Soccer: The 'new' Fallon is firmly in charge

By TERRY MADDAFORD

Kevin Fallon does not attempt to hide his past, dismissing the black marks on his resume as "flashpoints".

But, he admits, mud does stick.

"It is a different me," Fallon says. "I'm more relaxed, more polite these days.

"People do, and have to, change."

But some things with Fallon will never change.

No one is a keener student of the game than the 52-year-old who turned his back on his native England almost 30 years ago.

His curriculum vitae is now very much, "been there, done that."

Being handed the top job at the Football Kingz is the plum for someone who has already taken a team to the World Cup, coached the All Whites, worked for Fifa, won a Chatham Cup and the national league, and led the soccer renaissance at one of the country's biggest schools.

Along the way, Fallon, who left Maltby Grammar School in south Yorkshire as a none-too-bright 15-year-old to sign apprentice forms with Rotherham United, has been to university and completed half the papers he needs for a bachelor of arts in education and English literature.

He still keeps day-to-day diaries and writes a letter home to his father every week.

"There are 27 years of New Zealand soccer history in those letters," Fallon says. "I must call him and tell him of my job with the Kingz. He will be proud."

Fallon was the lists and statistics man in John Adshead's 1982 World Cup campaign. That has not changed - except these days he is doing it for himself.

He is, if nothing else, organised.

"I'm now computer literate," Fallon says with a degree of pride. "But the pad is still there."

He is also keen to make full use of video analysis.

"I like to work to a programme. This is a privileged position. But I don't consider I have to prove myself to anyone. A coach has to prove himself to himself every day. I put demands on myself.

"I go to work every day and feel I have made some ground in everything I do."

He expects nothing less from his players.

"All I can ask is that they roll up their sleeves and do the best for me they can," he says.

"If they listen and learn we might all improve. I want them to enjoy what they are doing.

"Things have changed. Sports science, as an example, is something different. Don't knock it.

"The Kingz need someone - me - to pull it all together. It is a case of observe, expose and replace - if necessary.

"Going into the first training session on Thursday morning, I was the only stranger. It is now up to me to pick the right team, put them in the right places, then give them the tactical expertise to make it work.

"The Kingz crowd are very knowledgeable. They know what they want - and deserve to get it."

Fallon will not hesitate to pull something from left field if he considers it a gamble worth taking.

He might, as an example, promote 18-year-old Lance Eeson into the squad for next Friday's NSL game in Melbourne if he is convinced such a move might pay dividends.

Fallon is no stranger to the wild and whacky - on and off the field.

In 1981, against the advice of former national director of coaching Allan Jones, Adshead and Fallon called Wynton Rufer into the All Whites.

"I first saw Wynton when he was playing for Diamonds against Gisborne City," Fallon says.

"He skipped past John Hill. I had him in my sights but he shot past, looked up and, from 40m, chipped [goalkeeper] Don Finlayson.

"I had no doubt he could play."

But Jones, who had taken the New Zealand under-20 team to South America, told Adshead and Fallon: "The kid can't play. There are better players around."

Going with their instincts, they called Rufer in.

He scored against Kuwait and Saudi Arabia and then, with one of New Zealand soccer's greatest goals, sent the All Whites on their way to Spain with the 2-1 win over China in Singapore.

Off the field, Fallon has had his problems, including well-publicised incidents at North Shore, Kawerau Town and places in between, a stint with Central among them, before he got booted out.

"They didn't like something I said on the radio," Fallon says.

A few years ago, at a game involving his Mt Albert Grammar team, he was hauled up for remarks made against one of the island nations.

"I told them to go back to the jungle and eat their bananas," Fallon says. "On reflection, I should not have said that. But they were kicking lumps out of my players."

These days, Fallon has mellowed. He knows what he wants, feels he has the players to achieve it and then, as they say, let the future take care of itself.