A-League Men: Perth Glory’s new ownership’s honeymoon is well and truly over after on-field failures

The honeymoon is over. In truth, the settling in, warm inner-glow phase was over on October 20, round one of the A-League Men’s season, when Perth Glory’s new era began with a rude awakening. Almost seven months on from the opening round 6-1 defeat to Macarthur, fans’ goodwill towards chairman and owner Ross Pelligra has turned to calls for action. Pre-season talk of a finals push dissipated almost as quickly as it slipped into the airwaves. Off-season signings either arrived injured or failed to fire altogether. Two exciting wins over A-League opponents in last year’s Australia Cup were quickly forgotten. Glory’s tally of 17 points was its lowest ever in the A-League Men’s era. They finished with just 22 goals in 26 matches, two more than their previous record low in 2021-22. Each one of the 56 goals they conceded was a gut-punch for fans, and each of the 17 losses a stab at the heart and all the club had to show for the season was their second consecutive wooden spoon. When you have a fanbase like Glory’s, whose luck has deserted them for the better part of the past two decades, they tend to be once bitten, thrice shy. Perth Glory coach David Zdrilic arrived with the reputation as a counter-pressing tactician and the most exciting assistant coach in the league, but the team was uncompetitive for long stretches and failed to show the style he was hired for. This season cannot be undone; what matters now is the way forward and how the club goes about ending their five-year finals absence. Glory chief executive Anthony Radich delivered a stinging speech at the club’s awards night in which he implored everyone at the club to lift standards or be replaced. Pelligra has backed Zdrilic into year two of his three-year deal next season. While fans collectively shook their heads in dismay, it was unsurprising given the club repeatedly offered a mea culpa for Zdrilic’s poor start by admitting they had not given the first-year head coach enough support. The hot seat awaiting Zdrilic in season two will be more blistering than the Sun’s corona. To dip into football cliche parlance, he will need a fast start to avoid getting the fans (further) offside and receiving the dreaded ‘backing of the board’. So too will football director Stan Lazardis after several off-season signings went awry and failed to land in fans’ good books. It should be pointed out the ex-Socceroo’s mid-season acquisitions, like Luke Amos, Lachie Wales and Tomi Mrcela, added either stability or excitement or both, and an off-season window which builds on his January work would go some way towards mending fences. While Zdrilic and Lazaridis took their lumps with supporters and both understand the need to start next season with proof of concept, fans have also began to turn their steely gaze towards Pelligra. Despite best intentions, the club has become synonymous with losing and needs a revamp and cultural shift beyond buzzwords and slogans. The remedy to fan angst tends to be on-field progress; for all the strides Perth have touted on the corporate side and new facilities, fans are not calling for open-bus parades because Baskin-Robbins is now a sponsor. Winning in sports tends to cure all; sustained competitiveness, a shift in expectations and signs a way out of the mire is forthcoming are non-negotiable for Glory next season.