Perth Glory

Perth Glory – Quick Stats

Most Appearances: Jamie Harnwell (242*)
Top Goal Scorer: Bobby Despotovski (116*)
A-League Championships: 0
Best Regular Season Finish: 5th (2009-2010)
Best AFC Champions League Result: N/A

*Includes NSL matches

About the Perth Glory A-League Football Club

Perth Glory are the oldest of all the clubs currently playing in the A-League. Formed in 1995, the Glory went on to feature in four grand finals over the last five seasons of the National Soccer League, winning back-to-back championships in 2003 and 2004. Due to their on-field success and large local following, Perth were the first club to be pencilled in for one of eight spots for the inaugural A-League season in 2005-2006.

Prior to the 18 month spell between the end of the final NSL season and the launch of the A-League, Perth had unarguably the best playing roster in the country. Their squad featured the likes of star strike pairing Bobby Despotovski and Damian Mori, along with other key players Shaun Murphy, Jade North, Matthew Bingley and Tom Pondeljak. By the time the A-League had kicked off however, only Despotovski remained. The club’s two major signings were Socceroo Simon Colosimo and 37-year-old former Premier League striker Brian Deane. Deane lasted just seven games and Mori was brought in as his replacement, initially on a short-term stint, before eventually signing for the remainder of the season.

The Glory faced a major upheaval late in 2005 when it was revealed that a number of players had revolted against head coach Steve McMahon, who had been signed earlier that year. With the local media having turned on him due to Perth’s poor form and with little support from his playing group, McMahon decided to resign mid-season and was replaced by assistant Alan Vest in an interim capacity. The Glory – who were widely touted as one of the teams to beat leading into their first A-League campaign – failed to make the final series after finishing fifth.

Over the course of the next three years Perth continued to struggle on and off the field. A combination of poor recruitment, dropping crowd numbers, sponsorship issues and a complete lack of consistent results saw the once proud club slump to a shadow of its former self. New head coach Ron Smith would last just 18 months in the top job before being replaced by former Sydney United boss David Mitchell, while big-name signings Stan Lazaridis and Hayden Foxe barely saw any game time due to on-going injury concerns. The Glory narrowly avoided the wooden spoon on three consecutive occasions, finishing in seventh place in 2007, 2008 and 2009.

Prior to the 2009-2010 season, local businessman Tony Sage became the club’s sole owner and began spending big money in a bid to return Perth to their glory days. Sage kept coach popular coach David Mitchell in charge and allowed him to sign a trio of then fringe-Socceroos: Mile Sterjovski, Jacob Burns and Chris Coyne. Sage also brought quality imports Victor Sikora, Andy Todd and Branko Jelic to the club, raising the hopes of Glory fans that the club would be a genuine title threat for the first time in the A-League’s short history. Although Perth fell far short of winning the championship, their fifth-place finish in the newly expanded league saw them contest finals football, something the club had not done since the final NSL season in 2004.

For 2010-2011, the Glory kept the bulk of their impressive squad intact and also added the prize signing of former Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler to their ranks. With crowd figures steadily on the rise over the past 18 months and impressive on-field results to boot, the Glory are well on their way to once again becoming a force to be reckoned with.

Current Key Players: Mile Sterjovski, Robbie Fowler, Jacob Burns, Chris Coyne, Jamie Harnwell.