Stan Lazaridis is hopeful the appointment of Alistair Edwards and Gareth Naven at Perth Glory will lead to more local flavour at the club.
The appointment of Alistair Edwards and Gareth Naven at Perth Glory marks the first time the club will have home-grown names at the helm for well over a decade, and Stan Lazaridis – one of the city’s favourite football sons – is hopeful it will lead to more local flavour at the club.
The former West Ham and Birmingham City flanker is football royalty in Western Australia, and rightly so with his 60 caps for the Socceroos over a 13-year period more than any other player from the state.
The Floreat Athena product, who concluded his career with two seasons at Glory, is well aware of the benefits that going local provides, especially in a city as isolated as Perth.
“I think some of the fans have become disgruntled a little in seeing some of the local products leave over the years,” Lazaridis said.
“If you look at some of the locals that have left over the years it would combine for a wonderful side, which is not to take anything from the current squad.
“I think a lot of the Glory fans would like to see more Perth products in the line-up.”
Positive portents in that regards were perhaps provided this week with the interim appointment of Australia Under-17 coach Edwards and his assistant Naven until the end of the season.
Glory have not had a Perth local in charge on a full-time basis since the departure of Gary Marocchi in 1998.
Both Edwards and Naven are home-grown products with impressive credentials in Glory colours.
Edwards played 93 games and scored 24 goals between 1998-2002 for the club, while assistant coach Naven was the team’s midfield engine room for 143 games over a six-year period up to 2002.
Perth tumbled to the bottom of the ladder a fortnight ago, and though winless in 2013, are still only five points off a finals berth.
“Hopefully Alistair and Gareth can get the team into the top six,” Lazaridis said.
“Only a few points separate the teams chasing a finals berth, so the team is not that far away.
“Ally is a tactician style coach, and a real thinker. Gareth played the game for many years at the Glory and as a combination I think they will be quite good.
“But really it would be unfair to fully judge the team over the six or seven remaining matches as they can’t fully implement their style in that period.”
