Ashdod FC are tired of being labelled a "likeable" football club, but without bringing in new players they'll find it hard shaking off the name
Last season
Ashdod FC have spent recent years commuting between the bottom of the top half of the table and the top of the bottom half, and that seems to suit them just fine. Steadfast occupants of mid-table Israeli Premier League football, they finished last season once again equidistant between the relegation zone and a place in Europe. Not that Europe hasn't been absent from their thoughts altogether. In 2012 they sold two high-priced internationals, Zambian striker Rodgers Kola and Nigerian defender "Efe" Ambrose, to European clubs, Belgian side K.A.A. Gent and Scottish giants Celtic respectively. In 2013 Celtic were once again on the receiving end of Ashdod's largesse, with Israeli international midfielder Nir Biton making the journey to the British Isles. Mind you, the present squad also boasts international talent. Last summer their Nigerian defender Juwon Oshaniwa travelled to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and two Israeli internationals, goalkeeper Ofir Martziano and midfielder Gadi Kinda, are both veterans at the club. But a third-place league finish, and the chance to play in Europe rather than just exporting to it, has remained beyond their grasp for almost a decade.
Status quo
The Ashdod FC going into the current season are still somewhat of an enigma. They are the only team to have snatched points from the current league leaders, Ironi Kiryat Shmona, after a goalless draw in the season's opener. Last outing however they lost 1-3 to newboys Hapoel Petach Tikva, exhibiting a lacklustre performance, especially in the first half. In between they grabbed their only win so far this season against Hapoel Haifa in matchweek 2 and played out two draws against Bnei Sakhnin and Beitar Jerusalem. Entirely true to form, Ashdod FC find themselves five games into the new season in exactly the same place as one might expect – mid-table (see above).
Head Coach: Nir Klinger
In a season where the Israeli Premiership boasts three new young managers, Ashdod FC head coach Nir Klinger increasingly takes on the appearance of the "old fox". Klinger began his coaching career back at the end of the 90's at Maccabi Tel Aviv as assistant to ex-Chelsea and Israel boss Avram Grant. In 2002 he took over the top spot for the next three and a half years, a multi-season feat that has not been repeated since, either at the club or by himself, with Klinger changing squads eight times before arriving at Ashdod last season (incidentally, 2005 was also the last time FC Ashdod finished high enough in the table to earn a ticket to Europe). The question is, can he buck the trend in his second year.
Players out:
This past summer, while the battle raged on Israel's southern border 14 miles away, things at Ashdod FC were remarkably quiet. Midfielder Guy Tzarfati hung up his boots and joined the club's coaching staff after a long career that began at Maccabi Tel Aviv in 1996. Another former Maccabi player, midfielder Amiran Shkalim, returned to Hapoel Petach Tikva. Defender Shai Maimon moved on to second division side Maccabi Ahi Nazareth and French striker Gaetan Varenne left the club without finding a new one. It doesn't get much quieter than that.
Players in:
The "in" column at the club was even quieter, if that's possible, with Ashdod FC adding only two new players to their roster. Striker Murad Abu Anza was brought in from second division side Bnei Lod, where in a span of eight years he scored a total of 72 goals, 15 of them last season. The club also signed defender Gal Barel, whose five-year career at Ironi Ramat Hasharon saw the club promoted, reach the Israeli Premier League top six play-off, only to be relegated last season once again. That's it. Did we say quiet?
Player to look out for: David Solari
Since joining the club in 2013, Argentinian midfielder David Solari has yet to bring the joy to Ashdod that he did to former club Ironi Kiryat Shmona, whom he helped to an historic top flight championship and a maiden appearance in the group stage of the Europa League in 2012/13. In the first six months with Ashdod last year he scored six league goals, an average of one goal every three matches, but his season ended in January after he tore a cruciate ligament. After a long period of convalescence he finally returned to match fitness at the beginning of the current season, and he's already making a difference. The attacking midfielder has now become a linchpin in his side going forward, scoring in his last two league outings.
