Milligan is back in Pim's thoughts

* By Tom Smithies
* From: The Daily Telegraph
* May 17, 2010

FOUR years ago he was the biggest shock in Guus Hiddink's World Cup squad - but the four years since have been more chequered than a draught-board for Mark Milligan.

But yesterday the former Sydney FC defender, about to join the Socceroos' World Cup build-up, said he had no regrets about the eight-month hiatus two years ago that had the Australian hierarchy fearing for his career.

Now a proud father and firmly back in Verbeek's World Cup calculations, Milligan revealed how "finding a home" in Asia had re-established his career with impressive results.

Taken to Germany very much for the experience, Milligan made a major impression when called to the fore in Australia's ill-fated Asian Cup campaign in 2007.

But his career stalled when he embarked on a series of trials at European clubs in 2008 - also earning the ire of soccer chiefs when he arrived late for an Olyroo training camp.

He came back to the A-League, but then made his momentous decision to strike for Asia, and his trajectory since has climbed all the way since he joined Shanghai Shenua and then Japan's JEF United last year.

"I needed to get out of Australia and have a good year or two in order to get back into Pim's thoughts," Milligan said yesterday.

"It wasn't an easy decision to make, as Newcastle is a great place to live. And when I got to Shanghai of course it was tough going at times.

"It was a very professional set-up, with great facilities, but I didn't have a translator and I had to be on top of everything. It was time for me to grow up I think.

"I knew what I had to do in terms of the World Cup, and it helped that the club looked at me as one of their more experienced players, with a lot of youngsters coming through. I matured a lot and without that move I wouldn't be in the World Cup squad."

Nor would he have earned December's $1.2 million move to JEF in Japan, a switch that cemented his status in Asian soccer.

That was all a long way away in 2008, though a strong display at the Olympics reminded his critics of what Milligan had to offer. Still the trials in Europe continued until in the end he took the chance of a return to the A-League with Newcastle.

"I don't regret it at all - believe it or not there was some method behind the madness," he said of the months searching overseas. I wanted to try Europe and see how I got on, and it seemed the right year to do it.

"My reasoning was that if the worse case scenario happened I still had two years to settle back in with another club and try to reclaim a spot in the national team ahead of the World Cup.

"I learnt a lot and trained with some great players, spoke with some great coaches."

At JEF now the games are coming thick and fast and his family have settled well.

"Of course I'd love to go to Europe in the long term but I've really found a home in Asia," he said. "They are great people and the club have been fantastically supportive.

"They even arranged a translator for us during the birth of Maya [12 days ago], who stayed with us the whole 31 hours."

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/soccer/milligan-is-back-in-pims-thoughts/story-e6frey4r-1225867484324