I've had footballing crushes before. I loved watching AC Milan in the mid-90s. I couldn't help but enjoy watching the German World Cup teams of 2006 and 2010 almost as much as our own Socceroos. I even managed to secretly admire the treble-winning Manchester United side starring Dwight Yorke, Ryan Giggs and Peter Schmeichel.
For the first time, though, I have a crush on an Australian team. By 'crush' of course I don't mean the same fully fledged relationship that has formed between me and Perth Glory. But I do mean that I look forward to watching this imposter love interest play. I cheer when they score a goal, before sheepishly looking around the room in embarrassment. I even found myself turning to my girlfriend on Saturday and saying, "I can't wait to watch these guys win the Grand Final!"
The team, of course, is the orange-wearing marauders from Brisbane. Ange Postecoglou has, in less than a season, taken last season's second-worst side and turned them into a team that is playing unbelievable football. Brisbane have lost just once this season, and only been held scoreless twice. They've put four past Melbourne Heart, Wellington and Adelaide. They've established themselves as *the* team to beat this season.
I would go so far as to say that the football Brisbane have been playing over the last two months is as good as I've ever seen by an Australian club in the 15 years I've been following domestic football.
Watching Adelaide and Brisbane going at it on Saturday was in many ways for me a realisation of what I'd hoped Australian club football could achieve. Two teams in front of a good crowd playing excellent technical and tactical football- since Perth Glory rewrote the book on what Australian football could be this is what we had hoped could happen.
Sadly, as Glory's example has led to this milestone match our own Perth club hasn't been able to follow the path to the new era.
Perth's last three performances have been as bitterly dour as anything ever seen from Brisbane Strikers, Football Kingz or Gippsland Falcons in the dying days of NSL football. They are looking very much like a dinosaur of a club, clinging to an outdated gameplan relying on over-the-hill players and bearing the torch for the sides that fell away to usher in the new era of Australian football.
The sad thing is I firmly believe Perth could be achieving everything the Brisbane Roar has and more. We have the off-field stability and core fan-base that the Queensland club craves. We have the only owner in the competition willing to fill all three marquee player spots. We have a good squad.
There are plenty of people who have suggested Glory's problem is the lack of quality in the squad, but I can't buy it. If you ignore the tarnish that the reputations of many senior Glory players have picked up during their time at the club, you can't deny that the same players have the quality to succeed at A-League level. Jacob Burns, Mile Sterjovski, Andy Todd, Robbie Fowler, Branko Jelic and Steve McGarry have all performed successfully at much higher levels- and they've done it recently. There is no reason that they couldn't be doing everything that Paartalu, McKay, Smith, Reinaldo, Barbarouses and Susak are doing...
Except that they are not being coached to do it.
Ange Postecoglou was a very successful coach in the NSL, but had his reputation somewhat tarnished by a handful of notable failures in the Australian youth set-up, and indeed subsequent media appearances that did neither his nor his interviewer's reputations any favours. There was a sense when he replaced Frank Farina at Roar that he was just another 'old school' NSL era Australian coach who would push the 'heart' and 'effort' buttons rather than the 'technique' and 'tactical astuteness' avenues to success.
That feeling couldn't have been more wrong, and now Brisbane have been transformed into young and vibrant team bringing joy not just to its own fans, but A-League fans across the country.
The lessons for Perth couldn't be more clear- we sit as a team full of expensive stars but bereft of coaching competence, and we're languishing towards the tail of the league having won just once in 11 games and scoring just twice in the last nine. Brisbane are a team bereft of stars but with a squad filled with cleverly chosen imports and youngsters capable of meeting a smart coach's high technical and tactical standards. Postecoglou has made journeymen and unheralded youngsters like Paartalu, Barbarouses, Smith, Stefanutto and McKay into stars.
One can only imagine what a coach with Postecoglou's philosophy could achieve with Glory's resources. If only Tony Sage had the excuse to change coaches and look for someone willing to able to actually shake things up........ Hang on.........
All power to Roar. I am definitely looking forward to seeing how your season unfolds. I might even head back down to NIB Stadium when you're in town. I know I have no desire left in me to waste my money on heading down to see our own local team in their current state.
