Soccer: Odds against Kingz' success do not worry Rufer

Body1: The odds might be stacked against the Football Kingz, but their coach, Wynton Rufer, is not too concerned as he prepares to take his side across the Tasman for tomorrow's Australian National Soccer League season opener against Sydney Olympic.

One bookmaker in Australia rates the Auckland-based side as only 11th-best among the 16 NSL clubs, at odds of 34-1, while a leading Sydney newspaper predicts a finish no better than 12th in their second season.

"I'm not too worried about predictions," said Rufer, who will play a coach-only role for the opening weeks of the new season as he continues to struggle with injury.

"The element of surprise is still there. But I suppose I'm still a bit nervous knowing what's awaiting us."

Rufer has had other concerns, too, with a last-minute scurry to ensure all players are cleared to play in the opening round.

He hopes those concerns will be behind them when the 15 players fly out.

"I believe we have a stronger squad than we had last year," Rufer said. "Sure, it has been frustrating that we have had so many injuries, but that is part of professional football.

"I would have liked to have had at least five more pre-season games because we are still experimenting in some positions. But again, that's football. You can never be entirely satisfied."

Asked if he was concerned at his team's inconsistency last season and their failure, until very late in the competition, to win two games in a row, Rufer said: "If you saw some of our lead-up matches, you would see we still have to sort things out defensively. It has been a nightmare at times.

"It was our biggest problem last season and the way things have been going, we may again look at making changes.

"We have a couple of options - some involving the Australians Levent Osman and Michael Cartwright, and some which don't. It is all part of the early-season experimenting," Rufer said.

"If Che Bunce was fit and ready to play we might look at playing four at the back. Again, that is something we have to keep in mind."

There is a mood of guarded optimism among the steadily growing band of Kingz fans who will be looking for a winning start tomorrow ahead of two home games at their new Ericsson Stadium headquarters on successive Friday nights.

The return of Aaran Lines after only a few minutes in his debut season promises plenty.

Highly rated in Australia, Lines is seen by many as a genuine game-breaker. His combination with frontrunners Paul Urlovic, Tim Stevens or Aaron Silva could play a vital role in their top-six bid and a place in the playoffs.

After tomorrow's opener against Sydney Olympic, the Kingz play the Eastern Pride and Newcastle Breakers. None are rated strong top-six chances and will give the Kingz a second-to-none opportunity to give their season a solid kick-start.

Their first real test might not come until their sixth game, away to last season's beaten finalists, Perth Glory.



The Kingz squad, with the players' ages and, for the new players, their previous clubs in brackets:

Goalkeepers: Julio Cuello (22, Estudiantes, Argentina), Chris Marsh (22, Dunedin Technical).

Defenders: Che Bunce (25), Levent Osman (23), Gerard Davis (23), Lee Jones (25), Michael Cartwright (21, Adelaide Force, Australia), Riki Van Steeden (23).

Midfield: Aaran Lines (23), Jonathan Perry (23), Chris Jackson (30), Andy Bluhm (26, FC Ausburg, Germany), Harry Ngata (29, captain), Jeff Campbell (21), Noah Hickey (22), Ivan Vicelich (24), Leigh Kenyon (21).

Strikers: Wynton Rufer (37), Paul Urlovic (21, Melbourne Knights, Australia), Dennis Ibrahim (25, Germany), Aaron Silva (25), Tim Stevens (27, Waitakere City).