It is purely hope this time around though; in 2006 there was some level of expectation however small. Our golden generation of Australian footballers had just outplayed South American heavyweights Uruguay and they were all in ominous form heading to Germany.

Not only did we have Mark Viduka, Harry Kewell, Tim Cahill, Mark Schwarzer, Brett Emerton, Mark Bresciano and Lucas Neill but we were being led by master tactician Guus Hiddink.

Our vintage crop of superstars had got us to the world cup for the first time since 1974 and we didn't know if we'd ever get there again. There was no tomorrow for the Socceroos, it was all about that moment.

Fast forward to 2014 and we are a major force in Asia, the A-league is flourishing and the Socceroos are now entering their third campaign in a row.

Australian football is on the rise. The only thing missing was long term planning for our national squad, a visionary to start the long process of transforming us from minnows into world champions.

For too long we have employed foreign managers more worried about job security than the future prosperity of the game in this country. But now it seems the Football Federation Australia (FFA) is finally ready to start building. The appointment of Ange Postecoglou is the best thing that could have happened to Australian football.

Postecoglou has made no secret of the fact that he is looking towards the future. Make no mistake; he is already eyeing-off Russia 2018 and beyond. Retaining only Tim Cahill and Mark Bresciano for Brazil is evidence that he isn't just paying lip-service.

Elements within the media have questioned his decision-making. Even Mark Schwarzer, who decided to retire from international football before the World Cup, said he would have included a number of those more experienced players.

But these commentators have to remember that for every inclusion, another youngster misses out on a journey that would help him mature as a footballer. Instead of having a golden generation every 30 years, we want to be competitive year in year out, with the A-league conveyor belt rolling out a steady stream of superstars.

So yes we are long odds to even get past the group stage this time around and maybe the inclusions of Holman and Wilkshire would have made a difference but no longer can we just wake up every four years and pray for a miracle. We should be hoping that this young Socceroos team take this experience and use it to fuel the road to Russia in four years time.