So, after weeks of, "As long as we're a mathematical chance of making the finals, that's our aim," coming from our glorious coach, Ian Ferguson seems finally to have admitted that a side that has won only twice in 19 matches under his charge won't be finishing in the top half of the table.
It might be refreshing to hear the coach finally announce that he wants to put a 'broom' through the club and rebuild the squad. Unfortunately, it something that most fans have been calling for since October and some since before the season began. While many of us expected a team with 3 marquee players, 2 more recent Socceroos, a former Dutch international, a former Premier League captain and 3 players with recent experience in good European leagues to at least finish in the finals and possibly challenge for the title, not everyone was convinced. Those that doubted the quality of the 'stars' of the club and the ability of the coaching and backroom staff have been proven correct as many reputations have been shattered during a long and miserable season.
The fact that none of the 10 players who fall into the above-mentioned categories have been among the best 3 best players for the club this season (in my opinion Neville, Howarth and Harnwell take those positions) is indicative of how wrong the recruitment has been for the club. In fairness to Mitchell, most fans *thought* he had done a good job with the level of player he had brought to the club. In truth, though, none of the returned stars have looked anything like what their résumé suggested.
Where Did the Quality Go?
This season, a puzzlingly high number of Glory players have firmly destroyed the reputation that brought with them when they joined the club,
Jacob Burns, who featured in the 2010 World Cup Qualifiers for Australia as recently as 18 months ago and performed respectably against strong Japanese and Uzbek national sides, has been made to look like a Sunday League thug more interested in breaking legs than playing football.
Mile Sterjovski, who was a regular in Guus Hiddink's 2006 World Cup squad and featured regularly in Socceroo squads right up to his transfer to Perth Glory, has been made to look like a player with neither the quality nor desire to play at a standard above State League level.
Branko Jelic, who 3 years ago was playing and scoring in one of the top 4 leagues in the world, can't even get a game anymore and when he does looks about as likely to score as a goalkeeper (and I don't just mean on a wet, windy day with Tando Velaphi as your opposite number).
Steve McGarry, who spent 4 seasons playing regularly in the Scottish Premier League (a standard equal to or above where Paartalu, Visconte, Edds, Storey, Brebner, Reid, Hughes and McGlinchey came from before joining the A-League), can barely even make is presence on the park noticed save for the occasional woefully misdirected pass under no pressure whatsoever.
The obvious answer as to where the quality of these players has gone is that Father Time has taken away from them. But at ages of 32, 31, 33 and 31 respectively, by world standards these players should be not far from their prime. They certainly wouldn't look old in the Socceroos camp- or at Manchester United, Chelsea or AC Milan for that matter.
The Age-Old Question
One common theory regarding the Glory 'veterans' is that while they may still retain some of their peak skills, the demands of travelling 3000 km or more every second week is too draining for bodies worn by over a decade of professional football. It may be well be true- I know even I find cross-country flights increasingly more difficult at the ripe old age of 26.
But why, then, have veterans of past Glory sides not been cursed in the same manner? Despotovski, Mori, Horsley, Miller and Murphy were all able to remain quality players for Perth well into their 30s. Jamie Harnwell has been traversing the country for 12 years and still remains a competitive A-League centre-half.
Perhaps these players merely had weaker opposition with which to compete during their autumn years. Perhaps, though, the problem with Glory's current crop is not the quality of the players but the quality of the team and system in which they play.
Mixed Messages
Whether the current crop could find a new level under a new system or not, Ferguson has basically pre-ordained a sweeping out of the old guard of Perth and promised a new generation of youngsters. Todd and Baird have already been shipped out. Coyne, Sterjovski, Jelic, Mitchell and McGarry might not be far behind them.
In their place, Glory fans can expect to see exciting youngsters coming into the side. Alongside the likely-to-be-retained Robbie Fowler, moves are being made to bring in Danny Vukovic, Travis Dodd and Shane Smeltz.
Wait- what? Isn't Danny Vukovic older than our current goalkeeper? And aren't Smeltz and Dodd going to be the other side of 30 by the time next season is in full swing? It seems the actions don't match the words in this instance. At least young 23-year-old Evan Berger will be joining the side to lead the youth revolution.
Whether the problem is that Ferguson is merely offering lip-service to the fans while he does his own thing, or whether Dave Mitchell and Tony Sage and dealing in the transfer market without considering the coach's wishes is largely irrelevant for Perth fans. At the end of the day, even if there *was* a youth revolution at Perth Glory, the chances of Ferguson growing young talent into A-League stars and getting them playing the attractive, attacking, fluid style of football that has taken Brisbane to the top of the table is about as remote as Scott Neville remaining at the mess that is our club beyond the end of his current contract.
The Glory administration might be sick of hearing it. I know Glory fans are sick of saying it. But while a broom does needs to be run through the playing squad, the backroom and coaching staff at the club desperately needs the vacuum cleaner applied. At the very least, a new CEO and director of football should be given the chance to try and guide the rest of the staff in a direction other than straight to the gutter.
It's been a long, long time since someone completely external to the club has been given a position from which they can make genuine changes. The parallel poor displays both on and off the pitch in that period show just how needed that person is.
