Over at The Football Tragic, Mike Salter raises the excellent point that European-based teenagers like James Troisi (Newcastle), Shane Lowry (Aston Villa) and Rostyn Griffiths (Blackburn), while eligible and probably good enough for Australia's U-20 team currently involved in the AFC Youth Championship, are practically off-limits for Australian selectors during the European season due to FIFA laws that do not oblige clubs to release players for youth internationals.
A sad state of affairs for the U-20 and U-17 coaching staff, for sure, but there are a few question marks surrounding the matter.
How, for instance, was Ange Postecoglou able to convince Benfica, Brondby and Nürnberg to release Kaz Patafta, David Williams and Matthew Spiranovic? (Also, Ryan McGowan from Hearts was selected in the stand-by squad). Have these players managed to negotiate an 'international escape' clause in their professional contracts? Were they motivated to accomplish this because they were certain they'd be picked in future Postecoglou squads? Did the AIS or state institutes of sport have anything to do with their international release, given that all are products of The System?
Another question, then. Given that those players have been on Postecoglou's back doorstep in the recent past, does their selection indicate a fairly hefty streak of nepotism and/or an utter lack of budget for Postecoglou to scout overseas-based players?
Finally, if any of this is true, does non-selection to the government-supported AIS or state bodies mean that our young players can kiss any hope goodbye of being selected for an Australian youth team? Would this factor into a young player's mind at the age of, say, 17, when he's deciding whether to accept a trial offer with an EPL team or write out yet another grant application for the AIS after being knocked back in the past for not fitting the Postecoglou profile?
Cynical questions, yes, but worth considering?
Curious about the state of overseas-based players eligible for the U-20s and arguably of a high enough standard (or fairly close), I thought I'd compile a bit of a list. Here's the result, I'm sure I've missed some:
James Troisi
Shane Lowry
Rostyn Griffiths
Scott Jamieson (Bolton)
James Meredith (Derby)
Matthew Park (Hearts)
Tim Rasmussen (Derby)
Rhys Williams (Middlesbrough)
and
James Wesolowski (Leicester) - at least in the frame for a full cap soon
Ex-Marseille youth Adam Hardy would have joined them, but apparently he's succumbed to a nasty injury and won't be playing football for who knows how long. Then there's also Alex Cisak (Leicester), Christopher Herd (Aston Villa), Hayden Doyle (Stoke), Gareth Musson (Dorchester), Paul Connell (Cork City), Andrew Shephard (Cheltenham Town) and Matthew Wardle (Livingston), none of whom may be superior to the currently selected squad. (To be honest, I don't know much about most ot these guys. I think that's okay, but if Ange Postecoglou doesn't know much about them either then we have a problem!) Furthermore, most observers are still scratching their heads over the exclusion from the main squad of A-Leaguers Alex Vrteski, Ben Kennedy and Oliver Bozanic as well as ex-Porto signing Cameron Watson, and we might add to them New Zealand Knights pair Sime Kovacevic and Tim Smits who both failed to make even the stand-by list.
There are possibly some excellent reasons for the non-selection of certain individuals over the Postecoglou reign. The questions that I've raised exist, however, because accountability remains a minimal concern for the youth administrators and coaches. They don't feel the need to explain their decisions. To my knowledge there has been no statement made about the eyebrow-raising selections of goalkeepers Tando Velaphi and Mitchell Langerak over Vrteski and Kennedy, for instance. This might be the media's fault to begin, if perhaps nobody has bothered to ask these kinds of questions. Given that few of us crazy fanatics with too much time on our hands know anything about the form of James Troisi aside from what we manage to read between the lines of short Internet reports, sift from fan forums or hear from mates fortunate enough to catch the odd Newcastle reserve match, I guess it's a tough call for a busy journalist to stick their neck out during a press conference and ask probing questions about obscure things happening on the other side of the world.
Still, that doesn't hold them back when it comes to celebrity gossip mongering or hawking fashion reportage. Oh well, another booby prize for utilitarianism I guess.
2 November 2006
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14 comments:
Nice piece, James. Thanks for the plug! ;-)
Availability was always going to be a big issue once the Asian journey started in earnest, and this is just the start IMO. It's going to be a big issue at senior level once the games start getting more serious...I think Bresc proposing a roster system was a coded way of saying that the top Euro players are going to expect to be let off the easier games, or else there'll be trouble.
Re Patafta, Williams and Spiranovic being released while the others weren't (which I also wondered about), I think it might not be Ange; it might actually be an English thing. The three who are with the U20s are all at continental clubs, not ones in England, and I get the feeling that the Poms are much more precious (and vindictive) about losing players to international duty far away - look at David Moyes.
As for Vrteski and Kennedy, TBH neither of them have looked totally solid so far this season, but at least they've been playing professional football. You'd have to think that counts for something.
"...an English thing."
Yeah I can see it now. Vinnie Jones comes over for a beer and a wee chat with the new recruit. "Right, now the gaffer he's one responsible for you havin' a decent wage and all, yeah, so we'll have none of this chit-chat about taking off for a youth international in the middle of the season. All right? Sorted, meat?!"
They have an investment to protect and they're scared silly of boys getting injuries on pitches like the paddock that was turned out in Kolkata . . . but still, it's extortionist and a kick in the guts, really. However, if it comes to a decision between being yelled out by Ange (something of a bully by most reports) or having your ego stroked by your youth coach (not to mention the perks that come with being The Next Big Thing), then I suppose from the player's perspective it's not a terribly difficult decision.
By the way, Mike - plugs from me are/do nothing, your blog rocks!
David Williams was injured in Game 1 v China and didn't play in Game 2. I haven't heard anything about the state of his injury but, if it's serious, you've got to wonder whether Brondby will agree the next time we call him-up.
It's probably not too serious given that he played through 'till the end, but yeah you have to wonder...
...Plus he scored both goals in the 2-0 win over the UAE!
Good piece.
Unfortunately, Shane Lowry has declared for the Republic of Ireland and has already played for one of their youth teams, IIRC. And the Welsh have been sniffing around Rostyn Griffiths...
You have to wonder whether or not we are doing all we can to follow the progress of these lads...
Nice to see Smits mentioned ... was wondering what has happened to him. Heard that NZ have promptly returned him to Miron-oblivion. YOu would think NZ would take any help they could get. Would like to see the Roar give him a go - but seems the squad is full.
I respect any kid's decision to declare for the country of his or her choice, but you have to wonder - in each case, separately - why?
Who's doing it for travel reasons? Or because they know they're not quite excellent enough to convince a top flight coach to play them week-in week-out even though they're also committed to an international career with far-off Australia? Who doesn't like the FFA, or feels jilted by them in a similar way to a young Craig Johnston? Who prefers the UK lifestyle and never wants to return to Australia?
Just curious.
Or, who ran into Lucas Neill one evening in the local and thought he was a git?
There's a bit of an old boy's club developing in the national team, as is inevitable in every generation. If you don't get along with Neill, Cahill, Bresciano, Grella, Emerton, etc, I guess you're not going to like playing for the national team as much as you might otherwise!
Just to suggest that there could be any number of reasons not to declare for Australia....
i've got an "eye brow raising" comment to make for ya. tando velaphi is one of the best goalkeepers currently in australia. you have no idea about soccer all u probley do is sit behind a computer all day and read about these players and watch a bit of soccer and think your an expert. i've played with and against both tando and vrteski and tando is much better than him. thats y tando is currently being trailed for the u 23's. so to say his selection is eye brow raising is a crock shit. i've been proven rite as tando has been training with glory since bak from india. hand selected by tony franken australia and perth glory's goalkeeper coach. and also today he signed on for a short term contract with jets. watch wat happens with tando in the future so u can eat ur words
WOOOOOO
yer i agree James Meredith is like the greatest left back/Midd Ever!! He should be playing in the World Cup in 2010
Thankyou for posting this blog, and asking the questions why so many young players overseas are not playing for their national youth team. I have played against everyone in that list of players playing in england, because i am one of them, futhermore i know for a fact most have tried to arrange to play with the 20's or 23s but have been not heard anything back after inquiring with ffa, ange and his team. Lets be honest, noone would tun down playing for their country at that age. The answer is that communication is lost when players are so far away...
i know some of them names listed and not considered in the under20 set up as i was a coach at southamptons and west hams academy here in perth, being good friends with rhys williams's dad i can tell you that before he was injured at the end of last year he was recommended for englands under19 academy by middlesborough officials, and the welsh fa are sniffing about as his grandfather is welsh, his dad is english and his mother is anglo-indian/english and he was born in australia, so the choice for him is varied, and i am sure the irish are looking to see if he ever owned an irish wolfhound........initially it all depends on where his heart lays, and then it may just come down to who wants him the most.
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