Sym
Well-Known Member
Dunno if this has been posted somewhere else
From theworldgame.com.au
The last time Newcastle Jets midfielder James Holland put his hand up he created a Grand Final storm that would shape the destiny of the third A-League Championship.
In the dying stages of the season decider between the Jets and their F3 rivals Central Coast Mariners, Holland handled the ball in a crowded penalty area amid intense Mariners pressure but the incident was missed by referee Mark Shield.
Amid tumultuous scenes that led to the dismissal of Mariners goalkeeper Danny Vukovic, the Jets hung on to win the match 1-0 to snare their first championship.
Holland has now put his hand up a second time to concede that he considered himself very fortunate to get away with his infringement.
It was a handball and I was lucky to get away with it, Holland said candidly.
I am really sorry that I did it and sorry for the Mariners but I honestly did not mean to handle the ball. It was unintentional.
It hit my hand and the referee called it (favourably). If you look at it again it was always going to hit my hand even if I did not have it up there.
These things happen and it could have been the other way round and who knows how I would have felt.
My heart sunk. For a moment I feared I had cost the Jets the Grand Final. I would have gone from hero to zero. Of course, Im definitely sorry.
Holland, who is only 19, burst on to the national scene with a string of impressive performances for the Jets in his first year in the A-League less than 12 months ago.
He scored on debut against Wellington Phoenix in Round 8, making him the youngest A-League scorer, and he has never looked back.
His rise has been as rapid as it has been impressive and his consistent play in the Jets engine room was rewarded when national coach Pim Verbeek gave him his first full cap against Singapore this year.
Holland is expected to start in this weeks friendly international against Ghana at the Sydney Football Stadium on Friday night.
So how is this young man from Sydney handling the increased attention?
Things are happening so fast for me I hardly have time to pinch myself, he said.
Its good. But all I can do is put my head down and train and hope everything falls into place and so far it has for me.
Holland suspects that the match that made people aware of his potential was the derby against the Mariners in Round 20.
Im not sure but the goal I scored against the Mariners (his old club) the first time I played against them must have made the national selectors take notice, Holland said.
The week after that I got called into the national team camp at Parramatta so maybe that game might have been it.
Holland comes across as an attack-minded midfielder with the ability to make and score goals but that is not his favourite role.
The position I feel most comfortable in is that of the holding midfielder, he explained.
I do not mind the Number 10 role but I prefer the holding midfielder position.
I want to go to Europe later on but at the moment I want to focus on the A-League where I hope to have another good season.
And if I stay involved with the Socceroos in the qualifiers that would be great.
Holland admitted the departure of several championship-winning players from the Jets was not ideal but was confident his team would again be very competitive.
We still have many quality players left and a quality coaching staff, he said.
Losing key players obviously is not good but at the end of the day it happens in football.
I cant wait for the start of the new season to come around. Hopefully well back it up and do well because it is going to be tough.
Holland is a young player who plays his football with passion and a maturity that belies his age.
And the open way he discussed what must have been a harrowing experience in the biggest match of his career so far shows that he is the sort of bloke who is at ease with himself and comfortable with what he's doing.
James Robert Holland is destined to go places.
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Didn't bother reading most of it
From theworldgame.com.au
The last time Newcastle Jets midfielder James Holland put his hand up he created a Grand Final storm that would shape the destiny of the third A-League Championship.
In the dying stages of the season decider between the Jets and their F3 rivals Central Coast Mariners, Holland handled the ball in a crowded penalty area amid intense Mariners pressure but the incident was missed by referee Mark Shield.
Amid tumultuous scenes that led to the dismissal of Mariners goalkeeper Danny Vukovic, the Jets hung on to win the match 1-0 to snare their first championship.
Holland has now put his hand up a second time to concede that he considered himself very fortunate to get away with his infringement.
It was a handball and I was lucky to get away with it, Holland said candidly.
I am really sorry that I did it and sorry for the Mariners but I honestly did not mean to handle the ball. It was unintentional.
It hit my hand and the referee called it (favourably). If you look at it again it was always going to hit my hand even if I did not have it up there.
These things happen and it could have been the other way round and who knows how I would have felt.
My heart sunk. For a moment I feared I had cost the Jets the Grand Final. I would have gone from hero to zero. Of course, Im definitely sorry.
Holland, who is only 19, burst on to the national scene with a string of impressive performances for the Jets in his first year in the A-League less than 12 months ago.
He scored on debut against Wellington Phoenix in Round 8, making him the youngest A-League scorer, and he has never looked back.
His rise has been as rapid as it has been impressive and his consistent play in the Jets engine room was rewarded when national coach Pim Verbeek gave him his first full cap against Singapore this year.
Holland is expected to start in this weeks friendly international against Ghana at the Sydney Football Stadium on Friday night.
So how is this young man from Sydney handling the increased attention?
Things are happening so fast for me I hardly have time to pinch myself, he said.
Its good. But all I can do is put my head down and train and hope everything falls into place and so far it has for me.
Holland suspects that the match that made people aware of his potential was the derby against the Mariners in Round 20.
Im not sure but the goal I scored against the Mariners (his old club) the first time I played against them must have made the national selectors take notice, Holland said.
The week after that I got called into the national team camp at Parramatta so maybe that game might have been it.
Holland comes across as an attack-minded midfielder with the ability to make and score goals but that is not his favourite role.
The position I feel most comfortable in is that of the holding midfielder, he explained.
I do not mind the Number 10 role but I prefer the holding midfielder position.
I want to go to Europe later on but at the moment I want to focus on the A-League where I hope to have another good season.
And if I stay involved with the Socceroos in the qualifiers that would be great.
Holland admitted the departure of several championship-winning players from the Jets was not ideal but was confident his team would again be very competitive.
We still have many quality players left and a quality coaching staff, he said.
Losing key players obviously is not good but at the end of the day it happens in football.
I cant wait for the start of the new season to come around. Hopefully well back it up and do well because it is going to be tough.
Holland is a young player who plays his football with passion and a maturity that belies his age.
And the open way he discussed what must have been a harrowing experience in the biggest match of his career so far shows that he is the sort of bloke who is at ease with himself and comfortable with what he's doing.
James Robert Holland is destined to go places.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Didn't bother reading most of it
