For the Perth Glory, season 2014-15 was one that they would rather forget. Unfortunately, strong on-field performances were overshadowed by off field drama.
Salary cap infringements bid the end of a certain finals campaign and the FFA ensured the club’s bank account was significantly lighter than it was prior to the findings. CEO Jason Brewer bore the brunt of the criticism and took on much of the responsibility, before making his way into the sunset. It was a season that had promised so much for the Glory, yet ultimately resulted in the mere licking of wounds and the pondering of what could have been. The beginning of the off-season failed to bring fans the hope they desired, as they unsurprisingly experienced a player exodus. The more notable of the omissions including adopted Irish striker Andy Keogh, and the much loved veteran goalkeeper Danny Vukovich.
Considering the circumstances, coach Kenny Lowe managed to recruit with a fairly high degree of success in the break, seeing a variety of players with overseas experience join the club, such as Gyorgy Sandor, Diego Castro and Guyon Fernandez. Well respected A-League players Anthony Golec and Ante Covic were some other key pieces of the puzzle also added.
Despite the adversity of recent times, the optimistic nature of coach Lowe has remained a constant, and his confident demeanour is unwavering. One gets the feeling that despite the current nature of the managerial role within the game, Lowe’s stint with the Glory will not be short. The respect he has earned from the playing group is unquestionable as despite the offseason exodus, a group of core players remain, which would suggest they have great belief in his philosophies on the game, enjoy the environment he has created and have truly bought into the Glory culture.
At first glance, the team’s preseason form on paper is nothing short of encouraging, as they find themselves gearing up for an FFA Cup semi-final against Melbourne City next week. However, the results are somewhat deceiving as the Glory’s FFA Cup matches have all been decided by either extra time or penalty shootouts and their opposition has been far from intimidating, with fixtures against last years wooden-spooners the Newcastle Jets, local Queensland side Lions FC and one of last year’s poorer performers in the Western Sydney Wanderers.
On top of all that, the Glory’s opening A-League fixture against the Central Coast at Gosford failed to excite, eventually succumbing to a 3-2 loss against a Mariners side who were coming-off their most disappointing season in the A-League. Lowe’s men were made to look slow by the hosts, who played the attacking style of football they had promised during the off-season. The usually sturdy Glory defence lacked intensity, and their inability to put the necessary pressure on the ball carrier resulted in a deep defensive setup for a majority of the game, which the opposition were able to expose on a number of occasions.
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Clumsy challenges within the box did not help the Glory’s case, with two of the Mariners’ goals coming from the penalty spot. It was a forgettable debut in purple for experienced goalkeeper Covic, who was often seen expressing his frustration at his side’s poor defensive efforts throughout the contest. While Golec tried hard, he often found himself scrambling to the last line of defence because of the lack of pressure applied further up the ground. New import Diego Castro looked lively at times, but his lack of execution let him down. Sidnei came on late and provided some much needed spark upfront, however, some outstanding late denials from Liam Reddy ensured the Purple Army was kept at bay.
After the conclusion of the opening round of A-League, Perth remain an unknown quantity for season 2015-16. While outside expectations are not overly high, they have compiled a list that is capable of doing some serious damage in the campaign. Some pundits have suggested that the Glory might be somewhat underdone because of the perceived soft preseason they have had, but taking all of these factors into consideration, like most teams we will have a better indication of the how they will be positioned this year in a few weeks time. Until then, eyes will be firmly focused on their upcoming home clash against the Wellington Phoenix this Sunday.
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