South of the Border - a South Melbourne FC - Hellas - Lakers - Pirates blog

2012 Fixture updates

2012-01-31T20:02:00.000+11:00

Been a little bit of adjustment since these first came out. Notably 3pm home kickoffs changed to 5pm... our round three home match against Green Gully switched to an away game... and two Friday night games, against Southern Stars and Richmond.

South Melbourne - the team for the working class!

2012-01-27T10:21:00.000+11:00

At least that's what coach Gus Tsolakis in thinks in this article from FourFourTwo. Apart from the very occasional frappe (sweet with milk, thanks), I don't drink coffee, so I don't know why latte drinkers get such a bad rap.

It's all so quiet

2012-01-25T17:01:00.000+11:00

Been a bit quiet recently on here. That's partly to do with the lack of news, which has been a league wide issue. Guess that's what happens when you push back the season by a month. I've also been busy catching upon OzFootball work I've neglected over the past four years.

Still, they tell me that it's been a punishing pre-season for South's 2012 squad. Hopefully they have something left in the tank by the start of the season.

A plea for patriotism from the unpatriotic

2012-01-20T09:08:00.001+11:00

In last Thursday's Neos Kosmos, tucked away in the sports pages, there was an editorial cum letter from a Melbourne Heart fan, Dimitris Konteleon. In this piece, he lists the reasons for his supporting the Heart - their colours match his first love Olympiakos, and he wanted to belong to a club here in some fashion.

Calling himself a Heart member since their founding, he goes on to lambaste Neos Kosmos' main rival, Ta Nea, for ignoring Heart entirely, and focusing exclusively on the Victory. The insinuation is clear - that Ta Nea's owner, the Greek Media Group, in turn owned and controlled by Harry Stamoulis, who also happens be a Melbourne Victory shareholder/owner, is deliberately starving the Heart of coverage.

Kontoleon goes on to talk about how discussions he had with one of Heart's admin personnel, a Mr Kentel, which included measures designed to attract members of the Greek community. He came out of these discussions slightly disappointed, as there was no follow up, though he was glad that his idea of regional games was taken up, as well the handing out of free tickets to youngsters.

He finishes up by talking about the quality that Heart has on the field, hopes they finish in the top six and that their coach is in the top five coaches in the league, if not the top one, (with a probably unintentional nod to Brian Clough). Somehow, when you have only ten teams, finishing in the top six is still considered a significant achievement.

To some of his other points - Heart played a game in Morwell because every club had to play at least one game in regional areas. Despite Morwell's soccer past, Heart still managed to get less than what most South games in the area would get back in the day. As for calling himself a member, it just goes to show how far this new notion of membership has carried - there are no members at A-League teams - only season ticket holders. Still, that lie will persist, another victory of marketing over reality.

What really grinds my gears with his letter was what was all too predictably absent. Where was South Melbourne? Where was Heidelberg? Where were all the other tinpot Greek community clubs?

As a reluctant nationalist as the very best of times, I'm uncomfortable with making appeals to patriotism in the name of South Melbourne, or indeed, Heidelberg or other once high profile Greek backed clubs across Australia. So I seek to turn the focus away from peasant nationalism to the sense of community. After all, there are many opportunities to be Greek outside of soccer clubs in Melbourne.

What I, and I imagine that many other South fans would have liked to have seen happen, is to have been proven wrong. That when the club was in its greatest hour of need, that people wouldn't abandon what they perceived to be a sinking ship. That a sense of belonging, of community, even of duty would have prevailed instead of the bandwagon cliche that has attached itself to the Greek-Australian nationalism of convenience.

So many people put so much money into this club, so many hours, to build it up from nothing to something remarkable, in spite of its many faults. And these people that have turned away from the club are ignoring that sacrifice, one that was made by people that they likely know.

Also confusing is Kontoleon's assertion about the need to attract more people from the Greek community. As a mainstream franchise, why should Heart seek to isolate ethnic groups like that? As much of a furphy as Heart targeting Melbourne's south-eastern suburbs was their apparent targeting of fans of the former NSL clubs. Every man and hos dog knows that those left at those teams are few and far between on all but the most special occasions.

It's a fair bet to say that most of the Heart's support is made up of Victory bitters. People who for whatever reason supported the Victory or went to their games, until such time as there was an alternative that was even remotely more pleasing to them. Sure, they may have picked up a few odds and ends of people from a club like South, who were able to convince themselves that the Heart are an entirely different ideological beast to the Victory, but there's no real benefit in targeting such a small spectrum of soccer supporters.

I've often wondered about the notion of club ownership and belonging - not in the sense of being a financial member, but that 'sense' that the club belongs to you and vice versa - and I've always been flummoxed by the notion that there is more scope for that sense of ownership to exist at something like an A-League franchise. While arguments have been made as to why people can't or couldn't support one of the ethnic teams - some of them quite sensible - I have not been able to understand this new found sense of increased ownership when there are heightened significant barriers to the club's management structure, less history to attach oneself to.

That lack of history, politics and specificity may just be the lure though. A clean start, and less responsibility for a club's success or failure. No clubhouse, no trophy room. And the illusion that you're at the forefront of something new and exciting. But we're now in the era where even the local Greek press, whose priority should be local Greeks and their institutions, are more worried about, in a sporting sense at least, those entities established to eclipse the social place of our community organisations.

Twenty years ago it was a fight between South and Heidelberg for press coverage. Now it's a fight between tweedle-dee and tweedle-dum franchises on our back pages. Says something about the Greek community and its sense of loyalty and kinship in this matter.

Plumbing the depths of upper lower middle class pursuits

2012-01-17T14:29:00.000+11:00

So bored during this extended off-season. There's things I could be doing I suppose, but instead I took up friend and once off contributor Chris Egan's suggestion of going with him to the Australian Open tennis. The other suggestions were Melbourne Museum (which I've done to relative death) and Melbourne Heart vs Perth Glory (I think you see the problem there).

I'm not a fan of tennis. I know the names, reputations, basic tactics and approaches taken, some of the controversies, but since I abandoned the clumsy television endorsed nationalism of my long gone youth, I've felt little connection to the players, especially those to whom the media attaches a greater cause. And besides, most of the tour takes place in another place and at godforsaken hours.

I'd never been to the tennis before. And on this hot, clear skied day, I felt most sorry for the little red headed child with the pale skin who was with his mum. Like us they couldn't get in to the court Casey Dellacqua was playing on. On a day like that, it was quite possible that someone of his complexion could spontaneously combust.

So we instead traipsed over to the next court where eighth seed Agnieszka Radwańska was taking on American journeywoman Bethanie Mattek-Sands. The first two sets were all about the American who racked up huge numbers of winners and unforced errors. Eventually the Pole came through in the third set to win.

Then we watched Stanislas Wawrinka against Benoît Paire. Wawrinka swept through the first two sets, we got bored and moved over to the Dolgopolov vs Jones match. Also an anti-climax. The gits starting the Mexican wave seemed to be having fun though.

Discussions on Australian soccer history and the cultural place of Perth Glory in Western Australia were more interesting to me. I wished I could have talked further about American football with the Packer supporting tourists sitting in front of me.

Was able to avoid for the most part those decked in Cronulla Capes, as well as their swarthier brethren in blue and white and those in red and white checks. Couldn't avoid some dreadful line calling however. One was so bad that even I saw it from the other side of the court. Also, apparently Tommy Haas is still playing.

It's also a lot noisier at a tennis match than what you see on television. Don't think I'll make it a habit of going to this event. There's not enough blood in this sport. Players get cramp, pull muscles, get tired, dispute line calls, but there's no sense of risk or danger, no genuine edge. At least the ticket didn't cost me anything.

Something vaguely to do with South tomorrow, hopefully.

Summary Edition

2012-01-13T12:22:00.000+11:00

Can't be bothered reading the whole of the available South Melbourne material available on the net? Take this shortcut by looking at Pitch Invasion remembers the good and and not so good times of Hellas.

It was a marathon alright

2012-01-05T09:49:00.000+11:00

In a bold fixturing move, the A-League decided to play five games in a row on a working day Wednesday, one after the other, starting in New Zealand and ending in Perth.

Day 2 at the SCG was what cricket is all about. Minus the rain delays, of course.

People have begun posting so-called strong rumours and inside information that a merger between South and the Melbourne Heart is on the cards, sooner rather than later. Cue bored and aimless speculation of a weary minority.

Despite his protestations, it was evident to all that Ross was not comfortable with Rachel's relationship with Joey.

I thought Melbourne Heart was supposed to have been broke by last September. People had sworn they'd even seen the paperwork.

Angela's ex-husband comes back into the picture, to tell her that he plans to remarry. He also wants to have his son, who is in Angela's custody, to be his best man at his wedding in Los Angeles. Somehow this becomes a pretext for the show to have a California special, bringing along the entire cast, with the requisite beach montage letting us marvel at Tony Danza's physique. The episode was to be continued.

I thought the A-League was supposed to be dead by now.

For reasons that escaped me, The Fonz was sporting a beard.

Whatever happened to that bloke who went by the moniker Western Greek? He used to rock up to our games dressed in exotic football jerseys based on the colours of the opposition, as part of some superstitious gimmick. He went over to the Heart, said he'd still follow us, and hasn't been seen since.

That 70s Show is just a Happy Days remake with marijuana. Discuss.

I wonder sometimes - despite the loss of 90% of our supporter base since the end of the NSL, are there still people supporting this team who are doing so only because they think our return to the top flight is imminent?

The Simpsons golden age is so long ago that it is but a distant memory. They could have stopped ten years ago, perhaps even five years ago, and that golden age would still have been deemed characteristic of the show's output. Now they're fishing for plotlines in the lives of Rod and Todd Flanders. Good luck with that.

How much have I backed myself into a corner, for the sake of a probably phony ideological purity, by resisting not only the charms of the A-League, but also of almost all overseas football?

While The Cleveland Show is for the most part a successful and funny spin-off, there is a meanness that has been added to Cleveland's character that is troubling to me.

The Hellenic Cup released its draw yesterday. Within a few hours, they released an altered version. In about a month's time, the annual pre-season public transport and walking trudge to the south-east begins for me again.

2012 Hellenic Cup Fixtures now out

2012-01-04T13:57:00.001+11:00

Not up on their website just yet, but our 2012 Hellenic Cup group stage fixture is now available. Fewer groups, and probably higher calibre competition because of that - but also because the state leagues this season begin very soon after the VPL season, and thus those teams won't be in the early stages of pre-season.

All games at Kingston.

Sunday 19th February, 5:30, vs Bentleigh Greens

Sunday 26th February, 7:00, vs Kingston

Saturday 3rd March, 7:00, vs qualifier

Top 2 from group progress to quarter finals.

Bye bye balls

2012-01-03T16:19:00.000+11:00

In 2008 fans received these balls as part of a merchandise push, and they're still available to junior members who sign up and such. Last year at the Lakeside re-launch, members who signed up got Coca-Cola branded balls. Which was convenient, as I was finally able to get them pumped up and flogged off to the children of two South sell-out relos of mine who I see maybe once every 18 months these days.

Cool story bro.

KB's Korner feature on the new Lakeside

2012-01-02T01:00:00.000+11:00

'KB' hosts a sports segment on Mondays on 3XY Radio Hellas 1422 AM (in English) on Monday afternoons at 5:30. Branching out into the big bad world of online video, here KB takes a look at the Lakeside opening.

Four More Years! Four More Years!

2011-12-29T15:44:00.001+11:00

Another year gone by on the blog. Least amount of posts in a calendar year, but still kicking on.

From the beginning of the year, thanks to Walter Pless and everyone who made the blog's trip to Hobart so enjoyable.

Thank you to The Kiss of Death, whose infectious enthusiasm kept the blog ticking over. Too bad you didn't get around to doing your end of season roundup, but I understand the reason why. Much praise also to everyone who provided photos, or had them used by me. I hope I provided proper attribution.

Thanks to the organisers of the Hellenic Cup, whose inability to maintain a coherent and up to date website meant that this blog was the only place for people to get even a semblance of what was going on, thus getting us some heavy off-season hits. Thanks also to Jim Marinis for the unintentional lols and resultant hits.

Kudos to Mia Hayes, erstwhile of the FFV, who thought it fit that I should have access to a media pass in my own right. Costa from Goal! Weekly for letting me write in his paper; and to Southpole for having such poor internet access combined with superfluous social and sporting commitments that I was able to write on state league soccer for the aforementioned paper.

Thank you to every reader both South affiliated and non-South affiliated, especially those who left a comment at some point. Some notable mentions: Soccer-forum.net's Needledown for eventually getting the bee out of his bonnet; and Krizar, for discussing similarities and differences over a quiet drink.

The South Melbourne Hellas Hattrick crew. Most of us are slugging it away in divisions four and five, but in our own way we punch above our weight.

It's always a pleasure to spend time with Gains and Steve from Broady; the bus rides, train trips, quiet dinners and weekly stories starring Greeksta made the season that much more tolerable.

And of course, Ian Syson, who points out tics in my writing that I never seem to see for myself.

Review of John Maynard's 'The Aboriginal Soccer Tribe'

2011-12-26T01:01:00.000+11:00

This review first appeared in Goal Weekly. It's a pretty sloppy review which probably doesn't do the book justice, but I do hope people give it a chance (use any book vouchers you got for Christmas if you must), as there's several important stories it has to tell.

There are plenty of people out there who will tell you that sport and politics should not mix. And yet throughout John Maynard's The Aboriginal Soccer Tribe: A History of Aboriginal Involvement with the World Game (Magabala Books), for many of the Aborigines involved in soccer, the two are impossible to separate.

Make no bones about it, Soccer Tribe is an important book. In large part this is because it seeks to cover new ground in an uncharted part of our soccer history, and attempts to link the game to the broader Indigenous struggle for social justice. Soccer Tribe's best sections are those which merge the personal with the political, recounting the important players of the past, and the social and political obstacles still in place preventing more Indigenous Australians from taking up the game.

In the 1950s, when Charles Perkins, John Moriarty and Gordon Briscoe emerge on the Australian soccer scene, Maynard showcases the role that soccer played in this trio's overcoming of social disadvantage and their subsequent entry into the political and public sphere. The self-esteem gained from their success in the game, and their treatment as equals by the Continental European migrants who had come to dominate Australia soccer by the early 1950s was crucial to their political awakening. The late Perkins recalled that soccer:

“brought me into the migrant community where I found great satisfaction, no prejudice, no history of bad relations, no embarrassing comments or derogatory remarks, they welcomed me into the fold and I've been there ever since”

Also crucial to their political awakening was that all three travelled to Europe to try their hand at soccer careers. Most Australian soccer fans would be aware only of Joe Marston and his appearance for Preston North End in the 1954 FA Cup final. But Moriarty, Briscoe and Perkins were just as pioneering in their endeavours, though they mostly played for high ranking amateur clubs. There too, they found an acceptance among the English that was wanting in Australia.

Harry Williams, the first Indigenous player to play for the national team, also gets his due recognition. A powerful advertisement for what soccer can do for Indigenous people, Williams was part of the groundbreaking 1974 World Cup squad. As Aboriginal activist Warren Mundine noted on watching Williams play in that tournament, 'with his big afro hair, he was a big inspiration to us all, because in those days only a handful of us played the game'.

Maynard also dedicates several sections to current and future Aboriginal stars of the game. This is one area where some may consider Soccer Tribe to have slipped – and it's a somewhat inevitable failing in a book seeking to celebrate Indigenous achievements in soccer – as Maynard is prone to over-hyping the talents and potential of several contemporary players. Some readers may query the merits of some of Maynard's appraisals.

One of the most pleasing aspects of the book is the significant section on Aboriginal involvement in women's soccer. Though several of the player profiles are short, those that do go into more depth provide stories equally as gripping as those of their male counterparts.

The story of Karen Menzies in particularly moving. Taken from her mother as an infant, raised as a 'white' child without any knowledge of her Indigenous background, breaking through barriers that female athletes have always faced in pursuing male dominated sports, and being openly gay to boot, Menzies reached the heights of playing for the Matildas. Sadly, her involvement in the game stopped when she became faced with further discrimination when she sought to a high profile assistant coaching role. More reassuring is that there were and are still Indigenous women who have followed in her footsteps towards playing for the Matildas, such as Kyah Simpson and Lydia Williams.

Maynard also covers the problem of getting more Indigenous Australians into the game. Soccer in Australia, apart from the notable exception of Newcastle and the Hunter Valley, is a sport whose heartland is based in the large metropolitan centres. To counter the appeal of rugby league and Australian rules in particular, who have such a healthy engagement with regional Australia, and thus with Indigenous people, the game must make a concerted and committed effort to promoting the game outside the major cities. In addition, Indigenous soccer players need to be better utilised in promoting the game, and showcasing the huge opportunities there within it. As with all codes, emphasis is also placed on the particular needs of Aboriginal players, especially those from remote communities and the problems of homesickness.

While all those points are crucial, occasionally Maynard also neglects to provide the wider context of a given situation. While being an Aboriginal soccer player from a rural area such as the Sunraysia region is not easy, especially with regards to the huge distance from the game's metropolitan strongholds and higher standards of competition, these same problems also exist for non-Aboriginal soccer participants, albeit obviously not to the same extent.

Likewise, the lack of primary accounts in some sections also creates a jarring effect when put up against those parts of the book where participants and their families are interviewed by Maynard. When relating the story of Mildura United, and Chris Tsivoglou's noble attempt to provide opportunities for Indigenous youth from the surrounding missions, Maynard relies on reports from the Koori Mail and Sydney Morning Herald, thus denying people like Tsivoglou and his charges from providing more in depth analysis of the wider Mildura soccer scene.

One other issue pops up repeatedly in Soccer Tribe – the lack of a binding narrative. Given the history of Indigenous Australians since European settlement, this is easily understandable, to the point where this lack of narrative becomes a key part of the narrative in itself.

To illustrate this point, Maynard uses the story of Bondi Neal, a star goalkeeper who played for several clubs around Newcastle and the Hunter Valley in the early 1900s. Despite several reports on his goalkeeping prowess in contemporary newspaper accounts, there are scarce details of his origins – and after the passing of stricter laws controlling Aborigines circa 1910, Neal disappears entirely from the public record, along with any known Indigenous participation in soccer.

Soccer Tribe's main flaw is almost an inevitable one – in the past, so little effort has been put into compiling work on the past, present and future of Aboriginal soccer, that it is difficult to know where to begin. Maynard opts to go for a sort of sprawl, trying to cover as much content as possible. Nevertheless, it is still a satisfying and intriguing starting point for coverage into the Indigenous soccer experience, and a worthwhile addition to the collections of Australian soccer aficionados. Hopefully it contributes to being a launching pad for more investigation into Aboriginal soccer.

Lakeside opening video

2011-12-23T12:23:00.000+11:00

Lucky With Disease

2011-12-22T16:16:00.001+11:00

Fell like a crippled crow/
Spinning through and breaking branches

I was filled with a lot of bitterness last night. And yes, even this morning when posting the initial AGM gist. But then again, people have claimed that I'm very bitter and cynical anyways - I could go on about the assisted epiphany I received in early 2004, but it's kinda pointless.

I suppose people want more detail. And yet, how do you go about providing that sort of depth which is reserved for the members of this club? One angle may to provide details of things which may happen in the future anyway, and thus will become common knowledge in due course.

Like the social club redevelopment. Why hasn't it started yet? Well, because they were waiting for WATPAC, the construction firm in charge of the stadium redevelopment, to finish up and move out. And what are they going to do with it once we can get in there? Use it for a bistro/restaurant kinda space, along with a museum feature - hopefully I'll be having something to do with the latter when the time comes.

There's also stuff on which I've been unintentionally been misleading people with. With regards to the food and drink vendors, apparently we do get a cut out of that. So eat and drink up! Also, with regards to the VIS gym and pool facilities, while they are currently off-limits to us, that may change in the future. Even if they don't, MSAC is not too far away.

Some pet peeves. Serving food and drink was a neat touch. Too bad the twit behind me thought it was fine to crinkle and crunch his empty plastic cup throughout the majority of the meeting. Still, better than that other twit who kept kicking my chair. Also, would it kill some of our members to shut up and let someone ask a question? Or ask their questions at the suitable time and place instead of interrupting my carefully planned attack on certain board members?

And yes, the cost of water has gone up in recent times, but is that any reason to have to get up every five minutes to refresh your glass? And did we really need that five minute digression on not calling Peter Tsolakis 'Gus'? And could clowns turn your phones off or put them on silent?

Also, yes I blew a gasket with regards to the thankfully aborted hiring of George Angelopoulos as general manager, but the shutting down of that debate was a disgrace. It's not just about what we supporters think of Angelopoulos - it's also the process that lead to that point which needed to be addressed.

The timing of the event wasn't great. Four days before Christmas? Still, most of the usual suspects turned up, while most of the usual absentees also did their thing. Presidents room was nice. A beautiful view of the field, air conditioning - for a certain period at least. Maybe one day we'll even start on time, though the initial projector problem didn't help.

I wonder what my buddy Gains made of the whole affair, after attending his first AGM? When it comes to Greeks and South Melbourne, simple black and white answers seldom emerge. No wonder they made a national holiday of the one time they did take a definitive position.

As for that clown who thinks that there's not even a perceived issue with his son playing in the under 21s while he sits on the football sub-committee, he should perhaps open his eyes and ears and acknowledge the disbelief and fury that exists some of our South Melbourne family. Too bad he seemingly has enough support from others on the board to justify his stance that it's not an issue. Coincidence that they left this issue to the very end when everyone was busting to get home to their loved ones/repeat of Letterman?

No one asked where the World Club Championship money went.

Also, I apparently have to watch more things that Tim Roth has been in since he's on a t-shirt of mine.

2011 AGM gist

2011-12-22T09:43:00.000+11:00

Off-field, they have a plan, and it's decent enough. Well planned, seemingly achievable and sensible. On-field, if we somehow do win a trophy that isn't the Hellenic Cup, it will be in spite of the board and its football sub-committee, and not because of it.

Some board members were willing to answer questions patiently and in appropriate detail. Others sought to shut down debate. Unfortunately, some of our members, who were more interested in talking among themselves and asking about trivialities, helped these wannabe oligarchs control the meeting.

John Bedford passes away after long illness

2011-12-20T09:25:00.003+11:00

Sad news from yesterday, that 1960s and 70s South stalwart John Bedford passed away after a long illness. Australian football historian Roy Hay was kind enough to provide this overview of Bedford's career, along with the accompanying photos.

The only notable thing omitted from this obituary is his status as a South Melbourne Hellas Team of the Century squad member.

John Bedford (7 August 1941–18 December 2011), by Roy Hay

Springheeled John Bedford leaps to control a high ball. Source: Les Shorrock collection. Deakin University Library.

John Bedford was part of the South Melbourne Hellas team which won the first State League championship under the auspices of the Victorian Soccer Federation in 1962.

John died this week at the age of 70 in Wodonga. He was born and brought up in Box Hill and Bill Stewart persuaded him to start playing soccer at the age of seven. After heavy defeats in the early years, the Box Hill juniors won their leagues from under-9 to under-11 and by the age of 15 John Bedford was making his debut for the Box Hill seniors. He won the club’s best and fairest award twice in four years. Unfortunately the glory days of Box Hill were behind them and in 1961 the team was relegated from the State League.

In the match against Hellas that year, however, the young Bedford played and scored, and coach Manny Poulakakis moved quickly to sign him. Box Hill did not want to let him go, but eventually the transfer went through. His first game for Hellas was against Sydney powerhouse Pan Hellenic and he scored twice in a 3–1 win. But as John tells it, the details of his move to Hellas had not been settled when he went along to watch an Ampol Cup night game between Hellas and Polonia. Someone grabbed him from behind and told him he was playing. So he took the field and scored. Not a bad start to a career at Hellas which lasted until 1974. He was ever present as Hellas won the State League title in 1962.

Some weeks into the 1964 season, Hellas signed some new players and John was told that he would be on the bench. ‘No, I won’t’, he replied and went off to play footy with his mates at Box Hill Pioneers, winning a premiership in the process. Next year new coach John Margaritis came back for Bedford and he resumed his soccer career. A tendon injury and a bout of hepatitis kept him out of a number of games in 1963, but he contributed to the 1964-66 seasons when Hellas completed three in a row.

His form with Hellas saw him selected for Victoria 28 times and he was on the fringes of Australian selection but unfortunately never received his full international cap, though he had a couple of games for the Australia B team. The only two games he remembers missing for Victoria were against AS Roma in 1966 and Manchester United in 1975.

John Bedford (right) of South Melbourne Hellas and Eddie Sacco of George Cross at Olympic Park in 1962. Photo: Uwe Kuessner.

In his 18-year career he played 553 games and took part in 6 championship victories. Hellas also won the State League in 1972 and 1974 when John had reached the veteran stage. In the 1960s he represented Australia in the Laidlaw World Cup for local ‘national’ teams. He had a very strong left foot and began as goalscoring winger, though often moving back to a midfield role as his experience grew.

A signwriter to trade he retired in 2007 but still kept his eye in, helping out with the firm when necessary. He was as enthusiastic about the game and his part in it as he was when he was playing. He played for some of the great coaches, including Manny Poulakakis, John Margaritis, Bill Curran and Les Scheinflug. ‘The teams in New South Wales thought they were the best. We went up to play against Prague in the Australian Cup one year and were told we would be hammered, but we beat them 5–1. The only team which beat us was Hakoah,’ he said. A Soccer Weekly writer said John Bedford was ‘a fast, brainy and determined player, who is never beaten till the final whistle’.

John Bedford is survived by his wife, Margaret, his two sons, Darren and Andrew and four sisters, Anita, Sue, Catherine and Julie. His funeral is in Wodonga on Thursday, 22 December.

Gus Tsolakis on his return to South

2011-12-17T14:06:00.000+11:00

Trifiros onboard - a few lols in here

2011-12-16T01:16:00.000+11:00

2012 membership ad - it's not bad

2011-12-15T16:11:00.000+11:00

First official details on 2012 Hellenic Cup

2011-12-15T09:55:00.000+11:00

HELLENIC CUP TOURNAMENT 2012

The Hellenic Cup tournament will commence on Sunday 22 January 2012 with the play offs between the lower seeded teams. Games will be played on Sundays only but no games on Sunday 29 January (long weekend). It will finish on Sunday 12 February and the four (4) top teams will join the other 12 teams in the tournament.

The 16 teams will then commence their games on Saturday 18 February 2012 with the finals taking place on Saturday 10 March 2011.

The venue will be advised once all applications have been received. Closing date is 27 November 2011 and no late applications will be accepted.

You may download the application form from our website and either post back to our post office box or email to elliniko@yahoo.com.au

Notes from the return to Lakeside

2011-12-12T14:56:00.001+11:00

Just very quickly, as I have a throbbing headache and am feeling a little nauseous.

Was there from about 12:45 until the end of the last game. It was by turns chilly and warm, but the rain held off, and it was a pleasant day overall.

Bought my membership, and got a Coke ball and Coke plastic 'glass' as part of some sponsorship arrangement. Was told that memberships were selling well, but they say that every year now, don't they?

Our stand is looking fantastic. New seats, new lights, new facilities. I'm not sure exactly how they're going to patrol and make sure only Gold members will have access to the padded seats, but they were comfortable. The view, while of course distant, is more than adequate. The media/scoreboard room is terrific.

The opposite stand is a bit more bare bones compared to our side, but the view is just as good, though leaving design holes in the back of the stand at the top will mean it gets a bit chilly during winter time. The setting sun still gets in your eyes, overall making our side the better choice.

Behind the goals is problematic, though those who insist on being part of the behind the goals faction will still probably soldier on. Standing room in between our stand and the track is not too bad. I managed to get a lap around the track before security got a more serious with that kind of thing.

Food wise, you're probably better off bringing something from home, or bringing your cheque book. Pricey and mainstream for the most part. Will have to wait and see what kind of fare the social club offers when its renovations are complete. But we do have vending machines!

The scoreboard is visible from outside the ground, but is angled more towards our stand, again making our stand a better choice. Its software crashed at one point, but the potential is there for some awesome usage. Hell, even having a match clock is something to be proud of.

The lights came on, but weren't really needed. Nice that we can do that now, and hopefully there's the possibility of a couple of night games there in 2012. The surface itself looked a treat, and seemed to play just as well.

Believe it or not, there was actually a game on as well - well, several to be precise, as our juniors took their turn to christen the stadium. The main game got off to a lively start, as one of the Trifiros scored within the first 30 seconds after some sweeping play across the ground.

We could have scored a couple more in the early stages, but then Olympic woke up and played the better for the rest of the half, deserving their 2-1 lead I suppose. They were a little too keen for my liking in their attempts at the tackle, and it ended up costing one of their players a trip to the hospital.

Both sides threw on some young players in the second half. We managed to get it back to 2-2, had a blatant onside called offside, copped a late goal, and the match finished 40 minutes into the second half. Then most of the estimated 3,500 crowd left while another junior side played for some reason.

Geoff Lord turned up, as did apparently several belly crawlers from bygone eras. Dom Barba, coach of Whittlesea Zebras was there. Clarendon Corner was there... or was it over there... or perhaps over there, as they struggled to find consensus about where to place themselves. The Olympic Ultras, if they were there, were barely noticeable.

All in all a good day, and now with only the AGM to go before the new year, the people responsible for providing the entertainment - and this wonderful facility - can rest a little easier, knowing that their efforts were worth it.

Pity that one of my preferred Clarendon Street eateries has changed branding/hands and I can't get a club sandwich there anymore.

Article on the architecture of the new Lakeside

2011-12-10T10:42:00.000+11:00

A decent article looking at the architectural challenges of combining old and new architecture. There are some factual inaccuracies - our stand is not from the 1970s, it's from the 1990s - but other than that, it's not too bad of a read.

Splendid rebirth of stadium from mish-mash of decay

Joe Rollo

LIKE Lazarus, the old South Melbourne football ground in Albert Park has risen from near-dereliction as the new home of track and field sports in Victoria. And a pretty splendid vision it is, too.

Olympic Park Stadium, the hub of athletics in Victoria since 1956, is no more, fallen prey to the tentacles of the Collingwood Football Club, so welcome to Lakeside Stadium. It is here, amid the pleasant green surrounds of Albert Park and its eponymous lake that fans of athletics will come at twilight tomorrow to see the 51st running of the Zatopek 10,000 Classic.

H2o Architects, the design architects for the $60 million redevelopment, were handed a mish-mash of rotting and degraded buildings and managed to transform them into a world-class track and field arena and FIFA-approved soccer field, home of South Melbourne FC soccer club.

The heritage-listed grandstand of 1927 has been preserved, a 2000-seat stand from the 1970s designed by Daryl Jackson refurbished, the soccer pitch brought up to world-class standard, a new eight-lane composite running track laid and two new structures - a 2500-seat stand and a hall for ball sports - added. Gently-raked grass terraces grace the goal ends and an electronic scoreboard and screen have been erected. In all, 8000 people can be accommodated now in pleasant and comfortable surroundings, in close proximity to the action on the running track or the soccer pitch.

In contrast to the spectacular, cloud-like forms of AAMI Park, next door to the old Olympic Park Stadium, the architecture at Lakeside Stadium is modest. But in its sum of parts - the white concrete of the new buildings, the brilliant sky-blue composite running track, the old red-brown grandstand, its setting within the park and the intimacy of its scale - watching the action on the running track or the soccer pitch, sitting in the stands or standing on the terraces on a balmy summer evening, is going to be a joy.

The new northern stand is a plain affair, remarkable only for its sequence of sculptural diamond-shaped concrete piers supporting a cantilevered roof of steel and corrugated iron, folded like the roofs of petrol service stations from the 1950s and '60s. The ball sports hall is a cube of white concrete and glass attached to one end of the old grandstand; the hexagonal pattern in its concrete panels ''fractured'' along the top and filled with glass to introduce natural light and soften its appearance.

What seems incongruous is the preservation of the heritage-listed 1927 grandstand, which now houses the Victorian Institute of Sports. The ground floor has been extended to include gymnasium and sports sciences facilities, a 50-metre indoor training track and a series of pools. The seating in the stand is gone; the original timber slats ripped out and in their place, a series of minimalist two-storey modules inserted, containing the VIS offices and administration facilities.. Sadly, the net result is that all that's left to see of the original grandstand is the overhanging red iron roof and redbrick structure.

Two rows of seats were left at the front of the stand as a gesture to its past. But these, though not for public use, are all but useless for watching track and field events. Pushing the ground floor training facilities closer to the running track and soccer pitch means an extended roof creates a vexing blind spot that obliterates all views of one corner of the running track.

It must have seemed like a good idea on paper, but it reveals how complex is the job of marrying old with new in the design of modern stadiums.

Mass exodus of junior teams?

2011-12-10T10:25:00.000+11:00

Reports have been circulating on soccer-forum.net that former head of football Ange Dallas has left the club entirely, and taken five 'elite' teams with him. Apparently the vacant slots have already been filled, and the renegade teams attempts to join with Bayside Argonauts have been slightly hit on the head, with one of the coaches seeking to move his team across being effectively barred from doing so.

Party like it's 2004 - South Melbourne vs Sydney Olympic this Sunday

2011-12-09T13:10:00.000+11:00

Everyone else has been talking it up for some time now. The re-opening of the stadium is at hand, with tons of junior teams playing games throughout the day, and the main game between ourselves and Olympic at 5:30.

Entry is free all day, memberships will be on sale, so encourage everyone with even a passing interest to come on down and have a look at the facilities.

I know the people behind the scenes are super keen and raring to go, especially one particular reader who can't wait to play with the electronic scoreboard.

For those extra keen to have a look at the stadium, there's also an athletics launch tomorrow evening, with the main event being the Zatopek Classic. Still undecided if I'll head for that after an unrelated FFV shindig, as Star Trek Voyager is on television that night.

No Heart of Victory youth teams in 2012 VPL

2011-12-08T19:44:00.000+11:00

The FFV today issued a press release announcing that the Melbourne Heart and Melbourne Victory youth teams would not be participating in the 2012 VPL season. There had been much speculation in the local soccer scene that their inclusion was likely, if not inevitable, but the FFV said that the FFA's competitions review, due to be unveiled in the first quarter of 2012, meant that any changes to the structure of the VPL were best left until after the review was released.

Luke Byles signs with South

2011-12-07T20:37:00.001+11:00

As one observant fan noted, pay attention to the Melbourne Victory shorts he's wearing during the training footage. Also with Joe Keenan and Kyle Joryeff already on board, the addition of Byles harkens back to an earlier, 1970s and 80s British influenced South Melbourne, albeit one that is now more English than that period dominated by Scots.

Yeah, I've finally snapped

2011-12-06T16:07:00.000+11:00

But blue was doing my head in.

2012 memberships available

2011-12-06T15:49:00.000+11:00

They've been out for at least a couple of weeks now, but this relatively late post is still worthwhile, to emphasise the remarkable point that new season memberships are out before the new year.

It's also worth noting that you'll be able to purchase memberships at the Lakeside relaunch on Sunday, which is what I'm planning to do.

Kudos to the membership department for streamlining their packages (corporate packages will apparently be launched separately). Also good to see the costs have remained relatively stable.

My pick as per usual is the South Gold. No polo this year, but you get a scarf, hat (and I really need a new South cap) and 50% off your ticket to the jersey night, as well as the usual social club rights, which is my main reason for choosing this package.

It is also worth noting that since the Trust which oversees Lakeside now takes a percentage of our gate takings, it is even more imperative that our supporters become members, thus ensuring that more money stays with the club.

There's also an interesting deal in conjunction with the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre whereby South members can get some decent discount and access to their facilities. Not my cup of tea, but might be good for those more athletically inclined or who live in the local area.

For more details, head to the club's membership page.

Everyone should have the opportunity...

2011-12-05T15:53:00.001+11:00

...to have lunch with former FFV president Tony Dunkerley, at the very least to disagree with him.

Just don't do it at Leo's Spaghetti Bar, or if you do, avoid the ricotta and spinach ravioli - blandness personified.

It is also politically incorrect on a heinous level to afterwards play Slayer's 'Angel of Death' on one's music player, and feel that it's the perfect song for the situation.

I suppose I came out of it understanding, or believing that I understood, where the concept and ideological spark for the zonal system and Victorian Champions League originated from, as it was intended to run by Dunkerley.

I've been lead to believe, by people who could be considered responsible adults (unlike this writer), that discussing the contents of off the record and off the cuff remarks are not suitable for public comment.

For shame limiting me to just my feelings.

AGM on Wednesday 21st December

2011-12-03T15:13:00.000+11:00

About freaking time.

Apparently we have a womens branch again

2011-12-02T15:59:00.000+11:00

After a very long time of hearing nothing about the state of our affiliation with the entity calling itself South Melbourne Women's Football Club, comes this press release. It appears that we have a (re-)started our own branch, being headed by an Irene Stamatopoulos. Things just got kicked up a notch.

The Laurie Schwab and Les Shorrock collections at Deakin

2011-11-30T20:10:00.000+11:00

Today I traveled down with Ian Syson to Deakin University's Waterfront campus to be shown around the Les Shorrock and Laurie Schwab collections by Roy Hay. This was part of work being done with the FFV's historical committee, which I'm now a part of, as well as part of work which may help South related historical research.

The collection of photographs and other materials is quite substantial. Most of these photos are in black and white, and date from the 1970s onwards. They are arranged in some sort of alphabetical order, but they are not indexed in any way. Therefore one may find, as we did, a photo of John Kosmina grabbing an opponent by the throat (A-League supporters may note some sort of irony there), but with no identification of said opponent. Still, those obstacles can be overcome by cross referencing with other materials.

More problematic are the complex copyright and ownership rights, which make it difficult for the general soccer public to access and utilise this treasure trove for its own efforts at historical preservation and education. There are few digitised elements of these collections, and unless the ownership and related preservation issues are resolved, the usefulness of the archives may well be restricted to those in academic circles, who can make use of the rules allowing access and creation of duplicates for research purposes.

Hopefully a mutually beneficial solution can be found.

Bradley Norton signs for 2012

2011-11-26T09:18:00.000+11:00

2012 VPL fixture released

2011-11-24T17:15:00.000+11:00

You can view it here. A section for only our fixtures will be created on this blog some time this weekend.

First up, home again, home again, jiggidy jig, against newly promoted Generic Black and White Italian Backed Team, with a few of our exes playing there. Of course again we play Oakleigh away in the first half of the season. No ANZAC Day Cup nonsense against Hume. And a final round trip to Olympic Village. No sign of the mooted inclusion of the Heart and Victory youth teams, nor of the NTC/VTC.

Before we go, kudos to the FFV PR person for their sense of humour on their media release.

It’s the always popular battle of the Greens when defending champions Green Gully Cavaliers travel to Kingston Heath to take on Bentleigh Greens.

South Melbourne in FIFA 12... sorta

2011-11-21T10:56:00.000+11:00

If you have the FIFA 12 game for xbox, ps3 or pc, you can also play as South Melbourne - albeit only in exhibition matches, online friendlies and user-created tournaments.

To access this service, you have to visit the FIFA 12 site, sign in, and select the 'Creation Centre' under the 'Play Now' tab. You then do a search for South Melbourne, where you should be taken to a section where there are several South Melbourne sides available, including one by our old friend Cliff. Select the one you want, and bookmark it. When you next connect online to your game on your console, select 'Creation Centre' and download the teams.

There are also other former National Soccer League teams, including extensive if arbitrary selections by users named 'NSL Warrior' and Australian soccer forum veteran ZimzuM - Parramatta Melita Eagles have a team, but their Maltese cousins Sunshine George Cross do not. Add the of course already in Perth Glory to the list, as well as several random teams - yes, there's an Inter Monaro team available to download - and you can go back to the hazy, crazy days of the NSL in your own self made tournament, albeit with completely unrealistic crowds.

Another side of the unrealistic nature of this scenario is that the teams tend to be greatly overpowered, being mostly in the range of 4 1/2 stars, which I suppose helps you play against people who insist on using Barcelona, Manchester United etc. One wonders why people insist on full licensing when 3/4 of the online crowd pick the usual teams.

I suppose it doesn't matter - what counts is that there's people out there having a go at some sort of tailoring this game, and South of the Border is proud to promote these people's initiative.

Trent Rixon officially signed up

2011-11-16T08:58:00.002+11:00

Lex Marinos reading Neos Kosmos

2011-11-14T20:27:00.001+11:00

I'm allegedly busy with trying to complete my honours thesis, which is due next Friday. In the meantime, this blog will hopefully be very quiet. Here's something to tide you over for a little bit longer. So allegedly busy I didn't even bother editing out all the stuff like the browser tabs.

AGM? Happening any time soon?

2011-11-08T21:01:00.000+11:00

Seeing as it's one week into November already, and there needs to be a certain amount of notice given to the members, one wonders when and where it's going to happen. Anyone?

The Pig is in the Poke

2011-11-07T16:26:00.000+11:00

Seems as if I'm now on the FFV's history committee. I'm pretending that I'm not sure how that happened.

Comprehensive sports coverage

2011-11-02T18:35:00.000+11:00

Time for a change, perhaps

2011-11-02T00:02:00.003+11:00

Have had this layout for a long time now. Colours, fonts and widths have changed, but the basics have remained the same. Not a huge fan of the new dynamic templates, but chances are I'll be switching to one of them soon enough. Will look a little less cluttered I hope, even if some of the functionality (ie, long list of labels) bites the dust. So don't freak out if it all comes up looking a little different some time soon.

Vandalising wikipedia... how 2006

2011-10-30T18:54:00.000+11:00

Allegedly busy writing my thesis, I turn my back on the South Melbourne wikipedia page and this crap turns up.

2011-Onwards

With the recent signing of the Scotch College product David Henning, South Melbourne has come under heavy scrutiny from FIFA and the Royal Spanish Football Federation for negotiating with the prodigious goalkeeper while he was already on contract at FC Barcelona, where he was the understudy of Víctor Valdés. South Melbourne were not fined for their illegal meetings with Henning and the two parties managed to come to terms with FC Barcelona agreeing to send Henning on loan to South Melbourne FC for the entirety of the 2012 Victorian Premier League season. The addition of Henning has strengthened South Melbourne's defence and pundits have tipped the club as the favourites to win the Victorian Premier League as a result. Henning has been rumoured to be interested in making the loan agreement permanent due to his fondness for the club as a youth but this appears unlikely as South Melbourne is unable to afford the €5 million necessary to activate the buyout clause in his contract.

There's No Place Like Home

2011-10-28T11:01:00.000+11:00

Football's coming home and all that, and it's about time too. As speculated upon earlier, the new, improved Lakeside will be officially launched on December 11th with a match against Sydney Olympic. It's still a little bit aways, suffice to say entry will be free, and there'll be tons of junior games throughout the day beforehand, giving people plenty of opportunity to get there early and explore the venue. And hopefully we give those Olympic tossers a right thrashing, too.

Stuck in Sydney

2011-10-28T10:36:00.001+11:00

Memories, light the corners of my mind

2011-10-24T23:36:00.001+11:00

Meh, Melbourne Victory in some early strife on field, and for some reason Michael Lynch cautiously infers that a successful NSL/VPL coach might have been a better choice. Not one of ours thankfully (?!), but the VPL's King of Kings, Ian Dobson. Strange how people start thinking in a crisis.

Anyway, more curiously, Lynch's Age colleague Greg Baum thought it would be pertinent to compare the current Melbourne derby to one of former years - ours and the Knights rivalry.

This is not the derby of Manchester or Milan, because it cannot be. It is certainly not Glasgow's Old Firm. It is not yet even South Melbourne versus the Melbourne Knights, from Australian soccer's pre-reformation.

It's only one line, but someone remembers, or at least pretends to. Of course Baum then does what he does best, and brings aussie rules into the picture. But this is Melbourne and thus it is unavoidable I suppose.

Australian soccer's pre-reformation is an interesting notion though. I always preferred the imagery of the Rapture, with the well-behaved and pious A-League fans taken up to some kind of dull heaven, while all us unrepentant wogs are left below to deal with the Apocalypse as best we can.

To make Baum's analogy work however, we'd surely need a counter-reformation. Armies of wog club missionaries - maybe like the Olympic Ultras! - walking down the (internet) streets, proselytising. But who will be our Ignacio de Loyola?

More Braindead B-League Banter

2011-10-21T16:17:00.000+11:00

The B-League idea is the proverbial thing that will not die. Good to see also that the FFA's competition review is also still going. Wasn't it supposed to be released like six months ago? Or was that another review? And what was our input into this review? My goodness what a slow off-season we're in. This is from Adelaide's 'Advertiser'.

Asia's demands would transform the competition

LYALL Gorman says a B-League is high on the agenda as the A-League prepares to manage soccer's biggest laws upheaval in two decades.

The A-League chief is keen to expand the game professionally with promotion and relegation.

Dino D'Ottavi, president of three-time national league champions Adelaide City, welcomed the incentive, "but the figures would have to stack up as we're establishing our home base at Oakden Central," he said.

Gorman is also preparing for FIFA to re-write the Laws of the Game. On the agenda is two extra match officials, goal-line technology and radio communication for match officials.

The changes are set to be endorsed by the International Football Association Board at a special meeting after the UEFA European Championships in July.

IFAB is the only body that can change the Laws of the Game. Its voting structure is made up of four FIFA representatives as well as the English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish governing bodies.

Changes are likely to start in the 2013-14 season.

But before this occurs Gorman is devising an A-League strategy in the hope of conforming with demands put together by the Asian Football Confederation's Professional Leagues Project committee.

The committee is forcing the introduction of second-tier competitions across Asia's better men's leagues. The 14-point plan includes promotion and relegation, a Cup competition and the league to run as a separate entity rather than being controlled by Football Federation Australia.

Gorman said the FFA Cup - involving all of Australia's FIFA-sanctioned men's teams - was planning to kick off next year but was not set in stone, nor was there a deadline in place for the B-League.

"We've undertaken the national competitions review," Gorman said.

"It will be complete within six months and there's a time factor and infrastructure needed to make sure we can move to that." He said the game's second-tier competition was tipped to be aligned to a unified states' competitions calendar but the finer details were still in their infancy.

When the AFC issued the ad-hoc document in 2008 it also alluded to taking Champions League spots away if nations didn't meet the new second-tier demands by 2012.

"I don't believe the process would cost us a Champions League spot," Gorman said.

"We are determined to get the competition stronger all the way through, A-League, youth league, where we're helping to take that to another level."

Say it ain't so, Joe

2011-10-14T15:22:00.000+11:00

Daniel Vasilevski and Carl Recchia both gone to newly promoted Whittlesea Zebras. Which is a pity, because even though Vasa didn't have a great year he could still be useful, and Recchia when he was available was our best and most important player, also showing a fair bit of leadership. That's part of the consequences of having a sort of cashed up club get promoted replacing clubs that had no money.

Gus Tsolakis confirmed as South coach for 2012

2011-10-13T16:20:00.000+11:00

It was the worst kept secret in Victorian soccer in quite some time. But I don't blame anyone for that. One could argue that it was a given, once soccer-forum's Northcote posters changed their tune from 'he's staying at Irakli 100%" to "99% sure", to the recent Neos Kosmos article where the man himself said it was "50/50".

So, Peter 'Gus' Tsolakis is back for another stint in the top job at South, after previously having had a couple of caretaker matches in charge after Danny Wright got the chop just before the end of the 2002/2003 NSL season. His coaching reputation has been won the hard way - taking Northcote to successive promotion from state league 2 to the VPL, finals last year and a goal short of it this year. And all on allegedly one of the smaller budgets in the league.

Good move. or bad move? Hell I don't know, ask me again in about 12 months time. Gus is just about South royalty, one of the few father-son combos in the club's history - so he at least understands the culture of the place. How will this affect the sister club relationship nonsense with Northcote? Buggered if I know. Who's staying and who's going and who's coming over? Dunno, Vasilevski and Recchia allegedly and dunno again.

Good to get it out of the way at last. Would have been nice to hear a few words from Gus himself, but that will come in time.

The Continuing Adventures of Jim Marinis

2011-10-11T09:41:00.000+11:00

It should be noted that this has naught to do with SM Hellas, so if you don't care about the AFL, you can look away now.

Yes, it's true, away from South Melbourne Hellas, I do take a more than passing interest in the Collingwood Football Club. Feel free to send all hate mail via the comments section.

Been wondering what our old friend Marinis has been up to of late? Me neither until this:

Collingwood furious as manager shops Alan Toovey around via email

All I can say to Jim is, take that overrated poor man's Rupert Betheras and fuck off.

Hopefully something more South related in the next post.

Sivasspor 1 Buyuksehir 2

2011-10-06T16:34:00.000+11:00

Yes, this bloke played for us this year. Also, does anyone still watch SBS's The World Game?

Would South get more mainstream coverage if it was in the NSWPL?

2011-10-02T20:35:00.002+11:00

Just killing time until Gus Tsolakis comes back from holidays.

With all due respect, both teams in the New South Wales Premier League grand final can go to hell. But what's more interesting is that apparently they have heaps more space to use in the Sydney Morning Herald, allowing for a sort of grand final preview, while The Age and Michael Lynch simply can't manage to scrounge up the requisite inches.

Old soccer still has a place in the new football world

There’ll be more than a scent of past glories at Belmore Sports Ground tomorrow. And, no, we’re not talking Bulldogs.

It’s the grand final of the NSW Premier League between two of the game’s proudest clubs. Sydney Olympic, the minor premiers, and Sydney United. Both formed at the same time to represent the local Greek and Croatian communities respectively. Both formed in the same year, 1957, that newly-arrived immigrants precipitated the split between Newcastle and Sydney and created what was then known as the NSW first division, but is now known as the NSWPL. They’re as old as the competition itself - a semi-professional competition Sydney United have won five times, and Sydney Olympic just once. But it’s at national league level that these two clubs really made a name for themselves, helping to groom some of the finest players of the modern era. Brett Emerton. Graham Arnold. Robbie Slater. Zeljko Kalac. Ned Zelic. Jason Culina. And many more. Sydney Olympic won two NSL championships [1999, 2002] - one in front of nearly 50,000 fans in Perth. Sydney United, heartbreakingly, lost three grand finals - one in front of 40,000 fans in Brisbane. The bridesmaids but never the bride.

Times moved on, and these clubs didn’t move quick enough. The NSL closed down in 2004, and they were never likely to survive the transition to the fully-professional A-League. ‘Old soccer’ became ‘new football’, and there was less room for ethnicity. Besides, neither club had the money. It’s been a tough adjustment back to the ranks of part-time football for two clubs accustomed to being at the pointy end of the pyramid. Sydney United have done marginally better, winning the NSWPL title in 2006. This will be Sydney Olympic’s first grand final in the post-NSL era, and it will be the first time these two fallen giants have met to decide the title. There’s talk of a record NSWPL grand final crowd, upwards of 5,000. There’ll be the chants ‘Cro-at-zia, Cro-at-zia’ and ‘O-lym-pic, O-lym-pic’. Bet on a flare or two, and mindful of the usual braggadocio from would-be hooligans, officials have put plans in place to try prevent anything more serious than that. It’s old soccer, out and proud.

Mark Rudan and Ufuk Talay are as proud as anyone of their NSL heritage with Sydney United and Marconi Stallions respectively. After the match these best mates are heading into retirement, and there’s a big chance they’ll be reflecting on their achievements with a post-match smoke behind the grandstand. Two of the better players never to have played for Australia - and teammates when Sydney FC won the first A-League title - they’ll be aiming to go out as winners. Rudan, especially so, because he’s back where it all began.

It won’t be easy. Sydney Olympic are favourites, marginally. Like Sydney United, they’ve got a clutch of players [Chris Triantis, Paul Henderson, Brett Studman] with A-League experience. And they’re playing on their home ground.

For rivals coaches, Jean Paul de Marigny and Peter Tsekenis, there’s also the chance to put a stake in the ground. Tsekenis, 38, is a young coach with a growing pedigree. This is his fourth NSWPL grand final, and twice he emerged victorious with his former club, Bankstown City. Like Rudan, the shirt has special meaning. ‘‘I grew up supporting Olympic, I captained the club, and now I’m the coach,’’ he says. Where his coaching career takes him remains to be seen, but his apprenticeship is going nicely. ‘‘I definitely want to get involved in the A-League at some stage because I believe I’ve got something to offer,’’ he says. ‘‘But I’m not looking too far ahead because I know I’ve still got a lot to learn.’’

De Marigny, 47, is further down the road, and it’s a travesty he’s still waiting for his big opportunity. An assistant coach at Newcastle Jets, and shortlisted for the North Queensland Fury job, the former Socceroo keeps banging at the door. De Marigny guided Sydney United to their last NSWPL title five years ago, and is clever enough to do so again.

The waft from the souvlaki stands will tell us this is not A-League. But it’s the next best thing. With the new A-League season kicking-off next weekend it’s a timely reminder of the game’s heritage, but also of it’s potential. Rejuvenating, and respecting, second-tier football is an issue which despite six years of neglect from head office simply won’t go away. Next year, the FFA Cup will be launched in the first concrete step to mend the fences.

In the meantime those in the know appreciate where things stand. Robbie Slater will be there to present the medal for the man-of-the-match award named in his honour, and has promised to wear his old Sydney United shirt to the ground. Mark Bosnich will be there as a board member of Sydney Olympic. A-League coaches, and players, will be there in abundance. Fact is, despite plenty of propaganda to the contrary, the game does have a history and it’s not going away. ‘‘We are Football’ is the new slogan for the A-League. That, you’d assume, means everybody.

Gosch's Paddock Gossip (and other stuff)

2011-09-29T16:07:00.002+10:00

So yeah, I was at Gosch's Paddock yesterday with a snow bunny talking about my thesis and paying attention to groins and hamstrings while trying to cope with the overwhelming boganity in the surrounds.

And the snow bunny told me that we had actually hired a general manager, allegedly one Peter Kokotis, local player agent and occasional contributor to Neos Kosmos English Weekly. If this is true, it's an interesting end to the saga which started here and thankfully ended here.

Also rumours flying around that we've signed goalkeeper Griffin McMaster. If this is true, what does it mean for Zaim Zeneli? What does it mean for our youth keepers? And who is taking on the role of football director? Interesting times as per the norm.

South to host Olympic in Lakeside relaunch?

2011-09-25T11:07:00.000+10:00

This is how bored I was yesterday. I went to the Box Hill United vs Whittlesea Ranges State league 2 playoff game at Yarraville's McIvor Reserve. It was cold, and it was windy.

I stood in line for what seemed like forever to get a souvlaki which may have contained some sort of hybrid of chicken and pork. I couldn't tell what it was. At least it was in pita I suppose.

And during this outing, I was told by someone that our grand re-opening of Lakeside will be a match against Sydney Olympic on Sunday December 11th. Make of that whatever you wish.

Whittlesea Ranges won 1-0 in extra time, but Langwarrin should beat them next week.

Some nonsense I whittled two years ago

2011-09-20T19:09:00.000+10:00

Neos Kosmos English Weekly used to do this thing where they profile a local Greek-Australian soccer personality. I don't know if they do it anymore, because my folks don't buy the Saturday edition, and I don't buy it unless I've written for it, which hasn't happened for a long time. Anyway, I offered James Belias, the editor of the sports section, the opportunity to take up my profile, even though I don't play or coach or ref or administer - in the real world anyway. He declined to make use of a Hattrick profile answering the same questions. Pity. Well, I have a blog which is sitting idly here doing squat, may as well use it for shameless self-promotion.

Name : Paul Mavroudis
Club : Juniper Hill
Position : Club owner/chairman
Occupation : Associate Editor of Das Libero
Last season : 5th of 8 teams in our division 4 series. Lost relegation playoff 3-0.
Greek clubs played at : None.
Ambition : Get my club as high as possible. Not suck.
Career Highlight : Against all odds finishing fourth in division V.150, even knocking off the top team. A round six cup run two or three season back.
Football heroes : Robbie Fowler, Paul Trimboli
Current favourite local player : Julius Stoker
Current favourite international player: Timothy Dahl
Fav Aus Soccer Moment : 3rd South goal in '99 grand final
Team in Greece : I'd be lying if I said I took Greek football seriously.
Other sports : Aussie Rules and Gaelic football
Away from footy : Reading, writing, blogging, arguing, music, surfing web, collecting enemies
Fave cafe : none
Fave night club/bar : None.
Fave music : Elbow, Eels, The Autumns, Lift To Experience, Manic Street Preachers, Faith No More, Weird Al Yankovic
Holidayed in Greece : Back when I was 12.
Favourite Movie : Millennium Actress
Best thing about being Greek Australian : The incredible achievements completed several thousand years ago by a minority of people that I can attach myself to. And supporting South Melbourne Hellas.
Worst thing : Being associated with Acropolis Now.
Hidden Talent : Ability to tell the truth and not be believed.

And now it's official

2011-09-16T09:22:00.000+10:00

Eddie is gone. All these things are viewed best with hindsight. In the end, Eddie was a victim of his inability to stamp his authority on the side. For most of the season, Joe Montemurro and even Ange Dallas were doing most of the coaching, with Eddie cowering on the bench.

Though restricted in the middle of the year by injuries and suspensions, his squad selections at times seemed to favour certain players over others regardless of form or suitability. The side should have finished at bare minimum with a double chance - instead they squeezed into the finals on the final day, and were helped by other teams having points docked.

Where South goes from here is an interesting question. There is still no proper football director to make such a decision; then again, look how far well we've done even with someone in that paid position; The names of former players Peter Tsolakis and Joe Palatsides have been bandied about, while others have suggested that Mike Chatzitrifonas, current coach of Richmond, might be a left-field choice of sorts.

With Eddie gone, which players of his will also go? It sadly seems almost a given that Jesse won't hang around; Topalovic leaving would please a few; the fate of Sebastian Petrovich and even Fernando De Moraes may also hinge on what the new coach has in store. Long off-season ahead of us.

Is Eddie still with us?

2011-09-15T15:31:00.000+10:00

Reports circulating on soccer-forum and in Neos Kosmos that Eddie is gone, but no confirmation from the club as yet. Also in Neos Kosmos, interview with '91 championship player and current Mirabella Cup winning coach with Northcote Peter Tsolakis, where he claims he has made no plans on who he will coach next year - but that Northcote naturally has first rights to his services for next year.

Only mentioning it because Gus' name has been bandied about a bit. And look at me go - South of the Border officially into the 2012 pre-season. The Tintin jokes managed a brief moment in the sun.

Pros and Cons of having Greek Tycoons

2011-09-14T16:35:00.001+10:00

I've been keeping my ear to the ground, hoping for something interesting to pop up. No sign of coach sacking, let alone hiring. All pretty quiet when it comes to South at the moment. But there have been intriguing rumours circulating that Greek-American tycoon Roberto Rastapopoulos is interested in tipping his money into South Melbourne. Rastapopoulos is no doubt a clever and inventive character, but it's worth weighing up the pros and cons of having such a figure involved at South. Here are some points both for and against having Roberto on board that I came up at short notice.

Points For

Quite wealthy individual, would allow us to start becoming really ambitious about what we could do with the club.
Well known identity, one which could garner lots of media attention for South.
Well connected individual, especially in the entertainment industry.
Has no baggage from previous club administrations. Could be part of a genuine fresh start.
Could get us into A-League? They let the Gold Coast in after all.
Could help placate those who think South is not Greek enough.

Points Against

His involvement might well mean the privatisation of the club, a move which our members have been historically opposed to.
Has no known background or prior interest in sport.
His Greekness could be used against us by those who claim we aren't open to others outside our Greek heritage.
Alleged links to elements of organised crime.
Hostile attitude to certain parts of the media.
Is a fictional character from a children's comic book series.

As you can see, there are good arguments on both signs of the ledger. Just have to wait and see what, if anything, comes out of this scenario. There have been similar claims made before that people are ready to come in and put their considerable wealth and business nous to work for the South cause, and so far these predictions have never come true.

South of the Border Awards 2011

2011-09-10T01:00:00.002+10:00

Player of the year: Carl Recchia. This was a close run thing in my mind. Considering how many players were absent for extended periods throughout the season, as well as the fact that we used over 30 players during the season, ultimately I had to look for the most versatile, most determined and most valuable player, and Carl was that person this season. With apologies to Zaim Zeneli, who did a good job in goals as an unknown quantity; Jesse Krncevic, who scored lots of goals but could have scored more had he been on the field; and Kyle Joryeff, who I marked harshly last season, but was this season's biggest improver.

Under 21 player of the year: The Cliff Hussey Memorial Trophy goes to Jake Vandemey and Josh Colosimo. Yeah, I know, ties suck. But also, wow, this was hard to pick again. Despite churning through a few young players, not many of them got an extended go, and those that did - Kamahl Ibrahim and Kliment Taseski - didn't impress me all that much - please no more more loaning of young playesr when we have our talent to draw on. Even the under 21s team went through a mountain's worth of players. Injuries and defections

The reason I pick these two lads, is because even though they spent most of the season not even playing for South, and instead participating in a league several notches lower in terms of standard, their willingness to see their tenure at Hobart Olympia as an opportunity rather than as a barrier to their ambitions to play senior football in the VPL. They certainly seemed to provide a positive influence on a previously struggling Olympia outfit both on the field and off it with their professional attitude.

Goal of the year: Kyle Joryeff, against Bentleigh round 2. The obvious choice would be Jesse Krncevic's effort against Northcote, round 22. There were some good free kicks and such along the journey, but Joryeff's control, turn and shot for what turned out to be the winning goal in the game was an early season highlight of mine.

Best performance: Oakleigh away, during the home and away season. We thoroughly deserved the win, and only conceded a goal from a stupid free kick.

Best away game of the year: Purely from a fan's point of view, and disregarding the result and the frankly woeful performance, the semi-final loss against Oakleigh. A good crowd, and South fans created a terrific atmosphere. It was great to have Lefteri back this year as well. Hopefully we see him at plenty of away games next season also.

Call of the year: "Northcote have received so much money from us over the past two years that they should have 'South Melbourne' on the front of their shirts". Probably a bit harsh, but at least it was memorable and more than just a little insightful.

Chant of the year: Maybe I missed some really good ones not being near Clarendon Corner, but I reckon it'd have been hard to top this one. When Ljubo Milicevic had a decision go against him in the home game against Springvale White Eagles, the chant went up 'the referee's an Anglo'. Classic. Runners up were Clarendon Corner chanting my name early in the season, and MCF's effort against Cobram Victory in the Mirabella Cup. "Give me a 'C', give me an 'O', give me a 'B', give me an 'R', give me an 'A', give me an 'M', what does spell? INCEST!" Crude, tasteless, wonderfully oldskool

Best after match dinner location: Look, it has to be during the season proper. Otherwise the Hellenic Club in Hobart would have won this hands down (and even the call of the year for tha matter). But the Hot Space Szechuan Bar in Russell Street makes a fiery but awesome gung po chicken that even manged to stop Steve from Broady from shoveling it down in his usual reckless manner. How about that? Consecutive years of spicy chicken dishes win this title.

Friends we lost along the way: Aussie Disposals blue/white no.2. What a piece of crap umbrella that was. Carked it upon opening against some team or other. Supermercado; don't think we saw him any any game this year. Wherever you are Mercs, please come home, we miss you.

Lynchy, Lynchy, Lynchy

2011-09-08T11:42:00.000+10:00

If you ever get a chance to listen to the Martin/Molloy skit 'Gordon Gordon', a parody of a certain strain of AM talkback radio programming, you'll come across the bit where they have an old fogie of a television reviewer as part of the regular guests.

The catch is, of course, that the quality of the programs he's reviewing are in no way related to what was on screen; rather, all the programs are judged by the quality of the food and wine at the relevant launch, as well as the gifts that all the press members at the launch receive. Hence, a Channel Nine program gets rave reviews, while a Channel Seven program gets slammed because of the crap food on offer and the keyring which fell apart as soon as he got home.

All of which leads to the point of this article. So, after the Twitter stoush between The Age's top-flight only soccer writer Michael Lynch and curmudgeonly academic Ian Syson, Lynch somehow managed to get one over the editorial top brass and sneaked in some VPL paragraphs into his regular reporting. The fact that we were supposed to be grateful for any coverage didn't seem to get past Lynch. It also didn't seem to get past the FFV, who invited Lynch to their Gold Medal night.

The photographic evidence in Goal Weekly seemed to indicate that Lynch had a pretty good time, and they even let him present the Bill Fleming Medal for the soccer press' player of the year to Richie Cardozo. Meanwhile as a holder of a media pass, which includes writing match reports and such, and even the occasional article for Goal Weekly, I'm still waiting for my voting slip. For the record, I would have voted for Andy Vlahos by the way, because of the added coaching responsibilities he undertakes in addition to his excellent season.

Anyway, I'm just about over the nonsensical situation of having a guy who admits he doesn't know when games are on because he hasn't been told - even though he's on the South Melbourne mailing list for example - getting feted like a king by the football authorities. Just about over that is, until I was informed about this little exchange on Twitter.

Michael Lynch @ KopThatWyld 4K for a Grand Final is disappointing. Maybe not the level of support that some assume - or was it just 2 lesser supported team

Ian Syson @MickLynch_Age @KopThatWyld #VPLcoverage ML, you gave some good coverage in recent weeks but 4K to a GF that received nil promo is quite ok.

Ah, Lynchy, couldn't help yourself could you? Nevermind that there was, as noted by Syson, basically zero promotion; that even though the game was played on a catch up week for most leagues, it was still played in direct opposition to most of those catch up games; that an offer of four free tickets to other clubs was only emailed late; that despite having two poorly supported sides in the final, the game still managed to have an increase of about 2000 spectators on the previous season's crowd, which also featured two poorly supported clubs.

No; despite the many things anyone could come up with to mitigate the supposed 'poor crowd', you still felt you needed to put down the VPL to try and score a personal point. And the FFV must feel great for having invited you to their annual aren't we awesome piss-up. Hell, half the people in the FFV offices have probably been to as many Victorian league matches as you have anyway. What you and they do is just a job - I mean, why should anybody working in such a field actually care about soccer after they clock off at the end of the working week?

Video showing the creation of the track at Lakeside

2011-09-07T20:15:00.002+10:00

Enjoy.

Wow. Just wow.

2011-09-07T16:33:00.001+10:00

So, last night the club MVP was awarded for 2011. And it was a tie. Half of that tie was Jesse. The other half was Topa. Did not see that coming. I know we had a screwed up season, but wow. Might need to add something to the list of dumb AGM questions.

2011 MVP Night tonight

2011-09-06T10:02:00.000+10:00

Late notice I know.

It's on at 7pm at Honey Bar, 45 Clarendon Street, South Melbourne. Entry is $30.

I'm out. Bit sick at the moment.

FFV works hard for the money

2011-09-01T20:57:00.000+10:00

I don't endorse football violence, or referee abuse which borders on the psychopathic, or any other moronic behaviour which brings the game into disrepute. Discipline should be dished out, and goodness knows there are still people out there who just don't get it, and never will get it.

But the FFV, in its self-professed quest to clean up the game, has become increasingly reliant and addicted to the hefty monetary punishments it doles out to clubs, even to those with long incident free stretches, and whose reputations have been sullied not by large scale riots but by the actions of individuals.

If a club can legitimately make the claim that it did all in its power to prevent an issue from coming up, how responsible can they be held for the actions of their supporters, especially infrequent spectators? The question has been asked - how can a club prevent something happening at the potentially half dozen grounds its youth teams in particular might be playing at during any given week?

If fines in the realm of tens of thousands of dollars for first offences become the norm, what can clubs expect for second offences? That's if they survive of course. Clubs at a certain level will be able to grit their teeth and get through, but clubs in the provisional leagues playing in open park lands?

But that's a debate for soccer-forum. What I'm more concerned and interested in is in here.

By 4pm on Monday, 04 September 2011, the Maribyrnong Greens SC shall identify the name and contact details of:

(a) The individual who ran onto the ground with a corner flag at the above name fixture.
(b) The individual who posted comments on the Facebook page of Abbas Allafta as referred to in this Tribunal hearing (31/08/2011).

Failing either of these the Club will be charged with Misconduct by the FFV.

So now the FFV is hunting people down by reading Facebook pages. Well, at least we know what they're doing now when they can't seem to organise a cup tournament properly. The two marquee teams are forced to pull out; you've set aside no dates for the fixtures; you mistakenly put teams from zone into another, despite coming up with the zone system yourselves; you even forget to put one of the entrants into the comp at all; but stalking clubs and people on Facebook? Too easy.


FFV CEO Mark Rendell; whatever you do, don't fall asleep	.

What next? Hanging out in pubs with supporters? Hiring private investigators to play for teams? Find a way of trying to get into people's dreams. And knowing the FFV, it wouldn't be a stylish homage to the late Satoshi Kon and Paprika, it'd be more like an even worse sequel to Nightmare on Elm Street than that horrible Wes Craven's New Nightmare which Channel 9 buried after midnight a couple of times.

Just got to keep watch on what we say and how we say it everywhere nowadays, because churlishness and faux-nostalgia aside, this seems like an organisation willing to go to lengths unknown to achieve its goals, whatever those goals happen to be.

Harismidis not happy with Lakeside Redevelopment

2011-08-31T19:28:00.000+10:00

Don't ask why Con Harismidis decided to reply to a seven year old blog post on another site. Also, don't ask how I came across this piece at all.

Con_Harismidis_Is_Hellas said...

My cousin freild Rick say this is maybe South melbourne Hellas mesagae board or do you now if where sm sc borad is.

I come back here and all is diferent. Many bad thing are in Melbouren and my uncle even say if you want to seeHellas there is now track and feild track. What is happening is there tracka nd feild track for Hellas soccer stadium.

I now Premiere Brack does not like Greece but to put a track and feild track at the home of Greek and all soccer is a bad thing. My uncle is old and if he has to see with track and feild track in the way it is hard to see that far.The anglo football league is crime. The rugby is crome and a aleague is crime. South Melbounre Hellas is I am told elected best soccer club in all australai asia ocenia.

All the government do is take from Greek and give to people of crime and bad country. 60 year ago the Australai is third world and the Greek invited and build the dam and the roada and the bridge. To have a stadium for Hellas soccer is deserved and good. Now Sergee Bubker and Daily Tomson take it over. How can you play soccer with hole from javelen and sout putt in grass.

Why do the Greek make good country and then the anglo give it to asia, africa, mexico , turk and they do crime. My uncle say he will nevr go on train again in Melborune if someone like Mannix is not there to protect him and good people.

When i come on the bus and go back to Melbouren there is africa people at spencer street station wanting me give them money. I tell my uncle and he say it is very difrent and scarry. My uncle would go to Dandonong to see his freind and he say there are so manyh africa in Dandeonong that it look like France.

My uncle is wise. he is Greek born and bread. My uncle say what if there is Mesolongion who are good and Kardhitsa is bad. If Mesolongion has good people who build a good place and Kardhitsa burn the house in Kardhitsa down and have no crop. Mesolongion can help Kardhitsa build the house and help the cr0p and give them maybe some fish. You do not say to bad people come live in my house and burn down my house.

Greek and some nonGreek make the NSL. Then shopping mall person and other people steel from good people for aleague. I nevr go to aleague or if Hellas is there I will or if Anwar Sedat come and chain me and drag me to game.

I have one country to cheer for World Cup and other team. Yes Greece you are the best. I also want the team that play cheeting bush socceroo to win. Pim Ver Beak is very ugly.

My dream and your dream is Greece in World Cup final and bad Austraali scocceroo in final. the score is Greece 24 and other team 0.

my uncle also say Yusif Yusif is a player South Melb9orunr eHellas. That can not be right. Mustafa Mustafa then Yusif Yusif. What is the world coming to. Anastasiadis. Boutsianis. Anastasiadis. Those are the name you want to here for the team. Is Yusif Yusif the Cat Steven.

I was waiting for the bus on tuesday or wensdeday with my cousin and the woman walk by with the pillow case on the head. I said to my cousin "What was that" and he said "She a muslem. A few minute later a big guy with bald hair and giant beard and a black t shirt with map of Austrlia colour with Lebanon flag walk by. When he had gone away and I stop hiding I said to my cousin 'what was that" and he said "She a muslem". Just before bus was there a tall person with white shiek shirt and trouser walk by and I look at my cousin. My cousin told me "Sunny muslem". The the morale of it is that sunny muslem where brighter clothe than she a muslem.

I want stadium for only soccer and only Hellas.I vote for no track and feild track.

Former South player Frank Munro passes away

2011-08-24T10:26:00.001+10:00

Amidst the chaos of last week, former South Melbourne defender Frank Munro passed away at the age of 63. A 'tough as nails' centre back, Munro played a handful of games for South in 1978 and '79 under Dave MacLaren. The bulk of his career however was spent at Wolverhampton Wanderers, where he played 296 games for the Molineux club and became a firm club favourite..

All Over, Red Rover for Season 2011 - Oakleigh 1 South Melbourne 0

2011-08-23T15:51:00.000+10:00

Curious. I did only write this up last night, but thought I had already posted it.

The simple truth of the matter is, we created few chances and were reliant on Zaim Zeneli making several important saves. Oakleigh dominated us with their physical approach to the game - aided by lenient officials - and the absence of either Carl Recchia (playing in defense) or the suspended Sebastian Petrovich in midfield meant that far too often we were second to the ball and on the back foot.

Much speculation had been raised during the week over who who would take the place of Petrovich and the injured Steven Topalovic. The latter's place was unsurprisingly taken over by Rhodri Payne, while the former was the surprise of the night and perhaps season when Yanni Galanos, who had played all of 25 minutes for the entire campaign was picked ahead of Marinos Gasparis and Fernando De Moraes.

Hindsight is a terrific thing to have, but the coaching staff must have felt that Galanos' ability as a defensive midfielder would make up for the creativity lost by not playing one of the other two. As it turned out, even when Fernando did come on, he had little impact on the game, and has often been the case, looked a shadow of his 2010 Gold Medal winning form. Galanos too had little impact, while Payne, so often a Jekyll and Hyde player, reverted to his Hyde persona, constantly giving the ball away in dangerous areas.

Fernando though, was not alone in producing a sub par performance. For whatever reason, the side looked flatfooted and bereft of ideas, with perhaps the toll of playing several cutthroat games in a row eventually taking its toll. From the Dandenong Thunder game onwards, just about every game the side had played was do or die. In some ways, it was a feat to reach this far, but five consecutive sudden death games was too much for the side.

Zeneli was undoubtedly South's best player. He pulled off several important saves, including one from point blank range in the first half. He was also the victim of two crude challenges, one of which by Oakleigh hardman/biggest dog in the VPL Josh Groenwald left Zeneli with a large gash on his which required several minutes worth of medical attention. Neither challenge, nor several other rough moments, were dealt with in any serious manner by the officials except for belated yellow cards.

Perhaps the worst and most heinous of all those challenges was from former beloved captain Ramazan Tavsancioglu who, to borrow the words of one spectator, had been lining up Jesse Krncevic since January. An awfully late challenge on the striker off the ball in front of the South bench did little to endear the 2006 championship player to his critics, as well as denting the respect that he had amongst those of the supporter base who sympathised with his exit from the club.

The closest we got to scoring was early on when Stephen Weir, who otherwise was shut out of the game, hit the crossbar; and midway through the second half, when Jesse Krncevic broke through for a one on one opportunity against Peter Zois, and while he put the ball in the back of the net, the flag had gone up for offside. From my vantage behind that goal, my instinct was that it was fair goal. Reports from the better placed patrons on the sideline generally claimed that it was onside, but there was the odd fan who claimed that it was offside. Perhaps the video, when it comes out, may clear up the matter. Perhaps not.

Coach Krncevic delayed in making substitutions, seemingly hoping that the game would reach extra time. It was always a dangerous tactic to pursue, and the team paid for its reluctance in going for the win when a long range shot by Oakleigh nestled into the opposite corner. The player had an eternity to line up the shot, and there was little that Zeneli could do to prevent it going in. Kyle Joryeff was brought on at the death, but had little chance to change the situation, and this South's rollercoaster season ended on a whimper.

At the time of writing of course, the fate of the coach and several players was yet to be known, and is as usual likely to be hotly debated in the months ahead. As for the blog, the standard procedure will apply, as I wrap up the season that was, hand out the awards, let the Kiss of Death runs its course for 2011 and eventually slow down to the usual off-season pace.

Fair to say that I'm still devastated by the loss, but in full acknowledgment of the crazy season that we had.

The Peter Zois Barriers/The FFV wouldn't know what to do with a crowd
One of the more ludicrous things ever seen at a VPL game - and really, that's some effort to make such a shortlist - were the taped off areas behind each of the goals, allegedly to prevent the goalkeepers from having items thrown at them or have them come into contact with rowdy fans. Amongst a large part of the Clarendon Corner/smfcboard and assorted hangers on community, this was taken as at least a moral victory for the vocal fan known as Stathi.

Stathi is not even close to approaching any sort of wordsmithery. He can be crude, but he generally never enters the more turgid and offensive territory of the fan known as Columbo, who is currently serving a suspension for his role in last year's pitch invasion against Heidelberg. Both have their supporters and detractors. For all the antics of this game however, Peter Zois didn't snap this time until the end of the game, when he turned around to pick up his towel and grab hold of the badge on his chest and step forward to try and have a few words.

What price Zois places on any sense of loyalty to any club is a mystery to me, and probably many other VPL folk who could rattle off several clubs he has been at and left - but perhaps that is hypocritical to point out considering that we were at least fourth in line out of those clubs. Still, the whole 'I love this club' saga obviously did rankle with him, and will do so into the future. That, and the fact that Joe Keenan speaks better Greek than he does.

As for the FFV, a large crowd turned up, were accommodated poorly both in lining up and inside the ground, and left the poor security staff to their own wits as to how to try and prevent a pathetic barrier not be moved at all. By the time the game had ended, the blockaded area I was behind in the second half had moved closer to the fence by about 3-4 metres, almost as if by magic. There was also a moderately dicey moment early in the game when the lights flickered ominously, but they stayed on. The field itself was a bobbling hovel, sand everywhere and not suited to playing a decent brand of football. Still, if we'd had the double chance we perhaps could have avoided the situation.

The FFV's idea of soccer crowd control. It's so genius that they should think about exporting it to the Balkans or South America. Photo: Gains.

Drinking/How Clarendon Corner keeps on keeping on
I do like a drop of cider, but never to excess.

Clarendon Corner almost always rises to the occasion at Jack Edwards Reserve, and last night was no exception. The return of Lefteri helped things even further, and the interplay with the behind the goals crowd was also very good, considering there were very few chanting types on that side.

Apparently next year is Clarendon's 10th anniversary, with the majority of that spell being spent in the club's most difficult years. For better and worse, it's been one constant that has kept some people coming back, and provided a bit of atmosphere, colour and a point of difference to the other clubs and their crowds that increasingly being made up of old men. I've never always approved, occasionally found myself on the opposite side of an issue, and tend not to forgive the mistakes, but at the same time, been through a lot of good times as well. Maybe time to finally bury whatever hatchets we all have?

Syson vs Lynch!

2011-08-18T19:08:00.001+10:00

The Age's chief soccer writer Michael Lynch (left), has his undies snapped by academic Ian Syson (centre), as part of a fledgling annual tradition in which local soccer fans take Lynch and The Age to task for not publishing material about the Victorian Premier League. South of the Border creator Paul Mavroudis (right), looks on, characteristically unamused by the spectacle.

This entry is also known as why Twitter sucks, and The Annual Disaffected, Bitter, Semi-Literate, Quasi Intelligent VPL Fan's Snapping of Michael Lynch's Undies.

I don't like Twitter and therefore I don't use Twitter. The website sucks and 160 characters is a daft number to choose. 255 is a much better choice.

Of course, if like me you don't have a smart phone, it's probably utterly pointless.

And besides, I like to waffle on, see where my muse leads me.

But epic manifestos on my self-diagnosed depression and where to get a good and cheap feed in Melbourne on a Sunday evening aren't for everyone.

And some of you like to consider yourselves as more technologically savvy than this blog, and more power to you in that regard.

So if you're one of those people with the attention span of a newt, then I suppose something like Twitter is your friend, and you may be interested in the stoush being played out between The Age's 'sokkah' writer Michael Lynch and academic (and sort of friend of South of the Border) Ian Syson, about why the VPL doesn't get more coverage in The Age.

Is there anything new here, in comparison to the last time we had this conversation? Nah, but it's become an annual ritual which we like to think we've played a part in establishing courtesy of an angry email I sent a few years ago after our last grand final win, but which is now lost because it was on my Bigpond email account and I'm on TPG now, and I didn't have the foresight to save it.

Why was it via Bigpond? Because I reasoned that The Age would probably automatically filter out my hotmail and gmail attempts at reaching them. All of which should be a footnote, because the arguments being employed are still much the same.

We don't cover second tier sport.
There's not enough interest/it's only followed by a few hardcores.
I would love to do it, but there's limited space.
I'll try and get something online next year.
The Age is about selling papers and entertaining people, not informing them.

To which this year there's been a couple of new additions

We (Fairfax) have a deal with the FFV to get stuff published in local papers.
Coverage of Victorian soccer is the best it's ever been!

There are obvious responses to all these things, which have been covered before (see the above links and the Michael Lynch tag on this blog) as well as in this current mini-fracas, but to save time, let's go over them one more (last?) time.

The Age does cover second and third tier sport, when they report on VFL, VAFA, District Cricket etc.
There would be VPL crowds that would easily match or cover an equivalent VFL, VAFA, District Cricket fixture.
The notion of limited space is a crock. Ghostwritten articles by AFL players which probably no one reads are somehow more important and integral than a VPL grand final?
When it comes to the internet and getting more content on there, next year never seems to arrive for our daily newspapers.
Yes, yes, we know that we can follow our teams in the free suburban papers. But that goes for the aforementioned aussie rules and premier cricket competitions as well, and yet they still get press coverage in the dailies.
Unless one counts the coverage of the Victory and Heart as part of the tally, coverage of Victorian soccer is non-existent in The Age.
It is easy to prove that soccer coverage was more extensive just by looking up old papers. Was it as well written? Probably not. Was it to the point and did it cover the main details of the weekend's action? In quite a few cases, yes.

I don't think anyone in their right mind is asking for wall to wall coverage of the competition, merely acknowledgement of its importance relative to the other junk that they cover, as well as a cessation in the bullshit they peddle about why the VPL does not get coverage in their paper. That's what I want at least. If they discarded all the other lower tier sport, then there'd be one less bit of hypocrisy for the cynics, who perhaps see this as just another part of the australian rules conspiracy, to aim at.

The Age may be operating in a global field, but it is a Melbourne paper which should accurately reflect the things which are happening in this city, and not merely favour those things which are the enclave of a few Old Boys, nor use their professed parochialism solely as an advertising tool and not as a deeper operating philosophy. Yes, I've walked past your ads at Spencer Street Station, and no, I don't believe what they're telling me.

Then again, with so much of their material operations being outsourced away from Victoria, are they even a genuinely local enterprise any longer? Who the hell cares, as long people are entertained by what they read in preference to being informed about their world; because the logical conclusion about selling papers and giving people what they want to read, is that you eventually stop giving people items that they should be reading.

I'd wager that there's plenty of people out there who already think that The Age has headed down the path of treating it's readership in an increasingly condescending manner. Me, I just hope to see everyone here again next year, so we can give this ride another whirl.

FFA Cup Survey

2011-08-16T20:54:00.001+10:00

Honestly, this is one of the dumbest and even borderline offensive surveys I've ever done. If you want to take a stab it as well, head here.

Personally, I'm all for a magically violent ethnic knockout style competition, that's also has a grassroots international flavour that's family friendly, while being unpredictable and completely commercialised.

Kiss of Death, Finals Week 2, 2011

2011-08-16T12:29:00.001+10:00

Kiss of Death – Early Edition

Major Semi Final
Green Gully Cavaliers (1st) v Hume City (3rd) @ Green Gully Reserve on Saturday, 3pm

This will be Green Gully's virgin 2011 finals series appearance as they had the week off due to being crowned Minor Premiers. Hume City on the other hand fought out a 3-4 away win at the Cannons, after trailing 2-0 at the half time interval. What a choke by Oakleigh. I cannot see Green Gully losing this one and to be honest I reckon that Hume threw everything they had for the finals series all at Oakleigh. Green Gully have not beaten Hume at all this season, but I can see this ending. The winner progresses to the Grand Final while the loser plays the winner of the minor semi. Green Gully 3 – Hume City 1.

2011 Results

Round 6 Green Gully 0 – Hume City 1

Round 17 Hume City 4 – Green Gully 0

Minor Semi Final
Oakleigh Cannons (2nd) v South Melbourne (4th) @ Jack Edwards Reserve on Sunday 6pm

As expected South Melbourne overcame Heidelberg last week down at Port Melbourne 1-0. Heidelberg had a chance gifted to them by referee Hakan Anaz, only to see Hamlet Armenian snuff it. Unlucky, but good to see Hamlet still has a soft spot for South Melbourne. Oakleigh on the other hand continued their finals series choking habits with a 3-4 home loss to Hume. My futbol24 app was going bananas in the 2nd half, and I nearly choked on my burger when Hume hit the lead in the 90th. South Melbourne hasn’t lost to Oakleigh since round 10 of season 2010, and hasn’t lost at Jack Edwards reserve since Round 4 of 2008. This will be the match of Season 2011, with not only a Preliminary final appearance on the line, but also bragging rights. You see, there is a false sense of belief down at Jack Edwards that the Oakleigh Cannons are the biggest Greek club on the planet to the point that the weekly spreads they get in the Neos Kosmos, refers to them as “Le Bleus” and their coach as “Mourinho”. Please, don’t make the people sick. When South plays Oakleigh, it always seems like an intra club match as they are the only ones who seem to pick up Souths rejects. Either way, South will beat them on Sunday. On paper and on field, I see nothing at Oakleigh which South should be fearful of. Pappas has been outfoxed twice this season by Krncevic and I expect the same on Sunday. The loser of this game goes on their end of season trip, while the winner plays the loser of the major semi. Oakleigh Cannons 0 – South Melbourne 2

2011 Results

Round 5 Oakleigh Cannons 1 – South Melbourne 2

Round 16 South Melbourne 1 – Oakleigh Cannons 0

At Last - South Melbourne 1 Heidelberg United 0

2011-08-15T11:15:00.000+10:00

This blog entry/match report will not be a linear account. Linear narratives are pretty stupid anyway. Five years of hurt was almost worth it yesterday. After five years of losing games we dominated, of needing late scrambling efforts to snare a draw from the jaws of defeat, of finding ever more ludicrous ways of not taking all three points against these chumps, to win with a semi or three quarters dodgy penalty, and see them miss their chance at the other end, was all too bloody sweet.

Stephen Weir was involved in most of our attacks. Photo: Cindy Nitsos.

Stephen Weir played his best game for the club - is that what I said last week as well? Quite simply, he was in just about everything. Next to him, Jesse Krncevic's absence has been incredibly evident, with five goals from his four games after returning from suspension. He challenges for the ball, chases well, and seems to have a decent rapport with Weir. Carl Recchia was also a rock in defense, and there seems to be a good vibe amongst the squad. Winning can do strange and unpredictable things.

So after all the unsubstantiated rumours (which we at South of the Border didn't start, but happily passed along) and innuendo (he's in Malaysia!) about Osagie Ederaro's visa ending, he of course did end up playing, allegedly at a cost of $5,000 per week to extend his stay. But George Katsakis, being the master tactician that he is - and seriously, how has this moron had the better of us for so long? - played his best player at his most optimum position of right back. Not forward, where he scores bucketloads of goals. Not perhaps on the wing, where he can dribble and run past defenders. But at right back where he was in a great position to hear the 'where's your visa' chant.

There was bad news from the game for us as well though. Steven Topalovic reportedly has a broken tibia - he came off just before halftime, with Trent Waterson replacing him. Topa's not everyone's favourite player, but you still don't want to see that kind of thing happen - mind you, the joke's have already begun that he still has one good leg, so Eddie may yet start him next week. Also missing next week will be Seb Petrovich, who was sent off about five minutes from the end of regulation after copping a second, and some say unnecessary yellow card.

A midfield and defensive reshuffle of sorts may be in order, but the main reason we'll even need one is because we're still in the finals. And apart from some desperate defending and Jesse's well taken penalty, we have Zaim Zeneli to thank for that. He gave away the penalty - I'd pass judgment but I couldn't see anything through the mass of bodies and all the way from the other side of the ground - but he also saved it, and it was a double save to boot, after he manged to collect the follow up shot.

The penalty was won about 20 seconds after Petrovich was sent off. A sense of doom spread around the ground, except amongst the small pocket of Heidelberg support on the hill who were celebrating as if it had already gone in. Surprisingly, it was Hamlet Armenian who stepped up to take the spot kick. To his credit, Hamlet works hard, but as first choice for a steely nerves moment of life and death, he wouldn't be my first choice. And yes, that is based a lot on the poor season that he had with us a few years back. But with Osagie and Saso Alexovski, two of the better strikers in the league at your disposal, or Craig Elvin, the experienced defender, why Hamlet?

Jesse's stoked after scoring from the spot. Photo: Cindy Nitsos.

Was our penalty legit? The talk after the game was apparently about whether or not the foul was committed in or out of the box. My thoughts at the time were about whether there was really enough contact, whether it was more of a 50/50 ball that Weir merely lost a battle of strength for. Normally I'd be more diplomatic, but after the last five years of crap, the dodgier the calls in our favour the better. Who could forget Osagie winning that penalty with the most blatant dive this side of Serie A? Or Vassiliadis getting Coveny sent off by rolling around like he'd been shot? Or fast forward to just a few months ago when Krncevic was sent off for calling Griffin McMaster a fucking cheat. No, I'll take a dodgy win. Screw Heidelberg.

It was a tight and niggly affair, without much flow to the game. Some have blamed the ref for that, but if there's dodgy tackles being thrown in what else can a ref do? Both sides hit the woodwork in the second half with the game still at 0-0, Heidelberg hitting the crossbar from a corner, and South hitting the back post when a Heidelberg defender almost flicked his header into his own net off another dangerous cross. Weir also his the sude netting from close range and should have cut a ball across for Krncevic in the middle. At the other end, there were times where we struggled to clear the ball from defense and Zeneli could be seen flying all over the place.

It just happened to fall our way this once.

The Other Game
So who are we playing next week? In retrospect, it was always going to be Oakleigh. Sure they were 2-0 up at home against Hume City, and then 3-2 up with 89 minutes having being played, but that just made the cosmically ordained choke all the more priceless, copping two goals in the space of about a minute. The rumours of Hume's demise have been greatly exaggerated - they might have some problems in defense, but going forward they are still incredibly potent - Richie Cardozo and Andy Vlahos are in awesome form, the latter in particular belying his age and his apparent two pack a day cigarette habit to run rings around his opponents.

So Oakleigh it is then, no time or day or place was available at time of print, though you'd imagine it'd be at Jack Edwards Reserve with a pretty decent crowd. Oakleigh have good players, but they, like everyone else in this league except probably Green Gully, are prone to making heinous and costly errors. We've beaten them twice this year already, and have a decent record against them overall - you've just got to wonder though how much longer we can keep this run going, and when finishing outside the double chance spots will cost us.

Will Fernando De Moreas and Marinos Gasparis get a look in this time? Gasparis wasn't in the squad list, Fernando wasn't used either. Is Fernando fit and injury free? Was there concern about either of those players ability to be effective in what ended up being a torrid and rough affair? Will Yanni Galanos get more game time? He's been back two weeks and could be an x-factor type of player. So many questions, so little insight.

The Perils of Taking Public Transport
I only took public transport to the pub yesterday, and got a lift to the ground. And then another lift to Oakleigh and home. Which meant that I got to avoid to the torture that is dealing with Heidelberg Harismidis. Poor Gains though didn't. Here's his text message to me relating his bus trip.

So yeah harismidis likens us to man u compared to berger's city. their limited resources that is.

My brain hurts just trying to think about that.

I'm Only Happy When It Rains Department
Apparently one of our own fans left the game early in disgust - and vowed never to come back - either because we were winning or because of the cynical attempts by the club to control information on Facebook. Makes sense to me. Each to their own and all that.

Final Thought
Took too long to happen, but when it came, how sweet it was. I was hugging randoms including Jesus, my hands were numb, I must've had the stupidest grin on my face for hours afterwards. I'd really love for us to win the title, and that's about the most obvious and dumb thing I could say about this season.

Kiss Of Death, Finals Week 1, 2011

2011-08-11T15:34:00.003+10:00

This weekend we have the Elimination and Qualifying finals. On Sunday at 3pm, a resurgent South Melbourne take on Heidelberg United, while at 6:45pm on the same night Oakleigh Cannons take on a poor season finishing Hume City.

Last weekend was a perfect end to the season with everyone locked onto futbol24.com on their iphones getting goals as they were happening around the grounds. Yes, there were upsets. Melbourne Knights beating Hume 4-2 meant that Hume finished the season in third position. Springvale shocked everybody with a 3-1 win over Heidelberg which meant the Bergers ended up fifth. Oakleigh drew 1-1 against Dandenong and that got them second spot. All the action however was at SS Anderson Reserve in Port Melbourne where South Melbourne took on Northcote City.

South Melbourne found themselves 1-0 up after one minute, yet 1-3 down after 32 minutes. Two goals in the final three minutes of the first half meant that the teams went in at half time at 3-3. An excellent advertisement for the VPL with a game full of goals, action, and nearly a late winner. Now onto this weeks tips.

Elimination Final - South Melbourne vs Heidelberg United
3pm, Sunday 14th August at SS Anderson Reserve, Port Melbourne

The loser of this match can start planning their end of season trip. After last week's heart stopper at Port Melbourne, teams should fear South in the finals series, and know that they are serious about going all the way. To come back to 3-3 after being 1-3 down against a high scoring Northcote is an excellent achievement. Not many teams can claw back a two goal deficit. The pressure was on early, and the boys responded well. One of the upsets of the round was at Springvale. How they beat the Bergers 3-1 is anyones guess. Rumour has it that Osagie Ederaro’s visa has expired and he has already left the country. I’m not sure how accurate this rumour is, so don’t quote me on it. Final score of this humdinger of a match will be, South Melbourne 4 – Heidelberg United 0.

South Melbourne – Total Points in last five games - 10

Round 18 Home v St.Albans. W 1-0
Round 19 Away v Richmond. L 1-0
Round 20 Home v Hume City. W 3-1
Round 21 Away v Dandenong Thunder. W 1-0
Round 22 Home v Northcote. D 3-3

Heidelberg United – Total Points in last five games – 8

Round 18 Home v Northcote. W 1-0
Round 19 Away v Melbourne Knights. D 1-1
Round 20 Home v Green Gully. D 0-0
Round 21 Away v St.Albans W 4-1
Round 22 Away v Springvale. L 3-1

Qualifying Final - Oakleigh Cannons v Hume City
6:45pm, Sunday 14th August at Jack Edwards Reserve, Oakleigh

The game with the double chance. Whoever loses lives to fight another day and play the winner of the Elimination Final above. Hume is the most out of form team coming into the finals series. Four straight losses and a win to state league 1 bound Springvale White Eagles. Things look like they are falling apart at the wrong time of the season for Andy Vlahos. Rumours of players being sacked after their loss to the Knights have begun floating around the various forums. Oakleigh beat Hume two weeks ago, and I reckon have enough to do it again. Only problem is Oakleigh hasn’t won a game at home since round 17 against Heidelberg. But it’s finals time and everything changes. Oakleigh also has a record of choking at this time of the season, so I’m tipping this game to go to penalties. Full time 1-1, after penalties Hume progress.

Oakleigh Cannons – Total Points in last 5 games – 7

Round 18 Home v Melbourne Knights. L 0-1
Round 19 Away v St.Albans. W 0-2
Round 20 Home v Richmond. L 1-2
Round 21 Away v Hume City. W 0-2
Round 22 Home V Dandenong Thunder. D 1-1

Hume City - Total Points in last 5 games – 3

Round 18 Away v Springvale. W 1-2
Round 19 Home v Bentleigh Greens. L 1-2
Round 20 Away v South Melbourne. L 3-1
Round 21 Home v Oakleigh Cannons. L 0-2
Round 22 Away v Melbourne Knights. L 4-2

Interviews with Josh Colosimo and Jake Vandermey

2011-08-10T10:25:00.000+10:00

Just to add to the previous entry, Walter Pless has recently put up two interviews he conducted with Jake Vandermey and Josh Colosimo, well worth a read.

Bit of a Hobart Olympia update

2011-08-10T09:40:00.000+10:00

By the way, Hobart Olympia have survived relegation, after beating bottom team Beachside recently. Last Saturday night they played Clarence, and lost 3-2 in an epic encounter. Jake Vandermey scored, hit the post and gave away a penalty. Josh Colosimo got stretchered off late in the mate with a suspected rib injury.

Day, Time, Place for this week's elimination final

2011-08-08T12:17:00.001+10:00

The match against Heidelberg will be held at Port Melbourne's SS Anderson Reserve, on Sunday 14th August, kickoff at 3pm.

The Great Escape - South Melbourne 3 Northcote City 3

2011-08-07T22:12:00.002+10:00

Before we get to the dramatic senior match, it's only fitting that we talk a bit about the under 21s.

Despite the substantial turnover in personnel during the season, they managed to work their way to the top of the table. But they needed a win in today's final round to seal back to back titles. Despite being well out of title contention, Northcote weren't keen on giving us the points, and they fought and kicked their way throughout the contest.

We took the lead in the first half, after a great dummy run in an offside position opened up the space for the young man to dribble through and pass to his teammate to score. Northcote leveled early in the second half, but our boys weren't going to rely on the other results going their way.

Nick Naigoran belted home a spectacular goal, right into the top right corner, to make it 2-1 - and that was the score at the end of the game. It was something straight out of a Boys Own Annual. Congratulations to coach Gus Caminos and all the boys who pulled on a blue and white shirt this year, for a title well earned.

Congratulations to the under 21s on achieving back to back titles. Photo: Peter Psarros.

The main event

When watching the first of last year's AFL grand finals, my arms went numb during the last three minutes of the game. Today, at Port Melbourne, I started losing the feeling in my hands about halfway through the second half. It was that tense.

Not much room under the social club roof. Photo: Peter Psarros.

The game had been hyped up considerably. The so called sister club relationship. The fact that it had been moved from John Cain to SS Anderson Reserve. The minimum five goals scored in each of the past three meetings. The possibility of Gianni De Nittis coming on late and providing a dose of karma.

Somehow, this game lived up to every expectation. The rain held off, the crowd wasn't too bad, and they didn't have to wait long for a goal, with Jesse Krncevic beating the offside trap and managing to slot it home on a tight angle to make it 1-0 after just three minutes.

But Northcote are nothing if not proficient in front of goals, and within a minute they had leveled, breezing through our right hand side for an easy finish. Soon after, they were 2-1 up, when Steven Topalovic gave the ball away cheaply on the last line of defence, exposing Zaim Zeneli. Topalovic had a poor game it must be said, and if Rhodri Payne is fit for next week there'd be serious doubts over him getting a starting spot.

When Trent Rixon scored his second to make it 3-1 after 33 minutes, after being unmarked but brilliantly controlling a long pass, it looked like it was just about out of reach for us. Defensively we were all over the shop, and we were being punished mercilessly for it. And when Stephen Weir met Daniel Dragicevic's cross, only to stub the shot straight at Northcote's goalkeeper, Charles Treacey, from a mere six yards out, the hope that we might come back just sank a little further.

Celebrations as Krncevic's second goal floats in just under the crossbar.
Photo: Peter Psarros.

But then Jesse Krncevic scored one of the goals of the season, and somehow we were still in with a chance. A ball was played wide out to the right into space, and Treacey came way off his line to try, possibly in a moment of madness, cut off Krncevic's angle. But the striker had a different idea, lobbing the ball over Treacey's head, and just underneath the crossbar. It was a more spectacular effort than last week's attempt to chip Stuart Webster, but it came off and at 3-2 we were back in the game.

Practice makes perfect - Weir celebrates after scoring from a free kick.
Photo: Peter Psarros.

And then we got a free kick just outside the box, in the same territory that Stephen Weir has been attempting to score from since he crossed over from Hume City halfway through the season. Most of his efforts from similar situations thus far had hit the wall - including against his former side Hume just a couple of weeks agao, which saw Krncevic pounce on the crumb. This time, the shot was perfectly placed into the bottom corner, and somehow the team went into halftime at 3-3.

Surely there would be more goals in the second half? Somehow, all the scoring dried up, though not without some desperate defending and alert goalkeeping on both sides of the ground. Either side could have taken the win, but even with an injured Zeneli, and Gianni De Nittis coming towards the end of the game as Northcote desperately searched for the winning goal - only all three points being good enough to see them in the finals at our expense - neither side were able to break the deadlock.

Jesse Krncevic had the best chance of the closing minutes, but even he couldn't add to his two goals. Yianni Galanos, coming off the bench late in the game to make his official South debut after almost an entire season laid off with a pre-season injury, provided the inch perfect cross. Perhaps there was too much time for Jesse to think about it, as his angled header went wide, and the opportunity to finish third and grab a double chance was lost

But it would be harsh to put all the blame on our fourth placed finish on that moment. There were too many other times during the season where we shot ourselves in the foot, and now we will have to do it the hard way, needing to win through four consecutive rounds. It's not impossible, but the room for error is just about non-existent.

And first cab off the rank is Heidelberg, who threw away their chance at getting at least a double chance courtesy of a shock loss to Springvale White Eagles. For some reason Heidelberg Harismidis was at our game rather then his own team's - probably too hard to get to for him. Spying he claimed.

No point in looking beyond the coming week however. Real one week at a time stuff, until we take the title or we bow out. It's a hell of a hoodoo to have to overcome, but we'll see how we go.

Kiss of Death, Round 22, 2011

2011-08-05T15:07:00.000+10:00

Scotch Watch
No need to keep track of this anymore. Bentleigh's loss last week coupled with South's win sees the whiskey end up with the Kiss of Death - was there ever any doubt? There's a four point gap with one round to go. Congratulations to the Kiss of Death, but no commiserations to South board member Lucky Chrisomalidis, who apart from betting against his own team, learned nothing from last year's big mouth statements about Bentleigh coming in and storming the league.

This is it readers. The final ‘regular season’ Kiss of Death for season 2011.

St.Albans vs Richmond
11th v 8th. With St. Albans relegated they will have nothing to lose. Richmond misses out on a finals berth this season by four points. Last year's finalists just didn’t cut the mustard this season. I’ll be short and sweet. St.Albans 2 - Richmond 2.

Melbourne Knights vs Hume City
10th v 1st. After a late surge with good victories, the Knights didn’t have enough legs to make the finals this year. Hume on the other hand, has had a late lull in proceedings. I don’t know what’s happening down at Broady, but it can’t be good. Melbourne Knights 2 – Hume City 0.

Oakleigh Cannons vs Dandenong Thunder
2nd v 9th. Dandenong's finals hopes were dashed last week after their home loss to South Melbourne. Oakleigh have secured their finals appearance this season under the guidance of young coach Arthur Pappas. I'm tipping this one for a draw.
Oakleigh Cannons 1 – Dandenong Thunder 1.

Bentleigh Greens vs Green Gully Cavaliers
7th v 4th. Thank you Bentleigh for assisting in my scotch bottle victory. Four points short of a finals appearance and six points short of South Melbourne. Let’s hope it gets paid up on Sunday. Ole! Green Gully as expected makes an appearance in the finals series, and surely they are the favourites. Bentleigh Greens 2 – Green Gully 1.

Springvale White Eagles vs Heidelberg
12th v 3rd. Dead rubber for Springvale, but a game of opportunities for Heidelberg. A big win, and losses around the grounds could propel them into first place, and for a team that lost three points this year, that would be an exceptional performance. Springvale White Eagles 0 – Heidelberg 4

South Melbourne vs Northcote City
5th v 6th. The match of the round. One of these two teams will miss out on a finals place. South Melbourne needs a measly point to secure fifth spot, while Northcote needs a win. If South loses, they only have themselves to blame. Throughout the season they have dropped points like a hot potato. VTC and Green Gully being the standouts. If they had won any of those two games, they would now be safe. However, Northcote has a good record against South Melbourne over the years. Northcote and namely Trent Rixon seem to score at will against South, and I fear Gianni De Nittis might be the one to seal Souths fate. Eddie has been leading the team alone the past two weeks, and his return has been six points, four goals scored, one conceded. With a full squad to choose from and with the team seeming to be coming good at the right time of the season, one can only hope their luck against Northcote changes. An ‘away’ fixture for both teams this weekend as the game is being played at a somewhat neutral venue S.S. Anderson Reserve in Port Melbourne, the home of the Sharks. South Melbourne 3 – Northcote City 0.

The possibilities are not limitless

2011-08-04T12:10:00.000+10:00

I don't usually consult with the Kiss of Death, so I don't know what it is going to write tomorrow about this week's final round of matches, which might be a surprise to those of you who may still think that I am the Kiss of Death.

All of which is a roundabout way of saying, you might well be reading the same thing written in two different ways. Which is tough, because most of you are probably happy to read the same thing written everyday about the footy.

Anyway, at the core of the matter, it's pretty simple. Four of the five finalists have been settled, if not their finishing positions. The one spot left is to be fought out by ourselves and Northcote.

We're two points ahead of them, so a draw to us will be enough for us to make it. Where could we finish if we draw? Well, as high as third, oddly enough, as long as both Heidelberg (Springvale White Eagles, away) and Green Gully (Bentleigh Greens, away) both lose. Unlikely to say the least, so we'd be looking at an elimination final against one of those two sides, most likely away to Green Gully.

And what happens if we win? Well, we could finish as high as first - as long both Heidelberg and Gully don't win, and Oakleigh (Dandenong Thunder, home) and Hume City (Melbourne Knights, away) both lose. Again, heinously unlikely. But all of which illustrates the fact that it's such a tight finish to the end of the season - someone on soccer-forum did the sums, and if results go a certain way - South, Gully, Bergers win, Hume and Oakleigh draw - all five finalists could finish on 43 points! Which would leave us in fifth because our goal difference is so appalling.

More likely, we'll end up third or fourth at best. More likely we'll find a way to make all these calculations redundant. Nick Maxwell's mum reckons I should get on Gianni De Nittis to score on Sunday. I'm no gambler, but it is tempting.

Under 21s gunning for back to back titles this week

2011-08-02T01:15:00.000+10:00

I know when it comes to under 21 leagues and below that we're all supposed to be politically correct and be focusing on the development of the players and not the results, but stuff it.

South's under 21s have worked bloody hard this year, working against player defections and injuries, and occasionally losing a player to the senior squad - both ours and Hobart Olympia's - that it's the result that everyone will be looking at this week.

They currently top the standings on 49 points, one point ahead of Hume City, who play third placed Melbourne Knights in the final week. Only Hume can take the title off South.

Hume have a far superior goal difference to South, so our boys will have to at least match Hume's result in the final round to take the title for the second year in a row. South of the Border wishes them all the best in their pursuit of what would be a well deserved title.

Confirmation of this week's game being played at Port Melbourne

2011-08-01T01:10:00.000+10:00

Just like the article title says, this week's game against Northcote has been moved to Port Melbourne's ground at SS Anderson Reserve. Kickoff day and time, naturally remains the same, Sunday at 3pm. Game probably moved because Port's ground is in a much better condition than John Cain Memorial Park, and the fact that Northcote has been the only team that's beaten us at John Cain in the season and half we've played out of there.

Job half done - Dandenong Thunder 0 South Melbourne 1

2011-07-31T10:54:00.001+10:00

First things first. Elbow, Wednesday night, tremendous. Randy Newman and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra on Friday night, equally tremendous. Metro and their stupid revised timetable, not so tremendous. Still, thanks to Randy I was singing and humming 'Short People' for most of the game yesterday. Decent song, but there's no many other better ones why was that one stuck in my head? At least the trip to Dandenong by rail and bus was nice and efficient.

Anyway, to the day's events proper. One could, even at this early stage of what will certainly be another poor match report, start theorising about what could happen next week. But I hardly see the point just yet - Heidelberg still has two games to play before the final round, and while they will be expected to take all nine points from their remaining matches, a slip up in either of the two games before the final round will have significant consequences for everyone else.

Suffice to say that while the results didn't necessarily go our way yesterday, we at least fulfilled our part of the bargain - well, for this week at least. Despite the Thunder's loss of several players, as well as the consequent damaged morale from being docked six points - been there, done that - they still had a chance to play finals football, no matter how much the old Albanian guy munching on pumpkin seeds next to me had already given up the ghost.

And for that, I'm grateful that we started off well, even though we had to rely on desperation and luck to get us over the line. Still, it was nice to see that kind of hunger out there at all, from a team that has been in constant upheaval this season, on and off the park. For the second week in a row, post Joe Montemurro's departure, we moved the ball well and reasonably quickly, used the width available, and gasp, had Eddie barking out orders from the bench.

Eventually our pressure paid off when one of our numerous crosses found a target - this time Jesse Krncevic, whose diving header was angled perfectly into the corner of the net, out of Stuart Webster's reach - to give us a well deserved one nil lead. Thunder should have equalised however, when they somehow managed to hit the crossbar from close range, and the aforementioned old bloke told me to buy a lotto ticket. His whole life in Australia he's been probably waiting for South Dandenong to reach the Victorian top flight and maybe win a title, and I'm destined to never see my team in the true top-flight again. Somewhere in there is an ignoble futility expressed exceedingly poorly. Too many adverbs, perhaps.

The second half was more of the same - hard tackling, wasted chances and a difficult pitch to play on, wet, slippery and with several dead spots where the ball instead of bouncing would get stuck in the mud. Having made the switch to the opposite side of the ground in the second half, it was hard to tell exactly how close the Thunder got to scoring, but from the reaction of the crowd, it was pretty bloody close. Rhodri got caught in the wars again, the recipient of another bruising and probably illegal challenge that wasn't called up - but we hopefully have enough depth now, with most of our squad in reasonable fitness to cover should he not be available next week.

But not close enough, and thus we managed to get the three points and take it to a final round showdown with Northcote, which will hopefully utterly destroy our faux sister club relationship of the past two seasons. What the FFV was thinking when it placed two Greek clubs against each other in the final round I don't know. They probably don't read the papers, because if they did, they might just realise that no one gives a stuff about this league, and that there's probably more worthwhile ways out there of earning a living. Maybe they should ask the owners of the garish mansions around George Andrews Reserve how they make their living.

If I could make any sort of rational sense of this season, I would - though I get the feeling that if we lose to Northcote next week, it'll become perfectly clear, unlike the two messages I got on my phone telling me to be at the MCG today by 12:30 and to remember to grab my beers. What that's all about I do not know.

Kiss of Death, Round 21, 2011

2011-07-28T11:34:00.000+10:00

I’m back. Two regular season games to go, and the finals begin. Who will secure their top five position and who won’t? Will South miss out on a finals series two seasons in a row? Will Oakleigh miss out, or will they make it and choke? This week's Kiss of Death has all the answers.

Scotch Watch
Two games to go, and the contest is still very much wide open. South has Dandenong Thunder and Northcote to play; Bentleigh has Northcote and Green Gully, so obviously no easy games for either combatant. South was in second place but wins to sides with games in hand has seen us slip down to fourth.

South Melbourne, 4th place, 37 points, goal difference +5
Bentleigh Greens, 5th place, 36 points, goal difference +8

Green Gully vs Springvale White Eagles
3rd v 12th. This one should be a no brainer. Springvale have secured their spot in next seasons State League 1 competition, while Green Gully make their traditional late run into the top five. Green Gully should win barring any surprises by Springvale. Green Gully 2 – Springvale White Eagles 0.

Hume City vs Oakleigh Cannons
1st v 2nd. Hume lost in an upset at South Melbourne two weeks ago, while Oakleigh continues to play unimpressive football and continues to chug along in second spot. My crystal balls tell me that Hume will beat Oakleigh and give them the heeby jeebies. Hume City 2 – Oakleigh Cannons 0.

Northcote City vs Bentleigh Greens
6th v 5th. Here’s hoping that Northcote beat Bentleigh for the sake of Scotch Watch. We all know by now that if Bentleigh scores, you can’t break them down. Johnny A has them playing a normal game up until they score or take the lead, then it’s park the bus time. Seriously annoying, yet effective. Northcote City 2 – Bentleigh Greens 1.

Richmond v Melbourne Knights
9th v 10th. Only Richmond is of finals contention in this fixture. They still can make the finals from 9th spot barring a miraculous goal scoring spree. After the midweek Mirabella Cup victory over Cobram, the Knights will be going to Kevin Bartlett Reserve with tired legs. Richmond 2 – Melbourne Knights 0.

Heidelberg vs St.Albans
7th v 11th. Another somewhat dead rubber. St. Albans have joined Springvale in State League 1 next season, while the Bergers will be in the top five of the VPL. The only team with a game in hand, and that’s against the shit idea that is the VTC. Heidelberg 3 – St. Albans 0.

Dandenong Thunder vs South Melbourne
8th v 4th. Not sure if I'm going to be at this one, as I have other commitments on the day. Even with a loss Dandy and South can still make the finals, dependent on results and next week's final round. Interesting times at South lately with Joe Montemurro being released from the coaching panel. A lot of changes at South throughout the season, but the team seem to be travelling OK. Not good, but OK. It just goes to show how poor the VPL has become when only one team has stood out this season and that is Hume City. South Melbourne have never lost at Dandenong, and they don’t need to start doing that now. Eddie has a pretty much full squad to choose from with Matthews, O’Dor, and Junior all back. Do you change a winning lineup?Dandenong Thunder 0 – South Melbourne 2.

The table after this weekend will look like this leading into the final round.

This week's game against Dandenong

2011-07-26T01:49:00.002+10:00

Two things should be noted about this Saturday's game against Dandenong Thunder, to avoid any confusion.

The game is open to the public.
The game time is 3pm not the usual 7pm.

Notes from an almost South-less weekend

2011-07-24T18:13:00.000+10:00

Don't know about you, but for once it wasn't too hard to find things to do without the eight hours I usually spend on a Sunday in the cause of watching South, which involves public transport, the ressies, the main game and a quite dinner with Gains and Steve from Broady, preferably at somewhere good and cheap.

On Friday night I became the victim of public transport crapness but still managed to catch about 70 minutes of the game between Port Melbourne and Fawkner. Port dominated the match, but ex-South goalkeeper Stefaan Sardelic had an excellent game, making several vital saves, including some excellent double saves. Would have been nice to see him receive some more encouragement from his teammates. I also saw someone get clocked in the head by a falling branch while standing behind the Plummer Street goals, thankfully no damage done.

Also got a call asking if I could fill in again for writing the state league 2 and under report for Goal Weekly, and I said yes. Then after my driver stopped for fuel and a sandwich, I somehow ended up in Oakleigh for a gin and tonic. Maybe because it was my birthday and people just about begged me to go outside of the house.

On Saturday afternoon I trundled over to Paisley Park for the state league 2 north-west match between Altona East and Westgate. Had a great souvlaki and saw the reserves snap an eight game losing streak by managing a 1-1 draw, and joined by Ian Syson, watched the senior match which was OK I suppose, a lot of effort but not a lot of method, before East got on top in the second half and probably should have won by more than the 1-0 margin. Overheard someone going on about the World Club Championship money, again.

Fahrudin Mustafic volleys home Singapore's third goal. Photo: PoHui Ko.

Felt like the supporter of an unpopular club when I had to listen to the Pies on the radio instead of watching them on free to air television. Became satisfied that the game was done and decided to watch the Singapore vs Malaysia 'Causeway Derby' World Cup Qualifier, Asian Zone, Second Round 1st leg tie. Stream was choppy but worked well enough for me to see all eight goals. Spent Sunday morning writing the state league report and a match report for the Singapore match and round up of other related results, which you can read here.

Olympia's Joshua Colosimo clears ahead of Devonport's Brad Chilcott. Photo: Walter Pless.

Then I watched about five minutes of the season 1996, round 22 match between Hawthorn and Melbourne, then had some lunch. Checked Walter Pless' blog for discussion of Olympia's win over Devonport City, which sees them through to the state wide cup final against South Hobart. And then went to Aldi and bought a lot of junk and a couple of bottles of cider. Oh and courtesy of Oakleigh's win today, we slip down to third. Joe Montemurro apparently got the sack as well. And rumours are circling that James Spanos is due to fly in this week from Greece to resume his South career.

Highlights from victory over Hume City

2011-07-21T20:21:00.000+10:00

Wilhelmina vs Hellas, Round 1, 1962

2011-07-19T02:00:00.000+10:00

I recently found these two photos in the National Library of Australia's photo archive. As hinted at in the title of this post, they're of the round 1, 1962 Victorian State League fixture between the Dutch backed Wilhelmina (now known as Ringwood City) and our very own South Melbourne Hellas, which coincided with the opening of Wilhemina's Jubilee Park. The NLA's description reads as follows.

Unidentified Wilhelmina and Hellas players contest the ball at Jubilee Park's opening.

Badsmen…marching girls..cheers..They were all part of the scene when Wilhelmina Soccer Club officially opened its new stadium in picturesque Jubilee Park, Ringwood, on the outskirts of Melbourne, in brilliant sunshine on March 31. The stadium, which took two years to plan and build, has been called a dream ground for players and spectators alike. Wilhelmina and South Melbourne-Hellas players vie for supremacy on Wilhelmina's new ground. South Melbourne-Hellas fought every inch of the way-and Greek supporters danced for joy when Hellas opened the scoring.

Like Ringwood City itself, which is now languishing in the bottom rungs of the Victorian soccer hierarchy after a disastrous fall from grace, Jubilee Park itself has apparently also seen better days. By repute, once one of the best soccer grounds in Melbourne has deteriorated to the point where the much loved grandstand is now closed off to the public for safety reasons. My father, a carpet installer, recalls installing carpet in the social club in circa 1978, and marveling at the set up that Ringwood City had, in particular in comparison to many of the Greek clubs.

As to the result of this match, despite South opening the scoring through George Papadopoulos, goals to Jan Bons and Leo Beerendonk saw Wilhelmina secure the win by a score of two goals to one. South would win the return fixture in round 13 by the same scoreline, and go on to win the 1962 Victorian State League title - its first in that competition - by two points from Juventus and Wilhelmina, remembering of course that a win back then got you two points instead of today's three.

An unidentified Hellas player beats his Wilhelmina opponent to the ball.

Wilhelmina had won three consecutive promotions in the 1950s, and snared their one and only State League title in 1959 after having won the Dockerty Cup the previous year against Juventus in a replay. They remained competitive for many years, until eventually falling by the wayside along with other outer eastern suburbs clubs such as Croydon and Mooroolbark. Their last season in the Victorian top flight was in 1990.

Sturm und Drang - South Melbourne 3 Hume City 1

2011-07-17T22:18:00.001+10:00

After everything that has happened this week, let alone this season, it was nice to see the under 21s again. And they didn't disappoint, taking top spot from Hume by beating them 1-0, after holding out against a strong wind in the first half. That a certain former South youth player with red hair, who crossed over to Hume halfway through the season missed a sitter to level the scores must have made the win just that little bit sweeter.

Somehow, we're second on the table. Of course it helps when other teams drop points, as Oakleigh did today against Richmond, where Ricky Diaco had a penalty saved in the second half with his side trailing 2-1; and it also helps when sides have games in hand to play, such as Oakleigh, Heidelberg and Northcote.

2-0 and down to 10 men as Lou Acevksi gets sent off. Photo: Cindy Nitsos

But you can also make your own luck. When Stephen Weir's free kick deflected off the wall into the space in front of Hume City substitute goalkeeper Kenny Gerohristodoulou, it was Jesse Krncevic, back today after a long spell on the sidelines with suspension, who reacted fastest and swung the ball into the corner. That was 3-0, and more or less the game wrapped up.

It wasn't a good day for the Hume goalkeepers in general, as first Daniel Dragicevic slid the ball past Lou Acevski from a tight angle, into basically the only space available to him; and then when Sebastian Petrovic headed home South's second soon after, Acevski was given a straight red card for kicking a ball into a South player.

Five different ways to stand in a wall. Photo: Cindy Nitsos.

Later, Gerohristodoulou, whose choice of shorts left little to the freeballin' imagination, pushed a South fan who was giving him back the ball for a goal kick, which fired up the crowd behind his goal. Hume City had a bad day at the office, but handled their emotions poorly. South by contrast had its best performance for some months now, without Tom Matthews, Steven O'Dor and even Joe Montemurro on the bench.

Discounting the most recent VTC match, it was the first time we had scored two goals in a match since the round 13 loss against Green Gully, and the first time we'd scored three since that fabulous 15 minute spell against Melbourne Knights all the way back in round six. We had several chances to add to our tally, before taking the foot off the pedal in the last 20 minutes or so and allowing Richie Cardozo to net a consolation goal for Hume.

Daniel Dragicevic leads the celebrations after scoring the opener. Photo: Cindy Nitsos.

After the first goal, someone ripped a flare at a South league game for the first time in about four years. There goes $500, or $1500, or whatever it is now, and another reason for the FFV to get on our back, like we needed one. I wonder if the perpetrator realised that the FFV were filming the game for their live stream? Somewhere at South there must be a communal self-destruct button that I haven't found yet. When I do find it, I'll either rip the bloody thing out, or press it with such conviction that the earth opens up and swallows us whole, leaving scant trace of our existence.

And then there was the moment when myself and Ian Syson were discussing getting someone like Southpole to provide a guest lecture for Victoria University's 'Poetry and Poetics' class, to discuss the process of oral compositions, non-literary working class adaptations and such. Clarendon Corner's rewording of Frozen Tears 'South Melbourne', was just tremendous, bitter, resentful and yet full of wit.

Did I mention that we're second on the ladder? Heinous, isn't it.

Kiss of Death, Special Edition - The Kliment Taseski Fiasco

2011-07-15T17:34:00.007+10:00

How could I not come out of my shell for this one.

The FFV are slowly becoming the game's worst enemy. They wrote the rules, but fail to interpret them as written. How the hell do they expect clubs and their 'associates' to understand them?

I am talking about the FFV's brainy idea to deduct Oceania Club of the Century South Melbourne three points for allegedly fielding an 'ineligible' player in Kliment Taseski, who is on loan from A-League club Melbourne Heart. It seems that within 48 hours of making the moronic statement below in a smartarse kind of way on Facebook, they have decided that they made an 'error' in regards to the rules and have reversed the minus three points deduction, as of 4:43pm today (Friday).

Let this be a lesson to the FFV.
a) Do not use a social media tool to make smartarse comments.
b) Read the rulebook that YOU wrote and understand it.
c) Do not deduct points on a whim, as this happens nowhere else in the world of football.
d) Scrap the whole points deduction 'scheme' and let clubs play the game on the park and not off it.

Finally, I believe Oceania Club of the Century South Melbourne FC, deserve both a written on paper, and a written on Facebook apology. Its fans and other footballing fans alike deserve better from the Federation that is administering football in this state.

South get three points because we didn't field an ineligible player

2011-07-15T17:03:00.002+10:00

Turns out Kliment Taseski has a dual registration. So, to reiterate.

Ange Dallas, not as incompetent as he was made out to be by everyone else except this blog. We've always stuck by you Ange, you handsome devil!

FFV just as incompetent as ever, not even knowing their own rules.

If only we'd won the game last week. Oh well, small mercies and small steps I suppose.

Revised/Updated Scotch Watch standings

South Melbourne, 3rd place, 34 points, goal difference +3
Bentleigh Greens, 6th place, 33 points, goal difference +7

Kiss of Death, Round 20, 2011 - On Strike

2011-07-14T19:48:00.001+10:00

The Kiss of Death is on strike indefinitely - read on below to find out why.

Scotch Watch
In a normal world, Bentleigh's win last week coupled with South's loss would have seen the Greens draw within a point of South in this contest. But this is Victorian soccer, and therefore we are in a permanent state of being through the looking glass. And thus courtesy of being deducted three points for a fielding a player in a game they lost anyway, South finds itself behind and on the ropes.

Bentleigh Greens, 5th place, 33 points, goal difference +7
South Melbourne, 7th place, 31 points, goal difference +3

Kiss of Death on strike
Hello fellow readers.

I have received countless emails this week by people (big betting sharks) requesting that I withhold publishing more Kiss Of Deaths, and they stop betting on the VPL due to the way it is run by the people who supposedly run it. In other words, I am on strike along with others.

I will however give the people who run the VPL a bit of a serve. I know you people read my column, I know you people read this blog, and I definitely know that you people have no clue. A background of myself. I have been following this game for over 29 years in Australia and have been involved with various clubs in all capacities.

I’m going to start with the FFV’s Customer Service Charter. Particularly point 1 under Section 4, “FFV will be seen in and engage with the football community”. Absolute bullshit. The only time you people are around the “community”, or the grounds is when it’s finals time and you get the gate. Other than that, I am yet to see anyone from the FFV at any VPL games, or at any lower league games.

Next is the ‘Abuse you may Lose’ campaign. Another bullshit idea to come out of headquarters. How can a spectator be responsible for causing a team to lose three points, if all they are is a spectator? How can a club control a person from doing something that isn’t foreseen? I wasn’t aware that clubs had mind reading abilities, or that clubs were required to have a minder for every spectator that entered a venue. This is a bullshit policy that cannot be policed. This is a policy that must be dropped from the game unless it is an easily identifiable person who is associated with the club in an official capacity. A simple spectator who pays his $12 entry fee cannot be responsible for a club being docked points. Points are won and lost on the field of play, not on the terraces or tribunals. I don’t know any other league or situation where a club has been docked points for the acts of fans, other than in Victoria. This is an absolute disgrace. Drop it now! Along with this way to lose points, is the administrative points deductions. How can a club be deducted points for late payments? Fucken ridiculous.

Run the FFV like a business, but don’t let it impact on the team ladders. Players train and play hard, all for the FFV to deduct points because of some crappy rules. Have you people ever thought of running a survey on the players and seeing what they think of the idea of losing points? I can guarantee that you will see that even the players don’t agree with what you are doing. Go on, ask them what they think.

Finally, the tribunal process. What a joke this is. For those of you who have had the pleasure of sitting in on the most mundane, ridiculous and boring tribunal hearings, that are staged at the FFV, you will know where I am coming from. Independent tribunals, eh? Is that why after all the arguments are heard, the parties are asked to leave the tribunal, while the FFV staff stay in there with the 'independent' tribunal? How about revamping the tribunal with people who understand the culture of the game, and who understand how the game works?How about accepting precedent, and being consistent when handing out judgements?

South deducted three points for fielding ineligble player

2011-07-14T09:22:00.000+10:00

Things go from bad to worse. The club has been deducted three points for fielding an ineligible player in last week's 1-0 loss against Richmond. The relevant player is Kliment Taseski, whose loan period with us apparently finished on July 4th. We were apparently notified of this on July 5th, but proceeded to play him on July 9th anyway.

The one slim chance of having this overturned is that during the transfer window, we applied for an extension to his loan. Logically however, I would imagine that the loan period would have only been extended to this point in time. I mean, surely even the FFV could not be that incompetent to have not accurately read its own player data?

So, taking that into account, and assuming that the FFV did not make an error, the blame must fall on the people responsible. The pretend coach Eddie Krncevic, the real coach Joe Montemurro and footballer director Ange Dallas. Because it's their job to know who's right to play and who isn't.

You wouldn't knowingly play a suspended player. And the responsibility for getting a team on the park is their job. No one else's. It's what they get paid to do. They've been delegated that task because that's how it all works. And if they're not held responsible, then the whole lot of them, from top to bottom, should probably be thrown out.

All the facilities, hard work and scrambling to stay alive is pointless if we don't have the merest hint of respect for ourselves and our primary purpose which is, after all, to play football and be pretty damn good at it. And to be brutal for a moment, we've sucked balls for most of the past five years. Something has to be done.

The Late Report - Richmond 1 South Melbourne 0

2011-07-10T20:33:00.000+10:00

You can make up your own mind about this image. Photo: Cindy Nitsos.

The lack of angry emails suggests that no one's been slashing their wrists at the lateness of this match summary.

Which is fine by me, because really, what could I write about this game anyway? That we took 60 minutes to get started. That we overpossessed the ball? That we had, on several occasions, two of our own players bumping into each other because they didn't know where to go? That we went round and round and round and round in ever dizzying circles? That despite all of this, we could have stolen a point late if Carl Recchia had managed to keep his shot low from barely six yards out?

We went behind five minutes into the game. A free kick that I didn't think was there, because I thought the ball hit the player's face rather than the South player's foot, but regardless, Richmond had two goes at it and scored from the second after we didn't seem to want to clear it out of our box with much urgency and paid the price for it.

Zeneli could have given away a penalty, but I'm not sure if he got a hand onto the ball after his fumble - in any case, the referee booked the Richmond player for diving. Likewise, I was on a crappy angle to see how far offside Recchia was when he headed the ball over Richmond's goalkeeper Stephen Gal and into the back of the net. The crossbar also saved Richmond in the second half when a deflection from a free kick landed on it. I wish Stephen Weir would just let Vasilevski take the free kicks.

The banner which lasted 3 minutes at Knights Stadium lasted a fair bit longer on the Heyington rail bridge. Photo: Mark Boric.

Anyway, all the kranskies and slices of cherry cake with whipped cream on top couldn't make up for the slop which was dished out by our side, again. And instead of going close to cementing a top three spot and the double chance, we'll instead have to fight and scrape our way into the finals, if we're lucky.

I suppose the one measly positive you could bring to the table is that despite our rancid run of form, we're not getting belted. It's all 1-0 wins, or 1-0 losses or the odd draw. Oh, and Jessie Krncevic is due back this week against Hume. And our under 21s, if they can beat Hume this week, will be top of the table with two games to play. It looks like it'll go right down to the wire against Northcote in the last round. Just our luck - the only that's beaten us in our two year stint at John Cain Memorial Park, that is of course, provided Hume doesn't give us another spanking this week.

Polish, the language
Southpole, your attempts to convince me that Polish is an easy language to learn were not helped by being unable to convince me that the letters 'szcz' found consecutively was a logical way of writing; nor were your mate's crazy Polish tongue twisters; but especially not when you and said mate were disagreeing on the pronunciation of certain words and the meanings of basic phrases.

Stickers
Some new, specially imported South Melbourne Hellas stickers have hit the streets. Look out for them in unusual public spaces.

Irony, or the lack thereof
'The bitches go off' - didn't think I'd ever hear that comment made without at least a knowing wink.

Czech Beer and Soft Drinks
Beer, good; soft drink, meh.

Kiss of Death, Round 19, 2011

2011-07-08T09:35:00.000+10:00

Scotch Watch

Bentleigh's atrocious defending cost them last week against Richmond, while South squeezed past St Albans to extend South's lead in this contest back out to four points.

South Melbourne, 3rd place, 34 points, goal difference +4
Bentleigh Greens, 6th place, 30 points, goal difference +6

Melbourne Knights vs Heidelberg United

9^th vs 4^th. Looks like the Knights are hitting their straps and making a late surge for the finals series. Mathematically they can still make it. In the last two weeks they have beaten two Greek teams, and this week come up against another Greek team in Heidelberg. Can the Knights make it three against their Orthodox rivals? I think they can, and hope they can against Heidelberg. They have played a very compact game and come up trumps. Heidelberg should be without their coach George Katsakis who received a red card last week against Northcote. Heidelberg will also be without first choice keeper Griffin McMaster who received a fracture last weekend, and most likely this will affect their finals aspirations. Melbourne Knights 2 – Heidelberg Utd 0.

Hume City vs Bentleigh Greens

1^st vs 6^th. Hume City will go into this game full of confidence. They are on a roll and are on a ten game unbeaten streak. The last time they lost was in round eight, 4-1 to Bentleigh of all teams. Bentleigh will not be good enough at Hume this weekend. The home loss to Richmond 2-3 last weekend has most likely screwed with their heads. On another note, I urge the FFV to change this fixture to the weekend of the 17^th July and reverse the fixture to be played at Bentleigh Greens. Why? Because the 20th July marks the illegal Turkish invasion of Cyprus and why shouldn’t it be remembered in the same way the Anzac Cup is with South Melbourne as the away team at Hume? Hume City 3 – Bentleigh Greens 0.

Northcote City vs Green Gully Cavaliers

7^th vs 5^th. Northcote had a 2-1 loss at Heidelberg last weekend, and Green Gully beat Dandenong 1-0. Northcote beats Gully and they take their spot in the five. Northcote loses to Gully and it makes it harder for them to enter the five. I think Northcote will beat Gully and beat them convincingly. Northcote City 3 – Green Gully 0.

Dandenong Thunder vs Springvale White Eagles

8^th vs 12^th. Both these teams have turned to shit. Dandenong has gone from good to bad to woeful. Springvale started not bad, but after round six have just gone really shithouse. Springvale knocked Dandenong out of the Mirabella Cup midweek, and I think they’ll continue this run this weekend. Dandenong Thunder 1 – Springvale White Eagles 3.

St. Albans Saints vs Oakleigh Cannons

11^th vs 2^nd. It’s that time of the year where Oakleigh start choking. They lost 0-1 to the Knights last week, and St. Albans played very well against South Melbourne in their 1-0 loss last weekend. People will laugh, and people will think I’m crazy, but St. Albans will beat Oakleigh. Oakleigh big signing Richard Offiong has broken his leg, and he has become money well spent… pfft. St. Albans is blooding youth in the remaining games and getting ready for State 1. St. Albans 2 – Oakleigh Cannons 1.

Richmond vs South Melbourne

10^th vs 3^rd. A less than convincing South beat St. Albans last week, and Richmond had a surprise win at Bentleigh. With four games to go, it’s now all about securing a top five spot for South. I expect them to go closer to securing that spot with a win over Richmond on Saturday. Richmond has had a rough and tumble season and have been pretty bad. I can’t see them springing any surprises over South. But, it’s been a long season and they way South has been playing, anything can happen. Richmond 0 – South Melbourne 4.

Graeme Hocking and the story of his local club

2011-07-06T14:03:00.007+10:00

Recently one Graeme Hocking wrote to club historian John Kyrou, to talk about his time as a schoolboy footballer for South Melbourne United, and John was kind enough to pass along the letter and photos of Hocking's team medal and personal medal - which Hocking has donated to the club - to South of the Border.

Graeme was a member of United's 1951 Dunklings Shield winning team, which was a schoolboy competition which had run since at least 1934, but rather was confusingly also the name given to trophies for several other sports. including rowing and life saving.

In previous discussions (here and here) on South Melbourne United, we noted that members of United's junior wing left in the mid 1940s to form the Park Rangers club. United's continuing success in junior soccer indicates that there was a healthy soccer playing community within the South Melbourne/Albert Park/Middle Park area.

Hocking was the captain of the side, and his dedication to his teammates and the game can be seen by the fact that even when his family moved from the Middle Park area, first to Upper Ferntree Gully, then Castlemaine, he would still make the trip down by steam train to Melbourne to play for his team, arriving home at 7:30pm after having gotten up at 4:00am to perform his duties as an apprentice baker.

Graeme Hocking captained the side, and can be seen seated behind the Dunklings Shield. Next to him, seated behind the small trophy, is vice captain Don Dodds. The goalkeeper behind Dodds is Del Mannering. The gentleman in the dark suit is Alex McFadden. The rest of the people in the photo Hocking does not remember the names of. Mannering would go on to play senior football with Melbourne Hakoah, playing in the state league for several seasons in the 1960s. Prior to that he had played with George Cross, and in the early 1970s it seems also with Wellington Olympic.

South literally squeeze through - South Melbourne 1 St Albans 0

2011-07-04T12:20:00.000+10:00

It wasn't pretty, again. Stephen Weir opened his South Melbourne account, by beating the offside trap, squeezing the ball underneath the Dinamo keeper, and having the presence of mind to follow up the shot which had hit the post and tap it in, instead of going off on a premature celebration.

The rest of the game is hardly worth talking about. An atrocious crowd, numerous botched chances to St Albans, including one memorable howler where the ball went in exactly the opposite direction of where the striker intended, and the odd occasion where South stuffed up what were meant to be gimme goals. The replay may also show that St Albans may have been hard done by with a couple of penalty decisions for handball, but they were at the opposite end of the ground to me.

Kliment Taseski was probably our best. Zaim Zeneli showed what you get when you have even a merely adequate and stable presence in between the sticks (though he was better than that), while Fernando De Moraes came off the bench again and looked distressingly un-Nando-esque by demonstrating poor touch on several occasions. Here's hoping he's back to his normal self next week in what will be his 150th appearance for South (League, State Cup and Singapore Cup).

And yet, somehow, still third with four games to go, and a good opportunity to get a double chance provided we keep winning. And despite how poorly we are playing, there are perhaps only one or two sides - Hume and Heidelberg - who I think we are outrightly inferior to if we play to our best.

Next Game
Against Richmond, but not a Friday night, as the FFV has deemed their lights as not being up to scratch. So instead, it'll be a Saturday afternoon - disappointing some, but not me, as I prefer Keven Bartlett Reserve (and most grounds, to be truthful) in the daytime.

Kiss of Death, round 18, 2011

2011-07-01T12:17:00.001+10:00

Scotch Watch
With Bentleigh winning and South losing last week, the Greens have drawn to within a point, and it looks like it will go right down to the wire.

South Melbourne, 3rd place, 31 points, goal difference +3
Bentleigh Greens, 4th place, 30 points, goal difference +7

Bentleigh Greens vs Richmond
4th vs 10th. It is imperative that Richmond stop Bentleigh's run and secure my bottle of scotch for season 2011. Both teams won 2-0 last week against their Balkan opponents, but Bentleigh is on the up and that is somewhat worrying. Hopefully Richmond can hold them back abit with a draw. I don’t care how many goals each team score, as long as they score the same amount. Bentleigh Greens 2 – Richmond 2.

Oakleigh Cannons vs Melbourne Knights
2nd vs 9th. Oakleigh were lucky against Heidelberg last week and didn’t impress me at all. Melbourne Knights looked rather compact against South and were able to beat them 1-0. I see Oakleigh having trouble tonight in containing the Knights. Oakleigh Cannons 1 – Melbourne Knights 2.

Green Gully Cavaliers vs Dandenong Thunder
7th vs 8th. Well. The bubble has finally burst down at Dandenong. Chris Taylor resigned on Monday night and six players walked out of the club due to alleged money issues. Looks like that FFV fine has finally started to bite. Green Gully copped four at Hume City, and Dandenong was walloped by a rampant Northcote 0-6 last weekend. I see Gully handing Dandenong another walloping this weekend.
Green Gully 4 – Dandenong Thunder 0.

Heidelberg United vs Northcote City
5th vs 6th. Northcote is knocking on Heidelberg's backside this weekend. If they win, then they take Heidelbergs spot in the top five. Bergers were unlucky at Oakleigh last weekend, and Northcote taught Dandenong a thing or six about how football is played. One question I’d like answered from George Katsakis. Why did Osagie play out wide on the left against Oakleigh? Surely he should’ve at least been moved to his striking role in the second half, and not with 15 minutes to go. George, if you read this blog, can you post a comment and answer it for me. Cheers. Northcote is travelling well, and should have a good game at the Village. Heidelberg United 3 – Northcote City 3.

Springvale White Eagles vs Hume City
12th vs 1st. Hume will have absolutely no issue in dispatching Springvale back to division one this weekend. I am so confident of Hume winning that no one can talk me out of it. Springvale had a mass exodus of players midweek and that will only kill the club's ambitions of staying up. What was an exciting team who went unbeaten during all their friendlies pre-season, has shown that they are just not up to Premier League standard at the moment. Hume is currently the benchmark team. Banging goals in left, right and centre. They will have a field day at the Srbski Sportski Centar, and annihilate the Eagles. Springvale White Eagles 0 – Hume City 8.

While almost certainly relegated, Dinamo are unlikely to have it rubbed in their faces like this.

South Melbourne vs St Albans
3rd vs 11th. What should be a regulation win for South, sadly will be made into a struggle for the three points. We have been in third spot for weeks, if not months, and seem to be stuck there. Teams above and below us are dropping points every week, yet we can’t seem to capitalise on it. They lose, we lose. They draw, we draw. They win, we win. We struggled at St. Albans on a compact ground, against a team that was happy to park the bus for 90 minutes. We played well against the Knights and copped a goal against the run of play. This week Eddie should have all the squad at his disposal and any injuries should be non-existent, unless I’ve missed someone. The only one who by my book won’t be available is Jesse who is currently suspended. This weekend is our chance to somewhat break away from fourth spot. Out of the next five games, only one team is currently in the top five. We need to collect at least 12 points from those games to be a serious finals contender, and not one that will drop out in the first game. South Melbourne 4 – St.Albans 0.

Light towers are go, sorta

2011-06-30T09:59:00.000+10:00

I stole this photo off the one they call Bibi, who took this shot while driving around the lake. Why the tower is only half full I don't know, but I assume that it will soon be filled to the brim with the rest of the hopefully state of the art light bulbs that will be required in the making of Lakeside (or the State Athletics Centre as it will be provisionally known unless a major sponsor gets their mitts on naming rights) a first class venue for athletics and a ridiculously overqualified venue for VPL football.

They aren't much to look at, to be perfectly blunt, but I suppose that's the point. If patrons are spending more time looking at light towers than at the contest in front of them, it either means that the towers aren't functioning properly or that the game is dead boring.

Josh Colosimo scores for Hobart Olympia.

2011-06-29T09:59:00.000+10:00

Wondered how our two boys (Jake and Josh) have been going over on the Apple Isle? Well, apparently they're part of the reason why Olympia have turned their form around somewhat in the last few weeks, and who've even managed to knock out old foe Tilford Zebras (nee Hobart Juventus I'm guessing) in the state-wide cup competition called the Milan Lakoseljac Memorial Trophy, with Josh scoring the winning goal, which is nice to see, even if the defending leaves a lot to be desired on all fronts.

No Heroics This Time Around - Melbourne Knights 1 South Melbourne 0

2011-06-27T10:07:00.002+10:00

Another frustrating day out for all concerned. Turning up to watch South is a bit of a lottery this season. You don't know how the team will be set up. You don't know who'll be on the park. You don't know if the team playing in the blue shirts will be the one that creates chances at will, the one that can fightback to overcome an early setback, the one that will roll over without much of a fight, or something we haven't seen yet at all.

Yesterday it was the timid South. The one that was reticent to make a decision, to take a shot, to make a run. The side started somewhat flat, but was at least able to match it with the Knights, and hold them out for awhile. Maybe we should have even taken the lead, after our best move the day, a scything enterprise across the field ended up with a weak header.

South down and out... again. Photo: Cindy Nitsos.

But once the Knights' goal went in, our heads dropped. Some players, even if they weren't doing well, at least seemed to care about the outcome. Stand up Kyle Joryeff, one of my most maligned players last year, who battled hard on the wing. The rest of the team wasn't so flash. Stephen Weir, so good last week, was well covered by the bigger bodies in the Knights defence.

Marinos Gasparis, who's received so many injuries and knocks this season, just hasn't been able to get back his super form of the early part of the season. Carl Recchia played in defense; while still a capable player in that area, his effectiveness is not nearly what it would be if he was in the middle directing traffic.

Fernando De Moraes came off the bench once more, as did Daniel Dragicevic, who received a chorus of boos from the home side. Kliment Taseski obviously has talent, but whether the tenacity is there can be questioned at times. Steven Topalovic is, like the majority of his teammates, at his best when by playing within his limits, not attempting to dribble past opponents.

An anti-FFV banner lasted a whole 3 minutes before being removed. Photo: Cindy Nitsos

And that was the comment made yesterday from a fellow fan that most resonated with me. At the end of the day, soccer's not a terribly complicated game. Pass and move, pass and move. Yesterday it seemed all about trying to dribble past opponents while other players remained rooted to the spot.

And by the end of the game, both sets of supporters seemed to be in agreement, by chanting anti-Eddie Krncevic chants. And after yesterday's performance, he'll have even fewer friends to turn to.

Next Week
St Albans at our home away from home, where we've only lost to Northcote, the venue's real home side in nearly two seasons. Dinamo's slim hopes of survival were crushed by yesterday's results. Will they be up for it? Will we?

Highlights from 1-0 win over Oakleigh

2011-06-25T12:55:00.000+10:00

Kiss of Death, round 17, 2011

2011-06-23T20:13:00.000+10:00

Scotch Watch
Both teams had wins last week, so the gap remains four points. Bentleigh have improved their goal difference, but time is running out. I had a quick chat with Lucky Chrisomalidis, the other side of this wager, and he told me that allegedly offered to hand over the bottle of scotch to the Kiss of Death a month ago. Was not able to ascertain the accuracy of that before the Kiss of Death handed in their previews for this week.

South Melbourne, 3rd place, 31 points, goal difference +4
Bentleigh Greens, 6th place, 27 points, goal difference +5


The evidence seems damning, but the lack of a red is standard in the VPL

Oakleigh Cannons vs Heidelberg United
2nd vs 4th. Well, well, well. Looks like the willies are starting to catch up with Oakleigh. After watching more than half of Oakleigh's games this year, I’m happy to say that I was right when saying they are not playing well. They were depending on long balls last weekend in their 1-0 loss to South Melbourne. You do that when you have run out of ideas. How Hatzikostas was not sent off for his elbow to Joryeff's head is beyond belief. Heidelberg had a 3-1 win over Dandenong, who have appointed Chris Taylor as their coach for the remainder of the season, after the departure of Stuart Munro who’s on his way to an A-league assistant's job. I will be at this game on Friday night and look forward to a hack match. Plenty of wild tackles, plenty of showmanship from both coaches, and plenty of goals. Oakleigh Cannons 2 – Heidelberg United 2.

Hume City vs Green Gully Cavaliers
1st vs 5th. Hume the form team, take on Green Gully the yearly finals contender. Hume demolished Northcote City last week 2-4. Green Gully had a 4-2 home win against the lowly Richmond. I expect Hume to race to an early lead at Gully just like they did last week at Northcote. Hume City 3 – Green Gully 0.

Richmond vs Springvale White Eagles
10th vs 12th. Both teams are coming off losses this week. Both teams are in somewhat relegation trouble. Games like this just don’t interest me. Richmond 0 – Springvale White Eagles 2.

Dandenong Thunder vs Northcote City
8th vs 7th. Munro out, Taylor in. A welcome to the blog to Chris Taylor. You don’t know me, but you’re most likely reading this. You have a tough task ahead. Northcote being your first. Your new team lost to Heidelberg last week, and Northcote also lost. I doubt you will be able to beat Northcote, but good luck with your new job. Dandenong Thunder 1 – Northcote City 3.

St. Albans Saints vs Bentleigh Greens
11th vs 6th. A tough task for Bentleigh. A less than convincing 4-0 home win against a 10 man Knights last week is hardly a call for celebration. St. Albans had a win in the Balkan derby last week beating Springvale 0-2. St. Albans will go three in a row when they beat Bentleigh, after their midweek 6-2 win over the little punks at the VTC. Kaman Dinamo. I need this win for my scotch. St. Albans 2 – Bentleigh Greens 0.

The kind of Elbow that this blog's creator prefers to see (and hear).

Melbourne Knights vs South Melbourne
9th vs 3rd. Good to see South beat Oakleigh last week. The midfield is 80% back and we look like we are playing. Good to see the introduction of Fernando last week, but bad to see the injury to Junior who looks like he’s done that muscle just above his ass cheek, the one named after that Roman Emperor Maximus. I can announce that Edvard Krncevic is a reader of this blog. I witnessed for the first time this season Edvard going off from the bench, barking instructions, arguing with the ref, and actively supporting his team like a coach should. Velkom Edvard. The ref last week was woeful. Listen kid, you might think you look like Cristiano Ronaldo with those big cubic zirconias in your ears, but you can’t ref for shit. How the hell did you miss the elbow on Joryeff when you were right in front of it? I heard and saw it from the scoreboard end. This will be no walk in the park for South as Somers Street is always a tough gig, but I think we will have enough to beat the Knights. Melbourne Knights 0 – South Melbourne 3.