To verb the adjective noun!

Just posting some random and not so random crap, some off smfcboardm which most of you can't see - and it is nearing to AGM time after all - more on that on a later issue.


Item! Already received one private message, from my good buddy Gains, wishing that my review of the Tony Squires book had come out earlier so he wouldn't have bought the abomination. Ah well.

Item! At last year's AGM, I brought along a printed list of questions, some spare paper and a clipboard (and a training jersey from 2001 that I bought off ebay for some guy, but that's not really relevant) and for my efforts received this question on the forum

PS Does anyone know who was the dude near the front with the glasses who asked many questions????

12 months on, and one senile poster has forgotten my awesomeness, so much so that I had to sorta ask someone to mention it. We'll see how this turns out.

Item! It was fucking funny last year when the old bloke known to me only as Karantoni walked out of the meeting and everyone thought it was because he was pissed off, when he actually just went for a smoke.

Item! First it was the 1980 championship. Now the Bergers have moved another step closer to booking a bed in Ward 7. With thanks to Psile, as this is verbatim off his post.

On the bergers facebook page they have the neos kosmos article of the 1-2 at middle park when MM got the double for them, anyhow underneath it says:

ΕΛΛΑΣ/ΜΕΓΑΣ 1-2 93-94,SEASON LAST GAME AT THE PARK FOR HELLAS BEFORE IT CAME DOWN WHAT A DAY WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER THIS IS FOR THE OLD MEGA FANS WHAT CAN I SAY NEOS KOSMOS SAYS IT ALL

No you clowns...we thumped you 4-1 and it was round 1 of 94/95.

Michalokopoulos gaaaaaaawwn!

Peladrinos too. Fell or pushed? Don't know. New guy? If he exists, no one's told me. They just don't trust me anymore for some reason. Might have something to do with inadvertently starting 'the chaos'. Good luck to the boys in their future endeavours, unless they're against us of course. But that aside, Michalokopoulos played an important part in reversing the club's fortunes. After 7 round last year, we were relegation bound, looking doomed. By the end, there was something to latch on to. It carried forth into this year, with the Hellenic Cup win, some good signings, and a 10 match unbeaten streak. Somewhere along the line, as mentioned previously on this blog, it came unstuck. Form went out the window, strange substitutions were being made and the goalkeeping situation still hadn't sorted itself out. The coach can't score tap ins nor make regulation catches, but at some level the buck eventually stops with him.

Think about the possibilities...

You can be in a photo, taking your place underneath an ex-A-League law student of Hungarian descent, and next to some kid who deserves more game time and the captain.

You can meet the players outside of a nightclub/mosque/courtroom setting.

You could get some exercise you fat lardo, by warming up with the players.

You sit in the dressing room. Michael Michalokopoulos' spittle dusts your forehead as he urges the players on to great heights - or berates them for their inability to even downhill ski properly.

You sit on the bench. You can either have a good old fashioned chinwag with the fringe players, or stand next to the coach (if he lets you) and pretend you were a certain former football director. Earplugs recommended, but are not included in this prize.

You eat dinner, putting back in the calories you lost waddling around Bob Jane Stadium in the pre-match warm up, and then some. Awesome.

And just in case no one believes you when tell them of your awesome adventure, you'll be filmed and your face plastered all over the internet, on smfcTV as part of a special feature dedicated to you.

If you want to be in the running for this experience, head to the ebay listing, which was at $91 last time I checked, and place your bid. If I had money and there was no running involved, I'd give it a go. But me and running haven't agreed with each other for a long time. Sad but true.

South Melbourne feature club in Goal Weekly

If you pick up a copy of Goal Weekly this week, you'll get a nice double page spread dedicated to South. There's some nice photos, and some commentary from Ramazan, Jimmy Armstrong, Michael Michalakopoulos and George Koukoulas about what it to be part of the greatest football club in the world. It's pretty cool.

A Match Review In Three Parts - Green Gully 2 South Melbourne 2

Firstly, thanks to Jim who gave me and Hellas Johnny a lift up there and back, much appreciated. Thanks also to the photographer from the local paper for the image at the end of this post, who passed it on to Chris, who passed it on to Jim, who passed it on to the rest of the world. It'll be interesting to see the relevant action on the replay.


Part 1 - Promises, promises

I said I'd be happy with a point, and now I have to stick to that. I'd rather we'd have lost though. Because that was crap and I don't think we'll learn as much from this as we would have if we lost. I personally am struggling to comprehend how people are saying we dropped two points today. That was a crap game from two teams that are probably going to make the finals.


Part 2 - An open letter to Michael Michalokopoulos

Dear Mike,

That was shit. I think you know that. I mean, it was pretty hard to miss. The reason I write however, is because while I have thus far been a big fan of yours, and defended your approach against the occasional naysayer, I have to say that yesterday some of your tactics and substitutions baffled me. Why take Zoric off? Unless he was injured, or ill, I could not see the reason for removing him. Sure, he didn't have his best game and was well marked, but he's still our best crosser and most likely source for that bit of magic which breaks the game open. If i may be so forward to make a suggestion, why was Fernando still out there? He can barely run, he even looks a little overweight, and while he did put in a couple of tackles today, still doesn't track back like he should. And most of Gully's attacks came from the left, where he was playing for the majority of the game - which puts extra pressure on Rhodri Payne. But then again, we got a point that in previous years we wouldn't have got. I guess that means perhaps that you were right, and I was wrong. If it gets us a title, this post will look silly, but I'm hoping it's a bit of constructive criticism that's taken the right way.

Also, please fuck off short corners.


yours,

Some random internet git


Part 3 - Green Gully, you can go and get fucked

Perhaps I shouldn't be too judgemental - it's not like we're the best run club in the universe. But what kind of club, which makes as much money as it does, and pays it's squad as much as it does, tries to limit match day programmes to to it's own members? First of all - it's not like you have that many members in the first place, and secondly, it's not like you don't have the money to print an extra twenty copies. I also thoroughly enjoyed your thumbing your nose at FFV regulations regarding the serving of beverages in anything other than a plastic cup. Still it was refreshing to see bottles being served - who cares if I might ping one at one of your thug players. And what's with the desire to play the last 25 minutes or so in near darkness? Your lights used to be so awesome - the best in the league - and now you can't afford more than 4 globes on each tower? But I suppose refs have to be paid off somehow. All those ridiculous challenges which every other team would get into massive trouble with, seemingly disappear. But who cares about sweeping two footed lunging tackles nowhere near the ball, when you can score goals like the one below. Green Gully, I tip my hat to you. Stick it to the man. Oh wait - for so long you were the underdog - but you aren't anymore. Please stop pretending that you are. Is that perhaps why you play the way you do though? Long balls and butcher tackles? You're not Frankston Pines or George Cross. You have a budget that can buy you a team that could play attractive football.

Michalakopoulos re-appointed; Scotty Mac, Van Dominator gone

Michalakopoulos Re-appointed Coach for 2009/10

Great to Micky M have his contract renewed after an apparently tense and not well handled negitiatian process. The departure of Scot MacNicol and Adam Van Domelle for various reasons is not a surprise to those in the know, but its confirmation now let's people's jubilation and/or despair kick in all legit like.

Has Micky M been signed for next season?

Strange rumours with more than a hint of truth to them are saying that coach Micky M hasn't been signed up for next season... that's the where twice validated information ends... as for possible replacements, current Coburg, former Preston Lions championship winning coach, as well as former Socceroo and South back to back championship squad member Goran Lozanovski. Personally I hope that Micky M stays on, and am concerned that he apparently hasn't been signed on for next year. I hope I'm wrong, but if not, the board better lift their fucken game.

Dean Anastasiadis set to tour with Kiss... maybe

This is off soccer-forum, a very possible playing out of the last days of Dean Anastasiadis as South keeper, courtesy of a poster known only as "phils". Rather than keep it hidden in the restricted areas of that forum, I thought i'd be nice if it was released into the public domain. Minor script errors edited by myself for clarity. Enjoy.


...Peter Zois is wanted by 'mixmastermike' at south but Anastasiadis's father and dean will fight tooth and nail to keep the zoismeister away for this season so dean can go out on a high in his "last" season. Its almost like KISS announcing another final tour. Whats the bet he will play one more year and the conversation with mike m will be a little like this...

DEAN: C'mon Mike, I'm turning 40 next year, I wanna be the first keeper since Maurice Raponi, Jeff Olver and Robert Brian to play in my forties and hinder the progress of today's young keepers.
MIKE: But I have Zois, Kenny and that chick from Box Hill that played in the Richmond Ressies wanting to come down.
DEAN: What if I give you 10c off every litre of regular unleaded you buy at my servo?
MIKE: My X5 needs premium malaka.
DEAN: Um... I think only my dad can give discounts on premium. (Long pause, Deano's soccer career is flashing before his eyes) Probably best if you speak to him.

FourFourTwo's recent South obession continues

South: 'We Must Evolve For A-League'

South is struggling at the wrong end of the Victorian Premier League after a stuttering start that saw coach John Anastasiadis – an NSL winner with the club as a player – depart Bob Jane Stadium two weeks ago following a 3-0 home loss to Green Gully.

Michalakopoulos, 38, was installed soon after but could not stop the slide as high-flying local rivals Melbourne Knights beat his outfit 2-0 last weekend at Somers St.

South Melbourne now sit third bottom on six points while the Knights sit atop the VPL with 18 points from eight rounds.

But Michalakopoulos, a former 1992 Olyroo, is still upbeat that his side can claw its way into the six. “I’m positive and excited by what I’ve seen so far,” he told au.fourfourtwo.com.

“It’s still early. We’ve got 18 rounds to go. But what I’d like to bring in to the side is a more free-flowing style.

“I like having two wide men aside of the striker almost as a three-man strike force.

“There is certainly enough talent in this squad to turn it around.”

The new South coach will get a chance to turn things around when second bottom Fawkner visit Bob Jane this weekend for a cellar-dwellar dog fight.

And Michalakopoulos is hoping his time as a player under legendary South coach – and Hungarian football icon Ferenc Puskas – will stand him in good stead.

“I was part of that golden era when we won the old NSL at South under Ferenc. That was back in 1991. I learnt a lot from the great man.”

As for the other hot topic bubbling around South Melbourne FC – the club’s stated desire to put an A-League bid together in three years – Michalakopoulos said the club needs a measured approach.

“Look, this is a big club," he said. "And we have a great junior set up. But an A-League bid needs to be done right.

"There is a good committee at the club and they are on the right track. But this needs a lot of work.

“We need to evolve as a club, however, still have some links with the current set up.

“Melbourne needs a second team. For South, perhaps an image change would work. We should be prepared to do what it takes.”


So M&M puts in his two bob. And the world keeps turning. Firstly, let's deal with the minor issue, the team's performance. Puskas is long gone, the mainstream didn't care when he was here, and his memory and the part you played in it and the things you learned aren't going to be of much use here. Because memories of the Galloping Major aren't going to make the team complete simple passes, shoot away from the keeper but into the goal, or make Deano stop flapping his arms and punching away high balls that he should easily catch. Sad but true. This isn't a go at Puskas' time here; indeed the fact that he was here at all is still treated as if it didn't happen or meant anything of importance by almost everyone in Australian soccer. Rather it should be noted that perhaps the most relevant advice for these difficult times can be found in the words of former Melbourne Croatia player Joe Biskic: 'Put ball in goal'. 'Nuff said.

As for the A-League stuff... now I don't know if M&M was put up to this by the board, or whether the people at FourFourTwo Magazine are that desperate for content during the Z-League's 23 month off-season that anything to sell a a few more copies of their rag, using the faint and distorted collective memory of South Melbourne Hellas as an important entity. Anyway, is there anything there that hasn't been regurgitated by the fifty-four stomach cow that is the Melbourne Victory forum, by those for, against and middle? Not that I can see. In fact, unless I see concrete evidence of anything, and I don't mean half-arsed press releases used to jazz up fading interest - which I used in a media writing class (to much amusement and astonishment) as part of an example of how effective baseless press-releases can stir up all sorts of unnecessary and unsolicited reactions - I mean actual, nuts, bolts, etc stuff.

Now I've heard rumours from reliable people of equally reliable people preparing a bid. Seen sketches of what 'our' logo may look like. But nothing made of bricks and mortar. Admittedly, Melbourne Victory had even less than what we have, mostly Geoff Lord lying about how much money he had, Tony Ising's fantasy (see the relevant entry on here for how that turned out), but when it comes to South, people reckon we've already had our chance, and with the addition of the faulty collective memory of our past, as well the blotting out of Geoff Lord trying to destroy Hawthorn... anyway, kinda lost my train of thought there.

Basically, M&M should focus on winning games, FourFourTwo should try harder to come up with articles, - perhaps trying to figure out why Puskas' time here gets ignored by everyone - and all those people spreading Z-League rumours, could you please stop? My life's depressing enough without this bullshit getting an airing every few months. Thanks.

Michalakopoulos takes reins

As widely predicted, South has turned to former striker and Australian soccer journeyman Michael Michalakopoulos to take over from John Anastasiadis who resigned earlier today. Strong information circulated last year that Michalakopoulos was almost certain to take the reins at the end of last season, only for the board to give Johnny A' the benefit of the doubt. As well as being a former striker for Hellas in the early 90s, Michalakopoulos also spent stints at various clubs, including Heidelberg, where he scored a brace in their last away win against South a long time ago.

As a coach he's had stints at clubs including Whittlesea Zebras and Essendon Royals, leaving both under seemingly less than cordial circumstances. At first he'll have to deal with the squad he's been handed, but come the transfer window, he'll be able to start moulding his vision of the team. That may well mean the departure of certain players, perhaps even popular players, and the arrival of players rumoured to be wanting to come over now that the coaching change has been made. Anyway, for those not familiar with M&M, here's some footage from the early 90s to bring you up to speed.

Against Preston



Scores the 2nd goal against Olympic



against PAOK