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Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou has made it clear to World Cup aspirants that they need to be playing regular football if they want to be on the plane to Brazil.
Some of our fringe Socceroos are spending so much time on the bench they have been mistaken for high court judges.
So it might be time for some of them to make some financial sacrifices if they want to showcase their skills at the world’s biggest event where football portrays hope, dreams and life.
These players need to be under Postecoglou’s nose so he can smell how much they want to go to Brazil. To have any chance of dancing the samba in June these players need to come home now.
Brad Jones, 28
Minutes played this season – 0
Jones currently sits behind Simon Mignolet at Liverpool. Barring injury, Jones will be the No. 2 at Liverpool all season.
The Reds are not in European competition so FA Cup games remain Jones’ only chance to start outside the EPL.
Considering the FA Cup is Liverpool’s best chance of a trophy the chances of Jones getting game time are slim at best.
Who needs him?
Unfortunately for Jones, Goalkeeper is probably the strongest of any position in the A-League.
Given Justin Pasfield’s howlers and Liam Reddy’s lack of game time at this level, he could be a handy pickup for the Mariners.
Adam Federici, 28
Minutes played this season – 270
After starting for Reading at the beginning of the 2012/13 EPL season Federici’s blunders were magnified in one of the most watched leagues in the world.
He has never been a consistent starter since, falling out of favour with Brian McDermott and failing to impress new boss Nigel Adkins.
Who needs him?
Melbourne Heart’s Andrew Redmayne and Wellington’s Glen Moss could be the goalkeepers under most pressure if Federici decided to try his hand in Australia.
That says a lot about the quality of the goalkeepers in the league as these two have been solid for their teams this year. Having said that there are no less than five keepers currently in the A-League of which no-one would bat an eye lid if they were included in the Socceroos squad.
Lucas Neill, 35
Minutes played this season – 526
The much maligned Neill has been doing plenty of sitting in Japan with J-League outfit Omiya Ardija.
The Socceroos captain knows all too well that if he doesn’t see regular game time his chances of heading to Brazil get slimmer by the day. Neill’s wage demands may send most A-League clubs running.
No club will give him marquee status but if he’s serious about a third World Cup he might consider a pay cut to fit under the salary cap.
Who needs him?
The club that needs him the most is Melbourne Heart but that simply won’t happen considering his back flip last season.
Adelaide would enjoy his distribution from the back and in Calvano’s absence he might help to steer Sydney’s young defenders around the park.
Luke DeVere, 24
Minutes played this season – 543
The former Brisbane Roar star has gone off the radar since his sudden departure before the Queensland side wrapped up their first title in 2010/11.
His struggles with regular game time have continued this season but a move back to the A-League could be enough to convince his former mentor to throw him a World Cup bone.
Who needs him?
His former club the Roar have two centre backs vying for a WC spot themselves so it would make no sense to return home.
John Aloisi would love to have DeVere at the Heart to shore up their defence and he could provide some stability to Adelaide’s leaky makeshift defence.
Brett Holman, 29
Minutes played this season – 646
After his move from AZ Alkmaar, Holman was frozen out at Villa under Nigel Lambert prompting him to take a lucrative deal at Al Nasr in the UAE.
It is unlikely that Postecoglou will pick Holman while playing in this league but if he was to pick up an A-League contract and impress he might just have the tools to impress the boss.
Who needs him?
Being versatile to play anywhere across the front line Holman’s services could be useful at Sydney FC, Melbourne Heart or Perth.
Other consistent bench warmers include Tom Rogic and Mitch Langerak but Ange has indicated that these two will be a lock for the World Cup with the only question being how much involvement they will have in Brazil.
Coming home to the A-League by no means guarantees a World Cup spot, just ask Nathan Burns, James Troisi and Matt Spiranovic.
It will however put them in the shop window and allow the national coach to analyse their game live every weekend as opposed to gauging a performance via a scratchy you tube video.
One thing is for sure though, if this list of players continue with their current clubs and continue to spend more time sitting than playing they won’t be going to Brazil.
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