Jesse Makarounas might just be remembered by Perth Glory fans as the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Instead of becoming the lightning bolt from the youth team he should have been, the 18-year-old is the latest in a parade of Western Australian prospects who have headed east for first-team football.
You just know Ange Postecoglou is going to use him at Melbourne Victory, and use him properly. And it will enrage the Glory diehards.
Rightly so. Perth likes to preach it is a club that gives opportunities to young locals, but aside from Josh Risdon there is very little evidence of this.
That’s despite the outcomes of that independent review commissioned by Tony Sage and headed by Ric Charlesworth a couple of years ago.
Remember? It said they should aim to nurture Perth products with the end goal of filling the senior squad with WA-born, Glory-bred footballers. The opposite has happened.
It’s maddening stuff because if anything, now is the time the Glory could do with a handful of new faces in attack to freshen up a side that has always looked more mechanical than majestic.
This is a club with what is often described as the best squad on paper in the competition – a nice little back-handed compliment.
It’s true though. Perth have one of the A-League’s all-time best strikers, Shane Smeltz, an assortment of competent midfielders headed by the still-criminally-underrated Liam Miller, and a defence marshalled by Michael Thwaite, who by rights would probably be a regular senior Socceroo but for a desire to keep his family in Australia.
The ingredients are there. The pieces should fit. They should be playing smooth, flowing football as promised – and consistently, because the key players have all been there and done that.
But under Ian Ferguson, Perth are the lowest-scoring team in the A-League, arguably the least exciting and – given the exodus of young WA-born players – the side with the bleakest future.
There’s obviously plenty of concern over what’s happening over in Wellington with the club’s misguided attempt at introducing Kiwi tiki-taka, and also the meltdown at Brisbane Roar that Mike Mulvey seems incapable of halting.
Were it not for the admittedly great run that got the Glory to a grand final last season, the torch would be on them too.
The truth is they have gone backwards.
Let’s be real – Perth are a very senior side. There are no valid excuses for why this team is wallowing in mediocrity.
The current plan of attack – which is essentially give the ball to a wide player and cross to where Billy Mehmet used to be, instead of working it into the box with a bit of patience and care – is not working.
It’s in the final third where a skilful kid like Makarounas, or even the lightning quick Chris Harold, would be handy – but Ferguson is so hesitant to use youngsters he has effectively forced the former out.
You wonder what would have come of Tom Rogic had he ended up in Perth instead of Gosford?
Predictably, it seems like the Glory are set to pin their hopes on some Argentinian No.10 pulled from obscurity in the hope he settles immediately and pulls some strings. Unlikely to happen.
Tony Sage has been patient with his coach, which is to his credit given the propensity of mining oligarchs in football to fire first and think later. But when are the results going to come?
Of course, they could make another run towards the finals as the annual game of top six musical chairs kicks off in earnest. But it seems far less likely this year than last.
And anyway, should it have to come to that?
Can anyone really say this current Perth Glory regime is capable of actually taking the A-League by storm, in the manner that Brisbane have in the past and like Central Coast, Melbourne Victory and Western Sydney currently are?
Surely that is the goal. How far along are they, really?
tony
Guest
until ferguson goes the glory can only go backwards glory need a coach that can get the players to form a team as at the moment 11 players take to the park but there is NO team no idea of what to do any coach or even no coach would be an improvement on the existing coaching staff
tony
Guest
perth glory will never get any where until tony sage gets rid of the existing caoching staff and replace them with a proper coach at the moment NO coach would be better than the poor quality coaching staff at present at the glory as 11 players take the field but ther is NO team the fault lies with ferguson and his inability to get the players to gel
Bondy
Guest
Andrew we could deabte the finer points to football possesion retention perhaps but could you seriously say the glory have had a worser time of it over the past few years comapered to say Newcastle who do nothing really annually?. The coach is one dimensional thats all .Bold new vision is needed there risk taking with a new coach would be a good start.
Andrew
Guest
Tough topic discussed in great spirit guys-well done. Glory is in serious trouble unless fans get to games and all sing the same chant and local players want to play for them. Tasmania is itching to join the A league and the benefit there is they are close with less travel. Here in the wild west we may lose our team.
daniel06
Guest
I would like to see Perth as the first team to bring in a marquee coach. This is a much bigger risk financiallly for Sagey and Co. as people wont come to a game to see a coach. The alternative of spending big $$$ on a over the hill big name player is a much safer bet as people will still turn out just to see him even if he is well past his prime. However the impact a coach can have on a team is far greater than any individual player can have. The financial reward comes from developing talented young players and selling them on to bigger leagues. The fans will come, because everyone loves a winning side.
Nevyn
Guest
Let's not get carried away with the Glory Women's results. They did well and Jamie organised them well but as much credit has to go to the recruiting as the coach. With Eastern states teams being diluted by the addition of WSW, Glory did extremely well to add 4 Matilda's players, a Canadian International, a Kiwi international and the Chelsea goalkeeper. With the loss only of Sam Kerr. Only 3 of last years starting XI got regulAr starts this season. Jamie got them playing out of the back well, passing game was ok but just like Fergie the team lacked imagination in the final third. Most of their success came from the individual quality they had in attack, rather than any brilliant combination play. Like Fergie he often instructed his teams to hoof it when in trouble instead of keeping possession ( I say this after hearing him shout instructions to his players during games to "get rid" insteads of messing around with it at the back). I don't see him offering much more than what we'd get under Fergie!
Nathan of Perth
Guest
Well he did a cracking job with the women's team, sure he fell short and [controversially] lost his semi, but if you consider that Perth Glory Women were up until he took over solidly holding up their corner of the Great Triangle of Unmitigated Failure that is women's sport in Perth (alongside West Coast Waves and Fever), to come in second and take the semi to penalties in his second year at the reigns, his first with a proper preseason, is crazy good.
Panto
Guest
Jamie Harnwell - One of my idols and im from Sydney and not a perth supporter. He Bleeds Glory.
Brick Tamlin of the Pants Party
Guest
Cheers Bondy,shame isn't it this game isn't creating a ripple of interest amongst football fans,i guess it shows where both clubs are at right now.
Midfielder
Guest
In the Mariners clean out after Hal 5.... Fergie [who was the assistant coach] was the first to be shown the door... we all wished him well as he was a very hard worker, very honest, and willing to talk to fans... others where kept... Clark the fitness coach, Crawly the goal keeping coach... PG have played some excellent football this year and on paper have a great squad ... but not many kids playing ... As I said earlier I thing this is his last season in charge ... the question is is Tony S capable of finding the replacement ...
Midfielder
Guest
agree
whiskeymac
Guest
+1 but who to replace him?
langou
Roar Guru
We missed the boat and have been trying to play catch up ever since. In the first year of the A-League we went in with a squad of NSL players- those who had been stars in the old competition. It was a strong squad that would have won the NSL. The problem was that every other team around Australia has lifted the bar and as a result we got left behind.
langou
Roar Guru
Agree Mike, I would add that Ward has been underused as well. We are struggling for goals yet continue to ignore attacking options.
Ian
Guest
good to see comments from dinoweb and nathan about too much focus on sydney and melbourne teams only being successful......and the fallacy of if ......(insert team name e.g melbourne victory doing well.........(where's the bucket?). a-league went very well the last two seasons without sydney and melbourne having great success. i'm all for any other club being successful and healthy, financially and whatever other criteria to throw in there. and especially other centres outside apparently the only two that count. bring on perth and adelaide, and brisbane again out of our current situation, which i'm sure will happen.
Nathan of Perth
Guest
Maybe if we're lucky Jurman can give us a sneak preview tomorrow! But generally, though I could do with a few more goals in Glory games, that's not exactly what I had in mind...
Nathan of Perth
Guest
That one hurt my soul, it really did.
Nathan of Perth
Guest
And I think on two occasions at least finished only ahead of a club that subsequently died a dead death.
Nathan of Perth
Guest
There can be far too much focus placed on making sure the Sydney/Melbourne clubs are big and successful. It can be argued that the NBL doing everything they could to push the Sydney Kings in the early noughties had a considerable part to play in the ailing fortunes of that league.
Brick Tamlin of the Pants Party
Guest
Every team will have their bad runs,Glory have have finished in the bottom 3 in 5 or 6 of the A-Leagues 8 year exhistance,extremely poor.