Robbie Slater column: Socceroos revisit bad old days in search of latest qualified World Cup success

HAVING missing automatic qualification, dual World Cup play-offs will be like a journey back in time, as well as half way round the world, for the Socceroos.

After missing automatic qualification for the World Cup, the Socceroos now have to do it the hard way.

THIS is what happens when you leave things to the last game — football can be cruel.

There was a lot of pressure on Ange Postecoglou following the Socceroos’ disappointing result against Thailand and rightly so, because questions have to be answered.

For the moment, at least, they have been, with David Gallop stating there would be no change in coach.

So we move on.

The Socceroos’ 2-1 win over Thailand in Melbourne was too little too late.

We now face the tricky part, but it certainly does make qualification interesting.

It will be like a journey back in time to what the Socceroos used to have to go through to qualify for World Cups.

The last time we had to go through this kind of route to the World Cup — and we ultimately failed in doing that — was against Argentina in 1993 when I was playing.

We first won our group in Oceania, then we beat Canada on penalties in the return leg at Allianz Stadium, before we lost to Argentina in Buenos Aires in what was one the biggest moments in Australian football.

In terms of the scheduling and travel, that was similar to what we’re faced with now.

A downbeat Ange Postecoglou will have to raise his team for the play-offs.

So what’s in store for the players? It was an exciting experience, but also a tiring and fatiguing exercise. For the European-based players, and even the A-League players, it can ruin the first half of their season.

All the club coaches would have been praying we’d qualify directly.

But now the players go back to their clubs, where their managers will find out what they have to do and they won’t be happy.

At least that was my experience.

I was at Lens in France at the time and they were quite understanding compared to what happened four years later when I was in England and we had to play Iran.

Players are travelling halfway around the world, and more than once because it’s home and away legs.

Fatigue is definitely a factor, particularly for the Socceroos who face two rounds of playoffs.

The players will still be hugely disappointed they missed out on direct qualification, but the way to look at it is they’re lucky to have another chance.

Yes it’s trickier, but the Australian public will get to witness two massive home games for the first time since Uruguay 2005, starting with the clash with Syria at ANZ Stadium on October 10.

And maybe we’ll be fortunate enough to have one of those nights again.