Publisert
2/24/2010
av
Australieren har hatt nok av tid den siste tiden til å svare på spørsmål fra fansen.
What inspired you to join Blackburn Rovers? (Adil Musa, London)
- The opportunity to play in the Premier League was the main thing.
Who is the best manager you have played under and who is the best player you have played with? (Johnathan Pilkington, Preston)
- The best manager would have to be Claudio Ranieri at Parma, because of his man-management skills. The best player, I would probably say Alberto Gilardino, also at Parma, because of his goalscoring ability, which helped us win a lot of games we perhaps shouldn´t have won.
Hi Vince, I was just wondering which other sports you played as a youngster and what attracted you to football? (Andrew Davies, Leeds)
- I didn´t play any other sports to be fair. I really had a passion for football, it was always what I liked and it was in my family as well, so that probably helped.
Hi Vince, with the change of manager so soon after your arrival, did you feel under extra pressure to prove yourself to the new manager? (Simon Child, Manchester)
- No not really. I was under no added pressure. The manager has been really good with me considering my injury problems and not being able to make myself available for as many games as I would have liked. I´ve been treated really well and probably better here than at any other time in my career when I´ve been out injured.
Who was your idol when you were growing up? (Eve Summersgill, Mellor)
- Diego Maradona was someone I always enjoyed watching, probably because he played for my team, Napoli - the town where my father´s from in Italy.
Vinnie, you are our favourite Socceroo. Always injury free until you moved to the UK, is it the cold weather or just wear and tear? You on track for the World Cup? Best of luck! (Mark Roth, Melbourne)
- I think it´s a bit of bad luck more than anything. I don´t think it´s wear and tear, or the weather, because it was just as cold in Italy. In some instances, I´ve probably tried to play with a little injury and made it into a big injury, which has been my biggest problem. I hope if I´m fit, I´ll be in the squad for the World Cup, but my main goal at the moment is to be fit and play as many games for Blackburn, and at the end of the season, we´ll see what happens with regards to the World Cup.
How do you think Australia will do in the World Cup this year? Has our surprise factor worn off? (Robbie MacFarlane, Melbourne)
- I´ve no idea how we´ll do. The opposition is very strong, as you would expect it to be at every World Cup. Having got to this stage, we obviously have some qualities - we just need to make those qualities shine at the finals. The underdogs label has probably worn off a little bit, but in football, that´s all paper talk anyway. Every country studies the opposition and there are a lot of players in our national team that have been playing in Europe for a long time. We know our strengths and weaknesses - we just need to make sure our strengths come out at the World Cup.
Can we expect to see you in the A-League some time - hopefully in the red shirt of Adelaide United? (Spiros Karanikos-Mimis, Adelaide)
- Not for a while anyway. My main goal is to play out my contract at Blackburn and then see what happens. Despite not playing as many games as I would have liked, I´m really enjoying my football here. Difficult times are just a part of the job. You have to take the good with the bad and I hope to have better times ahead.
How does playing at Blackburn Rovers compare to other clubs you have played for? And who do you currently rate as the best central midfielder in the world and why? (Christopher Ward, Dalton-in-Furness)
- Having only played for Blackburn Rovers, I´ve got no other English comparison. I´m enjoying it here and there is a good environment in the club to work with. The teams I´ve played for in the past all have different histories. All teams are special for different reasons. The best central midfielder I would probably say Steven Gerrard, for his all-round game.
Hi Vince, I just wanted to ask you what you would be if you were not a footballer? (Yunus Kazi, Blackburn)
- I´ve no idea. I´ve always concentrated since I was a teenager on becoming a footballer and dedicated myself 100% to making that happen.
We know that you spent some time at Ternana FC in Italy when they were in Serie B. Do you think that the difference between Serie A and Serie B in Italy is similar to that between the Premiership and Championship in England? And how does Serie A rate in comparison to the Premier League? (John Houldsworth, Lytham)
- I don´t know about the difference between the Championship and the Premier League, because I´ve never played in the Championship, but there is a difference the first and second divisions in Italy. The top teams in Italy have a technical side to their game that you don´t find in the second division. There are still technical teams in Serie B, but the technical quality of the players is a lot higher in Serie A. With regards to your second question, it´s a different game over here and that´s what drove me to come to the Premier League. I was enjoying my football in Italy, but I had played there for a long time and I needed a new challenge. Football over here has new ideas and concepts - not better or worse - just different.
Hi Vince. Do think you´ll be able to get a well deserved goal for Rovers? (George Brignall)
- Does that include training?! Only joking. I hope so. I´ve got two-and-a-half years to go! It´s not one of my strengths and I´ve never based my game on scoring goals - I´d probably be without a club if I did! - but I hope so.
I have moved from the UK to Australia because of the great lifestyle on offer here. Personally, I think Australia will do a fantastic job of hosting a World Cup. What are your thoughts on a World cup in Australia and do you think FIFA will award you the 2018 or 2022 competition? (Richard Horrocks, Brisbane)
- I think we´re certainly capable of hosting a World Cup. Have we got a good chance - I don´t know. It´s hard to follow the bid unless you´re part of the federation. We hosted the 2000 Olympics and it was a fantastic event, which everyone enjoyed. There would be no problems with safety, it´s easy to travel around, people are very kind and help each other out. So it´s a place that could host a World Cup without any major problems.
(kilde: rovers.co.uk)