Soccer: Adshead unimpressed by player quality

Soccer: Adshead unimpressed in Knights recruitment drive

New Zealand Knights coach John Adshead, who came to Mount Maunganui on Saturday looking for players and left with only a suntan, is sounding despondent at the quality on offer.

It was the third time in two weeks Adshead had seen Waikato FC play in the New Zealand Football Championship (NZFC) but Waikato's surge towards the playoffs stalled when they could only manage a 0-0 draw with bottom-placed Manawatu.

Adshead, who has returned from Qatar to head the Knights in the new-look Australian league, said the Waikato and Manawatu players seemed too eager to punt the ball forward.

"There wasn't a lot to get too excited out there, to be honest. There was a passion that seemed to be missing," he said.

Adshead is casting his selection net as wide as possible and said he would watch Waiakto again against Wellington next Friday.

Adshead has been in regular contact with coaches in the NZFC and had been impressed with their honesty and frank evaluations of players.

"One coach I talked to said he only had one player in his squad that might measure up. It was a pretty hard thing for him to say because I bet he wanted to promote most of his squad.

"But that's the sort of honesty we're getting from coaches on whether their players could step up."

Adshead planned to speak with Waikato coach Declan Edge at Links Ave on Saturday, although he might not get the open-armed welcome he was hoping for.

In a bizarre outburst, the Waikato mentor said he wasn't particularly interested in Adshead's recruitment drive.

"I guess I'm coming at it from a fairly obnoxious angle, but I'm after John Adshead's job so why would I lend a hand? I don't really care how many games of ours he's watched.

"If John thinks some of our guys are good enough that's up to him, but it's not my job to promote them -- I'm not the coach of the Knights.

"We've taken guys from the Cambridge reserves, Melville reserves and Tauranga reserves and turned them into what they are. If that's really what John wants he can come and talk to me."

- BAY OF PLENTY TIMES