Well surprise, surprise !

Cannot believe Verbeek even included Rhys in the squad in the first place. Rhys knew it, Verbeek knew it and we all knew that he was carrying a serious injury for weeks prior to the squad selection, yet Verbeek includes him hoping that he might come good. Does he not listen to his medical staff, who I would have thought told him that he has little chance of getting right for the wc.

Verbeek has really screwed this up and the best he can do is blame Gordon Strachan for his treatment of Rhys, which by the way, Rhys no doubt agreed to.

I just feel sorry for the likes of Carle, McDonald etc. etc. who have sufferred as a result of this dumb decision.

You can both sleep easy now, look:

Australia blame Middlesbrough after Rhys Williams cut from squad

guardian.co.uk,
Wednesday 2 June 2010 13.09 BST

The Australia coach, Pim Verbeek, has publicly named his 23-man final squad for the World Cup. The announcement comes a day after the Fifa deadline, but Fifa has confirmed that the squad was submitted before the midnight time limit – despite not being publicly announced – and plans to take no action against Australia.

Verbeek, who delayed making the list public while he spoke to the players who didn't make the cut, used the announcement to attack Middlesbrough for their handling of the young defender Rhys Williams, who missed out through injury.

Williams was one of five players left out – the others being Shane Lowry, Tommy Oar, James Holland and goalkeeper Eugene Galekovic. Verkeek said 21-year-old Williams would have been in his final 23 but for a long-running pelvic injury which, he claimed, had gone untreated at Middlesbrough.

"He trained without confidence: he could never train fully, he's not free to play and his recovery is not quick enough to make it," Verbeek said.

"Gordon Strachan let him play for weeks with an injury. He let him play with an injection every game. If you do that with a 20-year-old player you take a risk.

"I'm 100 per cent sure if they had given him the normal treatment for a player, he should be in the World Cup."

Williams, clearly upset, told the media he was "heartbroken but proud to have made the 27."

"I have been struggling for a long time, but the coaching staff gave me every possible chance to be fit. It obviously just wasn't meant to be. I'm looking forward to working out a plan with the physios and looking to the future."

Australia's World Cup squad
Goalkeepers: Mark Schwarzer (Fulham), Adam Federici (Reading), Brad Jones (Middlesbrough).

Defenders: Lucas Neill (Galatasaray), Craig Moore (unattached), Scott Chipperfield (Basel), David Carney (Twente Enschede), Luke Wilkshire (Dynamo Moscow), Mark Milligan (JEF United), Michael Beauchamp (Al-Jazira).

Midfielders: Tim Cahill (Everton), Mark Bresciano (Palermo) Vince Grella (Blackburn Rovers), Brett Emerton (Blackburn Rovers), Jason Culina (Gold Coast), Harry Kewell (Galatasaray), Brett Holman (AZ Alkmaar), Carl Valeri (Sassuolo), Mile Jedinak (Antalyaspor), Richard Garcia (Hull City), Dario Vidosic (Nuremberg).

Forwards: Josh Kennedy (Nagoya), Nikita Rukavytsya (Twente Enschede).



Edited by diego's son: 3/6/2010 01:00:25 AM

Shame on Gordon Strachan , let him look Rhys Williams in the eyes and explain why his mismanagment of the kid resulted in him missing out on a World Cup. To the 23 who have made it ...
Do yourselves and Australia Proud.

Chippers has been playing up front (rather successfully) for Basel lately.

If Kennedy is injured in the first game, we'll have no strikers, only midfielders. LOL. Pim being Pim he'll probably throw Chippers up forward and play Carney. Might work.Can anyone see Ruka getting game time, given he hasnt really been seen?
If it becomes clear Harry can't play, (but I really hope he can) who will be on the left? Oar would have been a handy sub as young as he is.

Good luck to them one and all. (Even Holman, Grella and Moore)

Oh well, he has plenty of time to play in a world cup. We have plenty of strength in defence without him though so we'll be alright.

Devastated.

shame for williams. of course he is injured, it was common knowledge he was injured when playing for middlesbrough and he hasnt featured in the last 2 friendlies.

Explains why culina has been playing on right wing in the last 2 friendlies. He is cover for wilkshire/emerton.

I can't imagine that there'd be any other reason behind it. I have no idea why Garcia is in the squad at all, he doesn't bring anything to the team.

He handed the team sheet in this morning thou.

must have taken so long so they could give his injury as long as possible to heal...only thing I can think of given that he wasn't given any game time despite easily being good enough....I am filthy at strachan....we've lost a good young player who also offers versatility....

i wonder why the announcement took so long

Make that two, the boy has bags of quality and a big future with the Roo's. I will be pissed if he has been dropped for anything other than injury.

if williams is in a state to play, then he should have been picked. if hes so badly injured that he cant run then i can understand.

i dont know why people are going on about eugene. When pim chose the 31 he said the eugene was only in case one of the others got injured and no other reason.

Williams is injured :roll:

Richard Garcia ahead of Rhys Williams? Surely this is Pims' idea of a joke?

If Williams wasn't cut for any reason, other than that injury he has had all year, I will be filthy.

How about you get your facts right before going off on a rant. Galekovic was always listed as a reserve just in case in any of the three keepers ahead of him got injured before the world cup. As for Federici, it was hardly the softest goal.

nooooooooo...just as I feared...williams out through injury....he is gonna farken hate strachan after playing him injured even once boro couldn't make the playoffs.

thats it just been announced on fox sports news

According to various sources on twitter (lol) the squad has been finalised: Holland Oar Galekovic Lowry and Williams miss out

fox sports news 8:00 will be announced

Holland, Oar, Williams, Galekovic and Lowry miss out. Williams misses out due to injury

folks got the telly so I cant see it

Thanks to Pim's hatred of the a-leauge we knew Eugene wouldnt get a shot - not partically impressed as when federici was given a half of football he let in the softest of goals but thats the way the cookie crumbles. Unless its a big name I dont really care this time around TBH

just want 14 June to hurry up and get here!

Edited by UnitedGal: 2/6/2010 08:00:40 PM

So is it being televised...i'm on fox sports news at the moment but there just going over regular news

The delay suggests it may be a very big name...they may be giving someone till the last possible minute...

What is the point of delaying the announcement if they arent even going to televise it??????

its 7:37?????? I have it on 513 and they are crapping on about Crab-arm???

is it going to be streamed anywhere? I'd like to watch it first hand!

Garcia should be cut. He didn't impress last night.