“I’ve had some difficulties,” said the SPFL stars who were put in limbo following the shocking managerial resignation.
Many Scottish Premiership players will be working under a new international head coach following the resignation of Australia manager Graham Arnold from the Socceroos. The 61-year-old, who guided Australia to the 2022 World Cup, has made the decision to step down following two disappointing outcomes during the most recent international break—a draw with Indonesia and a loss to Bahrain. In light of the outcomes, Arnold feels that it is time for the Socceroos to give up on their hopes of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
Many players from the top division of Scottish football are drawn to Australia; the Socceroos regularly include Hibs’ Martin Boyle and Lewis Miller, while Hearts’ trio of Kye Rowles, Cammy Devlin, and Calem Nieuwenhof are also on their radar. Along with Josh Nisbet of Ross County, recent call-ups include Ryan Strain of Dundee United, right back, and Apostolos Stamatelopoulos of Motherwell, striker.
Having been there since 2018, Arnold discussed his future with the Australian Football Association earlier this week and concluded that a change was necessary. Arnold remarked, “I had some big decisions to make after the Indonesia game.” “After 40 years of service and six years as the Socceroos’ head coach, I went with my instinct and decided that it was time for a change and for me to go on. “I must admit, like I often do, that I have had some difficulties after the Asian Cup defeat. I genuinely believed that we would win when I went to the Asian Cup.
“After forty years of bleeding green and gold, I reflect on my six-year tenure and the areas I had to rebuild. I swiftly developed such players as the Olympic team’s coach. It was a very fast fix meant to add depth. Naturally, the COVID-19 pandemic was devastating, but it was also difficult to be apart from family and friends for half a year and unable to return to Australia. However, everything occurs for a reason, and after all of your sacrifices, we had our just desserts in the World Cup, where we placed eleventh overall and became the greatest Socceroos team in history.
“The boys have given me everything they’ve got, and I can’t be more thankful for their sacrifices and everything that they’ve done,” the coach said. “Even being voted number one coach at the World Cup by L’Equipe magazine is something special.”
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