Hold off on praise for Holger | Thebigtip

Following the initial surprise of the appointment of the relatively unknown Holger Osieck as the manager of the Socceroos, I am starting to note a sense of renewed confidence amongst the nation's soccer fans.

I believe this sense of confidence has three primary sources:

1.        Three games to date against quality opposition with no defeats under the new manager;

2.       The performance of the young Socceroos at the AFC U19 championships; and

3.       A growing perception that Osieck is better disposed towards the A-League than his predecessor, Pim Verbeek.

There are certainly grounds for that renewed confidence, although I believe we need to be a bit more circumspect with the performances in the recent friendlies.  Against Paraguay, for example, this was a victory that was built on a solid defence, and not altogether removed from many of the performances under Verbeek that earned him a reputation for getting results minus the flair and entertainment factor.

On the question of Osieck's apparent support for the A-League, it has to be said that he is visibly making an effort to be seen to be showing support, and it would not surprise me if he has been worded up by the FFA on that front.

However, at the time of the Paraguay friendly, where he was asked yet again about the relative merits of the A-League, the best we can say is that he was not obviously dismissive in the manner that Verbeek was, but at the same time, no one could accuse him of being overly effusive either.

With the Asian nations' cup coming up in January 2011, Osieck is left in the unenviable position of a) going for broke with an aging squad; b) focusing on team rebuilding; or c) having a bob each way.

One way or the other, he is going to earn his wages, and this will definitely give us a truer idea of his mettle.  There will be plenty of interest in seeing how Osieck handles that delicate balancing act.

Until then, I encourage all Socceroo fans to relax, enjoy the forthcoming holiday season, and catch a few mid week A-League games as we approach Summer climes.