Australia make it to Africa!

[FaninOz]

Seems to have been missed on here but Australia have already qualified for the World Cup in South Africa. Hope that England do make it to join us!

[Hoboh]

Seems to have been missed on here but Australia have already qualified for the World Cup in South Africa. Hope that England do make it to join us!

Really!!! Well done Cobbers. It will ease some of the pain of the ashes defeats that are inpending then

[Verbal]

Seems to have been missed on here but Australia have already qualified for the World Cup in South Africa. Hope that England do make it to join us!

Really!!! Well done Cobbers. It will ease some of the pain of the ashes defeats that are inpending then

You've forgotten the 20/20 walloping the Wallabies have already taken. Ho Ho Ho!

[Athers]

New Zealand were leading 3 times against Italy before losing 4-3 last night Still doubt they'll give whoever they play in the qualifier a shock though!

[bobo the clown]

Seems to have been missed on here but Australia have already qualified for the World Cup in South Africa. Hope that England do make it to join us!

... that must have been hard !!

Who was in their pool ?

[Prufrock]

Seems to have been missed on here but Australia have already qualified for the World Cup in South Africa. Hope that England do make it to join us!

... that must have been hard !!

Who was in their pool ?

they're in th'asian one now I think, so in theory it isn't AS easy. THough there's more places and guaranteed ones too.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

They are indeed in the AFC now.

They and Japan sure showed Uzbekistan, Bahrain and Qatar who's the daddies of Group 1.

[bobo the clown]

They are indeed in the AFC now.

They and Japan sure showed Uzbekistan, Bahrain and Qatar who's the daddies of Group 1.

Oh .... bravo then.

[Dujon]

You've forgotten the 20/20 walloping the Wallabies have already taken. Ho Ho Ho!

Bloody hell, that's why they performed so poorly! Fancy fielding a set of rugby players in a cricket competition. Ah well, arrogance is as arrogance does.

On the football team - Dave Sutton's barnet is correct. Still, for a nation where football ranks below netball, baseball and darts in the country's sporting psyche, they've not done too badly. 7 games, 7 clean sheets in a 5/2/0 display to date. Melbourne hosts the last game, which is versus Japan, in a night game next Wednesday at the M.C.G.. Given that they have both already qualified it'll be interesting to see what sort of crowd they draw. There are two reasons for that comment; the first is that Melbourne can be pretty cold at this time of year and the second that Sydney hosted the game earlier this week (also a dead rubber situation) when not even half the 80,000 stadium seats were in use. Then again Melbourne tends to a bit more sports mad than Sydney, so you never know.

Whatever, I really do wish the 'Socceroos' all the best. No one here claims that the team is the equivalent of Brazil or Spain (or even England for that matter) but these little successes do engender press and television coverage, which is no bad thing in a land where A.F.L. and the rugby codes reign supreme.

[FaninOz]

You've forgotten the 20/20 walloping the Wallabies have already taken. Ho Ho Ho!

Bloody hell, that's why they performed so poorly! Fancy fielding a set of rugby players in a cricket competition. Ah well, arrogance is as arrogance does.

On the football team - Dave Sutton's barnet is correct. Still, for a nation where football ranks below netball, baseball and darts in the country's sporting psyche, they've not done too badly. 7 games, 7 clean sheets in a 5/2/0 display to date. Melbourne hosts the last game, which is versus Japan, in a night game next Wednesday at the M.C.G.. Given that they have both already qualified it'll be interesting to see what sort of crowd they draw. There are two reasons for that comment; the first is that Melbourne can be pretty cold at this time of year and the second that Sydney hosted the game earlier this week (also a dead rubber situation) when not even half the 80,000 stadium seats were in use. Then again Melbourne tends to a bit more sports mad than Sydney, so you never know.

Whatever, I really do wish the 'Socceroos' all the best. No one here claims that the team is the equivalent of Brazil or Spain (or even England for that matter) but these little successes do engender press and television coverage, which is no bad thing in a land where A.F.L. and the rugby codes reign supreme.

You forgot to mention the frostbite that spectators may get at an evening game in Melbourne at this time of year.

More seriously, how did England do against South Africa in the 20/20 yesterday??

[superjohnmcginlay]

They are indeed in the AFC now.

They and Japan sure showed Uzbekistan, Bahrain and Qatar who's the daddies of Group 1.

So why the fook are Kazakhstan in European qualifying?

[FaninOz]

They are indeed in the AFC now.

They and Japan sure showed Uzbekistan, Bahrain and Qatar who's the daddies of Group 1.

So why the fook are Kazakhstan in European qualifying?

Its obvious aint it? Because Asia doesn't quite stretch that far!

[Worthy4England]

They are indeed in the AFC now.

They and Japan sure showed Uzbekistan, Bahrain and Qatar who's the daddies of Group 1.

So why the fook are Kazakhstan in European qualifying?

Because we couldn't have 'em knocking either the Aussies or Japan out of the AFC group? It just wouldn't be cricket.

[Dujon]

So why the fook are Kazakhstan in European qualifying?

Because England needs at least one game they have a chance of winning? Let us be honest here, Croatia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Andorra? Of course they have won them all.

I'm going back to my armchair with a crossword and a dream.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

They are indeed in the AFC now.

They and Japan sure showed Uzbekistan, Bahrain and Qatar who's the daddies of Group 1.

So why the fook are Kazakhstan in European qualifying?

Like some other "Central Asian" former Soviet republics, they were given the choice of aligning with Uefa or AFC. I think they did one qualifying campaign in Asia then decided to join Uefa, apparently through ambition (bigger names, etc)

[Frandsen08]

australia had a good side in the last world cup

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

australia had a good side in the last world cup

Might I suggest a subtle but important alteration?

australia had a brilliant manager in the last world cup

[BWFC_Insane]

australia had a good side in the last world cup

Might I suggest a subtle but important alteration?

australia had a brilliant manager in the last world cup

And a decent side as well DSB!

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Aye. They even won a game!

I think it's entirely possible that Hiddink made more than the sum of parts including - to take seven starters from the first game as an example - Craig Moore, Scott Chipperfield, Luke Wilkshire, Brett Emerton, Mark Bresciano, Vince Grella and Jason Culina...

[Frandsen08]

australia had a good side in the last world cup

Might I suggest a subtle but important alteration?

australia had a brilliant manager in the last world cup

the XI on the field still had to do the business