Time for Sage to make a glorious change

Life as a Perth Glory fan has certainly had its ups and downs, and you certainly don’t need to look at just this season to work that out. For years Perth has been seeking to replicate the Glory days but it seems as one step is taken forward, two are taken backwards (or six in this seasons case).

Off the field the crowds are coming and the chairman has been terrific, but on the field things must change, and quickly.

Throughout a season a club is bound to have its good and bad periods. There comes a time where the foot has to be put down and six defeats in a row is quite unacceptable. The manner of the defeats though is far more concerning though and the fans admittedly deserve a lot better.

The game against Sydney on the weekend was particularly alarming.

A lack of leadership across the field from back to front was evident and a distinct lack of passion was there for all to see. In the midst of a barren run, you would expect the solidarity of your senior players to step up and pull the team out of a rut.

Solidarity is non-existent though – illustrated by the 13 goals conceded in the Perth’s last five outings, leading to the fans rightly questioning whether these players really want to wear the Glory jersey.

Sure confidence is low, but how can a team put in such an abject performance at home against the bottom side in the competition that are yet to win this season?

For me there are two possible solutions to stop the rot.

The first would be to give some of the younger lads an opportunity over senior players who are seriously under performing. Tommy Amphlett, Andrija Jukic, Anthony Skorich and Ryan Pearson are players occasionally seen in the purple shirt, but they just aren’t given a fair crack.

This would hopefully bring some much needed energy into the squad, to revitalise the outlook of a team that are well and truly in a slump.

Some may debate that it’s inappropriate to throw the youngsters in at the deep end. However, these kids are fresh and are looking to make a career for themselves and if they can’t get an opportunity now, when on earth are they going to?

A no-fear attitude, a willingness to be positive and take the game on may just be the catalyst to kick-start a season and reverse a predictability that has developed over the weeks.

The Brisbane Roar in particular has benefited from this, despite questions at the time of senior players Craig Moore and Danny Tiatto being moved on. Closer to home, Scott Neville has been a rare shining light for the Glory and a prime example of a former youth league player relishing his chance in the firsts.

Let’s not forget the boys from the west also made the National Youth League Grand final last season as well.

The second suggestion would be to change the direction of the club, and to invest in a new footballing philosophy that hasn’t really changed over the years.

McMahon, Smith and Mitchell have coached in the past, so what is another Brit Ian Ferguson going to offer that the others didn’t? A foreign (non-british) coach would be a great start, and let’s be honest; Tony Sage could probably afford to bring one in.

This would allow the Glory to develop a different system to the usual formation and tactics used on match day. The long balls over the top that are played are not quick and direct as they are in England, rendering them completely ineffective in their ability to catch out any defenders.

This style of game suits a player with the potential to break the off-side trip like Nikita Rukvytsya, but does it suit the aging legs of Robbie Fowler?

Furthermore, where is Fowlers best position in this team? The long balls at the moment are currently bypassing the former Liverpool legend, which see him disappear for large portions of the game.

His creativity is generally good though, but this can only be utilised with passes to his feet and touches to release the forwards and the wingers. This would also give Todd Howarth and Mile Sterjovski a chance to drive at the defence and get to the byline, rather than play fetch down the touchline or stuck on the static ball.

On the topic of Sterjovski, a change of manager and system might just be what he needs to re-ignite his career. At 31, the former Socceroo needs to find his best form, both personally and for the Glory who realistically need a better contribution from a player of his calibre.

Branko Jelic must play more as well in this side despite his recent lack of goals, mainly due to the intelligent positions he takes in the final third and his threat as an ‘in the box player’. Michael Baird certainly tries hard, but is it likely he’s going to score the goals to win the Glory matches? Probably not.

Another player under the cosh to the fans is Adriano Pellegrino and I simply wonder what his role is within this team. He’s not a natural winger, his crossing is inconsistent and his pace and skill levels rarely challenge opposition full backs. Nor is he a central midfielder or your basic wider supporting midfielder.

Finally Jacob Burns needs to drop a lot deeper and use the Kevin Muscat name that he is developing to screen the back four and do no more. His distribution in the middle of the park isn’t at a level where it’s going to threaten from a set piece situation, or in the role of a playmaker

So that’s my antidote to cure the curse of the Glory, but the question is: What will the Glory do now? Whatever they do, decisions must be made soon to arrest the short-term, but more so to sustain the long-term.

What do you think?