On a clear Spring day in Perth, watched by 13,856 spectators enjoying the renovated stands of NIB stadium, Perth Glory recorded their first win of the 2013/14 A-League season. Though somewhat underwhelming due to the standard of the opposition on the day, it was an important victory for the club both in terms of the team's confidence and that of their fanbase. In terms of the players and staff it would seem that even at this early stage of the season, if Perth want to compete in the finals then there are four other teams they need to beat to get there; Newcastle, Sydney, Wellington, and Melbourne Heart. With an away draw against one and a home win against another, the squad should now be gaining confidence in their ability to beat these teams.
Jamie Maclaren scored the solitary goal in the victory, and it was pleasing to see him get on the scoresheet after a barren first two games. The 20 year old, formerly of Blackburn Rovers, has the work ethic needed to succeed at A-League level, and judging from his pre-season form also has the capability to top the club's scoring charts given his due time. Before the season proper, Maclaren took time to adjust to his new teammates and find his feet in the side as the team's sole striker. Once there though, he responded with a volley of goals against both state league and A-League friendly opposition. Now on the bigger stage he's being tested and made to adjust once more, and the goal he scored on Sunday will do wonders for his confidence in future encounters with A-League opposition.
Perth manager Alistair Edwards did spring a surprise with his decision to withdraw Maclaren from the lineup later in the game for the fresh Daniel De Silva, rather than his son Ryan who would have been closer to a like-for-like swap. Whilst I'm never against giving young Danny a run on the park, it essentially left Glory without a recognised striker on the field. That said, it's hard to argue when you still collect the three points in the end - but it does speak to Glory's lack of depth in the centre forward department at present. Still, at least the club is ambitious - with all the fuss over Josep Gombau's Adelaide United playing like Barcelona, who is to begrudge Alistair Edwards' Perth Glory playing the 4-6-0 of Spain?
That's not to say Perth were lacking in attack on Sunday. On the right side - or the left side, as he swapped with Ryo Nagai for much of the day - Perth's Brazilian signing Sidnei Sciola Moraes continued his impressive start to the season. Opponents will now be wary of his trick of running to the far line, turning in the opposite direction, and whipping in an accurate cross to the far post - but he also showed enough touch and poise on the weekend to suggest he can be a weapon driving into the channels as well. More sterner tests await, but it is comforting for Glory fans to see another flair player out wide.
Another threat to the Heart defence on Sunday was a player whose position suggests he should actually be at the other end of the park entirely. Scott Jamieson had a wonderful game from left back, and was unlucky to come out of the game without a goal for himself - first an excellent volley was cleared off the line with the goalkeeper nowhere to be seen, then a curling strike so very nearly went in the net with the keeper again a helpless onlooker. Combining well with either Nagai or Sidnei on the overlap, the Glory defender barely put a foot wrong as he continued to drive his team forward. Special mention should also be given to young Matthew Davies, who was driving similar attacks up the right flank, and the returning Michael Thwaite, whose solidity in defence was the lynchpin to so many of Jamieson and Davies' attacking runs.
It will be interesting to see how the defence further adapts if William Gallas passes his medical and is quickly made available for action (possibly on 16 November against Adelaide United at nib). Will the line drop deeper to counter an ageing centre half, or will his positioning and experience mean Edwards' team can continue coming higher up the park at home? It will be interesting to see either way. Some may say that signing Gallas comes at the expense of promoting youth at Glory - but surely this overlooks the benefits that come with bringing an EPL defender into a squad littered with youthful players, eager to learn from someone who has played in the big leagues?
In any case, fans likely have other things to talk about at the moment - and one of the benefits of the win on Sunday for the Glory is that it takes the public's attention away from less glamorous headlines. First of all, there was the delayed delivery of fans' members packs; in itself a problem, but doubly so for a club that has been guilty of this multiple times in the past. Yes, suppliers do sometimes have issues - but frankly, that excuse doesn't stand up for fans who have seen this all before, and only care about getting their season ticket well before round one - not in time for round three (somewhat fortuitously, nib stadium was not quite ready to go for what would have been originally a round one home game).
More recently, in a curiously timed story in the press, the Public Transport Authority and WA Government both lashed out at Perth Glory, in particular owner Tony Sage. From what one gathers from the various slanging matches, the PTA were unhappy about the non-payment of levies that the club is charged to subsidise free public transport for its members to and from the stadium on game day. The club's argument is that they are charged for transport services well in excess of what their members use - going as far as to say that their own surveys of members showed only 20-30% of the fanbase used public transport to get to the game. Pointing out that their average attendances fall well short of the 20,000 average that compels sporting teams to sign up to the agreement with Transperth, the club is said to be looking at alternative arrangements that include subsidised parking through other providers. Not that WA Transport Minister Troy Buswell cares, as he claimed Sage's Glory were the
worst major sporting organisation the Government had dealt with.
Now as hard as it may be to admit one can't help but feel that Buswell, a politician once caught snapping bras and sniffing chairs of female colleagues, has something of a point. Glory's history under Tony Sage has hardly been smooth sailing - three co-owners becoming one, continual disputes with stadium management Allia Holdings, Sage claiming former Glory owner Nick Tana was out to get him, clashes with the Town of Vincent, arguments with the FFA, disputed payments to state league clubs, and federal police raiding Sage's offices on behalf of the Australian Taxation Office have all been features of his time at the helm of the club. It isn't therefore much of a stretch to imagine some of the accusations of unprofessional conduct leveled at the club by the government have some substance behind them. This being said, the new staff at the club this season seem to have acknowledged that they have a debt of trust to start downpayments on - and establishing better relationships with fans, other organisations, and government departments will no doubt be high on the agenda.
In a way, that's why a win on the weekend was so important. Together with some new dancers, a new stand, some new music and some silly clowns in morph suits, a victory helped fans focus on the good news stories surrounding the club, rather than the late memberships and the public transport that is no longer free for them to use. It might have only been a 1-0 victory against a fairly ordinary Heart side, but it was certainly better than the alternative. A few thousand grumpy fans paying a train fare after a loss would not have been the start Perth Glory administrators (or their reception staff) would have liked to see to the 2013/14 season.
Next week sees the visit of Sydney FC, a team that has many problems of its own at present - and a start to the season that its own administrators would rather forget. The possibility of taking on a Sydney side bereft of confidence and their best player should surely give Perth all the motivation they need to take a further three points - and if they should find themselves 2-1-1 after the four opening rounds, with the signing of Gallas still to come, the club would hope the good feelings and momentum continues to bring fans back through the gates.
