Soccer: Our Captain Fantastic

Tommy Smith has been a top performer for the All Whites and has been rewarded with the captain's armband. Photo / Alan Gibson

Tommy Smith became the All Whites' youngest ever captain last week. Michael Burgess examines why he was chosen.

For someone who is usually a model of composure, Tommy Smith didn't have much on hearing the news that he was suddenly All Whites captain.

Despite the absence of Ryan Nelsen and Tim Brown, coach Ricki Herbert had plenty of other veterans to call on but instead handed the armband to the Ipswich defender.

The 22-year-old Smith is the youngest All Whites skipper in history - Malcolm Dunford, Danny Halligan and Herbert himself were all a year older.

Having locked themselves out of their hotel suite a short time before the team were due to depart for the stadium, Smith and room-mate Chris Wood were at reception negotiating another room key when Herbert appeared in the lobby.

"He called me over and then said 'we're going to make you captain'," remembers Smith. "I was pretty shocked, as it's a great honour. I had a lot of things going through my mind but stood there pretty speechless; all I managed to say was 'ah, thanks'."

It didn't seem to affect his game, as he marshalled an inexperienced defensive quintet effectively, restricting El Salvador to a handful of chances. In just his 11th international, Smith will be skipper again today (12.30pm NZT) against Honduras - but he has always appealed as captaincy material.

While Winston Reid deservedly grabbed the headlines in South Africa, Smith was the steadier of the two across the three games. His goal-saving tackle against Slovakia will be long remembered, as will his tireless work against the Italians. His maturity and composure is a product of five years in British football.

He was at the Portman Road club under the ruthless management of Roy Keane in a season which threatened to become a personal annus horribilis. In August, he was sent off within 67 seconds of coming on against Peterborough and the Tractor Boys eventually lost 7-1. Smith didn't get close to the first team for the next 20 league games, before being virtually ever-present from January as Ipswich pushed for a promotion berth.

A regular captain of his junior teams, Smith also skippered the Ipswich Town reserves as a 18-year-old. He says he is not "a shouter and a screamer" but tries to be professional, encouraging and lead by example.

Like many others, he was enthused about Thursday's display, where the All Whites showed verve and attacking prowess.

"As the game went on, we got more confident," says Smith. "There were some good spells and periods where we managed to dominate possession. I guess we have some options and weapons we didn't have in the past."

Today's game against Honduras brings an interesting parallel. The two teams met in late 2010, a few months after the World Cup, in a homecoming match for the All Whites. It was a scrappy affair, with the home side using the physical, long ball approach that had served them well in South Africa. Less than two years on and, on the evidence of recent matches against El Salvador and Jamaica, there is a new, fresh feel to the All Whites.

Marco Rojas and Kosta Barbarouses bring flair and a genuine alternative to the traditional tall timber up front, while Michael McGlinchey offers more going forward than previous central midfielders.

Then there is Ian Hogg, a glorious example of the role of fate in sport. But for Tony Lochhead's unavailability, we may not have seen the Auckland City fullback but suddenly Herbert has a genuine alternative on the left flank. There is no need to get carried away after one game but Hogg's was a spectacular debut. On limited preparation and coming from the semi-professional climes of the ASB Premiership, he was asked to play the tricky wing back spot against a genuine top 50 team.

He coped well with the defensive demands, got forward - particularly in the first half - and his scorching goal was one to savour.

"He tripped slightly when he was going into the box and I thought he might go down," admits Smith. "[As he continued] I was thinking 'don't shoot' but he did and it was a beauty. I ran over to Leo [Bertos] and said 'that was almost like Gareth Bale'."

Although he has been unable to secure a professional contract, Hogg has always performed with distinction at higher levels, particularly at the 2008 Olympics and Fifa Club World Cup campaigns.

He offers genuine pace - which suddenly gave a new dimension to the All Whites game. It certainly gives Herbert an interesting - and welcome - dilemma on the left flank. Lochhead will return to the side for the Nations Cup but Hogg may be the better long-term investment.

Tim Payne, another player of rich promise, should make his All Whites debut today at some stage while expect Chris Wood and Jeremy Brockie to getsignificant game time. Allied with the fatigue factor, Honduras should be a slightly tougher test than their Central American neighbours. Currently ranked 62nd in the world (the All Whites are 130th), they impressed at the 2010 World Cup, drawing with Switzerland, and last year beat Serbia 2-0 and Jamaica 2-1.