Dear Craig Moore

Hi Craig. I haven't communicated for a while. Hope the family is well and the home is happy.

I feel a bit responsible for your current predicament. You see, when you announced your retirement from the Socceroos, I plead with you for you to change your mind, and you did. Thankyou, but although I didn't say you should not be in the 2010 World Cup squad, I left it open. What I said is that we really need you for the qualifiers, which I believe we did. You were in Australia, you see, and we needed you (like really needed you) to play the role for the second string team that you had played so brilliantly in the Roar. You have experience, and the professionalism and communication skills to be an excellent leader. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for helping us through.

This is what I said:

"Only other thing is about the announcement by Moore that this was his last game for Australia. I say, "Nooooooooo!!!!"

Now mate... maaaaate, your country needs ya buddy. You're good - up there with the best in central defense. It's an important position mate. Goals get conceded there and games get lost. If you're not getting enough games, go do a bit of marquee work in Europe or somewhere in the off-season. I'm sure something could be organised. But you are also one of the very few who have this wonderful advantage of actually living in Asia. Ok, close to Asia. I don't want to argue about geography. We're gonna need ya.

But sleep on it. Help the Roar trash Sydney on Friday, then play the A-League Grand Final. Have a rest for a couple of weeks, then get back to us. Please mate?"

And later:

"... we actually need Craig Moore to make himself available if needed. Like really, World Cups are the real written history of our country's game, it is warfare between nations for the greatest sporting prize there is. 'Retiring on a high point' is all very well, but if the country actually needs you, there's a certain moral pressure I reckon. Craig, we need you, even if just to help Australia get there. My hardly technical or emperical observations tonight were that our defenders have fine skills but require experienced leadership in the middle - someone who can play and position himself well and scream instructions to the younger blokes at the same time. It's Moore's experience that the Socceroos need back there, especially if Neil is out. And it wouldn't hurt his game with the Roar to get a few extra good games either."

Clearly I did not intend for you to actually be in the squad for the World Cup. Essentially, you had seen the writing on the wall clearly, and had stepped down from international duties. I called you up again for a specific duty, which you did patriotically and competently as expected. With the greatest of respect, it's time to revisit that original decision. You are past this level of football, and in Australia's first squad your leadership is not as indispensible.

Passing the prime of your skill is hard for any sportsman or any professional for that matter. I think it would be discourteous to not show some appreciation for what that skill actually was, and what it will always be in precious memory. If I had the skills, the time and the patience I would love to put together a YouTube of your moments on the field. There would be a series where a forward would be about to score a certain goal, only the keeper to beat, when into the frame would come Moore's foot, at a time and place of such exactness that a computer animator could not have improved on the timing. I haven't thought of a soundtrack but I'm looking for a military "They shall not pass" theme.

When you took a penalty it was a 100% professional act, you were a tradesman hitting a nail with a hammer for the millionth time, with simple, predictable efficiency.

Then there's a regular trickle of cracker goals from open play. Even they could make up a YouTube worth a watch.

As you got older you were an active and effective inspiration and guide for the rest of the team, on the field and off. You lifted the game of everyone around you. I think Ognenovsky learned a lot of his trade from you, as did many others to different extents.

There's an inglorious moment I cannot leave out because it left an impression on me and also because I have been reminded of it several times from my son, who was clearly inspired by it. You scored an own goal in a crucial match, and didn't flinch. We could all feel your moment of heartbreak, but we didn't see it. You carried on your game as professionally, competently and energetically as ever. That is mental strength, and that is why you were a truly great defender and leader. I wonder if this moment could be captured properly on YouTube, with the right soundtrack.

Thankyou Craig, and good luck with whatever you decide to do. I have no doubt you could continue to play a critical winning role in many leagues around the World. But with the highest military honours you are dismissed from national service.

Yours Sincerely,
Football Down Under.

Blogger's Cup Wrap after a draining Qualifier, Australia v Iraq 1:0

The lead headline on the ABC News site at this time is Australian troops begin Iraq pullout: report. It was posted at 6.03pm, short minutes before Harry Kewell all but finished Iraq's chances to get to the 2010 World Cup. Irony? I don't know. It really doesn't matter.

Funny old game that. I really thought it would be wet and weathery, but it wasn't really. It was pretty packed out, but still over 5000 empty seats. Jacob and his mate Stav were waylaid in a food queue for a few minutes after half time so they missed the goal. The moment of the goal was jubilant and you'd have to say the atmosphere was 'up', but the crowded pedestrian processsions and train ride home were far more subdued than any victorious crowd I'd ever seen. It's not like it was late or anything, even if it is Sunday night.

Overall I'd say it was the result I expected but I was very worried about Australia's inexperienced defence beforehand, and rightly so from what we witnessed. As Eamonn points out, there was a good dose of luck in that win. I truly hope Neil is back from his family duties for the away game on Saturday or I will expect us to concede our first goal under Verbeek.

Furthermore, this is where we actually need Craig Moore to make himself available if needed. Like really, World Cups are the real written history of our country's game, it is warfare between nations for the greatest sporting prize there is. 'Retiring on a high point' is all very well, but if the country actually needs you, there's a certain moral pressure I reckon. Craig, we need you, even if just to help Australia get there. My hardly technical or emperical observations tonight were that our defenders have fine skills but require experienced leadership in the middle - someone who can play and position himself well and scream instructions to the younger blokes at the same time. It's Moore's experience that the Socceroos need back there, especially if Neil is out. And it wouldn't hurt his game with the Roar to get a few extra good games either.

In other World Cup news the Africa Confederation started their huge 12-Group Round 2 of qualifiers yesterday and continue as I write. Togo and Camaroon won their first games as expected (against Zambia and Caper Verde Islands respectively), but my disapointment was Kenya being beaten away by Namibia. I started following Kenya's progress because my housemate John, an excellent and knowledgeable football compatriot, is from Kenya. According to him they are in the easiest possible group (Namibia, Guinea and Zimbabwe) but they really should have beaten Namibia. John was devastated.

In late March a few heads rolled. The Cayman Islands, The British Virgin Islands, Aruba, Dominica and Turks and Caicos Islands, all from the North, Central American and Caribbean Federation, were all knocked from contention for World Cup 2010.

As I've been writing James Brown has put up an analysis of the Socceroos game. It was over a year ago, after James had had an uncharacteristically long lapse from writing, that I jibed in a comment, "Have you got a girlfriend James?" Well... ahem.

And my apologies for being so slack. The most important thing I have failed to do of course is wrap up the Blogger's Cup.

Mike only won by a point (and congrats to Neil for such a close second), but he did so even though he'd absented himself from the country and the competition for several weeks. It can only be called a well-deserved win, and especially deserved, in a gold-watch sort of way, as he has farewelled the blogging world for a season. Hope to see you around in comments Mike and hope you come back before too long. Your prize, not Irish whiskey as promised because I couldn't find a good single malt, but scotch, is on its way. Drink one to Australia's humble but developing football blogging fraternity.

I don't know if I'll do the Blogger's Cup this season, but I'll definitely be blogging more as the A-League gets going again. It's the Roar's year.

PS. John over at A Seat at the A-League has just posted a good account of tonight's game, as has Tony The Round Ball Analyst.

Oh yeah!

Well we won. Of course I'm talking about the Red Eye Pirates futsal team. We won 5:2 last night, which after a terrible run of losses, was the third win in a row. I don't think my keeping is improving much, but our strikers certainly are, and we have a good structure now, completely mobile, with the single defender often running up if they have space with the ball but someone always doubling back, and one always seeking out the space up front no matter what. That's it. There's only four outfielders, so it just has to be simple and coherent. We've got that now. Hope I didn't jinx our next game by writing about it, but we're definitely feeling more confident.

Of course I really sat down to write about the Socceroos vs Qatar game. I don't have much to say about it, but I'm pretty high on the win and need to say the little I do.

Over at the World Game site the headline is, "Socceroos do it easy." It's an understandable headline and this is not a dig, but upon consideration it's not entirely accurate.

They didn't look like they were 'doing it easy' in the first half. They played like they were playing Brazil in a grand final. It was very mobile and creative, but the important observation is that they did not take Qatar for granted. They played like they could lose if they didn't give every single thing.

Whilst the less inspiring second half performance was no doubt the result of jet lag and exhaustion kicking in, and some tactical adjustment from Qatar, it could easily be a picture of what things might look like if the Socceroos started the game like it was going to be easy.

If both teams played a game out in the manner of the second half, either team could get the points. That's why, quite aside from the China and Iraq games, which are much harder even on paper, we have to treat Qatar with exactly the same respect the second time. This time they had the support of the media and the commentariat in developing this respect. Next time, after the "Socceroos (doing) it easy," it is going to be a greater spiritual challenge. Verbeek will have to lead in this though, and I think he is too clever to be as arrogant as Arnold was before the Asia Cup.

Only other thing is about the announcement by Moore that this was his last game for Australia. I say, "Nooooooooo!!!!"

Now mate... maaaaate, your country needs ya buddy. You're good - up there with the best in central defense. It's an important position mate. Goals get conceded there and games get lost. If you're not getting enough games, go do a bit of marquee work in Europe or somewhere in the off-season. I'm sure something could be organised. But you are also one of the very few who have this wonderful advantage of actually living in Asia. Ok, close to Asia. I don't want to argue about geography. We're gonna need ya.

But sleep on it. Help the Roar trash Sydney on Friday, then play the A-League Grand Final. Have a rest for a couple of weeks, then get back to us. Please mate?

Friday... ah Friday. Can the universe deliver a sweet hat trick of wins for the week? Of hat tricks, it would be sweet indeed. Go the bloody Roar.