Soccer: Knights are rebelling

Knights skipper Danny Hay has been cooling his heels after telling the club he has lost confidence in coaches John Adshead and Tommy Mason - but the Knights' player problems may not end there.

Hay was told to take a few days off after he confronted chairman Anthony Lee and Adshead about his concerns, considering they are rock-bottom of the league with only one win from 14 games and he missed last night's game against 3-2 defeat at home to Melbourne.

It's not clear whether Hay will be welcomed back into the fold or whether the player wants to rejoin the team unless some significant changes are made.

The club was yesterday adamant that it was only Hay who had an issue with the coaching staff but the Herald on Sunday understands player dissatisfaction goes beyond Hay, with the majority of players having lost confidence in both Adshead and assistant Mason.

It's understood the players had a team meeting earlier in the week, when as many as 90 per cent agreed that they had lost confidence in the coaching staff.

When Lee and Adshead found out about the meeting, they interviewed the players individually. At these meetings, most appear to have backed down.

It needs to be remembered that many of the players face an uncertain future, with contracts for next season on the line.

When asked if others had said they backed Adshead and Mason, Lee replied: "Most definitely. My understanding is that a person has lost confidence [in the management]. The situation with Danny is an internal issue but both the PFA and Danny decided to talk publicly and we're disappointed with that."

The Herald on Sunday understands, however, that at least two other players told Lee and Adshead they'd lost confidence in the coaching staff, even when seen individually.

Hay was keeping a low profile yesterday saying only that: "I'm fit, ready, willing and able to train and to play but have agreed with the club to take a couple of days off."

In recent weeks the spotlight has been turned on to Mason. Adshead is a traditional manager, someone who picks the team and decides on tactics, while Mason is the training-ground technician. But Adshead has had to take on more of this responsibility because of Mason's supposed shortcomings.

All Whites coach Ricki Herbert has been touted as a possible replacement should any changes take place but Lee confirmed yesterday that they had every confidence Adshead would turn things around and that they had already set the wheels in motion to ensure they are more competitive next season.

The club has accepted they made errors before the A-League kicked off in August, saying they underestimated the quality of the league and made mistakes with recruitment.

Any changes of personnel for next season will prove a costly exercise with a large number of players having to be paid out if they are released.

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Blackburn may tour NZ in 2007

New Zealand Soccer (NZS) are hopeful of enticing Ryan Nelsen's Blackburn to tour New Zealand in 2007 for at least a couple of games against the All Whites.

NZS are close to tying up a deal to play the Premiership outfit in the UK as part of their pre-season campaign, along with a game against Charlton.

There are also hopes games against Championship sides Crystal Palace and Queens Park Rangers might also be tagged on to an All Whites tour to the UK in June or July.

Any tour by Blackburn would be the first by a top-flight team from England for many years. A number of top teams were brought out here in the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s, including Manchester United, Newcastle and Tottenham.

Nelsen was named on Friday night as the Player of the Year at the New Zealand Soccer awards.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY