Fallon making big mistake on club over country

CLUB v COUNTRY: All Whites striker Rory Fallon is in the middle of a possible row between his club Plymouth Agyle and playing a World Cup build up match for New Zealand.

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OPINION: New Zealand Football is right to play hard ball with striker Rory Fallon who is threatening to withdraw from the All Whites' friendly against Mexico in March to curry favour with his Plymouth Argyle club.

Fallon told a Plymouth newspaper that he wouldn't be upset if Argyle manager Paul Mariner "didn't let me go" to the Mexico game in Los Angeles.

Plymouth are dicing with relegation from England's second-tier Championship and have two vital games either side of the All Whites' match.

Fallon says Plymouth is "my No1". His commitment is commendable. But he obviously lacks an understanding of international football regulations. The Mexico match will take place in an official Fifa international window. Plymouth do not have a choice. They must let Fallon go, if he is fit.

It was thus gratifying to hear New Zealand Football chief executive Michael Glading say yesterday that he expected Fallon to front.

"We have rights and they're very limited rights, and they're rights that have been hard fought over the years by various associations with Fifa, so one wouldn't just actively back down from the rights that we have," Glading said.

If Fallon refuses to play in Mexico, it would the second silly decision of his international career.

The big striker is a hero in New Zealand now after scoring the winning goal against Bahrain in Wellington last November as the All Whites qualified for this year's World Cup finals.

But Gisborne-born Fallon almost blew his chance of playing for New Zealand. He represented England at age-group level but was never going to play for their national senior team. Yet he failed to take advantage of a Fifa law allowing players to switch allegiances to the nation of their birth before they turned 21.

Fallon should take a lead from All Whites' captain Ryan Nelsen. He has not always been able to play for the All Whites because of injuries and club commitments with Blackburn Rovers in the English premier league. But as the World Cup playoffs loomed last year, he insisted on playing in a friendly in Jordan, much to manager Sam Allardyce's ire.

The Blackburn skipper knew the World Cup must come first.

The same applies for Fallon. His absence in LA would seriously undermine the All Whites' World Cup preparation.

National coach Ricki Herbert said this week that he might use the Mexico game to see whether the 3-4-3 shape, which proved so successful against Bahrain, is sustainable against top-quality international opposition.

Fallon, as one of the three strikers, is fundamental to that formation.

Besides, his Bahrain goal aside, Fallon cannot take his place for granted. New Zealand have, for the first time, three other international quality strikers in Shane Smeltz, Chris Killen and Chris Wood.

The All Whites are unlikely to be able to afford the luxury of three frontrunners in South Africa. They may have to adopt a more conventional 4-4-2 formation.

So why would Fallon – approaching the highlight of his career – risk being relegated to the All Whites' bench?

- © Fairfax NZ News