Drawcard ... David Beckham. Photo: Getty Images
Socceroos skipper Lucas Neill concedes it would be a massive boost for football in Australia if David Beckham joined the A-League but warns all interested parties to think twice before they throw everything at the English superstar.
Beckham announced this week he intended to play on after his stint with the LA Galaxy ends early next month. While the A-League is one of many competitions around the world vying for his signature, his announcement only fuelled the determination of the Central Coast Mariners, Perth Glory, Adelaide United and Melbourne Heart to lure him down under.
However, Neill told Fairfax Media there were other factors those clubs needed to consider before handing over a king's ransom to the former Manchester United pin-up boy.
"No, I don't think [A-League] clubs should throw everything at him," said Neill. "There are two ways to look at it; throw everything at one player, or do you look at the youth coming through the ranks and introduce players who could well be the next Harry Kewell, the next Tim Cahill or Mark Viduka?
"That's the situation. Do you think for the very short-term or do you go long-term. It is a tough one, I know, but I don't think the game needs much more profile. The game has Shinji Ono, Alessandro Del Piero, Emile Heskey … they've brought with them a great wave of excitement.
"David Beckham would, of course, add to that and help carry it through to January-February, but I think the performance of the game is enough to maintain the excitement and the hype."
As a player who created the Mr Soccer junior program to foster a love for the code in children, Neill was passionate about the need for A-League clubs to do even more at the grassroots level.
"My view is people still need to engage the grassroots, and that was a big responsibility for me, engaging at that level," he said. "I don't think the clubs are doing enough. Yes, they're trying to do it, but there needs to be more focus and people need to think long-term rather than short term."
Neill, who said he had dedicated himself to ensuring Australia qualified for a third consecutive World Cup tournament, was nominated for the Asian Football Confederation's club player of the year award during the week for his feats with Al Jazeera last season.
Despite being culled when the shortlist of five was trimmed to three on Saturday, he was chuffed about being mentioned as one of the elite players in Asia.
"I don't know if it is right for me to say it came as a shock," he said of his nomination. "I've never worried about recognition, but it's nice. When I look back on [last season] five goals for a central defender and winning the domestic final may have been the reason why I was nominated. It's a huge honour and the [four other] players who've also been nominated, particularly the Korean Lee Keun-ho and Zheng Zhi from China are highly rated. The two Iranian boys, Ali Karimi and Mohsen Bengar, are great players … always hard to play against."
Veteran keeper Mark Schwarzer was nominated as the region's international player of the year, an acknowledgement Neill said was well deserved for someone he regarded as "a great servant" of the code.
Neill, who is based in the United Arab Emirates Pro League with the Al Wasl club, has watched the rise and rise of the A-League with a keen eye and suggested that merely having Beckham mentioned as a serious contender to play in it was an achievement in itself.
"The A-League is brilliant," he said. "The level is naturally increasing every year as people get used to the system and as everyone raises the bar. I think the profile has been amazing and the people who are working overtime to make it a better league have captured some great names this year. The talk of David Beckham coming is great, even though I think we're only a 10 per cent chance of getting him.
"But it's wonderful to think Australia is at a stage where we can try to attract people of his calibre … it is something to be proud of. [FFA chairman] Frank Lowy and others in the organisation have, for a number of years, kept a tight rein on the league to build a base and stability and that's starting to show now … we have a television deal that will sustain the game for many years. The cash injection from that provides people with a security and knowledge that they can build on that and promote the game more."
Neill came under pressure when Australia's World Cup campaign hit a rough patch. Now, with Australia sitting second in its qualifying group, the skipper refused to rake over the cold coals of negativity. He instead insisted he and his teammates had a responsibility to ensure they were at peak fitness and form when the qualifying rounds resumed in the new year.
''We need to focus on getting even to nine points [for World Cup qualification]. I think seven could be enough … but nine points would definitely get us through. Our future is in our hands, and for me and the team it's now all about producing good club form and bringing it into the international season.''
Man management
''I'm always reading up on how the guys are going. I text [them] when they score goals or do well. If any player has a problem my job is to be there for them, and I do that willingly. That is my responsibility and I don't do it because I want everyone else to read about it in the paper. The guys work very hard for me and I [in turn] do my very best for them. I think that has created a team spirit that goes a long way to winning football.''
Captaining the Socceroos
''I have copped some negativity and that's fine, everyone is entitled to their opinion. However, my dream and my goal will never change and that is to help Australia to another World Cup.''
The Aussie team spirit
''We have that Aussie spirit and it helps to have it in our DNA. That spirit comes through and I believe it'll help get us through to Brazil … Since I have been in the squad there's been an ability to put your personal ambition aside for the good of Australia. With that the case we fight for the same goal, the same cause and that means our team has a chance to be successful.''
New FFA boss David Gallop
''I have no doubt he is going to be brilliant, a great asset. [Former chief executive] Ben Buckley was great, but David has a different set of tools … He'll do a lot to promote the positivity of the game.''
The rise of the Western Sydney Wanderers
''I'm not surprised Western Sydney is going well, I did a 300-page business plan explaining why they'd succeed. They were a success waiting to happen. What's pleasing is they've managed to get things going so quickly and I think [coach] Tony Popovic has had a lot to do with that, as have the people working at he club. A great success - it was always going to work well.''
Life in the UAE
''They always look for foreigners to make a big difference and you're expected to lead the team and set an example. My team has all the ingredients but we're being punished for concentration errors and we're dropping a lot of points. The league is very strong; this year … seven or eight teams could go on to win the title. Over the season there are six or seven consistently winning and any other day there are teams that could beat you. Mine is a very young team, we're also a new team and had a hiccup a couple of weeks ago when our coach resigned because he was diagnosed with stomach cancer. … They see me as someone they want everybody to follow the example of - I'm conscious of that - I'm always in 45 minutes to an hour before training to ensure I'm there before anyone else and doing a little bit extra, encouraging and communicating with the younger guys to make sure they're pushing through and following certain discipline off the field.
''There's a lot more than turning up on the weekend to play, there's a lot that goes into football and some people often forget about it is a full-time job, not just a Saturday career.''
Twitter - @BombsAwayLane
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