Confidence, Stardom and Mankini’s?

Coach Milan Blagojevic says: ?Miki is a player who thrives on confidence and has shown the ability to go far in football. The only person that can stop him is himself. He is the type of lad who needs to believe in himself more. When he does he can perform on any stage. I rate him that highly.?
It?s not hard to see where the coach is coming from either as the defensive right-midfielder has turned in some sparkling performances this season in the Telechoice Premier League. His only failing to date has been some ?off? games where perhaps that confidence has slipped.
?It?s true what Milan says,? offer the youngster.
?I try and give 100% at every training session and if I miss a tackle for example, I must win the next one. That is how I am, very competitive.?
Surely there is more to it than that though?
?It?s probably more a case of I need to win the next tackle, make the next pass or whatever so really it is a case of building my confidence although as each game passes I am getting better with this and keeping concentration throughout the 90-minutes,? he adds.
There is more to football than merely the confidence factor. If it were purely that he would have it in abundance as his girlfriend of three-years, Maja, and family (mum Radmila, dad Jovan and sisters Snezana, Suzana and Mirjana) who attend all of his games would surely be enough.
Training and practice are what it takes and Simonovic should know as he coach?s the U/9 side at Bonnyrigg White Eagles, one of his former clubs.
It also helps that he is reaching the end of a two-year apprenticeship to become a Telecommunications Technician which, if all goes well, should be completed within the next few weeks.
Enjoying his first season with Olympic, Miki is no stranger to the big time in the NSW State League as he was a member of the Minor Premiership and Premiership winning Blacktown City Demons last season and rates this as his most rewarding achievement in the game to date although he left me with a rather disturbing thought.
Having watched Brendan Renaud strut his stuff for many a season, particularly Marconi Stallions in the defunct NSL, Simonovic left me with this: ?The funniest thing I?ve seen in the game was last year when Brendan (Renaud) came to give us a motivational> He was very good but it was difficult to see past the fact he was dressed in a ?mankini? and was doing stretches,? he chuckles.
Although this is a picture one would perhaps not like to have lodged in the mind, that said, fair play to him for having the insight to do something different because it certainly paid off. Wonder what his next antic will be?
Miki Simonovic, nice lad, good sense of humour, star in the making.

– Micky Brock