Adshead tipped to take over

Press, 28 November 1988, Page 44

Adshead tipped to take over

By

GARY BIRKETT

lan Marshall, the Christchurch national league soccer coach, has turned down the chance to coach the All Whites, being unavailable because of business commitments. When Kevin Fallon unexpectedly resigned last week the New Zealand Football Association approached Mr Marshall to take over but the popular Scot said he was unavailable. His camera repair business requires his full attention over the next few months, leaving the way open for the former All Whites coach, John Adshead, to return to the role he performed so well in the early 1980 s. “It is unfortunate that the opportunity came at a* bad time,” said Mr

Marshall. “I am disappointed now but would like the chance to take on the job in the future.” Mr Marshall turned down the chance to be assistant coach to Mr Fallon two months ago because of business commitments and said that situation had not changed. Mr Adshead, who led New Zealand to the World Cup finals in Spain in 1982, is now the hot favourite to take over from his former assistant, who had been plagued by bad publicity and mediocre results for the last three years. His appointment is expected to be announced by the N.Z.F.A. today. To many soccer followers the resignation of Mr Fallon has come as a relief. £

He was a respected coach but his relationship with the players and certain administrators has been strained for some time. The 2-0 series loss to Fiji recently obviously brought matters to a head and it will be interesting to see if Mr Adshead can help the All Whites recover the superb form which took them through to Spain. Since his resignation from the job six years ago after a wrangle with the N.Z.F.A., Mr Adshead has coached Auckland, Mount Wellington and Mount Roskill. He showed he had lost little of his coaching and motivational skills by guiding the Mount to second place in the national league this season and Auckland recently won a prestige

club tournament in China. If he does win the job Mr Adshead will have little time to settle. New Zealand meets Taiwan in a World Cup preliminary match in Wellington on December 11 with a second match in Auckland three days later. The over-all winner will go on to the second round to meet either Australia or Fiji, and Israel. For the five Christchurch players — Danny Halligan, Garry Lund, Allan Carville, John Hanson and Alan Stroud — in the squad which played in Fiji, the next week until the team is announced will be an anxious wait. Mr Adshead will obviously have his eye on certain players who have not yet made the

squad under Mr Fallon and the composition of the side to face Taiwan could vary greatly from that which has turned out over the last 12 months. If Mr Adshead is not appointed to the job the most likely outsider is the former New Zealand captain and current Christchurch midfielder, Steve Sumner, who has publicly expressed interest in the position. Sumner coached Gisborne City to second place in the national league and to a Chatham Cup final win last year and has played over 100 games for New Zealand. Other possibilities are the Mount Maunganui coach, Eddie Edge, a former assistant to Mr Fallon, and the national youth coach, Terry Conley, of Christchurch.