Soccer: Aussies turn up heat on the Knights

Brian Katzen. For a full list of player and staff movements at the Knights, click on the 'More pictures' link below.

There will be no letting up in the pressure on the New Zealand Knights by soccer bosses in Australia.

Knights chief executive Steve O'Hara yesterday joined the growing list of casualties at the club, announcing his resignation 10 weeks from the start of the season, as Football Federation Australia (FFA) further tightened the screws on the Auckland franchise.

And there are strong hints that O'Hara's departure, after seven months at the club, may not be the last.

Hyundai A-League operations manager Matt Carroll was making no apology for the blunt message handed to the club. From Sydney, he said the FFA was determined that neither the Knights nor any other club would be allowed to drag the A-League down.

"Did we require the club to reorganise and be better prepared for the new season? Yes. That message was delivered bluntly to the club in January," said Carroll. "We have seen some improvements but not enough.

"We expressed our concerns but we saw no plans. Off the field we have not seen the strategies and plans to take the club forward.

"We expressed those concerns to [Knights benefactor and 60 per cent shareholder] Brian Katzen and Steve O'Hara two weeks ago. This was not done behind his [O'Hara's] back.

"We said to [chairman] Anthony Lee and Steve O'Hara if the whole board has to be changed so be it," said Carroll.

Asked if Lee could be next, Carroll said that was entirely up to the board and shareholders.

Carroll did not shy away from suggestions from some quarters, including former director Chris Turner, that there should be no connection between the Knights and New Zealand Soccer.

"We have always been in favour of an involvement between the two bodies. It seems logical. We see it as being good for the game to have the national technical director having a similar role with the club."

Carroll admitted the FFA had injected hundreds of thousands of dollars - reportedly A$600,000 ($721,000) - into the Knights since January, adding that O'Hara had not acknowledged that in his open letter of resignation.

In that announcement yesterday, O'Hara said: "I understand that as the major shareholder [Katzen] is not prepared to solely fund the club, the FFA's financial involvement has meant they are essentially controlling the club."

Carroll pointed out that the money being used to bail out the club would have to be repaid, but some of that could come from the A$1.2 million clubs are expected to receive in instalments from the league's new television deal after July 1.

All clubs apart from Adelaide United have received FFA money, but the Knights and Central Coast Mariners have been the major beneficiaries of the bailout.

Carroll said he felt the appointment of Paul Nevin as head coach and former Queensland Roar midfielder Jonathan Richter to the playing roster could be steps in the right direction.

He is not so pleased with the Knights' failure to retain young New Zealand players Jeremy Brockie, Glen Moss and Jeremy Christie.

On suggestions that Bob Patterson, former Soccer New Zealand chief executive, Oceania Football Confederation competitions manager and chief executive at Sydney FC, might be in line to succeed O'Hara, Carroll said he had had such discussions with Katzen, but not necessarily about that role.

"We have just said that they have to move quickly and put their house in order. The lack of organisation off and on the field last season can't be tolerated again.

"It can be turned around with some late recruitments.

"It is important the club is operationally secured. Paul Nevin appears to be on track. They must now recruit a new chief executive post-haste and have Brian Katzen and the shareholders determine the structure of the board and present a credible way forward."

Carroll said he hoped to meet club officials in Auckland in the next 10 to 14 days. Katzen and Lee were unavailable for comment.