Terry Maddaford: When shooting the messenger backfires

It was damage control at its best - or worst. One must wonder why they bothered.

Called to a hastily arranged conference, the media yesterday gathered at New Zealand Knights HQ in the bowels of North Harbour Stadium.

The subject? The management of the NZ Knights. For that read, "our on-going support for football manager (read coach) John Adshead".

Hardly a subject requiring a spill and tell-all and the need to go public given chairman Anthony Lee public and continuing on-going support for Adshead.

After a brief howdy-do from chief executive Steve O'Hara, who has made no waves since inheriting the role, Lee took over with a few chosen "nobody is happy with the position we are in" words.

He followed that with a just-as-predictable "John Adshead has the full support of the club and board through this season and the next. He is the man for the job".

No reference to recent suggestions Adshead had offered to resign but had had that rejected by Lee.

O'Hara again.

"The club is doing ever so well. The club has plans for the long term. There are a number of great stories surrounding the club and the league. We are positive."

Really.

Surely he could not expect his audience to swallow that coming as it did just a couple of hours after he attacked the media in a radio interview as being negative.

Tackled on that, O'Hara denied he had "slagged" the media but was looking for a positive rather than a negative spin when reporting on the club and its players.

Reminded that on-field results, above all else, remained the benchmark, O'Hara backtracked, agreeing that was the case but hoped the media would in future look for the good rather than the bad.

With a fan base dwindling down from almost 10,000 for the first game to no more than a couple of thousand last Saturday night while 10,000-plus crowds remain the norm across the Tasman, O'Hara surely has more pressing concerns than the media.

Adshead, who agreed it was not his idea to call the conference, said: "There are lots of pieces of a jig-saw to be fitted together".

He further admitted that they had made "one or two errors in the haste of putting a football club together".

That included signing some players to two or even three-year contracts but Adshead at least said he was now in for the long haul.

"The day the chairman wants me to walk, I'll walk." But, he added: "I want to leave this job when I want to."

Again, one therefore had to question the need for the conference.

Lee, back in damage control mode and pointing out $2 million had already been sunk into the now-ailing Knights, said he was grateful for the support of the media in setting up the club but was then honest enough to admit "we are far from happy with the results".

He also said the club had started from scratch and needed time. So did their seven rivals. The results a world apart.

In a later interview, Lee went so far as to admit that "we have got some things wrong, you just have to look at the league". He also conceded "that you can't report positively if you keep losing".

Tell that to O'Hara.

Lee also, tellingly, added: "It would be wrong for me to say it's a happy dressing-room". He did not elaborate, leaving it unclear whether that was aimed at the results or speculation that some players were not happy with Adshead and would lose no sleep if they saw him heading out the door.

But it is not Adshead who has conceded 22 goals and missed scoring chances.

Ever the optimist, Adshead said, simply: "There is no quick fix. The change may come on Friday [in the home game against the Newcastle Jets]."

Adshead was the right person for the manager's role. To succeed he needed the coaching back-up and player strength to do the job. One must wonder whether he has got either? That's where the board should be looking. They, after all, signed players before Adshead came on board and handed out contracts.

Adshead succeeded in the past because of the coaching support he enjoyed and the quality player base he had.

This is a far greater challenge but one he will struggle to meet in the current environment.