Off-field meetings in Adelaide this weekend involving New Zealand Knights football manager John Adshead and club chairman Anthony Lee will play a major role in the future of the A-League soccer franchise.

"I'll be sitting down with the chairman and having a good look at a lot of things," Adshead said before he and his players flew out for Sunday's round 13 clash with co-leaders Adelaide United.

"We have to accept there is not a lot left for us in terms of this season," he said.

"It is now important that we look and plan and carefully consider what players we need to become competitive."

Asked whether he would be hamstrung by having players signed on two or even three-year contracts, Adshead said: "Not necessarily."

He said that he had been caught out by watching players in action once or twice and signing them on that basis.

"In future we will have to be more thorough. It will not be a case of turning up at say an NZFC game and watching a player and offering him something," he said.

"With the network we now have in place we will identify players and then watch them as many times as possible playing both home and away."

More pressing, however, is Sunday's A-League game and again the hope to turn their season around.

Watching the players in action on a small field at North Harbour Stadium this week, Adshead's contention that somewhere in his mix is "a good football team" sprang to mind.

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