McDonald call rests on goals
28 May 2010-AAP


Australia coach Pim Verbeek's decision to discard striker Scott McDonald will be vindicated or vilified depending on Australia's results at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, according to McDonald's manager Lou Sticca.

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McDonald has already returned to Britain, where he plays for Championship club Middlesborough, following his axing by coach Pim Verbeek on the eve of the Cup squad's departure for South Africa.

While upset about being left out, McDonald was conscious of not burning his bridges with the Australian set-up via a Joel Griffiths-style outburst about his omission.

McDonald didn't seem to fit in with Verbeek's rigid formation, but Sticca said it was a wasted opportunity not to use a player who has been a prolific goal-scorer with every club he has played for.

"He's very disappointed, but what else can you say?" Sticca said. "It's a very emotional game and if you say something in the heat of the moment you can burn your bridges for the future.

"The results in South Africa will dictate whether it was a good decision or a bad one. Time will tell.

"If Australia loses all three games and doesn't score any goals it's going to look like Verbeek mucked up, but if they do score and go through it will look like a great decision."

At the last tournament in Germany, Verbeek's predecessor Guus Hiddink used John Aloisi and Josh Kennedy as impact players off the bench whenever he was chasing the game from behind - a circumstance that unfolded in both the tournament opener against Japan and the pivotal final group game against Croatia.

Sticca questioned the logic of jettisoning a player perfectly capable of doing the same job.

"He's a proven goal scorer, whereas some of the others in the squad are not," Sticca said.

"If you are chasing the game, say we're losing 1-0 to Serbia in the last game, who comes on for us?

"Scott hasn't scored goals for Australia in the systems they've used but he's scored goals for every club he's played for and scored against AC Milan and Manchester United."

As for McDonald's international future, Sticca said the 26-year-old had made a lot of long flights to Australia from Europe through the years to be involved in this campaign, and would now have to see who took over from Verbeek before deciding what to do next.

http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/news/1004771/McDonald-call-rests-on-goals

Obviously he would be shattered, but sounds like the in between the lines he's pretty pissed. Would hate to think there is a chance of him throwing in the towel with international football.

Of course he's pissed. Hes done all he could, played well when given an extended run on the park, done EVERYTHING except put one in the back of the net (which he has only had 1-2 good chances to do)

He wont throw in the towel, but he'll need some kind of guarantee from the next coach that he isn't going to fly around the world to sit on the bench. Which I think is fair enough. He cant expect to play every game, but it must be very disheartening doing the whole trip and not making it on the park. And it's not like hes a young kid just going along for the ride.

It perplexes me as to why someone like Richard Garcia or James Holland (even though he is young) would be selected ahead of someone that gives us the options up front like Macca does, we are screwed if any of our forwards get injured.