EVERY one of us looks at our favourite football team once in a while and says, “Bah! That’s not how I would be playing them!”

It's an enjoyable pastime usually performed over the sipping of a cold beverage before a game, or over by the din created by the masses at the ground itself. But it's rare that we actually get our wish- and yet, this seems to be what I'm getting with the Glory right now. "Hey Dave, you're some kind of masochist!" I hear you yell, "Your team has finished seventh three years running and now you've only got a single owner left". Well, it's true that my team has been performing abysmally and we've had our share of off-field problems. But the past two weeks have actually given me cause for renewed optimism.

The Powerbrokers
In early 2007, brave sirs Sage, McKeon and Spence came charging in with their white steeds and saved my football club from the clutches of the FFA. Don't get me wrong, the national body is doing wonders for football in this country, but they ran Glory into the ground and didn't seem to care too much about it.

They appointed Scott Gooch to the role of CEO and fans were treated to a string of promises. Fast-forward to 2009, and most promises are undelivered and Scott Gooch is out the door. All of a sudden, Tony Sage is the only owner left, and I think it's... absolutely brilliant.

It was apparent early in the piece that Sage was the "face" of the three, but as early as last year it was obvious that he was the only one who actually seemed to care, the only one willing to put his money where his mouth is. His latest comments seem to back this up; "I'm unencumbered now by partners, where cost was a big thing. In the past, the owners have been reluctant to spend that money... I'm in it to win it. I've made a lot of money in this state in my mining operations and this is my opportunity to put something back in."

Now that is the sort of stuff that any football fan likes to hear. Yes, Glory fans have heard it all before and been left empty handed- but all of a sudden things seem to be happening.

Lui Giuliani seems to be playing no small part in that. In the last two months of Scott Gooch's tenure, Giuliani had been working alongside him in the administrative field. Hey presto, in the last two months we've chased Everton, secured Wolverhampton, and are continuing to pursue Fulham for friendlies in Perth.

Now it's just been revealed that Perth Glory have secretly signed a Socceroo player in Sydney during the week, and that Giuliani and coach Dave Mitchell have gone to Europe with a shortlist of fifteen marquee targets to bring to Australia. Now I've got no idea who Giuliani is, I'll admit - but the guy seems to be all about getting things done, not just talking about it.

After the past couple of years, this seems to me to be the exact kind of person I want at Perth Glory FC. Combined with Tony Sage, whose presence in the fashion, business, and entertainment pages of Perth's media ensures constant attention, it might actually be the start of a beautiful friendship.

 

The Squad
As of Saturday, April 4, Perth Glory have six spots left to fill in their 2009 squad. Half of those spots to fill are international positions- a rare luxury that other teams don't have at this stage of the off-season. With Dave Mitchell's recruiting record overseas showing the likes of cult hero Eugene Dadi, midfield wizard Amaral, and skilled Dutch wide man Victor Sikora, you'd bet on him landing some other good signings this year.

But it's the general makeup of his squad which is beginning to catch my eye. There's the discovery of last season, Adriano Pellegrino, a tireless worker to complement the flair of players like "Big Dadi". You need players like "Pele" and Wayne Shroj to give you drive and determination.

Sure, their play may not always look fantastic (though they both scored screamers last year) but their work ethic ensures the game keeps going and the opposition is always harried. You also need a compliment of local players, to re-engage the grassroots community- and while the jury is still out on Scott Bulloch, if players like he or Josip Magdic can get regular games in the senior side, it'll bring in the families and club members who have followed them in the state leagues.

On top of this, you need a strong focus on youth- and Glory have that in Scott Neville, Andrija Jukic, and Anthony Skorich- all stars of the future and local products. I'll never forget Neville's debut, and how much I laughed and cheered as he stopped players like Archie Thompson- a Socceroo no less- dead in their tracks.

In fact, it's Glory's youth that excites me the most- players like Ludo Boi, Dean Evans, and Ryan Pearson still in the youth ranks and waiting for their chance to break into the senior side. They may not have finished top in the comp, but it's a tough ask for a side of boys and young men to travel over Australia and excel week-in, week-out.

If Mitchell can bring back some big scalps from Europe to build his team around, adding in one or two young blokes to give them some legs and excitement certainly wouldn't go astray. Mitchell's coaching style, strategies and formations- well, formation as I've never seen Mitchell's Glory play anything other than 442- might come into question from time to time, but if he has the players to fit the roles, anything is possible. (Please, just don't play Jamie Coyne in the middle of the park).

The Right Noises
To best emulate the news received by fans during a typical Perth Glory off-season, please place your hands over your ears and blindfold yourself. Now stick your head in a hole in the ground. Now get someone to fill that hole in with concrete. Get the picture?

Happily, someone seems to have got the message that fans actually want to hear from their club during the off-season. Christ knows, we all have to deal with BEN COUSINS JUST WENT TO THE TOILET and DANIEL KERR BUYS NEW HOUSE during the AFL's downtime- why can't we hear similar, less crap articles about Glory players?

So far in the last week I've read about Jimmy Downey and Tando Velaphi going back to their roots in Queensland at a grassroots club, and Eugene Dadi writing about his experiences on loan in Switzerland. Okay, so it's not exactly what I'd envisioned, and it could use a bit of sprucing up, but the club is making the right noises in this regard.

Okay, so I'll admit it. We've been in this position before - staff changes, player signings, decent rumours floating around. We've had things promised and we've then been let down. But for some reason I'm cautiously optimistic about this upcoming pre-season - perhaps it's the departure of Scott Gooch which has me thinking that the club might actually listen to its fans now, or the presence of a single owner which reminds of me of the "good old days" under Nick Tana.

Whatever it is, I'm willing to let bygones be bygones and give Glory's admin a chance with a clean slate this season- and I think that as the season draws closer, other fans will feel the same way. But fans want action taken as well as words spoken- and a date being announced for the Wolves friendly is a good start, as is announcing (sort of) a Socceroo signing.

"If you build it, they will come". I don't know if that actually originated in a Kevin Costner film or whether he-who-dances-with-wolves borrowed it from history, but it holds true for Glory and their average crowds of under 8,000 people.

Mr Sage, if you make Glory a success again on the park, the club will take care of itself off the park. At the end of the day, a strong Perth Glory isn't just demanded by Perth fans, but it's needed to ensure the success of this league and the growth of football in this country - lest football become the realm of the eastern states and a few pissant towns!