Brisbane Roar recruit Brett Holman ‘disappointed’ FFA overlooked him for marquee status

While Brisbane Roar eventually got their man, it could have been a whole lot easier and less time consuming had FFA come to the party by ruling him eligible for a guest marquee role and assisting with his purchase.

However, FFA refused to put Holman in the same category as Melbourne City’s Tim Cahill.

Holman, 32, doesn’t profess to know the ins and outs of the eligibility criteria, but perhaps felt that a career that includes 63 Socceroos appearances, two goals at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and club stints in the English Premier League and the Dutch Eredivisie would have helped his case.

HOLMAN: Former Socceroo stars in Roar debut

“Of course it’s disappointing when you feel that sometimes they (FFA) don’t recognise what you’ve done,” former Aston Villa and AZ Alkmaar attacking midfielder Holman said.

“My agent Paddy Dominguez presumed that’s how it worked – you have an ex-Socceroo with whatever the credentials might be, you propose it and it gets ticked off.

“But obviously that wasn’t the case.”

Despite FFA’s snub, Holman said he had nothing to prove in his maiden A-League season, which the Roar start on Friday week against Melbourne Victory at Suncorp Stadium.

“I go out and try my best for every team I play for – everybody knows that,” he said.

“To say I have to go out and prove something to FFA, that’s the last thing on my mind.”

Holman’s class was obvious in his first Roar appearance, a 45-minute cameo in Brisbane’s 3-1 weekend trial win over an NPL Queensland under-23 select squad at the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre.

“I felt great. I was a little bit sore after, which is normal and which is good in one way, as it shows that I do need the minutes,” he said.

“For me, the most important thing was to get the minutes up and to try to get a small understanding of what sort of players I’ve got around me.”

Holman set up star striker Jamie Maclaren for the Roar’s second goal and was a constant menace with his runs, his passing and his ability to find space.

“He knows where to be and where the ball’s going to be,” Maclaren said.

“Some of the time he played the ball and I was already making that run. We were on that wavelength that we need to have.”
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