Football Anouncement Tommorow

[semja]

The FA are making some sort of announcement tommorow in the royal botanic gardens. Bob Carr is going to be there, as well as John O'Neill and Aussie players Ahmed Elrich and David Zdrilic.

Nobody knows what they will anounce but its certain to be big

[Lucan]

Nobody knows what they will anounce but its certain to be big

That we're playing Iraq at Homebush.

Hardly earthshattering news, IMO.

[Champagne Football]

http://www4.sbs.com.au/home/index.php3?id=54264

Telstra Stadium will be half empty (or should I say half full?). I don't see this as a very attractive fixture, and if they use the same pricing as the Turkey games....

[Lucan]

Telstra Stadium will be half empty (or should I say half full?). I don't see this as a very attractive fixture, and if they use the same pricing as the Turkey games....

There'll be 20,000 punters; so more like 3/4 empty, or 1/4 full, however one looks at it. ;)

[Champagne Football]

I just heard John O'Neill on the radio news saying he thinks they'll get "up around the 60,000 mark". :rolleyes:

[Clint]

At least he's optimistic ....... albeit perhaps a bit riduculously so.

[FunKii_DenAki]

australia... iraq..... pfft from aussie get a challenge

[semja]

They beat us at Under 23 level, maybe they will be better opponents then we think

[Champagne Football]

They beat us at Under 23 level, maybe they will be better opponents then we think
I tell you what, it's really starting to piss me off how quickly you can get logged out of this forum when writing a reply of any decent length!! :mad:

I'll keep it quick this time. It's not that Iraq will not be competitive against us (they are ranked above us). The problem is trying to attract paying customers to a game against a team which is not seen as 'glamourous', and they usually charge too much anyway, e.g. Turkey.

[gweeds]

australia... iraq..... pfft from aussie get a challenge


I think that this match is more as a PR exercise than a way for Australia to have a match:

1) It shows that the FFA is keen in keeping contact with the Asian Confederation and willing to help a 'struggling country' (the importance of keeping the ASA on side cannot be underestimated for possible future World Cup playoffs, A-League teams in Asian competiotions etc.)

2) It is good PR for football in Australia as this match will raise interest amongst the non-sport media. I expect good-feel stories about Iraqi players being tortured by Saddam and now able to play football with the kids etc. It also has that effect that Australia is there to help blah blah blah.....so we can feel good about ourselves.

Also I am not worried about Iraq not being 'competitive' (btw didn't their Olympic team beat us?). Plenty of football countries play 'smaller' countries in friendlies all the time. We are going to have plenty of competition when we play Croatia (if it happens) plus at the Confederation Cup.

[Lucan]

It will definitely be competitive, they're 14 palces ahead of us in the world rankings. If we field a sub-standard squad they could do a real number on us at home.

Australia was always due to play a country from the AFC at that time of year, I'm wrapped it is one of the teams ranked ahead of us rather than an Asian minnow.