Following Oakleigh Cannons’ 6-1 demolition of Green Gully, Miron Bleiberg had mixed thoughts to offer on both his team’s progress and the general implementation of the NPL in Victoria.
Despite witnessing his troops unleash six goals past a struggling Gully side, the former A-League coach was adamant in demanding a step up in discipline.
“Fair result because we deserved to score. You might say we could have scored more. But not fair for Gully because the difference between the two sides wasn’t that great,” Bleiberg said.
“The truth? Not [happy] in the first half. Tactically we didn’t play well, we were not organised the way I instructed the boys. I was not happy with them at a half-time.
“I said to them to keep the clean sheet. I said better we win 3-0 than 6-1. Funny thing that it ended 6-1.
“In the second half I was much more happy because we kept our shape, we played disciplined football.”
Bleiberg, the most qualified coach to grace the NPL, adopted a philosophical view on the scrappy nature of Oakleigh’s early-season results.
Like several other fellow NPL competitors, an exodus of core players has disrupted the Cannons’ stability over the off-season period.
“I agree – but it’s the sign of a good side when you win when you’re unconvincing. When you win unconvincingly then the writing is on the wall that you will do well when you play convincingly,” he said.
“But the factor people forget is that only three players remain from last year – Bosnjak, Zoric, and Christodoulou. What’s eleven minus three? Eight. We have eight new players who need to gel. It will take time.”
The former Gold Coast United head coach heaped praise on both the crowd-pleasers and the workhorses among his ranks.
“When you look for brilliance, you can’t go past [Andreas] Govas. Sometimes he has this magic touch that you don’t even see in the A-League. And I’ve been in the A-League, so I know. When he’s on-song, he can do anything,” Bleiberg gushed.
“Dominic D’Angelo is a player that doesn’t do the exciting stuff the crowd appreciates, but he’s what we call a coach’s man. Excellent job in midfield and at the back too.”
From Bleiberg’s perspective, the introduction of the inaugural NPL has been a compelling blend of refinement and confusion.
The Israeli coach spoke glowingly of a renewal in media coverage swept in by the restructuring of Victorian football.
“Look. It’s like a lady putting on a new dress. The new dress is impressive. Looks good. Sounds good,” Bleiberg said.
“The fact I’m standing here and I have three microphones in front of me and the [FFV] TV show – we’re going forward as far as media is concerned. I think everyone is excited.
“The two country clubs have proved they’re hard to beat and add another dimension. I also like that there is no finals series – first past the post. It’s a bit European!”
However, Bleiberg added that certain regulations had left him perplexed about the minutiae of the NPL’s youth development pathways.
“But rules are beyond my logic. They say if you play under 20s you’re not allowed to play more than five times for the first team. It’s beyond me, whichever angle I look at it.
“This competition encourages us to play young players and local talent by reducing visa players, penalising you for over 30s, but then you’ve got young 18-year-olds who can’t play more than five times for the first team!”
Oakleigh Cannons will next travel away to face Dandenong Thunder on Wednesday in a rare mid-week fixture at George Andrews Reserve.
Follow Steven Chang on Twitter at @Gixibyte.