rewind 1974
+ There are rumours of some ego issues
within the current Socceroos squad.
What was the team ethic like in 1974?
I can’t comment on how close the players in this team
are to each other because I don’t know. I can only
comment on ours. It’s been 36 years and we remain
very close. We met for a harbour cruise recently to
honour (coach) Rale Rasic for his 73rd birthday and
we had 80 people there. We have a camaraderie
that will never be broken. It started in 1970 when we
went on a 13-week world tour and played something
ridiculous like 16 games. Bloody hell, imagine the
squad now hopping on a plane and getting off and
playing within 24 hours without getting acclimatised.
We were on normal flights, not jets, and you couldn’t
lie down. If we had the same preparation and
structure as now we have done much better.
+ Most of the 1974 team had jobs,
what was yours at the time?
I’d just lost my job because I’d been away too long.
I lost four jobs as a direct consequence of playing
football for Australia.
+ The Socceroos took industrial action late last
year to get a better financial deal from the FFA.
What were you paid on the 1974 campaign?
We never received match payments. We got some
daily expenses but we had to leave that home to look
after the family. When we qualified, or just before it
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in Hong Kong, apparently the Australian FA received
$400,000 and they promised us half, so about
$10,000 each. If you look at it from 1973 to now, 37
years, interest over that time, I think they owe me
about 150 grand! I’m still waiting.
+ Did you or your teammates ever consider a
retrospective claim for the money?
Of course not. Nothing was written down. The big
chief came up and said it before we played. So yeah,
we assumed we were getting that money. Because
we’d qualified I borrowed a couple of grand from
the manager of the Australian team, which was a
hell of a lot of money then, and I bought presents for
everybody. I got back and had a big bill.
+ A lot of sportsmen say they’d play for their
country for nothing. You guys actually did.
Yes, and we all agree we’d do it again tomorrow.
Because of the FIFA rules now players leave their
clubs and they still get their wage. In 1977 I was
playing for Tampa Bay Rowdies and I came to play
for Australia and the Rowdies wouldn’t pay me.
But money is not the issue, and never was.
+ What were the expectations on the team?
We were rated at 2000-1, along with Haiti. It was
a final 16, not 32, so we had already qualified for
the level Australia made in 2006. It was tougher to
go through and qualify then and it taught us great
lessons. Dropping off a plane in 24 hours and you’re
playing a World Cup qualifier – it seems ludicrous.
+ What is your memory of the tournament?
We didn’t realise how big it was because we
hadn’t seen anything like it before. Nowadays
because of the English Premier League coverage
you’re seeing the hype every minute. We had ABC
black and white TV once a week. So it was massive,
the media went berserk. We had a great game
against West Germany, who were favourites to
win the Cup, and it took them ages to score and
because of that we got great respect. The media
and fans adored us.
+ You impressed Franz Beckenbauer with your
skills and shared some special moments with him.
We swapped shirts and I met him again just before
the last World Cup when he came to Australia and he
signed the shirt for me. He told me I did the wrong
thing by going to England to play after the World Cup
instead of joining a German club.
+ You were led at World Cup by a revolutionary
coach in Rale Rasic. What made him different?
He was well beyond his years in playing a 4-5-1. He
came up with the lone striker before anyone else. We
used to argue a lot! Nothing ever ran smooth with
Rale, but he carried us on his shoulders and took
us there and made us believe we were somebody
special and, you know what? We turned out to be
special. I have the greatest admiration for him.
+ Johnny Warren became a figurehead for
the game and you were close mates.
What was sort of player was he?
He was just the same as everybody else, let’s not
get carried away. We had a fantastic squad and
he was one of many. But he had the lot: both feet;
great in the air; aggressive; could score goals;
great leader and a great friend. It was the same
with Jimmy Mackay, who also passed away, but he
gets forgotten. Johnny will always remembered as a
special one because of what he did off the field.
+ The captain of the 1974 team, Peter Wilson,
is a reclusive figure. Have you seen him lately?
I saw him a few months ago. Nothing’s changed
- he’s always been different, always done his own
thing. Everyone makes a big fuss about it but let’s not
think something strange has started – he’s always
been strange – that’s what makes him special!
+ How do you compare the 2006 team with 2010?
I think we’ll be struggling up front. I don’t think we
have the same firepower now. But we’ll be well
organised, we’ll do well in midfield and defence and
we’ve got wonderful players. We’ll do well but I can’t
see us beating what we did in 2006.
AUSTRALIA
1974 in Germany
East Germany 2 def Aus 0
West Germany 3 def Aus 0
Aus 0 drew Chile 0
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