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Does the armband fit?

By Half Time Orange - Jesse Fink | 24 August 2009 | 14:33

Your columnist brought up the rather thorny issue of Lucas Neill on Friday and one reader, “The Truth”, made an interesting if arguable comment: “If Lucas Neill signed up with a club one week before the World Cup, he would still be in the WC squad, which is pathetic! Pim is to be blamed here.”

Comments (50)  |  Your thoughts?

 

I don’t think that’s quite fair on the Australia manager, as I’m sure he’s not advising Neill where to go or how much money he should be holding out for, but the question should be asked: Has Verbeek’s very public support for Neill perhaps aggravated the situation?

It’s no secret that there’s a bit of mutual appreciation society going on between coach and captain, which is a quite reasonable situation in any team, but at what point does the fact that Neill is without a club become a determining factor in whether he plays?

Verbeek has not, to my knowledge, made a comment regarding this matter though it is surely going to be raised in the weeks ahead before the September 5 friendly with Korea Republic in Seoul.

Can Verbeek justify not just playing Neill but giving him the captain’s armband when he hasn’t played in the Premier League this season or any pre-season matches?

His fitness would have to suspect and, apart from anything else, as I first raised back in July is it really setting a good example to his teammates?

Surely ten months out from the World Cup it is incumbent upon the man entrusted with such responsibility to be playing week-in, week-out, the very same necessity that is encouraging other players in the team to swap clubs, leagues, even continents, in search of regular first-team football?

In Neill’s defence, Paul Okon managed to play for and captain the Socceroos for a good chunk of his international career when he wasn’t getting any game time with his various clubs in Europe and oftentimes despite that inertia was inspirational not just in his duties but in his deeds.

There is no conceivable reason, then, that Neill cannot replicate that performance so long as he is training as he would were he still employed by a club.

But that was a different era. It used to be a given that there would be a clutch of Socceroos without clubs or not getting game time. It’s a credit to Terry Venables and Frank Farina that they achieved such good results with so many players fitting that description.

This, however, is 2009. We are going to our second World Cup in succession, with a national team blessed with resources and support hitherto unknown in the annals of Australian football history. There are superstars among them. We should expect more of our national-team captain in 2009 than we did in 2001. So is a bloke without a club really the best choice to lead it?

I don’t think there’s any question Neill will have found somewhere to play by the time June 2010 rolls around, and then he should be entitled to have the job of captain should Verbeek choose to entrust him with it, but until he finds a club I believe it would be beneficial for the team to experiment with a number of captains before South Africa, starting with Harry Kewell.

Neill needs to be given the message that no player has a mortgage on the blue armband on reputation alone. That you are rewarded with it when you play football and not by the size of your contract..

:: For more Fink musings on the big issues in sport, check out The Finktank.

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Your Comments

04 Sep 2009 14:21 AEST

Joseph

From: Melbourne

what do all you jealous idiots have to say now that neill is on the verge of signing for atletico madrid, and will most likely be playing in the champions league, and that money all along wasn't the key issue????? even better, is that the national coach himself is not worried and was even quoted as saying, it doesn't matter what people think, they don't know what they are talking about.... c'mon jesse, get off your high horse...

28 Aug 2009 18:04 AEST

Graeme

From: Canberra

When most top footballers around the globe finished last season they went straight into WC qualifiers and friendlies, with barely any rest before pre-season games commenced. As this seems to be a year-in year-out senario many players will turn up to the 2010 WC somewhat burn't out, and not playing to their full potential. Perhaps the extented holiday Luca$h is having could work best for the socceroos - he'll be fresh. However, he does need to be match hardened well before the WC commences.

28 Aug 2009 15:03 AEST

Igor

From: Adelaide

these problems will all be exacerbated....

28 Aug 2009 15:02 AEST

Igor

From: Adelaide

Those of you saying its ok that neil isn't playing are insane. As national team coach i know i would preffer every one of my players to come into world cup camp FIT, Full of CONFIDENCE, playing REGULARLY against world cup grade oponnents and mentally prepared. Neil will sign for a club within the next month... have to adjust to a new team... break into that first team... probably raise his fitness levels... That all sounds relatively easy in theory if he goes somewhere outside England...

28 Aug 2009 9:59 AEST

Jake

From: Sydney

What a short memory you have Mr Fink...go and look at our qualifying table and tell me how many goals we conceded with Luca$h Neil in the defence. What more do you want him to prove? Mate he's one of our best defenders, he's got loads more quality than Kisnorbo Beauchamp and the rest of our terrible central defenders, playing or not playing. You're gibbering on abit champ, all this Neil bashing is doing you no good give it a rest.

27 Aug 2009 12:02 AEST

Jesse Fink

From: Kentish Town, England

Angus, I believe you're missing something. You say: "If he is playing well enough then he should be selected, if not then no selection." That is my whole point, my friend. He is NOT playing.

27 Aug 2009 10:42 AEST

Dean

From: melbs

Lucas getting left out of South Korea touring squad = just desserts. His situation really is laughable, and if he thinks anyone really believes him when he says he's holding out for non monetary reasons is utter turd.. if this was really the case, he would have done this months ago. Make him travel to play in Asian Cup qualifiers to put him back in his place.

26 Aug 2009 1:58 AEST

Stephen

From: Saskatoon

While this has been dragging on for far too long, I don't think there is any major cause for concern yet. With, or without a club, I don't know if he should be captain anyway. If some of the qualities a captain should have are the ability to organise and inspire, Schwartzer would seem the more justified choice. The captain should be a player that, when in the side, adds that dimension that is noticeably missing without them. Viduka, Kewell and Schwartzer have it. Neill does not. ie Ireland game.

26 Aug 2009 0:59 AEST

Jimi

From: Melbourne

Simon,..Melbourne...... "it doesn't take much to captain us",....... I'm speechless. Fink, you are hitting your target market.

25 Aug 2009 20:57 AEST

J.S

From: Melbourne

Luca$ Neill is at best a good average rightback. I think he knows it as well, otherwise he would have taken the chance with Liverpool. Remember all of the talk about going to a club (West Ham) that was "going places" and "wanted him to be there". All a load of hot air. Luca$ is only interested in his sky rocket. I wonder if he will regret the chance to test himself. Or will he be conten t with the "glory days" of mid table finishes when he is sitting on his rocking chair in 40 years time