Gordon Strachan is lying through his teeth.


What do you think about the FourFourTwo article Strachan Snaps Back At Pim?
MIDDLESBROUGH boss Gordon Strachan has angrily hit back at claims that he cost Rhys Williams his trip to the World Cup finals.

Have your say.

fuck off Strachan.

I don't trust Strachan either, but Verbeek was put Williams in a difficult position now when he goes back to his club.

Verbeek probably should have just 'he hasn't recovered as quickly as we would have liked' and left it at that.

One positive for Rhys is he now has taste of what its like to be part of a world cup squad and he has at least 2 maybe 3 world cups left in him; suddenly the future of the Socceroos (post WC 2010) is looking a little brighter with Tommy Oar & Co...

Lets hope the next Socceroo coach encourages the promotion & development of young aussies such as Tommy Oar into the Squad without the pressures of the World Cup Qualifiers. The talent is out there, the talent scouts just need to find unearth & then develop the future...!

Of course the kid says he wants to play you moron Strachan, he wants to impress. Lying git!!!!

Bleh. If Rhys was playing with injections at the age of 20, then Strachan needs to explain why.

Those of you criticsing Strachan and calling him a liar should back off. He's a man of great character and honesty and I very much doubt that he'd lie about something like this. Why would he endanger the health of a player that he values highly and that his club has invested a lot of money into? The longer he stays injured the worse it is for them so they'll do everything they can to ensure that he returns to full fitness. Furthermore Boro have been mid-table nearly all season with little chance of promotion and no real risk of relegation. He didn't need to take risks with Williams so why would he? If you're going to claim that he's lying then I suggest you come up with evidence. Just because Williams continued to play at various times, when he was deemed medically fit to do so, doesn't mean that due care wasn't taken. What were they meant to do, wrap him up in cotton wool and say "The doctor's are saying that you're ok to play but don't worry. Even though we're paying your wages to play for us our only concern is that you can play for Australia for 4 weeks in the summer this year"? Get real. It's a shame and unfortunate that he's not going to play at the world cup because he's not fully fit but that's football.

Love this return fire stuff

This guys is well known for putting pressure on players going to play for their country.
Players that go are know to be playing in the reserves the next week.

RobbieMVFC is completely right. Never has Strachan wanted his players to player internationals. Look at McDonald for Celtic,he did the same thing. Fortuously timed injuries and then whinging when he played and then whinging again when he was left on the bench. He wouldn't have given two fucking hoots about Rhys wanting to play in the World Cup in fact he would have hated the fact there could have been potentially 3 Aussies playing in it. It will be very very interesting to see whether he stands in Rhys' way to get to the Asian Cup after these comments about them being aware of his potential to play in the World Cup.
Dont worry Rhys, you wont be with this imbecile for long.

Oh blah blah blah! What an absolute beat up! Pim should have shut his mouth. I Feel sorry for all parties involved. Looks more like a catch 22 for those involved.

Pim made it pretty clear that only players who were playing would be in line for squad selection.(Harry Kewell free pass excluded!) I think Williams rolled the dice to come back before he was fully ready and it hasn't worked out for him. Bad luck son!

At the end of the day, would we really have selected him if he did a Harry Kewell and just didn't play for 6mths to recover. Pim would look like an absolute hypocrite to select him after that. No-one would have cared either if he had been cut after that.

Looks like Pim doesn't know what he's talking about.

Common theme.

Well Pim just got served. I think Middlesbrough did the right thing. Pim took it a bit out of context-or at least stretched the truth especially in regards to the injections

Rhys is only 21, if good enough, he still has time to play in another 3 World Cups yet.

This is not the time to get into another wars of words. Not the kind of distraction the team or the coaching stuff needs at the moment. Pim should have known better.

Strachan to Pim - "you ruined Scotty McDonald's world cup dream, let's just call it even"

From what I've heard before, it's fair to look into who these medical staff actually are - It's been investigated before that some of these 'medical' staff have executed dodgy practices all surrounded by the 'club's aim' to get those players back on the field ASAP - See Harry Kewell's experiences with Liverpool! (And his statements about that time!)

I don't know what the regulations, if there any, state about the requirements/qualifications of a club's medical staff - I presume there are atleast some basic requirements, but I'm doubting that those requirements are THAT high.

And as discussed at various times (Including by Craig Foster on TWG I think - His PFA links, so player over club bias, is known) about how elite level club's, being the businesses they are, they operate to get them on the field, get the results, it's their modus operandi or what have you, in their nature. You can't expect a club, or even managers like Strachan, to operate against their nature. The point of the medical staff even being there, is supposed to be a kind of 'counter measure' in a way, to help regulate the human beings that are the players to make sure they don't over do it, jeopardise their health, sustain their longevities, career wise. But when they're selected, appointed and paid for by the clubs...

TBH The Medical staff of these clubs are ALMOST no different than those Medical professionals etc... who are paid for by Pharmaceutical companies or something. They're no longer a neutral, objective entity who you feel may work in your interests, or more, who's interests may work in yours, but one who's interests are compromised by an agenda to manipulate you, for the gain of others, not yourself.

Again, I wonder who makes up this medical team - Physical Trainers? Physio's? GPs? Qualified Nurses? They mentioned a surgeon below, but the surgeon only advises in relation to the demands of the player etc.. obviously the surgeon would advise MORE rest for a 'regular person' but a professional athlete, their have short windows career wise, ofcourse.



Rhys mentioned the injections to the media atleast a couple times, including in an interview with an SBS reporter I think. They may've only been two, but they were a big enough deal it seems and certainly sounds like it!

If the injections were 'for his health' as recommended by a surgeon, then the issue then is the 'adequate rest' part.

And that italics part of his quote, he seems to say, at the end of the day, it was Rhys' choice and Rhys chose to do so - Which goes without saying but still, if he was an Australian manager he quite simply would not have encouraged him/discouraged him more, from playing too much, handled him with more cotton wool, especially in that latter part of the season.

Maybe Rhys played on as much for a fear of his medium term first team place, than for the fun of it and trying to impress Pim for the WC etc...? Maybe if he felt more reassured over his place, he may've felt less need to be pushing himself to play every single game?



Hmm that's a curiosity - But I suppose it's WHEN Verbeek and our medical staff observed Rhys and that may well have been a bit earlier like that March/April period after he had, had that 10 week break.

Pim's response suggests that Rhys' condition has worsened since the time Pim and his medical staff may've last checked up on him - and that's a logical assumption, given he's just finished the 40 match plus long Championship season, so even player's without injury concerns need recovery time from that!



So it's, Rhys and Pim's fault eh? Especially as young Rhys 'CHOSE' to continue to play on, each and every week. And I'm sure you did ALL you could Strach's to discourage him from doing so, with the World Cup in mind, I'M SURE! :roll:

Edited by GloryPerth: 3/6/2010 02:51:19 PM

Well i hope Rhys Williams leaves the damnn club anyway, cos quite simply Gordon Strachan is a terrible manager!!! go to the continent Rhys!!!

I dont think you canreally blame anyone, players get injured it happens. It is unfortunet but it is part of all sports.

Rhys will be missed but we all new one good player out of the 23 had to be dropped, it turned out to be the guy with the injury.

Rhy should have when to birmingham city fc when they wanted him.

He is a good defender he will play in the Asian cup when Moore and Bech are just off the mark.

" he only played when he and our medical team agreed he was fit to do so". " each time Rhys played it was because he himself was happy to play".
It is only speculation but I wouldn't be surprised if he & the medical staff were put under pressure to play or declare him fit to play by the coach.
Pim was pissed off that Strachan kept playing the injured Williams after it was impossible for them to win promotion.
Rhys & Strachan obviously both know the truth.

strachan is full of shit.

If as he says williams only played when he was fit to do so and with proper recovery time why is he still injured now?

Furthermore why would a fit player require injections at all?

clearly talking shit

Playing on the continend wouldn't suit Rhys, his tallents are best served in the air. He's definitely a lower-EPL quality defender already.

Change clubs??

Indeed - I remember Pim making statements about that in the media too, asking why on earth he was playing those last few games when a promotion spot not attainable.

Just rubbish behaviour and puts paid to all this adequate rest, doing what's best for the player and his WC prospects, talk.

WELL FOR FUCKS SAKE STRACHAN IT'S OBVIOUS YOU DID FUCK UP! HE WAS PLAYING FOR YOU AND GOT AN INJURY. HE CONTINUED TO PLAY WITH THAT INJURY AND NOW THAT INJURY HAS STOPPED HIM BEING 100% FIT. DOESN'T TAKE A GENIUS TO REALISE THE INJURY NEVER HEALED!