FOOTBALL FOCUS ON www.goalweekly.com $4 BRINGING YOU SEMIR SIVIC FFV HOLDS FIRM TOMORROW’S NEWS ON VPL CLUBS FOOTBALL FEATURE ON TODAY. Season 4: Issue 27 Monday 25th August 2008 ANDY O’DELL Supporting all colours and reporting in black and white James Holland Rodrigo Vargas Steven Pace Jason Naidovski (Newcastle Jets from AIS) (Melb Victory from Green Gully) (Melb Victory from Preston Lions) (Newcastle Jets from AIS) Photo: With apologies to Alfred E Newman from MAD FC IT’S VPL James Robinson Vaughan Coveny Manny Muscat Sash Ognenovski (Melb Victory from Richmond Eagles) (Newcastle Jets from South Melb) (W’ton Phoenix from Green Gully) (Qld Roar from Fawkner Blues) GET THE PICTURE? FINALS TIME! AVAILABLE AT ALL GOOD ...LET THE MADNESS BEGIN NEWSAGENTS EVERY MONDAY. PLUS► ALL THE WEEKEND FOOTBALL RESULTS, BOO, KATSA, TSIGAN, TARTAN TALK, SOCCER HOTLINES & HEAPS MORE! www.goalweekly.com (All hackers can get stuffed!) PO Box 142 Port Melbourne 3207 p (03) 9645 1440 e [email protected] www.goalweekly.com Photos by Nome Risteski Goal! Weekly FOOTBALL FEATURE ISLAND CHILL FOOTBALL FOCUS Andy O’Dell SEMIRROUND 19 SIVIC O’DELL EYES GLORY RICHMOND EAGLES FC FULL NAME: Semir Sivic Georgies Shining Once Again BIRTHPLACE: Belgrade, Yugoslavia ANDY O’Dell can be a feisty bugger. fi nished third in Division One the following BIRTH DATE: 29/11/1987 He admits to having run-ins with year. My wife got pregnant and was ready HEIGHT: 181cm coaches during his playing career to have the baby when I resigned after half WEIGHT: 79kg a dozen games of the 2005 season.” and he reckons he’s “been a real MARRIED: Single and looking prick” to some of the players he’s In 2006 O’Dell took on the North- CAR: Ford Laser coached at times but he stands on cote coaching job – for fi ve games. “It was OCCUPATION OUTSIDE OF FOOTBALL: the threshold of his greatest ever the biggest regret of my coaching career. I achievement as a senior coach. shouldn’t have taken on that job. I wanted Part-Time Footballer “I sometimes think I’m too honest. to get rid of some boys who’d been there NICKNAME: Sivic or Sivdog It gets me into trouble, but stuff ’em. You for a long time but the committee refused to PREVIOUS CLUBS: only coach to get sacked, don’t you? That’s do it so I left.” V.I.S. & Frankston Pines what’s it’s all about,” says the man on the That was when good pal Toby REPRESENTATIVE HONOURS: verge of gaining promotion from Division Paterson phoned and offered O’Dell an Australian Schoolboys, Victorian U14’s, 15’s & 16’s One with Sunshine Georgies and taking this assistant’s role with Dandenong Thunder. CHILDHOOD FOOTBALL HERO: proud club back into Premier League where “We had a successful time there but I got David Beckham, Ruud Gullit history dictates that it belongs. the Coburg job for the 2007 season. That FAVOURITE O/S PLAYER: Steven Gerrard When he was playing many of was another mistake. They promised me the FAVOURITE FOXTEL CUP PLAYER: his coaches experienced the blunt edge to world but once we lost two on the trot they Stuart McCluskey O’Dell’s beliefs about football, the way it sacked me. It was the way they did it that should be played and the way you should left a bitter taste in my mouth. All I got was FAVOURITE FORMER SOCCEROO: train. Players who have come under his a phone call.” Mehmet Durakovic coaching guidance also have experienced O’Dell was starting to think FAVOURITE CURRENT SOCCEROO: his forthright approach. So have commit- whether coaching was worth the hassles Timmy Cahill teemen, supporters, referees and assistant and he shunned overtures from Stonnington MOST MEMORABLE MATCH AS A PLAYER: referees. What they all have encountered and Thunder at the end of last season. But Melbourne Victory v Socceroos at some stage is a man passionate about when Sunshine Georgies came knocking MOST MEMORABLE MATCH AS A FAN: football but a man with enormous belief in he saw the position as both challenging and Australia v Uruguay World Cup Qualifi er in Sydney his methods. tempting. He accepted the club’s offer (“I MOST MEMORABLE GOAL YOU’VE SCORED: With a machine-gun rapidity he just thought stuff it, let’s go for it”) little re- U15 Nationals v A.C.T. rattles off his bio as a player and as a coach. alising just how challenging the task was to FUNNIEST MOMENT IN FOOTBALL: It’s impressive. He pauses for a nanosec- restore some pride in a club that was in debt Too many to mention ond to reload then resumes his rapid-fi re and had just been relegated from Premier response to your questions. League. BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: “I was born in the magnifi cent Premier “I organised a meeting and four Being injured League city of Hull,” he says with a chuckle fi rst team players turned up. Lucky I had WORST INJURY: Broken tibia and fi bula which doesn’t mask his pride in his home- decent contacts and we were able to bring MOST DIFFICULT OPPONENT: town’s recent success. “I played with Hull in visa players to mix in with the local Tony Sterjovski City boys but was apprenticed at Grimsby lads and I have to say that the atmosphere FAVOURITE AWAY GROUND: Town. George Kerr was the manager and amongst the lads is brilliant. When we go Epping Stadium I made my debut when I was 18 against out we all go out together. I reckon that’s SUPERSTITIONS: Right boot on fi rst Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. My second worth nine points a season that. TYPICAL MATCH DAY MEAL: Pasta game was against Newcastle at home and “But at the end of the day players WHAT ARE YOUR STRENGTHS: they had Kevin Keegan, Terry McDermott make coaches. Look, I’ve been a real prick Speed, crossing and Chris Waddle in their side.” to these lads at times this season but they’ve WHAT ARE YOUR WEAKNESSES: He’s talking about the old Sec- Sunshine Georgies gaffer Andy O’Dell is on the verge of the greatest achievement of his responded magnifi cently. We knew the Brit- ond Division which also featured Derby ish boys could play but the lads that have Heading, defending coaching career. County and Leeds United and his talents stayed with us and others we’ve brought in FAVOURITE TEAM WHEN GROWING UP: Liverpool as a box-to-box midfi elder were quickly Webb, the former Chelsea defender. “He got the job and signed Danny Zemunik and locally have been outstanding. I mean, I’ve FAVOURITE OTHER SPORTS: recognised. He was in the 30-man England was a big, angry, horrible English fellow. I ‘Shaky’ (Stevie Keenan) and we won 12 in even got Vasco Trpcevski kicking people squad preparing to come to Australia for the bloody hated him.” a row. That really got me going.” and he’s a bloody gentleman! Tennis, Hockey World Youth Cup Finals in 1981 but when In 1987 O’Dell joined Darlington Duze Zemunik lured O’Dell to Chelsea “I believe in my ways. I do things FAVOURITE OTHER SPORTSPERSON: that squad was pruned to 20 he missed out but suffered a bad ankle injury. That was Hajduk next season and when Zemunik the way I was brought up as a pro in Eng- Roger Federer on selection. when Willie Raynes contacted him about went to Croatia on holiday he recommend- land. We work on getting back behind the FAVOURITE FOODS: Chicken Schnitzel He also has a vivid memory of the coming to Melbourne and joining Heidel- ed O’Dell as his replacement. O’Dell was ball but when we get it we break quickly. FAVOURITE ACTOR/ACTRESS: fi rst time he came face to face with Scottish berg and O’Dell made the move. Terry developing as a coach and when Stubbins “Look, I certainly didn’t do this job for the Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie and Derby legend Archie Gemmill at the money. The club was knackered when I Hennessey was coaching the Bergers and offered him an assistant coaching role at HOBBIES: old Baseball Ground in Derby. took it on and if we can get promoted this Raynes, O’Dell and Phil Stubbins made an Whittlesea he jumped at the opportunity. Fishing, Hanging with mates, Discos, Tennis “Our manager told me to stick close to impact as the Olympic Village outfi t won “We put an ad in the paper for players to year I’ll regard that as my greatest coaching Gemmill but to be honest the closest I got to achievement so far.” FAVOURITE HOLIDAY RESORT: Mykonos the 1988 State League title. turn up to sessions at Melbourne Uni. We FAVOURITE NIGHTSPOT: CQ, Precinct him was in the bar after the game. He was “Then my best mate, Jim Tansey, got the got four players the fi rst night and two the And if Georgies can hold onto IDEAL DATE: Stephanie Rice magnifi cent, easily the best player I ever job and got rid of me. He said I was a second night so we had a hell of a job on O’Dell that may be their greatest achieve- FAVOURITE TV SHOWS: played against. He just played these little trouble maker. I had two seasons under our hands. But that time I spent with those ment of recent times for his success there one-twos and I never got near him.