A-League: Wanderers captain Rhys Williams says criticism of Western Sydney is unfair
Western Sydney Wanderers captain Rhys Williams has been left bemused by the reaction to his side’s start to the A-League season.
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Western Sydney captain Rhys Williams believes critics have been too harsh on the Wanderers so early in the A-League season.
Heading into their round five clash against the Central Coast Mariners in Gosford on Saturday, the Wanderers are in seventh spot on the ladder with a win, two draws and a loss.
The average start, coupled with Western Sydney’s shock FFA Cup round-of-16 loss to NPL NSW club APIA Leichhardt, has led to calls for the head of Wanderers coach Carl Robinson after his failure last season to guide a star-studded squad to the finals series.
However, former Socceroos defender Williams said it was far too early to write off the Wanderers’ season and believed his side’s performances had been better than results suggested.
“We’re a few games in ... and I think we’re showing glimpses of form that people should be excited about, not negative,” Williams said.
“No-one in the world is ever going to be 100 per cent happy, and it’s up to us to turn them around, but I think it’s a hangover from a club of this size not only not making the finals last season but the previous three as well.
“We feel great and we’re excited because we know we’ve got a lot more to come, and once it does, this will be a distant memory.”
Williams said there were no problems under Welsh coach Robinson.
“In that Cup loss we had seven or eight youth team players playing, and then in our A-League loss to Macarthur it could have gone either way,” he said.
“We had a few chances early on, but we ended up losing the game. Football’s like that, you can have as many chances in the world but if it doesn’t go in, it doesn’t go in.
“We’re really upbeat. We’re disappointed to get beaten in the league, but you can’t go a full season without getting beaten.”
Williams, 32, said he was honoured to captain the Wanderers in his return to the A-League after three seasons in the Saudi Professional League with Al-Qadsiah.
“It’s such a privilege to be captain of this club,” he said.
“It is a big club. I don’t care what people say. To be the only Australian club to win the Asian Champions League, the fan base, the stadium, everything ... it’s a big deal.
“To be trusted with the captaincy is amazing. With the gaffer (Robinson), the staff and the bunch of boys we’ve got, it’s a joy, and they make it easy.
“We’ve got a ‘no d***heads’ policy and so far there are none, so it’s good.”
Originally published as A-League: Wanderers captain Rhys Williams says criticism of Western Sydney is unfair
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