The dawn of every New Year is Groundhog Day for Perth Glory supporters – optimistic that the next 12 months can’t be any worse than the previous, pessimistic because they probably will be, and realistic that a lot of time will be invested in a club that hasn’t given enough reason lately to deserve it.
2024 was the year things were supposed to change under ownership of the Pelligra Group yet ended up being one of the worst in the club’s history. Dreadful results on the pitch coupled with many questions about what is happening off it has led to any good faith in the new regime disappearing in record time.
With players set to come and go in the upcoming January transfer window, the playing group is just one of the major areas that the powers that be need to sort out in 2025.
Recruitment
Stan Lazaridis has come under fire for his recruitment since joining the club as Football Director. Fourteen new players arrived before the season began, with Tomislav Mrcela added to the big squad since. The visa signings have been an unmitigated disaster with two, Luis Canga and Cristian Caicedo, shown the door already. The other two, Hiroaki Aoyama and Anis Hamzaoui, have barely featured and it would be no surprise to see them follow suit in January.
Former captain Mustafa Amini had his contract terminated and is now suing the club, while Luke Bodnar, Kaelen Majekodunmi, and Jarrod Carluccio are also likely to leave soon.
Lazaridis talked up his “wow” signings and very few have performed so he has maybe one more transfer window to save some face before those who haven’t already been calling for his head, start to do so.
Transparency
Head Coach David Zdrilic utilises his press conferences to reference all the off-field positives happening at the club as way of deflecting from the disastrous results and performances from his squad. However, the details are non-existent. While Perth Glory is a private business and they are under no obligation to share what goes on behind closed doors, the club either needs to provide details of these fantastic initiatives or tell Zdrilic to cease alluding to them.
A recent meeting between club officials and select fans and fan groups appears to have yielded more questions than answers, with no real reason given for its purpose. The Perth Glory Fan Representative Group and Shed End Perth have since both called on the club to bring back fan forums in some capacity and while those events have been hit and miss in the past, it would at least serve as an olive branch.
Ross Pelligra has attended a few games in person since taking ownership and while he doesn’t appear to have much interest in speaking to the media, his foot soldiers have been noticeably absent from the radio airwaves in recent months after a very chirpy preseason.
Identity
The powerhouse of the National Soccer League (NSL) era, Glory’s reputation is a shell of its former self to the point where the brand is tainted and a bit of a running joke in Australia sporting circles. Is it damaged beyond repair? That could very well be the case but if not, serious work needs to be done bring it on par with other strong WA organistions. What exactly does Perth Glory stand for and strive to be? These questions have gone unanswered for far too long.
The “Glory” name is now somewhat ironic given how little success the club has had in the A-Leagues but the uniqueness of the purple, orange, and white colour scheme is something they can still lean heavily into. The key though is to make people proud to wear those colours and the badge, especially the younger generation who have so many other options to consider for the allegiances.
Facilities
Glory have been nomads across their existence, occupying several facilities up and down the Perth metropolitan area without actually owning anything of their own. From a public park at UWA to co-sharing Fremantle Oval to the impending move to Mirrabooka, they have bounced around for years. Talk of a future development in Stirling is yet to be confirmed so the club will remain tenants of a local council. While any proper home is likely years away, it would be good to have a concrete plan in place for something permanent.
Glory’s hands will always be tied when it comes to their home stadium. HBF Park is the only facility with the capability of hosting A-Leagues games on a regular basis, unless they want to take a major hit on attendance by playing all fixtures at the much too small and awkwardly located Sam Kerr Football Centre. What does need to happen is a much better stadium deal with Venues West, something that could see a reduction in ticket prices for the match going supporters.
On field results
Arguably the most important of all. Both the men’s and women’s teams performed terribly for long stretches of 2024, giving fans very few reasons to turn up to games. The men’s team won just four times in the A-League over the past 12 months, and once at HBF Park from 15 fixtures. While not quite bottom of the ladder now, their four games in Perth this year have seen them fail to score and ship 14 goals in the process. Given that context, crowd figures in and around the 6500 mark is quite respectable. However, there is potential for that to drop off if results fail to improve very soon.
Of course, there is no relegation in the A-League so consequences for being terrible year-on-year are minimal. But if you aren’t striving to improve and be the best version of yourself, then what’s the point? That’s a question supporters are probably asking of their club at the beginning of 2025.
All images courtesy of Tom McCarthy.
Hi mate u failed to mention that the midfield is the biggest problem at present, it’s non existent. The game is won or lost in the midfield. The current midfield players at a joke . NPL level. There is the problem
Hi mate u failed to mention that the midfield is the biggest problem at present, it’s non existent. The game is won or lost in the midfield. The current midfield players at a joke . NPL level. There is the problem