Posts tagged ‘Perth SC’
Sorrento and Balcatta Showcase the Beautiful Game
Congratulations to both Sorrento and Balcatta for showcasing State League football in an epic State League Cup Final; Unfortunately we were unable to attend but have watched the highlights and it looked to be an absolute cracker of a game.
Both teams went out looking to play attacking football, and despite going 2-0 down Balcatta roared back and managed to pull level and force extra time at 3-3. Darryl Platton popped up with the winner from a Stuart Montgomery corner, meaning Sorrento had defended the trophy they won last year for the first time. Balcatta were that very sad thing in sport, gallant losers.
The Reserves Cup final which surprising went ahead with both sides wearing white shorts and white socks, saw first division Cockburn City beat Perth SC 2-1, proving that in cup finals there is no such ting as home-ground advantage; The finals all being played at Perth’s BGC stadium.
In the Under 18′s Floreat Athena made it a miserable day for Balcatta, Tommy Bramley’s goal being the one that took the cup to Litis Stadium.
Congratulation to all the winners and also those teams who made the final and made a game of it.
Congratulations Perth
Congratulations to Perth Soccer Club for what was one of the most emphatic wins in Grand Final history, 7-0 over Sorrento. One had to feel for Sorrento who were caught napping early on and then suffered as they chased the game; being caught on the break on more than one occasion. However they should be proud of their achievement of reaching the Grand Final.
What was commendable after the game was seeing some of the Perth coaching staff, committee, and players go up to sacked coach Ronnie Campbell and acknowledge the part that he played in the team reaching the finals. Robbie Puca who was one of the players who allegedly fell out with Campbell and who has since announced his retirement being one of those players. Congratulations to him for being man enough to do so, and put past differences aside.
Coach of The Year?
The All Flags State Premier League Final between Sorrento and Perth could also decide the fate of this year’s Coach of the Year award.
We have questioned for a number of years the criteria for Football West Coach of the Year award. To win the accolade the coaches are awarded points for where they finish in the league, the trophies that they win, and the finals that they make. A system that we believe does not reflect some excellent coaching achievements.
Who can forget two years ago Mike Lyons sitting bottom of the All Flags State Premier League at the half way point in the season when coach of Stirling Lions, but managing to turn the season around and actually making the finals. He did not even come close to picking up the coach of the year award despite a fantastic turnaround.
This season many tipped newly promoted Bayswater City to be a relegation favourite, yet coach Mauro Marchione defied the odds and had he not suffered injuries to key players could well have steered the club to the Finals in their first season back in the Premier League. Yet his outstanding season will again not see him close to being announced as coach of the year.
The interesting thing this season will be should Perth win the Grand Final who the award will go to, as it was in fact Ronnie Campbell who was subsequently dumped as coach, who steered them to the Donate Blood cup final, not his replacement, Gianfranco Circati. So the the question is should the latter gain the points for this achievement even though he was in charge on the day?
It certainly raises a few questions.
To our mind however the achievements of Paul Price at Sorrento in his first year in charge at the club should guarantee him the accolade. Many would say he was unfortunate in recent seasons having won the league with the Western Knights and also contested the Grand final and Night Series finals, despite losing these games.
It would appear that it will be between Price and possibly a Perth SC coach if the panel looks at the club’s achievements rather than the individual; hopefully the right decision will be announced on the night.
Looking to the future it would be good to see the points system abandoned and a panel of possibly ex Internationals appointed as judges, maybe Shaun Murphy, Stan Lazarides, Robbie Zabica, Scott Miller, Bobby Despotovski, Matt Horsley, Francis Burns, Ray Illot, Jason or Michael Petkovic or Peter Withe. All ex internationals living here in Perth, who have a great knowledge and whose involvement would do the game and the league credit.
Bad Timing?
What do Perth SC and Chelsea have in common? Apart from both playing in blue, it would appear that both clubs have expectations that seem a little unrealistic.
News that the club parted company with coach Ronnie Campbell today has stunned many in local football circles. The team is due to play Sorrento in the Cup Final next weekend – a trophy they have not won since 2005 – and are sitting second in the league at the moment and almost definitely assured of a finals berth. The chance to win two trophies is just around the corner.
Many believed whoever took over from Graham Normanton would be grasping a poisoned chalice and it would appear that they could have been right.
Campbell, was hampered in trying to stamp his own mark on a team, as most of the ageing squad had already been committed to contracts for this season. In fact he was only able to bring in three new faces. Jason dos Santos was just finding the back of the net and looking an inspired signing when he injured his knee and then Dean Applegren was injured as well. Adam Bachiller has been outstanding, and young players like Vlad Naumovski were beginning to show their potential.
The club has suffered a great deal of injury woes this season with nine first teamers missing at the current time, and Campbell was forced to blood some youngsters who at the present time are not quite ready mentally for first team football.
What was sad and foolhardy, and hindsight is as they say perfect vision, was the fact that the club would not allow Ronnie to appoint his own assistant coach. Ronnie Campbell and Willie Kelly are what Brian Clough and Peter Taylor were at Nottingham Forest and Derby County, and to dredge up an alleged incident that supposedly occurred thirty years ago was both short sighted and detrimental.
Ronnie Campbell has always been a gentleman, and a man with high morals; he refused to talk to several State League clubs about coaching positions while they still had a coach in their employ. He did not deserve to suffer the fate he has today, he deserved to be allowed to see out the season and possibly win the success hungry club two trophies.
Ronnie we wish you luck in the future and hope to see you on the touchlines again very soon.
Going, Going, Going.
For some people knowing when to hang up the boots is very hard to see. For others they walk away too soon. It is a fine line between walking away while at the top and walking wheneveryone starts asking when you are going to leave.
One of the saddest things in football was seeing Brian Clough still at the helm at Nottingham Forest as the club fell from the greatness he had been such a crucial part of. Sir Matt Busby, Bob Paisley and Bill Shankly all went while at the top, although Shankly looked back with hindsight and felt he stepped aside too early.
It would appear that former Perth coach Graham Normanton has also had second thoughts about stepping down from the role of coach of Perth SC last season after twelve fantastically successful years at the club.
What is sad is that unlike Shankly and Busby who stepped back into the shadows, he is still turning up to training and watching the new coach take his former team through their paces. It is sad as his former players are beginning to question his presence, and the respect he garnered is being eroded. It is also sad as it shows a lack of respect for his successor. Hopefully someone will have a quiet word in his ear, to ensure that he keeps the respect he worked so hard to earn.
A Poor Reflection on the Game
The Football West Gold Medal Awards were again a closely contested affair, and one had to sympathise with the two players who missed out on the prestigious prize by just one point in the last round of votes, Adam Hayton from Sorrento and Branmir Mikulic from Floreat Athena. Marc Anthony from Cockburn was the eventual winner and a very popular one.
Football West have over the past four years tried to lift the standard of the awards night in line with what it should be when a car valued at $16,000 is up for grabs as well as the nine carat gold medal which is also worth several thousand dollars courtesy of McInerney Ford. The enforcing of the dress code was to be commended although sadly there were still some who felt above it. The staff concerned are to be commended for their efforts, however once again it lies with those in attendance to remember that there are the key sponsors and government officials attending the dinner and the behaviour of all is a reflection on the game.
It is a given at such events that some part of the evening will be boring if your club is not involved, but surely common courtesy of remaining quiet for short periods of time is not too much to ask?
There were however two incidents during the evening that were most disappointing, embarrassing to the game, and should result in the guilty parties being fined and warned.
Armadale’s James Robinson when being interviewed after Round 20 and sitting top of the leader board swearing in front all in attendance. Then came Champion Coach Graham Normanton’s lack of graciousness when receiving the All Flags Champions Trophy. Normanton deciding to dredge up an issue for which he was warned last year, in relation to League Premiers and League Champions. It was unnecessary and inappropriate; especially when Perth had been announced as Champions! What made it even sadder was the fact that one of the state’s most successful coaches of all time was booed off the stage by at least half of the room. This was not a reaction his achievements warranted, but sadly his comments and the response they brought will be a lasting memory for many.
Not only did they embarrass themselves, but they embarrassed the clubs they were representing, and more importantly the game as a whole.
A Minor Issue is a Big Issue to Some
Last year we stoked the fires of those people who love to debate who are the champions at the end of a league season, the team that finishes top of the League or those who win the finals series.
In the Football West State Premier league this year the Western Knights won the League title and Perth won the finals series. Both sides deserving to win their respective titles. Although the finals format used this year probably needs reviewing with one less game being played as it seems strange that the top team plays two games and if they lose one they fails to be Champion, while the teams that finish second and third get an extra chance to take the title.
As we said a year ago it may be semantics, but surely if you finish the League season top of the log you deserve more recognition than a term such as “Minor Premiers.” Why not call them League Premiers, especially as there is no team currently called “Premiers” at the end of the season. The team winning the finals series currently being crowned the “Champions.”
Please don’t give us comments such as this is the way it’s done in other codes reasoning. Does that mean its right?
Ask people you know who play sport how often they have won a league title over a whole season, it is a rare feat, and does not warrant being belittled by having the word ‘Minor’ preface that achievement.
Just because it is, doesn’t mean it’s right.
If you watch the footage on Footballwest.tv of the Flexible Signage Solutions Grand Final between the Western Knights and Perth, you will hear victorious coach Graham Normanton state, “ This is the league. We’ve just won it and that’s what people need to know. That’s the rules we play by that’s what it is and we are absolutely delighted to win it.”
Which is a valid point everyone did know the rules at the start of the season. Perth did win the finals series and deserved to, because as Graham Normanton went on to say, “We geared ourselves for it and we’ve won it on the day.” Congratulations to them as a club.
However as written on this post previously, the terms Premiers and Champions have been used incorrectly. Perth should be the Premiers and not the Champions as they were the winners on the day, not over a league season.
It is no fault of coaches or teams that we have the finals series, and a strong range of views as to who is regarded as the “Champion.”
If the team that finished top of the league is not the Champion, as Mr Normanton alludes, why would they receive any prize money for coming top of the league?
Just because all the other sports in Australia operate this way does not mean that it is right. Take a look at the Hyundai A league as an example.
When the FFA was accepted into the Asian Football Confederation, along with it came a place in the Asian Champions League. The AFC advised the FFA that that spot would go to the team that finished on top at the end of the league season, as is the case throughout Asia. The FFA disagreed, as it is run by people from other codes and not football people – one of the problems holding the game back despite the giant strides made in the past five years.They said that they would be sending the winner of the Grand Final.
After much toing and froing a compromise was met. Vietnam, who had two teams in the Champions league were told they would now only have one spot, and Australia could have two, one for the team that tops the league, the other for the Grand Final winner.
The argument has been thrown up that finals series are the Australian way. If that is the case then surely if Australia is part of the Asian Confederation they should respect the Asian way, which happens to be the same as most leagues around the world.
The debate is bound to rage on. With no one right and no one wrong. It is simply a matter of opinion; ours being that being consistent over 22 games is a massive achievement and in the true meaning of the word allows you to call yourself a “champion.”
Time to Talk
Several of the Football West State Premier League coaches have in recent weeks been bemoaning the fact that they will soon be without the players who have been signed up with the Perth Glory Youth team.
This has come to a head as the battle for the title between the Western Knights and Perth hots up, and also because any team from fourth to last could in fact end up being relegated if they lose a few games.
This is an issue that was raised a year ago, with the Hyundai A league expanding, the start of the season has been brought forward, which in turn means the start of the Youth League is earlier this year.
On the East coast all of the state leagues are coming to an end in the next fortnight, so that no club is without players at a crucial part of the season, the showcase part of the season.
Football West need to now sit down with Perth Glory and the clubs and review the season if we are to showcase the best teams and the best players at the season’s end in future years. We have to review the start and finish of the State League season.
It may mean that the McInereney Ford night series will have to go, or be moved, which if that is for the overall good of the game, I say so be it.
There will no doubt be many who say we can’t move the games forward. Why can’t we when most of the venues are only used by the clubs concerned?
I am all for tradition, but if we have to make changes so come the finals – which I am not a fan off – and the Soccer Pools Cup Final we have the best players for each team on display, and can give the public and sponsors a showcase worth watching, then change it has to be.
Time that everyone started talking for 2010.
