I gave Kevin Airs some pics of the GloryUs Fun Day to put as online links and I'll put em up here when I get them. :)

[size=7]Glory's Socceroo targets perfect 10[/size]
Tim Clarke
August 3, 2009 - 1:52PM

Socceroo striker Mile Sterjovski has set his sights on a perfect 10 in his first A-League season, as Perth Glory's bid to turn Tony Sage's faith into finals begins this Friday night.

Sterjovski, one of three international recruits that have bolstered the Glory bandwagon this season, said today he was targeting 10 goals in his first season at home - and at least four points from the club's first two games of the season, both on the road.

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Where does everyone do their tipping? We should setup a group for Glory supporters.

Velaphi
Neville C Coyne Todd J Coyne
Pellegrino Burns Shroj Bulloch
Dadi Sterjovski

Subs:
Vrteski
Sikora
Downey
Jelic

Recruiting:
Ins: Jacob Burns (FC Unirea Urziceni, Romania – 3 years), Chris Coyne (Colchester United, England - 3 years), Howard Fondyke (Perth Glory NYL - 2 years), Brent Griffiths (Perth Glory NYL – 2 years), Branko Jelic (Energie Cottbus, Germany – 3 years), Andrija Jukic (Perth Glory NYL - 2 years), Scott Neville (Perth Glory NYL - 3 years), Anthony Skorich (Perth Glory NYL – 2 years) , Mile Sterjovski (Derby County, England - ), Andy Todd (Derby County, England – 1 year), Aleks Vrteski (FK Pobeda – 2 years).

Outs: Jason Petkovic (retired), Nikolai Topor-Stanley (Newcastle Jets), David Tarka (released), Dino Djulbic (Rot Weiss Ahlen, Germany), Nick Rizzo (released), James Robinson (North Queensland Fury), Adrian Trinidad (released), Amaral (released), Josip Magdic (released), Nikita Rukavytsya (FC Twente, Netherlands), Hayden Doyle (Perth Glory NYL), Hayden Foxe (released), Mark Lee (released)

Re-signed: Eugene Dadi (1 year), Adriano Pellegrino (2 years), Naum Sekulovski (2 years), Victor Sikora (1 year), Scott Bulloch (1 year), Tando Velaphi (2 years), Wayne Srhoj (1 year).

Analysis:
The Glory have completed one of the most ambitious recruiting drives seen in this competition's history. Not content to bring three current Socceroos to the side in the form of skipper Jacob Burns, marquee man Mile Sterjovski and Chris Coyne, coach Dave Mitchell has also recruited former Blackburn captain Andy Todd and Serbian striker Branko Jelic. Mitchell looks to have fixed the Glory's leaky defence through signing Todd, Coyne and Scott Neville from the Youth League, but questions remain over his strike power since the departure of Nikita Rukavytsya to FC Twente. Rukavytsya's pace and Eugene Dadi's predatory instincts supplied 20 goals last season, but the pre-season games so far have seen Sterjovski, for all his quality, fail to replicate that chemistry with the big Frenchman. Jelic, a golden boot winner in the Chinese League, has only had one pre-season start after visa issues delayed his arrival. The Serbian showed some good touch, but still didn't score against the Gold Coast leaving questions over the Glory's attacking options still hanging over the club. Indeed, integrating these new signings into the squad and blending them with the current players is the biggest issue facing Mitchell.

Pre-Season:
One win and four losses hardly seems like good pre-season form, but when one considers the nature of the opponents, there could be extenuating factors. A 1-0 first-up loss to Adelaide was played with a patched-up squad minus the star signings, while the Glory were hardly disgraced in a 1-0 loss to English Premier League club Wolverhampton. Fulham proved another step up in a 5-0 thrashing but the Glory still beat North Queensland 1-0 before going down to the Gold Coast by a goal with an injury and illness-ravaged squad.

Improvements:
The Glory's back four seems to be the major area of improvement this season after conceding 44 goals during 2008-09. Part of the problem was a lack of stability, as Mitchell struggled to select the same back four week in, week out, with Hayden Foxe and David Tarka's injury concerns. If Andy Todd and Chris Coyne stay fit, the Glory's backline should be hard to breach, while further forward, Burns should slot in effectively alongside Wayne Srhoj in a midfield that will hold onto possession more effectively than its predecessor. This should also alleviate pressure on the back four and reduce the goals conceded tally.

Concerns:
Mitchell's primary concern is getting all his champions players out on the park in time to gel into a champion team, with the previously mentioned Sterjovski/Dadi partnership a good example of this taking time to evolve. The coach has other worries too. Gold Coast boss Miron Bleiberg has suggested that outside the star signings, the Glory lacks the depth to take them forward if those players suffer injuries or if the Socceroos representatives are called up for national duty. Furthermore, the Glory face a punishing travel schedule as they make the trips to Townsville and Wellington twice this season. Indeed, the draw's done them no favours, with just 13 home matches, although they do play five of their last eight games at the newly re-named ME Bank Stadium.

Key player:
The notion of being a key, marquee player put the mozz on Sydney's John Aloisi last season, so it's with great trepidation that Mile Sterjovski's name gets put forward in this category. Despite playing more as a midfielder in the Australian set-up, Sterjovski has been brought to the club as a striker, replacing the departed Rukavytsya. Despite showing some good touches so far, Sterjovski doesn't appear to have quite found his feet up front for the Glory, while his partnership with fellow striker Eugene Dadi hasn't had much of a chance to develop. But certainly Sterjovski's scoring ability will be intrinsic to the Glory's chances of making the finals for the first time as, apart from Dadi and Jamie Harnwell, there are not many proven goal scorers in the side. Just to add to the pressure, Sterjovski's position in the Socceroos' squad for next year's World Cup finals could be dependent on his form this season, meaning the stakes are very high for the friendly hitman.

Up or down?
Having finished second last in 2008-09, going down further would be an unmitigated disaster for the promotion of football in Perth, particularly considering the signings Mitchell has made. That being said, Mitchell's excellent recruiting should only add to the quality players already there from last year's squad, which still managed to beat premier Melbourne on two occasions. The overseas signings and extending the play-offs to a final six should see Perth make its first finals' appearance since the end of the old NSL and if the Glory make it that far, they have the big name performers to thrive under that sort of pressure. But big questions still linger over whether Mitchell can blend the new and older players effectively in time for the season's start, while Perth has to improve its form on the road to be a seriously challenger, having only picked up four of a possible 33 points during the last campaign.

David Mitchell
"First of all we want to play finals football. When you're in that, you've got a chance to win it. We want to be competing at the right end of the table 'cause the club hasn't been there for a little while and we've generated a lot of interest and we've got some good players. We've just got to blend them together now and time is the biggest factor against us. It's not make-or-break this season but certainly, we've generated a lot of interest and we want to get people back, that's important to the club and for people to take notice of us again."

Here is the away jersey. It looks weird

Edited by Banjaxed: 4/8/2009 12:17:54 AM

Weird but I don't think its bad, it certainly doesn't clash with anything.

Mitchell is specifically citing Adelaide, I assume by this he does'nt like Melbourne much?

A-League Team Guide: Perth Glory
Looking to restore the Glory days of old, Perth owner Tony Sage has gone all out to recruit the best of the best this season.

Transfer Business

Tony Sage has not held back as he looks to restore pride to a club whose fan base have been disillusioned since the birth of the A-League.

In come fully-fledged Socceroos Chris Coyne, Jacob Burns and Mile Sterjovski just 12 months out from the World Cup, rejecting the safer option of overseas moves.

Combined, they will each bring a balance to their respective areas of the pitch: the robust and physical Coyne will be crucial to organizing and adding steel to the back-line, Jacob Burns will captain from midfield and Mile Sterjovski appears set to be used up-front, where his tidy finishing ability could prove crucial.

Joining them will be Bundesliga striker Branko Jelic and experienced English Premier League defender Andy Todd, whilst the varied departures aren’t key.

The biggest movers in the off-season other than the A-League new-comers.

Key Man

Mile Sterjovski’s versatility will enable him to be used as a striker and in both wide and central areas and out of the three arriving Socceroos, it is his form for the national team recently that has been most impressive.

The 30 year-old arrives after a highly successful spell in Europe and the fact that he rejected offers to remain on the continent and move to the cashed-up leagues of Asia is a testament to his form and potency as a footballer.

This is certainly not a player on the decline and the fact that he has returned to Australia so close to the World Cup and with a need to fight for his place in Pim Verbeek’s Socceroos line-up gives him added incentive – and should worry opposition defences.

Coach

Dave Mitchell, like his current club, made his name as a manager in the now-extinct National Soccer League but was also a fine player.

His experience has enabled him to steady what was at one stage a club in both on and off pitch crisis, reeling from it’s lack of ability to successfully adapt to life in the A-League.

Fashioned for himself a competitive side against the odds last season, he has never been under pressure at the Glory until now – whilst the resources at his disposal have brought with them rewards in terms of player quality, along with this comes a new-found expectation.

Will the former Socceroo be able to handle the pressure?

Tactics

Certainly capable of playing attractive football when they are on form but frustratingly tepid when they are not.

The absence of midfield general Amaral, who despite his injuries added a touch of class last season, might hurt the Glory’s passing game in midfield despite the return of the industrious Jacob Burns.

Much will depend upon Burns’ ability to link up with Sterjovski in an attacking capacity, whilst the role of the superb Eugene Dadi – who has resigned with the club after a highly successful debut season – remains to be seen.

Will the Ivorian striker retain a central role in the Glory’s front-line – he linked up particularly well with the now departed Nikita Rukavytsya last season, forming one of the league’s most effective strike partnerships.

This could be a team characterized by a physical presence at the back, particularly with the arrival of Coyne, with a little more fluidity in midfield and attack.

However, the changing of the core of the squad and the sudden arrival of five key players means they might lack cohesiveness initially and might resort to a style of football more effective than aesthetically pleasing.

Prediction – 4th

At worst, at least one of the arriving Socceroos will have a successful season and this should be enough to get the Glory into the Top Six quite comfortably.

That’s not to say that the other players in the Glory squad aren’t of a high quality, with a number of them having impressed under Mitchell last season, the likes of Adriano Pellegrino of course springing to mind.

Crucial to the team’s success will be galvanizing a potentially large fan-base that has not had a lot to cheer about since the start of the A-League, with Members Equity Stadium needing to become the fortress that it once was during the old NSL.

Chris Paraskevas, Goal.com

Commitment not cash brings ultimate Glory
Tim Clarke
August 4, 2009 - 7:30AM
If money was too tight to mention in Perth Glory's previous A-League campaigns, then suddenly the place has become a rich man's world.

After losing his ownership partners, Tony Sage, who has made his millions from digging up iron ore in the north of WA, has dug deep into his own pocket to attempt to make the Glory good again,.

And by bringing in Socceroos Mile Sterjovski, Chris Coyne and Jacob Burns, as well as English Premier League veteran Andy Todd and former Bundesliga striker Branko Jelic, Sage has got WA talking about their soccer side again - as well as setting tongues wagging across the country.

Sage and coach Dave Mitchell have already had to deflect whispers from A-League rivals about how Glory were able to squeeze in their acquisitions under the salary cap, with explanations that commitment not cash bringing an influx of international talent.

"It’s not all about money, money, money. The guys have taken a drastic wage cut to come here," Mitchell said.

"They want to be part of the A-League and they want to be part of Perth Glory and they want to be part of a winning side.

"Big players attract big players to the club and I think that’s also helped with Chris Coyne's decision to come to Perth. He’s looked at the line up we’ve got and said 'I want to be part of that side'."

With new faces comes a new kit, and new logo, with Sage determined to mark a new era after taking on the sole responsibility of bankrolling the club following the departures of Brett McKeon and John Spence from the boardroom.

And while the irascible Sage still has major issues with the FFA about all manner of things - fixturing chief amongst them - he says winning on the pitch will equate to more respect for the club.

"The fixture's a huge issue at the moment that we're fighting with the FFA," Sage said.

"We've had less (home games) now two years in a row, so that didn't go down well with us.

"They gave us our Boxing Day match which we've promoted and we've done very well at, they took it off us in the first draft and they gave it back to us, so they thought that was a compromise but that should never have been taken off us in the first place.

"We've got ongoing battles with the FFA but in the end we've got to prove ourselves, on the park.

"If we win, we'll get more respect and I think that's what it's all about."

Those wins are being banked on with a line-up that will certainly be the best the Glory has fielded since the rebirth of Australia's domestic competition.

With young Socceroo hopefuls Tando Velaphi and Aleks Vrteski fighting for the goalkeeper's jersey, the spine of the first XI will see Chris Coyne and Todd at the back, Burns in midfield and Sterjovski and Jelic roaming up front together.

But with last year's top scorer Eugene Dadi, stalwart Jamie Harnwell and most valuable player Adrian Pellegrino all still around to bring the depth patently lacking in recent season, Mitchell says he has as confident as he has ever been in the job that success was possible.

"We've been able to strengthen all areas across the pitch and have depth in every position," Mitchell said.

"From our team perspective we want to create an atmosphere at the club to get the Glory back to where it was as a champion of Australia.

"We’ve turned the ship around and we’re heading in the right direction and there is a real buzz in the town about Perth Glory again."

And so it would seem only potential stumbling block will be how - and how quickly - Mitchell integrates his acquisitions, as well as the perennial tyranny of distance suffered by WA's sporting sides.

A daunting draw includes three matches in three states in six days during January, with Melbourne Victory away on Saturday, January 16, followed by Adelaide United in South Australia the following Tuesday, before hosting Wellington on Friday night.

Two trips to North Queensland to take on new side the Fury and former Liverpool star Robbie Fowler, are backed up by to trips to New Zealand to take on Wellington Phoenix - now the longest trip for a domestic football match in the world.

Perth Glory Captain Jacob Burns says he will be fit to play in the club's first A-League match of the season against Adelaide United on Friday.

Burns injured his hamstring in a trial match against English club Wolverhampton Wanderers last month.

But Burns says he is keen to play as the team will have to hit top form quickly.

"I don't think to be honest the A-League season is long enough to be able to go four weeks and say 'Hey are we good enough or not'," he said.

"We've got to go into every game and say these are the points that need to be taken. Home and away.

"The rounds are so short that you can't be four or five weeks in and say 'We're starting to gel now'."

Perth seeks glory by boosting squad

PERTH Glory used to be the pin-up club of Australian soccer.

With the best administration, biggest crowds and the best squad, Glory ruled the roost in the final days of the old National Soccer League.

When the NSL died and the A-League was created, it was assumed the West Australians would again scale the heights.

But four seasons on and the story makes for grim reading.

Glory has yet to make the finals in four seasons. But that is about to change.

An aggressive recruitment drive, spearheaded by owner Tony Sage's decision to open the chequebook, has catapulted Glory into title calculations.

With funds available, coach David Mitchell has used his knowledge and contacts to lure a trio of Socceroos - Mile Sterjovski, Jacob Burns and Chris Coyne - back home from Europe, as well as seasoned professionals Andy Todd and Branko Jelic to Western Australia.

Add to the mix Eugene Dadi, Dutchman Victor Sikora, the improved Adriano Pellergrino and the talented Jamie Coyne and Perth has a much more formidable look about it.

Mitchell realises more than most that, with the sort of playing roster he now has at his disposal, Perth will be expected to improved markedly.

"We have made a concerted effort to improve the squad this season and I think we have done a terrific job," Mitchell said yesterday.

Sterjovski is the key capture. He is an experienced goalscorer who has played in Switzerland, France, Turkey and England as well as being capped 41 times for Australia.

Burns, who has been named captain, is a fiercely competitive player who will add steel to the midfield.

Englishman Todd is a tough defender with more than 250 games to his credit with Middlesbrough, Blackburn, Bolton, Charlton and Derby.

Not surprisingly, Mitchell says nothing less than a finals appearance will do.

"Obviously with a squad like we have at the moment we have to be looking at the finals first and foremost," he said.

"It is important to do well. The A-League needs a successful Perth Glory."