Another game, another disgraceful showing. For those not convinced after the inept display against North Queensland that Ian Ferguson is not the coach to guide Perth Glory to reach their potential as a football side, I'm sure the embarrassing performance against Sydney FC will have opened their eyes a little more. Surely even Tony Sage must be able to see past the "boys' club" that is himself, Dave Mitchell and Ian Ferguson to realise that the current path of the Perth Glory football club is one heading towards the A-League wilderness.
In six matches, Perth Glory have failed to pick up a single point. They have scored only two goals. Save for the first 45 minutes against Adelaide, they have failed even to look competitive. Three of the teams to which Glory have lost have managed only one win between them against other opposition this season.
Three of the teams to which Perth Glory has lost have managed only ONE win between them in a combined TWENTY-FIVE matches against teams other than Perth Glory this season.
That is as damning as a statistic can be, and it indicates an absolute on-field crisis at the club. The move to remove or at least bump the coach was without question the right one in the face of that form, but surely such inadequacy indicates failures right through the coaching set-up and an absolute need to hire someone externally to try and steady the ship.
We're ****, and We Know We Are
Blaming the players for a "lack of hunger" or "complacency" might be correct to some extent, but the truth is that for the most part the Glory squad contains good players with long records as professional and competent footballers. If Mile Sterjovski or Jacob Burns is lacking hunger, then the question should be, "Why?" If one player is struggling for drive, then that might be understandable and the player should rightly be treated to try and rectify the issue (whether that is positive reinforcement or some time in the reserves). If an entire squad is struggling for drive as seems to be the case at Perth Glory, then questions need to be asked of the drivers.
Part of the job of the coach is to ensure the players he puts on the park are going to perform as he needs them to so that his game-plan is carried out. Blaming the players is only to divert attention from the fact that the real problem at Glory is the game-plan that the team is trying to carry out.
I have strong doubts that many Glory players if any have a strong idea about how they should be positioning themselves off the ball, what runs they should be making to open the play for their teammates, which passes are critical to developing the attacking manoeuvre, when to push forward quickly or when to control the tempo of the match, or where their teammates should be every time they receive the ball in an area of the pitch. These are just a handful of factors that go towards a team strategy, and Glory seem to have no clue about any of them.
No wonder guys like Robbie Fowler, Jacob Burns, Mile Sterjovski, Branko Jelic, Andy Todd and Steve McGarry with their years of European experience are finding it hard to get motivated about a team that plays with all the naivety of a pub side whose captain/coach has been away on the mines for three weeks.
We're Gonna Win the Spoon
I might be wrong. Ian Ferguson might turn things around and get Glory into the top six and even the top four. A look at the ladder says we're only 2 points behind Heart in 6th and indeed in touch with most sides apart from runaway pair Brisbane and Adelaide. In truth, though, Glory fans were promised that we would be championship-contenders by now. We were given a squad that looked on paper as capable as any to win the league. Instead we're playing the worst football in the competition and looking like perhaps an even worse season than those achieved in the Ron Smith era.
How many championship-winning sides have been borne out of teams that have lost six games in a row? Sydney lost three in a row last season. Melbourne's worst run was also three a season before that. Previous A-League winning teams Newcastle (2007-8), Melbourne (2006-7) and Sydney (2005-6) all had four game winless streaks including at least two draws. Losing six games in a row is a sign of a team heading towards a wooden spoon, not a championship.
Two teams who last season looked like wooden spoon contenders were Adelaide and Brisbane. They brought in, for various reasons, external coaches with strong views on football tactics and philosophy. Now, with only limited player turnover, they're sitting pretty on the top of the table and winning plaudits for their easy-on-the-eye and effective footballing style.
Does Tony Sage have the courage to try and achieve the same results for Perth, or will he remain blinded by the inner sanctum he has created with Mitchell and Ferguson?
