Some Golden Soft Sombrero Moments with John Aloisi Aloisi on the frustration of a lingering hammy… Diegos: "You commenced the season impressively for Coventry, scoring a memorable goal against Manchester United at Old Trafford but for much of the campaign you've had to live the life of an injured athlete, nursing a ruptured hamstring and watching endless re-runs of 'Neighbours'. The injury has been a soap opera in itself. How frustrating has it been for you?" Aloisi: "Very frustrating because the medicos weren't really sure what the problem was. Initially they thought it was the hamstring and then the knee. I had a few people telling me that I needed an operation but that didn't eventuate. My hamstring is still not right and I've been out for 14 weeks. So it has been very frustrating." Diegos: "To your credit you were one of the first Aussies back to play in the recent two match series against Brazil. Unfortunately injury prevented you from getting on the park but you stuck around to help out where you could. Coming such a long way and not playing must have been a huge disappointment but having to cook, clean and iron for Frank and the boys must have been hell?" Aloisi: "I was really looking forward to those two games from the moment they were announced so I was pretty upset that I was unable to play due to injury. It was still good to be back with the boys and meet Frank Farina for the first time as the Australian coach. I always look forward to playing for Australia. I just hope next time I won't be injured." Soft Sombrero moment 1999
Diegos: "The Coventry City team has become a veritable United Nations. The squad includes a couple of flashy Moroccans, a Viking Swede goalkeeper, Brits of all persuasions and of course, an Aussie Crow-eater from Adelaide. How does everyone get along? Is there ever any need to send in a Peace-keeping force to maintain order in the change room?" Aloisi: " No need to call up the peace-keeping force because we all get along pretty well. They're great blokes and we mix well socially. They are also aware that Australia is best at every sport because I remind them every time I see them."
Diegos: "Your firebrand manager at Coventry, red headed Scotsman, Gordon Strachan, is a demanding type. He gets so worked up that the medicos have told him that he'll have a heart attack on the sidelines if he's not careful. How has he coped with your unavailability - does he follow you around to the physios and doctors, hurling abuse and demanding that you get yourself right quickly?" Aloisi: " To be honest when the team is winning he is quite happy around the place and I get along with him very well but when we are losing that's when he starts having a go at you. He has been walking around the medical room recently saying 'its getting cold in here there must be dead people around'. I've not come across a manager like Gordon before. He does get a bit excited on the touchline and at training but I guess that's just the person he is. I had Alan Ball at Portsmouth and his voice was quite high too." Soft Sombrero moment 1999
Diegos: "English footy is pretty cut throat. It seems that as soon as you got injured, along with the get-well card and flowers from the club, came the news that they had purchased - 6 million pound striking sensation - Robbie Keane from Wolverhampton Wanderers. How do you feel about challenge of reclaiming your spot in the side and what's the strategy when you get back? Will it be the late tackle from behind at training or the old Aussie Dencorub on the jock- strap ploy?" Aloisi: "Robbie actually signed when I was still playing and we played together a couple of times. We seemed to combine pretty well so I won't try and injure him or sabotage his jock strap. He is a brilliant player. Some of the things he has shown us so far as a 19-year-old have been very special. He has probably been the highlight of the season in the Premier league and in my mind, he is going to be a big star in the future." Soft Sombrero moment 1999
Diegos: " Most Adelaide born 22 year old dudes of Italian descent make a career out of disco dancing at the local night club and cruising in their 'hotted' up Monaro GTS. You instead decided that there has to be more to life than dancing to Tina Turner's 'Nutbush City Limits' and so you set about forging trailblazing career as an overseas soccer professional. In a relatively short time, you have played and scored in Italy's Serie A and the English Premiership, and are gaining a reputation as a goal scorer of the highest quality. Do you sometimes lay awake at night wondering whether this is all true?" Aloisi: " Not really because l put a lot of hard work into it. Whatever l get out of it, l know I've deserved. It hasn't been easy. I left home before l turned 17 to go to Belgium and as you know, at that age, 17 year olds are still trying to get into the discos in Adelaide. I wasn't any good at dancing anyway, so l had to pursue a career in soccer."
Diegos: " The early reports on the Four Diegos fax suggested that you were set to sign for Charlton Athletic. In the end you instead clinched a deal with the 'Sky Blues' of Coventry City. What were the circumstances that led to your transfer from Portsmouth to Coventry City?" Aloisi: " I read in the paper a few times that Charlton were interested but l never actually spoke to them. Then all of a sudden, Coventry's manager, Gordon Strachan called Portsmouth and spoke to Alan Ball the manager, who then informed me of their interest. He asked me if l wanted to go there and l said that I'd like to speak to Strachan and find out more information about the club. We met, and after l slept on it, l decided that l would love to go to Coventry." Diegos: " The papers termed your transfer fee of a lazy $ 1.09 million as a cut price deal. We at the Diegos would never regard you as a 'cheap and nasty, bargain basement, everything must go' buy. Do you think the comparatively low transfer fee helped you secure a deal to the Premier league earlier than you expected?" Aloisi: " No l don't think so because when l spoke to Alan Ball he told me that he had already arranged a price with Coventry of about A$ 4 million. Our chairman at Portsmouth was struggling for money and wanted the deal to go through straight away, so after speaking to the Coventry chairman they agreed on the final lower transfer fee. That's why everyone at Portsmouth was very upset. Even Coventry's manager, Gordon Strachan felt really bad about agreeing on one price with Alan Ball and another price with the chairman. At the end of the day l didn't mind how it all came about, as long as l was playing in the premiership." Soft Sombrero moment 1999
Diegos: " You have endeared yourself to Cremonese fans in Italy and Coventry fans in England by scoring on your debut for both clubs. Do you find the resultant pressure from the high standards you set to keep scoring difficult to cope with?" Aloisi: "In Italy it was because l was very young, only 19. I was in a struggling team that had only won one game, the game that l scored in. In England, I've matured as a player. I know what the English game is like because l played in the first division with Portsmouth where l scored a lot of goals. I'm quite confident l can do the same here at Coventry." Soft Sombrero moment 1998
Diegos: " The Four Diegos dance troop, the 'Garlic Girls', have voted you the 'World's Best Looking Soccer Player of the Month'. We, like David Ginola and George Best, know what it's like to be relentlessly pursued by female soccer groupies. Do you find your new found fame has brought with it additional attention from female fans?" Aloisi: "No not really because l don't go out that much. I don't really know and don't really want to know, what the female groupies think of me because l love my wife who is over here with me."
Diegos: "You were part of our World Cup disappointment against Iran in 1997. FIFA have declared that our next qualifying route for the 2002 World Cup, after the Oceania stage, includes South America. Does this path concern you?" Aloisi: " Yes it does concern me because it's going to be a lot harder this time. Our easiest chance was in the last World cup and now its going to be very hard because it might be Chile or Columbia that we have to play. Having said that, l think we'll have a better side this time round because players like Harry Kewell, Mark Viduka and Stan Lazaridis are going to be even more experienced at the top level. I'm sure we will have a top side." Diegos: " What do you like to think we have learnt from our failure against Iran?" Aloisi: " I suppose we're all still trying to work out what happened there. A simple, obvious lesson is that we can't relax at 2-0 with 15 minutes to go. I don't know whether anyone really relaxed though. It just seemed to be one of those games. Not having that experience, not playing enough tough matches like that, maybe went against us. Playing them every four years is not enough. We need to play more of those games but l really don't know how we're going to be able to do that." Soft Sombrero moment 1998
Diegos: " Stan Lazaridis' team, West Ham, played Coventry just after Christmas. Did you and Stan cross paths on the pitch, and was there time to give Stan a traditional Aussie 'wedgy or fuzz nut' welcome?" Aloisi: " Actually l did start that game, but l didn't get a chance to give Stan a wedgy. It would've been something l would've loved to do though. We had a chat just before the kick off and during the game a little bit, but l was trying to concentrate because it was the first game l started in so l couldn't really talk that much." Soft Sombrero Moment 1998 |