Perth Glory CEO Anthony Radich hasn’t ruled interim-manager Adam Griffiths out of the running for the full-time position, but remains confident they’ll soon land a ‘more experienced coach’, nearing a month on from the sacking of David Zdrilic.
The Glory have been without a permanent manager since their 4-0 loss to Melbourne City on October 25 and have spent much of the interim on the bottom of the ladder, where they finished last season. Sunday’s win away at Newcastle has provided momentary relief, but does little for the desire of a longer-term plan.
‘We were hoping, ideally, to have been in a position approaching the last game, to have made an appointment prior’, Radich told Box2Box.
‘We’re in advanced discussions with several candidates but we’re not quite over the line with any particular one. Adam conducts himself really well, has the respect of the group and all the staff here. If things continue to go his way it’s not beyond the realms… but our intention right here and now is still to look at appointing a more experienced coach, rather than one in their first season.’
Plenty of A-League observers questioned the timing of Zdrilic’s dismissal, just a fortnight into a new campaign; either much earlier in pre-season, or a few matches deeper to let new signings bed down, might have provided a better chance of success.
Those are opinions based on hypothetical timelines that we’ll never see play out; Radich stands by the decision of his board, but also sympathises with Zdrilic that while they may not have been in alignment, that’s not to say that reflects fully on his management.
‘It was felt clearly by the board that David probably didn’t have the best of cards dealt in terms of the squad [last season]. Upon reflection, if you look at the way we recruited, it was a rather ambitious philosophy predominantly around youth and probably skewed too heavily in that direction.
‘The board felt David deserved a chance to rebuild with more experience; complemented with an increased coaching staff, improved facilities, to give him a fair crack at the gig. Unfortunately, it was then felt they were seeing signs in [this] pre-season where we weren’t scoring goals, weren’t keeping possession.
‘That result at Melbourne City away in our second game was crushing. Maybe he didn’t have the players with the right athletic profile, football IQ to play the style he wanted. Maybe it’s not realistic in this market – who knows?
‘David is a tremendous character in the way he set high benchmarks and went about business, a great example of work ethic. You can work incredibly hard, be incredibly diligent, professional, and still things don’t go your way. Sometimes you can be in the right place, but at the wrong time.’
It’s nearing two years since the Glory were taken over by Pelligra Group in February 2024, ending a period of uncertainty following long-time owner Tony Sage’s drawn-out, emotional sale of the club.
At that point, Radich stated it was ‘critical’ they brought the club’s Men’s, Women’s and administrative operations together under one roof; that ambition has been consolidated, following last month’s move to Mirrabooka, aided by a $1.2million package from the WA Government.
Radich dearly hopes this stability will bring on-field returns; neither Glory’s Men’s or Women’s sides have featured in a finals series post-Covid. He understands they’ve asked for more than enough patience from their fans.
‘It was a really, really tough year last year. In terms of what we did commercially, that was all headed in a really positive direction: our relationship with the government, investing in new facilities and projects underway. We’re redeveloping the academy. We’re ticking all the boxes there.
‘But it just wasn’t happening on-field and at the end of the day, that’s all people care about. They couldn’t care less about which new sponsors come in, or how much money government is giving you. They just want to see their team win, which is fair enough.
‘They stuck by us last season through what was a completely dismal season, have come out in a similar vein this year, and we haven’t given them much. The support has been remarkable and that’s the great thing for this club and this is what keeps us all going. It keeps us coming to work. working our backsides off, because we know the potential that this club can have.’