Zois signs with the Cannons - Out of Singapore Cup squad

All the way back in December 2009, when I posted this clip of South's new recruits introducing or re-introducing themselves to the South family, I told you it was not for the squeamish. I readily admit that I was holding back somewhat - I could have easily said not for the diabetic, the credulous, the incredulous and people who are quick to joy and then anger caused by their own relentless and relentlessly undermined optimism. And so Peter Zois has packed his bags, the latest in a long line of exits down the freeway to the railway track and industrial estate of Jack Edwards Reserve: Ricky Diaco, Robbie Wynne, Trent Waterson, Yusuf Yusuf, Scot MacNicol. I suppose the one sobering thing that we as South fans can take from this is that none of those players went on to bigger and better things - indeed many of them went backwards.

The ancient Cynics might have had a chuckle at the foolhardy exclamations made by Zois and the fans over the course of 2010, mostly to do with loyalty and the South cause. The manner of the exit leaves something to be desired, mind you - so close to the deadline for finalising details for the Singapore Cup quarter finals, and as a traitor in any sense of the word, he deserves to cop hell - hey, it's an emotional game. But I'm reminded also of this rambling post I made in October 2008, about what factors other than money might and can have an influence. And part of the reason I wrote that is because money is seldom the reason that clubs and players will openly say is 90% of a decision depends on. Last December, in reply to the question, why did you sign with South Melbourne, Zois answered 'great history, great culture, biggest club outside the A-League', and continued with 'buzz, club moving forward, out of the box thinking'. When asked who he was looking forward to playing with the most, he said 'everyone'.

So all of a sudden, the buzz is gone, the forward movement has hit reverse and all our thinking is now firmly back inside boxes sealed with that crappy brown tape that's always manages to twist itself into stupid knots. And not only that - our history, our culture and our status as biggest club outside the A-League - all gone - and 'everyone' is no fun to play with anymore. I don't know whether or not any of these things have really changed that much in the ten months that Pete has spent at Lakeside. It'd be a pity if it they had, but somehow I doubt it.

Transfer season is upon us, again

So far, the ins include striker Hamid Basma from Heidelberg - who scored the goal against us in that fixture - and who comes with wraps that he is 'technically very good and can hold the ball up well', but how many times have we heard that before?  Also a little more controversially, if you believe the rantings of certain George Cross fans, Britisher Kyle Joryeff, another winger/forward - who was on an amateur contract there. The controversial part is that there have been allegations, which have yet to substantiated as far as I know, that Joryeff was paid off by us to not play in the recent game between South and the Georgies. Anyway, there has also been one person on the goodbye list, winger Yusef Yusef. While a part of me is disappointed with losing him, another increasingly dominant part thinks he wasa better player a few years ago, and quite possibly the difference between Heidelberg winning and losing the 2005 grand final (he came off injured early in the game, and the Bergers had little idea how to crack the packed Gully defense). It took him ages to get over his serious injury, and fair to say he was never able to impose himself on a game. How often is it that your final touch for a club before transferred mid-season is a goal, I don't know, but the overall picture here I fancy was clear enough to see past any sentimentality - though that, too, has its place in the game.

Highlights and interviews from the Georgies game

Some tidy goals, lousy marking, and interviews with Gasparis, Keenan, Yusef and Horsey. Just in case you missed the game or forgot to record the smfctv 31 show.

Things we hear because of our awesome listening skills

Now we can't reveal everyhting we've heard but... apparently Ramazan, Yusef, Fernando all re-signed... and memberships possibly available for purchase in December and maybe even wait for it... online! Hooley dooley! Myself, I don't trust internet banking and will thus as per usual make my payment in person.

Like tenpins

More players added to the season ending injury list. Already with Yusef, Diaco, Curtis, Natsioulas, and Kelly out for the year, now Andy Bourakis and Tony La Verde are also out with serious knee injuries. While all the injured players would no doubt be disappointed, for La Verde it comes at an especially inopportune time, as he was on the verge of being selected for Melbourne Victory's youth team. South of the Border wishes all of them all the best in their recovery.

Billy Nats out for the season

As unfortunately foreseen by one of my sources, confirmation that midfielder and fan favourite Billy Natsioulas will be out for the season with an as yet undisclosed injury, suffered in the recent 1-0 win over Richmond. More news as it comes to hand, but this further weakens South's midfield stocks, with Nats joining Nick Curtis and Yusef Yusef with season ending injuries. I wish Nats all the best in his recovery, his darting runs on the right hand side will be missed in the 2nd half of the season.

Yusef Yusef does ACL, out for season

Sad news this Sunday, as it is confirmed that South winger Yusef Yusef has injured his anterior cruciate ligament, the injury suffered during the loss against Oakleigh in round 4. The injury will sideline him for the rest of the season. As a player who can play on both the left and right side, his versatility as an attacking option will be missed. South of the Border wishes Yusef all the best in his recovery. Thanks to Mildura Vasili for obtaining the news.