Soccer: Coach won't dwell on 'L' word

The prospects of home-grown young players such as Jason Hicks excite coach Declan Edge. Photo / Natalie Slade

Declan Edge heads south on Sunday to play YoungHeart Manawatu in a classic ASB Premiership bottom-of-the-table contest but if you are looking for doom and gloom in light of his Waikato FC's four-from-four losing start to the season, you are talking to the wrong guy.

Results are perhaps not the furthest thing from Edge's mind, but they are certainly not the driving force.

"Working with these young players is not about the results in the league, it is about getting the best from the group.

"It is a project. Short-term losses for long-term gains is far more important," said Edge. "In total, I have 60 players working with me twice a day six times a week 48 weeks of the year."

While happier to talk about the work he is doing with his home-grown young talent including Jason Hicks, Edge does feel he is on the right track and will eventually be rewarded.

"My fulltime players [in the Waikato FC squad] are in twice a day and doing about 20 hours a week. Last week we beat Hawkes Bay in the White Ribbon Cup with 11 players all born in New Zealand - 10 from the Waikato/Bay of Plenty region. Of the team I will take to play YoungHeart Manawatu on Sunday, nine could have played in the Youth League.

"We are trying to prove that New Zealand-born players can make the grade with hard work," said Edge. "We don't talk about winning and losing. Our emphasis is more on performance.

"We don't fault the effort the players are putting in. In the four years I have been associated with these players I haven't seen them play a bad game."

Asked where he might look to strengthen his squad should that need arise, Edge said: "there are only one or two players in the Auckland City or Waitakere squads who would interest me.

"Why do clubs like Team Wellington, Waitakere United, Canterbury United and Hawkes Bay spend the money they do on players when Auckland City are going to win the league this season?

"There is absolutely no way Waitakere or Auckland City will beat us again this season. We will win some games.

"We are training more than the Phoenix. The emphasis is on passing the ball - but never more than 15m," said Edge. "Not one player in New Zealand is technically up to the standard needed to be a really great player.

"Where is the Kiwi talent?"

Edge was quick to heap praise on his Manawatu counterpart Stu Jacobs who moved north after being let go at Team Wellington.

"I wonder how he, as a young coach, is surviving in the New Zealand game the way it is."

Of his preference to promote youth, Edge said simply: "None of the older players is good enough.

"We signed Michael Mayne this week. He wanted to come to us after seeing the way we celebrated scoring the goal against Waitakere. For him that was proof enough we are doing things right and he wanted to be part of it."

Heady stuff perhaps but no-one would dare question Edge's passion for the game. There comes a time though when results do matter and he may well be on course for a first point of the season against a team who also have yet to win.

The other fifth-round games promise more scoring action with Waitakere heading to Team Wellington aware a good win could put them on the top of the table and leave Auckland City in a catch-up mode once they return from the Club World Cup.

The South Island derby promises plenty with both Canterbury and Otago coming off last-round wins.

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Round five

* Team Wellington v Waitakere United, David Farrington Park, Sunday 2pm. Referee: Chris Kerr

* Otago United v Canterbury United, Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin, Sunday 2pm. Referee: Mirko Benischke

* YoungHeart Manawatu v Waikato FC, Memorial Park, Sunday 2pm. Referee: M Stoneman