Perspective - Green Gully 1 South Melbourne 0

I could rabbit on about the coaching situation, being winless in the league for several months, having no strikers, no AGM, and many other things, but maybe for one week we can focus on a bigger loss.

I was devastated, and I'm still in shock at the news of the sudden death this week of Con Shomos, longtime Hellas fan and friend to many of us at South Melbourne, especially those in proximity to what's left of Clarendon Corner and the various South forums. Con was as staunch a Hellatzi as you could find, but more importantly, Con was a terrific bloke, and you'd struggle to find anyone at the club with a bad word to say about him. 

When I first met him just under 20 years ago when I came back to the club after my lost weekend away from the game, Con was an older, moderate voice among the then much larger and much broader church that was Clarendon Corner, and he retained that unofficial role up to his sudden passing this week. Along with his late father, he had his sons with him, the youngest of whom would jump on you in the old social club. Being 15 to 20 years older than the majority of Clarendon Corner's early 20s cohort, Con had a broader perspective and a more mellow approach than most of us to the way the club was run. Even now, nearly 20 years on from when most of us met him, most of us were still playing catch up.

Con had a dry, subtle sense of humour, but it seldom if ever ventured into cruelty. More than once he managed to burst the bubble of my outsized sense of moral superiority, but I never felt bad when he did it. He was adept at being able to disagree without being disagreeable, something that I still wish that I was better at. He was generous in spirit and in action. His generosity was ordinary and expected, but no less valuable for its simplicity. Need a lift to the nearest station? Easy. Need some help to pack something away, or to set something up? If Con could help, he would. Need a sensible voice on the forums and social media to represent South fans? Con did his bit, without any grandstanding.

Need someone to volunteer to man the barbecue back in the days when Clarendon Corner would have its annual match against Original Melbourne 21? Con was your man. He was my captain when I played for CC White against CC Blue in the curtain raiser to the main game. He got members of Clarendon Corner employment at the company he used to work at, which maintained the copying, printing, and ID card services at local universities. Again, not an extraordinary gesture, but a gesture nevertheless done out of love for South Melbourne Hellas and its people.

For those of us at South who knew him well, he was variously an indoor soccer teammate, or a fellow gig goer and guitar enthusiast. He had a predilection for bands from the Aussie pub scene that many have forgotten, but he still kept an eye on what was going on in the now. He was a footy fan in the way many in Melbourne are, not quite as dedicated as the most fanatical, but still aware of who was doing well and who wasn't. Though Hellas was his sporting alpha and omega, Con had more than a soft spot for the Pies, and I'll never forget the 2010 Queen's Birthday match a few of us South people went to, and not just because it was also Gains' first footy match, which ended in a bloody draw. 

Myself, Con, and another Con, at South's 50th
anniversary gala ball at Crown Casino in 2009.

Con was an enthusiastic traveler to South's interstate and overseas sojourns, even as they became rarer following the end of the NSL. Those who shared the trips to Singapore and the Gold Coast certainly have their stories, but I'll never forget the 2008 Canberra trip where Con, who had driven up with his boys, hooked up a speaker to his car to play a recording of Lefteri's trumpet for the patrons at AIS Field 14. He was pleasant to sit and enjoy a meal with in the social club, as well as to sit with towards the back of our grandstand, where he was a fixture at our home games. He had his favourite players and the ones he didn't like so much, just like the rest of us, because he was one of us. He will be missed.

My sincerest condolences to all of Con's friends and family, especially his three boys, Nathan, Nicholas, and James.

Next game
Avondale away today.

Final thought
What else to say? There have certainly been better times to be a South fan. Hopefully some more of those better times are not too far away.

Where have the years gone? artefact Wednesday

Seasons change, time passes by, as the weeks become the months, become the years...

Sunrise, sunset, sunrise, sunset... and the cat's in the cradle with a silver spoon...

Thanks to the blog, I can account for a good deal of where I've been for the last eleven years, but before that it all becomes a bit of a blur.

Now imagine if you had to do that for 30, 40, or even 50 years? Is there anyone still at South Melbourne who's been around for all sixty years of the club's existence? Someone who got off the boat when they were 15 or 20 years old perhaps?

Anyway, yes, that is a discoloured 50th anniversary key ring, and yes that is also a 3RRR key ring, though I listen to PBS much more these days.

But as we wait and see what new anniversary paraphernalia gets put out by the club this year, others out there of course have access to older anniversary mementos, which they've shared online.

My 40 year anniversary @smfc key ring has seen better days, but like my club we continue to survive over the many years despite the adversity we face. #60yearsnowbutalwaysandforeverSMFC pic.twitter.com/VLpkA5iGjE

— Est1959 (@Est1959) January 26, 2019

John Vas asks the obvious question

Where have the years gone?? pic.twitter.com/GNV4hVsRgX

— John vas (@Johnvas11) January 27, 2019

Well, John, a good deal of those years have gone on supporting a team through thick and thin, in stadium and paddock, for better or worse...can you imagine if this club lasts another ten years? I shudder to think of the possibility. 

Oh my goodness, it's 2019

2018 Annual General Meeting announced
Late as per usual. The club put a notice up on its website. You may have received an email. I'm not sure if the club sends out letters anymore for this kind of thing. If you haven't received due notification and you think that you should have, I'd get on to the club pretty quickly if I were you.

Anyway, both the South Melbourne Hellas and South Melbourne FC AGMs have been set down for Thursday January 31st, in the social club. The SMH one starts at 6:00PM, and the SMFC one at 8:00PM.

As screen-capped from the club's Instagram page.

Club launches 60th anniversary logo
As they did in 2009 for the club's 50th anniversary, the club has launched a special logo for the club's 60th anniversary, And as was the case back then, so too this time have the calls been made for this logo to replace our current effort.

For whatever it's worth, I agree with those sentiments, not least because the current logo looks dated, but more so for the fact that it doesn't really say anything. Of course those hoping to make a variant of this logo our new logo must understand that its very clear references to our Greek heritage make that idea very difficult to pursue at this time.

As with the example of the 50th anniversary commemorative logo (see right), this logo is probably a) a co-logo, not a replacement one and b) almost certainly done with the cooperation of Football Victoria to get around certain 'issues' to do with the National Club Identity Policy - issues which would likely be more difficult to deal with were we to decide
to make it our permanent logo.

Still, let's be happy that it looks good, and let's hope too that it won't be the only thing done by the club to commemorate our 60th anniversary.

Oh yes, how careless of me, I forgot to mention...
...that at least year's Christmas party, I met the bloke to whom the club has outsourced the operation of the social club and futsal court, the big news of which is that the club has outsourced the operation of the social club and futsal court in its entirety. Now, it could be that in the two weeks since I found that detail out that the club or the presumptive operator have changed their minds, but I haven't heard anything like that.

2019 SMFC senior squad roster as of 05/01/2019
There was a rumour that Ndumba Makeche had joined Penang in Malaysia. Wherever he ends up, it's pretty certain that he won't be at South this year.

Signed

• Dean Bereveskos (Bonnyrigg White Eagles) 
• Kristian Konstantinidis (signed until end of 2019) 
• Nick Krousoratis (Green Gully) 
• Perry Lambropoulos (Port Melbourne) 
• Brad Norton (signed until end of 2019) 
• Gerrie Sylaidos (Northcote) 

Seen hanging around pre-season training

• Luke Adams 
• Manny Aguek 
• Alistair Bray 
• Ben Djiba 
• George Howard 
• Tim Mala 
• Giordano Marafioti 
• Giuseppe Marafioti 
• Jake Marshall
• Andrew Mesorouni
• Leigh Minopoulos 
• Nikola Roganovic 
• Marcus Schroen 

Rumoured

• Visa player no. 1 (English striker) 
• Visa player no. 2 (Canadian midfielder) 

Injured

• Alastair Bray 

Out

• Rory Brian (Preston) 
• Matthew Foschini (Oakleigh) 
• Josh Hodes (Oakleigh?) 
• Christos Intzidis (who knows) 
• Milos Lujic (Oakleigh) 
• Oliver Minatel (who knows) 
• Ndumba Makeche (Penang FA?) 

Unknown / MIA / Assumed dead from 2018

• Iqi Jawadi 
• Will Orford

George Vasilopoulos gala ball speech

Better late the never. It loses something in its isolation from the rest of the night.

Part 2 of Gala Ball interview compilation

Part 1 of Gala Ball interview compilation

What does South Melbourne Mean To You? Gala Ball Edition

South of the Border tried to get its head on this, but was not able too. Pity. Too many names to list in the labels section.

And speaking of righteous indignation

A portion of Les Murray's speech at the gala ball has been approved for released to the masses. And hey, there's a couple of interesting cameos too.

Les Murray on South Melbourne and its Gala Ball

From the The World Game Website - if you clik through to there you can add comments as well. Or just leave them here. Whatever makes you happy.


Fifty years of love and its lessons

By Les Murray

The late 1950s have a lot to answer for. Like giving rise to a poppy field of new football clubs that have recently been celebrating their 50th anniversary, despite now lingering somewhat in the shadow of ‘new football’.

I’ve been to a few of these in recent times, the latest being the celebration of South Melbourne FC’s half a century as a club.

Held at the Crown Palladium, it was a glittering night in which emotion and nostalgia overbore the shimmer, the champagne and the long dresses.

There were over 600 guests, most of them paying $220 for a seat. Former players, coaches, officials and undying fans came from everywhere, many from Greece and others from other corners of the world. One fan diverted his holiday voyage to Florida to be there.

John Margaritis, an iconic former player and coach, flew in from Athens (and then was forced to speak on stage in Greek because he had forgotten most of his English, or so he claimed).

Con Nestorides, whom you would now call a ‘marquee player’ if he came here as a 37-year old superstar, as he did in 1966, was hunted down in Athens and thrust in front of the video camera to send a goodwill message. Now 80, he looked sprightly, smiling and fit.

Others not so youthful. One old timer, a source of vibrant spectacle when he played for the club in the early 1960s, was unable to negotiate the stairs to the stage to receive his award. He could have stayed at home but he chose to come, despite the cane and the debilitations, and many in the room were thrilled to see him again.

Leo Anezakis, president of the club when it won its first national league title in 1984, a lovely and decent man, spoke to me about those times, how his sense of dedication to the club taxed him to the point where it nearly destroyed his business.

More easily recognised men of a more modern era mingled in the room, embracing and exchanging regrets about not seeing each other more often: Peter Tsolakis, Ange Postecoglou, Mickey Petersen, Kimon Taliadoros, Paul Trimboli, Mehmet Durakovic, Con Boutsianis.

Emotion filled the air and the night was thick with the powerful sense of bonding that football, and only the sense of belonging to a football club, can provide.

The passion and loyalty for football, and for a football club, was everywhere in the room, so much so that one felt a wish to be able to bottle it and somehow transfuse it into ‘new football’.

But of course that’s easier said than done. The A-League clubs don’t have this because for a start they don’t have 50 years of history but more importantly because, as one colleague put it to me, they are franchises not clubs.

Still, there are lessons to be drawn for the franchises which, so far, have appeared to exist more for the directors and the investors than the fans, the complete reverse to what has been the case at South Melbourne FC for half a century.

George Vassilopoulos, club president through the 1990s, made a stirring speech about loyalty, sacrifice, love and untiring dedication to a club and about giving something back to the fans.

A modern chairman, one suspects, would only orate about money, the bottom line and the need to win trophies.

Football clubs are primarily about people, something South Melbourne has not forgotten over 50 years but which the A-League, five years into its life, is yet to learn.

Notes on the 50th anniversary gala ball

I don't think I will ever have an original thought, much less put down words that will inspire them. But here goes anyway.

The Casino

It's the final day of horse racing's spring carnival, which means that my rented tuxedo doesn't stand out as much it normally would. That's a good thing. Much as it may surprise some people, I'm not fond of seeking attention.

I've probably only been to Crown Casino five times, and never in the gaming room. After asking for directions to the Palladium, I'm instructed to walk through there until I get to the Atrium and then take the stairs up.

Walking through the gaming room is dispiriting and otherworldly experience. There is no day, no night. The casino must also be the most democratic institution there is. Its clientele, if we can call it that, crosses so many more borders of ethnicity, language, gender, age, class, sobriety and wearing of shoes than Athenian democracy could have ever dreamed of. Security and venue staff in dark clothing circle and hover. While there is the occasional cheer, the most common expression is blankness. The Casino calls itself a place of entertainment, but I've never seen so many people so bored.

Up stairs upon trying enter the function area, I was asked for which function I was entering. Turned out the room wasn't ready when I got there. I guess I should have said I was there for Trent and Tenille's wedding. Eventually we got let into the foyer, where I caught up with a few familiar faces, and Ted Smith, who I'd done the interview with Ian with some time ago.

Les Murray

Les Murray seemed to be in good spirits throughout the event, posing for photos, and chatting to pleb and household name alike. He suprisingly stumbled over many of the Greek names, especially those of the pre-NSL era, but he soldiered on, and generally did a good job. The man knew the crowd he was playing to; he referred to the importance of clubs like ours, and even cheekily mentioned the score from the Victory game - 4-0 to Central Coast - which got a polite cheer from sections of the crowd.

Players and Coaches
Several players got their chance to speak on the podium. Paul Fortomanos, who spoke on behalf of his late father Stefanos, was perhaps my favourite speaker. Concise, passionate, measured and efficient in the right way. Mike Mandalis was beaming. John Margaritis was to the point. Jimmy Armstrong was his usual amusing self. Ange Postecoglou recounted his trip to Brazil with George Vasilopoulos for the World Club Championship draw. Paul Trimboli talked of his 17 years at the club. Peter Laumets spoke on the 1984 title; Peter Tsolakis for 1991. The 2006 grand final side got a teensy bit of short shrift in my opinion, but John Anastasiadis got to speak about that era as well as the world club championship stuff.

Video interviews and photo montages peppered the evening. Amongst those on tape, who did not speak on stage, were Ulysses Kokkinos, Con Boutsianis, Takis Mantarakis, and even Kostas Nestoridis, hunted down by a fan on his travels in Greece. Also within those montages were board and fan interviews, including one with the notorious fan called Banger - even credited as such.

Presidents

Tribute was of course paid to those who have come and gone; those who were absent due to being deceased were represented by family, such as Marmaras and Papasavas. George Donikian sent a rather newsreaderly message via video Leo Athanasakis was surprisingly well spoken - the man is known more for his enthusiasm than public speaking.

The most dreaded, or perhaps most anticipated speeches of the evening though naturally came from George Vasilopoulos and Peter Mitrakas. George Vasilopoulos almost singlehandedly changed the tone of the evening with his speech. Everyone before had been relatively humble and brief, promoting the club above themselves, being lighthearted about the whole thing.

Vasilopoulos turned it into something altogether more solipsist. On one level, you can't blame him; so much of his life was spent around and dedicated to the club, and so much of the club's greatest successes were under his reign. But there was an anger that was fascinating and disappointing to see. What it was that he was railing against I'm not exactly sure; one would could probably safely guess though that he was sending out a message to all his detractors. This went on for some time, much longer than pretty much any other speaker. He did manage to inject some levity into it though, which is more than be said for the next speaker.

Peter Mitrakas outdid Vasilopoulos for most despised. Another self-serving speech, from another person who has vanished in the hard times, but who seemed to take little responsibility for where the club had ended up under his administration - rather crediting his time with actually saving the club. He was the only person to be heckled on the night, being accused of 'going to the Victory'. He denied it, and then the response came from the same source, 'bullshit'. He soldiered on though.

Within all these speeches, there were interesting anecdotes and insights into the culture of the club; some things have changed, some things have stayed the same. They'll all be on the DVD.

Ephemera

It's a good thing that the videos managed to work eventually, after the initial couple of attempts saw them freeze.

What is it with this club and people speaking over the top of speakers? Poor Nick Galatas in particular, who fought to be heard over the top of the chattering classes.

The pasta entree was very small. The chicken was delicious. The dessert was also delicious, but also very slight.

The staff were seemingly on a mission to get everyone ploughed. I would have preferred more food to be honest.

I pretty much skipped watching Cirque Mystique. They seemed boring so I left the room when they were on.

There are numerous things which occur and which are said at these events - especially by certain patrons who've had a little too much to drink - of which you can ethically say nothing on a public medium, as they were conducted in private discussions, not for public consumption. I feel a little bit sorry for Mehmet Durakovic though.

Well done to the organising team. A fantastic event. Even I enjoyed myself, and that's saying something.

Gala Ball Tonight - Redux

Or,

I specifically requested no romantic music!


If you're confused by the redux reference, let me explain.

Originally, this entry was one line long. Basically saying, should be great, got my ticket, gonna have a good time. As much of a good time as I usually have. I'm not renowned for smiling.

And then something happened. Something massive.

Somehow, the biggest issue of the night will not be the club itself.

Not 50 years. Not great players, not great coaches, or goals, or memories, or stories or paying dues to those who made this club what it is, the five decades of blood, sweat, tears and corruption.

No.

The biggest issue will be the soundtrack. That's right, the biggest thing to get in a head spin about is the music that will be played on tonight.

Fuck. Me. Dead.

Will there be Greek music? Will there be the right type of Greek music? The right amount?

Oh my god we are this close to selling out the Greek community again! How could the organisers do this!

Whenever I rock up to one of these things - that is, a formal or semi-formal or just plain 'event' with music - I know pretty much from the get go that I won't like any of the music played. I remember my Year 12 Valedictory Dinner, where the only thing played that I remotely enjoyed was the intro to Start Me Up (they didn't play anything more than that - praise to Apollo for Taylors Lakes reception centres). Anyway, here are some solutions I conjured up real quick.

• Play Harry Lookofksy's Stringsville record on continuous loop.
• Play the entire Manic Street Preachers catalogue from beginning to end.
• Get a Lemnian band to play. Because, let's be serious, they made South. Every other Greek should bow to them.
• Get Frozen Tears to play. A Greek-Australian or Australian Greek singer. He loves the club. May have even played at South in the 1980s in the junior system. Commentated a grand final win for us. The band have a song about the club. That song is available in English and Greek. It's got a naff 80's Van Halen vibe. What's not to like?
  

Nah, fuck it. Let's be petty and mean. It's so much easier, and it suits our nature.

I weep for Dr. George Triantos and the team who have worked their arse off to provide an experience the likes of which every other pissant club in this state, nay, country, could even dream of. But to conclude on a more positive note. Hope to see some of my loyal fans - and the fans of the club too, I guess - tonight, where we can reminisce and celebrate in the company of our club's greatness. It may be the last chance we'll get with some of these blokes.

Aragorn wishes SMFC a happy 50th year

Doco on South premiered last week

As reported, like, a few months ago, The Greek state run television network ERT produced a doco on South (and several other scummier clubs), and last Saturday night saw the South episode go to air. If I'd have known earlier, would have blogged it of course, but no matter, several people have taped it and people will get to see it eventually one way or another, I hope.

Friendly Reminder

This video contains an audio track that has not been authorized by all copyright holders. The audio has been disabled.

A location. A date. Giddy up. Ok, now I just need some money.

South vs Whittlesea highlights... courtesy of Mark Murray!

Mark Murray was the recent FFV PR/Media Managing dude. On the day of the Anzac Day game against Hume City, he was allegedly spotted at the AFL Anzac Day game... but one of the better things he did was set up an account to upload VPL highlights... the fact that dedicated local soccer followers like myself didn't realise he had done so doesn't say much for his promotional skills though. Anyway enjoy the clip, complete with heritage strip.

First half



The Other Half

No Hooped Socks - South Melbourne 4 Whittlesea Zebras 0

No hooped socks. What a let down.

Anyway, the rest of the strip looked tip top.

The goals we did score were of a decent quality.

The shots we fluffed were a disgrace.

We kept a clean sheet.

And now we have a bit of a break.

There better be hooped socks this week - Round 16, South vs Zebras

Last Time They Met

Round 5? Yeah, that was it I think. It was at Lakeside even though it was the Zebras home game because the FFV and associated types didn't think the Whittlesea Zebras playing in the last two seasons were the Whittlesea Zebras anymore. Or ever. Or something.

Whittlesea Zebras 1 South Melbourne 3

Hey, at least we won the game.

Preview

What I mean to say is that this week, much to the annoyance of some douchebags, we'll be wearing a version of our first strip because it's Foundation Week or Day or Round or something. Probably not Foundation Day though, because that would be sometime during January or February. Foundation Day was also the name of my former high school's fete/muck round/waste of time day, when we celebrated Jeff Kennett forcibly merging two high schools and two technical schools to create a public school which increasingly started behaving like a private school in its advertising, presentation and public demeanour. Well that's what I thought at the time anyway; I've lost contact with pretty much all of that eight years on.

Anyway, Foundation Day was... nah, you don't care about what that was all about do you.? How the guess how many lollies in the jar comp was rigged? The cheap cinnamon donuts left after the eating contest. Being compelled to watch a crappy movie if you didn't want to mingle with the kool kids at the disco. Bushwhacked anyone? And is it just me, or do heaps of these dropkicks or working class types in American films have Polish names? Probably just me. Anyway. Because there's a game on this week, maybe we should have a loot at that.

The Zebras are shite, but not as shite as Preston. Which means we should win, but we probably won't, because we're all over the shop at the moment.

The day an SM Hellas player scored in the world cup

It's a little recalled event outside New Zealand soccer junkie circles, but Monday marked the 27th anniversary of the All Whites world cup debut in Spain against a Scotland side which included such stars as Souness, Strachan, Hansen and Dalglish. The All Whites lost 5-2 - though they did manage to pull it back to 3-2 after being 3-0 down - but what is of relevance here to South fans is an oft overlooked moment in the club's history, perhaps because it didn't happen at the club. Steve Wooddin became the first ever and probably the only current Hellas player (in that he was playing for South at the time) to score a goal in a World Cup finals match. In the clip below, he scores the second goal for New Zealand, a nice left foot finish. All up Wooddin reached 40 league games scoring only 6 goals for South in his 1981-83 stint, before returning to New Zealand to play for Christchurch United. A recurring ankle injury led to his premature retirement, but for one day at least Steve Wooddin was king of the world.

Happy Birthday Franny!

Now I'm not much for birthdays and shit - what with them being largely a vain attempt to impose imaginary figments of our importance on the cosmos and all that, and I don't know, why don't you just get them a book voucher, but they don't read, well I'm out of ideas, big help you were, well at least I'm trying - but we're making an exception in the case of Francis Edgar Awaritefe (who turns 45 today), one of this reporters more favourite players to have gone through the South Melbourne Hellas smile factory. Franny cops a lot of flak these days from certain people - who claim they don't even watch SBS or The World Game - for his comments on various footbally things, but we choose to remember the good times, his bizarre ability to score belting goals and screw up easy ones as well as his willingness to call it as he sees it. But instead of rummaging through the video vault, I've decided to showcase the greatness of the man with this excerpt I found in a Roy Hay piece talking about the former National Youth League (Micky P also gets a mention). Did you also know that Francis is the last Hellas player to win league top goalscoring honours, all the way back in 1993? Long time between drinks. Have a good one Franny.

Though the NYL came in for much criticism, some of it deserved, one of my abiding memories of the competition was when Geelong City played a Melbourne Croatia (now Knights) team which included Francis Awaratife, who was coming back after injury. The big striker spent the whole game coaching and encouraging the players around him, not only his own team-mates but also the young Geelong centre-back who was trying to mark him as tightly as possible and subjecting him to some fairly physical tackling. Micky Petersen used to do exactly the same for the South Melbourne youth team. Playing with stars like that, who were aware of the wider role of the NYL, was an inspiration for youngsters starting out on a soccer career and for this reason alone the competition deserved wider recognition than it received. Let’s hope the new version is as fruitful.