Soccer: Adshead's dream goes on for Knights

It's fair to say John Adshead is a man with a lot on his plate. Not only is he attempting to overcome prostate cancer but he's also charged with the task of bringing credibility back to football in New Zealand.

He did it before - in 1982 - and now people expect him to do it again with the New Zealand Knights in the A-League. The trouble is Adshead knows it's not that easy, as he's attempted to fashion a team from a collection of players from all over the globe. Considering he signed up most of the 20-man squad, his credibility is on the line.

It's something Adshead is patently aware of and he considers the challenge with the Knights greater than that of 1982. "I think a lot of the future of New Zealand football hangs on what happens in the next six months," he said. "If this [the Knights] fails, I think it'll be the biggest blow New Zealand has suffered for many years."

It may sound overdramatic to the casual observer but football has not had great success of late at professional and international level. In a time when the game in this country is showing signs of good health, football's image will take another hit if the country's only professional outfit bumbles its way through the new season in much the same way the Kingz did for five years before it.

All of the good work being done at junior level with academies, identification programmes and the sheer numbers playing the game will count for little if interest can't be maintained at the top level.

It's a responsibility also felt by Ricki Herbert, who rose to prominence when he became a key part of the Adshead revolution of 1982. Now the All Whites coach and New Zealand Soccer high-performance manager, Herbert felt his own reputation was on the line when the All Whites lined up against Australia in London recently.

"I'm not sure what sort of impact it would have had on the country if we had gone there and lost 7-0, as some in the media and public thought it would be," Herbert admitted.

"There were expectations, we needed a decent result and, from my point of view, I had to step up to the mark. We got a lot from it and are well on the way to rebuilding and bringing that credibility back."

Herbert knows that one performance doesn't change perceptions, particularly as the All Whites have slipped into another period of inactivity until 2006, and he's crossing his fingers Adshead can perform miracles with the Knights.

"I'm not sure [New Zealand Soccer] has been in such a good position before but [the Knights and All Whites] have to win matches and show some outcomes for the work being put in," he said. "It's the most important thing in New Zealand football at the moment."

There is a belief that fans will come if the Knights can be successful - the fact 3396 turned out for a pre-season game against Queensland recently showed this - but, equally, crowds could dip if the team's fortunes also fade.

By the end of the Kingz' existence, barely 1000 people turned up each week and the numbers heading for the exit doors as the Knights capitulated against Queensland was not a good sign. Season tickets have hardly flown out the door - sales number about 500.

"I feel a bit like Martin Luther King," Adshead explained of his vision. "I have a dream. I would love to think that if we can be successful with the Knights it can bring support, which brings revenue, which brings development."

Adshead is hoping for a squad of under-20 and under-23 players that works alongside the Knights and then plays in the national league.

For now, though, all of his attentions are focused on his side's season opener against the Queensland Roar in Brisbane today. At the thought of nudging a result, Adshead turned dreamy-eyed and visualised 18,000 fans turning out to North Harbour Stadium on Friday night for the Knights' first home game against glamour side Sydney FC.

"If we build it, they will come," he said, borrowing another line from movie folklore. Adshead just needs to build it.


* Australasian soccer league, Roar vs Knights, Suncorp Stadium, kick-off 5.00pm (NZT)


Queensland Roar: Willis, Dodd, Buess, Gibson, Gava, Shin, Murdocca, Brownlie, Richter, Seo, Tollenaere, Moon, Brosque, Higgins, Dilevski.


New Zealand Knights: D Milosevic, Darren Bazelely, Ronnie Bull, Ben Collett, Jeremy Christie, Sean Devine, Neil Emblen, Danny Hay (captain), Josh Maquire, Josh Rose, John Tambouras. Reserves: Zenon Caravella, Steve Fitzsimmons, Glen Moss, Xiaobin Zhang.