'Aussie' Smith makes Liverpool debut

Yep! agreed Luke Shaw is a very good player for Southampton. In fact Ashley Cole wants Shaw to replace him at Chelsea. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2529892/Ashley-Cole-wants-Luke-Shaw-replace-Chelsea.html Brad Smith does have stiff competition, that's of course if he chooses England, which more then likely he will.

No Problem. you are correct, it depends on the individual and their choice and which nation they feel they belong too. Innthe case of this Smith lad it is very simmilar to the FSV Frankfurt and Australian player Nikita Rukavytsa who came out here as a 14 year old. Started his career in the WA premier league with Perth SC, then Perth GLory in the A league before going onto a career in Europe which has seen success at Charleoi and Hertha Berlin and mixed results af Mainz, FC Twente and FSV Frankfurt. He is good enough to have being in contention for Ukraine but chose to play for Australia because he feels that way. It could be the case that Smith having lived in England since he was 13 feels Egnlish.

No worries at all Evan and thanks for disagreeing so politely with me! I think its a very grey area and its very hard to assess if the player makes it 'for the right reasons' or for security, fear of not being selected for the 'bigger/better' nation and miss on potential WC, Euros etc. Regarding your examples, in my mind, the gap between Croatia and Australia as football nations isn't big enough to say choosing oz was purely a choice based on 'heart values'. With all due respect to Croatia, they are no certainty (like most nations) to qualify to every euro or WC. Re Kewell I really think he felt he only wanted to wear green and gold but no one can be certain that he also chose Oz because he knew he would defo make the squad here and have a great international career, be a start etc, whilst opting for England would give him less security (plus it was during these years where Eng failed to qualify to the 1994 WC). To go back to Brad Smith, I don't know enough (well anything really) about him to know if he is the next big thing in football. If he is and know he is being chased by England staff, big clubs etc, I still think he is more likely to opt for England. If he isn't, which is probably the case, then he might choose Oz. I have seen this situation hundreds of times in france in the last 3 decades as we also have many many bi-nationals. In most cases, the top players (Zidane, Benzema, Nasri etc) choose france when they have a decent chance of having an international career while others choose to play for the country of their parents when they know its a big gamble to turn down an selection form the motherland. Sure they say they chose the country they love most etc but in my cynical mind I want to believe they also made this choice because its better to play the CAN and maybe WC with Mali, Algeria or Senegal than nothing in France, and its fair enough. Plus very often they have been selected in the U-17, U 15 for France before stagnating and 'choosing' to play for their other country in their 20s once they realised they will never be called to play for France. In all cases its a very personal and respectable choice.

I respectfully disagree. Without a doubt players such as Viduka (Dinamo Zagreb, Celtic, Leeds & Middlesborough) Jason Culina (FC Twente & PSV Eindhoven)and Ned Zelic (Borrusia Dortmund, Auxerre, Eintracht Franfurt & 1860 Munich) with their Croatian Descent could've represented Croatia instead of Australia. But they chose Australia. Harry Kewell was able to represent England and indeed recieved professional advice to represent England but chose to play for Australia. To Europeans we may seem like second choice but to football people in Australia whether grown up here or born here, Oz is not second choice. It is first. In the case of Brad Smith it may be different though. Art first I thought he would be a traitor if he represented England over Australia. But he did arrive in England when he was 13 so it is fair enough if he wants to play for Australia. But people like Craig JOhnson, Tony Dorigo and Josip Simunic have let the country down.

Two words for all of those worries we'll lose him. Jamie McMaster! Luke Shaw at Southampton will ensure that Smith never gets a look in for England if he somehow becomes good enough.

Agree

Let the poor kid just do what he wants

Because playing for your country is a privilege and a honour. The shirt is not some sort of bargaining chip you can use to force another FA's hand to pick you for their squad. If he truly wants to play for Australia, then he should come out publicly and state his allegiance.

Why not select him and find out. Were not exactly overflowing with players at clubs like Liverpool. Langerak & Kruse aside we have none.

Left back is our weakest position take him to the WC we can afford one gamble !!!!

nope wants to play for England we are backup plan.

That's great news, the football factory of Australia strikes again.

Not true,there was an interview done with him on the TWG website recently where he states his allegiences are split and was keeping his options open,so if that's the case the powers that be should be going after him and going after him hard.Anyone playing LB for Australia right now would only get into Melwood by getting on top of a bin and trying to jump the brick wall like the local scallies let alone take the pitch for them against Chelsea.

Did he move to England for footballing reasons? It seems as though he moved there and was picked up by Liverpool soon after. as opposed to being scouted straight from Penrith. Just reading on 442 that a kid called Gian Mendez has signed for Valencia at just 16. He hails from Blacktown. WEST :D

I don't know, he is from The Riff, as the saying goes, you can take the boy out of The Riff(if he is lucky) but you can't take The Riff out of the boy.

Cant help but think he will play for England if he really is good enough to make the national team and I don't blame him for that. Oz has often attracted overseas players in other sports (rugby, league etc) who 'chose' to represent their adoptive country rather than their country of birth, i.e. Fiji, Tonga etc. In the football world, Oz is 2nd choice, let's face it. If a young bloke born in oz can represent Brazil, Germany or England through his heritage or early move in his career, there is 99% of chances he will say 'yes thank you very much' and forget he was born here. And I have no problem with that.

Apparently his keen on following his English heritage. If so, I say let him go. Let's not pick anyone eligible. Let's pick those desperate for the green and gold.

He's had 30 minutes of 1st team football. IF he is good enough AND if he wants to play for the. Socceroos then in due course he will. Talk of Brazil 2014 is merely premature speculation.

Is the lad interested in playing for Aus? Or does he consider himself a Brit? I would have thought no chance for our WC squad but a handy acquisition for the Asian Cup rebuild.