Socceroos:
Goalkeepers: Mark Schwarzer, Adam Federici, Brad Jones.
Defenders: Scott Chipperfield, David Carney, Lucas Neill, Michael Beauchamp, Craig Moore, Mark Milligan, Luke Wilkshire.
Midfielders: Vince Grella, Carl Valeri, Jason Culina, Mile Jedinak, Tim Cahill, Brett Holman, Dario Vidosic, Mark Bresciano, Brett Emerton, Richard Garcia.
Strikers: Nikita Rukavytsya, Josh Kennedy, Harry Kewell.
Injured Socceroo a surprise omission
Socceroos coach Pim Verbeek has slammed English club Middlesbrough for ruining young defender Rhys Williams' World Cup dream after he was a surprise omission from the final squad because of injury.
Williams was one of five players cut by Verbeek on Wednesday.
As expected, young trio Shane Lowry, Tommy Oar and James Holland, and goalkeeper Eugene Galekovic were also left out of Australia's final 23-man World Cup squad for the tournament later this month.
But unlike the other four, Verbeek said 21-year-old Williams would have been a certain member of his squad had it not been for a pelvic injury which has dogged him for much of the season.
Williams has continued to play through the pain barrier for his English Championship club, receiving injections to keep going.
And Verbeek said that had ultimately cost Williams his chance of representing his country in South Africa - laying the blame squarely at the feet of Boro manager and former Scottish international Gordon Strachan.
"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.
"I'm disappointed he will not be in the final 23.
"Gordon Strachan let him play for weeks with an injury. Gordon Strachan 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 (Middlesbrough) had given him the normal treatment for a player, he should be in the World Cup."
'Heartbreaking'
While the other four players will remain in camp until the tournament starts on June 11, Williams will immediately return home to England to determine how best to treat his injury.
Born in Perth but of Welsh and Indian heritage, Williams played several under-21 matches for Wales before pledging his international future to Australia 18 months ago.
A clearly devastated Williams summoned the courage to front a media conference after the squad was announced.
"I'm heartbroken, but obviously proud to have made the 27 and just to have got this far," Williams said.
"I'm happy with myself - it just wasn't meant to be this year for me.
"I have been struggling for a long time, but the (Socceroos) 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."
Williams' demise has meant a reprieve for versatile youngster Dario Vidosic, who is believed to have been most likely to be the fifth man axed.
He will now remain part of the Socceroos squad, which features 14 of the 23 who were involved in the 2006 World Cup finals campaign.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010 ... 916601.htm
The final cut - Williams out
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Re: The final cut - Williams out
Williams has continued to play through the pain barrier for his English Championship club, receiving injections to keep going.
And Verbeek said that had ultimately cost Williams his chance of representing his country in South Africa - laying the blame squarely at the feet of Boro manager and former Scottish international Gordon Strachan.
"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.
"I'm disappointed he will not be in the final 23.
"Gordon Strachan let him play for weeks with an injury. Gordon Strachan 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 (Middlesbrough) had given him the normal treatment for a player, he should be in the World Cup."
Surely the player has to take some of the blame here as well, if you was that fckued to play saw so instead of getting a jab each game and he knew what was coming up at the end of the season
And Verbeek said that had ultimately cost Williams his chance of representing his country in South Africa - laying the blame squarely at the feet of Boro manager and former Scottish international Gordon Strachan.
"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.
"I'm disappointed he will not be in the final 23.
"Gordon Strachan let him play for weeks with an injury. Gordon Strachan 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 (Middlesbrough) had given him the normal treatment for a player, he should be in the World Cup."
Surely the player has to take some of the blame here as well, if you was that fckued to play saw so instead of getting a jab each game and he knew what was coming up at the end of the season
Re: The final cut - Williams out
What a joke, you telling me the Kewell and Emerton are not on pain killing injections or drugs to get them through. Iwould say Harry lives on them to get through week after week.