If we were looking at Perth Glory’s season purely from the perspective of the ladder alone, they have hit rock bottom.
Their skipper Richard Garcia came out and said that that was not the case last week following their 5-1 capitulation against Melbourne City, however whether he would have a different response if he was asked the same thing this week is a point of interest.
The Glory are now in the much undesired position of bottom of the table. The weekend provided them with an excellent opportunity to record an elusive win against a struggling Adelaide United side that entered the encounter in last place. The Glory took United’s place following the 90 minutes courtesy of a 1-0 loss, while United bumped themselves up two places to eighth with their first win of the season. United were fully deserving of the long-awaited victory, dominating possession throughout and recording 10 more shots on goal than the uninspiring Glory attack.
Ironically, both of these teams’ performances throughout the season have contained various similarities. Both have underperformed. United were one of last season’s strongest clubs, taking away the inaugural FFA Cup and finishing a very respectable third on the table. They would have harboured high hopes coming into 2015-16 considering the strength of their lineup and would have been well within their right to expect greater success in the current season.
Last year’s Glory exceeded the expectations of many. While an offseason player exodus put the Glory right at the back foot of the table after the salary cap scandal, intelligent recruiting and the acquisition of talented and experienced imports put the Perth in a position to make another assault in a fresh, new campaign.
Their FFA Cup form was promising, however they have failed to deliver the goods on numerous occasions, a form line that must have coach Kenny Lowe scratching his head. The toll of consecutive losses is starting to mount now for the Glory as they find themselves not only on the bottom of the ladder, but three and a half games outside the top six. Time may still be on their hands, but it really is a long way back for them now.
Lowe remains one of the more intriguing managers in the A-League. Despite his team’s difficulties of late, he is a man of few outlandish statements, expressions and emotions. Well, that is within press conferences and interviews. The matchday, sideline Kenny Lowe is often one of far greater passion and animation. Unafraid to question the decisions of officials and express frustration at the state of the game if his team is traveling poorly. As Lowe has expressed, the same problems continue to haunt the Glory: a lack of execution up front and naivety down back. Despite these factors, he is a strong believer the effort is consistent and outside of the City loss, his side has been continually competitive.
This weekend is extremely important for the Glory. They are playing at home, the health of their squad is improving and their opposition, Central Coast Mariners, are looking increasingly vulnerable. They must win if they are to keep their season alive. The Glory need leadership and an individual to stand up and take the game by the scruff of the neck, whether it be by a game-defining tackle, turnover, pass or goal. They need inspiration and they need it quickly.
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