Socceroo goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer has savaged reports suggesting there was disharmony within the Australian squad during the recent Asian Cup.
Dismissing the reports as 'total rubbish', Schwarzer even hinted that some of the quotes, which were attributed to an unnamed player, had been fabricated.
"To hear those sorts of reports were made is laughable and also comments were made but nobody put their names to it," Schwarzer said on Thursday afternoon.
"I question where they were really (from) a player. I question whether they were justifiable because there's no name behind those accusations."
"I think people started to look for excuses for performances. And when that happens and you don't perform well, people are going to look in all different directions and things are going to appear, nine times out of 10 it's going to be made up."
Schwarzer scoffed at suggestions there were factions within the Socceroos squad during their ill-fated Asian Cup campaign, describing team morale within the squad as 'exceptional' and 'better than anything I've ever experienced, even at club level'.
"The relationship players have with one another is unbelievable really for a national team," he said.
"I talk to players in my team, like Stewart Downing, who plays for England, he can't believe the relationship we have as players and the friendships we have compared to what they have in the England side."
The Socceroos have named a second-string squad for next Tuesday night's friendly against the world's No.2 ranked nation Argentina at the MCG.
Amongst the big names missing are injured pair Tim Cahill and Harry Kewell, skipper Mark Viduka and hard-running defender Brett Emerton.
Not surprisingly, Schwarzer said it would be unwise to draw to any conclusions on the team's long-term future based on next week's one-off match. The time for doing that would be at the end of the Socceroos' 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign.
"But I don't think you can really judge the performance and say we're on a downward spiral and we're going to have difficult time for the World Cup qualification," Schwarzer said.
"I think that come February next year when the qualifying stages begin I think we will be in a good position mentally and physically, and players will be wanting to give their all to qualify."