You Lose Some, And You Lose Some More

For Perth Glory fans the final whistle cannot come soon enough in their final match of the 2021/22 A-League season. A first ever bottom of the league finish awaits the once proud club.

It has been a long hard season with months spent on the road, and “home fixtures” having to be played away due to the Covid Pandemic and the Western Australian Government’s hard line approach in relation to its borders.

Despite the disappointing results this was a season that had the potential to pull a young squad of players together and build a unity that the club could have built on next season and beyond.

Unfortunately Perth Glory has not been a club blessed with vision for a very long time now. It’s days as a leading club in the national competition are a long time in the past. Since the dawn of the A-League the club has made two Grand Final appearances, but has been able to sustain that success the following season.

After losing the Grand Final in 2011/12 to Brisbane Roar, Ian Ferguson’s side made the finals the following year after finishing sixth on the league table and losing more games than they won. It came as no surprise that they bowed out in the first game of the finals. Ian Ferguson, had been sacked in the February prior to the Finals as a fourth defeat in a row saw the club fall to last place in the league. It was left to Alistair Edwards to pull them up to secure that Finals berth.

In 2018/19 Tony Popovic steered the club to its first Premiership since the days of the National Soccer League, but once again they fell at the final hurdle losing the Grand Final. From Premiers the year before the club scraped into the finals again the following season, again in sixth place. They defeated Central Coast Mariners, but were knocked out by the team that had replaced them as Premiers and who had defeated them in the Grand Final, Sydney FC.

Sydney FC went on to claim a second consecutive Grand Final victory, and the team who had finished second to Perth Glory the season before showed a consistency that Perth failed to maintain. Following that defeat Popovic left for Greece; a move that would prove ill-fated.

Richard Garcia took over the reins as coach, albeit on a far lower salary than his predecessor. Garcia faced challenges that he could never have imagined as the Coivid Pandemic and the travel restrictions meant long periods of time away, disrupted training and lots of periods of uncertainty. The results were no doubt a reflection on the situation.

As alluded to previously it was rumoured that he was being undermined back in December 2021. In the end the axe fell on Perth Glory’s ninth A-League Manager on March 22nd 2022 following a 1-4 defeat to Brisbane Roar.

At the time club owner Tony Sage was quoted as saying “COVID-19 has had a huge impact upon the club on and off the field which cannot be over-stated and its legacy is still being felt. Ultimately, however, this is a results business and unfortunately, claiming one point from our last four home games is an unacceptable return.”

Garcia was replaced by one of his assistant coaches Ruben Zadkovich, who unlike many new managers has failed to reinvigorate the side. In fact they are yet to win a game under the interim coach, having played nine lost seven and drawn two. The side has also let in six goals in a match twice during this period.

In a season in which Glory fans have had little to boast about they may be heartened to know that Ruben Zadkovich could well find himself rated amongst the Managers with the worst record ever.

Currently he sits at P9 L7 D2, so has picked up just two points with one game still to come.

In 2002 Martin Hinshelwood, at Brighton and Hove Albion, managed 2 wins, 1 draw and 11 defeats in a row before being sacked. However even his record pales next to former England international Terry Fenwick’s tenure at Northampton Town.

Like Zadkovich, Fenwick only managed to pick up two points during his time in charge of the Cobblers. His record stands at P7, W0, D2, L5. Fenwick’s record is regarded by many as the worst ever, but Zadkovich is already ahead of him in terms of points won, out of points available. Fenwick picked up two out of a possible 21 points on offer, the Glory coach has managed only two out of a possible 27 points on offer!

A defeat in the final game of the season will see that record improve(?) or worsen to two points out of a possible 30 on offer.

Perth Glory have as they have done every time their owner sacks a coach spread the net far and wide in a “worldwide search” for a long term replacement. Many fans believe that Ruben Zadkovich will be given the nod for next season irrespective of his results since replacing Garcia. Certainly if that does transpire it may attract Worldwide interest to see whether his current run continues.

FOOTNOTE: Ruben Zadkovich won his first game in charge in the final game of the season defeating Melbourne City 2-0.