Which is just as well! When Mike Lyons accepted the role as coach of A-League new boys Canberra Cosmos, he could not have imagined the problems he going to face. In this interview with Nick Guoth he discusses his past, the present, and tries to stay positive about the future.

NG: Mike, for those who don't know you, can you give the public a brief history of your playing and managing career?

ML: I went to Everton straight from school in 1968 and made my debut there in 1971.

I stayed at Everton until 1982 and was captain of the side for some 8 years. I was then transferred to Sheffield Wednesday where I had Jack Charlton and Howard Wilkinson as a manager. There, I stayed for three and a half years as captain and helped the team to be promoted to the 1st division (today's Premier Div) . Whilst there, Wilkie made me player/ coach of the team. Next, I spent two years with Grimsby Town as a player/manager and then I returned to Everton as a coach. To conclude my time in England, I had a spell at Huddersfield Town as assistant manager.

For the last two and a half seasons I have been the Brunei national coach, with the team playing in the Malaysian League. When I started there, the crowd size was 1-2,000. When I left it was 10% of the population or approximately 25,000. Three months ago I moved to Canberra to take up the position of coaching the Canberra Cosmos.

NG: The Canberra Cosmos are a new team to the national League. What do you think are the prospects of the team?

ML: With a lot of hard work and if the players respond, we can compete for the first season. We intend to try and establish ourselves in the league as no pushovers and we have the added incentive when certain managers say "we are the whipping boys". I like a challenge. There is a need for everybody to get behind the team.

NG: There are a few players still missing from the team. How do you think they will fit in, and how long would you expect before we see the strongest lineup?

ML: I've tried to build the pre-season sides around knowing what I've got to come in so that they will fit in when they arrive. Obviously, this won't be instant. It will take a while, but I hope it will progress steadily.

Out of all the managers I have played under (Harry Catterick, Billy Bingham, Gordon Lee, Howard Kendall, Jack Charlton and Howard Wilkinson), probably Howard Wilkinson has had the most effect on me. I believe that no matter what a player is, Wilkie would always be able to extract the most out of that player, even in some cases without the player knowing it himself. So, it will take a little time to educate the players to do what I want them to do.

NG: A number of your players have been obtained from the local league. What is your impression of the standard of play in Canberra?

ML: I think it is a pity that Canberra has not had a national side for the last few years and because of this we have fallen behind. It's not only one grade of football, but two, as we didn't have a side in the NSW State League this last season. This I hope to rectify, with Canberra Deakin as the obvious team. Because of this, my players have lost, in some cases, 5 to 6 years of their National League playing careers. Examples include Marko Perenovic and Jason Dunne. So, for these players it's a great opportunity to show what they have and thus also a great incentive.

Throughout the National League, there are not many players playing who were born in the ACT; you could probably count them on one hand, although I must say how we have a great advantage as the AIS is based in Canberra and I hope I can keep some of their players. I think that Ron Smith has done an excellent job at the Institute and my own opinion is that the boys at the Institute should have to stay there until they are 22 or 23 and be allowed to play in the National League as a young Australian side. Notice I say Australian. I think it's crazy why the Australian National team can't be called Australia and soccer is a word I hate, but to me it will always be football.