Apparently Edwards has been sacked. To be honest, it is never a good idea as a coach to sign your son, let alone 2 of them, it never ends well.

This.

As I just said in another thread, he dug his own grave.

Alistair Edwards' sons failed to shine at Perth Glory, so storm was always brewing

There’s hardly a father alive who hasn’t wanted the best for his son, who has not done what he could to help him, or swiftly moved to defend him when he is the subject of unwarranted criticism.

It’s human nature. But when you operate in a public sphere it can become complex. Nepotism is an emotive word, perhaps nowhere more so than in sport, which is supposed to be a meritocracy. Talent should be the sole arbiter. That’s how it usually works. But there are odd exceptions, when a coach or club owner has a son who is good enough to be considered, at least, for a professional career.

Disgruntled: Glory veteran Jacob Burns was nonplussed when left on the bench for last weekend's match in favour of Edwards' son, Ryan.

Disgruntled: Glory veteran Jacob Burns was nonplussed when left on the bench for last weekend's match in favour of Edwards' son, Ryan. Photo: Getty Images
This is fraught with danger and has a tendency to cause problems for all concerned – as Perth Glory coach Alistair Edwards, his sons Ryan and Cameron, and the Glory hierarchy discovered in the wake of Friday night’s 2-0 loss to Melbourne Victory.

Edwards was sacked on Tuesday night after the anger of senior players over a number of decisions taken by the coach – a former Socceroo and Perth player – came to a head.
Not the least of those was the coach’s decision to sign his two boys, Ryan and Cameron. The former, aged 20, is on a season long-loan from English championship side Reading.

He was a member of Australia’s under-20 team at the under-20 World Cup, when that team was also, coincidentally, coached by his father. Edwards snr had been part of the national team coaching staff for two years before he took the Glory job following the sacking of Ian Ferguson and his assistant Stuart Munro in February.

Cameron Edwards is 18 months older than his sibling. Like Ryan, he too went to Reading – when they were in the English Premier League – but he was released by the club in May last year. Cameron went to Melbourne Heart and spent last season with the Victorian club’s youth team, but did not play any first-team games. He, too, was signed by his father a couple of months after Edwards senior took over at the Glory.

Now there is nothing intrinsically wrong with a father signing his son. But the player has to be worth his place. Nobody complained when Jason Culina (subsequently a regular with PSV Eindhoven and a Socceroos stalwart for six years) was a teenage prodigy helping Sydney United to National Soccer League success under the coaching of his father, Branko.

There will always be issues of perception; unless the player is a standout. And, on what we have seen so far, neither of the Edwards lads are standouts, although anyone who represents their country at junior level and gets signed up by a then-Premier League club clearly has something going for them.

But unless they come to the club at which their father is the boss and immediately make a difference, the finger is likely to get pointed – particularly if results have not been good or there is disquiet among the senior players.

Edwards snr is a calm, well-spoken man who has also forged a career outside football, having won election to the City of Cockburn Council in Perth between 2002 and 2006.

Unusually for a footballer, he also has a degree, having completed an MBA at Perth’s Edith Cowan University. He is widely regarded as thoughtful and analytical, so it is hard to believe he would not have anticipated the sort of problems caused by signing his two boys.

Certainly the decline of his relationship with club captain and Jacob Burns, which was shot to pieces after the Glory stalwart was left on the bench for the Victory match in favour of Edwards’s sons, was a significant contributing factor in his sacking.

Burns is a tough, combative, no-nonsense individual who calls a spade a spade. He has a great playing pedigree. He spent three years at Leeds when the club was challenging for the Premier League title and made 11 appearances for the national side. Now 35, Burns’ future is behind him, but he and his senior colleagues still feel he can make a major contribution and lend leadership and drive to a team which is being rebuilt – he is, after all, a player who was awarded the Marston Medal for best afield in a grand final only 20 months ago.

Burns and Edwards fell out spectacularly. According to witnesses, Burns was shouting to anyone who would listen on Friday night – as he trooped away an unused substitute after Glory’s loss – that ‘‘the only way I will get a game in this team is if I change my name to Edwards’’. Edwards may have learnt a valuable lesson: that, unless you are successful or your sons are key players, signing them can be more trouble than it’s worth.


Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/alistair-edwards-sons-failed-to-shine-at-perth-glory-so-storm-was-always-brewing-20131217-2zj9z.html#ixzz2njIwaDg6

David Meacock ‏@meacod 1h
No doubt Edwards made a rod for his own back. But for him to be the sole scapegoat of a total clusterfuck is disgusting. #aleague (1/2)

A meeting to decide a course of action in relation to protesting on Sunday at the running of the club by Tony Sage.

All Perth Glory fans who feel the handling of the situation in regards to Edwards and Burns has been poorly done and would like to express their disappointment are welcome to attend.

This is not a protest that is pro-burns or pro-alistar, this a protest at the handling of the situation and the general administration of the club by Sage in the past five years.

Jason Brewer ‏@PGFC_CEO 9m
Will be available at the Terrace Lounge, 185 St Georges Terrace from 6pm tomorrow night to address any questions from fans. See you there.

The next coach should be a West Australian or former PG player, and I'd like to see all coaching staff of that sort. We should continue to sign quality West Australians and other young Socceroos. We should continue to play a possession based game, one based on attack(which we've lacked this season), and maybe look at signing a creative midfielder.



Edited by iridium1010: 18/12/2013 01:03:37 AM

Ummm Glory just sacked the bloke that met your above criteria.

The coach needs to be brilliant otherwise the club will sink even lower than it is right now.

Jason Brewer said they're hoping to get a coach who will continue what Edwards started.

The coach needs to be brilliant otherwise the club will sink even lower than it is right now.

Jason Brewer said they're hoping to get a coach who will continue what Edwards started.

perhaps bernd stange again? :roll:

i`ts a little joke - i will post my question again in this thread - i think this is the right thread for this...

hi,

i`m an supporter since over 30 years from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1._FC_Union_Berlin

will visit my daughter in perth in march next year and want to go with her on 30th march to the game perth against newcastle!

we want to stay in a supporter area and before the game we want to meet other supporters!

is there anybody who can give me tips about it?

Und niemals vergessen - EISERN UNION

greetings from berlin,
da rudi

You'll only need "General Admission" tickets to gain entry to the home end supporter area. To get into "the shed" you may need to arrive early as numbers are limited. I believe you can get a wristband for entry at no additional cost if you have a general admission ticket and if you're there before they run out. May have changed this year however, I have only been able to make the single home game this year so I'm not certain about it.

The wider home end supporter area will only require the ticket however.

Ticketmaster is the ticketing agent. Tickets can be bought here http://m.ticketmaster.com.au/event/13004B26981B266C?

If the link doesn't work you'll have to go to the main site and search Perth Glory. Tickets are AU$25.

If you use Facebook, search for GFU / Glory Fans United. I'm sure someone there will be more than happy enough to help make it a more engaging or inclusive experience.

From SBS.
And the more I read it, the more I support Edwards.
Oh, Sage was in shock, dear me.
Was Burns' apology against his better judgement? Sounds like it was really sincere then.
The club fully supports Ryan and Cameron, blah, blah, blah. How can it when it supports the view they're getting too much game time?
Not happy Jan. (Actually, an awful lot worse than that).


Perth Glory has sacked Alistair Edwards after the controversial coach insisted that Jacob Burns have his contract ripped up or at least be stripped of the captaincy.

Glory owner Tony Sage revealed his "shock" on Tuesday night at Edwards's refusal to accept any other outcome in the dispute between himself, his captain and senior players including Michael Thwaite, Danny Vukovic and Steve McGarry over his coaching style and team selections.

"I'm in a state of shock," said Sage as the saga which erupted during a dressing room bust-up after Glory's 2-0 loss to Melbourne Victory on Friday night came to a dramatic conclusion.

Burns blew up after being left on the bench for the Victory game after returning from a two-game suspension as a player-led revolt challenged Edwards's authority.

"I had got Jacob to apologise for his outburst at the coach, against his better judgement, and I thought we had a resolution and could move on," Sage continued.

"And, frankly, I couldn't believe it when I then received a message and then a letter from Alistair demanding that Jacob have his contract cancelled, or if not that, have the armband taken off him. Those were his terms.

"The board was not willing to accept that demand. We are not in the business of switching captains mid-season, especially when the two names put forward by Alistair to replace Jacob would not have taken the job because they support Jacob's position at the club.

"We were left with no option as a result of the coach's demands but to terminate his contract and we hope to have an interim coach in place for Sunday's game against Adelaide United. We don't feel his stance left us with any other viable alternative.

"It's a real shame it has come to this because I was confident that the dispute had been settled after a series of meetings with the players and the coach. But Alistair was not willing to compromise when it was him who sanctioned Jacob as captain in the first place when he was appointed as our coach."

Such was the depth of feeling against the coach, it is understood that had Edwards stayed on several senior players would have sought releases from their contracts next month.

Their grievances against Edwards - who took over in February after the sacking of Ian Ferguson - include his man-management style, team selections which have mystified senior players - and perceived favouritism towards sons Ryan and Cameron.

"People have said it's been all about him signing and picking his sons ahead of others but it's also been about how he relates to the players, and yes, the fact that he has consistently used Cameron off the bench ahead of others," Sage said.

"It's also been why certain players have been taken off in matches. There has been significant disharmony there and questions asked."

Edwards' two sons trained with the club on Tuesday, and Glory CEO Jason Brewer hopes they will see out their contracts at the Glory despite the drama of their dad's sacking.

"Ryan and Cameron are fully supported by the club," Brewer said.

"They are young professionals that have come in and are looking to make a career in football. I don't see the awkwardness in that.

"They were treated just as much the same as any other player in that club.

"They were on the training pitch this evening and they'll be there tomorrow.

"And they're certainly in contention to play against Adelaide on Sunday.

"They know how to behave in these situations and they'll continue to compete for spots in the team."

Sage said that he hoped to have "a former Perth assistant coach" at the club in a caretaker role for the clash with Adelaide, with a long-term appointment to be made in the coming weeks or months.

That coach is thought to be Kenny Lowe, a former assistant coach at Glory under Dave Mitchell, and currently in charge of WA National Training Centre.