All true, we're just speculating in this long off/pre-season.

Though truth be told this team is still quite competitive and should be more so this season. We're all A-League followers and know the quality of the rest, but the quality of Glory's squad, well it's key elements, are also proven, so it will be interesting to see. Smeltz is still quite the variable, but he's still here. He aside, team still weak/inexperienced upfront, but that can change.

The VISA signings are a real variable too, and as a part of that, whether Nagai rejoins the team or not. It will be hard to find better in the VISA market than Nagai I feel, so indeed, can't get too ahead of selves just yet, but still a quite competitive team, just a couple signings off having quite good squad balance aswell.

BTW I interpreted 'top two' as 'title contenders' - technically, for me, title contenders can equal as many as 4-5 teams, given the structure and standard of the league! For instance I consider Wanderers, Victory, Roar and, depending how they rebuild, Mariners title contenders. SFC are a signing or two off being potential contenders too. Heck, throw in AU too, depending on who Gombau brings in! I guess that's pretty much half the league in my book! :oops: :lol: :p

But anyway, I know what you mean Scoll and in those seasons, then, I agree Glory were for some reason touted and over-rated, even though some of us knew better! Didn't seem to help the club one bit! Heck we knew after their GF appearance season before that Glory would have trouble backing up and that played out exactly so and Fergie departed. Probably jumping the gun with the promising new regime, but yeah, such early days yet and too many 'false dawns' before!

Arrgh long off/pre-season syndrome! Need to go on holiday or something now! :p

Edited by GloryPerth: 4/7/2013 05:16:03 AM

If I remember correctly they have just returned from South Africa.

There is never a lot of information coming out of the glory back room at the best of times.

naa leave soon after a friendly with Kwinana? or some state league team.

Ah ok I just recall seeing the photo of Jacob Burns, but that must have been from a previous tour.

They play Gosnells on the 13th...gutted I won't be able to go to that, considering it's not even 10 minutes down the road :(

Rumours Anelka representatives chatting to perf.

Source?

Someone who does work with his wife's group.

Check of a scoop if true

Probably will amount to nothing.

QFT

Nagai is back so if we get Garcia, a decent centre-back and 1 extra for squad cover then we should have a squad that's more than competitive and one which is a lot more youth-focused in the past/ Will have no more expectations than the aforementioned...which makes a change from 4-5 years of 'best team on paper'.

You live scarily close to me then... I'm about that far away from Gosnells too :lol:

I'm going to try and limp down there on my crutches to check it out.

So pumped that we have Ryo all season.

What area? I'm in Canning Vale.

I wish I could go, but I have a game on :(

Southern River, so I'm just east of you.

Yeah, I'd have a game on too if I hadn't had an ankle op last week :lol:

Ah yeah, went to school and work there.

It's annoying, It's a shame they couldn't hold it a week later, we've got a bye that day.

But again, irony is, as I discussed - This IS, POTENTIALLY, *Just Quietly* the REAL 'best team' Glory will have had in all their A-League years! Because of that balance and the performance of some of these players back end of this season past.

I don't mean to talk up again, but we can all see it. I don't mean to sound like somebody who hypes and puts them on pedestal to fail - on the contrary. Just the balance of the squad is potentially better, not just positionally, but with age range, versatility, more local lads (than ever), less 'legacy signings'/more 'Edwards signings' and still, that core, pro group of Burns, Thwaite, Vuka, Smeltz, McGarry and co to hold it all together!

But yeah, my expectations are 'really' no different than you lot, 'back up from last season, top six would be fine,' just I read soo optimistic I guess.

Flipside I was soo dour even those hyped up seasons you guys spoke of, due to over reliance on peaked players, squad imbalance (Positionally), and the bad record building up including 'looks good on paper' not on the field-syndrome. Chris Coyne's long term absences (injur and loan red tape) really didn't help things either. That was often with past teams, 100% fit could be a force, but the key players like Sikora, C. Coyne etc... were rarely all there! All the young guys too - Glory were behind the times soo long, all the rivals, league leaders, had the league's best young players, while Glory stubbornly continued to sign peaked 30/31 year olds or even older, including likes of Dodd. But Edwards has pretty much single handedly, changed the whole club's football/recruiting culture - Sage's 'cut backs' or not!

Edwards' teams are actually 'not bad' to watch aswell (Going by late last season)! :cool:


lol This may sum it up.



Edited by GloryPerth: 5/7/2013 02:34:38 AM

Hey guys... couple of questions on the squad...

I know it comes up every year, but is it right to say Smeltz counts as a local player rather than a Visa player? Also, do we still work on the assumption that Smeltz is a marquee - if so is he a foreign marquee or Australian marquee?

Are any of our players junior marquees?

Are any of our players other than those already shipped out likely to leave? Smeltz would be the only one I think Glory might be actively trying to offload... not sure what his status is though. Thwaite rumours have been floating around all off-season as well.

Other than Smeltz, I presume Nagai and McGarry are the VISA players... does that mean we potentially could have a further TWO foreign players? Possibly with one being a marquee (I note Ambrosini has signed today with Fiorentina ruling him out).



Basically, my fantasy squad for what we could have this season is starting to shape up something like...

--------------------Vukovic---------------------

Risdon---Thwaite---Madaschi/Kisnorbo-----Jamieson

--------------McGarry--------Burns---------------

Garcia---------Aimar/marquee/Visa-----------Nagai

------------------Smeltz/Harold------------------


With that line-up, you'd have Zahra, De Silva, Cernak and Maclaren as attacking back-ups, O'Neill and Edwards into central midfield and Pantelidis, Clisby and the youngsters (Davies and Woodcock) in defence.


I'd probably think another back-up CB, CM and CF (with 1 Visa spot still available) would ne necessary on top of what's there.

Anelka confirmed for West Sydney.

Fuck yes Glory playing Kwinana united in Medina.

Imo GP, there's a fine line between enthusiasm and delirium.

It's only "ironical" if this squad finishes 4th or higher.

bovs, Smeltz is an international marquee but not a visa player, although since Sterjovski is now gone, it may be possible to move him to the Aussie marquee slot, which is what I presume they were going to do when chasing Beckham/the Kitchen Sink.

None of our youngsters are junior marquees.

Last season we had 5 foreigners - Mehmet, Miller, McGarry, Nagai, VDB. Since 3 of them are gone, that leaves 3 spots that can be taken up. Since we only have 3 spots left now, I don't actually think they will be all used up but it is handed to have a slot free because then they can work around getting a big signing if they want it.

Is that as in Kwinana amateurs?

Will go down to watch the gozzy game,I'm another from that neck of the woods!

Got added on twitter the other day by someone who has created a perth glory forum gloryforum.com Was this you in the end?

Looks good but needs numbers.

Was not me will definitely check it out.

This is the most commonly misunderstood part of the marquee system

AndyToddsElbow is incorrect: Smeltz is a marquee. He is not designated as an international marquee because he is not a visa player. You can have two marquees without an international and if one goes you are not prevented from signing an international.

This was clarified between Glory and the FFA when Smeltz was picked up.

Why the fuck is Smeltz still taking penalties?

i'll bite... why wouldn't he and who's a better option?

Because his last couple of efforts have been pretty bad IIRC. Plus, it's a friendly, give someone else a go?

I do recall that. Surely a friendly should be used to boost his confidence though?

I don't really have any faith in anyone as a pen taker at Glory at the moment. Smeltz has psyched himself out and just can't deliver anymore. I think, with today, he has missed 4 of the last 5 he has taken? Dodd is the only player on our books currently I'd have any feeling of confidence handing the ball to and he's certainly not going to be taking them this season. It's a mind game, so the kids are generally not the best choice in pressure situations, which leaves Smeltz, McGarry, Burns and Thwaite. I'd have to go with Burns, but without any sense of confidence at all. Maybe Vuka? :lol: