‘We won’t turn things around overnight’: Taggart not Glory’s final puzzle piece

Perth Glory head coach Ruben Zadkovich says Adam Taggart’s arrival doesn’t represent the final piece of the puzzle in the club’s squad rebuild from “rock bottom”.

Taggart signed with Glory on a three-and-a-half-year deal last week, and he’ll be able to feature for his hometown club when the Isuzu UTE A-League transfer window opens in January.

The addition of the 29-year-old Socceroo is a huge boost to Glory’s attacking stocks, especially following the messy departure of Bruno Fornaroli earlier this season.

But Zadkovich still has plenty more plans for the squad, with the first-year coach keen to help the club regain their powerhouse status.

“He’s not the final piece of the puzzle,” Zadkovich said ahead of Friday night’s clash with Wellington Phoenix at Macedonia Park. 

“It will take a little bit of time at this club. We suffered a hell of a lot through that COVID period, and I’ve come into the role at a time when the club’s pretty much at rock bottom. 

“We won’t turn things around overnight. There’s been some big improvements in our club set up and the way the club is slowly working its way out of those struggles. 

“Taggart will play a crucial part in being someone who spearheads our frontline over the next couple of years, but the pressure is not on him, the pressure is on the ones that are playing this weekend.”

Glory currently sit on bottom of the ladder with just two wins to show from seven games, but they have shown marked improvement since the World Cup break.

Perth beat defending champions Western United 2-1 a fortnight ago, and Glory will be aiming to power past the sixth-placed Phoenix on Friday.

Wellington moved up to sixth spot following last week’s 3-1 win over Adelaide United.

“They’re a very well coached team. Ufuk Talay is an old teammate of mine from the Sydney FC days,” Zadkovich said.

“I think he’s a fantastic coach and you can tell they’re very well drilled. 

“They have some very good patterns of play and they certainly create a lot of chances.”