Recently, I had the fortune to have one of my good mates from Perth come visit me in England. With my regular streaming of Glory games and his history of being a Glory supporter back in the NSL days, it was inevitable that we’d discuss the decline of the club in recent times. So before he left, I sat down and asked some questions about why he - and a good deal of other NSL fans - had seemingly abandoned the team in the new competition.
I started by going back to the NSL - just why had Glory captured the imagination of the average Perthite? What made them flock to set record crowds during the regular season, and smash finals attendance records at Subiaco Oval?
“Because it was a great day out”, he replied. “You’d get to see some good football, you’d have entertainment all around, and you know you’d get your money’s worth at the end of the day.” When pressed on whether this was just because the club was winning, he argued “It was part of the reason - but not all of it. I don’t think anyone goes out there and says ‘I would love to see my team lose today’ but at the same time if we did play poorly you always had that pre-game and half-time entertainment to look forward to.”
Certainly, that something that seems to be missing today. “Okay, so when I was a kid I thought it was all a bit rubbish - Steve Armstrong singing at half time used to annoy the hell out of me, but as a total package it was pretty good. Skydivers, fireworks, hovercraft races, Glory Gorilla, the Glory Girls, even a parachuting Santa. And what happens now? As far as I can tell, nothing! That’s part of the reason it’s so easy for people like me, who used to follow the Glory every single weekend, to stop watching the team today. You simply give up when they play rubbish and there’s no entertainment. You’re better off watching Fox in your living room when that happens - at least you don’t waste your day”.
The above graph shows just how much Glory attendances have dropped away this season, having started so well back in round one. Now that I’d worked him up into a storm of bitterness, my mate was keen to point out exactly how that had happened. “For people like me, we’ve seen enough of the Glory to know exactly when they’ve turned the [wrong] corner. You know as soon as you’ve watched that match that it’s time to pull the plug for the season - they won’t be coming back from here. I used to have heaps of mates that would come down and watch them in the NSL with me - but since the A-League has begun every season has seen that point where the standard drops and it’s not worth going. I’m not a bandwagoner - I’m happy to stick through tough times - but this is ridiculous. Tough times don’t last this long, there doesn’t seem to be any long term plan, and why should I waste my time and money on something that doesn’t give me any pleasure?”
Now I’ve long been of the opinion that a ‘true supporter’ - part of the dedicated hardcore - follows a team through thick and thin. You laugh and cry at the bad times, and it makes the celebrations during the good times that much more special. I put this to the ‘ex-fan’, and he shrugged. “Then I’m not a true supporter. Whatever. I just don’t see the point in throwing money away just to watch truly shit football.” Some might see this as a copout, as the words of a bandwagoning loser - but really, it makes sense. For the Glory at least, there are about five or six thousand nutcases who will always watch their team. Then there are another 4000 or more who will go only when we’re cool, or a sure thing to win. But in the middle are guys like my mate - they want a bit of entertainment, that’s all. Good football and some good times. A win isn’t a necessity, as long as they are entertained. And as you can see from the graphs above, right now they don’t see us as an entertaining prospect.
Which brings us to what will bring these fans back. “Right now, they’d have to win to even get me considering it. What’s more, the standard of football has to lift. Enough of this static long ball shit. We lack the fundamentals - they can’t defend, they don’t predict the play ahead of them, they have a backline made of swiss cheese bar one or two players. They were playing well this season, but then they hit that ‘drop-off’ point I was talking about, and now they’ve gone to shit again. I don’t see why we need to be so slow on the pitch. Keep up the pressure all the time! Just move and play like we used to - fast runs, play for corners, good free kicks, and for god’s sake learn to cross! We had that Dadi guy and he was completely bloody useless because no-one could sort a decent cross for him. It’s like Fowler - what’s he going to do without a good ball into him? Grow another three feet? Screw it, get rid of these old guys, get some young blokes who play with energy and speed, and then I might be interested - win or no win.”
Harsh words then - but seemingly they ring true, not just for my mate but the thousands like him who just want to see good football.
Sage Advice
Harsh words too this week from none other than Mr Tony Sage himself. Now I don’t know if this is directed at me or my fellow Glory blogger here at 442, following some of our more... ‘probing’ blogs into the problems at the Glory this year, but hell - let’s just assume it is.
“Fans have a right to be critical. But I have no time for those who don’t even turn up to games but still hand out criticism.”
--Tony Sage, http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/news/1032197/Sage:-Boys-behind-Fergie
Ouch.
Well Mr Sage, allow me to explain myself. I’m sure you are aware that work and travel occasionally take you away from those you love. Well, it just so happens that this is what’s being going on with me - I’m away from friends, family, and Perth Glory over here in London. But I’ll tell you something; I give up Sunday sleep-ins to stream our games over the internet; I keep the home fires burning for the club by continuing to write these articles; and I gave up good travel money to buy a membership for a club that I won’t even be able to watch all season! Oh, and your business wouldn’t even pay for the cost of posting it to my overseas address. I had to do that myself. Thanks.
So I think I’m perfectly entitled to comment on what I watch (Howard Fondyke, you’re a bloody legend, and shall go down in club folklore as the man who scythed down Kevin Muscat and lived to tell the tale) and give you a few words of advice. Hey, I’m a mere blogger - take it or leave it - but I write what’s not only on my mind, but the minds of some of your more dedicated ‘consumers’.
So when you say things like this:
“I think Fergie is a good coach. Under him we have had two poor performances and three good ones.”
We’ve all got a right to disagree with you. What’s more, considering it’s their money you’re after - maybe you should consider the words of my mate above. Fans want foot-ball, not long-ball. Whether you put it down to his Rangers heritage, his lack of coaching badges, or some sort of ‘Scottish Mafia’ conspiracy at the club, few A-League fans would disagree that a lot of Perth’s play this year has been among the worst in the league. Hoof. Tackle. Hoof. Tackle. Miss. Hoof. Fall over. Tackle. Yellow card. Tackle. Red card. Tackle. Hoof. Get the picture?
Thing is Mr Sage, I like you. Or I did - this insult of yours may require a multi-million dollar bribe to get over. Or some mining stock. Whatever. Thing is, when you say stuff like this:
”He knows he has to make the finals and his contract is not automatic beyond this year if that doesn’t happen... Also Fergie does not have his A-League coaching licence as yet and if he doesn’t get that then it becomes academic anyway.”
It does fill me with a little bit of hope. It shows that you do have a clue about what’s going on at the club and what’s required to do well in this league. Thing is though, a lot of fans are still unsatisfied with the way the team is playing. When you think about it, a lot of the fans who don’t go to matches and are critical of the club - the ones you don’t have time for - aren’t going for a reason. I think it’s what my mate was talking about earlier - they want to be entertained. If you fail to dish up a good product, on and off the field, some of us will still turn up (including me, when I’m not thousands of miles away) but thousands won’t - and they’re bloody well entitled to tell you why that is.
Mr Sage, you may well call on the Perth public to get behind your team - but first your team has to give them something to get behind. Last weekend’s win was a good start, but we’ve got to go on and do more. To revisit a quote from my little chat earlier - “I just don’t see the point in throwing money away just to watch truly shit football.” Not my words Mr Sage - the words of the people who represent that massive drop in your attendance figures.
And if you don’t want to have time for them - these critical fans who aren’t attending - well, fine. On your head (and wallet) be it.
