Call for New Zealand Knights name change

The boss of soccer wants the Knights to drop "New Zealand" from their name before they drag down the sport in this country any further.

New Zealand Soccer chief executive Graham Seatter has started another round of verbal jousting with the beleaguered franchise after continuing on-field failures.

"For us it's galling because we have done a lot of work this year to build the profile of the All Whites as a national team," Seatter told the Herald on Sunday.

After years in the doldrums, the All Whites clambered towards respectability this year demonstrated by a series of high-profile fixtures, most notably a match against defending world champions Brazil before the World Cup in Germany.

"While football people know we are a distinct entity from the Knights, other people don't know and there is a perception that football isn't in a good way here because of the Knights. I think to avoid confusion, it would be far better for the team to be called the Auckland Knights."

If they were married, the counsellors would have been brought in some time ago. They don't communicate, they snipe at each other, talk behind each other's back and generally mistrust the other.

There can't be a divorce, however. The marriage between the New Zealand Knights and New Zealand Soccer (NZS) simply has to work because the Knights' future in the A-League depends on it.

The union hit another speed bump last week when NZS deputy chief executive Mike Kernaghan addressed about 30 club representatives in Christchurch the day after the Knights had been humiliated in a 5-0 hammering by Queensland.

"The Knights don't want to have a bar of us," he said. "They are pushing us away," he continued. The Knights are "well on the way to destroying" the positive image the All Whites had created this year, before rounding off that "they don't want a relationship with us and they don't want to use New Zealand players".

The ongoing internecine war again prompted suggestions across the Tasman that the Knights would be kicked out of the A-League at the end of the season despite being only two years into a five-year licence.

NZS boss Seatter has backed Kernaghan's comments, albeit in more diplomatic language.

At the crux of the matter is the perception the reputation of NZS is being dragged down by the Knights - often referred to by commentators in Australia as "New Zealand" - because of the team's poor performances on and off the park.

It's in the same way that the New Zealand Warriors and the New Zealand Breakers represent the health or otherwise of rugby league and basketball in this country, even though they could be top heavy with imports.

But there is a lot more to this issue than the name of the side. The two have been uneasy bedfellows dating back to the introduction of the Kingz into the Australian competition in 1999. Egos have been dented and noses put out of joint but the reality is each needs the other.

This was highlighted before the start of this season when Football Federation Australia (FFA) threatened to pull the plug on the Knights if NZS didn't give the club their backing. NZS had threatened to withdraw support but hastily changed their mind when presented with this proposition.

The national body wants a number changes - they supported the sacking of former CEO Steve O'Hara, want Anthony Lee replaced as chairman and hope an effective board is established (no one could remember when the last board meeting was).

"The club has been characterised by short-term decisions which have turned out to be poor decisions," Seatter said.

Arguably the biggest issue, however, is the lack of Kiwis in the squad and the impact this has on the development of local talent.

"We see it as a missed opportunity," Seatter continued. "We have always believed that the New Zealand public would be more supportive of a team that contained promising young New Zealanders and the Knights have always believed that the public would support a winning team and they are more likely to get a winning team with experienced pros. Time will tell which approach works."

This year only four Kiwis are in the squad of 20 when the club was pressured from both sides of the Tasman to add a more New Zealand flavour.

"We are really just an interested observer, a frustrated observer," Seatter said. "They carry an element of our future yet we are in their hands. It makes it really difficult."

It would be wrong to suggest NZS, who own a 5 per cent non-cash share of the Knights, are without fault. It could even be argued that they are being a little precious because, while the All Whites have been a lot more visible this year having played 11 games, they are still ranked 131 in the world, sandwiched in between St Vincent & the Grenadines and Chad. They have made progress under coach Ricki Herbert and there is a degree of expectation for the future but they are still a small fish in a vast ocean.

NZS were also reluctant to let Herbert assume a formal role with the club, fearful that his reputation would be sullied if the Knights failed.

It's understood Herbert is keen to be involved in a role such as director of football but discussions have barely got off the ground.

Acting Knights chief executive Bob Patterson has walked into a minefield in his three months in the job. He's tried to pick up the pieces left by his predecessor and he is yet to commit to taking the job permanently.

Patterson was hopeful of a healthier future with the national body. "It's improving," he said, not wanting to get dragged into a slanging match. As a former CEO of NZS, Patterson said he understands the importance of establishing a distinctly Kiwi club.

"We desperately want the New Zealand Knights to reflect New Zealand born and bred players," he said. "Desperately. But it isn't going to happen overnight because the quality of the players available to us doesn't measure up to A-League standards."

They did try to recruit All Whites such as Leo Bertos, Vaughan Coveny, Ivan Vicelich and Chris James but most were unprepared to join a club with so much baggage.

"There were some horrendous management decisions made in the past," Patterson continued. "A lot of the decisions were made on dreams rather than reality. But this is a new start for us.

"It's a bit of a holding year and a lot of what we are doing is planning for next year."

Ironically, Kernaghan's outburst might help bring the two organisations closer. Seatter and Patterson met this week and pieced together a memorandum of understanding that could lead to a formal relationship, while efforts are being stepped up again that could see Herbert become involved in on-field matters as well as things like identifying young Kiwi talent.

Contrary to reports out of Australia that the Knights' future is uncertain, it looks reasonably secure. A-League boss Matt Carroll said that while he was disappointed by Kernaghan's comments, he felt the Knights were on track with new investors, a major sponsor about to join and some improvement on the park.

"There are a lot of good things going on and, as long as everyone stays focused on the end game and doesn't get distracted by a few sideline issues, they will be a great benefit to football in New Zealand," Carroll said.

Carroll's view, however, is not widely shared in Australia and many would like to see them replaced by another Australian team or one from Asia.

"The common view in Australia is to get rid of the Knights," respected football journalist Michael Cockerill said, "but that's totally ignorant. I don't think the FFA will get rid of the Knights because they can't afford to lose them from the competition."

Cockerill is a long-time supporter of New Zealand and Oceania football and is staggered the Knights seemingly haven't learnt from their mistakes.

"The club won't take on board what seems to me to be pretty obvious and that is to become a truly New Zealand club," he said.

"It's that simple. It's not a choice, it's a necessity. They have to engage New Zealand. But the antipathy towards the Knights from the football community is deep and, unless the Knights change, I can't see how they can progress."

For all the posturing and manoeuvring off the field, it really comes down to results and it's because the club are on a three-game losing streak that this has been brought into focus again.

"Of course, none of this would be an issue if the team was performing really well," Seatter concluded.

He might not begrudge the club the New Zealand moniker if that were indeed the case.