I'm sick of excuses!

Oct 18, 2002
9,759
52
Sydney, Australia
#1
We lost because in 30 years we haven't learnt that in tounrament football you need to lift your game to a higher level with each game. You just can't simply rely on your form from the group stage to take you right through.

Excuse after excuse is simply not good enough. Yes the core of our squad is young and inexperienced but what of Korea Republic then? Their oldest goal scorer this tournament is a 21 year old!

The tactics were obvious from the first few minutes. This was a game we were only ever going to win on penalty shoot out! Fucking pathetic and sad as the tactic has not changed from the last 2 tournaments. We simply do not know how to approach knockout games.

We can blame the coach, blame certain players, blame the ref but these are just excuses, excuses excuses. Bottom line is we have not worked on our shortcomings for over 30 years. Nothing will change until we do. We're lucky also, the likes of Japan and KSA didn't give a crap about football until the last couple of decades and Australia has only just recently joined Asia, otherwise we probably wouldn't even have the 3 titles in the trophy cabinet!
 
Feb 22, 2005
6,884
9
#2
Iran back then was very confident country who saw themselves as best in Asia.

The 1974 world cup team that lost to Australia and got kicked out in the qualifications made a huge wave in Iran with the Federation making sure that they progress the game and the 1978 team easily qualified beating Australia, and many others, while drawing Korea. It is also not as if Kuwait was an easy bait. They played a tough game but Iran was very confident and played well to beat them.
 

Behrooz_C

Elite Member
Dec 10, 2005
16,650
1,566
A small island west of Africa
#3
Agha Sporthead:

This is Iranian mentality. People don't watch the game. The match passes them by, without noticing the finer details of the match. That's why they make excuses about the referee, the coach, the weather, luck, god damn everything else. They use everything but never admit that WE ARE NOT GOOD ENOUGH.

harfe moft zadan is our speciality. We are always looking for an excuse or a conspiracy theory. When someone dies we say, so and so killed him. harfe moft. migan dige. az dirooz ta hala bebin chegadr inja dari vari neveshtan.

Most aren't like this. But a few is enough to make you shake your head in disbelief.
 

mashdi

Football Legend
Sep 29, 2005
39,274
1
#4
I would like to blame the wind on that Korean shot which went in.nevermind the fact that the wind was actually blowing in the opposite direction.:)
 

oghabealborz

Elite Member
Feb 18, 2005
15,113
2,590
Strawberry field
#5
We're lucky also, the likes of Japan and KSA didn't give a crap about football until the last couple of decades and Australia has only just recently joined Asia, otherwise we probably wouldn't even have the 3 titles in the trophy cabinet!
I agree with most things you said in your post but the above statment is a bit unfair. we beat Israel and Korea in two finals to win the cup and also qualified for the world cup by beating all Asian teams and Australia home and away.

we also used to give top teams in the world run for their money ,standing toe to toe against the likes of Poland,France ,Argentina ,USSR .....it wasn't luck or a fluke but we were good and getting better .

what caused our down fall is obvious ,something major happened in 1979 and we did a u turn as a nation heading backwards.
 
Oct 18, 2002
9,759
52
Sydney, Australia
#6
I agree with most things you said in your post but the above statment is a bit unfair. we beat Israel and Korea in two finals to win the cup and also qualified for the world cup by beating all Asian teams and Australia home and away.

we also used to give top teams in the world run for their money ,standing toe to toe against the likes of Poland,France ,Argentina ,USSR .....it wasn't luck or a fluke but we were good and getting better .

what caused our down fall is obvious ,something major happened in 1979 and we did a u turn as a nation heading backwards.
I did say "probably". No one is to know. But I'm not trying to undermine our historic achievements. Just merely mentioning that those success would have been at least more difficult to achieve had the other countries I mentioned taken football more seriously back in those days.

Fact is everyone else (the contenders that is) have improved in the last 30 years and we have stayed the same (possibly even gone backwards).
 
Oct 18, 2002
14,471
5
Antelope Valley,California
#8
We lost because in 30 years we haven't learnt that in tounrament football you need to lift your game to a higher level with each game. You just can't simply rely on your form from the group stage to take you right through.

Excuse after excuse is simply not good enough. Yes the core of our squad is young and inexperienced but what of Korea Republic then? Their oldest goal scorer this tournament is a 21 year old!

The tactics were obvious from the first few minutes. This was a game we were only ever going to win on penalty shoot out! Fucking pathetic and sad as the tactic has not changed from the last 2 tournaments. We simply do not know how to approach knockout games.

We can blame the coach, blame certain players, blame the ref but these are just excuses, excuses excuses. Bottom line is we have not worked on our shortcomings for over 30 years. Nothing will change until we do. We're lucky also, the likes of Japan and KSA didn't give a crap about football until the last couple of decades and Australia has only just recently joined Asia, otherwise we probably wouldn't even have the 3 titles in the trophy cabinet!

Good post with valid points, except your statement on previous glories were unfair.

Oghab mentioned some, and I'm going to add that without we won it on 68 as an underdog against Israel and Burma (then giants of asia),we improved and won it against Korea in 72, then after losing to aussies in 74 quals, we reorganized. Between 74-78,We did it with planning to achieve mastery of asia.

Our program was so good that fed our football at least 10 years post disaster ear. You think teams of 80s that despite chaotic situation of our country did OK in asian competition grew out of trees? They were youth products of our glorious period... How about facilities, to date we are still eating chelo kabob of that period........
 
Apr 10, 2003
2,705
0
#9
Young team we aren't. Second oldest side in the cup.
Agha babak without having actual data to back it up, I always thought, we are not THAT young, having people Like Pejman, Javad, Nosrati, Gholami, Hadadifar....and every time I opened my mouth people around me (do not mean ISP) people keep telling but we are a young team....

if you have the data please share it so I can shut peoples mouth once and forever. :) mercy
 

Babak G

News Team, ISP Managers Team
Feb 13, 2003
8,923
0
Parts Unknown
#10
Its simple, after Australia, Iran's squad is the oldest in the Asian Cup. This is shadowed only because most of our players are 30 or under (just under at 28-29).

Only Afshin, Hajsafi and Ansarifard are notable youngsters, unless I missed someone.

Its a figment of someone's imagination that this is a young team. Maybe compared to the old veterans like Daei, Mehdi, Vahid, etc...

But not by international standards and definitely not by the Asian standard of building teams for the future. This team will last for the WCQ as they are right around the corner, but if it makes the WC, most players will be over 30 and unplayable.
 

Ali N.

Active Member
Aug 3, 2004
759
85
#12
I agree with your post Sporthead... enough of excuses!
We have to change our mentality and stop talking, blaming, etc.. Everyone else has been working on their game, plan, academies, youth, etc. What has Iran done? On top of that, we come out boldly and say to the world:"We are here to win the cup after 36 years"! Don't get me wrong, it's good to give motivation to players and staff but we cannot just rely on talks (Shoaar)! Shoaar hasn't got to anywhere... we need to start from today and get to work... otherwise in 2 years (WC qualifications) and 3 years (Asian Cup 2005), we will be dealing with the same old story... By "We" I don't mean just the federation, but also the players, technical staff... pretty much everyone within our football core and system... Everybody has to take responsibility.
 
Feb 22, 2005
6,884
9
#13
In in the late 60's and 70s our Football progressed from year to another and the qualifications of the 1978, Iranian attitude of play in the 1978 world cup, and the olympics of 1976 are good examples.

I remember precisely that all our friends were in total shock when they lost to Peru. The game against Scottland is the world cup is another great example. Iran played with so much confidence and never sat back and defended even against Holland.

We had become the best in Asia and we went home in shock from the 1978 world cup results but you could see the determination in players and everyone that we will come back in 1982 much stronger.

Now, we are completely on the path down the toilet and the only plan the federation and its masters have is who should be the next coach. And hot to make sure the team obeys Islamic laws.