Arnold has come in for a lot of criticism, for Australia's 2007 Asian Cup campaign and then for the Olyroos Olympic efforts.

He has yet to speak about the Olympic  campaign with the Australian media but in an interview with Goal.Com, Verbeek believes people make assumptions about Arnold without really knowing him.

Verbeek told the website: "He is still there because he is a very good coach. It doesn't matter that he doesn't have the results as a manager.

"I've heard so many stories about the Asia Cup but I don't think you can blame Graham Arnold for not winning it.

"There were so many other things happening around him and the team and you cannot blame the coach for the things that happened over there.

"I thought he was very unlucky during the Olympics because they could have won and gone to the next round also but in the end our job is about results."

Verbeek says Arnold's willingness to say what he thinks and never be afraid to put across his own view is a positive quality.

"Graham Arnold for me knows football, he was a great player himself, he is always honest to me with his opinion and that's what I like about him. He is a fantastic friend and a fantastic coach to me," he said.

The Socceroos coach also points out though that unwarranted stick is all part of the job.

He added: "I think he [Arnold] was quite unlucky because he has been judged on his results, which is not always fair. But life is not always fair."