The Tackle: Brisbane Roar, Perth Glory must make changes, Victory have a call to make
After horror form it’s time for two clubs to make changes while an A-League giant has a coaching decision to make. Socceroos great ROBBIE SLATER and MARCO MONTEVERDE pick apart the big issues in The Tackle.
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After horror starts to the season it’s time for two clubs to make changes while an A-League giant must make a coaching decision.
Socceroos great ROBBIE SLATER and MARCO MONTEVERDE dive in to the big issues in The Tackle.
Time for change
It’s time for some A-League clubs to make tough decisions.
Brisbane Roar is the obvious example. They should make a coaching change.
Regardless of pre-existing friendships and the club’s financial constraints, Ruben Zadkovich’s tenure is no longer tenable.
Two points from a possible 30 is embarrassing and so is the club’s record of three wins from 23 matches in all competitions since Zadkovich took over 11 months ago.
Roar chief executive officer Kaz Patafta and the club’s football boss Zac Anderson knew what they were getting themselves into when they went to the Roar’s owners, the Bakrie Group, and proposed a grand plan about how they could be the saviours of the once mighty club.
While a reduction in distribution money didn’t help, that can’t keep being used as an excuse.
Having talked the talk, Patafta and Anderson must walk the walk and make the tough calls that are not only required, but are what the majority of Roar fans are demanding.
What Patafta and Anderson don’t seem to realise is that without supporters, there is no club.
The Roar belongs to Brisbane’s long-suffering fans.
Clubs must understand that they represent the fans, not themselves.
Perth is another club in the same boat.
The Glory have been shocking for most of the season, with only the Roar having been worse.
There was plenty of hype surrounding David Zdrilic’s coaching appointment in the off-season.
It’s fair to say that Zdrilic, as good as an assistant coach as he was at other clubs, hasn’t lived up to that hype.
Five points from 11 matches isn’t good enough.
Perth’s football director Stan Lazaridis also needs to be held accountable for the Glory’s problems.
Some of his recruitment decisions have been poor, and it’s no surprise the Glory have been announcing the termination of contracts in recent weeks to clear some space in the squad ahead of the upcoming transfer window.
However, whether new faces are enough to save Perth, and the jobs of Zdrilic and Lazaridis, is far from certain.
Glory fans, just like Brisbane supporters, deserve far more than the rubbish they have been subjected to this season.
United they stand
Western United’s form turnaround should give the likes of Brisbane and Perth hope that not all is lost.
Less than a month ago United had just six points from seven games and seemed destined to be among the competition’s also-rans for another season.
However, under the guidance of shrewd A-League championship-winning coach John Aloisi, United has turned its campaign around with four successive wins, including away victories over first-placed Auckland FC and Sydney FC, the team that many tipped to win the title before the season started.
The other two wins in the run were against the competition’s worst two teams – Brisbane and Perth.
While United was expected to beat the Roar and the Glory, it doesn’t always work out that way.
However, the belief in United’s squad is obviously growing, as was evident last Friday night when Aloisi’s men were trailing the Glory 2-1 at the stoppage-time.
Last season, or even earlier this season, United probably wouldn’t have won that match, but on the back of a winning run, there was no panic as the game entered its dying stages with Perth holding the advantage.
And then even after Tate Russell equalised, United was not content with leaving Perth with just a point.
Aloisi’s team continued to attack and was rewarded with substitute Jordan Lauton’s spectacular bicycle-kick winner.
For the Glory, it was a huge kick in the guts when they were so close to winning for the first time at home this season.
Victory’s top job
Is Arthur Diles the right man to have taken over from Patrick Kisnorbo at Melbourne Victory?
Under interim coach Diles, the Victory is yet to win in four matches, having drawn three matches and lost one.
Rumours persist that the decision to name Diles as Kisnorbo’s replacement was based largely on financial reasons because he was already on the club’s coaching staff.
If that’s correct, it’s another case of fans having to suffer because of clubs trying
to save money rather than spend money to improve.
The Victory are one of the A-League biggest clubs and should be getting their coaching appointments right, even if it means having to spend more money.
That’s the only way the clubs, and the entire A-League, will prosper.
Team of the week (includes performances from midweek games): (4-1-2-3)
Dylan Peraic-Cullen (Central Coast Mariners); Nathaniel Atkinson (Melbourne City), Nando Pijnaker (Auckland FC), Samuel Souprayen (Melbourne City), Aziz Behich (Melbourne City); Angus Thurgate (Western United); Jordan Louton (Western United), Anthony Caceres (Sydney FC); Nicolas Milanovic (Western Sydney Wanderers), Ariath Piol (Macarthur FC), Jed Drew (Macarthur FC). Coach: Mile Sterjovski (Macarthur FC).
Player of the week: Jed Drew (Macarthur FC)
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Originally published as The Tackle: Brisbane Roar, Perth Glory must make changes, Victory have a call to make
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