Posted May 24, 2011 11:00:00
Updated May 24, 2011 11:06:00 Holger Osieck believes in the Socceroos and Australian football.
It is obvious from the way he speaks about his side and the game in this country, there is plenty of potential to be fulfilled.
Nine months into his role as Socceroos coach and Osieck is being widely praised.
He so far has the results to back up the plaudits and the backing of his boss, Football Federation of Australia (FFA) chairman Frank Lowy.
As far as good football is concerned, Osieck has spent a lot of time as FIFA's technical director, where his focus was on the game, not the money or the politics.
For him the World Cup juggernaut has become just a little too big and too commercial.
Still it is clear the World Cup is the pinnacle of football for Osieck, who was deputy to the legendary Franz Beckenbauer when Germany won the World Cup in 1990.
"That is the reason why I'm here, because I really want to get the team to the next World Cup," Osieck told Monica Attard on ABC's Sunday Profile program.
"I desperately want that."
Australia somewhat disappointingly failed to make it out of the group stages at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and parted ways with coach Pim Verbeek after the tournament.
Osieck's first major test as Socceroos boss came at the Asian Cup earlier this year where Australia made the final but fell to a 1-0 defeat in extra time to Japan.
Since then Australia notched up an impressive 2-1 victory over Germany in Monchengladbach, and Osieck admits successful results has helped his goal to transform the Socceroos into a more attacking side.
"I think it's my style of football. I try to be very positive and try to encourage all players to play up, to take risks in a way, because without risks you cannot gain anything, and so far it has worked," he said.
"That is probably why I had a good start with the team and the players - they listened. They're very perceptive and it's great fun for me to work with them."
While he prefers not to be compared to his predecessor, it is obvious Osieck thinks his style of coaching can benefit the Socceroos and the game in Australia.
"When you activate the potential of the players, then you get a lot more from them," Osieck explained.
"We are good team, we have good potential, we have good individuals, we a have great team spirit. So why should we hide?
"Wherever I work I pursue that kind of football.
"Success is a major issue in football but entertainment is another one and people come to see you win but they want to be entertained as well. You have to get a good mix here."
Homegrown talent
The Socceroos coach called on A-League stars Matt McKay and Robbie Kruse to play key roles for the Socceroos during the Asian Cup, with the Brisbane Roar skipper in particular rising to the challenge.
Osieck admitted he knew little about the league when he arrived in Australia, but says younger, developing players need to break away from the misconception it is not up to standard.
"I kept saying that the standard of the A-League is a lot better than people obviously think it is," he said.
"It goes a little bit into that inferiority area where they think 'we are not good enough'.
"But they are good. Still there's room for improvement, but I can tell you quite frankly that I have seen a lot of entertaining, good quality games and that is what football is about.
"To attract the crowd. To go there, to provide some entertaining stuff, and that is what I saw in most of the games I went to."
The educator
Osieck has already endeared himself to the Australian football public with his willingness to learn the national anthem and, of course, a string of good results.
But it seems the German, more importantly, has designs to leave a football legacy in Australia.
"I consider myself always as an educator," he said.
"Not just to move people around and chase them. I worked on many different levels - youth department, development, I coached national teams, I coached professional club teams.
"Wherever I worked I always tried to convince them some stuff, to people, to educate, to educate them to the game, to educate them to perform.
"What it means to perform on the top level with all the things that these days come to the players, environment, media etc.
"And I really tried to convey some kind of help and assistance to them."
Osieck has practiced what he preaches by spending a lot of his time in Australia, something he says is very important for his position and what he is trying to achieve.
"I got hired by FFA not to be distant coaching person and do everything via computer or via telephone or Blackberry," he said.
"In order to develop a good affinity to the country you work for you have to be there.
"And even though sometimes we have a break sometimes with the national team I need to be here, I need to be in the office, I need to talk to people and you got to have the personal contact. It's very crucial."
Growing the game
Osieck says his time at FIFA gave him enough insight to know the Socceroos were far from small fries on the global football stage.
"Australia has a pretty good rating there (FIFA). They played in the last two World Cups and they achieved a lot on the football level. I think they had a pretty decent recognition," he said.
"Football, maybe in comparison to the traditional sports here in Australia, is maybe not the top rank but internationally, and football is a world game, it's a different standing."
It is perhaps for those reasons why Osieck was so disappointed Australia's 2022 World Cup bid was eliminated so quickly at the FIFA vote, which has now been shrouded in allegations of bribery.
"It's very disappointing because knowing the international football scenery and having experienced Australia right now, it would have been a perfect place," he said.
"To come to Australia, to enjoy the country to enjoy the hospitality and it definitely would have been a great boost for football here in this country.
"You have to consider that the event actually is a four-week campaign and down the road, it would have been in another 11 years.
"But football is not just the World Cup. Football is a lot more, and it takes a lot more strides to develop football and get the standing.
"We have to first of all get the message across that Australian football people don't have to be inferior to other domestic sports."
But Osieck does recognise the game, and massive events like the World Cup, are turning into a commercial beasts and it is unfortunately starting to spell the end of its association with the common fan and leading to more controversy over hosting rights.
"Things in football have gone in to direction that it's becoming more and more gigantic," he said.
"It's getting more and more complicated and the commercialism in that respect has gained superiority and that is definitely not ideal.
"I had a chat with Alex Ferguson once and he said 'when you deal with the devil you have to play with his rules'.
"That is obviously the case here as well. So it takes a little bit away from football itself, from the genuine football because down the road maybe, only people who have enough money can afford to be there and not the normal fan, and that is not positive."
Tags: sport,
football,
socceroos View the original article here
Britain's most respected sportswriter takes on the greatest football manager of all time.
This latest offering in the ever-popular Obsessed With series is the football fan's greatest trivia challenge. With more than 2,500 original questions, this comprehensive yet compact book explores fascinating facts and tempting trivia related to one of the world's most popular sports. What makes this package truly unique is the electronic scoring module that allows readers to quiz themselves or compete against a friend in the greatest playoff ever. And the new and improved scoring module keeps track of your score from play to play. From the millions of NFL fans to the true fanatics who know every historic play by heart, sports buffs will meet their match in this entertaining and addictive game.