The one-time golden boy of Australian football cannot seem to take a trick. No sooner has Lucas Neill shaken off claims he might be overlooked by Ange Postecoglou, then the Socceroos skipper lands himself in hot water again.
“Why are you booing?” Neill politely enquired of fans at the Sydney Football Stadium on Tuesday night – if you ignore the expletive and angry gesture which accompanied his spur-of-the-moment remonstration.
According to the Omiya Ardija defender, he’d been copping it from sections of the crowd all night in Australia’s otherwise positive 1-0 win over Costa Rica.
“I’m an Australian, coming to Australia, playing for Australia and to be booed by Australians… it’s unacceptable,” said Neill of his unexpected outburst.
It was hard not to feel a bit of sympathy for the embattled Socceroos skipper, who after several shaky performances in a green and gold jersey looked to be headed for the same exit door as deposed former coach Holger Osieck.
But if Neill really wants to know why fans are booing him, perhaps he needs to look back at the many stage-managed interviews he’s given recently to figure it out.
Strong, good looking and incredibly wealthy, the two-time World Cup representative seems to be a graduate of the Michael Clarke school of image management.
A poster boy for the ‘me generation,’ it’s hard to know whether he’s talking about what’s best for the team or what’s best for Team Neill when he starts delivering his usual post-game platitudes.
There’s no other way to describe it, but often Neill comes as across as being supremely arrogant – a player more enamoured with talking up his skills than putting them into practice out on the pitch.
So is that reason enough to boo him? Or should the fact that he’s still the Australian captain, for the time being at least, afford him an added degree of respect?
The comparison with Australia’s cricket captain Clarke is perhaps apt, because despite being his country’s most talented player by a country mile, Clarke has nevertheless endured a fractious relationship with the Australian public.
At first it was labelled a Generation Y problem, but though Clarke has worked hard at constructing a decidedly earnest media persona, it’s clear he simply does not get along with several of his team-mates.
Likewise, Neill is a player for whom captaining Australia clearly means a lot. But has the focus on leading his country come at the expense of his form?
And is it ever right to jeer a player wearing national team colours?
There has long been an expectation from large swathes of the Socceroos – culminating in Harry Kewell’s “youse are all supposed to be here supporting us” line to journalists at the 2010 World Cup – that public support for the national team should be both intrinsic and unwavering.
What that fails to take into account is the fact that football is, at its very core, part of the entertainment business.
And when fans feel they are being short-changed, they’re liable to let players know.
Neill has made himself highly visible at a time when entertainment has been minimal and results less than crash hot.
Is it any wonder then that some fans, who may or may not have had a skinful of watered-down beer in the stands, might choose to vocalise their feelings in the form of some old-fashioned jeers?
It doesn’t help that the game was once again played in Sydney when, as regular Roar contributor Ben from Phnom Penh pointed out, the rest of the country is crying out for some Socceroos games.
If Football Federation Australia wanted to engender some unwavering loyalty, they could start by taking a few national team games to cities that haven’t already seen it all before.
Is it wrong that Neill was booed on Tuesday night though, or is it simply a reflection of the times we live in?
Martyn50
Roar Rookie
Booing is un Australian. So if you want to Boo go back to Europe
Qantas supports Australian Football
Guest
So, Franko you are saying it's fine to be motivated by $$$$ but not for Lucas (lol) a nonsensical response... Maybe you are just envious of his success playing football for his country..?
fadida
Guest
agree Holly
nickoldschool
Roar Guru
+1 pumaby (my comment was removed so will just support your view like this. not always easy to be 'on the other side' on the roar)
Holly
Guest
No he did not deserve to be booed. His record with the NT is outstanding. People who have done nothing for the game should show more respect.
Simoc
Guest
Seb Vettel got booed after winning the Canadian, Italian and one other GP this year. And Neill is no World Champ. It's frustrating being in the stands and having some so called supporters booing your own team players. Fine if it's the opposition but most of us go to support our players. But booing is catchy and I've heard AFL star Chris Judd booed by 40000. It was so loud and fun to be involved.
pumaby
Guest
Football fans portray themselves as being cultured. However, I have to say this is an incredibly ignorant comment. People in South America enjoy their football, but even in football obsessed countries there is much more to life than football and the overwhelming majority of people don't go to the games even if they support a team - they will watch it on HD in their living rooms like everyone else around the world. Even inside the stadiums, the dickhe@d factor is pretty low - limited to small sections of harcore fans.
RAF
Guest
It's what they live for because they have nothing else in their lives bar family....I would like to think we are a bit more balanced in Australia
fadida
Guest
Spot on Tom C
fadida
Guest
"didn't look overly convincing"??? He was fine and showed some quality on the ball (I'd still rather Sainsbury being tried)
fadida
Guest
agree Real, criminal that Sainsbury is uncapped and yet the Corndog is almost in double figures.....
fadida
Guest
Nonsense argument. In another country eg Brasil he'd have zero caps, but neither would any of our players so your point is?......... We pick the best of what we have, and that for a decade was L.Neill
fadida
Guest
My agreement with Sheek was aimed at a point higher up re Neill's legacy btw
fadida
Guest
I'm pretty much always in agreement with you Real, and on the general subject of Lucas Neill we agree also I suspect; he's lucky to still be in the national setup, he's buggered about making poor club choices for 2-3 years, his poor comments on the younger generation. The point of difference is that regardless of all of the above I think he deserves enormous respect for what he has done for the NT. More than a decade of great service, a fantastic ambassador and role model - squeaky clean in fact. For that I would never boo him and don't believe anyone should, even though I think he is lucky to be in the team. He makes himself available (he loves playing for the NT) and the coach picks him. I suspect AP will phase him out as his lack of pace prevents a high defensive line and stretches us too much, but AP has showed him respect by giving him a chance. ,
sheek
Roar Guru
Amen...
Australian Rules
Guest
Midf, I'm a little vexed by your claim that the WA/SA govts don't want to pay some $5M fee for Socceroos games...or indeed that they're not interested in tourism. Do you have a link for any of that, or is that just your own speculation? (I'm not digging here, but I'm genuinely curious - I've never seen this before)
AndyRoo
Roar Guru
It just seems weird that a player gets booed while playing ok andiIt's not like he is keeping Messi out of the side. I think the Neil out campaign is stupid. I also thought the Holman boo boys were stupid, and I will probably think the next hate campaign is stupid too. I don't mind fans thinking that and expressing it (not so much at the game though) but if it gets vitrioilic it just feels juvenile. I am much more inclined to listen to people who play the ball rather than the man and are preaching alternatives rather than droning on about Lucas being old. The off field discussion is interesting. They are fantastic representatives of football but Neil and Cahill do come of as self serving a lot of times. The rumour about home based players being upset the foreign based players spend all their spare time chasing Aussie sponsors doesn't sound unbelievable.
Midfielder
Guest
Ben Agree the A-League V sides you mentioned...
Cameron Kellett
Guest
Hope so! As long as Roar host it :D
Ben of Phnom Penh
Roar Guru
As you are aware, Mid, the 4 year agreement with the NSW government was for 3 World Cup Qualifiers, any play-off game should it occur as well as 2 Olympic qualifiers. I am aware of no agreement with the NSW Government in relation to friendlies, certainly nothing equating to a 5 million dollar payment. Whilst the agreements are in place for the big matches (and rightly so) they are not for various friendlies and smaller games simply because they are not worth that much money to the states. There is no reason at all that an A-League based Socceroos squad couldn't take on Solomon Islands or Indonesia in Cairns due to contractual constraints - exactly the type of game we need for East Asia Cup qualification preparation. There is equally no reason that I am aware of that the Socceroos couldn't play Costa Rica in a friendly in Perth.