It’s been a topsy-turvy last three seasons at NPL club Northcote City, with the club experiencing the lows of relegation twice in three years, and in between, the highs of a championship win. As well as four senior coaches, there have been approximately 70 players through the senior squad in that time.
It’s little wonder then that newly appointed senior coach Peter Tsolakis believes the main objective is “to get some stability at the club.”
“That’s the main thing I said to the boys – I’m always going to refer back to my last stint and make comparisons,” Tsolakis said, speaking to Neos Kosmos a fortnight after his appointment was announced.
“Last time I was there, we said let’s get some stability, get the squad organised. Don’t look at full steam ahead. Build the foundations and then we can go. That’s where we are looking at again now. If we don’t go up, if we don’t get promoted, it’s not the end of the world. We’re going to try and get that little bit of stability and grow the club back up again.”
Tsolakis returns to the club seven years after his first stint as coach there ended. All up, he was at the club for 10 years first as a player, then a player-coach and finally as a coach, leading the club to successive State League titles and promotion to the VPL as well as a Mirabella Cup trophy, before departing to coach at South Melbourne FC and Oakleigh Cannons. By his own admission, his departure from Oakleigh Cannons earlier this season left him with a bitter taste in his mouth.
What attracted him to take on the Northcote City coaching job following the departure of 2018 coach Eric Vassiliadis?
“I was there last season helping Eric out toward the end of the year,” he says. “So once Eric stepped down, we sorted out a couple of things, went through a couple of things. Look, I like the challenge of trying to build the club up again. I had 10 good years there. I’ve got a lot of friends there. I want to try and build the club back up. The other attraction is its very close to home.”
Tsolakis believes he now coaches completely differently compared to how he coached in his first stint there. “Probably a lot more insightful. Having to do the coaching courses, and you bounce things off other coaches. I think more in depth now. I analyse a bit better.”
He still places a high value in player-management. “I think that’s half your battle especially at this level. You’ve got to maintain good player management – a good connection with the players. Know what they want and deal with it individually because everyone’s different.”
At the moment, he’s in the process of trying to determine which of the 2018 Northcote squad are likely to be retained, conceding that some, like Gerry Sylaidos ( winner of the FFV’s Rising Star award) and Anthony Theodoropoulos are looking at going to NPL 1 clubs.
“I don’t begrudge them that,” Tsolakis says. “Everybody wants to play at the highest level. If they do get a club, we’ve said ‘With our blessing’. If on the other hand, I can entice them to stay and help us, that’s a big bonus for us because there’s some really good players. If I can keep the core together, I think I can build a decent side again.
“I’m definitely going to have some experienced players in there. But if I had a choice, I’d like to as much as I can, if I give the young guys an opportunity, that’d be great. Northcote’s always done that. Jason and Glen Trifiro, Paul Retre, Trent Rixon, Rashid Mahazi, all came through Northcote as young players. So there’s a few boys who have been given an opportunity.”
In addition to building his playing squad in preparation for the new season, there is something more that Tsolakis aspires to do.
“I want to get that culture back at the club. The culture we had back in the day when we won promotions. That culture and I don’t think it’s far off to be honest. I think we can do that.”
