Glory Story – Week 23
Another week, another dose of despair and dismay for Perth Glory fans. Despite leading the league at the start of the Asian Cup break, another poor performance saw the Glory slip to 4th spot and extend their winless run to 9 games.
The trip to Gosford has never been a happy hunting ground for Perth. There’s something about the Glory visiting Bluetongue Stadium that saps any excitement from the game. The list of things more exciting than an average Central Coast-Perth clash in Gosford includes, but is not limited to: watching paint dry, the entire Twilight film trilogy, listening to Phil “the less-successful” Neville when he’s attempting to be a pundit and watching Tony Abbott prepare his breakfast onion (ok, I concede the last one does have an air of mystery around it). It’s a depressing fixture for any Glory fan, and Sunday was no exception. Perth’s 2015 slump (they haven’t won a game since the New Year, and frankly haven’t looked like the better team in any of their matches in that time) continued as they lost more ground on their fellow title contenders. Despite taking the lead late in a forgettable match via Jamie McLaren, the Mariners fought back and earned a deserved point through a wonder strike from Nick Montgomery in stoppage time.
In theory, on paper, and on basis of the current A-League ladder, the Glory SHOULD be able to negotiate 9th placed Western Sydney at home on Saturday night. But, the thing is, the Wanderers have won more recently than the Glory, despite the latter’s lofty league position. Following a 4-1 dismantling of the Roar in Brisbane, the Wanderers will be riding high on confidence. The Glory need to be wary of McBad Boy Kerem Bulut, who grabbed a brace against Brisbane and played with the swagger and confidence of a man who had just discovered he’d accidentally been given nine chicken nuggets instead of the eight he ordered. In recent weeks, Perth have lacked urgency, cohesion and a Plan B when the opposition has shut down their service to the wings and Andy Keogh. They need to find another way to break teams down, especially if WSW decide to shut up shop early and play for a draw. A month ago I’d be declared mad for tipping a draw, but with Perth’s recent abysmal form, a 1-1 draw doesn’t seem too farfetched.
This weekend will also see Glory’s fullback Scott Jamieson play his 150th A-League game. After setting the league on fire at Adelaide, Scott’s move to The Club Formally Known as Bling FC (Sydney FC to anyone else) proved to be a mistake. Unable to rediscover his previous form with the Reds, Jamieson was a shell of his former self, until he moved to Perth in 2012. Since then, he has worked hard to return to his form and pre-Asian Cup, he was one of the best left backs in the league this season. On behalf of all Perth Glory fans, thank you to Scott for your service to the club so far and congratulations on your personal milestone.
Since the start of 2015, Perth Glory has collected 6 points from a possible 27. They’ve seen their lead at the top of the ladder evaporate, their 16 week spell as league leaders ended, and discontent amongst their fans grow. Coach Kenny Lowe said a few weeks ago he wasn’t worried, but the fans sure are. It’s vital to the club’s chances of claiming silverware this year the Glory improve on their recent form quickly. Teams seemed to have figured out Perth recently; if the Glory want to start winning again, they should think about making some changes, both to personnel and tactics. After their incredible start to the season, finishing 5th (which could easily happen given how close the top 5 are), would be a major disappointment.
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