Soccer: Adshead ponders what went wrong

Off-field meetings in Adelaide this weekend involving New Zealand Knights football manager John Adshead and club chairman Anthony Lee will play a major role in the future of the A-League franchise.

"I'll be sitting down with the chairman and having a good look at a lot of things," Adshead said before he and his players flew out for tomorrow's round 13 clash with co-leaders Adelaide United.

"We have to accept there is not a lot left for us in terms of this season," he said.

"It is now important that we look and plan and carefully consider what players we need to become competitive."

Asked whether he would be hamstrung by having players signed on two or even three-year contracts, Adshead said: "Not necessarily."

He said that he had been caught out by watching players in action once or twice and signing them on that basis.

"In future we will have to be more thorough. It will not be a case of turning up at say an NZFC game and watching a player and offering him something.

"With the network we now have in place we will identify players and then watch them as many times as possible playing both home and away," Adshead said.

More pressing, however, is tomorrow's Hyundai A-League game and again the hope to turn their season around.

Watching the players in action on a small field at North Harbour Stadium this week, Adshead's contention that somewhere in his mix is "a good football team" sprang to mind.

There was no lack of skill and commitment - even a bit of niggle at times - but that enthusiasm and technical ability is not being translated into results when it matters.

The injury list continues to dictate team selection with Adshead basically handing air tickets to his 15 fit players for this trip.

In comes Frank Van Eijs for the first time since playing pre-season, Noah Hickey is back from illness and Xiaobin Zhang and Sean Devine return after missing the game in Perth.

Adelaide coach John Kosmina has named an unchanged team after their 2-1 away win at Central Coast.

The South Australians will be on a high. Favoured sons Ross and John Aloisi are big names in that part of the world - Ross as captain of United and older brother John the World Cup hero after burying the clinching penalty against Uruguay in Sydney on Wednesday night.

* Adelaide United v NZ Knights, Hindmarsh Stadium, tomorrow 7pm