Category: News

Thursday, 21 February 2008 4:23 PM

By John Kyrou & George Kouroumalis

In what promises to be a mouth watering clash on Sunday, South Melbourne plays host to Foxtel Cup newcomers Coburg United, who will make their first appearance at Bob Jane Stadium as a Premier League outfit.

Following a narrow and somewhat unlucky 2-1 derby defeat last weekend against Heidelberg, South will be looking forward to playing on the newly constructed home pitch at Bob Jane Stadium, with the hope that it can produce an attacking and match winning brand of football.

Coach John Anastasiadis will be reluctant to make any significant structural changes to the line-up, with the defensive unit most likely remaining the same as last week.

This includes veteran Dean Anastasiadis in between the sticks once again, with his back four consisting of central defenders Shane Nunes and Steven O’Dor, whilst Rama Tavsancioglu and Adam Van Dommele will be asked to fill the right and left hand defensive positions once again.

The midfield will be an interesting area that the coach may tinker with slightly, in an attempt to try and combat the experience of Coburg in the middle of the park. In the Heidelberg game the experienced and committed Sam Poutakidis was asked to play in the defensive midfield role, a position that he occupied throughout the pre-season.

Assisting Poutakidis in the middle will be Fernando, who struggled against Heidelberg due to a limited pre-season because of Futsal commitments with the Australian national team.

The other midfield positions are seemingly open to a number of candidates, with the possibility of the coach going with the same duo who played against Heidelberg in Goran Zoric and Gianni De Nittis. Zoric impressed all with his pace and awareness in and around the attacking area, with the diminutive midfielder scoring on his South Melbourne debut. De Nittis, if selected, will make his 50th appearance for the blue and whites on Sunday.

Other players knocking on the door for midfield positions will be Bill Natsioulas, Hamlet Armenian and Yusuf Yusuf. All three came onto the field last week with mixed results, but all have proven themselves to be more than capable midfielders in the Victorian Premier League and can all determine the result of a game off their own boot.

In the attacking third, South will expect the previously mentioned midfielders to continue to be prominent when pushing forward and to actively assist the experienced front duo, Nathan Caldwell and Ricky Diaco, who will be crying out for quality service to come in their direction.

Coburg will not be an easy opponent for the boys from lakeside, with the newcomers comfortably pushing aside Western Suburbs 3-0 in a lop-sided round 1 contest last week.

South fans will be all too familiar with certain members of the Coburg side and in particular the threat that each one possesses. These included former South Melbourne NSL players Andy Vlahos and Anthony Magnacca, who both are expected to play integral parts in the midfield and attacking area, in an attempt to try and upset South at home.

Former South Melbourne captain and veteran Tansel Baser will not be making his debut for the Coburg side, with the defender still plagued with a groin injury that ruined most of his 2007 season with South.

With such a promising encounter on the horizon, South encourages everyone to attend in order to get that last dose of “Summer Football by the Lake” before the colder temperatures start to creep in.

Memberships and merchandise will also be on sale, as well as pre-purchased items being available for collection before and after kick-off.

Wednesday, 20 February 2008 8:28 PM

By George Kouroumalis

South Melbourne has started the 2008 season in an unlucky fashion, narrowly losing to arch rival Heidelberg United in a spirited derby match at Olympic Village on Sunday.

South started the game with a new look defensive duo, with Shane Nunes and Steven O’dor asked to perform central defensive duties, an area which last year posed a large problem for the side from lakeside.
Joining the two in defence was Adam Van Dommele and Ramazan, who patrolled the left and right hand side of defence respectively.

In the middle Sam Poutakidis was given the role as the holding midfielder, with Fernando, Goran Zoric and Gianni De Nittis expected to also provide some bite in the middle third and get forward as much as possible to assist the strikers.

Up front South relied on Nathan Caldwell and Ricky Diaco, who were looking to impress after both coming off a quite good 2007 season in front of goals.

The game started off in quite a timid manner, with both sides reluctant to venture too far forward in the early stages, rather being more than happy to knock the ball around without any forward movement.

The first genuine chance of the contest came in the 15th minute, when a well constructed move saw the ball find its way to the feet of Vassiliadis just outside the area.
After taking a touch, Vassiliadis sliced the ball wide and over the intended target.

South then pressed forward in the 20th minute, when a sublime through ball by Nathan Caldwell released youngster and South new-boy Goran Zoric into acres of space.
Zoric, after running into the area, then hit a low drive onto the target, only for new Heidelberg keeper Mark Sutalo to save the shot.
From the rebound, Zoric was quite to pounce and buried home the gift handed to him.

With South in command following the goal, they could immediately sense that perhaps a second goal was immanent.
An attacking foray forward in the 22nd minute, saw a confident Zoric breeze past Liparoti and shoot at goal almost immediately.
Unfortunately for the fast winger, the ball flew past the outside of the post and away for a goal kick.

With the Warriors aware of South’s capabilities in the forward half, the home side decided to push forward themselves and came close in the 31st minute, when a Vassiliadis cross was headed inches over the bar by Mark Tsiorlas.

The Warriors though were on equal terms four minutes later, when a lovely ball found Graham Hockless in space, with the stagnant South defence shouting for an offside call to be made.
With no defender around him, Hockless composed himself and drilled the ball past Dean Anastasiadis to send the small home contingent into raptures.

Heidelberg were starting to dominate the midfield area and Vassiliadis once again proved dangerous in the 43rd minute, after a superb run by Liparoti culminated in the former South Melbourne defender playing the ball to that man Vassiliadis outside the area.
From an acute angle, the former Whittlesea midfielder hit the drive into the arms of the waiting Anastasiadis.

The final chance of the opening half saw a free kick given to South Melbourne outside the area after what seemed to be a professional foul as the last defender on Fernando was adjudged to only be a foul with a yellow card also be brandished, and not the red that most at the ground expected.
Ricky Diaco stepped up and hit a curling and well struck free kick onto the target, only for Sutalo to make a great save to his right hand side, forcing the ball for a corner.

With both sides keen to get a result, the second half started off with yet another chance falling to Vassiliadis, who hit his free kick from 18 yards directly into the arms of Anastasiadis, who once again thwarted the Heidelberg veteran.

The 58th minute then saw South miss the chance of the game.

In what left the strong traveling faithful in disbelief, a superb bit of wing play by Zoric, saw the youngster skip past a host of defenders and provide an inch perfect pass directly onto the head of Nathan Caldwell.
With only Sutalo to beat, Caldwell barely made contact on the header, with the ball rolling out for a harmless goal kick.

With the warm conditions seemingly slowing the tempo of the match right down, the next major opportunity of the game fell in the 80th minute, when Yusuf Yusuf played young Zoric into space once again.
Unfortunately for the diminutive midfielder, his final shot then let him down, blasting the opportunity inches wide from only 5 yards away.

With Heidelberg sensing that the opportunity to take the points was still well and truly available to them, a strong move forward in the 84th minute almost snapped gifted the points to the home side.

On this occasion, the man-of-the-match Eric Vasiliadis found himself in space on the right hand side, before darting past Van Dommele and hitting a wicked shot onto the target.
The ball, which was saved spectacularly by Anastasiadis in goal, then fell directly into the path of the waiting Tsiorlas on the penalty spot.
In what was a great bit of goalkeeping, Anastasiadis regained his position and saved the point blank chance by Tsiorlas to keep his side in the contest.

The game however was decided in the 89th minute after a mix-up in the South defence allowed for Daniel Jones to claim possession just outside the area.
With all the defenders out of position due to the mix-up, Jones slotted the ball past Anastasiadis and into the open net, to giving his side a sensational derby victory.

A disappointed South side must now re-group as it faces Coburg United in an eagerly anticipated clash on Sunday.

All fans are encouraged to get along and support the side, as well as to purchase and collect a membership for the 2008 season.

Friday, 15 February 2008 2:47 PM

By George Kouroumalis and John Kyrou

After the disappointment of missing the finals in 2007, the South Melbourne Football Club are adamant that season 2008 will be a competitive season, which will hopefully see the club back in finals action and pushing for another VPL championship, to satisfy its large supporter base.

South has retained coach John Anastasiadis for the upcoming season, with the former PAOK and South star signing a 1 year contract extension. This coming season will be Anastasiadis’ fourth consecutive season in charge at Bob Jane Stadium. With all things going well, the round 16 fixture at Western Suburbs will be Anastasiadis’ 100th game in charge for the mighty blue and whites, a feat that only Manny Poulakakis, John Margaritis and Ange Postecoglou have managed to achieve in the past.

In what was a problem area for the club in 2007, the goalkeeping position will be filled in 2008 by the experienced Dean Anastasiads, after Mitchell Langerak’s loan deal from the Melbourne Victory expired. A former NSL championship winner and dual VPL keeper of the year in 2005 and 2006, Anastasiadis has recovered from knee surgery and has once again put his hand up to be the number one keeper at lakeside. ‘Deano’ as he is affectionately known, will be entering his 9th season with South Melbourne, having begun at the club back in the 1992/93 NSL season.

Anastasiadis will have youngsters Mladen Tosic and Nick Jelic as his back-up, with the inexperienced young goalkeepers impressing during the numerous friendlies played across the summer break.

Defensively, South has made a concerted effort during the off-season to bolster a defensive unit that struggled in 2007. Rejoining the club are former players Steven O’Dor and Sam Poutakidis, who will undoubtedly provide experience to a defence that leaked 33 goals last season. Also joining will be Shane Nunes from Western Australia, who is regarded as the best central defender in the Western Australian Premier League. Combining with Ramazan Tavcancioglou and Adam Van Dommelle, these three signings will be a part of what is considered to be a super defensive unit.

In midfield the club will once again rely on Fernando De Moraes and Gianni De Nittis, whilst also having the likes of Bill Natsioulas and Yusuf Yusuf being able to slot into the wing positions comfortably. With the loss of Tansel Baser to Coburg and Trent Waterson to Oakleigh, the midfield quartet will be expected to – and must – step up to ensure South sees finals action. New signings Hamlet Armenian and Goran Zoric will also be expected to use their speed, endurance and work ethic down the left and right hand flanks. South has done extremely well to acquire these two attacking players, as they both played integral parts in the Victorian State Squad of 2007 and for their old clubs Whittlesea Zebras and Springvale White Eagles respectively.

Up front, South will rely on the services of Nathan Caldwell and Ricky Diaco. Both players have a proven goalscoring record in the Foxtel Cup and both have the ablity to torment defences on their day. If the midfielders can combine well with the forwards then South fans can look forward to some exciting attacking football.

John Anastasiadis was quite optimistic about the upcoming season, with the South great claiming that “we have all the players in place now and we really need to be switched on from round 1 and get points on the board early. I feel as though we have a great blend of experience and youth and can match it with any team in the competition, so fingers crossed we can play to our potential and give the league a shake this year.”

South opens the season away to arch rivals Heidelberg in Round 1, with their first home game being against Coburg at Bob Jane Stadium in round 2.

Arrivals
Sam Poutakidis – Oakleigh Cannons
Shane Nunes – Cockburn City (WA)
Nick Jelic – NSW
Steve O’Dor – Wellington Phoenix
Goran Zoric – Springvale White Eagles
Hamlet Armenian – Whittlesea Zebras

Departures
Arthur Tsonis
Sam DeVito
Trent Waterson
Tansel Baser
Frank Drakopoulos
Mitchell Langerak

Tuesday, 12 February 2008 11:55 AM

A jovial and excited crowd flocked into Bob Jane Stadium on Sunday for the SMFC Family Day for season 2008.

With the new big name signings in attendance, fans both young and old were given the chance to meet with their heroes for a chat, kick around and a good old fashioned autograph on their favourite piece of memorabilia.

Proving popular with the kids were reigning MVP Ricky Diaco and the man commonly known as “Rama”, who were completely surrounded by the fans at every opportunity.

Apart from meeting the fans, the kids who attended the day were kept occupied by various football related activities on the park, some of which enabled them to play against some of the SMFC stars themselves.
The children (and some adults alike) were also kept quite occupied by the numerous non-football related activities at the club, including various rides, face painting and the opportunity to get a close-up look at a Melbourne Fire Brigade fire truck.

South Melbourne FC could not think of a better way to bring in the 2008 Foxtel Cup season and urge all supporters to purchase a membership for the upcoming season, with every cent spent helping the club immensely.

Wednesday, 6 February 2008 3:33 PM

South Melbourne will have three participants in the Hellenic Cup “Grand Finals” on the weekend.

With the senior team bowing out 0-1 against Bentleigh last week, South will have its senior stocks represented by the womens team, who will take on old foe Heidelberg United.

South and Heidelberg were by far the two strongest sides during the preliminary round, finishing in the top two positions.

The only loss that South did have was to the hands of the Warriors one week ago in what was shown to be a one sided game.

However the girls are keen to make up for the loss and are committed to surprising the tournament favourite.

South will also have the Under 13 and Under 14 Junior sides playing off in Grand Finals on the same day. Both junior sides will play against the Oakleigh Cannons in yet another derby clash.

The South Melbourne Football Club would like to congratulate all teams for making their respective finals and urges the entire South Melbourne faithful to come along and support the teams as they pursue Cup glory.

Match details are as follows:

Date : Saturday 9 February 2008
Venue : Olympic Village, Heidelberg

10.00am Juniors Under 13
South Melbourne Vs Oakleigh Cannons

11.45 am Juniors Under 14
South Melbourne Vs Oakleigh Cannons

5.00pm Ladies
Heidelberg United Vs. South Melbourne

Wednesday, 30 January 2008 10:33 AM

By George Kouroumalis

South Melbourne has a booked a Thursday night quarter final clash with Bentleigh Greens after easily progressing through the group stages of the pre-season Hellenic Cup tournament.

After defeating Port Melbourne last week, South had to contend with the two Springvale teams on the weekend, having to play games both on Saturday and Sunday.

The first game was the more crucial of the two, with a win assuring that South would progress after other results had fallen the clubs way.

In what seemed to be a lop-sided contest on paper, South Springvale came out quite determined and tested South in parts of the game.

However in the end, the experience and quality of the South side prevailed with experienced striker Nathan Caldwell scoring a double to ensure that the boys from lakeside would take the 3 points.

Impressing in the hitout was Sam Poutakidis in a holding midfield role, as well as new recruits Hamlet Armenian and Goran Zoric who gave the club some bite in the forward half with their pace and attacking attitude.

The second game of the weekend saw a primarily u/21 South side taken on amateur outfit South Springvale Serres.

In a game which essentially was a dead rubber due to already qualifying for the next stage, South opted to only play three senior players, with Bill Natsioulas, Miladen Tosic and new recruit Antonio La Verde required to suit up for the boys in blue.

With Springvale playing 10 behind the ball at all times, the game was destined to be a one sided, frustrating match, with South acquiring the bulk of possession in their attacking half.

In the end South ran out 2-0 winners in what turned out to be a spicy game, with the Springvale side giving everything to try and stop SMFC from overpowering them.

With South maintaining a perfect record throughout the tournament, they now must face Bentleigh Greens in the quarter finals on Thursday at the Grange Reserve in Clayton, with kickoff being at 7.45pm.

All fans are encouraged to come along and support the boys as they continue preparing for their opening round match of the Foxtel Cup against Heidelberg United.

Tuesday, 29 January 2008 6:21 PM

By Paul Mavroudis and John Kyrou

If you have ventured out for a midweek session at the Hellenic Cup out at Kingston City’s The Grange Reserve recently, you may have noticed some familiar faces kicking the football around in the Veterans competition for an outfit called Panserraikos. Those familiar faces are none other than former South Melbourne legends Ulysses Kokkinos and Jim Pyrgolios, who are still kicking around on Victorian soccer fields some 30-odd years after their proper playing days.

Currently, some South fans are attempting to put together a website dedicated to collecting and presenting information dealing with as many players, coaches, games, and ephemeral information as possible . As part of the process of clearing up the names, positions, and even existences of some players (primarily from the 1960s), a visit was made to Spyro’s Souvlaki in Oakleigh before South’s Hellenic Cup match against South Springvale, which was convincingly won 2-0.

Although a humble souvlaki restaurant, upon entering one could not help but notice a South Melbourne FC vase, as well as seeing the walls filled with framed articles and pictures of an era long gone, with the jewel in the crown being a copy of the South Melbourne FC Team of the Century painting.

After a delicious meal, Jim invited us out to the back porch, where we sat under the thundery skies and went through old players and photographs, in an attempt to preserve as much of our great club’s history as possible. Appropriately, there was a football lying right near him! Jim’s memory was magnificent. Forty years on, after numerous championships as a player with South, and coaching stints as disparate as a minor premiership in NSL season 1992/93 and coaching Floreat Athena to a league and cup double, he remembered the first names and club origins of so many players, as well as their positions on the field and the clubs from which they came before joining South.

As he was handed picture after picture to help to identify players, officials and grounds of yore, the most frequent comment was “kati omada” (what a team!), and who would be game enough to argue! Going back inside (he was meant to be working after all!), he pulled out one scrapbook and one photo album from behind the counter. Inside were well preserved photos similar to the ones that had been brought to him, as well as dozens of articles, including one which reported on him winning the 1971 Bill Fleming Medal. The standout item was a rare early photo from the 1960s, with the team clad in the club’s original strip, with the photo in full colour.

Throughout our time with Jim, one thing stood out. Here was an individual who had played for a top club in the top flight in Greece, at Panathinaikos no less; was a legendary striker in the glory days of 1960s and 70s Victorian soccer; who had been assistant coach under no less than world footballing legend Ferenc Puskas, and yet his humility and generosity was pervasive. It was thoroughly humbling to be in his presence, and we were incredibly appreciative of the time Jim took out to help us out with our research. In another country, and perhaps another era, Pyrgolios would be feted as the legend that he is.

Spyro’s Souvlaki is located near the corner of North and Warrigal roads in Oakleigh. It is well worth dropping in to catch up with a former South Melbourne great. If you are lucky, you may also be able to see that vintage full colour 1960s team photo.

Jim Pyrgolios’ Record with South

As a Player:
Position: Winger
Seasons: 10 (1963-1972)

Honours:
* 4 VSL championships (1964, 1965, 1966 & 1972)
* 2 AMPOL Cups (1969 & 1970)
* 1971 Bill Fleming Medal winner (the media’s player of the year)
* Equal leading goal scorer for South in 1968, along with Frank Micic (8 each)

As a Coach:
Seasons: 3 (1973, 1992/93 & 1993/94)
Games Coached: 58 in the National Soccer League

Honours:
* NSL Minor Premiership 1992/93
* NSL Coach of the Year 1992/93

Tuesday, 29 January 2008 6:13 PM

South Melbourne is thrilled to announce the signing of experienced defender Steven O’Dor for the 2008 Foxtel Cup season.

In what is exciting news for the SMFC, Steven returns to Melbourne following a self-imposed decision to attempt to combine his University studies with playing football in his home town.

Steven is a highly credentialed footballer, representing his country on numerous occasions with the Qantas Under 23 squad and the Qantas Young Socceroos, as well as spending time throughout his junior career with the Australian Institute of Sport.

A former member of the SMFC senior squad that captured the 2006 Victorian Premier League crown, O’Dor will bring a hard working, durable and committed attitude to the side. He is considered by many football experts in Victoria as one of the best defenders that this state can offer.

We wish Steven all the best for the upcoming year and cannot wait to see him representing the famous Lakeside club again in 2008.

Monday, 28 January 2008 5:06 PM

South Melbourne FC is pleased to announce that the Qantas Socceroos will be using Bob Jane Stadium as their training base in the lead-up to February’s World Cup 2010 qualifier against Qatar.

Bob Jane Stadium has undergone extensive ground works over the past year and can now boast to be amongst the best playing surfaces in Victoria.

South Melbourne club Secretary and Venue director George Koukoulas, was upbeat about the Socceroos presence and continued venue use:

“It will be fantastic to have the Socceroos at BJS.

The club will be doing everything it can to assist Pim Verbeek and our boys to properly prepare them for Qatar and any future Socceroo games.

SMFC members and sponsors should take great pride knowing that their contribution and support aids in ensuring that a facility like BJS is properly utilized, not only for local football requirements but also national teams and other sporting codes”

South Melbourne has played a significant role in the development of many Socceroos over the past 50 years.

The club is excited that it can further continue to play a role in assisting the national team, both on and off the field.

At the present time, the FFA have indicated that the sessions will be conducted behind closed doors, however it is recommended to check www.smfc.com.au and the FFA website for any changes, should they occur.

Thursday, 24 January 2008 11:13 AM

South Melbourne would like to congratulate Fernando De Moraes for being selected for the Australian Futsal side, the “Futsalroos”.

He will compete as part of the Australian National Team in the KL World 5’s tournament next week in Malaysia and face countries such as Argentina, England, Malaysia and Indonesia in the opening stages of the tournament.

Fernando has become a fan favourite at Bob Jane Stadium since joining the club in 2005, winning the Best and Fairest for the club in a stellar 2006 season, as well as claiming a best on ground performance in the 2006 Grand Final win against Altona.

We wish Fernando all the best for the upcoming tournament and hope he does his club and country proud on the world stage knowing that the entire South Melbourne family is supporting him.