Bas van den Brink believes the return of Chris Coyne from injury is a huge plus for Perth Glory this season.
Bas van den Brink believes the return of Chris Coyne from injury is a huge plus for Perth Glory this season.
After a frustrating campaign last season, Coyne, a former Socceroo is back to full fitness and van den Brink says that-s great for the club.
“He-s got a lot of experience and he-s able to put other players in good positions, which makes defending a lot easier,” van den Brink said.
“It-s really good for the team to have him back. He-s a very responsible defender and you need players like him.”
With van den Brink one of eleven new faces at the club, the Dutch defender says Sunday-s season opener against Adelaide is a fresh start for everyone.
“What happened in previous years isn-t up to us. It-s up to us to make a difference and play good games and concede as few goals as we can.”
“I think those guys (Glory-s defenders) are easy to play with because they-re good footballers. Maybe last season there was a bit of bad luck, something like that. But I think we-ve got a good defence.”
And van den Brink also believes his former Gold Coast United teammate Steve Pantelidis is the ideal person to complete the Perth Glory squad.
Pantelidis began training with Glory on Friday with an eye to taking the final spot on the club-s roster for the upcoming A-League season.
The 28-year-old, who can play a variety of roles, won the 2007 title with Melbourne Victory before spending two seasons with Gold Coast and playing in Indonesia earlier this year.
“You need players like him, who are sometimes a bit dirty but will do anything to win a game,” van den Brink said.
“He maybe looks tough on the outside but he-s a really good guy to have in the team, he-s always friendly and happy. I don-t know what happens in the game but he kind of switches on to a different person.”
“I-m not sure what-s going to happen with him, but he would definitely be a good addition to our team. He can play in a lot of different positions.”
Perth Glory v Adelaide United at nib Stadium is just 5 days away. Kick-off is 4.30pm
Make sure you don-t miss the season opener.
NO GUTS, NO GLORY …. It-s time to let your inner fan out.
