Soccer: Nagging doubts return over Kingz' selection

It is too early to start pushing panic buttons, but just five weeks into their second National Soccer League season, the Football Kingz are already stumbling towards the crossroads.

There is no doubt that the Auckland-based franchise have the players capable of reaching the top-six playoffs - perhaps even higher.

But this is where the doubts are starting to creep in.

On Friday night, in front of their biggest crowd at Ericsson Stadium - the enthusiasm of their fans being a salutary lesson for other codes which attract bigger but far less vocal support - the Kingz failed to deliver, even though they were well aware that victory would return them to the top half of the NSL table.

In choosing to break away from the conservative ways of the past in going against a no-frills Adelaide City Force side with three strikers, coaches Wynton and Shane Rufer showed their attacking hand.

They need not have bothered.

Starved for ball and with little go-forward, Tim Stevens, Dennis Ibrahim and Paul Urlovic tested City goalkeeper Adrian Cagalj only once - with an Urlovic header from an Arran Lines' cross - in the first 45 minutes.

In that opening spell, the home side had almost 60 per cent of the possession, but with the preoccupation of playing back or, at best square, that advantage was comfortably nullified by the visitors.

The faithful have long questioned the Rufers' motives in making changes - whether the Kingz win or lose.

They were, however, prepared to go with the five personnel or positional changes against Adelaide if they delivered on that attack-on-all-fronts promise.

No one bemoaned the introduction of new signing Mark Burton, the return of goalkeeper Chris Marsh for Julio Cuello, the switching of Ivan Vicelich from midfield to defence, or the first start for Ibrahim - apparently to spearhead the three-man attack.

It was, on paper at least, as strong a combination the Kingz have yet sent out.

As well as coming out in front of the possession stakes, the Kingz won the corner count - 9-3 - and won more free kicks than their opponents.

Even that was not enough.

Not until Jeff Campbell replaced an out-of-sorts Riki Van Steeden at the break was there any venom in the Kingz' attack.

The young international got wide, stayed out wide and managed to stretch the City defence for the first time.

But they rode that storm and came back to grab the only goal of the match when the flat-footed Kingz defence failed to cut out a ball from Nick Sabljak.

Gianluca Lagati had the time to control the ball on his chest before thumping home, giving Marsh no chance.

It is back to the think-tank for the Rufers.

They might also be asking questions of Chris Jackson, whose first act when brought into the game in the 56th minute was to get booked for a nasty foul, and Tim Stevens, who had earlier been booked for senseless retaliation.

It was the second booking in as many games for Stevens.

The Kingz face the longest journey in world club football when they fly to Perth for their next game on Friday.

Four days to get it right, check the growing injury toll and take on a Perth side who are never easy on their patch.

There is the talent in this squad to put their collective hands up, but that might well be the problem. In trying to keep all players in their 24-man squad happy, the Rufers have rung the changes.

Knowing that nine players will be left out every week does nothing for a player's confidence.

That may well be the starting point as the Rufers attempt to steady a team that is rocking in a lost-three, won-two start to their 2000-2001 campaign.