Perth Glory coach Ian Ferguson has told his players to forget about last season's disastrous A-League campaign, saying a bright future awaits if they can convert talent into results.
The Glory finished above only North Queensland last season but have recruited well, snaring Shane Smeltz, Travis Dodd, Danny Vukovic, Bas van den Brink and Liam Miller among a host of other new faces.
Perth owner Tony Sage is hopeful they can secure an Asian Champions League berth, either this season or next, and Ferguson is equally optimistic last season's flop will be consigned to history.
"I keep saying this to the players, they've got to forget last year," Ferguson said ahead of Sunday's home clash with Adelaide United, who have been boosted by the arrival of Bruce Djite and Dario Vidosic.
"It's a new beginning, there's a lot of positives to come out of this pre-season, which I've been very happy with.
"The boys have given us everything ... the intensity has been great.
"The build-up has been great, there's been a lot of excitement with the results we've had."
Ferguson said picking a Glory starting XI had not been an easy task.
"The biggest headache I've got now is trying to select a team because everyone has been great in preseason, so I'm trying to find the right balance now and continuity and shape," he said.
"It's obviously a headache for me but it's a good one to have."
Ferguson managed just two wins and six draws from 21 games in charge last season, but said he was confident the team would be a far tougher prospect this time around.
"I'm trying to make nib Stadium a fortress again and try to make sure when teams come here we make it difficult for them," he said.
"We want to play good football and entertain, score a few goals and try to get a few wins under our belts."
AAP
Tags: a-league, soccer, sport, perth-6000, wa, australia First posted October 07, 2011 19:17:34
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