I'm on a roll...I'm on roll... this time...I feel my luck could change...

My head is spinning. Perth Glory are in fourth place on the A-League ladder, and I've simply grown unaccustomed to this altitude. Not since the heady (or headstrong?) days of Steve McMahon have we seen such success, and it seems insane that next round Perth will be gunning for three straight wins when they take on Central Coast Mariners in Canberra. To all those members of Capital Punishment and the ex-Cosmos fans who might turn up on Friday night, may I ask you this; firstly, make sure the public fill your stadium to vindicate your bid for a place in the A-League, and secondly, show your support to Perth Glory! I mean, let's face it - Gosford's finest are going to be just down the road by comparison, so you'll probably end up being their rivals anyway.

Having frozen my bollocks off sitting through the Melbourne match on Friday night, along with 8.000 or so others, at least Glory had the good sense to repay me with a win. Branko Jelic poached two from within the penalty area, both of which Mile Sterjovski played a part in, and Tando Velaphi kept us in the game near single-handedly down the other end. Victor Sikora and Andy Todd both had absolute screamers, while the central midfield pairing of Srhoj and Burns generally played well; even if they gave Carlos Hernández and co. far too much room at times. Adriano Pellegrino continued to look a little flat however, and Scott Neville probably had one of his more disappointing games at senior level. Both will want better performances in the coming round to justify their place in the side.

 

Pull Me Out Of The Aircrash...

Speaking of disappointing, anyone watching Craig Foster's analysis of the Glory-Melbourne game on SBS would have been forgiven for thinking only one team had played in the match. "Oh, Melbourne dominated"... "Oh, Melbourne had lots of chances"... "Oh, Melbourne's midfield was looking the goods". Apart from a quick interview with Branko Jelic, there was little to nil to say about Glory. How about "they won the match" Foz? Or "they took their chances?". Or "I look at Andy Todd and I see why I never really played in the Premier League". It might be one segment, but it's symptomatic of Glory's trials in the media since their NSL heyday.

It seems the McMahon and Smith coaching eras, plus the FFA's ownership and Tana's original low-key entry into the A-League, has made for an easy-to-ignore Perth Glory. Everything fell into a great big goddamn hole, and we're only just struggling out of it. Back in the day, we had Bernd Stange kissing policewomen and Channel Seven doing live crosses to Mich's (not Mitch's) house. These days, Glory are only just starting to pick themsleves up again- and I believe there's now going to be a regular "Chris Coyne's house" segment on Channel Seven. Well, we think... it is Seven after all, so it will probably be shown at 3am alongside some impotence treatments and Hollywood makeup. With the AFL season slowly winding down (especially in Perth) it would be good to capture some back pages of the West before the cricket starts up. But of course, all this depends on the club's players getting out there and doing their job well; winning games and pulling in the punters at home.

I'm Your Superhero...

In order to win those games, Perth will need some leaders on the park to inspire them to greatness; and early in the season, you always have players who put up their hand for this role, getting stuck into things right from the opening kick-off. Personally, it has been fairly easy for yours truly to pick those players so far in 2009.

First up is Tando Velaphi whose courage, aerial ability, and sheer determination has made him one of the form shot stoppers in the competition this year. His distribution needs a bit of work still, but he's already probably one of the best A-League keepers in terms of aerial acrobatics. His diving saves against Wellington, the superb stretches to tip over Melbourne free kicks, and his complete lack of hesitation to throw himself on the ground to make a save - even at a striker's feet - makes him an invaluable asset to the team.

Next up is Victor Sikora, a man who seems to have the vision of an eagle, the cunning of a fox, and the tenacity of a wolverine. Sikora has managed to score one goal, get involved in  the build up of others, and even defend from his position on the left wing. When he has the ball at his feet, he nearly always uses it well. When he doesn't have the ball, he goes looking for it. Above all else, no matter what is happening on the pitch, he busts a gut for his team - and fans just love players like that.

Finally, there is former Blackburn captain Andy Todd. Part man, part machine, Todd is a being from the future tasked with the protection of the Perth goal... Or something along those lines, anyway. Todd is providing the defensive steel that was so clearly lacking in previous seasons. Yes, Jamie Harnwell is a tough nut to crack - but with no disrespect to the club legend, he doesn't have the composure of a man who played over 150 games in the English Premier League. Harnwell can be relied upon to win contests and get the ball out of the box - but after that, it's someone else's problem.

Todd makes it his problem; he isn't afraid to take the ball and run it out of defence, a quality no doubt gained from spending part of his career in the midfield himself. A good, composed centre back is a rare enough commodity in the A-League; and one that can drive the ball up the park and dish off a pass is even rarer.

We Are Standing On The Edge...

 Now that Glory have two home wins under their belt, the next item on the agenda is addressing the near-constant defeats on the road. The team seems to have stabilised to a point where they can win at home without playing well, and it cannot be stressed just how much of a step forward this is. Ironically, Glory have progressed to a point where opposition fans decry how lucky Perth was to have won against their own side. Lucky? Glory in the A-League?

Well, if it is luck, I firmly believe you make your own. In the days of the Simpson brothers and Jeremy Christie, Perth would regularly give up leads in the last minutes of a home game and collapse to a tame draw or defeat; now they seem to have the grim determination needed to grind out a "lucky" win. As a result, Glory now stand on the edge of success for the first time in years. In the last 12 months under David Mitchell, they've managed to exorcise their home demons - and now all that remains is to cure their travel sickness. If they manage to do that, no-one would begrudge them a maiden A-League finals berth.

It's Gonna Be A Glorious Day!

The finals berth is an even better chance when you consider how the A-League top six rewards mediocrity. If Perth can win the vast majority of their home games, they probably don't need to even pick up a point on the road to make the six. How ridiculous is that? But let's not get too far ahead of ourselves here; we're only four games into the season, and to jump to conclusions now would be ill-advised. Still, the potential is there; Glory just need to tap into it.

And what better time to start than against Central Coast this coming Friday?