English Championship players David Carney and Mile Sterjovski need to start playing regular football again or surrender their position in the national team, Socceroos boss Pim Verbeek has warned.
Carney and Sterjovski are struggling to even make the bench at their respective sides Sheffield United and Derby County, a situation Verbeek frowns upon.
“A little (worried) is an understatement,” Verbeek said today after naming both players in a provisional 35-man squad for the World Cup qualifier against Qatar in Brisbane on October 15.
“Players like (Jason) Culina, they play in a big club and they pick up their minutes, same with (Brett) Holman, same with (Richard) Garcia — I’m not so worried about them,” he said.
“I’m more worried about Sterjovski and David Carney, because they are not even in the final squad — normally not even on the bench. They don’t play any game.
“They are on the (Socceroos squad) list but I have to seriously think about what I am going to do with them in the future because if it keeps going on like this then I will probably have to make, for them, very unpopular decisions.”
Verbeek said he had persisted with the duo on this occasion because “so far they have never let us down” and that it was now up to the players to make some decisions on their club careers.
“It’s not up to me to give advice. That’s why they have agents. They are not 15, 16, 17-year-olds,” he said.
“If the manager shows that at this moment he doesn’t like your qualities then you have to make up your mind … do they want to lose their position in the Socceroos or try to find another club?”
Verbeek omitted promising defender Mark Milligan from the squad because he was out-of-contract and not playing regular football, recently trialling with clubs such as Germany’s Werder Bremen.
“We all hope he will find a club very soon but I cannot select a player who is just doing some training, some tests, in Europe,” said Verbeek.
“Mark understands his situation and hopefully he will find a club soon because he is one of the players with talent and a very good age for the future.”
dasilva
Guest
The problem is now that Carle has finally found a club where he is guarantee starter. According to Crystal Palace fans he is one of their best performers during the shocking start of the season. His coach is also a fan of his ability. So he has support from fans, manager and club. He also living in a English speaking country that doesn't have draconian training sessions (like Turkey) and becasue of that his family is settle into life there. Do you think it is wise for him to throw that away and move to another club overseas in the hope for more soccerroo caps? It seems very risky. The best thing he can hope for right now is that he performs very well and get pick up by a premiership side (or get his club promoted but even if he does he should still move as he shouldn't play for a side like Crystal Palace) as there is no way he is going to do a Carney or a Milligan and burn his bridges with the club.
Midfielder
Guest
Pim impresses me. I like the way he keeps taking key A-League players into the training squads to improve there game and to look for talent as well. His advise to Carle, Carney and Sterjovski is well made and in Carney's case he could be a Mariner within a week or so if the stories I hear are correct so Jimbo your idea of if you cannot make it in Europe come home may just work
dasilva
Guest
Perhaps in Pim's mind. Playing regularly for A-league is better then playing regularly in the English Championship?
dasilva
Guest
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,24442612-23215,00.html Now Carle is basically told by Pim to move to a different club if he wants to get pick for Soccerroos.
dasilva
Guest
According to Jesse Fink article in TWG. My point is about training in English Championship is reinforce. Nick Carle didn't make it to the squad despite playing regularly for Crystal Palace because his side played direct long ball football and because of that Carle only had 5 touches on the ball for the entire game. He was then recommended by Duut to move to another league like the bundesliga and that he was wasting his time in England. Damn that seem very harsh - he probably should have stayed in Turkey or at least at Bristol City who at least tried to keep the ball on the ground in a semi-regular basis. It reminds me of Carney spew about his coach that if he adjust the way he plays football to match the style of football that his manager play he wouldn't be selected for the soccerroos. It could of easily came from Carle's mouth and I guess Sterjovski mouth as well. Craig Foster mention before that if you want to play for the soccerroos then you have to play in more technical league or club or you won't be selected. This seems to me as the first step for that. Hopefully this will prevent players from moving to the lower division in England. You ain't going to play for Australia doing that and the only exception now is Chris coyne. How on earth is Coyne playing in the english 3rd division? It also doesn't look good on Melbourne Victory players either as well as Pim describe it as a long ball side with only archie making the squad.
dasilva
Guest
Jimbo Not necessary a retraction. He could easily play non-A-league players in front of those two. Also he said training in Budesliga is higher then A-league. He didn't say training with second division english side is better. Especially when some of the teams (eg. Sheffield United) are long ball exponents.
jimbo
Guest
Might be some encouragement there from Pimbo for some of the European bench warmers to come back and play in the A-League if money is not the only incentive. SFC could certainly use players like Sterjovski and Carney at the moment - maybe swap them for Bridge and Aloisi. Hasn't done Craig Moore or Archie Thompson any harm playing in the A-League and getting picked for the Socceroos again. Pimbo's latest comments though are a contradiction of one of the first public statements he ever made about the A-League - when he said it was better to train with a top team in Europe and sit on the bench than play in the A-League. Has he changed his mind about the A-League and the standard of its players?
Millster
Guest
Agree with Greg. This is clear but fair signalling to the players of what he expects of them, not only immediately on the park but in terms of the way the management of their club careers and their representative places are linked.
Greg Russell
Roar Guru
I really admire Pim's excellent man management, this being but the latest example. Everything here with regard to Carney and Sterjovski is even handed and full of common sense, both the way he has selected them now and put them on notice.