It was only the Jets.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves.

However, through necessity Lowe has had to play the younger players and surprise, surprise, they are getting more confident with more game time.

The starting back line had an average age of 22 or 23. Add in Oxborrow (20) and Harold (23) the staring squad was very young which allowed Glory to play with pace for a change. The midfield seemed very balanced and Glory controlled it for most of the game.

Castro is sublime. Seems he has been given the licence to roam and he is popping up in very dangerous positions.

His first goal was a real team goal and class finish. His second was great to watch seeing him drift off the defenders.

Harold has got his confidence back. But, he needs to pull the trigger slightly earlier. Had a couple of chances in the first half he should of nailed but took an extra touch that allowed the defender to shut him down.

Love Castro's engine, never stops the crazy little sicilian

Harold if he's going to play dual strike partner with Keogh, needs to be aware that he could kick a bag of goals this season if he's up for it. His reading of the game today was phenomenal. I wonder if Keogh & Castro are whispering in his ear

Great fun watching that.

Castro on current form is probably the best import we've had.

yep:-k , was referring to his look... hezza crazy bearded sicilian looking bastardo

I wanna see this kient take a penalty panenka style @least once .. please someone @ Glory tell him to do it please=d> [-o< [-o<

Taggart and Lowry signed in a day. So good!

Holman and a LB for next season and I'm cheering!

Lowry can play immediately or not? Holman that's a tough one

Edited by famousSYDNEYFC: 27/1/2016 01:49:09 PM

We shouldn't worry about Holman, we look like we are trying to move away from the days of signing overpaid eastern staters looking to retire in Oz and have no real passion for the club beyond a paycheck.

Signing Taggart and Lowry is excellent! We need talent but targeting Perth boys at the same time will make sure the culture at the club is in a good state.

I hear we will need a new decent GK as well. Covic is quality but hearsay suggests his family don't like living in Perth. Lowe should target Brad Jones as a replacement. Perth boy, played at a great level (lets forget the Uruguay drop through the hands incident), has trained with the club not long ago and looks to be available soon (he signed for a club in Holland called Nijmegen for six months in early January). Hire him on merit but at the same time, get the % of Perth players playing for Glory up further!

Lowry can play LB as well. We will need a RB on the assumption that Risdon will be off at the end of the season. Collard seems to be a good prospect at RB but still needs more time. We have signed Williams for next season but I wouldn't want him as our first choice RB, I'd prefer Ferreira to him.

Save some money and just use Tyson as #1.

I think there is a reason why Tyson has been #2 at every club he has been at outside of Hong Kong. He is exactly the type of #2 you want though as he engages with fans, is a great team man and doesn't moan. Having watched him train though, I am not confident he is up to being first choice for an extended period.

Jones would be too expensive unless he has made enough over his career to want to come back as a lifestyle choice.

Covic has probably done enough for another contract if he wants to stay on. My reservation with him is that while he is still a great shot stopper, if we want to move away from sitting back and defending then counter attacking to actually building up from the back and playing a better style of football, then I don't think his kicking and distribution are up to it.

Assuming we are going with an Australian keeper I would be very interested in Nathan Coe if he recovers from his back issue or either Theo or Young from Brisbane as I don't think either of them is prepared to be #2.

its hard to stay mad at glory after recent weeks.
i think Lowry is a very underrated signing. from the little ive seen of him in the past ive been impressed.

Not Young, he is far too shaky, esp with his feet.

Taggart deal is a good 'un. Not totally convinced by him, but he is local and should be good enough for the A League. I suppose we can front load his deal for this season when our cap spend is (presumably) down to compensate for next year when we get in more players. This season is kind of shot anyway.

I think the last import should be a DM to partner Sandor. Need one who is a good screener but who also can play the ball around to energise our ball movement into attack. I think Zadkovich lacks this second quality and just disrupts our creativity and transition in midfield. Get in a quality DM and provide an improved CM 2 platform for a reasonable first choice front 4: Castro, Taggart, Keogh, Nebo. We also have squaddies like Harold and possibly Oxborrow, Garcia (sigh) and a chance for players like Reiners and Knowles to get some time as part of the front 4.


Backline is much better with Lowry, esp if he can play some LB. Really hoping that Collard can push on at RB.

My main concern is that we still have Lowe and the new signings won't really alter the way we play which, with the odd exception, is pretty negative and uninspiring for home fans.

But v good to get in some locals who may be cheaper to recruit and provide more interest for the fans.

If these signings are part of a 4-year strategy, then they are foundations of the right stuff.

Having a locally born a bred squad was part of the consultant's report IIRC. Just a shame it's about 3-4 years too late.

What I fear is Reiners getting frozen out.

Might not happen if Keogh is played as the #9 with Taggart playing a winger, but Taggart is a striker, so not sure if he would be suited to a winger's role similar to Harold ATM.

Might necessitate a change to two up front.

Castro is suited to his drifting role as this seems to confuse to opposition defenders and he has the skills to easily nutmeg them so not sure a 4-4-2 would suit. Glory need that extra man in MF and speed on the wings.

So the foreseeable future the best starting 11 might be:

---------------------Covic---------------------------
Risdon-----Lowry---------Grant-------Warren
-------------------------Sandor---------------------
-------------Ferreira--------------------------------
Harold-------------Castro----------------Garcia
------------------------Keogh-----------------------

A bit slow on the left and Warren rarely pushes forwards. Reiners still gets a run on the wings or striker.

Next season with no injuries etc:

---------------------Covic---------------------------
Lowry-----Grant---------Djulbic-------Warren
-------------------------Sandor---------------------
------------Ferreira---------------------------------
Harold-------------Castro--------------Taggart
------------------------Keogh-----------------------

It might mean that Harold/Taggart/Keogh rotate between wings and the striker position, but that takes a lot of communication between players. It's hard enough with 2 players, almost impossible with 3. At least Reiners can get a run as a wing/striker replacement.

I think you may be forgetting Marinkovic.

Agree that fitting in Taggart/Keogh will bring back a bit of the Maclaren dilemma.

Nope.

Not sure how he fits in. Sandor is more defensive and Ferreira is more mobile and gets around a bit more.

He's not a winger.

A bit of a dilemma for me.

He might come in in the place of Ferreira, but then some of that midfield mobility is lost to his attacking ability.

As much as the two of then up front makes sense, that would be a very narrow formation. I can't see Sandor and Marinkovic working out on the wings and they are not pacey. I see Risdon leaving so the RB position becomes an issue. He needs to be replaced with similar quality with the ability to get forward.

If Glory are going to go with local younger talent then they should make use of that with pacey wingers.

@HR - I agree with you about Marinkovic's limitations, but he has another year, so we are gonna have to fit him in I would say.

I would see next year being more like:

Castro---Taggart---Keogh

------Marinkovich

---Sandor---DM Import

Lowry--Djulbic--Grant--Williams/Collard

-----------Covic

With the front three switching around a bit. Keogh originally a winger, and whilst his raw pace is nothing to behold, he does like to run and could be a good wing forward bringing Taggart into the play.

Other than Taggart, it isn't a particularly pacey front three is it?

I think what you have suggested is very likely (although with Grant at left CB and Djulibic at right CB) with Harold, Reiners, Oxborrow/Fereirra, Tyson, Williams/Collard on the bench.

Offload Gligor and Zadkovich. IMO we should recruit a proactive keeper who can play well with his feet as that line up should be able to play a good brand of football.

Woah... I'm shocked that people are putting Ferreira anywhere near a stadium, let alone ahead of Nebo :S

Also, next year, we'll have two like for like strikers in Taggart and Keogh which indicates that Kenny wants us to be more mobile in the front third with lots off running off the ball. That's why I think Holman is perfect. He's the perfect Kenny player.

Ferreira puts in a lot more than Nebo. Nebo appears to be lumbering this season.

Just think there needs to be more mobility unless you are a key player like Castro/Keogh. Don't see Nebo as Key and Ferrira can play MF or RB/LB if required at a pinch.

I'll pay more attention to him next time. I know he works hard, but sometimes I wonder whether he knows it's a ball sport.

Agreed that Nebo isn't essential next season but IMO we need him when you consider the other options right now.
I'm interested to see whether Kenny uses Taggart as a RW or as a striker. If we play with two out and out strikers, I think we'll be too thin in midfield.

Edited by eastern glory: 27/1/2016 06:49:55 PM

licking my lips w/ our attack .. keogh up front .. tagz to the left & Castro all over the shop :D Harold on wing/crumb duty

did someone say Zac Anderson is a poosibilty /?

No - he isn't West Australian

The word is we are getting Jesse Makarounas and Riley Woodcock back and Chris Herd is a possibility as well.

Yes please. [-o<

Any of those 3.

Woodcock should not have been released last season and Maka was another dumb decision.

FFS Woodcock wasn't released. His contract ended and he refused the offer of another one. I have it second hand that he was actually hiding from Kenny while waiting from confirmation from Sydney.

Can Riley Woodcock and Andy Ord settle their differences?

Would be happy to have him back as I thought he showed promise and had good attacking energy from left back.

Makarounas seems very injury prone and I fear his time with us will lead to very few opportunities.

A Castro/Keogh/Taggart front line is rather slow, but that's what they are looking at with the recruiting decisions. Won't be putting Taggart on the bench too much, not after the Maclaren debacle and words from CEO about building the team around him. If we play with two strikers, it makes it harder to fit Nebo in and you can forget about warhorses like Garcia.

Fucking ECU Joondalup reunion up in here.