Official South Melbourne Hellas thread 🔵⚪

[Takaki]

Loza is a very good coach he got an Altona team last season who rocked up with only a handful of players to their first pre season training after everyone had walked out before he got there to sign pretty much a whole squad of nobodies to finish 8th last season. Also he has won the VPL twice. He’s taken some pretty tough jobs over recent times so will be good to see what he could do with additional resources.

Obviously, the 3 top candidates should be JA, Tolios and Piddick but they aren’t realistic this far into a season unfortunately.

Loza would be the best option out of all the names that have come out over the past few days and I’d be most confident to stay up with Loza as coach. Also Maikousis said in the Greek Herald article today that they’re looking for a long term coach

Piddick is a control freak, wants imput in every age group within the club and caused friction with other coaches at Port trying to dictate lineups, etc with junior teams. Not to mention he can't keep his hands off other committee members ... Sad for the families involved of course but what a story it was, fell off my seat when it came out. South will never appoint him for that matter alone.

My people tell me it's Fausto, but the committee isn't united on who to appoint so who knows. Since Esteban has taken the knife for them, when we they be voted out and ousted. South don't even want to spend north of 100k for a coaching group yet oakleigh pay their senior coaching group 200k. That is why a JA or Tolios won't be coming.

 

[Hellenic_blue&white]

I agree on Piddick, he isnt the solution for us, if anything i think its a lateral step!

 

[southmelb]

I'd be curious to know what the budget for the womens team is this year, they signed about 15 players. I know its not cheap but i wonder what the ballpark figure is.

I trully believe we will get relegated with Fausto and it wont be his fault.

 

[smfc_hellas59]

Piddick’s off field antics are very questionable and he wants power over everything such as being technical director of juniors which he wouldn’t get at South so it’s unrealistic even though he is a gun coach.

I would love Ben Cahn currently coaching in the 5th tier in Japan. He would be perfect for the Aus Championship but will be tough for him to implement his style with this squad and we’ll probably end up getting relegated unless he gets his own players in

 

[Hellenic_blue&white]

Im still not sold that this squad is for relegation .... Im adamant the right coach can play to their strengths and get them into shape even now, and with the right additions in key areas (ST & CM), we could still run over most teams in the league.

 

[southmelb]

Issue is the players confidence is now shot. Only so much a new coach can do with a group of players who've been taught to play a disgusting cynical brand of football where the aim is to just boot it long and play for throw ins.

We have enough quality to be mid table but i hope the last 2 months hasnt destroyed us because we genuinely look like the worst team in the league now.

Due to our precarious position i think the new coach needs to be highly experienced. Experimenting with Fausto now is playing with fire.

As for the upcoming game, with no coaching credentials i'll be surprised if Minopoulos/Holmes can get the team through this cup game.

 

[Monoethnic Social Club]

Im still not sold that this squad is for relegation .... Im adamant the right coach can play to their strengths and get them into shape even now, and with the right additions in key areas (ST & CM), we could still run over most teams in the league.

I very much agree... Not sure about post season comps and whatever longt temr strategy but for THIS NPL season, we need a steadying hand, squad is easily mid table and to be honest even top 6, just need to get a decent plan together, the players WILL come around, the quality is still there...

 

[Monoethnic Social Club]

Issue is the players confidence is now shot. Only so much a new coach can do with a group of players who've been taught to play a disgusting cynical brand of football where the aim is to just boot it long and play for throw ins.

We have enough quality to be mid table but i hope the last 2 months hasnt destroyed us because we genuinely look like the worst team in the league now.

Due to our precarious position i think the new coach needs to be highly experienced. Experimenting with Fausto now is playing with fire.

As for the upcoming game, with no coaching credentials i'll be surprised if Minopoulos/Holmes can get the team through this cup game.

Agree that the confidence is shot but the band aid has been ripped off now ..... we have one of the strongest backlines in the league, provided Marshal, Marko and Lampard stay injury free and a goalkeeper worth his weight in gold.... A savvy coach can make rotations work between Cooper, Archibald, Inglese and Pope ... just need to find a route to goal ...... Mells, Bonada, Andy, Mikkola, Leech .... other teams would kill for one of them....

Yeas I agree our recruitment has been sub par but a new manager isnt working with donkeys either.... lets see what Saturday brings. Not expecting much from 'Burt and Ernie" but could be an Easter miracle

 

[Monoethnic Social Club]

Mate seruously? Who gives a shit, they are nth maco with signed paperwork from grk politicos to back it up, its not smfc problem to sort that clusterfuck out , and all those sensitive armchair patriots that may have an issue with this appointment if it goes ahead, but didnt do anything about the slav maco issue at its height have no right to complain now!... ..
If he can bring what we need and crave, why shouldtwe care about anything else? He was good enough to play for us, successfully may i add, and i dont recall him ever stooping to the antics of the markobski types, which suggest a level of professionalism that should be a want for us in all departments to take the next steps.

Id be happy with Loza if we go that way... Better than an "Ellinara" souvaltzidiko or cake shop owner any day of the week....

 

[Monoethnic Social Club]

The old girl looks good in the late afternoon sun ..... Yesterday, around 4pm

 

[Kevin Keegan71]

Due to our precarious position i think the new coach needs to be highly experienced. Experimenting with Fausto now is playing with fire.

Do you really think this team is relegation fodder? You have a great backline, fantastic GK the midfield needs re-jigging a bit, need a good no 10, get Max on the wing where he can do damage (not just for throw ins) add another winger and a forward who can score goals doesnt have to be 7ft tall ffs you are not a bad team at all you are just out of ideas and the style of play has run its course it might just need a coach like Fausto to knit it all together with 2 or 3 additions - I am not of the opinion you need "big names" to do this but you do need good players that will work hard and a decent playmaker - I honestly think you will make finals

 

[southmelb]

The transfer window is ages away. Finals? After South lose the next 3..and they will, the team will be around 12 points outside the top 6.

 

[Monoethnic Social Club]

Do you really think this team is relegation fodder? You have a great backline, fantastic GK the midfield needs re-jigging a bit, need a good no 10, get Max on the wing where he can do damage (not just for throw ins) add another winger and a forward who can score goals doesnt have to be 7ft tall ffs you are not a bad team at all you are just out of ideas and the style of play has run its course it might just need a coach like Fausto to knit it all together with 2 or 3 additions - I am not of the opinion you need "big names" to do this but you do need good players that will work hard and a decent playmaker - I honestly think you will make finals

I agree, I dont think its that much outside our capabilities.... The next month is going be dicey though.

 

[Monoethnic Social Club]

The transfer window is ages away. Finals? After South lose the next 3..and they will, the team will be around 12 points outside the top 6.

and yet, 2 wins sees us back in the top 6 ....

 

[smfc_hellas59]

In the window we’ll need to bring in 5 quality players to be competitive in the Aus Championship. 3 midfielders including a gun attacking midfielder, 1 striker and winger. The defence will be fine once we strengthen the other areas which will take the pressure off that part of the pitch. The problem is the window dosen’t open until round 20 so these signings will only have 6 games to make an impact in the NPL which isn’t a lot of time, hopefully we are well clear of relegation by then but at the moment it isn’t looking good

 

[southmelb]

and yet, 2 wins sees us back in the top 6 ....

Its the fixturing. We arent beating Avondale and Oakleigh. We will almost certain be bottom 2 in a few weeks.

How we go from Port Melbourne onwards will be the test.

 

[Monoethnic Social Club]

Its the fixturing. We arent beating Avondale and Oakleigh. We will almost certain be bottom 2 in a few weeks.

How we go from Port Melbourne onwards will be the test.

I AM looking forward to Tyson and Minopoulos coaching AGAINST CT ... this league never fails to deliver the laughs...

 

[SMFC1959]

I’m hoping the win today at Eastern Lions provides a circuit breaker from the Esteban days and injects some small bit of positivity in the change rooms. Granted we defeated a very weak opponent, but a win was needed to halt the terrible results.

 

[Monoethnic Social Club]

I’m hoping the win today at Eastern Lions provides a circuit breaker from the Esteban days and injects some small bit of positivity in the change rooms. Granted we defeated a very weak opponent, but a win was needed to halt the terrible results.

I was home sick as a dog and could only find the highlights well after the match but seems like it was comfrotable.. Rob with an easy brace and Andys goal was a one of those rare "gifts" that go our way sometimes because having competent reffs and ARs seems to be beyond Football VIC. Who would have thought that having Mells play as a #10 would create so many overlaps on the wing?

Big test is on Friday against Gully... lets see what happens.

 

[Hellenic_blue&white]

A good pressure valve releasing win, which is exactly what we needed at this point..

"Who would have thought that having Mells play as a #10 would create so many overlaps on the wing?"
***Casing point of what i/we argued all season, he like many, was being wasted in that previous gameplay. It helped those of us that continually stated that the talent and skill was, there, it just wasnt utilized properly..

Now all focus is on the coach to put everything in place.