best opposition.

 

[Johnners]

for the record... how terrible was the ref in the Bahrain game

Bahrain put in a strong effort to match italy's diving feats, there was something like 4/5 stretchers called for, and each of the Bahrainian players got back up and were playing again 1/2 mintues later. It's this sort of thing that is going to drive away those who aren't true blue soccer fans.

 

[Pothas]

as a team, yes, i would say they are better, by quite a way at the moment. In terms of ability probably not quite...overall.

No that is taking it a bit far. Australia are decent but they have qualified for 1 world cup in 30 years while England have reached the quaterfinals of the last 3 tournaments. They may do it in a dull way but they normaly get there in the end. Therefore taking a slighlty longer view than the last two games England would probably normaly just scrap past them.

 

[Johnners]

I think the point sledger was trying to make is much the same as my argument, Australia play better as a team, whilst england rely on individualy pieces of brilliance to get them through. The fact that we don't have the same amount of quality players comes back to bite us, which is why imo england would win more games against us atm than we would lose.

 

[Pothas]

I would agree with that. they may play more as a team but that doesnt actualy make them a better team. They played far better as a team than Brazil did win they met in the world cup but they didnt win.

 

[marc71178]

The French Team on the other Hand was a strong line-up, and was hardly anything to be sneezed upon.

You had a point, until I looked at the team they played - who the hell were Gillet, Nee, Brechet and Camara?

And Robert, Lebeouf, Dacourt and Karembeu were hardly the greatest players...

 

[Johnners]

You had a point, until I looked at the team they played - who the hell were Gillet, Nee, Brechet and Camara?

And Robert, Lebeouf, Dacourt and Karembeu were hardly the greatest players...

Not the greatest, but they would've strolled into the Australian line-up..

All the same, our Victory over Uraguay (sp?) was better IMO, but until we can find a genuine striker, we will struggle to win against euro teams, we can draw if we play well, but until we find someone with the killer strike it'll be hard to knock off any of the big knobs in football.

 

[Great Birtannia]

I can't believe this thread has over 100 replies

Anyway you can never see enough footage of Rio Ferdinand being made the fool.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ly6denRWwKc

 

[steds]

The French Team on the other Hand was a strong line-up, and was hardly anything to be sneezed upon.

France (FRA) 
[12] COUPET Gregory (GK)  
[5] GILLET Nicolas  
[6] DJORKAEFF Youri ( -88)  
[11] WILTORD Sylvain  
[14] NEE Frederic ( -71)  
[15] BRECHET Jeremie  
[16] DACOURT Olivier ( -74)  
[18] LEBOEUF Frank  
[19] KAREMBEU Christian  
[20] CAMARA Zoumana  
[22] ROBERT Laurent

I'd sneeze on that. You can't call that strong.

 

[Johnners]

certainly stronger than the socceroo's outfit!

 

[Matteh]

The French Team on the other Hand was a strong line-up, and was hardly anything to be sneezed upon.

France (FRA) 
[12] COUPET Gregory (GK)  
[B][5] GILLET Nicolas  [/B]
[6] DJORKAEFF Youri ( -88)  
[11] WILTORD Sylvain  
[B][14] NEE Frederic ( -71)  [/B]
[B][15] BRECHET Jeremie  [/B]
[16] DACOURT Olivier ( -74)  
[18] LEBOEUF Frank  
[19] KAREMBEU Christian  
[B][20] CAMARA Zoumana  [/B]
[22] ROBERT Laurent

Shocker of a comment.

 

[Nate]

for the record... how terrible was the ref in the Bahrain game

Bahrain put in a strong effort to match italy's diving feats, there was something like 4/5 stretchers called for, and each of the Bahrainian players got back up and were playing again 1/2 mintues later. It's this sort of thing that is going to drive away those who aren't true blue soccer fans.

Truly pathetic. I met the Bahrain team at a hotel a few days before their game. A few of them were staring and cat-calling at a few women. And when a few people came up for autographs, they death stared them and got into an elevator yelling loudly. So it was always going to be hard for me to like them. The way they acted in the match didn`t help their cause.

 

[Johnners]

Shocker of a comment.

but if you take their team in context to Australia's, you'll see my point

all the same... who the hell are those 4...