Knights can’t catch a break but South can throw a goal (guest post)

This post was originally posted by Manny on his own blog

Well here we are again. I managed to pull myself to another South game this season between work, study and the rest of it. Funnily enough it happened to be the return leg of the my last attended match. I headed down to Knights Stadium with a few of the boys and couldn’t be happier with how I spent my Friday night. We parked in one of the side streets and managed to get a seat before kick off – beer and cevapi in hand!

The First Half was really just a warm up

Heading into the match, I think most people were pretty confident. South have been flying on top of the table (Avondale match aside) and have been scoring buckets of goals. Knights on the other hand are struggling this season and even recently replaced their coach with Ivan Franjic. South were expected to walk this one, but as is often the case, the match itself was never going to be so simple.

South did not start the game in a flurry of goals, but rather, seemed happy to sit back and watch Knights control the tempo in the first half. The Knights though couldn’t make the most of their possession and only really created in a few nerve racking goal square skirmishes.

South’s efforts with the ball on the other hand seemed few and far, with a number of direct plays on transition failing to generate any clear cut chances. South were borderline reckless with the ball in the first half and seemed to lack any attacking structure. Ball after ball would fly down the right wing, and the few times where it found its target there wasn’t anyone waiting in the box to complete the play.

Rain rain rain

As half time came to a close, the heavens opened up and completely obliterated any chance of neat football for the rest of the day. Thankfully though, the rain was coming in from behind the grandstand so everyone was kept dry (except for the mini-roos who were absolutely drenched during their half-time kick-about).

Although I was grateful to be in the stand I was surprised that I didn’t have any other choice. This was the first time I had been to Knights Stadium where only the main grand stand was open to spectators. I’m not sure why the terraces were closed on the night, but considering that the Knights won’t be joining us in the NST next year, I think there might be little reason for the full stadium to open in the near future…

Return to the status quo

In the second half South showed a lot more promise. The boys were holding onto the ball and controlling the tempo of the game. South looked to create more structured and less rushed build ups in addition to the occasional direct transition play. It was better to watch, but ironically, these less compact tactics actually allowed the Knights to create their most threatening opportunities of the game.

Lopez put in a man-of-the match performance in that second half alone and made a number of game changing saves to keep the Knights off the scoresheet. At the other end of the ground, it appeared only one thing was going to break the deadlock – once again a long throw was met by Lucas Inglese to put South up 1-0 and ultimately pinch the three points.

Knights Stadium: Where Chap Laps and Eurovision meet

We made our way out of the game relatively smoothly (and a little smugly as we walked by the slowly moving car park traffic), however not before appreciating the music over the stadium P.A. system. I can only assume the stadium DJ was heading out after the match, because the home team result was completely ignored in favour of an upbeat playlist that traversed EDM, Croatia’s Eurovision entry, and early 00’s dance hits.

I used to think South was alone in solidifying their golden years in this way, but just as Lakeside is always blasting 90’s and 00’s dance hits I was glad to see Knights had a similar energy. Rated it!

Knights and the NST

Compared to Lakeside, Knights Stadium offers much more for the football purists. I can’t help but envy the homeliness of their stadium and the better, closer view of the pitch. But a nice view doesn’t pay the bills, and looking around the Stadium you can understand why the Knights aren’t gambling on the NST next year.

Unlike Lakeside, Knights Stadium is managed by the club. This means the Knights need to source funds to maintain their huge property in addition to football operations. As we know these days, cash flow is hard to come by. I say this not to suggest that the Knight’s don’t have the financial capacity (I don’t know their arrangements well enough to assume that), but I say this to make the point that the club has far more financial obligations than other clubs and it is understandable why they would want to take a conservative stance in relation to the NST.

It will be a shame not to have the Knights in the NST next year. Fingers crossed the competition is a success and they can join in soon after its launch.

What else of the NST

Things have been unusually quiet. The FA have done a great job managing the public communications the process, specially in that they have been able to limit communication leaks. I think the most important things fans can do though is be aware of the FA’s stated process. Specifically:

• Formal proposal and bid submissions which are due in mid-April.
• The Assessment and Review (A&R) Phase is scheduled for April and May
• The Completion Phase will commence in June 2024.

This also explains why there were some public leaks in April (including the Knight’s negative statement) as this is when clubs were finalising their submissions.

So what next for the NST? Well, I suspect the few remaining clubs either know they are in and have no reason to leak news ahead of a group announcement, or they know they are out and have lost interest in public comments as a means of negotiation.

Perhaps the Preston vs South game will be used as a platform for an announcement (I doubt that) or perhaps the FA is waiting until after the A-League Grand Final. If you are really desperate you can listen in to the 3XY Sunday Soccer program for scraps of rumours but otherwise we simply have to wait.

South vs Preston

Let’s say this first. South already played the Knights in the cup and now that we are facing Preston I find it hard to believe anything other than the fact these fixtures are less than random. Regardless the game is happening, and I’ll be missing out for reasons of both study and nerves.

This is a danger game in more ways than one. On the pitch it could be a huge banana peel considering the team’s relative ladder positions. Having attended a few Preston games over the years I can confirm that South will also face a vocal and passionate crowd, unlike what they have seen for a while – and considering our performances in high pressure Grand Finals… I am not getting my hopes up.

Also – and for this reason I doubt the FA will make any NST announcements at the game – this match will be secured like an A-League match. Over 80 security staff and police are expected to be in attendance in addition to a number of other security measures. After the recent Preston vs Oakleigh game ended with a bit of fuss I’m inclined to think some heroes may try use this fixture for their own ultra-lite grandstanding, but I sincerely no incidents occur. Not just for the match itself, but considering these clubs are due to play each other a couple times a year in perpetuity, it would also bode poorly for the future prospects of this fixture.

Regardless, a sell out crowd is expected and I think many many people around the country will be keeping an eye on this match. Fingers crossed… let’s go South!

Postecoglou in Prahran – Again! – Kind of! – But also, actually maybe!

I can’t believe it’s happened but after reading two books about the man this year, watching a dozen games, and hours of press conferences I am finally ready to admit it… I am looking forward to a break from tracking Postecoglou for at least a few weeks.

Optus Sport, Tottenham have now completed their season and have done very well by securing 5th place. Please consider this note my explicit blessing for you to slow down your relentless Ange-posting, for at least three weeks.

Also, special mention to KeepUp’s efforts this season – this $30m platform was seemingly designed to report on Postecoglou’s career but amazingly couldn’t make this intriguing business case work, commiserations.

That said, there actually is a little bit of Ange news left to squeeze out this season. A paper mural had been erected in Prahran, just a stones throw away from Albert Park, and of course Tottenham will be coming to Melbourne this week! Will we see Ange at Lakeside?