What's the atmosphere like on the Gold Coast at the moment?
It's definitely positive. Training is great and intensive too. There's definitely a positive energy.

You've spent the last two years in Turkey. How do you reflect on your time there?
It was good for me as a footballer and as a person. I learnt more about my football and even more about myself. It's a completely different culture and environment. I'm happy I went there and got that sort of experience under my belt.

How do you think you've developed as a player from your time over there?
I think I'm a smarter player. In Turkey, you come up against different players to what you're used to. As the game goes on, you have to figure out how to get the better of your opponent. The games aren't too much quicker than the A-League. All in all, it was a very positive experience for me as a player.

Why was it the right time to come back? And why Gold Coast United?
I had other offers from leagues around Europe but I felt coming back to the A-League was the best way to be seen. I didn't want to be forgotten. If you go overseas, you need to be in a big league where you are still in the vision of the national team. As for the Gold Coast, it posed a new challenge and I signed with one of the best teams in the competition. It's a great place to live with a great coach and a great squad. Why not?

Did you have other A-League offers?
There were other offers but I felt comfortable coming to the Gold Coast. There were other A-League teams, which I did seriously consider. However, playing football was my priority. There was a co-incidence with Shane Smeltz leaving, which freed up a spot. That made things really simple with dealing with the salary cap and player restrictions. It was the best place for me at that particular time.

How tempted were you by the other offers in Europe? Hajduk Split were interested...
That wasn't this transfer period - they were interested about a year and a half ago now. I know there were other clubs interested more recently. This transfer window, there were clubs in Denmark and America that were tempting.

Was there any part of you that felt disappointed in coming home?
No, not at all. I could have continued in Europe if I wanted to but I felt it would be more beneficial to come home. It was an interesting feeling because there was a lot of pressure and stress with the transfer window closing. I had concrete offers to stay abroad but Gold Coast made a great offer so I decided to come home. Has there been any pressure in replacing Shane Smeltz? In fairness, you are very different players.I remember when I first arrived - the media said, "Shane Smeltz did this last year. Can you live up to his achievements?" As a striker, you'll always get that when replacing someone successful. When you get a like-for-like player it is easier to make a comparison but I think Smeltz and I play a different type of game - we take different roles in the team. The instructions Miron has given me are quite different to the instructions he'd give Shane Smeltz. It's hard to replace such a quality player. In saying that, I bring my own qualities to the team.

How do you look back on your international progression over the last couple of years?
I'm not very involved at the moment and it's all about timing. When Pim came in, I was doing quite well in the A-League. When the national coach comes in they are always under media scrutiny as to whether they pick A-League players or not. I was lucky to be doing well enough to be picked as I was playing well and had a fantastic team around me. When he came in, I was fully fit, in form and playing well. Once I started to get into the national team I stuck around until the World Cup where I had problems with my club in Turkey. New coaches coming in meant that I was out of form, out of favour and unfit. You have to do well at your club first - the national team is just a bonus.

Have you spoken to Holger since your last match against Slovenia?
He's watching as many A-League matches as he can. I've had a few words with him but not an in-depth conversation. I'm going to try to do my speaking on the pitch. If I do that, I'll have more conversations with him off it.

Has returning to the A-League improved or hampered your Socceroos chances?
I have no idea whether it affected my national team chances. In hindsight I'll have a much clearer understanding. It's not the case that I moved back to Australia to be in the view of the Socceroos. It was best for my career to be playing regularly.

How do you rate your chances of getting a spot in the Socceroos squad any time soon?
Not so good. I haven't been involved at all with the recent games and camps they have held. When you look at the front line, I can't see too many of the young boys going. If they do go, I don't see them getting any time on the pitch.  You have Harry Kewell, Josh Kennedy, Scott McDonald, Timmy Cahill, Brett Holman - that's a lot of competition.

You've made squads alongside those players before though...
When I was playing regularly and in form, but things change in football. Mathew Leckie was having an amazing season. He's jumping out of the blocks like Usain Bolt. He's hacked down now and he's missing 10 weeks of football. I've made squads with these players before and I can play at that level; it comes down to form and how well you're doing. It's up to me to show that.

This article appeared in the February 2011 issue of Australian FourFourTwo magazine. To buy back copies of this issue call 03-8317-8121 with a credit card to hand.