Winning Edge Presentations Coach of the Month (NPL or NPL 1, Rounds 1-4) - Chris Taylor (South Melbourne)

Four wins from four games is a big achievement for any coach, but four away victories is one for the record books.

South Melbourne boss Chris Taylor has recorded 12 points so far from a possible 12, with South now sitting top of the table.

Not only has he managed 12 points, but they’ve also been convincing wins. South has 14 goals in four games; Taylor announcing his intentions as an attacking team.

FFV's Alen Delic caught up with Taylor on Tuesday night to find out all about his first month at South Melbourne.

AD: How does it feel to have been named the first coach of the month?
CT: Yeah it's quite an honour to receive the first award. Pretty rapt with the whole thing.

So, what’s been the secret to four away wins in a row?
I don’t think there’s any secret to it. The boys have worked hard, we’ve worked hard, and the club has worked hard to bring the right personnel in since I took over about six months ago.
I think we’ve now got three players left from the squad when I took over. We’ve worked hard to bring in the right characters and people in the club, and rebuild what we see as a new era in the club’s history.

How have you found coaching in the NPL?
To be honest with you, there’s not a massive difference. The big thing we’ve got at the moment is the league is being promoted and it’s generating more interest.
Obviously with social media, people are a lot more aware. The actual quality in itself, what the NPL is trying to achieve will bear its fruit in a few years.

14 goals in four games, is attack the focus of your game plan?
I think we’re trying to play a nice brand of football. It’s not just about going out and winning games and being dour.
I haven’t been impressed with us defensively. In our last performance we got a clean sheet, that was a bonus for us, but we’ve also conceded a lot.
We attack with a lot of mobility. That was the aim for us this year. We’ve got the variety of forwards.

Which win has meant the most to you as a coach?
Every win for me in important. You can’t take any match too lightly.
The derby against Heidelberg in the first game meant a lot to the club, and that got us off to a good start but I certainly think Hume City are a very good side. We came away with the result on the weekend, but they certainly made us work very, very hard.

How much of a difference has it been having a full pre-season under your belt?
Obviously you can actually influence the way you want the guys to play. It took me four or five weeks to change things around when I got there. Obviously bringing people in you know who can do a specific type of job is good and we’ve now got the depth within the squad.
I’m very pleased with the squad and the hardest thing I’ve got is leaving players out that are actually performing well. That’s the most difficult challenge now; keeping everyone happy.

How much of an occasion is it going to be to have your first home game and what can the fans expect to see?
We want to get back on our ground. That’s where we feel most comfortable, but we also know it’s a big thrill for a lot of players to be playing out there.
The guys tend to lift for the occasion and the way we’ve been playing, every game is going to be a bit of a challenge. We’re really looking forward to getting in front of our own supporters, and hopefully putting on a nice show for them.

Image credit: Cindy Nitsos