Arif Speaks: Get behind the Aussies....now!

Well, the Aussies played their first game last night. What's the buzz like at work? I'd be surprised if more than a handful of people even knew we played! I've been reading that the Asian Cup has failed to capture the imagination of the Thai people and that media coverage in Thailand has been ordinary. Well, if that's true then I guess the Thais are in good company, because the coverage back home has been pretty ordinary as well!

Our debut game in the Asian Cup, not being shown on free to air tv (Eamon's commented on this sufficiently, so I wont bother), prime time audience - you would think that pubs and bars would be lining up to broadcast it! Not so. The first bar we went to, all kitted up in our Socceroos gear, the bar staff didn't even know it was on ("What channel is it on?" they asked). The best offer we got was they could play it with the sound off.

The pub down the road who at least had it on the right channel, and eventually a crowd of maybe 50 gathered. Being a Sunday night in Canberra, one of the bar girls did ask me why there were so many people there and what we were there for - so obviously even though they were showing it, the bar staff at the second pub didnt know it was on either...

Lets face it, we played pretty crap didnt we? And credit where its due - Oman played out of their skins. Did we deserve a draw? I dont think we did. But then again, we didnt deserve to lose 2-0 to Brazil last year and deserved at least something against the Italians!

Actually, I'm hoping that a 1-1 result is exactly the result that will propel the Asian Cup to where it needs to be in this country. I know Arnie has said numerous times that we are not arrogant and we're not taking things lightly, but is that really so? While the other teams have been playing warm up matches acclimatising to the conditions for weeks now, all we've been doing is pre-season training. And just because we're ranked 40 something by FIFA, the media (and certain players) have made out that we somehow deserve a place in the semi-final at least... FIFA rankings? Anyone who knows anything knows that the FIFA rankings are a joke - USA ranked in the top 10 for last years final anyone?

I'm hoping the 1-1 result will make people realise that Asia will not be the walk over that everyone was expecting. That there is actually competition in Asia. That the games will be worth watching and just as exciting/nail-biting as in the World Cup last year. 1-1 against Oman might be just the thing that finally gets the media on board!