Diving ... Brisbane Roar captain Matt Smith hopes to contain Adelaide United striker Jeronimo Neumann. Source: News Limited
Brisbane Roar captain Matt Smith not only wants to stay right away from the Jeronimo Neumann diving allegations, - he's also determined to keep his hands off him when the Roar takes on Adelaide United.
It's uncertain how the Suncorp Stadium faithful will respond to the plucky Argentinian, who was lambasted this week for his fall at Hindmarsh Stadium in the competition leader's 3-1 win over Wellington Phoenix.
His home crowd didn't crucify him, nor did Football Federation Australia, which ruled Neumann had no case to answer because he had been fouled by Wellington defender Ben Sigmund.
Smith, a defender, has watched the unfolding drama with interest but didn't want to buy into the debate at Friday's training session. The side will practise again, when coach Rado Vidosic is expected to give Ivan Franjic (stomach injury) the all-clear to play.
"I'll stay out of that," Smith said of the Neumann controversy.
"It's just the good and the bad of football. That's the way the game is and, as players, you need to know those sorts of scenarios are going to happen in a game.
"It happens everywhere -- diving, not diving; contact with a player now is a very fine line.
"As a central defender I've got to be very aware that even if I just place a hand on the striker he could go down.
"The answer is not to do it in the first place. My own personal game is to not put myself in that position."
How Smith and fellow defenders Matt Jurman and Franjic handle Neumann will be just one intriguing aspect of the Reds-Roar game.
The other is the relationship between coach Vidosic and former Roar player and his 25-year-old son, Dario Vidosic.
"Maybe I won't get picked next week if I foul him," Smith said, laughing.
Last year when the two teams met, Vidosic was assistant coach to Ange Postecoglou and said he would be happy if his son scored a goal.
"I think it's changed," Rado Vidosic said. "If he can score one or two, we need to score four or five. Then I will be very happy."
The Roar mentor said it wasn't difficult to coach against his son. "Probably it's a little easier planning to stop my son because I'm watching him all the time," he said. "You need to prepare for anyone, as he's not the only one who can cause us problems."
But contact between the two has diminished to a trickle this week. And specific questions about Adelaide's players or the Roar's preparations have been off limits.
"We just talk about our family. I've only asked him one question: 'How is your hamstring?' " Vidosic said.
Brisbane made the perfect start to last season with four wins in a row, but this year it has been lean pickings: a solitary win, a draw, and two losses, the most embarrassing coming last week against newcomers Western Sydney Wanderers 1-0.
Now it's the Reds doing all the roaring with three wins placing them on top of the table with Newcastle.
"We're like every other team. No one likes losing," Smith said.
The Roar skipper said there had been extra spring in the step of players at training.
"We certainly want to make amends for last week. We owe it to ourselves and not just our fans."
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