- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Opinion
Perth Glory have had a lot of problems that have been completely out of the club’s hands this season.
But one problem that is a making of their own doing is the ‘marquee’ signing of Daniel Sturridge.
Sturridge has quite the glittering CV, with stops at Chelsea, Man City and Liverpool that have earned him many trophies – including the Premier League, the FA Cup and the European Champions League.
However, issues in his personal life and consistently being injured have curtailed a once-promising career.
There was logic in the Glory’s pursuit of Sturridge. Many Liverpool supporters are based in Australia and it was presumed this would see attendance sky rocket.
The Glory have only played one home match this season due to the state’s draconian COVID-19 laws, but it did see a bumper crowd of over 17,000 attend – the highest attendance for a regular-season match at HBF Park in a long time.
The bean counters in the Glory hierarchy would like to see similar-sized crowds, given that the club have one of the highest stadium-hire fees in the A-League Men – $100,000 to just turn the lights on, before adding security, paramedics, police and food to the equation.
A-League Men fans seemed optimistic in preseason that Sturridge would light up the league. Many betting agencies even had him as a favourite for the golden boot. But the more cynical fans among us knew this move would be a disaster.
Prior to signing with Perth, Sturridge has missed over a staggering 700 days of his career due to injuries.
His body appears to be made of glass and the comparison to ’90s cult favourite Darren Anderton continues to grow. Anderton was famous for continually being on the treatment table and earned the nickname ‘sick note’.
Sturridge is yet to play a full match and is unlikely to this season. His five appearances have all come as a substitute.
Australia’s notoriously hard pitches, coupled with the long flights around the country, have caused havoc with his body resulting in multiple soft-tissue injuries.
(Photo by Malcolm Couzens/Getty Images)
While Sturridge’s search for a barber in Perth went viral worldwide, his handling of fans after a match deserves praise.
He will regularly take photos and talk with supporters, as well as handing his match-worn jersey to a child in the crowd.
It is difficult to imagine how a fully fit Daniel Sturridge would perform in the A-League Men. Glory coach Richard Garcia will have had many sleepless nights pondering that same question.
In hindsight the club might’ve done things differently, though.
For the money spent on Sturridge, they could’ve got four proven players that would dramatically improve one of the division’s weakest squads – but that’s the problem with hindsight.
Right now, all Richard Garcia needs to do is galvanise the squad. Glory are still well and truly in finals contention, with three games in hand and a lot of home fixtures to come.
With Sturridge back in the treatment room and HBF Park requiring spectators to be fully vaccinated, it will be interesting to see the crowd attendance figures on Sunday.
Judging by the backlash on social media of Glory fans to this mandate, a likely small turn-out looms.
Daniel Sturridge is just another example of why A-League Men clubs need to get the right type of marquee player – even Day 1 Perth Glory fans knew this move would end in tears.
With 15 games left and Sturridge out reportedly for another few weeks, there is a real possibility he will reinjure himself again and finish the season with zero goals and not playing a full match, collecting over a million dollars along the way, just to enjoy Perth’s weather.
Tony Sage has done a lot of good for the Glory during his tenure as chairman.
The signing of Daniel Sturridge on a seven-figure deal, however, will go down in A-League Men history as one of the league’s most spectacular fails.
Are you the ultimate team manager? Pick your own superstar team and go head to head with other football fans for glory and cash prizes on Draftstars. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.