A Time For Drastic Action?

“Football is a funny old game” is a phrase that may well have been coined a long time ago but it became associated with the late great Jimmy Greaves.

Of course the interpretation of “funny” depended on where you sat on various issues within the game.

For Perth Glory fans there have not been many laughs in the past decade or so. The alternate meaning of the word, which is ‘difficult to explain or understand’ would be far more appropriate.

The sacking of Richard Garcia and Steve McGarry last week may not have come as a surprise based on results but in light of the conditions under which the coach and players were operating one wonders why they were not allowed to see the season out, and then a thorough review be carried out and a fair and balanced assessment be made as to how much having to play so many games away from home, spend so many periods in quarantine and be away from their families for at one time 78 days impacted on results. Not even participation in a World Cup sees players away from home for that long.

The sackings may be another example of just how dysfunctional Perth Glory is. OR could it be part of a deal brokered with a new investor? Whatever the reasoning it certainly does not reflect well on those who made the decision, the club, or unfortunately on the A-League

The trouble is this situation had been brewing long before the crucial loss to Brisbane Roar the day before the two coaches were sacked. It was always a case of when the axe would fall.

In any sport a coach has to be very wary when choosing their assistant coaches. It is essential that they have someone that they can trust implicitly. Someone who will stand by their decision even if behind closed doors they have questioned the validity or the reasoning behind that decision. If you look at the great successful partnerships in football the coach and his assistant have been united as one to the team and the public. Brain Clough and Peter Taylor, Sir Matt Busby and Jimmy Murphy are two such partnerships that spring immediately to mind.

Richard Garcia, like many in football increased the possibility of being betrayed when he appointed two assistant coaches. This has become a modern trend in football but what is the reasoning behind it? Once again it is fine if your assistant can be trusted, but if there is any element of doubt in your mind about the true character of the person it is best to steer well clear of adding people you do not know well enough to know that they share your values and can be trusted.

Richard Garcia appointed ex-player Steve McGarry who had been a part of the club’s youth development program before being fired, and Reuben Zadkovich who he had played with while playing for Perth Glory. Zadkovich had coached in the Northern New South Wales NPL and then the New South Wales NPL division two. It is fair to say that he was being given a huge leg up on the coaching ladder by Garcia.

Since owner Tony Sage became involved in the club as a co-owner in 2007 and the outright owner in 2009 including the current acting coach there have been eight coaches in charge of the club. On three occasions the assistant coach has taken over from the sacked coach. Since Mr Sage assumed sole ownership the club has seen seven coaches in the hot seat in 13 seasons. Only one, Tony Popovic left on his own terms. The life of a Perth Glory coach is a very short one.

Having coaches in the position for on average less than two seasons is never going to bring consistency to the club. As we saw in 2014-15 season the club tried to buy success by breaking the salary cap rules. Tony Sage avoided sanction personally claiming he was unaware of the situation, but a deal was brokered with the then FFA that someone had to take the fall, and CEO Jason Brewer was the man to be sacrificed; in a manner of speaking anyway as he continued to work for Tony Sage. (The resignation That Had To Be)

It is worth looking at how many CEO’s the Perth Glory have had since Mr Sage’s involvement as this too may well be a reason for a lack of consistency. Scott Gooch was appointed when Mr Sage was a co-owner of the club and despite coming from an AFL background did an exceptional job in a sport he was unfamiliar with. Often one only appreciates their work once they have left, and that was the case with Scott Gooch who returned to AFL once Mr Sage took sole ownership. There have been another five CEO’s since he left. Two have come from the Eastern states and both made it quite clear that they could not wait to get back to the other side of the country. With both of these individuals one had to ask were they there for their club or their own career advancement and ego? As both have been seen to spend far more time on twitter promoting themselves than the club that employed them.

According to sources within the club the relationship between the current CEO and former coach Richard Garcia reached breaking point on the 2nd of February in Tasmania following the Western Sydney Wanderers game. The reason it is alleged is that the CEO chose the moment post game following a 1-0 defeat to tell the team that the performance was not good enough. Having spent so much time on the road and away from their families, the then coach snapped back at the CEO who both the A-League men’s team and A League women’s team had not seen for a couple of months. Here was a man who was a leader in title now being exposed as failing to be on deck when his staff needed him.

Yet it was at the turn of the year that rumours started to circulate that a player and an assistant coach were destabilising the team.

Suddenly it was allegedly discovered that the said player had been given access to the player contract details of his team mates, which understandably caused tension. This player after all was signed on a contract purely as a player and not as a coach, and certainly not a coach involved with the A-League Men’s side. Surely there is a breach of contract confidentiality if this is true? Then the said player is alleged to have become involved in the transfer negotiations for a current young team mate who is said to be headed to the Netherlands at the end of the season.

This became knowledge throughout the club, yet the CEO allowed it to happen. His head coaches were being undermined, his head of Football operations was being undermined yet the CEO did nothing. It has been suggested that requests were made for the the player to be suspended and the assistant coach to be released from his position. These requests fell on deaf ears.

So bad did the situation become that the said player was allegedly declared fit by the medical staff, but when asked to play by the coach claimed that they were still not 100 Percent. It came as no surprise to many that once Garcia had been replaced by his assistant Ruben Zadkovich, the said player was available and back in the starting line up.

Et Tu Brute was Julius Casear’s famous exclamation on seeing his close friend Brutus amongst his assassins. Richard Garcia may well now understand how he felt.

Yet the Perth Glory’s woes run far deeper. Playing so many games away from home was always going to hurt Perth Glory’s income. Yet how many innovative ideas did the club come up with to try and combat that? Imagine had they gone to the State Government, who own the stadium at which they play and asked if there was any possibility they could open up a section of the stadium so fans robbed of the chance of seeing their team live due to the border closures could unite at the stadium and watch the games on the big screen. What an atmosphere could have been created and what a great opportunity to unite those fans still loyal to the cause.

There has been more than a squeeze on the finances at the the club. Things are so bad that it is alleged that the A-League has paid the players wages for the past three months.

On an almost annual basis Tony Sage will bleat about how much the club is costing him. He has made it clear in the past that he would sell for $11 million, but has put potential buyers off because he wants to keep a share of the club. The current price is believed to have risen. Yet what are people buying? The club does not own its own ground, its own training facilities and not even its own offices. It has continually underachieved being a stand alone club in a city of just under two million.

There are many theories as to why the footballing public have turned their back on Perth Glory and one that has constantly been raised is the mismanagement of the club. In such a parochial city it is incredible to note that only three Western Australians have been at the helm of the club as head coach in 17 years. Alan Vest was interim coach for seven months when Steve MacMahon walked out of the club; one can’t help wondering where the club would be if he had been given the reins permanently. Alistair Edwards was at the helm for 10 months and Richard Garcia 18 months.

The one constant at the club has been the owner, Tony Sage. The man who has ultimately rubber-stamped the appointment and sacking of coaches has been Tony Sage. There have clearly been times where he has become too involved in the playing side and has become involved in the signing of players, which with his lack of football knowledge has ended up back-firing on the team and the club, and his revenue. Those who know football have been waiting for the day that he follows former Brentford Chairman Ron Noades and appoints himself caretaker coach as Noades did in 1998. Brentford were relegated.

Apart from the breaking of the A-League salary cap there have been other financial irregularities over the years including the threat of a player strike following the players being stood down when the Covid Pandemic hit. When Mr Sage’s business interests make the news almost every story is prefaced by the words “Perth Glory owner.” One has to ask despite ploughing money into the club is Tony Sage in fact the club’s biggest problem? (Time to Move on)

The FFA as they were when Perth Glory broke the salary cap allegedly talked about taking back the licence from the outspoken owner. However at the time the governing body had been forced to step in an run too many A-League clubs and try and find buyers, and could do without having to take on another.

If Mr Sage is unable to pay the staff for a fourth month in a row one wonders if the A-League will now feel that they have no choice but to takeover the club and try and find a new owner.

There would you feel be plenty of prospective buyers, as a Perth Glory run properly and not for self interest would be an attractive proposition. The potential to pull in fans and fill the venue is there, but has not been tapped for the past 15 years. A CEO who is prepared to come in and roll their sleeves up and get on with the job unnoticed, as the club had when it was first created and Roger Lefort was at the helm is what is needed; rather than management who appear to spend more time on twitter or exploring opportunities for self-promotion.

Tony Sage is not going to walk away until he receives millions for the club. Yet the longer he stays the less the club is worth, as it loses more and more support in Western Australia. He may hope to find an investor, and it is rumoured that one is waiting in the wings and due to be announced shortly. Each will own a share of the club. Once again the alarm bells are ringing. If the rumours prove to be true once again it would appear that they are not investing for the club to succeed but for a whole range of other reasons. This investment may in fact explain why the sacking of Garcia happened prior to the season’s end.

Despite the new part owner buying into the club faith in Perth Glory is at an all time low. So is it time for Tony Sage to hand back the licence, or the A League to take it back? What will be the best outcome in the long term for the club, and the competition? Currently it is heartbreaking not just for the club’s loyal fans but for all of those who fought so hard to earn Western Australia a team in the National competition. It is also soul destroying for all those who created such a strong vibrant club that was at that time the envy of the nation. Perth Glory has fallen a long, long way, not just on the pitch but more so off it, and it is hard to see that changing in the near future, unless drastic action is taken, by the owner or the League.