Ferguson urges Glory to show flair

25 January 2013 07:13

Coach Ian Ferguson wants Perth to play with more flair ahead of their vital Australia Day clash with Brisbane Roar.

Melbourne Heart and Newcastle Jets were two teams who were swept aside by Glory's flamboyant attacking style in the earlier A-League rounds and Ferguson is keen to resurrect that cavalier approach as the men in purple seek to end a run of five games without a win.

"Let's get back to being the way we were - being exciting, getting forward and scoring goals and try and get three points," Ferguson said.

"At times we give other teams time to get back into two banks of four, but at the start of the season we were quick on the counter attack, quick in transition and we were causing a lot of teams problems.

"We've been working very hard this week on one and two-touch going forward, making sure we don't take too many touches and hold the play up.

"It's about planting the seeds in players' heads and giving them passages of play, that's what we're looking for.

"We've been beaten eight times by a single goal this season and we've been in every one of those games.

"Silly mistakes have cost us in recent weeks and now it would be nice to get a little run together.

"We've got some very important games coming up and none more important than this one on Saturday."

Glory will be without the suspended Josh Risdon and Liam Miller on Saturday, while Bas van den Brink, Dean Heffernan, Shane Smeltz and skipper Jacob Burns are all seen as major injury doubts.

But Ferguson is confident that the hosts still have enough quality to overcome a similarly depleted and out-of-form Roar.

"Whatever happens, there'll be other people getting an opportunity. That's what the squad's for," he said.

"We've just signed Jack Clisby who'll come into the squad to play at centre-half.

"He did a fantastic job last year in the State League and this season in the youth team, so he's a player that could easily step up.

"And we've got (Steve) Pantelidis who can go easily into right-back.

"Michael (Thwaite) looks fine as well.

"He's been training the last four or five days at a good intensity and he joined in with the rest of the group yesterday and again today, so he's going okay.

"You always want your best players available, but these are the cards we've been dealt with suspensions and injuries, so we just have to get on with it.

"It's been a difficult week, but I don't want to make excuses.

"I'm sure that the boys that come in will do a good job.

"We're at home and we'll go out there with confidence."

Ferguson went on to reveal that although he won't be on board in time to face Roar, Argentinean playmaker Matias Cordoba is scheduled to jet into Perth over the long weekend.

"He's a player that we like," the Glory coach said.

"He plays as a number 10 and he's exciting. He's a player that will go forward and be direct and hopefully assist in goals.

"The player will hopefully arrive here on Saturday and there's still some work to be done before everything's finalised, but I'm sure when he gets here, he'll love the place and he's not going to come all this way from Argentina for nothing."