Soccer: Katzen in Knights stand

All Whites coach Ricki Herbert will definitely not be the manager of the New Zealand Knights but he and future national coaches will have a formal role with the A-League club.

Knights owner Brian Katzen and chairman Anthony Lee are in the throes of thrashing out a host of issues ahead of their second season, including the role Herbert will play.

Katzen also hinted at further management changes, after the resignations of manager John Adshead and board member Chris Turner.

Speculation has continued to circulate about Lee and especially chief executive Steve O'Hara. Katzen hoped he would be able to offer some clarity in a fortnight, when he also expected to announce a new manager.

Applications for the manager's position closed on Friday but Katzen said Herbert would not be appointed. "There is a lot of misinformation going around that is destabilising the club," Katzen said. "The national coach will not be the manager but Ricki and any future national coach will have a role.

"We think it's important to have the national body and coach involved and those roles will be formally announced soon. We want to build a relationship with the national body because, if we can't work with them, the Knights aren't going to work."

It's a stance that led Turner to resign this week, with the former Kingz owner believing that Football New Zealand (FNZ) - formerly New Zealand Soccer - was having too much of an influence.

Turner said the Football Federation of Australia (FFA) had pumped a significant amount of money into the Knights but would cut this off if Adshead was not removed and Herbert and FNZ were not given major roles.

Katzen was disappointed Turner had aired his views in public and wanted to have everything sorted out soon so people could focus on putting together a successful team.

Critical to that is the appointment of a new manager but Knights chief scout Eddie Krncevic said he was not among the candidates. Initially seen as a leading contender, Krncevic said he was committed to his scouting role and would consider it only if the club approached him.

A-League boss Matt Carroll has advised Katzen that he needed to review Lee's position given Lee's numerous business interests. Lee has said he would be prepared to relinquish his role if someone bought out all or part of his 20 per cent stake.

"I need someone in New Zealand I can trust [to run the club while I'm in the UK] and Anthony is that guy," Katzen said. "He will remain that guy until someone else steps up to the plate and spends time and money on the club. A chairman needs to put money into the club because it shows they are serious about it.

"The role of a CEO is different and Steve was initially brought on temporarily. We need someone to take the club forward in the next couple of years so we will have to talk to Steve about that. Maybe he doesn't want that role and doesn't want to be here long-term."

O'Hara said he had always envisaged himself in the position until at least the end of the 2006-07 season, by which time he had hoped to have the club "sorted out".

"By then, if there was someone better to take the club forward, I would be more than happy to let them do that," he said.

* The All Whites are set to announce two opponents to be played in the week before taking on Brazil. The first will be a Bundesliga club, expected to be FC Cologne, while the second will be a European country on May 31.