Tsolakis: “My position was untenable”By Yessar Daou July 2, 2013
Former South Melbourne coach Peter Tsolakis has cited the club’s sacking of five of his players as the reason for his decision to resign today.
The South Melbourne board announced the release of first team players Tom Matthews, Rhodri Payne, Joe Keenan, Seb Mattei and club captain Luke Byles last week. A decision which was not made by Tsolakis or with consultation.
“I told a couple of board members last night (Monday July 1) that I wasn’t going to continue,” Tsolakis told MFootball.
“A lot went down after the loss to Northcote two weeks ago, there were certain decisions made without my consultation and I felt my position was untenable and it questioned my integrity and my principals.”
Tsolakis, who made 160 National Soccer League appearances as a player for South Melbourne during the late ’80s and early ’90s, questioned the way in which the players were released, describing the event as “regrettable” and as a “shock” to the playing squad.
“I’m the head coach and I don’t know why they were moved on. The way it was handled was wrong, it’s my decision to hire or fire players,” he said.
“The current players are quite shocked and still don’t have answers. They’re looking over their shoulders wondering who’s next.
“You know things like this happen in football, we are old enough and manly enough to move on. It’s just regrettable the way the series of events has panned out, it could have been made a lot easier had they (the South Melbourne board) spoken to me.”
Tsolakis strongly denied allegations that Byles, Matthews and himself attended training intoxicated the Friday before South’s match against Northcote.
“For the record, nobody has ever been drunk at training, I’ve heard rumours that Luke Byles came intoxicated,” Tsolakis said.
“Luke works for a company called Telesport who works with children, he was working with 30 autistic and down syndrome children before the Northcote game. Tom Matthews is an electrician working from nine to five, it’s a load of garbage.
“That ruins careers. I even had a phone call saying I was out drinking during the day with them. It’s crap, it’s all crap.”
In his year and a half in charge, Tsolakis oversaw 33 VPL matches, winning 14, drawing seven and losing 12.
South Melbourne declined to comment to MFootball, but in
a brief media release thanked Tsolakis “for his service and wish(ed) him the very best in future endeavours”.
The club is yet to give an indication as to who will take Tsolakis’ place, slthough the early front runners are believed to be former Adelaide United assistant Phil Stubbins and former Richmond SC head coach Michael Chatzitrifonos.