Australia skipper Lucas Neill has told reporters his side are not a team of “whingers” as his side stand on the verge of World Cup elimination. (Australia 20/1 qualify)
The Socceroos have only picked up a solitary point from both their games and have a poor goal difference due to the 4-0 hammering they received in their opener against Germany. Australia have also had a man sent off in both their matches so far and have come under fire from their nation’s media for their disappointing conduct both on and off the field.
Neill was visibly disappointed about the criticism and stated that he believed it to be totally unfair. Australia need to beat Serbia by three or more goals and then hope that Germany beat Ghana. (Australia 16/5 to win)
He told reporters: “Everything that’s been written in the last couple of days is the fact that we’re all of a sudden a team of whingers. I think it’s everybody else who’s doing the whinging.
“Australia have never been a team that whinges, we don’t want to be regarded as a team that whinges.”
“Did we whinge when we were down to 10 men (against Ghana)? We took it on the chin, stood up and in the end probably could have won the game. That’s not a team that whinges.
“A team that whinges is a team that would have lost 3-1 or 4-1 and then come in and complained to the referee.”
The comments came after both Tim Cahill and Harry Kewell told the press that they felt hard done by after being sent off against Germany and Australia respectively and Cahill was even quoted as saying that side had “have never been given the fair go”.
The skipper was keen to come to the defence of the Everton playmaker and insisted that that the midfielder had been misquoted.
“Tim never said that. Why would he?” Neill added. “Every single player went out of that dressing room the other day and took it on the chin. There is nothing we could have done about it.
With regards to Kewell’s dismissal was also quick to defend the player, saying his comments were borne out of pure frustration.
“Harry Kewell said he has worked hard to get where he has and now he has been sent off after 20 minutes,” Neill continued.
“That is not really a whinge, that is disappointment. “But we are going to give him another game, we are going to try anyway.”
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Australia captain Lucas Neill says a draw with Germany in their opening World Cup match would be an acceptable result (Germany 1 /2, Australia 6/1, draw 3/1).