While some of Perth Glory’s past mid-season signings have flopped, this year’s contingent have propelled the club up the table.
Mid-season signings can be a mixed bag at the best of times. Some turn out to be stars, players who provide the extra special something which can change a team’s fortunes dramatically. Others are, to be blunt, flops who have difficulty adjusting to their new surroundings and are unable to replicate their previous success at their new club.
Perth Glory know all too well the perils associated with these gambles. While there have been some decent players brought in during January in past campaigns, there have also been some underwhelming players. Recent years have seen the likes of Denis Kramar, Dragan Paljic and Darvydas Sernas arrive in Western Australia, only to depart having made little impact during their stay.
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There is a multitude of factors which can affect a mid-season signing’s impact. A player joining halfway through risks upsetting the chemistry and balance of the rest of the squad. There is no preseason, no feeling out period. They are thrown straight into battle in the hope they will immediately make a difference and connect with their teammates. There is no time to gel and if a player is short on match-fitness when they arrive but are expected to perform straight away, there is a sense of disappointment. Even Rostyn Griffiths struggled in his first-half season back in Perth, as he adjusted to his new teammates.
Luckily for the Glory, their three most recent arrivals have been crucial in their rapid rise up the table and into a finals spot. Realizing they needed improvement all over the park, Perth cut ties with visa players Sidnei and Guyon Fernandez and let former captain Michael Thwaite pursue a move to China. To replace them, they signed Perth born-and-raised defender Shane Lowry from Birmingham City, persuaded last season’s star striker Andy Keogh to return after a stint in Thailand and picked up Hungarian midfielder Krisztian Vadocz.
Lowry has made an immediate impact, shoring up the defence in the wake of Thwaite’s departure. His strength and positioning have been a huge boost to a Perth defence which has struggled at times this season and he has already struck up a good partnership with youngster Alex Grant. His seven year stint in England provided him with a wealth of experience which has benefited Perth’s relatively youthful backline immensely. His ability to play left-back is also a bonus, especially with Dino Djulbic returning to the fold after a long injury absence.
He may have left Perth in somewhat of a bad manner last season, but Keogh’s return to the fold has been vital for the club. They missed his hard work and goal-scoring touch up front early and his ability to drop deep and bring others into play has improved the side. His chemistry with Diego Castro and Chris Harold has made them one of the most feared attacking trios in the league. Keogh himself has scored in each of the last five games to bring his total to seven goals since his return, which has quietened any comment about his involvement in last season’s salary cap scandal.
As the most unknown quality, Vadocz was the riskiest signing of three. However, the central-midfielder has been a revelation. Having established a strong partnership with his fellow Hungarian, Gyorgy Sandor, his ball-winning and distribution skills have seen him quickly become a vital part of Perth’s midfield. Somewhat of an unsung hero, his preference to sit deep has allowed the creative Sandor to venture further up the pitch. The Glory sorely missed Rostyn Griffiths’ presence in the first-half of the season, but Vadocz has been a superb replacement.
So why have these three signings succeeded where their predecessors have failed, or if not failed, not had the desired impact? The answer lies in the pre-existing knowledge of the players. Lowry is from Perth, and with the club committing to bringing West Australian players on board, it would be likely they had tabs on him and his lack of game time in Birmingham. Keogh’s exploits last season were still fresh in the memory and it was a no-brainer to bring him back on a free transfer. It is a safe bet Sandor supplied his knowledge of Vadocz to the club and they put faith in his judgement (and his presence has helped the new face settle quickly).
While it is wrong to assume the club had not done their research on previous mid-season signings, the success of their most recent arrivals has been built on pre-existing knowledge. The club knew what they were getting from the get-go and Kenny Lowe has done well to integrate them into the team without ruffling any feathers. Each player has brought something to the table which the Glory desperately needed and it has turned the team into a finals contender and one of the league’s most dangerous outfits.
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