Tatura always home for king Lia

November 14 2008

Shepparton News

Tatura's new coach Reno Lia was never going to coach at any other club if he came back to North Eastern Soccer League.

The Ibises' new boss played for Tatura, Shepparton United and Shepparton South in his days on the field but was only ever interested in one club upon his return to the Goulburn Valley from Melbourne.

Part of the Ibises' most recent senior premiership in 1987, Lia was back in Shepparton yesterday tuning back in to the North Eastern league.

"I said if I came back to coach in this league I wasn't going anywhere else," Lia said.

"There's a passion here."

Originally from Numurkah, Lia played with South Melbourne in the early 1980s before his stint with three North Eastern league clubs.

Another return to Melbourne saw him start his coaching career as an assistant with then-Victorian Premier League team Bentleigh Greens. He has since coached Knox and then Ashburton through the past 13 years.

Winning promotion from provincial division two to provincial division one was, in Lia's opinion, his best achievement with Ashburton.

Lia wasn't giving away much when it came to talking about his minimum expectation for where Tatura would finish next season.

"It definitely is different to come to a sixteam league when we have 12 in the league where I was," he said.

"There's going to be different perceptions of players, hopefully most of them will be positive.

"I will sit down with the committee and have a look at where they want (the club) to go."

Lia said the pace of the game would have the biggest bearing on how he would coach.

"I have a new set of players and a new setting to work with," he said.

"I haven't got a lot of time for individuality unless it's in the right areas, I'm very much team oriented."

Lia said recruiting was not a top priority but he had a couple of players in mind.