Finally the Socceroos have a Coach

It is my belief that Australian football takes off come February 6th. We've never had the quality and amount competitive international games that we are going to have over the next two years and then beyond.

The game has an A-League, Asian Champions League, Women's League, Youth League and much much more in place or about to come.

The man appointed to the most important job in modern Australian sport is Pim Verbeek, a Dutchman.




It took a while, it might have been our second or even tenth choice who knows, but we have a Coach.

Pim is going to live in Australia or at least spend most of his time here. That to me is just as important perhaps than who he is or what he has done.

It sends a message to all future coaches.

It shows the respect he is giving the Australia job, also enables him to promote the game in this country, in a way that a long-term European Coach could never do.

He has been across Asia in various coaching position, and took South Korea to third place in the Asia Cup.

And he was missing his best four Korean players, all European based, so perhaps third place was a good achievement.

It's not an exciting appointment. Won't really raise the profile of the game with non-football fans in Australia, but will long-term if he gets the team through 14 games of qualification and on to the World Cup.

So he ticks my boxes. A man with plenty of Asian football experience. Also heaps of European experience and he is a man on the rise, or will be if he succeeds with Australia.

And he is a coach:) Finally.

And well done to Ben Buckley, and the team, for getting someone in quickly after the Dick "impoverished" Advocaat debacle.

So Pim's our man. Good luck Pim.