Rival Watch: Taggart says Perth are Moving Toward Glory
Adam Taggart says Perth are moving in the right direction, despite finishing last in season 23/24. Perth also didn’t qualify for the Australian Cup in 2023 and face the playoffs for 2024.
The club had just five wins in 27 games, against the Central Coast, Macarthur, Western Sydney, Melbourne City and Brisbane Roar. Glory were nearly six wins away from finals.
“Yeah, [the year’s been] extremely disappointing. I think we had some patches of doing well and the positives to take out every year,” Taggart said.
“Some of the younger boys coming through this year got some fantastic experience which will hopefully hold them in good stead for the future.
“As a club collectively it’s going to be that area of the table [for the upcoming season]. I think that’s been the case for the past few years. I’m definitely keen to be a part of the rebuild and keep trying to push this club forward.”
On the new owners, Taggart had this to say;
“I’ve got a lot of faith in the new owners and all the boys that are staying or coming in. I’m looking forward to the future.
“I think first and foremost is employing the right people, which I think they do. They’ve got some great footballing people who are now making some big decisions. I knew Stan [Lazardis, the incoming Football Director] before he came in.
“The owners have good experience in football, that’s another positive for us. I think as a club we are building up from the bottom and it seems like these guys are keen to do that.
“[We won’t] take any shortcuts because the club wants it to be a sustainable club that performs high year in, year out. In the off season, it’s a great opportunity to get some experienced players who care about the club to help progress.
“We’ve got some good talent around, but it needs some more guidance. The long-term goal is build this club up and get the right infrastructure and people who make sure that we don’t just get to the top, but we stay there.”
Perth were brilliant against Adelaide United at Hindmarsh, with Kikianas finding a 98th minute equaliser to rescue a point for United. Perth were outclassed by United in Perth, losing 4-2.