The most important man in Australian sport.

Socceroos Boss Graham Arnold.

God help Graham Arnold if the Socceroos don't win (can't say that other word) on Friday.

We must win. We have to win. But spare a thought, a human thought, for a man who takes the time to turn from the criticisms of the previous night, the preparations of the coming days, to smile for a camera with a bloke he's never seen in his life before.

An all the while he must be thinking what went wrong and how we need to get it right on Friday.

And for what?

So he can be given the flick, or at least demoted when the tournament is over.

So good luck Graham Arnold, may your selections be positive and choices prove fruitful.

As Fox viewing figures show, The Socceroos are the most supported National team, even in World Cup cricket year.

And yes I'd love to see an Australia lead the National team beyond this tournament. And I hope to see Graham Arnold produce a team better than its current parts, to enable us to go to the final at least.

And yes, I'll be the first writing my article for The Canberra Times demanding change if we fail on Friday. There would be no alternative would there?

But I'd love to see Arnold succeed for Australia, and for him. He has the passion. He is a football man. He loves the game. And he is Australian.

If we fail in the Asian Cup, with the team Arnold has assembled, no non-Australian could knit the teams (as there will be two maybe three in the coming years) better than Arnold.

Sure they could do better than Arnold in a World Cup final, but over the next three years? Who could do better than Arnold with our qualifying route, our European players, our tyranny of distance and climatic variations.

Who?