Nothing Too Risky For Socceroos

Qantas Socceroo captain Craig Moore doesn’t believe that new national team boss Guus Hiddink will take too many risks with the forthcoming games against the Solomon Islands and then the 5th place South American play-off in November.

Qantas Socceroo captain Craig Moore doesn-t believe that new national team boss Guus Hiddink will take too many risks with the forthcoming games against the Solomon Islands and then the 5th place South American play-off in November.

Moore, a frustrated spectator with a hamstring strain at the four-day training camp in The Netherlands, believes Hiddink (pictured right with Sasho Petrovski at training) will be clear in his own mind how he wants the team to play, but that most likely will not involve anything too risky.

“Obviously that is the question that everyone is asking and hopefully the answer will be yes,” Moore replied, when asked if there is time to get it right before November.

“We haven-t got a massive amount of time, but I am sure any new ideas that are going to be filtered through to the boys, they (the players) will respond to them very quickly.

“I wouldn-t imagine he (Guus) will be taking many risks. Whatever decisions he makes I am sure that he will be 100% sure in his own mind that it-s not a risk at all.”

The 29-year-old defender believes the camp has provided a new lease of life for many of the players that have been involved with the national team for some time.

“Training as you can imagine has been very competitive because it-s a clean slate for everybody and people are working very, very hard to try and get into the manager-s starting eleven.

“Whenever there are changes it-s a good thing, because there is a freshness and maybe some players who have been playing every game, now all of a sudden, they are thinking, I need to impress all over again.

“That can only be a good thing,” Moore said.

Asked what he thought the main things Guus was looking for out of the camp, Moore believes these four days were really about getting to know each other.

“I think he-s just getting a general feel for the boys,” said Moore.

“He-s getting to the know the players just as much as we are getting to know him. Everyone-s getting comfortable with one another and that-s the most important thing at the moment.”

Moore-s hamstring injury has come at an inopportune time, as he was forced to sit out Newcastle United-s trip to Arsenal on the weekend and also play an inactive role at the camp.

“It-s only a slight hamstring problem. I am not actually training with the team as such and I have mainly been with the physio-s, getting treatment. It-s nothing serious though.”

“But it-s always a frustration when you pick up the little injuries. More so with the little one-s (injuries) because you know it-s not going to keep you out for any length of time.

“It-s frustrating as I would have loved to have come in and being involved in things, but you have to make sure you get these little injuries treated right or they can easily get much worse.”

Moore said he was pretty sure he wouldn-t be playing for Newcastle again this weekend.