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With the addition of four Socceroos and one Irish international, as well as Youssouf Hersi, Perth Glory will have no excuses when the new A-League season kicks off.
Despite being a powerhouse in the NSL days, in the A-League the Glory have largely flattered to deceive. The 2013-2014 season was a case in point.
Head coach Alistair Edwards was sacked after falling out with senior players and accusations of nepotism. Caretaker Kenny Lowe was brought in and has now been give the job permanently.
But Perth had a horrible run under Lowe, winning just 4 games out of 17. The club finished the season in eighth place, 10 points behind sixth placed Adelaide.
The 2013-2014 campaign is one the Glory faithful will want to forget. Edwards is gone and so is one of his sons Ryan, a talented midfielder, who has returned to Reading FC.
Also gone from the playing roster is Jacob Burns, Edwards’ main foe, who has retired. Strangely enough, Edwards saw that Burns’ time was up and tried inject more youth into his starting line-up, but instead got the axe. Now that has happened anyway.
Burns, along with veterans Travis Dodd and Steven McGarry have all hung up the boots.
Rostyn Griffiths arrived in early 2014 and in the off-season Perth has brought in the quartet of Richard Garcia, Mitch Nichols, Ruben Zadkovich and Dino Djublic. All four have played for the Socceroos at some point. The club has also signed Andy Keogh from Millwall, Diogo Ferreira from Brisbane and Hersi from Western Sydney.
Put them together and throw in Danny Vukovic, Michael Thwaite, Sidnei and Chris Harold and you have the nucleus of a pretty good team. Add youngsters Daniel de Silva, Jamie Maclaren and Josh Risdon and things look great.
A starting XI of Vukovic, Risdon, Thwaite, Djublic, Ferreira, Griffiths, Zadkovich, Nichols, Hersi, Keogh and Garcia is pretty handy.
Lowe is not done with his recruiting yet and has another visa spot to fill. Perth also has to make a decision on marquee William Gallas. Considering the Frenchman’s contribution on the pitch last season, it might be wise to punt him.
Apart from Melbourne City, the Glory has been the busiest club in the A-League off-season and made some good signings. The cattle is there, now all Lowe has to do is mould them together. A proven youth and development coach in Western Australia, it’s time for the Englishman to display his worth in a senior role.
Perth has the players to aim for a top-four finish. There has been investment in the club, its facilities and the roster. A spot in the finals should be the minimum for 2015.
The Glory’s average attendance last season was 9,418. In the first edition of the A-League, 2005-2006, it was 9,734. Their crowds have been consistent over the past decade, from 7,589 in 2007 to 9,205 in 2010, then slipping slightly to 8,488 the following year, then back above 9,000 in 2014. Stable but not particularly inspiring figures. It would be great to see Perth crack over 10,000 regularly at nib Stadium and for some of the potential around the club to be properly harnessed.
The Glory has huge potential and a proud history from the NSL. In the A-League it has managed just one grand final appearance and three finals appearances in 10 years. It makes for poor reading.
Can the Glory days come back to Perth? It’s about time they did.
Follow John Davidson on Twitter @johnnyddavidson
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