Soccer: I couldn't afford to stay at Knights, says Yeo

Simon Yeo has followed Ronnie Bull in quitting the New Zealand Knights and returning to England.

Like Bull, Yeo has left for personal/financial rather than footballing reasons.

"I've always wanted to stay," Yeo said yesterday. "I was keen to see my [three-year] contract out and get citizenship. I have loved it here. It is a fantastic country, and I have met some wonderful people.

He said everyone at the club, singling out manager John Adshead, manager/kit man Barry Williams and fitness guru Kenny McMillan, had made him feel welcome.

But, Yeo said, there were non-footballing issues.

"Simply, I couldn't afford to stay. I have a couple of properties in England - my mum lives in one - and I needed to send money back each month to keep up the mortgage payments. That left us with a bit of shortfall.

"We had planned to stay - we had sold our furniture and cars back home - but not too long after we got here I saw the warning signs."

Yeo said his family, who had followed him throughout his army/football career, had had trouble settling.

"This has been the toughest move for them. It is not like Spain, which is only four hours away [from England]. We don't have any family here, and we both have parents back home.

"I'm sorry to be going," said Yeo before flying out yesterday afternoon. "The facilities here at the club are top notch. I have enjoyed the coaching."

But, he admits, he did not hit the ground running and has not shown the club and the fans what he is really capable of.

"When you are bottom of the league it is not easy. I have never lost nine or 10 games on the bounce. You never saw the best of Simon Yeo. That's what is disappointing."

Yeo distanced himself from speculation of a player revolt at the club and what he called "unprofessional behaviour by a few players".

In a statement, he said: "There has been some rubbish written in some papers about a player's meeting with a unanimous vote of no confidence in the gaffer and the like. I for one did not attend this meeting. I wasn't the only one.

"Some will try to suggest my leaving is linked to that, but nothing could be further from the truth. A small number of players have in my view tried to undermine the gaffer and force the club's hand.

"The club has made it clear the gaffer is staying, so I guess those players have to be truthful to themselves and decide their own futures."

Adshead is far from happy.

"We can't afford to lose players like Simon Yeo," said Adshead. "It was disappointing."

What now?

"We will have to rebuild the structure," said Adshead. "We have dealt with the defensive issues without Danny Hay. Now we have to look at the attack without Yeo.

"We still have attacking options. Wherever I have coached and been successful it has been about scoring goals. I was always firmly of the opinion if the opposition scored two we could get four."

Adshead said the club was now well into their long-term planning.

There will be no quick fix as the club still holds Yeo's registration, and until he signs for another club they cannot go to the market.

"It is a big disappointment to see Simon go," said Adshead. "There are other players who have been unprofessional in wanting to disrupt the club by discussing club affairs [anonymously] in the media.

"Obviously, other players will be leaving at the end of the season. At this stage I do not know who. Maybe 13 or 14 of this year's squad will be back.

"And, it's not necessarily the players on one-year contracts who are most vulnerable."

The Knights' next game is against Sydney FC at North Harbour Stadium on December 30.

* It is understood that Hay, through the Professional Footballers Association's legal advisers, and the club are having discussions about his future.