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.

While the esteem of the club goes downhill...

... the price for South related memorabilia remains at a healthy level. While Northern Spirit items go for peanuts, and Melbourne Zebras t-shirts sit in piles at rags'n'riches markets for $2 (I really should have bought it, as part of preserving aussie soccer history), South related items can still fetch a price in the hundreds, in particular signed tops, as can be seen in the example below of this 2001 signed jersey.


and how about this signed team of the century print going at a cool $1000, from the same seller? (thanks to South of the Border's good friend 'Cuddles' for alerting me to it).



So why is this? Despite all the assurances that we are nothing and were nothing, some people still think they can make handy sums off those who still believe. And why is it the 2000/01 season which provides by far the most signed tops on ebay? Because they lost the grand final? Post-Brazil jumping off the bandwagon guilt? I support Melbourne Victory and can't afford to have it known that I supported Hellas guilt? This item's at about half the price that's usually asked for, but still for an NSL piece of memorabilia, that's quite high. Hopefully if this youtube upload which I'm doing which is taking forever on my medium-rated connection succesfully uploads, I'll have a nice treat for you tomorrow. Otherwise, it'll be Plan B, which is not nearly as good.

Party like it's 1985 - FFA considers nationwide cup competition

As a good anarcho-syndicalist according to the Political Compass site (something like -7.8 and minus -8.6 on their scale), it's not inappropriate to recycle old news articles like yesterdays.

FFA considers cup tournament


A domestic cup competition along the lines of England's FA Cup is one of the issues being considered by Football Federation Australia after it met yesterday with a group of former Socceroos.

The informal forum included FFA chief executive Ben Buckley, several past Socceroos including Alex Tobin and Charlie Yankos, and players from previous eras including Ray Baartz, John Watkiss, Ted Smith and Doug Wendt.

Buckley said the issues discussed included the mentoring of current players by their predecessors, the new national youth league, recognising the game's history and the establishment of a Socceroo Club. Tobin said a new cup format could allow teams from state leagues a crack at the A-League clubs, in much the same way the FA Cup allows lower division and non-league minnows a chance to upset English Premier League giants.

So many ways of looking at this. Firstly that it will never happen, because of the natural obstacle that Australian sport has always faced, the tyranny of distance and the costs associated with that. But one also needs to take into account the difference in class between the A-League and leading state league competitions, but perhaps more importantly the difference in class between the states, and then add the fact that the FFV can't even be bothered in resuscitating the Dockerty Cup (so we can get results like the 1988 upset of then state league 3 Clarinda defeating then NSL-era Preston 2-1).

Anyway, this meeting sounds like they were sitting round the barbie pissed off their tits, just coming up with random ideas as you do in that environment. After all, they've tried to destroy almost everything that came before, and now they want us, gasp, to be part of the system? Highly doubtful. But then again, the mere existence of the arcade game Ninja Clowns (which was surely created by some guy high as a kite sitting on a beanbag watching music videos) always leaves hope.

Ange Postecoglou to coach in Greece

If you're anything like me, you love stale, almost week old news, which is far better than looking at what's actually happening today. But good on Michael Lynch for finally catching up to what dedicated viewers of smfcboard were first informed of last Saturday.

Postecoglou to fly flag in Greece

FORMER South Melbourne championship coach Ange Postecoglou is blazing a trail for Australian soccer managers by moving to Europe to take over at a struggling Greek club.

Postecoglou, who won titles with South in the National Soccer League in the late 1990s and then coached the Australian under-17 and under-20 teams, will take charge at Panachaikai, a third division club, this weekend.

The club is owned by Adelaide-based Greek-Australian Con Makris, who, says Postecoglou, initially approached him about taking over two seasons ago.

"At that time, I was a bit keen to take a break from coaching after my period with the national teams and I wanted to see how the A-League developed … But he approached me again last week and asked if I was interested and I said I would be."

Postecoglou made his mind up to take the job after flying to Greece last weekend.

"It should be an interesting challenge and it gives me the chance to try and get established as a coach in Europe. The club is in the third division — they got relegated last year — but Con has plans to invest and get it back up to the higher leagues. They used to be a first-division side and played in the UEFA Cup in the 1970s and 1980s," he said.

"All of my football experience has been gained in Australia … this is a great opportunity to further my own development and maybe help raise the profile of Australian football …"

Good luck to Ange. As one of the few ex-South players or coaches who didn't leave the club on bad terms, and who still enthusiastically hangs around the club, South of the Border has no hesitation in wishing him all the best, especially in having to deal with Con Makris, surely one of the most despised people to have ever had involvement with Australian soccer, especially amongst supporters of West Adelaide Hellas (who have reformed their senior teams after many years absence under the name West Adelaide Blues). And it would be nice to also start exporting coaches overseas as opposed to just players. This would indicate truly for mine that Australia is a growing soccer power.

1,000 visitors, hoorah!

Sometime during this week, the little counter at the bottom clicked over to 1,000 visits. Of course, this is not indicative of the true moment of 1,000 visitors, as the counter was installed some time after starting the blog. But anyway, not a bad result, since the blog has had very little publicity, apart from some inclusions at the bottom of my Das Libero pieces, and the very recent plug in the Pumpkin Seed Eaters show. The lack of publicity has been a deliberate ploy, with the emphasis on building up a backlog and a rhythm of sorts, and listening to various people who have provided their comments, ideas and insights as to how to make it all work better. Thanks to those who have left comments and given feedback, and thanks also to the original South Melbourne blog, Park Life, for inspiring this blog to begin with and providing a hint as to how to not lose interest in the whole thing so soon after starting. Here's to the 10,000 mark and the continued obsession western society has in measuring milestones according to the base 10 system.

Michael Petkovic, proven goalscorer

How about this for a long range effort?



At least someone South related knows how to shoot from range. Pity he's on the other side of the world when we need him most. Also saved a penalty, and his side won 3-2 to be a point off top spot. Always knew we had the better of the two brothers.

South of the Border has an impact in the 'legitimate press'.

In yesterday's Neos Kosmos English Weekly (you know, the free supplement that is about 7.3 times better than the Greek content), there's meant to be a debut article by one of the rising stars of Australian sports journalism, talking about the new Summer League the FFV has pulled out of its arse to seem as if they're actually doing something. Haven't bought a copy myself to see if it's in there, but let's take it for granted that it is. Anyway, unlike that editorial vandal Ian "I don't get what you're trying to say in the 2nd last para'" Syson, NKEW Sports Editor James Belias has a far lighter and more appropriate touch. What can I say, the bloke seems to know how to appreciate good work. And when he eventually learns that short sentences suck, and that I should be allowed to ramble as I wish, then he'll rise even higher in my esteem. For those who don't have the courage to steal a copy from their local newsagent, here is the unadulterated piece, which had its genesis here, because this way I can save drafts and not forget to take them to school.

The Football Federation of Victoria have launched an ambitious plan to reinvigorate football in the state, with the goal of quadrupling participation numbers across the board by the end of 2011.

The cornerstone of their new plan is to create a zone-based summer competition going all the way from the seniors down to under 12s, including the women's game. This is in line with the FFA and national technical director Rob Baan's goal of having the country's best players playing 35-40 games a year. At present, most players at the Victorian state level will play at most a total of 30 competitive games a year.

Eight of the zones will be located within metropolitan Melbourne, with the remaining four to come from regional areas, in an attempt to promote top level football in country areas. The zone system could also be a handy mechanism in promoting senior football in metropolitan areas in which it is struggling, particularly in the eastern suburbs, who haven't had a serious contender in the Victorian Premier League since the late 1980s in the form of Croydon City.

The 12 sides to participate will all be new franchises, though so far there is no indication of who will fund these new operations. The FFV hopes to use the state's premium football stadiums, such as Lakeside, Knights and Epping stadiums, as well as its own headquarters at Northcote, to also use it as a launching pad to source funding from councils and government to upgrade facilities across the state.

Players for the senior men's competition will be sourced from the various VPL clubs, as well as recruiting from regional areas and interstate. It is expected that players who participate will still be the nominal property of their 'winter' clubs, so that in the event of them being transferred to the A-League or overseas compensation would be paid to those clubs.

While the changes have been warmly received in some quarters, principally from those in regional areas and those who believe the Melbourne Victory model of broadbased franchises can work at a state level, many supporters of VPL clubs are sceptical about the changes.

Their concerns range from the practical, in terms of players lacking pre-seasons and the possibility of injuries to their players, to the more ideological, with some seeing it as a further attempt to marginalise the traditional ‘ethnic’ clubs by adding another tier in between the VPL and the A-League.

Their doubts also take into account the previous mooted and never actedon reforms of recent times, principally the so-called V-League, which was supposed to be introduced for the 2008 season. That plan which was also meant to overhaul the way clubs operate, essentially by compelling them to produce women’s and junior teams, as well as upgrade their facilities in order to participate at the highest level, was eventually delayed and then shelved.

Socceroos to take on Singapore... again

We're coming to get you Pohui!

From The World Game

National coach Pim Verbeek has announced a five-day camp in Singapore and a game against the island state on March 22.

The vital China match will be four days later.

"We want to play as many matches as we can against teams from Asia and, with Singapore also in the process of attempting to qualify for the World Cup, it is a perfect opponent for us," said Verbeek.

Due to club matches being played on the same weekend in Europe as the Singapore match it is likely the squad will be made up of mostly A-League players, giving them another important chance to earn a place in the squad to travel to Kunming to play China.

"This match will give valuable experience to A-League players and will be another important part of our program to keep them fit during the off season," said Verbeek.

"Once the match is over I will then decide who will make the final squad for the trip to China."

Verbeek also revealed that he took a lot of information away from a recent trip to China where he saw their national team in action.

"China played in a strong tournament so it was valuable for me to be able to see them play."

"They have stayed in camp and have already moved to Kunming to continue their preparations so the match against Singapore is vital for us."

Selected players from Adelaide United and Melbourne Victory who will be involved in Asian Champions League matches will join the camp once they complete their club matches on March 19.

The squad for these matches will be announced next week.

I'm not sure what the point of this is myself, using mostly A-League players who by Pim's own admission are better off playing reserves football in England, and not forgetting that most of them are now in their off-season (which goes for what, about 6-7 months or something), but it'd be interesting to see how some of them go regardless. Oh wait, it's not on free to air. I guess I'll have to imagine it then.

Finally, adequate recognition of a meaningless title

After last week's diatribe against the carelessness of making a promotion and then not making it known to the entire universe (beautifully captured in the piece 'Where's my fucking t-shirt'), it would be remiss of me not to acknowledge the deed finally done. As can be seen here, I have now publicly been crowned as an associate editor of Das Libero. Contrary to the promises made to me however about lack of added responsibilities, Ian Syson has attempted to burden me with such concerns as the philosophical direction of the magazine, but since this mostly amounts to Monday morning meetings with the editor most of which is centred around bagging people off two certain Internet forums and general railings against 'the Man' , it's more like acknowledgment of the hard metres I've already done in this area.

In the end, it's the result that counts - Oakleigh 1 South Melbourne 0

One early defensive mistake cost us the game last night, but what can you do? Not that we played the most sterling football, but we easily outplayed them, had far more chances, and were let down by our finishing and crossing. A bit of luck wouldn't have hurt too. We had only two freekicks in the first half hour, not one freekick in our final third for the entire match, and basically saw just about every 50/50 decision go Oaks way. Oh well. If we play that way we'll win most games I fancy, but the defending needs to shape up a bit, still plenty of communication problems and poor clearances.

We don't have a game now until the 24th March. O'Dor's red card (2 yellows) means he'll be sitting one or two games. Yusef got a pretty bad injury to his knee it seems. A chance to regroup and refuel now. Effort wise I cannot fault the team, they gave it their all and should've taken all three points. But that's football.

South travels to Jack's Place looking for more points - Round 4, Oakleigh vs South Melbourne

No more final predictions, as basically no one holds me accountable and soccer-tips are not my specialty anyway.

Last time they met:
Round 20, 2007 at Lakeside Stadium

South Melbourne 5 Oakleigh Cannons 2

The 2nd half will live long in the memory of all who saw it, with South ridding themselves of their Oakleigh curse. A high quality match in which Hellas outlasted the visitors, the latter equalising twice before eventually being overrun in what was South's best football of the season. Diaco's top corner freekick to make it five was one of the goals of the season.

Preview
Oakleigh come into this game undefeated, and having just handed Coburg their first taste of VPL defeat, should be quite confident of being able to take all three points at home. The make up of the team that has excelled in recent home and away seasons but failed at in the finals has changed significantly however. Where the big names at big prices ruled the roost in three post-NSL seasons, there has been a high amount of player movement in the off-season for the Cannons. Masi is gone up front, Boutsianis is finally gone, Turnbull is gone in goals, Poutakidis of course joined South, and many have felt that their replacements are not up to the calibre of those departures. Nevertheless, Cagalj is a good pick up in goal, Apostolikas had a good year at Whittlesea, and they have an assortment of players who played finals football at other clubs last year, not forgetting the evergreen Damianos in central midfield. The most notable recruitment as far as this game goes, will surely be Trent Waterson; he who had several good games for South last season, prone to go missing in others, and who became the second successive midfielder poached by the Cannons from South in as many years.

South have some actual momentum to take into this game, having finally picked up their first points of the season in emphatic style in the previous round. This game should provide a sterner test however, against an opponent who is a genuine finals candidate as opposed to a relegation favourite. Will Johnny A' stick with his pairing of De Nittis and Armenian up front? Or will he revert to the previous dysfunctional set-up? Will Fernando get as much room as he did against Western Suburbs? How will the defense cope with a much a bigger workload after rarely being troubled last week? Will La Verde be able to step up another level in only his second senior game? South have a big five weeks ahead of them with games against Preston and the Knights away, and the as yet unbeaten AIS and always difficult Green Gully at home, so a win here, or at least a credible draw, will give confidence to the side that they can match it with the better teams and not just against the stragglers. But with Oakleigh at home, undefeated, and with South only having beaten Western Suburbs, the former should still be favourite, and would be disappointed to lose this one.

The other side of the "Summer League" debate

It's fair to point out that not everyone's against the FFV's new direction. Lance Jenkinson, a sports journo from the local Fairfax media has a different spin

Summer league sets some ambitious goals


Of course I disagree quite a bit with his opinion piece, feeling that it is far too optimistic, uncritical and contains a fundamental misreading of Victorian senior soccer, as well as not taking into serious account the logistical requirements. Sticking to the proposed men's senior comp for the moment, because I wouldn't know where to start with the womens and junior stuff.

You have to hand it to the Football Federation Victoria and its proactive board.

Proactive? Ambitious? You bet. On that point one must agree, considering a lot of the stalling done in the past to prevent change happening. But why this sort of change, why not what was proposed in the past? And what are the contingencies if this fails? Or is this an all or nothing approach? Who's going to pay for all this? Why aren't they contributing to the game now if they aren't already? What's in it for them?

What was so impressive about the project launch was the FFV's ability to cop criticism on the chin and learn from past mistakes.

Where have the FFV shown the ability to take criticism and learn from their past mistakes? A lot of people keep banging on about how they keep making the same mistakes over and over, and can't even do the basics right.

It is an ambitious plan - but one that has been meticulously planned with a lot of input from people outside and in the FFV.

And yet a lot of people seem to know very little about what's going on at all, with seemingly quite a few people alarmed at the lack of information and consultation provided. On the same token, it appears as if some VPL boards (and there is reason to believe South is one of them) who are much better informed and seem to have far more input.

Integration: Can the FFV successfully use the 'Melbourne Victory model' of creating a team from a blanket region instead of a suburb or ethnic background?

Melbourne Victory works because it is at the top tier. Interest in top tier sports pretty much across the board is at a high level. Yet interest in 2nd tier sport is falling, with clubs merging and some disappearing altogether. Market correction perhaps, in that there are too many entities to sustain at a senior level? Possibly, but I think the trends show that people care about junior sports, top-tier sports, but care less and less about the in-between stuff.

Crowds: Will the supporters embrace the new league with the understanding that it will not affect their support of established clubs such as South Melbourne, Melbourne Knights or the Fawkner Blues who will still form the Foxtel Cup?

On the one hand, with the crowds that most VPL clubs get, does it really matter? Then again, the majority of the VPL clubs for a long time now have been located in the northern and western suburbs - the eastern suburbs haven't a serious senior contender for many years. It could be argued that there is a serious problem with senior soccer out in the eastern suburbs, will this kind of thing help reverse that trend? Hard to say, but I'm doubtful.

Facilities: This could make or break the FFV's plans. Will it find the dollars and the government backing to upgrade facilities in the next four years to be able to establish the mooted centres of excellence?

This is a good point he brings up, but what kind of efforts are the FFV putting in now to secure upgrades to VPL venues? Or to secure the future tenancy of clubs at venues? Or to help clubs at all levels g4et equal treamtent from council's compared to their aussie rules counterparts? How will their bargaining power change?

The player development point is a red herring. Your Joe Spiteris and Michael Curcijas are not the future, and yet, with the A-League's youth competition due to start this year, that also means that another batch of players, supposedly the next in line for top-tier senior selection and recruitment, will also be unavailable. So who will the players be that will be called up? And will they get better? If so, how much better? Can players have the option of refusing to participate? What if a lot of players refuse to participate? What happens to pre-seasons?

Most of the reactions I've read lean towards the negative, with responses ranging from the hysterical, the cynical, to the just plain unsure. In writing that opinion piece, not only has Jenksinson put forward the first overwhelmingly positive view that's I've seen (which is a good thing in the sense that it's interesting to see another side of the coin, apart from one associate of mine), but he appears to have a lot more more faith in the FFV than most people.

Public Relations 101 - Say anything, but don't actually say something

In more recent times, South's current president Leo Athanasakis sought to make an effort to be more open about the club's affairs with the few people still intent on coming. There was an open forum late last year, poorly attended, but illuminating nonetheless. There appears since then to have been a hasty retreat from that position, to the more accustomed "it's our information and we don't have to share it with anyone else" approach, as can be seen from this press release on the future of Lakeside Stadium.


South Melbourne FC Media Release
Wednesday, 05 March, 2008

SOUTH MELBOURNE FC IN DISCUSSIONS WITH STATE GOVERNMENT REGARDING STADIUM

Albert Park has been the home of the South Melbourne Football Club for almost fifty years. For the last 13 years the club has been based at Bob Jane Stadium. In that time, the South Melbourne Football Club has invested heavily in both the local and general community, as well as in the Bob Jane Stadium itself.

The South Melbourne Football Club will be celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2009 and is committed to remaining at Bob Jane Stadium long term and remaining an integral part of the local community and the Victorian sporting culture.

The club is currently in the process of participating in discussions with the Government in relation to the possible future redevelopment of the Bob Jane Stadium.

The discussions are ongoing and the South Melbourne Football Club is satisfied with the process and the discussions to date and intends to remain a part of the process with a view to ensuring a positive outcome and to secure the future of the club.

The club does not intend to make any further statement at this stage.


Now if anyone can get something out of that other than we've been here for a little bit, we intend to stay here for a little bit longer, and we're talking to some people about that, then good luck to you. Basically, they just said what everyone knows already. I understand that negotiations are taking place, that nothing has been finalised (although one rumour from a fairly reliable source says it was all decided some time last year to put a running track round the joint), and that there are all sorts of confidentiality constraints blah blah blah.

But where does that leave supporters? Floating around Internet forums, and with an eye on Neos Kosmos and an ear on 3XY, with only the former at all really worth paying attention to. Not an ideal situation by half.

Eddie Everywhere's eviction notice to himself

The latest episode in the Olympic Park precinct restructure saga

Olympic Park grab for Collingwood

Right off the bat, I'll make it known that I am a keen Collingwood fan. Don't get to enough games (usually 4-5 a year), but in action it's quite obvious I'm far more a South fan (nearly every game, plus an assortment of pre-season stuff and miscellaneous events). Unlike a majority of Collingwood fans, I have a massive problem with Eddie's many conflicts of interests, though not in the way that was most reported, in terms commentary bias, but rather the blurring of the line between 'journalist' and 'club official'. See his covering up a few years ago of the story of Collingwood players trashing a hotel up in Queensland during the mid-season break as one example.

Now for those not up to speed with the whole situation. A few years ago, Collingwood deserted their home of over a century, the legendary but rundown Victoria Park, to move to a new purpose built centre next to Olympic Park. They train on the former site of Olympic Park ground no.2, former greyhound track and home of Brunswick Juventus. But the government is now building the new 'Bubbledome' stadium, where the Victory and the Storm will play. Collingwood and Melbourne aussie rules club, (who also train there) have been pretty much asked to train 300 metres further east. Not really such a big ask. But because Eddie is not only president of Collingwood but also on the board of Athletics Australia, he's basically trying to evict the organisation he is supposed to be looking after the interests of, and who don't want to move from Olympic Park, so they can be replaced by his other, bigger interest.

Why the heat is not being applied with the most massive fucking blowtorch in the universe by local journos is a disgrace but not exactly unexpected. The AFL gets a dream run in the local media, and anyone unfortunate enough to get in their way will get short shrift. Let us not also forget the (now apparently aborted) push from the Sydney Swans, even supported by dickhead Victory supporters, to get evict us. I don't have a problem with a running track around Lakeside. It's not ideal, but if it secures our tenancy there for a long time and by extension our future, then that's the most important thing. But the way Athletics Victoria and South are being treated is nothing short of disgraceful. More comment to come as the new stadium gets built, and a decision has to be made.

The latest SMFC craze - Ultimate Straw Clutching

What the hell are they trying to achieve with this?

Ex-South keeper captures award

Now I must make it clear for the outset, this is not an attack on George Kouroumalis who was commissioned to write the article, nor is it particularly an attempt to devalue former South NSL keeper Michael Theoklitos' achievement of winning the A-League's goalie of the year award (that's already done by the fact that he has what, only 7 other guys to compete against), but more against the utter stupidity of the thinking behind this.

Immediately one must ask, are we really that desperate for relevance? What next, congratulating Danny Allsopp for being leading scorer in the 2006/07 season, Kevin Muscat for all time leading penalty scorer, Eddie Krncevic for most conspicuous player agent at VPL games? South is still a proud club, with many achievements in the bank and a lot more to come through one would hope. Did the genius who came up with this realise that Theoklitos played a grand total of five games for South (1970s Arsenal striker Malcolm MacDonald played three in his guest stint in comparison), and was one of the players that upped camp and moved to the Football Kingz with Micky Petersen at the end of the 2000/01 season? Granted he was a keeper, and therefore has to go look for opportunities where they lie, but the point still stands. Yes he was one of our players once upon a time, but really, the links are pretty tenuous, and there's little credit to be gained from leeching off the back of Theo's success in this way. South is supposed to be a bigger club than that.

Finally off and running for 2008 - South Melbourne 5 Western Suburbs 0

When you play the right players, and play them in the right positions, and with the right formation, sometimes against all logic you score a bundle of goals and win handsomely. Now, Western Suburbs were far from the best opposition, but they were almost never in the game. They had one very good chance in the 1st half to pull it back to 2-1, but that was pretty much it.

Fernando was outstanding. De Nittis, Zoric and Armenian all very good, and there seemed to be the inkling of and understanding between them. Poutakidis was a little hot and cold, but was useful when coming forward. Natsoulias looked good, Nunes looked ok, though the defence in general had very little to do. La Verde making his debut was a quiet revelation; the kid knows how to play, and could just be the kind of thing we need in central midfield, very creative. Vasquez who came on late also had a decent game, though with the game dead, it's hard to judge.

1st goal - Fernando running right across the the edge of the box, past a couple of defenders, shoots into the keepers bottom left hand corner, out of his reach.

2nd goal - a pass to the back post (again on the keepers left hand side) tapped in by Natsoulias

3rd goal - De Nittis slots home a one on one.

4th goal - Fernando whips in an incredible free kick to the far post, the keeper no chance.

5th goal - another pass across the face of goal, where it was missed by one player, but put away by a desperate Poutakidos effort.

Congrats must also go to the under 21s for also breaking their duck, hanging on for a 1-0 win. They were on the back foot for a large parts of the 2nd half, but their 1st half goal (which i missed), was good enough in the end.

Below is some absolutely woeful amateur footage of Fernando's brilliant 2nd goal, a free kick into a corner I didn't know existed, courtesy of some kid called Cliff. I'm not sure if you actually even see the ball at any stage, but the crowd seems excited.

It's like it didn't even happen

As you may be aware, I have recently been contributing to the soon-to-be prestigious soccer journal Das Libero. At this moment this consists of a couple of reviews and a look at Tony Ising's departure from his creation, but hopefully more soon, including a letter I wrote in reply to Gweeds' reply to my Ising piece, yesterday's worthy rant - which unlike most of my work I still like 24 hours after I finished it, not to mention the rave review it received - and a couple of other pieces which will likely be of a more significant length, ie. longer, therefore containing even more creamy goodness.

All this after being nagged for months to get stuff written, to read the books I was meant to review, to actually write said reviews, and even creating this blog partly as a way of avoiding all that effort. So anyway, for some reason and without asking, I was made associate editor. After making sure it entailed no actual responsibility, I reluctantly accepted. Wait, reluctantly is not the right word. Gladly accepted. And yet, despite the upgrade in rank, all the trappings that come with your typical promotion have failed to materialise. The swish new office, the extravagant business lunches, the company car, the generous travel allowance, the all expenses paid trip to the Bahamas to research beach football culture in the Caribbean. But it gets worse. Not even any acknowledgement on the site itself of this promotion.

So here's the deal. I'll let all that other stuff go, if I can get a Das Libero t-shirt. They look like shit, but there's not many of them in existence, and if I can get 'associate editor' on there somehow, I'll even try to be less cynical while I'm wearing it. And by the way, I only appear cynical because I'm such an idealist that whenever something fails to reach my lofty ideals I react with a wry, withering or despondent disposition. That's what this young woman who used to find me annoyingly cynical told me, and I'm thankful everyday that she did. Anyway, when I googled myself, my reference on Das Libero came up first, and South of the Border on the 2nd page. See everyone at the game.

Walking, After Midnight

efils good and the time is right / i'll bundle up and slip away
the count is down and the drip is up / it's time to split this hunk of clay

Eels, Efil's God


So it's come to this. A new twelve team summer competition, with all new regionally based and privately backed franchises (or in some cases quite possibly, regional federation backed), using existing VPL players (as well as ring-ins from wherever) under some scheme where if they get picked up by an A-League side, VPL clubs will get compensated, watched and paid for by whom exactly I'm not sure of, but what the hell do I know. I just follow South after all, and who can say what turns the game will take in these heady times.

Some might say this is the game running before it can walk, others a long overdue move and bound to succeed thanks to the soccer boom led by the success of the Socceroos and the Melbourne Victory. Good luck to them. Unless you want to argue the point for some reason, we're pretty much third tier now. What this also means is that the FFV has effectively given up on Old Soccer too. Maybe they're right to do so. Hell, most people jumped off that ship fairly quickly, to be brutally honest. Why shouldn't the FFV be able to do what even most of its constituents have done and focus on development pathways for players to the top, rather than the sad little dreams of 60 year old migrants who still turn up long after their friends bailed or died, 20-25 year olds rusted on to an antiquated belief in club loyalty, and money men (and one woman) throwing cash at the blackest of black holes, the VPL, and Victorian senior soccer in general.

Let face it, it's all about the juniors today people. The usual whiny minority aside, it's been evident for enough time now that no one gives a stuff. And yes, all you people still attending and supporting the club your forbears, or your mates forbears built, or some schmo who just wanted to have a place where his mates could have a kickaround, you are no one. You are no longer important. The FFV have looked into the FFA's crystal ball, and seen the future, and it looks kinda like this. Heaps of juniors across the land, playing 'football' so they wont get fat or seriously hurt, and helping to fill the coffers quickly while taking little out. The creation of a well oiled machine, to pump out thousands of little champions, who after the various squad cuts throughout the years will become bigger champions, who can pass with both feet, know dozens of moves, be a library of tactics, and be more or less exact clones of each other. Senior soccer at the lower levels if it still exists (and it probably will) will be almost completely amateur, and will be based amongst localised suburban competitions ala aussie rules comps, probably on unenclosed public reserves.

As the history of the local game pre-World War 2 has been forgotten, so will the history of the last 60 or so years be forgotten. Few will rejoice or despair; the great games, clubs, players and administrators, except in the cases where recorded and maintained on little visited websites by bleary eyed trainspotting nerds, will be as if they never existed. A bit of lipservice, and then scorched earth, clean slates, c:/format, and off into the bright happy world of tomorrow. A world in which well 'ard ultras protest against 'modern football' while supporting Evil Geoff Lord's franchise, and aussie rules families, safe from reminders of what multiculturalism is, clap and cheer politely while they firmly believe that their little Anglo-Celtic world is diverse because the people around them look different, while clutching their meat pies and super dogs (thanks to Pavlaki for that phrase).

In retrospect the signs were all there. Not just in the big things, but the little things too. Every half competent person leaving the FFV for greener pastures. The almost determined incompetence of running senior competitions, including the pisspoor prizemoney. The clandestine season launch in which the state's only dedicated local soccer publication wasn't invited. People like 3XX wanting to broadcast games and the FFV not wanting the publicity. The endless delays and changes to what would eventually become the V-League, or whatever they're going to call it. And on it goes. But don't complain. This is market forces we're talking about - wait sorry - this is what Victorian football's constituents want in order for the game to progress in this state. And they shall have it.

So what now? Easily combustible members of a certain club which wears royal blue and white and once won four national titles in a fantasy comp called the National Soccer League have variously called for action to be taken, protests, sabotage, breakaway leagues, playing in Asia or New Zealand, complaining to FIFA, the FFA, the courts, whoever will listen, calls for an Apocalypse Now themed ending, (surely we could hire a helicopter to fly over the top at least for a little while), banding together with our disenfranchised brethren/enemies or going at it full bore, riots, flares, everything that we've held back on, everything they said we did to ruin the game because we were selfish.

Well, so let's be selfish. In some of my more despondent moments in recent years, my idea went something like this. South is celebrating its 50th anniversary next year. There's no hope for a better future, we have nowhere to go, the standard will keep falling as more and more players are used for the higher tiers, and there's little replenishment of support. Verily, it's better to die on your feet than live on your knees. The club's dignity must come first. So flares at every game. Pitch invasions every game. Streamers and banners on full bore, confetti to piss off the constabulary who hate the sight of litter so much. Every game to be a raucous wake not just for South but the local game as a whole. The team not to be made up of players with aspirations of playing for the chance to join a team which competes to win a toilet seat, but the best players out of the fans that are left, who will play for free, for the simple honour of the shirt. And then at the end of the season, we burn the whole stadium down, burn that shit heap remnant of the aussie rules stand, just another monument to a time when all of this sort of thing had some sort of meaning, when we weren't the walking dead. And as a bonus it'll be an easier cleanup job for when they build that athletics track that's going to go round Lakeside anyway.

In time, one may calm down, see it all differently, accept, acquiesce, adapt, find the niche that may exist, and go on regardless of whatever the great dreamers of dreams will dream up, and let the focus groups and demographers advise the new world order of their every move. Sometime later, I might come to my senses and may even write something sensible on the situation. For the moment though, in the words of FFV CEO Mark Rendell, "let's suck it and see".

South still looking for first points - Round 3, South Melbourne vs Western Suburbs

Last time they met:
Round 25, 2007 at Ralph Reserve

Western Suburbs 3 South Melbourne 0

With their season on the line and yet with the finals still realistically within reach, South fielded both a weakened and unfit squad and paid the price for it. Suburbs thoroughly deserved their victory, with two goals in the first half-hour enough to kill off what was left of South's season.

Preview:
Most armchair pundits have listed Suburbs to be among the relegation favourites this season, and their form so far has been far from stunning. But they did pick up a 1-0 home win against outright relegation favourite Fawkner last week, which means they have three more points than South does and some sort of confidence going into this week's clash. The game will also likely see the return to Lakeside of former South defender Arthur Tsonis, who was let go last season to much anger from a certain section of South's support, as well as Evan Karavitis and perhaps most notably that of former South and Perth Glory striker Vas Kalogeracos.

Despite all of that though, South are still the better team on paper (the famous quote of playing on grass not paper notwithstanding), and have shown enough glimpses of what they're capable of to win this game, but don't expect it to be pretty. Injury and structural concerns still plague Hellas, but if Armenian, Zoric and De Nittis, the three best looking attacking players so far, can get the game time they need to make an impact, South should be able to overwhelm Suburbs on the wide expanses of Lakeside.

Final prediction: South to win 1-0, in a hard fought, tight affair.

2008 membership package part 2 - Cards

Concluding South of the Border's look at South's 2008 membership package are the membership cards themselves. This was the part I was looking forward to the most, in my quest to be the no.1 'gold' category member. But I was in for a shock. No no.1. In fact no numbers at all. I was, to put it mildly, disappointed. But I learnt fairly quickly that it was a cost saving exercise, as we don't have too much money don't you know.


That disappointment was put aside, when I recognised the socialist principles lurking beneath the surface of this move (no rank! no hierarchy! in card form!), and how when the club inevitably falls into administration again, this time it'll re-emerge (or be reborn if it gets that bad) as an anarcho-syndicalist collective. And if you don't know what that means, watch the beginning of Monty Python's Quest for the Holy Grail where the peasants are toiling in mud and replace the mud with soccer and medieval Britain with the FFV. Perhaps more alike then I'm comfortable with. Also the new card looks smashing. Would have been nice to have an unclipped one to show, but they were not available prior to the day of the first home match for the year. Still good but.

By the way, could you imagine the amateur league derby between the right-wing/Hellas Fan Club supported South Melbourne reformation and the ultra left wing anarcho-syndicalist branch? It would absolutely shit all over any derby in this country, perhaps even the universe. Almost makes you want to see the club go under just to see it happen. Finally the unclipped sections are for 2006, the Kingston game where I was sick, and for 2007 the Melbourne Knights game which never happened but we still lost anyway.

Something to lift the spirits a little

I was going to post the next instalment of my 2008 membership review, but couldn't be arsed taking the photos, uploading them and all that, and I also thought that after yesterday's Pumpkin Seed Eaters annoyance, coupled with South being bottom of the ladder after two games as the only pointless team, that it'd be nice to post something positive.



The footage (essentially 3 scenes replayed for about a 1:28) is of Reardo Luka playing his first match of any kind since his horrific injury last season (for background, see this entry). Once again thanks go to Adrian Luka for the footage, which is of the South under 21s taking on the South under 18s in a pre-season hit out.

'Seth' from 'Caulfield' - South of the Border makes an enemy of sorts

A little while ago, one may remember this blog plugging an online radio show called the Pumpkin Seed Eaters. South of the Border's review of their debut instalment was generally and cautiously positive, with a couple of suggestions, most notably to an unnecessary anti-Semitic remark. After making the hosts/producers aware of the review, I received an encouraging reply from one of the hosts (who go under pseudonyms, though I know who one of the hosts is), basically saying thanks for the feedback, that they realise there's room for improvement, and that South of the Border would get a mention on the next show. Seemingly having taken my review well and with the bonus of the blog getting a reciprocal plug, the experience seemed to go swimmingly.

Alas, no. No plug for the blog (which is not really important, because I do this mostly for the amusement of trusted friends and associates and whoever else happens to stumble upon here), but also no genuine remorse or acknowledgment of the poor taste of the relevant joke. My words, used as part of a segment on feedback received of the first episode were attributed to a Seth from Caulfield - get it? only a Jew would be pissed off at an anti-Semitic remark - thus continuing to tap into the already far too prevalent strains of anti-Semitism that exist amongst certain 'traditional' fans, evidenced most notably in the past few years with regards to attacks on FFA head honcho (and former Sydney Hakoah chief) Frank Lowy.

Now, I'm for free speech. Having that stance means that I have to tolerate (not accept) the fact that this means opinions will exist that I do not like and am not comfortable with. And it also requires the acknowledgment that freedom of speech (in its varying degrees) is one of the core strengths of Western society, in that in the plurality of voices that should ensue we will be in a better position to critically analyse our society. Or something like that. But as you might have guessed, I have a pretty massive problem when people start using that freedom of speech to racist and defamatory ends. That kind of thing serves no one well. Nevertheless they'll still have their place on the 'link hall of fame' on the right hand side of the blog, because their program comprises the voice of a very underrepresented segment of Australian soccer, and that this voice, irrespective of whether you agree or disagree with its content and style is one that should be heard.

2008 membership package part 1 - Balls

There were complaints from those who were in charge of getting these that the blue on the panels was too light, especially when compared to the emblem's blue, but I reckon that they've come out quite nice actually. The alternate all white paneled ball (better for autographs) looks quite dull by comparison, but it's all a matter of opinion I guess.


Now I all need is a working bike pump and we're on our way. Classic book collection too don't you think?

South virtually defeat themselves - South Melbourne 1 Coburg United 2

From Tuesday to Thursday this week there'll be a thorough examination of the 2008 membership package, but for now, back to yesterday's game.


It was a disappointing result. Not because South had played well, but more so because they had played well enough to win. Coburg all up had three or four chances, and took two 2. South would have had closer to ten, and almost managed to stuff up even the one they did get.

South squandered possession so frequently yesterday - chiefly through Yusef and Poutakidis - that Coburg were not too often obliged to fight for the ball. When they did they were often unnecessarily crude in their attempts, and their discipline let them down and should have been punished more harshly than it was.

For South, De Nittis looked ok when he came on, Zoric was good in patches but goes missing to easily. Diaco and Fernando both played about a half each, neither fit, but the latter at least scored. Deano was responsible for the first goal conceded, while Nunes can play with both feet, which is an interesting novelty, but occasionally gets himself into the wrong position. The much maligned Caldwell did some nice things, but in general he and his team mates are not on the same frequency. Armenian is getting closer to a start.

South did have some bad luck - a blatant handball in the area not called - but mostly had themselves to blame for their loss. As a counterpoint, there were signs that when the team gels, they can do ok. The problem there is much the same as last year though, and that is whether they can keep it up for any significant amount of time. The pressure is starting to mount on Johnny A' and football operations dude Jim Marinis. Neither has solved the crucial problem of central midfield. There were too many sequences of players running around like headless chooks, only kinda rectified towards the end. We're the only pointless side after two weeks, and a turnaround in form is needed soon.

Elbow - Seldom Seen Kid

We now interrupt this program, in order to present this special address from Elbow's Australian Ambassador.


Ok, so I'm a bad little boy for having downloaded this a month before its proper release. But thankyou Soulseek people. Anyway, track by track. If you don't want to know the scores, look away now...

Starlings - one of the oddest little opening songs I've ever heard. But a very pretty song once it gets stuck in. Could've renamed this one Startling, because it has a few moments which just jump out at you.

Bones Of You - tremendous, has a measured urgency, propelling itself forward wonderfully. Also serves the purpose of picking up the pace of the record nice and early.

Mirrorball - absolutely gorgeous, I challenge anyone not to love this song. Reminds me of Asleep In The Back era b-sides, even if i can't quite figure out how.

Grounds For Divorce - a tough, bluesy, ballsy song, but with enough of the old Elbow touch to make it memorable. It's the kind of song Elbow needed to write in my honest opinion.

An Audience With the Pope - the first 'weak' song, sort of meanders around for awhile, not going anywhere in particular, but still ok.

Weather To Fly - an odd high vocal, the arrangements are a little awkward for mine, and like the previous song, seems to lack direction.

The Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver - Starts off as a nice little waltz, before changing direction midway and then getting suitably big. The percussion reminds me of the Dancer In The Dark soundtrack - which is a good thing by the way!

The Fix - A duet with I'm not sure who, the voices complement each other well. The music has a wonderfully curious/mysterious air about it.

Some Riot - Brambles. But even better. Very interesting arrangement, seriously brought tears to my eyes how well they've executed this song. A song hasn't done that to me that much since Eels' Daisies of the Galaxy record, with its trio of the title track, It's a Motherfucker and Selective Memory.

On A Day Like This - fantastic counterpoint to Some Riot, cheerful and uplifting in the most awesome way.

Friend of Ours - Elbow ease us out with a nice slow song, which gradually swells before retreating gently.

The length of these songs is interesting, it poses problems in some songs, but mostly it works well. Overall, I would say it's the more maudlin parts of Leaders, via Asleep In The Back production wise, all sorts of different sounds in the songs. I love it. I'm not going to say it's a return to form, because Leaders was a good record, but this is a better record, no doubt much more consistent across the board and I just love the sound of it, the way they mix the natural and industrial for want of a better way of putting it. How will people unfamiliar with the band see it? Hard to say. I think it could be the record more than any other of theirs which could break them well and truly.

Best three tracks, Bones of You, Some Riot, Mirrorball.

Late NSL era sticker

Anyone want a sticker? Some may recall the passing mention of these artefacts seen while reading this entry. Well, I did manage to come away with seven or so (relax, there's plenty left), one's on a door, one's for posterity, one's for a folder for school but otherwise I have four left over. If you would like one, message me, and we'll arrange the safe passage of these relics to your preferred destination. I reckon they look quite nice. The non-cringing use of 'S.C.', the classic soccer ball in place of an 'O'.



It's going to be harder to keep up the daily posting once school starts again on Monday, but I'll try, Pride and Prejudice be damned.

Round 1, Under 21s - Bergers 3 South 3, plus bonus whinge

Owing to the Old Socceroos and Copperoos (or Piggeroos, as one BLF die hard near me insisted on calling them) game held prior to the seniors match, this game was played on Wednesday evening. Standard leaves a lot to be desired, but what's more troubling is how can someone like Adrian Luka (whom South of the Border thanks for his videos) be able to film, edit and upload videos on his own, but our own site can't? How can I pump out South related words on a daily basis, and yet the official South site seems to be move at pre-global warming glacial speed? And where is the promised upgrade to the whole thing?

I realise that perhaps quite a bit of what gets written here would not be appropriate for an official site, which is there to spread propaganda and such. But where is the info on stuff? Where are the promised commissioned articles? Why doesn't the board trust its own volunteers and supporters to contribute items? How can a club, with decent writers, excellent multimedia and IT skills personnel, and ordinary people who can film, edit, and upload, not have a decent site? It's an absolute disgrace I tell ya. And from what I hear, there's not going to be much change in the near future at least. Enjoy the show.

South look to relaunch seson at home - Round 2, South Melbourne vs Coburg United

Last time they met:
Never met in a league fixture.

Preview:
Halfway through 2006 North Coburg, as they were called then, had just lost against Altona East, leaving them in last position and a bit of hole to dig themselves out of. That they not only did that, but in the following year also won promotion to the VPL shows that this club means business. Coburg sought to bolster their squad with players such as one time South players and Aussie soccer journeymen Andy Vlahos and Anthony Magnacca, and have a solid side which should challenge for at least the lower positions in the finals, though the chance of them doing another Kingston City and burning out halfway through is always a possibility. Last week they belted Western Suburbs 3-0 away from 'home' (they play at Knights Stadium until their new ground is ready next year), and if that doesn't seem like much, only three sides came away from Ralph Reserve with maximum points last season.

For South, last week's loss away to Heidelberg seemed to show the club was continuing on from last year; a team with able players in enough positions, but without the gritty midfield general (or two), possession is scarce and when obtained is often squandered cheaply. Because of this there is added pressure on the defence as well, who have to deal with more attacks than they should. South may have some injuries to Fernando and Diaco to deal with, as well as injury question marks over possible forward replacement Armenian. If South can at least neutralise the effectiveness of Coburg's midfield then they're a definite chance, as most armchair pundits tend to agree that Coburg's defence is its weakest link. For my money, there are few sides so top heavy with attacking prowess. It's the problem of getting the ball there that is, well, the problem. If South can solve that problem or at least find a way of avoiding it, then a win is in sight.

Prediction: A free flowing 1-1 draw, with plenty of chances, and hopefully some good play on a decent surface.

South set to play AIS in Shepparton?

Ever since it was announced that the AIS would seek to host 'home' games in regional Victoria and it's own base in Canberra (with them subsidising travel costs for the visiting teams), there's been rumours flying around who would play where, with the most common ones being the Knights playing in Canberra and Preston in Shepparton respectively, where both clubs have numerous supporters. Frankston Pines are travelling up to Canberra this week, meaning this ain't no pipe dream.

But what about South? Up to this point it's been more of a wish-list sort of scenario without any real concrete evidence suggesting we'll go anywhere at all. Canberra seemed popular amongst fans, though allegedly players find Albury far more fun. Morwell would be a nostalgic option, a return to Falcons Park after so many years absence. But according to a recent article in the Shepparton News, negotiations are taking place to send South to the Goulburn Valley.

Shepparton South has targeted former National Soccer League champion South Melbourne's match against AIS on the weekend of June 21 and 22.

"We are hoping to play the match on the Saturday with Shepparton United as the curtain raiser," South assistant coach Joe Artavilla said.


Anywhere's fine with me, as long as we get a road trip of sorts. I've been to 'Shepp' only the once, the first time we stopped on the way to the Gold Coast for a school camp (more a theme park tour really). When we left Melbourne the temperature would have been in the low 20s and was overcast. When we got to Shepp, it was fucking hot, 30+ degrees, and there was someone aboout 50 years the wrong side of 17 working at the Hungry Jacks we stopped at, which only added to the culture shock. The old man used to work out there too in the tomato fields. If it does go ahead, and I hope that it does, it'd be good to actually get there early enough for the proposed curtain raiser between Shepp United and Shepp South. Come on people, make this happen!

One round in, relegation already the hot-topic

Following a hot lead on soccer-forum, I found this in section 2.3 in the 2008 FFV Regulations.

2.3 Those Clubs finishing in 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th position at the end of the Men’s Premier League season will be relegated to the Men’s State League Division One (State League 1) in the following season.

Very interesting. Followers of the local scene will recall that four teams were relegated because of this (from something I added to the VPL page on Wikipedia).

The end of the 2006 season also saw a controversial finish to the relegation battle. With three teams finishing on 30 points, Sunshine George Cross were relegated on goal difference. However, a post-season appeal to the tribunal on the grounds that Essendon Royals had fielded a suspended player (Ilcho Mladenovski in round 24) saw the Royals deducted a point and relegated. However the Federation had not notified the Royals of the player's suspension, and got itself out of a potential costly legal battle by retaining both clubs for the 2007 season, and adding the Australian Institute of Sport to even out the numbers, and as the first part of reforms to the competition set to be brought about in 2008.

Thus after relegating 4 sides and promoting 2 last year we were back to 14, and back to 2 up and 2 down as was the previous system. I sent off an email to the FFV to see what's going on, as there is always the chance of a clerical error, though of course that's highly unlikely. Confirmed by someone else making a phone call even before I've gotten a reply that it is up to date. There is evidence to suggest, perhaps, that the proposed V-League is not too far away. And that certain clubs are in for rude shock.

Trying to sell the product on tv, as South Melbourne moves into the 20th century

This is the first of a series of advertisements which will played on the Antenna Pacific network, and which will hopefully appeal to the "Is South still around? Huh, how about that. Might go," Greek demographic. It's made by a couple of South fans, with love, Frozen Tears, and a little bit of Avalon Raceway sprintcar "beeeeee theeeeeeere!" action.

A couple of book reviews

I'm guessing most of the people that have read this blog have done so either because they are amongst the few who have been told personally by me of its existence, or because they got redirected here because of my work on Das Libero, where I sorta insisted that this blog be linked under every piece that I do. Smart, no? Anyway, here are two reviews that I wrote for that site, both of which mention South occasionally. The books that is, not the reviews.

The first book is on the history of Green Gully. It's pretty good, and it let's you know what all the little clubs were doing while we were kings of the world. A Tale of Two Gullys is a fairly appropriate title for it, so enjoy the review and enjoy the book, and don't just skip to the index to look for mentions of South.

The other book is called Soccer Boom, basically looking at Victorian soccer's changes primarily in the 1950s from a revisionist viewpoint. It's also good, but don't get completely sucked in to his stance, because as When Push Comes to Boom explains, there are a few inconvenient facts ignored to make it work. Once again though, a worthwhile read.

VPL guide to fashion

I should make it clear, that I'm not for changing strip designs year in year out. All you need to do is pick one design, stick with it eternally, and at most play around with your away strip, but really, there's no need for that either. I didn't take these photos, so thanks to whoever I'm borrowing them off for today's lesson.


That is the South home strip for this year. I don't really like it, but the sponsor on there looks rather nice for once. And I hate it a lot less after I saw what some of the other teams had cooked up.


Speaking of sponsor/strip clashes... Preston's strip has been universally caned but on reflection, despite the abomination that is that colour combination, they could be forgiven for at least looking after the colour-blind, who most frequently have difficulty with separating red and green.


Finally for now, a clear demonstration of what works, and what just doesn't. Fawkner last year had a pretty crappy strip. How do you fuck up light blue you may ask? By putting a stupid white slab slanting down across the shoulder, making it look like you've run out of dye. So kudos to Fawkner for embracing a neo-classicist approach of sorts. As for the Knights, they had one of the better strips last year. And now they've gone for tie-die. For a club with such rampant right-wing sympathies, it strikes me as an odd tactic that they're now aiming for the hippy/stoner market. But Australian soccer (the proper version, not that mickey mouse 'a' league divorced from reality) always has something up its sleeve to at once both depress and amuse.

The search for a central midfielder should have begun at the end of 2006 - Heidelberg United 2 South Melbourne 1

Firstly, a reminder to whoever left their bike (green one) in Darebin Creek, you should probably go pick it up before it rusts.

Let's start with the little problems. There were obviously players out there who were not going to last a full match. That will come in time I guess, but the players with niggling injuries or who had a distinct lack of match fitness should not have been played in my honest opinion.

The medium problems. There is a cultural problem at South Melbourne, of trying to repeatedly walk the ball into the net. Just have a ping! It might go in! There was also the abominable surface. But the players need to get used to that as at least 10 of the 14 grounds are probably going to be like that. You can't afford to let the ball sit up before shooting or passing, because it will not sit. The players can be warned about this and it can be changed. Whether they adapt is another issue.

The big problems. Still no central midfielder, to fight and win contested balls, and lay off simple passes to running players. Johnny A' still persisting with certain players in certain positions to which they are not accustomed. Certain players who are obviously not very good and who are getting games ahead of players that are good. Referees and their assistants. No idea about the last man foul rule, no idea about foul throws, no idea about not inventing bullshit free-kicks that only they can see.

Zoric will be a more than handy pick up. Deano had a blinder, but still provided two of his requisite heart attack moments. Caldwell should at least quit wearing red boots if he's not going to score sitters. And from now on I want the players to bleed for the shirt. Most fans would give almost anything to get out there for 30 seconds and play in that shirt, and yet the lack of fierce but fair tackling was offensive to me. The game seemed to carry on from last year's form, and that's troubling. If this is not the wake up call that we need then we seriously need a new direction. It may sound like I'm jumping the gun, but this was basically rinse repeat from much of what occurred last season.

2008 Jersey Presentation night roundup

So so night. Was sold out which was good. Had Michael Zappone as host trying to butter us up, and not doing a terribly smashing job, but he wasn't helped by the rudeness of a few people who kept talking over him. Service at Kinisi was pretty crap. Rarely if ever asked if we wanted drink refills, and tried to serve food like your mother ('you will eat it and like it', more or less). I heard rumours of dessert, but can't confirm its existence. Anyway, pleasure to be on the same table as Shane Nunes and Benji Vahid, they were good company, even with the extended discussion about freeways and such. For the record, Fernando De Moraes and Ricky Diaco came out equal first at the player auction. Other stuff that sorta happened:

* Which handsome and educated boardmember was hogging the attractive hostesses, who were meant to be flogging off raffle tickets?
* Which chump played $500 to be in a photo with said hostesses when they could have got one for free?
* How did that wine glass get broken on an adjoining table?
* Which ex-South goalscoring machine was drunk at the front of a Cold Chisel gig at Bombay Rock back in the early 80s?

I forgot to take my gift bag home with me, with the coffee and bucket-hat. Thanks also to any players I happened to be in photos with. Not sure if I'll do this again next year, but we'll see.

2008 VPL season begins - Round 1, Heidelberg United vs South Melbourne

This is the first proper preview for this site. I don't know if I will keep this format/style, but let's worry about that later.

Last time they met:

Round 16 2007 at Olympic Village

Heidelberg United 3 South Melbourne 0

Heidelberg gained confidence and the ascendancy after grabbing two early goals, and were by far the better team. South looked jaded and out of sorts for most of the match, partly because of it being its 3^rd game within 8 days after the infamous Melbourne Victory friendly midweek. But the performance was also indicative of the poor 2^nd half of the season that lay ahead.

Preview:

Derbies between the two sides have been harder to pick since South's drop from national league ranks. How much difference a decade makes. Back then, South was almost always assured of taking all the points, no matter how well the Bergers played. In contrast the seven contests between the two sides in the last three seasons have been all over the place, with 2 wins each and 3 draws, with the only score that has come up twice being two scoreless draws, those being the first two games played in 2005.

For whatever it's worth, Heidelberg have been perhaps the form team of the pre-season, including winning the Hellenic Cup against Oakleigh last Saturday night. That win did come at a cost though, with goalkeeper Peter Gavalas involved in a serious collision and suffering injuries which will likely rule him out for six matches. Heidelberg have boosted their squad significantly, with perhaps the most significant being the return of Eric Vassiliadis, in an obvious effort to both atone for missing the finals last season and to make a serious bid at winning the title in their 50^th year. Heidelberg looks like one of the teams to beat this season, though the constant on and off field instability which continually plagues the club is never too far away.

South on the other hand have had a very inconsistent pre-season, changing up squad makeups and collecting mixed results accordingly. The defence has been revamped and time should be given for it to settle, but the lack of a tough and no-nonsense central midfielder, so obviously a problem last season, does not seem to have been addressed. Question marks also still hover around the goalkeeping position. With Mitchell Langerak's loan spell ended, it appears Dean Anastasiadis will regain the no. 1 position after suffering a season length knee injury last year, but doubts abound amongst quite a few South supporters not only because of the injury, but also because he will be turning 38 years old this year. Further up the field, South has attracted the likes of Goran Zoric and Hamlet Armenian, and will also be hoping to see a fully fit Fernando De Moraes regain his 2006 form after playing far below par in large part due to injury last season. I'm struggling to see South taking all three points this week, but the combination of being a derby and the end of the mickey mouse stuff means anything can happen.

Final prediction: an energetic but scrappy 1-1 draw.

Minor awesomeness

For awhile there I didn't think it would happen. Typing in 'South Melbourne FC blog' into Google used to make Park Life come up first, despite the fact that it had been dead for nearly two years. This blog on the other hand would only come up on the 2nd page. But not anymore. We're on the first page baby! Just another little step towards greatness for the good ship South of the Border and her captain.

LET THERE BE SOUTH!

This is absolutely brilliant, and what's more it's an original South Melbourne Hellas creation (yes, yes, with a touch of AC/DC, too), forged in the roaring fires of smfcboard, during a dark era where every second thread was a stupid popularity game, created by people whose main goal was to add to their already overinflated post counts. I wish I could take the credit for this, but alas I cannot, as it is the work of a great man who goes under the pseudonymn Conya. Enjoy.


In the beginning
Back in 1959
Man didn't know about a soccer show
And all that jive
The white man had Matthews
The black man had Pele
No one knew what they was gonna do
But Marmaras had the news, he said

Let there be Red, and there was Red
Let there be White, and there was White
Let there be Souvlaki, there was Souvlaki
Let there be Fans, there was Fans, ah
Let there be SOUTH

And it came to pass
That Soccer was born
All across the land every soccer fan
Was ripping up a flare
And the trumpet man got famous
The souvlaki man got rich
And in every ground there was a superstar
With a seven year itch
There was fifteen million juniors
Learnin' how to play
And you could hear Lefteri's trumpet
And this is what they had to say

Let there be Blue, White, drums, 'n Trumpet, ah
Let there be SOUTH

One night in a club called the Hindmarsh
There was a 42 decibel CC band
And the feeling was good
And the chanting was loud
And the leader turned and he said to the crowd

Let there be SOUTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Watching grass grow

I spoke to a friend of a friend at the Family Day, and we got to talking about this blog. One of the things he said I should do is write every day. Well, sometimes there isn't anything too interesting to write about, and you have to rely on your b-grade material. Thanks to George Kouroumalis for the photo.




Over the off-season, Bob Jane Stadium had new a drainage system installed. It should have been put in when the surface was relaid at the end of 2006, but Parks Victoria apparently didn't think it was worth it with the possibility of Athletics Victoria moving in. And then half way through last season it bucketed down during one week, and the water didn't drain away. Anyway, the surface is looking pretty good now, and the drain lines should have a decent covering of grass by Sunday week, the date of our first home game against Coburg United.

Pumpkin Seed Eaters and format changes

You may have noticed some minor changes in formatting recently. Or not. Nevertheless these should be explained. There has been a counter installed at the bottom. This is mostly for me so I can see if people are visiting (apparently they are, which is good), and how many are returning. It is a little disappointing that you people seem to prefer Internet Explorer and Mozilla over the brilliant Opera browser, but whatever. There's also been a little blog bio and disclaimer put up. There's a couple of new blog adds as well, worth checking out. The number of articles on a page will also be increased.

But perhaps the most significant addition has been a link add for a new online radio show by and for self-styled traditional fans called the Pumpkin Seed Eaters (based on a comment which they attribute to Gary Cole, but I'm pretty sure was actually made by Melbourne Victory supremo 'Evil' Geoff Lord). Anyway, for less than 10mb, and at 42 odd minutes, it's pretty good, taking into account also that it is their first episode. There's an interview (at the cost of pizza) with Rockem Sockem Poutakidis and some Berger chump, and regular segments and whatnot. A warning though: it's not intended for people with weak hearts or those who love the A-League. It's a bit South-centric at the moment, but that's probably a good thing. In short, I enjoyed listening to it, and reckon it'll get better. The anti-semitism at the end wasn't really necessary though. And boys, there are plenty of frogs in Greece, trust me.

Family Day 2008 wrap up

This started off real slow, but by the end was in full swing. Kids were having a great time with the rides, face painting and such, but the highlight of course was the impromptu match with mixed teams of kids and senior players. In fact it was also very pleasing to see a whole bunch of the senior squad there, who were also more than happy to give their autographs to the littleuns, even coach Johnny A' who was asked somewhat stupidly by one pathological idiot to sign a couple of kids jerseys while clutching a half eaten souvlaki. Also good to see new recruit Shane Nunes bringing in the future missus and their toddler while I was on my way out. I welcomed them to the club in a real farkknuckle way, being of course the social inept person that I am, but it's the thought that counts.

I went there with the intention of buying a beanie, paying for the jersey night and potentially picking up my membership. When it turned out they didn't have any beanies, I decided instead to buy one of last year's jerseys at the insanely good price of $40, a saving of 30 bucks! I had a gander at the new season's top; frankly I thought they looked shit, and if you happen to think so too, getting one of last years seems like a good option. Then again, I'm hardly reknowned as a style icon, and they might be more up your alley. Alas, memberships were not available on the day to pick up, as the cards will apparently arrive tomorrow, but there's still plenty of time before the start of the season, and of course those magnificent balls are yet to arrive.

Away from the main action. there were a few interesting tidbits divulged as well by a well meaning but loose-lipped player. Recent departure Tansel Baser may not even make it on the park for his new club Coburg United, the osteitis pubis he suffered from during last year still giving him grief. A new keeper to replace the once prospective Neill Young has been found from somewhere in Sydney, first name Nick or something like that. Some players are carrying niggling injuries, but should be right for round 1.

I also had a blue and white gelato (a bit much at $4, when I can get them from Laverton Market for $3 and with more on top), the thematic significance of which was recognised by the same bright spark who after she recovers from whiplash and finding homes for players, will be creating a kick arse logo for this site, not that there's any pressure, because this blog's doing quite well without one, and we wouldn't want to rush the impending masterpiece. As my old man likes to say, "to kalo pragma argi na gini (the good thing takes a while to make)".

On Persistance

I swear this is almost certainly the last you'll hear from me on this issue, but it's interesting to note how 31 people, and mostly high, drunk or stupid people at that, can have such a huge impact on the top brass. I'm usually amonsgt the first to point out the lack of grass roots street cred in the A-League, but this link proves that if you try for long enough, and no matter how insipid your attempts may seem, you can make a difference. Even if it takes 3 years, the lesson is to hang in there kids.

http://www.petitiononline.com/mvfc2005/petition.html

Hellenic Cup 2008 Finals round up

Now I wasn't there, so don't shoot me if I've got any of this wrong.

Two junior sides and the women's team had finals yesterday. Our u13s won 9-0 against Oakleigh, while our u14s side lost to the same opposition 3-2. According to slightly more than semi-reliable 2nd hand information, our women's side apparently played quite well and kept up with last season's WVPL champion Heidelberg, improving significantly on the previous 7-0 loss to draw the final 0-0 and push the game to penalties where they alas lost 7-6 in the shootout. Nevertheless, there appears to be much hope for our ladies this year, and perhaps now something better than merely survival can and should be aimed for.

Tomorrow a wrap up of the wildly enjoyable Family Day, which is partly dependent on my receiving a couple of photos to help illustrate a couple of points.

One last bit of 2007 clearing out

At around about this time every year, people and pundits all over the place start making predictions they will never go back and have a look at. Most say it's all in good fun, but really it's just a dreadful waste of time. Therefore South of the Border will buck the trend and avoid making any list predictions for the coming season whatsoever. It's a hard habit to kick, and South of the Border stands in solidarity with all those who suffer from this disease. What I will do however is hand out way overdue awards for last season. Seeing as this blog did start last year, and the new season hasn't started yet and we're still catching up and all, it's totally allowed.

• Player of the year: Ricky Diaco. The bloke sadly lacked consistent support, but even then he showed he was a class above most of the year. His free kick against Oakleigh is already legendary, but his in-close work was a joy to watch, particularly his skinning of defenders on the byline.

• Youth player of the year: Mitchell Langerak. Young keeper, came in with an unsettled defence, and did a more than decent job. While he still has problems with low balls and coming off his line, his aerial work and his ability in marshaling the defence were very impressive.

• Goal of the year: Ramazan Tavsancioglu against Whittlesea Zebras. Yes we lost this one 3-2, but I cannot do enough justice to the brilliance that was Rama's goal, so I'll let George Kouroumalis' poetry do the rest:

South equalised moments later, with what can be described as a contender for goal of the season by Ramazan. He produced a strong defensive tackle, reclaimed possession of the ball and began to dash up the right hand touch line. After stepping past one defender and spinning past another, he hit a speculative and intentional 35 yard rocket towards the goal, with the ball swinging and dipping into the top right hand corner and over the fully-stretched Gerohristodoulou, sending the South fans into blue delirium.

• Best performance over a whole match: The home win against Oakleigh 5-2. The 2^nd half in particular was an absolute joy to watch. These two teams have turned it on repeatedly in recent times, but that game will be hard to top. Diaco's free kick was merely the cherry on top of a great contest. Sadly South never reached that level of play for the rest of the season.

• Best period of play during the season: The first 20 minutes or so against Heidelberg at home in round 1. Despite the goalkeeping fuck-ups, the team was that shit hot that even the most boring and relentless cynics proclaimed it as an excellent NSL-era standard. Perhaps if we'd won that game things would have gone differently.

• Best away game: Sunshine George Cross. It was rainy, windy, cold, slippery but the dedication of the fans that day (and the win of course) made it totally worth it.

• Best call on the terraces: After we re-took the lead against Oakleigh one wit said, "Hey Turnbull, you didn't even get to finish your smile". Concise, precise, and understated.

• Chant of the year: Colombo's chant at the game against Preston. The police were doing nothing to move the Preston fans from outside the perimeter fence, as they have the power to do so, much to the annoyance of the South faithful. Can't remember the exact way it went, something like "I thought we were major events, why are the skops behind the fence..." there was more to it, of course, but it had this ramshackle rhythm to it that was just off this planet.

Don't forget, Family Day on tomorrow. Jersey Presentation night on Friday. Round 1 away to the Bergers on Sunday week. All which of which hopefully mean the end for now of these time killing pieces.

Australia vs Qatar 3-0, shame I missed it

Firstly, here is my favourite picture of Socceroo training at Bob Jane Stadium. Why? Because it actually includes the smfc.com.au 'a-frame' that I helped move across so it would get into some media shots. Of course the media being fuckwit revisionist monkeys, you likely didn't see it on mainstream television stations. More photos on the South forum.


I also totally picked the wrong day to start throwing up every couple of hours. Pissed off that I missed this game, and of course the tv rights being the way they are, could only listen to it on the radio, and even then only the first half because I fell asleep due to exhaustion early during the second. Of course, we're not alone in this. The most important thing is we got off to a great start.

Please stop, that hurts

Quick post until my next undergraduate level 'serious' piece. The Futsalroos drew with Argentina 3-3 in their last group game (Nando scored again), before being hammered 7-0 by Brazil in the semi finals. Also getting caned 7-0 was the SMFC women's team by Heidelberg. Still, they've qualified for the final on Saturday, against Heidelberg once more. A couple of our junior teams have also reached their respective finals, so good luck to our under 13s, 14s and women's teams. A slightly tweaked version of my Tony Ising getting the arse piece is up on Das Libero, but not on the main articles page for some reason. Probably because it sucked, but who cares about Ising anyway? He's last week's news. Next piece will be likely be after the Socceroos-Qatar match, should be a ripper win, lose or draw.

Fernando kicking ass at KL 5s

Scored goals in all three Australian victories so far. Highlights below from the first game against Indonesia.

South Melbourne 0 Bentleigh Greens 1 - Hellenic Cup

Knocked out last night, with not quite a full squad, but disappointing nevertheless. Didn't catch this game, but this result was always on the cards based on Bentleigh's form, combined with not having a full squad. Expect more friendlies to come up now.