At home and abroad artefact Wednesday - Lakers and World Club Championships licence plates

Prompted by a recent email by Mitty, one of our readers, it's about time we uploaded this particular series of items. As noted by Mitty in his email:

I got the Lakers plate from eBay. I messaged the seller and asked him if he had any other Hellas items for sale in which he said yes, 'club world championship plate'. Sounded interesting so I told him to post it to me. 

I remember seeing many years ago a similar Lakers plate.  

But the Brazil plate is very interesting particularly with the Tony customization. Perhaps this was originally made and purchased in Brazil by one of our traveling supporters.

I think that I've seen a Lakers plate like that before; indeed, perhaps one existed in the club's collection of artefacts. And while I'm not fond of the Lakers' logo (the name I'm not so fussed about; at least we have a lake next to us), the design as presented here looks great, modern and clean.




One assumes those Lakers plates were commissioned by the club. The first Brazil licence plate presented here however seems to bear out Mitty's contention of customisation, though I;m not sure of the full story. When compared to the second Brazil licence plate presented here, it's a different colour, has 'F.C.' instead of 'S.C.', has one assumes the original owner's name on it, and a love heart to boot.

The last licence plate here was located in one of the glass cabinets in the old social club's museum space. At the time I was cleaning out and packing away items from the social club, I found that rather than being a unique item, that there were in fact several more of these in storage. The club may have ended up selling some or all the duplicates (about a half dozen if memory serves me correctly) of these from the merchandise booth after I re-found them.


The existence of the second plate seems to suggest that the green plates were unofficial pieces of merchandise, but any information on the provenance of these items would be appreciated.

As an aside, I seem to recall a custom SMFC plate (SMFC50 perhaps?) being auctioned off, I think around the time of the club's 50th anniversary. There's probably other custom plates that people have actually attached to their vehicles, but the items presented here a more of a 'man cave' kind of item of course.

Thanks to Mitty for sending in the photos of the first two licence plates, it's very much appreciated.

Edit, extra info courtesy of one of our readers
One of our readers was kind enough to send in this as an explanation of the origin of the Brazil plates.

Some local entrepreneur was hanging around the team hotel selling them, he would take orders one day then a couple of days later he'd arrive with the product, I think from memory they cost about 20 real each, 15 bucks back then. The green one I assume was from the same bloke but I never seen it before.

Update November 2018
Here's a Necaxa variant.

Kiss of Death, Round 7, 2014, includes Brazil money rumour!

Oakleigh Cannons vs Dandenong Thunder – Friday @ Jack Edwards @ 8.30pm
Oakleigh had a 0-2 win at Hume last week, in what their coach Miron Bleiberg described as a ‘Chelsea' like performance. What, you mean you parked the bus? Dandenong on the other hand had a disappointing 3-1 loss away to Bentleigh. This match will be a dire affair. Boring as pretty much fuck. Oakleigh Cannons 1 – Dandenong Thunder 1.

Green Gully vs Bentleigh Greens – Saturday @ Green Gully Reserve @ 3pm
Gully had an unconvincing 2-1 win against Goulburn Valley Suns, while Bentleigh was convincing enough to beat Dandenong 3-1. Gully is in trouble. Have been in trouble since they were 0-4 down against South in the 30th minute about four weeks ago. Bentleigh has been  hot and cold as far as I'm concerned. Don’t let the ladder position fool you. Another boring match with both teams duds. Green Gully 2 – Bentleigh Greens 2.

Hume City vs Melbourne Knights – Sunday @ Broadmeadows Valley @ 3pm
Hume wasn’t good enough to overcome Oakleigh last week, while the Knights were good but not good enough losing to South 0-1. The Knights were impressive even with their absentees, but they lacked that killer punch at the end. Their tackles were nothing less than ridiculous, but dog tackles which many of us footballing purists appreciated. Hume will unfortunately beat them at their own game. Hume City 2 – Melbourne Knights 0.

Northcote City vs Port Melbourne Sharts – Sunday @ John Cain Memorial @ 3pm
Northcote as expected beat Werribee 4-1 and Port Melbourne lost as expected 0-4 at home to Heidelberg, fucken lol. Both teams aren’t rated by myself and many others. Will be an exciting game though. Northcote City 3 – Port Melbourne Sharts 2.

Werribee City vs Goulburn Valley Suns – Sunday @ Galvin Park @ 3pm
Dead Rubber. Werribee City 3 – GV Suns 0.

Heidelberg United vs Pascoe Vale – Sunday @ 6pm @ Olympic Village
Heidelberg had a 0-4 win at Port Melbourne while Pascoe Vale drew 2-2 with the Ballarat Red Devils. Heidelberg should win this one, but it will be a tough hit-out for both teams. Expect red cards to be handed out and a few yellows. Heidelberg United 2 – Pascoe Vale 1.

Ballarat Red Devils vs South Melbourne – Saturday @ 3pm @ Morshead Park
The match of the round by a literal country mile. Ballarat drew 2-2 at Pascoe Vale last week, while South had a convincing win over at the Knights 0-1. South is on fire (as expected). We are the team to beat. Ballarat will want to beat us, especially at their new half finished stadium. They will fail. Just like everyone else has in the last six weeks. We are the team of the century. We don’t lose to teams of Ballarat's ilk. Ballarat will be missing Liam Harding, and South will be full strength. Leigh Minopoulos is on fire. His run last week was magnificent. You just knew we were going to get that vital goal once he passed the two Knights players. Lujic’s finish was world class. We all thought it was out, until it hit the other side of the net. I'm rambling. Ballarat Red Devils 0 – South Melbourne 3.

Brazil  Money Rumour
I got my hands on some gold worthy gossip last weekend in relation to the World Club Championship Brazil money. Here is the email:

The club invested and built 20 apartments in Port Melbourne that it still owns and collects rent on to finance the team year in year out. Also the guy who told me this rumour was so convinced that even when I pointed out the obvious that when South went into administration wouldn't they have been forced to sell it? He's like, nah, it's under a different name.

What a load of shit if I've ever smelt it. It is gold however. How do people come up with this stuff? Seriously, we all know what happened to the World Club Championship money. The members voted (stupidly) to invest all the funds into going professional and re-qualifying for the next World Club Championship. End of rumour.

Steve From Broady reviews Sir Alex Ferguson's "My Autobiography"

Firstly, this is no joke I actually read a book. FREAKY, I know.

Anyway as an Arsenal fan I have despised Mr Ferguson for the past 10 years, but when he announced his shock retirement at the end of last season you did have to stand there and applaud the great man's achievements tracking all the way back to his days at Aberdeen where he won three Scottish leagues, four cups and a league cup. He also lead them to some European glory winning the UEFA Cup in the 1982-83 season.

It was with all that Mr Ferguson got a chance to manage Manchester United. It was a tough start to his time at United not winning silverware in his first few years. In the book Sir Alex goes into depth about how hard his first few years at the club were. But when the old first division was re-branded, this was when Sir Alex struck, winning the league in the first season in the Premier League.

It was at this time Sir Alex brought in heaps of big names to the club. In his book he had a crack at Roy Keane which was a bit of a surprise, and Keane hit back later saying the book is full of lies and that Ferguson was just trying to sell books. My favourite part of the rest of the book was when Ferguson ripped into our own Mark Bosnich, calling him the most unprofessional player he has ever seen.

At my young age it's hard to watch Bosnich now on Fox Sports and see the guy he was described as back then. There was a classic story of when the Man United team was on the bus home after a disappointing result, and Mark was ordering the whole shop over the phone at a Chinese Restaurant to be delivered to the bus stop.

In 1999 Man United played in the first ever club World Cup. Unlike South Melbourne, Sir Alex thought this tournament was a waste of time and that being forced to participate cost them an FA Cup. Overall this was a good book and since I don't plan on reading another book for a few years I will give it five stars.

Dinosaur relic of a bygone age

The year was 2000. I'd transferred from my rundown community run after hours Greek language school - which I once described in a short essay as looking as if it'd been hit by NATO, much to the amusement of my classmates and the Greek consulate dude who was present, whom I reckon my teacher back then was in love with, but that's another story - to Omiros College's Altona North branch, which was, ironically located at my high school's year 7-10 campus, which I'd departed the year before. Both re-locations to do with VCE and what not.

The people there were friendly enough, and they tried occasionally to include me in their social/recess groups, but it was never going to work out. I was a clichéd angry misfit and they were clichéd happy wogs. They would discuss nightclubs and bars (even with the teacher, whom they would see out on weekends) and I would read Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. It was never antagonistic at least, for the most part.

I was searching through my archives, clearing stuff out that I'd had in my drawers in some cases for probably 15 years. I've lost a couple of my school reports, notably my 2nd semester year 11 one where things started coming together for me somewhat. Amongst the rediscovered files was the extract below from my year 11 exam. I got 69/75, and was told not to rush so much. My handwriting was so much better than it is now. I wonder if they're still using South as a reference point in Greek schools. I would wager that they don't. Despite my solid marks, I did not pursue Greek at university level. Perhaps things would have been different for me if I had.

ERT Doco Part 3

Last part, continuing with Johnny A, confusion between SBS and channel 31, Ross Alatsas (credited as a journalist, which I suppose is true), in the kitchen very briefly with the Valkanis family, and a bit of the players singing their victory song after beating Altona Magic

Once again to Mildura Vasili, massive thanks for managing to upload as much as he did. Hopefully one day high quality copies are made available, with English subtilting (hell, I'd be happy to do it, if for no other reason than to get something worthwhile from 12 years of Greek school.)

Part 2 of ERT Doco

Once again, thanks to Mildura Vasili.

In this segment (all in Greek), Mike Valkanis, Johnny A, Jimmy P and Ange P get extended chat time.

Which one was the bigger game?

For those who haven't seen it already... as well as something to keep the blog going while I'm seriously busy and unable to do substantial updates, nor even troll the forums too much because of crappy internet at home.

Anastasiadis, Gabrielson, resign - search for new coach begins

Finally, after last year's end of season dithering (strong rumours circulated that a coach had been lined up, but that the board was divided), and the awful start to this year, Johnny A's out the door. It was, to be brutally honest, inevitable. The team was on a downward spiral from the middle of last year, and apart from glimpses of their ability, the trend has continued into 2008. Rumours of player divisions; the anger of the fans; the poor results; few can withstand all three together. Some would stick it out, but seemingly for the betterment of the club, John's fallen on his sword.

Before becoming coach in 2005, Anastasiadis was already a South legend, after being a key component of the great Hellas sides of the late 1990s, scoring in both grand final wins against Carlton and Sydney United, as well as in the 2001 losing side against Wollongong Wolves. And of course, as the first Australian to score in the World Club Championships, against Necaxa, he sealed his reputation as big game player.

After his retirement, he coached Yarraville Glory for two seasons.,The first as player coach saw them get relegated, but in his second season as non-playing coach he saw them clinch the State League Division North-West 3 title and subsequent promotion. When South was in its hour of need in 2005, Johnny A' put his hand up when few else would. Starting with a squad of only 3, just weeks before the season, and with relegation widely tipped, John managed to steer his squad of veterans and no-names to 3rd place, and within a penalty kick of the grand final.

In 2006, Anastasidis claimed his greatest triumph, clinching the championship, South's first in all competitions in 6 years (the Oceania Club Champions being the previous title), as well as the pre-season cup against Fawkner-Whittlesea with a very young squad. Playing the sort of attacking football that South has always played, it was an enormous achievement, perhaps the most heartfelt win in the club's history. In 2007, a win in the Hellenic Cup final over Oakleigh, and with seemingly a much improved squad to work with, the results and consistency just never came. The 2nd half of the season typified the mess the team had got itself in, playing brilliant and at times gritty football to beat Oakleigh and the Melbourne Knights, but in general struggling to score goals, failing to score in 10 of the last 13 games. With the 2008 season not starting any better, the Preston win could have been the turning point. In the end, it was the exception not the rule, and the Gully game was the deal breaker. So ended one of the longest coaching stints at this club, and when put in perspective, one of its most successful.

South of the Border wishes both men all the best in their future endeavours, and thanks them for their long service to the club. While there has been a lot of argle-bargle, it should also be remembered that, apart from Ian Dobson, who took time off for family reasons in 2006, Anastasiadis has been the only coach who has remained at the same club and uninterrupted from the post-NSL era. Considering that in 2006 alone about 10 clubs changed managers, that is phenomenal longevity. As to who will replace him, that's a story for another day. For now, let us remember the good times.