Tim Brown striving for fitness – FIFA World Cup 2010
Tim Brown, 29, suffered a shoulder fracture after a frisky challenge from Vince Gruella of Australia. New Zealand lost to Australia 2-1 on Monday.
Tim Brown, who also happens to be vice captain of the New Zealand team was in good spirit after his surgery. The surgeon who operated on his injured shoulder described the procedure as a success thus boosting injured Brown's hopes of playing at the World Cup finals.
Brown was unable to join the rest of the squad as he suffered a fractured right shoulder during the All White’s 2-1 friendly defeat to the Soccerroos in Melbourne on Monday. The rest of the team took off on a 40-hour journey to their pre-World Cup training camp in Austria while the midfielder flew to Auckland to undergo treatment and try to keep his World Cup dream alive.
Brown was rated a "50-50'' chance before the operation and surgeon Stu Walsh offered a positive scenario, even though without ensuring his fitness for South Africa, after revealing Thursday's operation had gone well.
The All Whites' vice captain had three screws inserted into the bone during an operation on Thursday. The bone was damaged in the friendly encounter against the Australian’s.
"It is still too early to comment on his chances of being available for the World Cup at this stage,'' Walsh said."That depends on how quick the healing process is and how well he responds to the operation through rehabilitation.”
He further added "The usual recovery time is three to six weeks for this type of injury, depending on the individual, and it can occasionally be much longer.”
"However, Tim is a strong and fit athlete, who is very motivated and looks after himself well, which will benefit his recovery. We are therefore optimistic about the forecast.''
The All Whites arrived at their Austrian training base in St. Lambrecht on Thursday after their long-haul travel.
The rest of New Zealand, who will play at the World Cup finals for just the second time, after their debut in 1982, went straight into a training session ahead of their friendly with Serbia on Saturday.
Coach Ricki Herbert said: "Psychologically we're really in that World Cup mode now. We have got teams like England and Japan preparing [in Austria] so there is a real sense that we are back on the world stage again.''
He hinted that he would look to assess his full squad in the upcoming matches after selecting a near full-strength line-up in their 2-1 friendly defeat to Australia on Monday.
The coach will be forced to make at least two changes with Brown down with an injury while Chris Killen has returned to Britain to tie the knot.
"We will make some changes personnel-wise but we will not change tack on what we have thought is the right process to follow,'' Herbert added.
"There will be some new players coming in but that will be around their performances rather than anything else.''
St. Lambrecht is more than 1000m above sea level as the side looks to get a feel for the altitude away from the intense build-up that marked their departure from New Zealand.
"It has been jubilation, even in Australia it was the same,'' Herbert said."It is good to be here. We are on the grass doing everything that we need to do.
The coach said, "We go into this game with a clear mind with players' performances at the forefront. We will try a couple of different combinations, it may or may not work.''
A statement on the New Zealand Football website said: "Initial indications are positive and that the surgery went well, but it is too early yet to say what the recovery time frame for the injury is."
Midfielder Cole Peverley, 21, has been brought into the 23-man squad as a cover up for Brown.
Tags: