HARRY Kewell cuts a calm, relaxed and athletic figure as he peruses the latest range from the Politix fashion label he endorses.

On the field Kewell has been far less fashionable in his much-hyped Australian return, as has the A-League's biggest club Melbourne Victory, but he does not offer up any excuses and there are no visible signs of stress.

Having endured criticism from passionate Liverpool fans for three years, his skin is thicker than most.

"I'm a harsh critic and at the moment I'm below par, I'm 3 1/2 out of 10," Kewell said. "I've played one or two OK games but my goal ratio has been terrible and there were times I wasn't even involved in games, so there's still a lot more I can produce."

But Kewell, who turns 34 later this month, does take exception to criticism that he and many of his Victory teammates are past their use-by dates.

"Everyone says that Victory is old and slow, but I guarantee if you put me and Archie (Thompson) in a 20 or 40m race against any other striker we wouldn't come last," he said.

"And if you put a ball at our feet, I'm sure we'll be first and second.

"My energy and endurance has never been great. I've always been a sprinter."

Had Victory not signed Kewell, there is a chance Mehmet Durakovic would still be coach.

Kewell's signing has brought unprecedented exposure and TV ratings to the A-League.

But what most fans don't see is his unparalleled work ethic at training, and this season's results confirm that not everyone at the club has adjusted to the bar being raised so high.

Durakovic was a fantastic bloke, according to Kewell, which was his big weakness.

"There's a difference between a manager, a coach and a player. A coach can be friends and banter with players, a manager is like a general," he said.

"You can talk and maybe have a laugh but you have to know there's a line you can't cross, a cut-off point, and Mehm didn't know that.

"He wanted to be friends with everyone but you can't be friends with everyone, especially in football. You probably get that in a lot of sports but football's different. It's not a friendly game. It's cut-throat, it's international and everyone wants to play.

"He had an idea but I don't think he stuck to his own idea. I believe he may have listened to other people and got gun-shy.

"You could see his mind ticking over and sensed he wanted to do things but he thought, 'I can't do it'."

While new boss Jim Magilton has not been afraid of benching Carlos Hernandez or Kewell, Durakovic famously said earlier in the season that Kewell did not want to be substituted.

It begged the question: Who was running the show?

"If a manager asks, 'Are you all right?' you're not going to say no," Kewell said. "But if a coach puts your number up, what? Are you going to stand there and argue? Last week I was shattered (against Heart) because I'd played a few games and if the coach asked me if I was all right, I would have said yes. But he didn't ask. He just put my number up and took me off."

AS experienced internationals, the technically exquisite Kewell and Hernandez express confidence bordering on arrogance on the field.

And never was that more apparent than the December 23 derby when Kewell stormed off in disgust after Hernandez stepped up and missed a penalty when Victory was leading 1-0.

"I hate players arguing over a penalty - it looks stupid and ridiculous and nine times out of 10 they miss because you need to be focused. That's why (Rafa) Benitez used to choose the penalty taker (at Liverpool)," he said.

"But I was disappointed with Carlos. We had an agreement that he takes one, then I take one.

"I was supposed to take the first one in Wellington (Round 4) and I stepped up, but Carlos came to me and said, 'Can I please take it?' and I went, 'Yeah, no problem'.

"I took the next one against Gold Coast and there was a penalty later that game which he took. I didn't play when our next penalty came against Perth, so it was my turn against Heart.

"But he took the ball and waved his finger so I just walked away. I didn't see a reason to speak to him about it, but I think he knew and there's no hostility between us.

"Maybe he felt confident, no problem. But I'm confident, too."

So who's up tonight should the referee point to the spot against Central Coast?

"I'm next," Kewell declared. "There's a saying, 'You take them until you miss' and I think that's fair." .

Kewell is not yet comfortable speaking about his surprise split with long-time manager Bernie Mandic.

Another controversial episode was the on-again, off-again deal with Argentina legend Abel Balbo, who was on the verge of joining as Victory's technical director alongside Kewell before the deal collapsed.

"Abel's a great guy. I was lucky enough to sit down with him a few times and had a training session with him and I learnt a lot," Kewell said.

"At a time when we were struggling I thought he could have helped out and given some guidance. I feel sorry for him that it didn't work."

Kewell is convinced about new coach Jim Magilton, who he would have come across several times as an Ipswich Town player.

"He's got a great bunch of guys that are willing to learn and need coaching and I believe he can take Victory to another level," Kewell said.

Originally published as Kewell opens up on tumultuous season