Usually this segment (when it bothers to run) doesn't go full bore with the images, but this is a bit of a special edition.
One of our readers, Kon, has recently moved house and needed to take some South Melbourne Hellas memorabilia with him, including some posters from 1988 and 1998. In his own words:
"One of the posters hung proudly in my dad's garage for 27 years. Dad passed away in 2009, an avid SMH supporter since 1964 - from memory, the last game we attended together was an away game in Heidelberg sometime in 2007/2008. His last SMH triumph was in taking his 5-year-old grandson to the final against Altona Magic back in 2006.
After 45 years at the same address, we sold, packed up and moved out of our family home. Memories. Of course, I had to take the posters with me. Damn shame I couldn't salvage the 'Barbaresso Ouzo & SMH, a great combination' sticker that was fixed to the door of the outside laundry."
Not that I keep up to date with all the different Greek language publications that exist and have existed in Australia, but Ελληνοαυστραλιανη Παροικία ('Greek Community') is a new one to me.
There are people out there who watched South in this era, who seemed to like this jersey. I can't say that I am one of those people. But the poster (see immediately below) is nice, and probably not one commonly seen.
The other poster and the news article spread are from just before the 1998 grand final. The juxtaposition between the two eras is interesting. Uniforms, stadium, branding, cultural emphasis. How the boast of 'not just a name, an empire' in 1998, even before we'd won the title, proved half true for a few years, but soon turned to dust.
As noted earlier, one bit of memorabilia which Kon and his family couldn't take with them to their new address was the sticker below, as it was stuck to the door of their laundry. But here it is preserved for posterity.
Thanks once again to Kon for sending these images our way, especially the sticker.
Lastly, since I am no good with putting names to faces, it'd be nice if all you old timers could list the players and staff members in each photo so I can create some complete captions for each image.
Best shirt ever. I was 9 years old at the time and this were my heroes. Brian Garvey, manny anazakis, Steve Blair, con giatos, ange postecoglou, Paul foster, Harry mikhail, Paul wade, Paul fernandez, Peter tsolakis, kalagerou, Bobby Russell, Paul trimboli, Danny wright, David Healey, Steve tassios, team manager?
ReplyDelete@est1959
That 1988 team was like North Melbourne's 1993 AFL team. Beautiful to watch, but, ultimately, just too green around the gills.
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame that Brian Garvey became a bit of a footnote in Hellas history. He created that team. A bit like Arok helped create the 1998 and 1999 team.
As for the shirt, I remember it more from the 1987 team, rather than this 1988 team.
When I was going through some 1989 editions of Neos Kosmos, Donoudi (I assume he wrote the match reports) would hammer Garvey just about every time South lost a game, focusing on Garvey's over-cautious approach - too defensive minded with subs, and risk averse - in Donoudi's mind, Garvey would set up way too defensively from the start. There were accusations embedded in there that something about South's culture of attacking football, even South's status as a 'big club', had been forfeited by that style.
DeleteWhich all sounds very familiar at the moment for some reason.
Our 1989 season was quite disappointing after the thrills of 1988. It was a bit like 1996 under Arok. After we stormed home in 1995 to the Preliminary Final, we expected big things in 96.
DeleteBut on Garvey becoming a footnote, I'd say not just in Hellas history, but local soccer in general - seems to have fallen off the face of the earth compared to a lot of other people of a similar standing.
DeleteTime for Cotsy and Donikian to search for him. I will message Cotsy
DeleteYes, and when I say he created that team, I was talking about the 1991 premiership team.
ReplyDeleteI rate that Garvey team as my favourite in 40 odd years of watching South. Packed full of exciting youngsters like Trimboli, Wright, Tassios, Tsolakis, Healy, Fernandez, Foster etc. Some of the football played simply breathtaking. We just ran out of steam in the end, finishing 2nd or 3rd from memory in '88. Fantastic era, Donoudis full of shit as usual, this team was anything but defensive.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kon for the wonderful Barbaresso Ouzo sticker image... brought back massive memories.
ReplyDeleteTheio Tzimi's big white Kingswood, 4 adults and 4-5 kids all crammed in (ah the 80's), Hellas and Barbaresso Ouzo stickers all over the back window, "Paidia tou Peiraia" musical car horn blaring, celebrating another Hellas win, inching our way through the Middle Park car park to go home on a Sunday .......
Forgive a sentimental old fool but that one sticker has really made me smile today.....
Thanks :o)
He could have taken the door with him......
ReplyDeleteYes he SHOULD have taken that door with him.
DeleteAnyway, that top of '88 was "inspired" by Udinese's tour the previous year alongside Tottenham and Vasco Da Gama.
Hi does anyone have a Montague panels jersey for sale that they are willing to part with
ReplyDeleteWho was the Chilean midfielder played at Hellas back in the 1980s? Can't remember his name: Toto, maybe?
ReplyDeleteCan anyone name the players on the cover of this issue? Trying to track down some of the oldies!
ReplyDeleteCan anyone name the people on the cover of this issue? Trying to track down some of the oldies !
ReplyDelete