Special Feature: Sunny side up for Gooner Tirovski
So how has he slotted into his latest side. ?The major change for me has been the attitude and professionalism of Lee (Sterrey).
?He came to the club and shook things up a little and tried to get everyone, the club and all the boys on the same page and looking forward and getting everyone to realise what this club can potentially do in this league.?
Many will point to a slow start to the Suns season but the ladder told a different story and there are no excuses from anyone at the club as Tirovski continued.
?I wasn?t here last season of course but for those who were, they?re saying that under Lee the training sessions are a little shorter and sharper and in organising everyone to play the game at a higher tempo with the sharpness and speed required to play that way.
?That has been the biggest change for the boys I think and for me it has been more tactical awareness and the fact the boss likes to lay out his formation early so that everyone has the time to get used to where they are supposed to be and familiarise themselves.?
Tirovski is a Gooner, an Arsenal fan for those who don?t know and not because they are a successful side in England but for the overall style and philosophy instilled under Arsene Wenger.
?I followed the side before Wenger arrived and for me it?s simply a case of Arsenal and that is it.
?My favourite player was Ian Wright as a kid because it was almost impossible for the defenders to close him down most of the time as he was such an instinctive player but I have to say my all-time favourite Arsenal player has to be Dennis Bergkamp as he was just the ultimate.?
We break from the interview for a short while whilst this scribe reveals a couple of things regarding the Dutch master and when the greenness of envy subsides the slightly disconsolate midfielder continues.
?I went over there six times and managed to get to see one game but I did also drive a long way to watch them in the UEFA Champions League when I drove to Glasgow and back in one day.?
It?s pointed out that this is a minor trek as you can go from Sydney to Lismore in thirteen hours and not even leave the state let alone the country but when the laughing stops it is conceded that the pair of us are very disappointed with the fortunes of the club in 2011.
?It?s been one of those years with regrets and what ifs so for many fans it seems to be the club are always second and don?t seem to have that winning instinct when it comes to the ?bigger? games and perhaps there needs to be a change in some of the personnel to shake it up.
?Teams like Manchester United have some players who are maybe not as gifted as those at Arsenal but they have that winning attitude under pressure where they can win a game in the 93rd minute whereas Arsenal seem to be able to lose them.?
It brings us neatly back to Rockdale and whether they have the Red Devils attitude.
?I think really we have not had a fully fit squad to pick from week to week but to our credit I feel we have coped quite well.
?We seem to have come in to games undermanned at times maybe (Tirovski was on the bench for the game with South Coast Wolves due to illness but still joined combat as a substitute) and we are still trying to balance the team out a little at the moment and I think we are not far away from (Sterrey) having a full roster to select from which means competition for places will be stronger and that is always a good thing.
?When that happens we will be a stronger unit but until then we might win one late or lose one late, like it did against Bonnyrigg, but we?ll all be out there doing our best for Lee and the club.?
When speaking with the Suns coach and players it is evident they have set themselves the target of a Top Five finish as a minimum mark of achievement and anything less will be seen as a season of underachievement.
?We are not here to make up the numbers and all the players have a Top Five finish as a minimum. The supporters know the players who have come in and the expectation of all is high and Top Five is a must otherwise there will be an awful lot of disappointed people.
?I know we have put that pressure on ourselves but we now we have the squad to get there and it?s just a matter of taking the opportunities that come our way to get there. If we follow the instruction and advice of the coach and take things in our stride then we should do it.?
It becomes difficult to argue with anyone who possesses the confidence and belief in team mates, coach and club with the conversation and aura almost infectious but without wishing ill to any club it would be marvellous to see this young central midfielder achieving stage one of the plan and then seeing where stage two takes him, and not just because he too is a Gooner!
-By Micky Brock
