State League SE 1 club South Springvale and coach Bill Lambropoulos have officially parted ways after four seasons together, during which the small suburban club rose to national prominence.
Lambropoulos confirmed his resignation following the club’s AGM on 27 September, when a new president and committee were elected.
Lambropoulos first stood down before the last league match of the season, citing a lack of cooperation from the reserves coach.
“I didn’t feature in the last game with Clifton Hill because I didn’t get assistance from the reserves coach the game before when I was hit with some injuries. For me that was unacceptable.
“I was a reserve coach for 20 years. I never let down a senior coach. I thought that my tenure there had come to an end because of that. I felt whatever the case may be, if that’s the feeling the reserve coach has got for the senior team, that’s for the senior committee to look at and discuss.”
Lambropoulos said it was a difficult decision for him to make, but one that was made easier by the decision of club president John Argyropoulos not to stand again at the recent AGM.
“I knew that the current president wasn’t going to run again. I was only there because of him. We’re close, we’re still friends. I had said to him if you decide to continue with your tenure at South Springvale, we’ll wait for the AGM. I’ll have your back and obviously he’ll have mine.
“That’s not the case as it stands now. There’s obviously a new committee appointed and time will tell … I’ve got no ill feeling towards anybody there. Obviously they’ve taken a new direction and that’s OK too. It’s not the end of the world.”
Lambropoulos looks back over his four year tenure at the club with fond memories. “The memories will last forever.”
Few fans of grassroots football can forget South’s phenomenal run in the 2014 FFA cup when it captured the romance of the inaugural cup, making the Round of 16. That, together with the heartbreak of the Dockerty Cup final when it almost defied all odds by coming within moments of forcing the match against Melbourne Knights into a penalty shootout, ensured it was a season like no other in the club’s history.
Lambropoulos said those deep cup runs in 2014 have lifted the profile of the club.
“Everybody in Australia now knows who South Springvale is. To have made that major achievement with the playing roster we had, I sit back and think, ‘that was phenomenal’. It was absolutely phenomenal, just the heart, the desire the boys gave, to believe that they could be competitive at that level. And just that last game we played at Surfers Paradise, in that beautiful stadium, I think that was a gift from the soccer gods for us to go and enjoy the moment … and we did. Even though we lost 1-0, that will stay with us forever.”
According to the club, coach Lambropoulos and his assistant Kosta Tangalakis were just the right team to guide the seniors through these heady times.
According to club vice president Omi Emmanouilidis and team manager Peter Tragakis, coach Lambropoulos was an excellent motivator and much respected by his players.
In the big pressure games against NPL clubs, Emmanouilidis says, “we were always the underdogs and he believed in his players, and that’s why we got over the line every game. Because the boys wanted to play for Bill, and Kosta and Mark (Tsiorlas) and the club”.
“After a first big cup victory, the players saw the smiles of adulation from the juniors in the dressing room. Billy got the team to keep singing the victory song, because he wanted the momentum to stay there. And when we played the next game, his message was like, ‘the kids are out there watching you guys. Do it for the kids’. It was huge. That’s what was great about Billy. Mentally he knew how to get into the players’ heads.”
Emmanouilidis also believes that the club has Lambropoulos and Tangalakis to thank for bringing ex-NPL players to the club, including Bill Damianos, Ricky Diaco and Aris Drakos, all of whom featured prominently in the 2014 cup runs and were drawcards during the league season.
He believes that without the coaching pair’s business and soccer connections this would not have been possible for a small club like Souths.
He also praises the coach for managing a large squad and keeping them all happy.
“When we were playing in the FFA Cup and Dockerty Cup, we had a large squad, and he was able to keep every player happy. That is a challenge in itself. When you’re able to tell a player ‘you’re not playing this week because I want to use you for such a game’ and players acknowledge that and don’t complain, then you know the coach is succeeding. I don’t think there was a challenge for Bill he couldn’t overcome.”
Lambropoulos’ decision to stand down before the last game of the season apparently took everyone (players included) by surprise. Emmanouilidis tried to talk him out of it, but there was no show for the last game.
“He had made his mind up. Once Bill makes a decision, he sticks to his decision. But you know, I wish him all the best, because he’s a great person.
“We all fully respect him here at the club, because if we didn’t respect him, we wouldn’t have had the success we had. Basically I hope if Bill doesn’t return as coach, that he’ll still be coming to watch at South Springvale.”
According to Lambropoulos, he’ll continue to follow them in games. “I want to thank all the people at South Springvale over the years for their support. I’ve made some wonderful friends there. These will be life-long friends for me from now on. I wish them all the best.”
At the time of writing South Springvale is yet to announce a new senior coach for 2016.