He didn't refuse a call up. Two players did in the team did however, yet they were picked. 

Langerak retired from international football and was asked to come back. And for some reason despite him being our top keeper based on minutes and stats in the last two years for some other unknown reason, he's been left out.

My hunch is there was a suggestion, most likely by Arnold, to see how Langerak went in camp. Seeing the optimism of the world reopening, Langerak took up the offer and it went from there. The news articles suggest Langerak was approached more than announcing his availability.

Perhaps after not playing in September some things were said. You've got to remember how Langerak was paraded around like a hunting prize doing a lot of PR and hyped up Interviews. Maybe words were said after he didn't play or even then something was mentioned how he wouldn't be going to Qatar unless the other three got injured. The squad announcement Video clips of players had to have been shot in September. So did they take footage of every extended squad member then or was the squad already known? 

Come squad selection time Arnold says Crawley was given the call and was perfectly happy to go with his cohort. Arnold probably just said 'OK, I trust you.'

I would have gone with Ryan, Langerak and Lawrence Thomas. Langerak has always been more comfortable when his team sits back, vice-versa for Ryan. Thomas is a good keeper who can perform well in both systems. That trio would have covered all bases and given Arnie a lot of flexibility.

Is this confirmed though? 

After  reading a few more comments from other forum members in this  thread , I think it makes sense that  Langerak announced he was retiring forth Socceroos first. That playing for the Socceroos  wasn't a priority for him like most other players.

The same scenario could have been applicable to Tom Rogic too?

To select players nowhere near as desperate for a shirt, may have devalued the shirt to those Socceroo aspirants desperate to be in Qatar?

I am obviously no provy to private conversations but this is generally how it;s been reported - quote from Arnold:

“When he did retire, I could tell in his voice that it was something that he didn’t want to do,” Arnold said of the 34-year-old shot-stopper.

Although it doesnt confim if Arnold talked him out of it, it confirms he had retired.

Does it not seem to everyone else that maybe there was some bad attitude or bad blood during that last camp that maybe caused this non-selection?

These things do happen in teams full of egos and if the coaches decided that team harmony was more important than the reserve keeper then they made the right call.

It might be just speculation but nobody knows the truth and it seems highly likely to me

Same as Rogic, nobody here has actually heard from him that he even WANTED to be selected.

All this "they didn't come to qualifiers so Arnie told them to piss off" is PURE FORUM SPECULATION that is slowly becoming fact around here.

If that was true why did he choose Leckie and Mlaclaren?

To me Rogic didn't want to come and something happened in camp with Mitch and other keepers or staff

I dont begrudge Rogic for not wanting to play, guy has done more than enough for us in he past. Langerak on the other hand hasnt doesnt anything. 

Pretty hard  to do when he's on the bench.  

“When he left Brighton and went across to Spain (with Real Sociedad) it was about playing and it didn’t happen really, and things haven’t gone to plan (in Denmark).

“... But he works extremely hard on the training pitch to prove his worth and Matty, as I said, has played 15 games since the competition started.

“You know that’s 12 more than (Andrew) Redmayne, (Danny) Vukovic. Okay, (Mitch) Langerak is playing over in Japan. But Maty’s played a lot of games. So he’ll be right.”

https://www.foxsports.com.au/football/socceroos/never-let-us-down-mat-ryans-world-cup-boost-as-graham-arnold-dismisses-club-concerns/news-story/4f8afc584b9a12e66fee9a22ad246320

Mitch has travelled halfway around the world countless times to be part of the squad, to sit on the bench as a backup. He’s been part of the squad for 66 games and in all that time, only been given the opportunity to take the field for 7 friendlies and just one competitive game (including subs). 

Ryan, Langerak and Gauci for the future.

We all saw Vuka on the weekend, while Redmayne is a clown who got lucky 1 time out of 6 in the shootout. They could conceivably be dropped from their A-league sides.

Seriously the mention of Thomas blows me despite the clown Redmayne and aging Vuka.
He'd be like a rabbit in front of headlights to me at WC levels come on.

Didn't we lose by a couple of goals against Chile?

I can't remember the nature of the goals. I'll have to rewatch them, and the NL match.

I remember Arjen Robben bursting down the left wing and drilling it home. But I'd have to rewatch it.

Ryan was 100% at fault for the 3rd Dutch goal. That was the only howler he had from memory. 

I’d recommend watching all three Chilean goals again. 

Cheers. I'm with you on looking at NT football as something that shouldn't be devalued in the way in the way that club football can be. The question is whether picking the lads who, for whatever (compelling) reason turned down caps, devalues it.



I would argue that Maty is the only keeper who has been allowed to be tested at NT level. It has essentially been a closed shop for goodness knows how long.

Every other position has allowed for a degree of comparison. But in competitive NT matches for ages, only one goalkeeper has been given the gloves. So we'll never actually know if he's the best goalkeeper.

The notion of Maty Ryan as the best goalkeeper is kind of like a footballing equivalent of a non-falsifiable hypothesis. Shaky science or what?

If anything, the hypothesis looks all the more fragile. Not least because Maty usually ends up the Number 2 goalkeeper at just about every club he moves to.

At 184cm, a goalkeeper has to have those shot-stopping skills to compensate their lack of height (like Fabien Barthez). Meanwhile, Mitch Langerak is 8cm taller and is actually performing for his club side.

https://youtu.be/LLefMOebyoE

It’s a fair statement, but it also raises the question of why. Why has every single national team manager for the past decade continued to pick Maty over Langerak, and not given Langerak as many games as some would have liked?

Holger Osieck. Ange Postecoglou. Bert van Marwijk. Graham Arnold. 

Strong argument, Bowden.

Four Socceroo coaches (did Holger?) have preferred Ryan. 

I think the answer to that in the main is that Langerak didn't play much football before leaving Australia and then not much in Europe to develop or demonstrate his capabilities and when he was played in the Socceroos he generally didn't show much.  It wasn't until he went to Japan and got to play regularly that he developed but by then the Socceroos managers had made up their minds that he didn't offer anything more than Ryan.

Could one of the reasons be that during the stewardship of Holger, Ange and Bert, Matty was playing first string goalie in the EPL? Not sure what Arnies reasoning is TBH but I would guess its out of maybe loyalty?

So Ryan is currently iunjured. If he cannot play the first game, would a single person here think Redmayne of Vukovic would be a better starting option than Langerak? Please keep in mind, the fact he retired and came back doesn't stop his ability to actually keep. 

OK, poorly worded from me.

Could one of the reasons be that during the stewardship of Holger, Ange and Bert, Matty was playing first string goalie at a higher level than Mitch was?

Bouzanis playing higher level than all current aussie keepers. Still young for a keeper,  I mean maybe Rafa was right all along?

6'2, was a midfielder before he was a keeper so decent with his feet, worked hard over the last two years to get to where he is, has played in EFL finals what more do you need?

Look, in the big picture disregarding the backroom politics/retirments and goss by form you'd go L even before Ryan.
It is what it is I'm over the mulling over this topic.
IF I had to pick of the remaining 2 for thats the choices we have by the powers above us Vuka form or not compared to seeing the wiggle look more of the goose.

If Ryan injured Langerak has to be brought in cos he is definitely better option than Vukovic - who played like crap on Sunday- and Redmayne. But if Langerak can’t be there, would prefer Redmayne over Vukovic based on current form

Langerak shouldn't have gone to Dortmund.

But it's much easier to say that in retrospect. When one of the biggests clubs in the world comes calling...

He was the kind of guinea pig for goalkeepers going directly from the A-League big football teams in Europe. It could have gone very differently.

He made a bad career move (but totally understandable). It has hurt his NT career, unfortunately.

And, unfortunately, it has hurt the NT, too. The results in 2014 may have been better with him as goalkeeper, albeit he would have had to hage played out of his skin. For this WC, with Langerak in goals, I would fancy Australia's chances more than i have since 2010.

Meanwhile, Ryan has played much more over the years. But he has never really been secure (besides in Brugge). Every big club he's been at, he has had difficulty keeping the goals out and then been dropped to the bench or sought a transfer out. But the idea of loyalty for the NT managers has involved not even considering the possibility that Ryan might not be the best (hence club football patterns). FWIW, Ryan should still be in the squad to go to the WC, just not the XI.

Of course, a sensible manager would have just accepted that he made a bad call and looked at how Langerak and Ryan are playing now respecyively. And would try to pick the players most capable of delivering the best results.

But no, this is Australia, after all.