Good season for United, but not all it might have been

Press, 3 October 1979, Page 16

Good season for United, but not all it might have been

By

DAVID LEGGAT

Statistics rarely lie. The record books will show that in 1979, Trans Tours United finished second in the Rothmans Soccer League, maintaining its outstanding record of having been in the top three in every year of the competition except one. In those 10 years. United has had three firsts, two seconds, four thirds and, in 1976, one eighth. Yet. there were areas of dissatisfaction this season which cannot easily be glossed over. Perhaps the most worrying was a frustrating habit of giving away points unnecessarily. The United manager, Mr Brian Hardman, who has just completed his first full term in charge of the team, believes this was probablv the most disappointing factor. Too often. United was in a commanding position only to drop a point for no good reason. This could largely be put down to not making full use of its scoring chances. The best two examples of this came in United's home games against Blockhouse Bay and Stop Out. Leading Blockhouse, 2-0, at half-time. United faltered and was eventually lucky to draw. Again a

similar situation against Stop Out. United played some excellent soccer in the first half, scored its only goal early in the second spell, a little unluckily conceded a penaltynear the end. and gave Stop Out a totally undeserved point.

Ironically, United scored 47 times in its 22 games, more goals than in any previous season. Mr Hardman says that

the team very rarelyplayed well for more than 45 minutes.

“It has not been 100 pe cent satisfactory. You have got to aim to be No. 1. There is obviously a lot more work to be done.” On the credit side, Mr Hardman • was especially pleased with the way the

team fought back after a terrible injury problem early in the competition. For the first five weeks, only one of the four defenders was playing in his normal position. “A lot of clubs would not have recovered after that. It shows a great depth of character.” In Mr Hardman’s view, the best performance by United was its 3-1 win over Hanimex United in. Auckland — “easily the best effort.” ( But he also considered United’s final match, a 5-1 thrashing of the relegated Eastern Suburbs which ensured the club of second place, as an impressive showing. “Disregarding ■ the fact that they were going down, it was tremendous.” As a third pick, he feels ■ United’s 4-2 win over Dunedin City in Dunedin was “a gutsy performance.” From an individual point of view, several players had heartening seasons, and importantly, most of these players are still young enough to make good contributions for the next few years. United’s goal-keeper, Peter Moot, came in for his share of criticism early in

the competition. He lacked confidence but to his credit, he worked hard at his game and turned in some convincing exhibitions.

The United defence conceded 30 goals but seven were scored in the two games against Mount Wellington, the champion team from Auckland. Generally the defence played well. It has always been United’s best feature, but one black mark against it was that only four times did it keep its opposition scoreless.

As usual, United’s international sweeper, Bobby Almond, organised the defence superbly. Unfortunately, he had a bad run with injuries, starting in the first match and ending in the final game. His own form was very good, culminating in a marvellous performance against Mount Wellington in the penultimate match. ■ lan Park, singled out by 1 Mr Hardman as the best ' player “week in-week put,” had one of his best years but was unable to win back his national team place. Ross Durant was very dependable at right back arjd showed his versatility by filling in ably in the centre of the defence and in the midfield. Graham Griffiths con-

tinued to turn in solid performances, seldom being beaten in lite air. His partnership with Almond in the middle of the defence provided a strong base. In the midfield, lan Marshal] was quietly efficient, the type of player best appreciated by his team-mates. He ended the season with one of his finest matches, against Suburbs.

Steve Sumner got through a tremendous

amount of work around the field and still found time to score seven times. He remains, with Brian Turner, New Zealand’s best midfielder.

Johann Verweij’s first full year with United was remarkably successful. He

was the league’s leading goalscorer with 16. mostly filling a midfield role. But he must tighten his defensive play if he is to occupy the same position next year.

The days when soccer forwards had their ability measured by the number of goals they scored have long gone. It is just as well for United’s strikers, as none of them finished in the top 14 scorers in the league.

However, it is unfair to judge Frank McKay on the number of goals he scores. His work rate and thoughtful running off the ball is one of United’s best features. Kevin Mulgrew’s form picked up as the season progressed, but he scored only three times, while Richard Mulligan’s form was patchy. Barry Weymouth made the most of his limited chances. When he did get an opportunity he grasped it firmly and scored five times in eight appearances and looked decidedly sharp at times. Unfortunately, he will be playing his soccer in Auckland next vear.

Perhaps what is needed is an injection of new blood into the squad, players who will put pressure on established team members. Otherwise, there is a danger of the standard falling and an element of stagnation creeping into the squad.