KEY POINTS:
New Zealand Knights officials say their future in the A-League soccer competition is assured despite continued rumblings at the Auckland-based club.
The troubled franchise yesterday sacked manager Paul Nevin following a string of performances which left the Knights firmly at the foot of the table for the second year in succession.
Knights chairman Anthony Lee is confident the team will stay in the league despite Australian calls for the club to be booted out of the eight-team A-League.
However, he said the club was facing major problems.
"I have no fears from the club as far as the A-League is concerned in taking the licence away. We have that assurance from the FFA (Football Federation Australia)," he told a press conference today.
"As far as fears for the club, it doesn't take a brain surgeon to realise that the club is having difficulties. We're bottom of the league, we don't have any major sponsors, we don't have a lot of fans turning up.
"You'd be pretty stupid to sit here and say otherwise."
Lee said two weeks ago that he had confidence in Nevin despite the team's eight-game losing streak.
The Knights won their next game against the Queensland Roar -- making them more successful already than last year's team -- but a 0-4 loss to Sydney was the final straw for Nevin.
"I think it would be wrong to say (the dismissal) is solely the Sydney result, but obviously that was a big part in it," Lee said.
"It wasn't just the result the way that the team played that made us feel we did need to make changes and there was an emergency board meeting held and that was the decision that was made."
Lee admitted the team's recruitment policy had not worked.
"You'd have to say the recruitment went wrong because we're bottom of the league and we had eight straight games without a win.
"Obviously in football there is an element of luck but the reality is the league position doesn't lie."
The Knights will play their first game under interim manager Barry Simmonds against the Central Coast Mariners at North Harbour Stadium here on Sunday.
- NZPA
