The Top Job

When the FFA talk Socceroos, Australia listen. This continued to be the case yesterday at Circular Quay as the next Socceroos coach was finally revealed. Lazy journalism would dictate that in this article there should be some sort of pun involved with Holger Osieck's easily lampoon-able name (although less easily than our good friend Mr. Han Berger). We'll save you from those.

Holger Osieck is a German coach who last worked in the FIFA Technical Department. Australia has signed Osieck for the next four years, as the long build-up for the 2014 World Cup begins.

Osieck was also a player, as so many coaches are these days, playing for a mixture of German clubs, finishing in 1978 with a spell at Rot-Weiss Oberhausen.

The main benefit of being a player before you coach, our resident analyst Christian Layland tells us from experience (or indeed, no experience as a player), is that when you are showing your team ball skills and tricks, you can actually perform them.

Even though Osieck is 61, we at The Football Sack would still like to hope he takes the training field showing Tim Cahill how to do a triple step-over. Or perhaps these moves?


Frank Lowy stated the criteria for selection was set out in a number of clear objectives. The new coach must;

- have demonstrated the capacity to rebuild teams and to work with young footballers and develop them into internationally competitive players
- be prepared to work with the national technical director and his department to enhance the elite player pathway program
- have proven experience at international level and success in Asia
- commit to be based in Australia and work with Australian staff to develop our own leaders of the future
Osieck, according to Lowy, is thus the perfect man for the job. In summary, he has had 5 years in charge of the Canada national team, was assistant coach the 1990 German World Cup winning side, has been a successful coach with Japanese powerhouse Urawa Red Diamonds, and has said he will relocate. Perfect? Time, as always, will reveal all.

In my (failed) attempt at going to the FIFA 2006 Germany World Cup, I decided it would be pertinent to learn some German. The one valuable sentence I have retained from 5 years ago is a question I'm sure many of our older readers are wondering. And so, for the benefit of The Sack readers, I ask you Mr. Osieck:

"Haben Sie eine Schwester?"

From what was on display by the Socceroos overnight, Osieck has his work cut out for him, the boys in green and gold suffering a 2-0 loss to Slovenia. The Football Sack wishes him all the best.