Steve O'Connor: FFA decision to go Dutch with youth development having negative results FOOTBALL Federation Australia's decision to go Dutch after qualifying for the 2006 World Cup isn't producing players good enough to play for the Socceroos, says the former head of Australian Institute of Sport's soccer program Steve O'Connor. O'Connor oversaw the development of the likes of Lucas Neill, Mark Viduka, Luke Wilkshire, Brett Emerton, Josh Kennedy, Mark Bresciano, and Craig Moore. That group made up the bulk of the sides that have qualified for the last three World Cups and came through during his 15 years in the role in Canberra. The AIS program was effectively ended when the FFA decided to follow the Dutch model to produce young players with the highly-regarded Han Berger now employed as the technical director and oversees the development of the best youngsters in the country. "I am a fan of the way the Dutch play football and I am a big fan of the way they do certain things," O'Connor told AAP. Han Berger watches one of the Aussie youth teams from the dug out. But I don't think you can import systems wholesale from one country to another and expect it to work. There are the ways the Dutch do things, the Germans, the French and they have been very successful. But there are all different reasons for that. The size of population, country and the fact it is easier to get players to play against top-class opponents. In Australia we are not a football country, but we have always produced good players who have had great international careers and played for big European clubs. Melbourne Victory defender Adrian Leijer and Daily Telegraph journalist Tom Smithies discuss Ange Postecoglou's chances of being named as the new Socceroos' coach. We are not seeing those types of players coming through unfortunately. Players who are good not just physically but technically. O'Connor, who was entered into Australian football's Hall of Fame in 2003, fell out with the FFA and left the AIS in 2008 after he and other home-bred coaches were marginalised for questioning certain decisions that were being made. He now works as the technical director of the Hong Kong FA after leaving his job as the Sydney FC youth team coach in 2011 and watched on in dismay as the young Socceroos were thumped 5-1 by Vietnam in the recent AFC Championships in Malaysia. Last year saw the Joeys lose 5-1 to Iran in the AFC U16 tournament which ruled them out of the U17 World Cup. Ange Postecoglou says he is staying focussed on the Melbourne Victory's A-League campaign as speculation continues to grow that he will be considered for the Socceroos head coach position. And this was followed by the Olyroos failure to qualify for the London Olympics. O'Connor believes the refusal of Berger and his coaching team to recognise the need for a physical presence has seen football in the country go backwards. "The recent Vietnam game they were just so much better than us," he said. They weren't bigger than us, but they were stronger, faster, and more physical than the Australian boys and we were hammered. It's been seven or eight years since they took over but we are yet to see any real signs that we are getting stronger and looking ahead that is a concern.