Less than two months ago, Perth Glory were anchored to the bottom of the table, having just sacked coach Ian Ferguson after a demoralising eight-game winless streak.
Now, after Saturday night’s tense draw with Adelaide, the Glory are into the top six.
It’s been an amazing turnaround considering the turmoil that the club found itself in at the beginning of the year. Few would have predicted it, and credit must go to Alistair Edwards, who has brought out the best of a squad that is not of his own making.
There were several signs of nerves and more than a few shaky moments on Saturday night as the Glory got the point they needed against Adelaide.
Ryo Nagai missed several golden opportunities – including a penalty – while Danny Vukovic’s last minute diving save was critical, but they got there in the end.
Which is all that matters now. The knockout format for the finals series means that the regular season is all in the past. While the Western Sydney Wanderers will surely be favourites, it’s anybody’s game.
Many have well-reasoned complaints about the knockout format, but it’ll be an exciting race to the grand final.
Last season under Ian Ferguson, Perth went on a spellbinding run in which they lost just three games in their last fifteen matches. And after beating the Central Coast on penalties in the semi-finals, they succumbed to a late Brisbane Roar comeback special to fall short at the last hurdle.
This season, Perth will have a much more difficult run in the finals. Firstly, they must beat Ange Postecoglou’s Melbourne Victory side in Melbourne on Friday night. No easy task, but it was less than a fortnight ago that Perth clinched an injury time winner against the Victory at AAMI Park.
If they can manage a win over Melbourne, their reward will be to play against a well-rested Western Sydney Wanderers side in Parramatta. Indeed, while the odds may stacked against them, Perth will be happy to be the dark horse of the finals series.
It will be a true test of Alistair Edwards’ managerial abilities if he can get the team into the grand final. He’ll have to outmanoeuvre two of the finest coaches in the competition to do so. Still, he’ll be full of confidence after earning a three-year contract with the club.
Tony Sage has put a lot of faith in the Glory old-boy, who, despite his obvious potential, is still green at the top level of the game. Edwards has talked constantly about changing the style and approach of the Glory, which has endeared him to fans hoping he can resurrect the halcyon days of the old NSL.
Edwards’ fresh approach has already been felt out west, and the team has quickly gotten back on track with an emphasis on ball retention and slick passing. Even so, the looming sudden death situation demands results, not pretty football.
In this regard, the Glory will miss veteran winger Travis Dodd, who won’t play again this season, and may have to do without star striker Shane Smeltz, who is still recovering from a nasty boot to the forehead.
But with Jacob Burns, Liam Miller, Steven McGarry, Dean Heffernan and Michael Thwaite in the squad, there is no shortage of experience.
Moreover, the likes of Ryo Nagai, Chris Harold, Matías Córdoba and teenage sensation Daniel Da Silva have all made an impression in the latter half of the season.
Not to mention Adrian Zahra, who is back in the first team after scoring in last week’s draw against Adelaide. With Kevin Muscat – who almost ended the young man’s career two years ago – sitting in the Victory dugout, there will surely be extra motivation for Zahra to score against Melbourne.
With the finals fast approaching, it’s fantastic to see that there is at least one team representing each A-League state in Australia. From Perth to Parramatta, they’ve all got a stake in the title race.
While all the attention will be on the resting Wanderers and Mariners, there is still the possibility of a Brisbane Roar – Perth Glory rematch in the grand final. Only in the A-League.
West
Roar Pro
These are elimination games and MV and AU have been beaten at home. MV and AU are in for tough games. I hope Tom Waterhouse is on the commentary team, so we really know who's going to win.
Kasey
Guest
"Why would they appoint him?" Its simple. He won’t be asking for much in the way of a salary. The current board of AU are focused on ‘balancing the books’ and if that means going the cheapest option in the football department then so be it : (
Robbie
Roar Pro
the great thing about this finals series is that some of lower teams, Brisbane and Perth, have found late form while Adelaide, for example, have taken their foot off the gas somewhat in the second half of the season. It will be interesting to see how the finals series unfolds
Nathan of Perth
Guest
"However, over the years I have grew to dislike Perth" Harumph!
Titus
Guest
I have been pretty impressed with Perth under Edwards. They are looking as good as anyone in the competition.
Nathan of Perth
Guest
Yeah, changes have definitely been noticed. We are much more comfortable and safe with the ball in the middle of the pitch, and far more patient. Many more high-percentage options being taken. Crosses are both less frequent and far more effective looking, largely because we're starting to engineer time and space with the ball and getting deep. Also, we're getting more players forward in to the box. The composition of who is going forward is also changing. Unfortunately, poor luck (much of it WAY outside Edward's control) has led to inconsistencies in the starting XIs we have seen so far.
Matthew Skellett
Guest
I heard Inter-Milan might be coming out to Oz too :-)
Realfootball
Guest
Surely Valkanis can't be appointed. It would be criminally stupid decision. He has shown absolutely no indication that he is up to the job - quite the opposite, in fact. Why on earth would they appoint him? What possible argument could there be?
Bondy
Guest
Dinoweb, I remember that statement from Nikki Tanna ,classic tv it was.
BrisbaneBhoy
Roar Rookie
Correct me if I am wrong, but don't the stars above the clubs crest suppose to represent an International Club Competition (IE: European Cup, Champions League etc, etc) that the team has won? As for domestic league success, don't each star represent 10 domistic League titles, and not a sole title?
BrisbaneBhoy
Roar Rookie
"Can Perth reach the grand final again?" Yes they can, they will meet Brisbane once again in the Final Series Final at Suncorp Stadium. And like last season, Brisbane will beat Perth to claim a third straight Final Series Final Title. Bring it on!
Cameron
Roar Guru
Its about time someone noticed ;)
Ian
Guest
Nathan, obviously you're excited. be careful about extrapolation. I'd like to do that with Brisbane too. we garnered 24 points since boxing day which was round 13. if i extrapolate that we're on about 45-48 points in 3rd place. then i woke up ;-) seriously - has the game plan been different since edwards took over? more energy and passion from the players? good to see you don't like 0-1 losses either.
Kasey
Guest
See, your coach change worked, you are closing out the season with clear hope for the next. Our previous coach had us a bit inconstant, but up into 4th. Our current interim coach has us winning just twice from 11 starts and yet the rumour is that he’ll be appointed full time? :( How is a fan like me supposed to get excited about a season with 6-7 wins projected? How is a fan only slightly nuts about the game (I am completely nuts about football and AU) supposed to get excited about that sort of 2013-14?
Punter
Guest
Talking long term, 100% agree with you, love to see a strong Perth Glory after all their success in the NSL, on & off the field. With Ali Edwards at the helm, they are playing good football & looks good for future.
Nathan of Perth
Guest
Fergie: 20P, 5-4-11, 19Pts, would have extrapolated to 26 pts Edwards: 7 P, 4-1-2, 13pts, would have extrapolated to 50pts Just wow. And ith a huge improvement in the attractiveness of the play style to boot.
Nathan of Perth
Guest
You are the very soul of generosity.
Brick Tamlin of the Pants Party
Guest
We'll have a red hot crack at the Victory,when they are at their best Victory are a better side than the Glory at the moment but i've seen enough(Wellington aside)from this Ali Edwards side to be confident of an upset.No matter what happens im just excited for next season i just hope this isn't one of many false dawns.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
Also, don't forget in the off-season we also have: * EAFF Cup (3 matches for the AUS NT against KOR, JPN & CHN) * u20 FIFA WC (AUS is drawn in Group C with host nation: TUR and SLV & COL) Then we'll have a couple of weeks when the EPL circus hits town with ManUtd in Sydney & Liverpool in Melbourne. This off-season will be bursting with football action. In relation to the AUS NT WCQs ... let's hope we're relaxed & smiling at the start of October 2013 as we tune in to watch the opening A-League match LIVE on SBS2.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
I don't think it's any one specific player or issue, but a multiple of issues, including: * Poor shape of the whole back 4 (particularly, full backs who get dragged too centrally, which allows opponents room to overlap & to run onto balls played behind the defence) * poor individual positioning when 1-on-1 with opponents * poor tackling technique * slow decision-making - particularly from Adrian Leijer * wrong decision-making, resulting in high-risk passing & the inevitable turn-overs which leave the team vulnerable as players start to make offensive supporting runs I also think when the opposition is in our final third, our DMs are caught too deep - they're almost in line with the defence stationed just inside the penalty box, which means opponents are given space 5-6 metres outside the box to set up position & receive the ball with no pressure. If you look at all 3 Perth Glory goals a fortnight ago - particularly, the final goal by Risdon - opposition players are given too much space & MVFC defenders are too reactive. They should be aware of the dangerous spots & cover the angles. When I compare the way WSW & CCM defend, to MVFC these positional & structural problems are stark.