Perth coach Ian Ferguson admits it might be time for the club to rejuvenate its playing roster following a demoralising seven-game losing streak that is threatening the Glory’s A-League finals chances.
Ferguson has wielded the axe heavily since taking over from Dave Mitchell three weeks ago.
But the changes have had little impact, with Perth’s 5-0 loss to Central Coast on Saturday leaving the club a worrying five points adrift of sixth spot.
High-profile recruits Robbie Fowler, Mile Sterjovski and Andy Todd have failed to fire this season and Ferguson said the club may need to consider a rebuild.
“I think we have to have a look at that,” Ferguson said on Monday.
“We’ll have to have a sit down and talk with (owner) Tony (Sage) and (deputy chairman) Lui Giuliani and (chief executive) Paul Kelly.
“We have got quite a high profile here but that doesn’t guarantee anything.
“You’ve got no divine right to win.”
Ferguson said he was now left with little choice but to introduce a raft of youngsters to provide fresh energy and enthusiasm.
“It could be unsettling, but we’ve lost the last seven so we’ve got to do something,” he said.
“I can’t sit on my backside and do nothing and keep going the way we’re going.
“I’ve got to make a statement that what’s happening is not good enough.
“It could get a lot worse believe me.
“There’s still 18 games to go so there’s a long way to go in this season.”
Ferguson said his team would have to roll the dice in Wednesday’s home clash with Melbourne Heart.
“We’ve got nothing to lose basically,” Ferguson said.
“It’s a night where we’ve got to be positive, we’ve got to keep going in the right direction and that’s forward.
“At the end of the day the buck stops with me and it’s something we’ve go to try.
“I’ve got a contingency plan as you would say and hopefully we can try and get ourselves out (of this rut).
“I know Perth Glory fans are hurting and there’s no one hurting more than me at this moment in time.
“It’s not a great record to have, but if they can be patient, we’ll try and get these young kids in and see where that takes us.”
The likes of Tommy Amphlett, Howard Fondyke, Brent Griffiths, Anthony Skorich and Andrija Jukic could all get some game time under Ferguson’s reshuffle, while several other Glory youth league players may also be plucked out.
Skipper Jacob Burns will return after serving a one-match ban, while Scott Neville is expected to take his place despite copping a heavy cork in the loss to Central Coast.
mintox
Guest
As an added example of why the Mitch and Fergie regime has been terrible for the Glory is the fact that so many youngsters have failed to have been given a chance and how we've let home grown players slip through the net. Jukic sits on the bench each week despite looking like one of the most comfortable players we have on the ball, when he does come on it's up front rather than in centre mid. We've seen little of Fondyke, Skorich and Brent Griffiths and Pearson had been given a start against CCM. Eli Babalj now plays for Melbourne Heart (he was a Glory Youth Team player two years ago). Rostyn Griffiths was a product of ECU Joondalup in the WA State League and has ended up at North Queensland Michael Petkovic is a WA boy and has returned to Australia but is now at Melbourne Victory Nik Mrdja was allowed to leave by a previous regime at Glory
Stevo
Guest
Ferguson need only look at the Straka Revolution @ Fury to realise he is out of his depth. Look also at Heart, a startup team that from the outset wanted to play football, passing on the carpet and good interplay - they have brought in younsgters and now seem to have the team gelling. It's all about how you think the game should be played. How on earth can the "Chook" Fowler get into the game when he sees the ball sailing over his head! Time for Sage to get a proper coach.
mintox
Guest
Any manager who plays Jamie Coyne has no idea what he's doing. Both Mitch and Ferguson have given him so many opportunities due, most probably because he works the hardest at training (I've been told he's the fittest in the team), but that does not make up for his lack of skill or the fact that he's cost them the lead in at least 4 games this season and was at fault for the first two goals against CCM on the weekend. Even more worrying is that he's a limited full back who both managers have played in the middle of the park because he covers more ground.
Smokygrayson
Guest
Ferguson sounds like a guy who doesn't have a lot of ideas open to him. He wields the axe to appear like he's doing something, but unless he does it with a plan, it flops (5-nil drubbing). If he has a plan, it will take a change in tactics and personnel and will take weeks or months to show.
mintox
Guest
Introducing the youngsters may work but if the rumours are anything to go by, the reason why we have been playing crap is because the coaches (both Mitchell and Ferguson) have lost the dressing room with their awful brand of football. Both have been quoted in the past saying that passing football is too predictable and instead prefer to get the ball into the danger areas (into the box or to the corners). The immediate result of this was an endless supply of crosses from 40 yards out against Sydney which Foxe and Keller dealt with easily and a complete lack of supply to our strikers which has seen the Glory's chances on goal completely dry up. You can see it in the lack of effectiveness of Robbie Fowler that the way the coaches play does not suit him, Tony Sage needs to wake up and realise that Mitchell and Ferguson are relics and bring in a better manager (just look what it's done for the likes of North Queensland, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Adelaide, Heart etc). Just changing the personel wont change anything if the Glory are still playing rubbish football.