By Ben Somerford
November 20th 2009 @ 3:01am
Related coverage
Spiranovic could be Socceroos’ backline saviour
Argentina's Ezequiel Lavezzi, left, scores the winning goal as Australia's Matthew Spiranovic (5) defends. AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko
In the wake of Saturday’s 2-1 win in Oman many Australian football fans have argued the Socceroos need a defensive re-think but the problem is there’s a dearth of options. But that’s why this week’s news that promising centre-back Matthew Spiranovic is keen on a January move is music to my ears.
The argument is an Australian backline of veterans Scott Chipperfield, Craig Moore and Lucas Neill will be exposed for a lack of pace by quality sides at the 2010 World Cup, after the Omanis got plenty of joy in that department last weekend.
So Spiranovic, a talented 21-year-old FC Nurnberg central defender, could just be Australia’s answer in waiting.
Spiranovic is tall, agile, cool on the ball and possesses football smarts beyond his years. His problem, though, is he needs regular football.
After a bad run of injuries, he’s fallen down the pecking order at Nurnberg and despite being fit for most of this season, he’s made just one Bundesliga appearance. In turn, a lack of game-time means Aussie boss Pim Verbeek isn’t too keen on offering him a call-up.
But the good news came when Nurnberg sport director Martin Bader revealed earlier this week the Geelong-born lad had spoken to him about his desire to go to the 2010 World Cup and how that means he needs to play.
And encouragingly Bader added, “We have much interest in seeing that the youngster gets to play, wherever that may be.”
Indeed, a loan deal in the January transfer window looks likely for Spiranovic, although the whereabouts of his next destination is unknown at this stage, but it will be crucial.
Spiranovic needs to make a wise decision and find the right club because making the wrong move could see him miss out on the personal glory of going to South Africa and deny the Socceroos a decent defensive solution.
And Spiranovic only needs to look as far as international teammates Michael Beauchamp, Jade North or Chris Coyne to realize a bad career move can cost you.
Less than six months ago all three of the above where part of the Verbeek’s plans, playing in crucial matches during Super June.
But how quickly things have changed, as all three missed selection for the Socceroos most recent get-together and seem to have fallen out of favour with the Dutchman.
Sure, it’s easy with the benefit of hindsight, but you could argue Beauchamp and Coyne would still be in the Socceroos squad had they stayed put in Aalborg and Colchester respectively. It wasn’t as if the pair weren’t playing, it was just they weren’t playing as much as they’d hoped.
Instead, desperately pining for a different set of circumstances, they opted for moves which have clearly hurt their World Cup hopes.
Beauchamp, who left Denmark for cashed-up UAE club Al-Jazira in late-September, tells a curious tale.
Not a lot has been heard of Beauchamp since his move to the Middle East, but interestingly last weekend while the Socceroos were off in nearby Oman claiming a crucial three points towards Asian Cup qualification, Beauchamp was not far away in the UAE making his starting debut for Al-Jazira.
That’s right, almost two months after signing with Al-Jazira, Beauchamp was getting only his first start. And it was in the Etisalat Cup, which is a tournament Al-Jazira boss Abel Braga has been criticized by the locals for not taking seriously.
The ex-Central Coast man has had his injury niggles since heading to the Middle East but he has been fit enough lately to play some reserves football. But UAE reserves footy is hardly Socceroos form.
Beauchamp is probably on some pretty nice money at Al-Jazira but his hopes of representing Australia in South Africa next year are quickly going down the drain. It’s been a bad move in that respect.
Indeed, for the first time the Socceroos have basically had a full 12 months to prepare for a World Cup. In the past we’d be part of these final midweek World Cup playoffs, but this experience has been different.
Plenty of players have made moves recently with the World Cup at the forefront of their thoughts.
There have been some success stories like Mile Jedinak, Patrick Kisnorbo and Shane Lowry, while others who haven’t made the decision to move have stagnated like Bruce Djite.
And Carl Valeri is another who may need to make a move in January, due to a contract row with Italian Serie B club Grosseto which has seen him dropped until a resolution is reached.
Indeed, returning to the news on Spiranovic, this is a big decision for the young lad.
If he gets it right (and god forbid, stays injury free!) he could be partnering Lucas Neill in the heart of the Socceroos defence in South Africa next year.
He’s just got to get the right advice, make the right decision, and then, of course, play some good footy. Clearly that’s easier said than done.
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whiskeymac said | November 20th 2009 @ 7:49am | Report comment
Spiranovic is a very talented player – and certainly I hope he’ll be the defender of choice in the next few seasons for the roos – I personally wld like to see him in the team/ squad, along with a few others who will be called upon in the future, but there’s a feeling that time is running out for any bolters to stake a claim.
vladimir said | November 20th 2009 @ 8:12am | Report comment
morning somerford,
i agree spiranovic needs to be given a good chance to show what he can do… jade north just isn’t up to it and never has been… i’ve never understood the hype surrounding him… chipperfield should be retired immediately from the socceroos… i can see him really costing us in the world cup and he has been lucky that the asian attackers have been so wasteful in front of goal after cruising past him… i think coyne is unlucky as he has played very well when called upon and i don’t think the level he was playing in england is any better than the aleague…
whiskeymac said | November 20th 2009 @ 8:35am | Report comment
concur re:North. pretty average IMO, especially at International level, and i think he has struggled nailing down a first team place in the KLeague? Given the choice between him and Spira (and comparing the K to Bundesliga) i wld go with Spira.
Beauchamps fall from grace via the bundesliga, Danish and now middle east is not entirely surprisng either, like North i think he is fairly average and flattered to decieve in the HAL. At least he is getting paid though.
Kisnorbo seems to do well at Championship club level, and despite a disasterous Asian Cup, wld be a relatively solid squad player. certainly preferred over north and beauchamp.
Coyne has been unlucky.
vladimir said | November 20th 2009 @ 8:48am | Report comment
beauchamp has shown glimpses but seems to lose concentration… kisnrbo’s lack of pace concerns me , he has played reasonably of late but i don’t think he has the quality to peform at a consistent level internationally… by the way, kisnorbo has been playing in the tier below the championship for the lat few seasons…
whiskeymac said | November 20th 2009 @ 9:16am | Report comment
Sadly there arent many of our players cutting it at the top level.
Good point Vald. He moved from liecester to leeds, no? i knew he was injured for a while but even though he moved “down” (albeit to a bigger club) his performances (apparently) have been getting good reviews and he seems to score a few goals wherever he goes – which is a bonus for a defender but not their main rasion d’etre (ie what’s the point if he gets a header in from a corner if he is a factor for us conceding several). I agree that lack of pace at international level is a liability but are the others really that much quicker or have beeter positioning (i honestly dont know) ? i wld still rather Kisnorbo in than Beau/north, but it’s all degrees of compromise in the absence of better choices. If for this reason alone, and in going back to Mr Somerford’s article, this is why i am pinning hopes on Spira reproducing the form which had him a regular a season or so ago – from who we have he offers the most potential and ability.
Fisher Price said | November 20th 2009 @ 9:15am | Report comment
Spiranovic and Kisnorbo need to be given a decent go post haste.
vladimir said | November 20th 2009 @ 9:30am | Report comment
yes spira needs to be the top priority… kisnorbo is definitely ahead of beauchamp and north… i see him more competing with coyne and milligan (in my mind anyway)… yes kisnorbo went to leeds once leicester had been promoted so its his second year in a league lower than the championship… like you say he (and beauchamp) has been doing well… at int level he has been caught out for both pace and position but maybe he’s improved… i think positioning is where coyne has it over him…. to be honest, in terms of milligan, i see him more of a midfielder than a central defender as he is not imposing enough…
David said | November 20th 2009 @ 9:56am | Report comment
Spira is our future believe it or not these young guns ruka, Spria, Vidoic etc will be our next generation Kewell, Cahill, Brecie, Neill etc are all coming of age close to retierment. Viduka has already gone its time to give the young guns a run and after the WC rebuild our socceroos
danny said | November 20th 2009 @ 10:32am | Report comment
spira’s a champ. will be a big part of our future. i think that he should go to south africa regardless, would get invaluable experience. but i personally reckon that if he’s fit, he’s just about our best bet in defence. he covers all of neill’s shortcomings. would be a good pairing.
vladimir said | November 20th 2009 @ 10:43am | Report comment
agreed, but a large part of the problem with verbeek is that he is extremely myopic… it is in his best ineterests to be so and for that the ffa are to blame…
danny said | November 20th 2009 @ 1:17pm | Report comment
this is true. a very obvious side-effect of pim’s contract running until the end of the world cup is that he has no interest in the australian fortunes post-world cup.
i wouldn’t be presumptuous enough to suggest that my fleeting viewings of spira’s game is more comprehensive than that of pim and his cronies, but it amazes me that he hasn’t had more chances. not because he’s the future, but rather because he could easily be the present as well.
Ben of Phnom Penh said | November 20th 2009 @ 10:51am | Report comment
We need some pace in a backline that has largely aged 4 years since 2006. We have a lot of old heads but not much in the legs which found us exposed on more than one occasion during the qualifiers. Luckily many of the teams we faced were fast but couldn’t finish.
We’re also likely to need him for Qatar as many will hang up their boots post South Africa.
whiskeymac said | November 20th 2009 @ 11:05am | Report comment
despite his recent red, Rhys Williams is a good player too at the back. Havent seen Lowry play but he plays for Villa (loaned to lymouth) so assume he must be quite good. Spira – Williams_ Lowry-Carney back 4? Maybe players like Ryall, De Vere, Jamieson, Kantarvoski will be pressing by then too. None earth shatteringly good but all with decent professional potential and with a few years o/seas maybe the equal too who we have at the moment? good players with good organisation will see us go a long way.
for me the player we will miss the most would be Shwarzer. how many times has he saved the back 4?
Midfielder said | November 20th 2009 @ 11:29am | Report comment
Spira – Williams_ Lowry-Carney is not a bad set of backs throw in Neil… I also think that Jedi best position maybe as a centre back rather than a s a defensive mid… add Mulo, Hefferan, Jamieson, Elrick, plus a number of others.
But the point of the article is to make the right move … choosing te right club so you get game time is very important… hopefully Spira gets it right.
vladimir said | November 20th 2009 @ 11:33am | Report comment
williams as a cb is a ridiculous suggestion… lets be serious
whiskeymac said | November 20th 2009 @ 12:31pm | Report comment
?considering their ages both these guys cld easily be CB’s or operate anywhere along the back line.
“Talented defender who can play at either right back or in central defence.” that’s Williams profile from FFA. According to Soccerphile both Lowry and Williams can operate in central defence (although Williams has won his two Socceroos caps at right-back and has principally played in midfield for Middlesbrough this season).
vladimir said | November 20th 2009 @ 12:50pm | Report comment
“although Williams has won his two Socceroos caps at right-back and has principally played in midfield for Middlesbrough this season”… who in his own words likes to get forward and by his own clumsy actions almost lost us the last game… what do soccerphile and the ffa base this statement on?
danny said | November 20th 2009 @ 1:19pm | Report comment
williams’ clumsy actions almost cost us an asian cup qualifier. lucas neill’s clumsy actions got us eliminated from the world cup. you want to drop him too?
vladimir said | November 20th 2009 @ 1:32pm | Report comment
are you literate daniella…? i never said i wanted to drop anyone… i’m happy for williams to continue at rb/midfield…
danny said | November 20th 2009 @ 1:41pm | Report comment
good insult, vlad.
so what’s your basis for saying that williams as cb is a ridiculous idea?
vladimir said | November 20th 2009 @ 1:47pm | Report comment
you’re comment deserved derision… i didn’t enjoy it but i was obliged…
maybe becasue he’s never played there at the top level… as i said rb come midfielder who likes to get forward… he’d really need to prove himself at club level as a top class defender before being considered in that position…
danny said | November 20th 2009 @ 1:51pm | Report comment
i could be wrong, and am happy to be corrected, but my recollection is that lucas neill played as a cb for the roos despite not having any real experience in the position at club level.
someone’s got to give williams a run there the for first time. and i still don’t see how his conceding a penalty precludes him from playing in central defence.
vladimir said | November 20th 2009 @ 1:57pm | Report comment
it would be nice to have a conversation with someone who can follow along and not make things up as they go just because they’re convenient to their so-called argument…
firstly, yes someone does have to play cb einstein, no argument there, i just think it should be someone like spira and lowry who have top level experience there…
secondly, i never said giving away a penalty precluded him from being picked at cb…
danny said | November 20th 2009 @ 2:06pm | Report comment
ok mate. first, i didn’t say ’someone has to play at cb’. reading previous posts goes both ways. i said that if williams is to ever play as cb, there will be a first time. someone will have to go out and try something new. for all i know, that may have already happened. he may have actually played cb at a professional level. it would certainly explain the ffa’s profile.
i’m not going to argue with you regarding his best position at present, i think he’s a decent option at rb and spira’s a good go for cb. that’s not the point.
finally, you may not have explicitly said that getting forward or conceding the penalty precluded him from playing cb. but that was the implication i got from your post.
whiskeymac said | November 20th 2009 @ 1:35pm | Report comment
backs going forward is hardly new. matthaus, beckenbauer etc were both reasonably good players. although they wld struggle to get into the roos no doubt. seeing they havent played for so long. and there are indications that this libero/ sweeper style player will become more popular as more teams revert to one up front. apparently.
as for ffa and soccerphile basis for the commentary. ask them yerself. i provide it, you can attach whatever weight you wish to it.
vladimir said | November 20th 2009 @ 1:51pm | Report comment
the weight i attach is none… i’m watching your comment right now drifting out into space…
i never mentioned anything about backs going forward or vice versa merely that williams was by no means at this stage of his short career a cb…
eh said | November 20th 2009 @ 1:56pm | Report comment
more attempts at wit from vlad the impala
vladimir said | November 20th 2009 @ 1:58pm | Report comment
go ahead ‘eh’ (an inspirational username given your extra chromosone) deride what you don’t understand…
Fisher Price said | November 20th 2009 @ 1:28pm | Report comment
Neill at centre back would once have elicited laughs..
danny said | November 20th 2009 @ 1:30pm | Report comment
still does in some quarters
vladimir said | November 20th 2009 @ 1:34pm | Report comment
the future :
williams-spira-lowry-?
whiskeymac said | November 20th 2009 @ 1:36pm | Report comment
kantarovski maybe in there too?
vladimir said | November 20th 2009 @ 1:43pm | Report comment
perhaps… but isn’t he more of a defensive midfielder… inidentally, i know he offends a lot of people but surely ljubo is better than most other cb’s we have?
KB said | November 20th 2009 @ 12:05pm | Report comment
Mid,
Spira, has to be given every opportunity from now on, he was fantastic in the Olympics and never let Messi in at any stage–he is beyond his years and must be fast tracked… I hope he does find a club in January to fulfil his potential, we do need him now to step up…
~~~~~~~
KB
SImone` said | November 20th 2009 @ 12:46pm | Report comment
Spira would make a great addition. Moore and Kisnorbo (worst player to put on a green n gold jersey) shouldn’t make the trip to South Africa. I thought Beauchamp was a promising player, if he starts regularly could be worth a call up.
danny said | November 20th 2009 @ 1:22pm | Report comment
i think moore should go to south africa, but only as a back-up to neill. he has the same positive and negative attributes as neill; they don’t complement each other at all. however, if (god forbid) neill should get injured or suspended, i think moore would make a good replacement provided he was alongside a faster, younger sidekick.
whiskeymac said | November 20th 2009 @ 1:59pm | Report comment
yeah good point and if not Spira i was sort of hoping lowry wld get a game for the roos (am not sure if he got any game time to date?) for that same reason.
danny said | November 20th 2009 @ 2:08pm | Report comment
i’m loathe to suggest trying something revolutionary, given vladimir’s clear opposition to experimentation. but given a) the fact that lowry is a left-footed defender, and b) our dearth of left backs, i’d like to see him get a gig in that position sometime.
vladimir said | November 20th 2009 @ 2:17pm | Report comment
im fine with that… i mentioned it the other day as a matter of fact…
vladimir said | November 20th 2009 @ 12:51pm | Report comment
whats with the apostrophe at the end of your name? is that on your birth certificate or have you developed airs of recent time?
danny said | November 20th 2009 @ 1:23pm | Report comment
nurnberg’s game is being shown live on oneHD tomorrow night. chances of spira featuring may be slim to none, but vidosic may get a run.
Gibbo said | November 20th 2009 @ 2:43pm | Report comment
he looks good, vidosic.
Midfielder said | November 20th 2009 @ 2:48pm | Report comment
agree on vidosic … I remember at Bluetounge he torn us apart and it was one of his first games for the Roar … I asked all the Roar folk there who had travelled down who is that kid ….
What he has is a great mind he seemed to know when to run and where to go and his speed and balance .. he is darn good…
Mick of Newie said | November 20th 2009 @ 3:24pm | Report comment
Spira is this almost mythical figure, a teenage central defender playing in the budesliga.
Unfortunately just about every time there has been a roos spot available he has been injured or not playing.
I wonder how many of us have actually seen him play. For me I have only seen a few glimpses. What is really driving this zealous search for the Spira is that we have all seen too much of Niell, Moore, Kisnorbo (Leicester City Crowd Favourite says it all), Beachy, North, Coyne, Milligan.
Of these the only one reputed to have any pace is North and he is a bit soft.
Does Michael Thwaite present a left field option. Remember when he was the bright young thing for the roos. He is at least playing unlike many on the above list.
davelee said | November 20th 2009 @ 4:21pm | Report comment
ive seen a bit of him, mick of newie.
its not always easy to see much of him, cos of the injuries, but i saw a bit of him when i was in germany. definitely a quality player, very comfortable on the ball. makes good decisions, and can defend.
i’d love to see him to have a big back-end of this season and get into the roos first-team. i think we’d be a better side for it.
NB. also worry bout that info on carl valeri.
andy g said | November 20th 2009 @ 5:05pm | Report comment
williams, spiranovic, leijer and kantarovski will have plenty of world cup action in the future. they are all pacey, agile and most of all, big.
gazz said | November 20th 2009 @ 5:26pm | Report comment
yeh andy g, but 2010 is the immediate focus.
i like spira too. hopefully he makes the right move. i thnk a german 2.bundesliga club would suffice if its with a stronger club who is willing to offer him a game every week. otherwise perhaps england, he was linked with fulham in the summer. not sure, he’d get a regular gig in the EPL though.
i recall spira’s nurnberg teammate dario vidosic went on trial with a danish club, esbjerg, last season. wonder if nurnberg can re-new those links and get spira up there. that would be okay?
Jim said | November 22nd 2009 @ 1:16am | Report comment
Spiranovic is a bit of a star. I’d love to see him in the green & gold.
Mark said | November 22nd 2009 @ 2:46am | Report comment
Yeh Ive seen a bit of SPiranovic on the German TV. Saw a bit of him early last season in the 2.Bundesliga which is on the TV a fair bit in Germany. He looks very good and as Gazz says, comfortable on the ball. Impressive for a young lad. I guess his problem is he’s just so darn injuryprone. Hopefully now he’s fit he can find a club. And I ‘d say yes a German 2nd division team would be good, there’s some good sides down there. Maybe he could go to fellow Bavarians 1860 Munich!?
danny said | November 22nd 2009 @ 12:09pm | Report comment
nurnberg had a great win over ‘defending reigning champions’ wolfsberg last night. vidosic looked lively as a substitute. spiranovic didn’t even make the bench. time to move.