By AAP
November 26th 2009 @ 2:36am
Allsopp hoping gulf move could aid Socceroos recall
Former Melbourne Victory striker Danny Allsopp is relishing life with Qatari club Al-Rayyan and hopes the move will earn him a Socceroos recall in Kuwait in January.
Allsopp called an end to his time with the Victory in September when one of Qatar’s ambitious Doha-based clubs tabled a lucrative season-long deal.
Eight rounds into the Qatar Stars League season, Allsopp’s switch looks to have been a shrewd one, with the 31-year-old netting three times in league competition to date, including a double on Tuesday against Al-Wakra.
Such form could spark the interest of Socceroos boss Pim Verbeek, whose squad for January’s Asian Cup qualifier in fellow Persian Gulf nation Kuwait will likely be decimated by the absence of several top-flight stars.
The Socceroos’ penultimate Asian Cup qualifier falls on a non-FIFA date – January 6 – meaning many European-based Socceroos will be unable to obtain a release from their clubs.
“I’m hoping that with the upcoming games in the Middle East, being based here might be a help, but that’s for the coach to decide, I suppose,” Allsopp said.
“I think they know what I can do and what I can contribute and I’ll just try and play well here and hope that I get selected again.
“We had the game basically next door in Oman which I didn’t get selected for, so I’ll just keep my fingers crossed for this one and see what happens.”
Though Allsopp contributed an impressive 39 goals in all competitions across a little more than four seasons with the Victory, his former team-mates have maintained strong form in his absence.
The Victory top the A-League after 15 rounds, with Archie Thompson and Carlos Hernandez, among others, combining to fill the void left by their former strike partner.
With Allsopp’s future in Qatar uncertain beyond the current season, Victory fans could yet see the return of the club’s top scorer of the past two seasons.
“Everywhere you go has its challenges and that, but I really enjoyed my time playing there (Melbourne),” Allsopp said.
“I’m grateful to everyone there, I think this move was good for Melbourne as well, I think they did well out of it financially and we all left on good terms and I appreciate everything that everyone did at the club for me.
“It’d be great to end up back at Melbourne at some stage, but I’ll see what happens and it’s good to see that the Melbourne Victory boys are doing well”.
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