The call for Graham Arnold to give Tim Cahill more than five minutes in his final appearance in Australian colours is as ridiculous as it is misguided.
Tuesday night’s friendly against Lebanon is about the future, not the past.
Arnold has had this Socceroos squad for just 20 training sessions and the Lebanon match is the last hit-out before the Asian Cup defence begins in January.
There are still more questions than answers over the make-up of the side, and Saturday night’s hot and cold 1-1 draw with South Korea cleared little up.
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Cahill deserves a farewell cameo at the death, no doubt about it.
But he’s always talked up a team-first ethos and presumably will be comfortable to get five minutes of less - if it really is about the team.
Yet Arnold is unfairly copping it in the neck for not giving Cahill ten, 20, 30 minutes to soak up the applause.
“If the FFA wants to hang its hat on the fact it’s a Tim Cahill farewell and he’s only going to get five minutes, I can guarantee 30,000 people will want their money back because they deserve a lot more than to see him for five minutes,” Macquarie Sports Radio host Mark Levy thundered.
“Tim Cahill deserves a lot more respect than he’s currently been shown if reports are correct he’s only going to get five minutes.
“Pay the respect Tim Cahill deserves. To play him for five minutes is pathetic.”
Pathetic?
When did this game suddenly become about Tim Cahill and not Australia?
Is it the result of some disingenuous marketing by FFA to flog tickets or a fan/media-led frenzy to apply heat to Arnold?
As Fox Sports pundit and former Socceroo Andy Harper said: “It all seems to have got out of control.
“There’s not been a single narrative driving this game and it’s all unravelling.
“I’m not sure if it was meant as a farewell game for Tim or a practice match for the Asian Cup.
“This is very precious game time. He (Arnold) has a team that plays well but can’t score goals.
“These opportunities to try and work on that are as rare as hen’s teeth.”
Tim Cahill knows that better than anyone.