Opinion
A big player signing, a strong advertising presence and new badge for Glory’s 25th year. Could this be the start of a winning season with the men from the west?
Perth Glory recently announced a new badge will adorn their 2021-22 strips. This emblem, the club name with a rising sun in the background, is a throwback to their early ‘glory days’ of the late ’90s.
This rebranding, coupled with the major off-season signing of former Liverpool great Daniel Sturridge and a relatively heavy marketing presence with the club aiming to ‘fill the park’ for their first home game, could signify they might be claiming some much desired silverware come May 2022.
Arguably, though, this may just be window dressing covering the faults on a struggling club. Apart from winning the 2019 premiership with former coach Tony Popovic and coming agonisingly close to a winning a championship in front of a record-breaking crowd at Optus Stadium in the same campaign, they have regularly failed to achieve.
While it was great for the club to make an appearance in the belated 2020 Asian Champions League, little was achieved on the pitch. Recent years in the FFA Cup have been dour and good A-League performances have often been irregular.
While these results have been frustrating for fans, the club seems to have persisted. The owner, Tony Sage, has again seemingly opened the chequebook for big-name signing Daniel Sturridge amongst other more modest player inclusions.
The signing of experienced players Brad Jones, Brandon O’Neill and Jack Clisby seem to be savvy trades that ensure the club can add depth and maturity to the line-up without spending significantly beyond their means.
The league needs a consistent performer, if not a title challenger from the west. The Glory’s inclusion strengthens the league and adds colour and variety to the competition. But to Perth’s fans, a consistent, engaging and most importantly triumphant season is the only new dawn that they crave.
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