How William Gallas Weirdly Ended His Career at Perth Glory
Oct 17, 2014
BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 28: William Gallas of the Glory signals to his team mates during the round 21 A-League match between Brisbane Roar and Perth Glory at Suncorp Stadium on February 28, 2014 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Matt Roberts/Getty Images)
Unless you live in Australia or chair the Gallas fan club, you probably have an abstract view of his last hurrah.
Once the surrealism of Gallas playing for Glory wore thin, watching him was alike to Roy Jones Jr. eking out his boxing career fighting for an alphabet title.
Glory owner Tony Sage, a mining entrepreneur, reluctantly sanctioned the deal amid hassling from then Glory manager Alistair Edwards.
"I personally didn't want him [Gallas], but Alistair at the time said it would be great for the club," Sage said in an interview with SBS' Les Murray [1]. "He [Gallas] was good for the club in one way [mentoring young players], but not good in another way [filling up nib Stadium; Glory's home ground]. You need a creative or attacking player for that marquee [contract]."
Perth Glory new boy William Gallas made friends upon his arrival in Australia pic.twitter.com/XTbVXBI4Ng
"Yeah. I'm 36 [years old]. I think I can play more. Some players play until 40," Gallas said, per Brad Elborough at the Sydney Morning Herald. "I hope I could play until 40. I'm ready for that challenge."
Gallas arrived in Perth on November 9, 2013, five games into the A-League season.
Of the next 22 games, Gallas participated in 15, playing out 90 minutes nine times. He was being paid a full-time salary, but in reality, he was a part-time player.
Obviously Gallas was not going to say: "Yeah. I'm 36. My legs are shot and I was shocked Glory offered me a contract."
It wasn't just any contract.
It was a marquee contract (outside the salary cap) for one season worth $600,000 (€411,813/£327,070), per Shayne Hope at The West Australian.
That unfortunate incident was his mind desperately fighting father time as his body began to wave the white flag.
The tragic irony about Gallas' Perth sojourn was he cared about the club.
In scorching hot conditions against Adelaide United, Gallas could have used his high profile status and leveraged Edwards telling him: "I'm the marquee player and I'm not coming on."
But Gallas didn't.
He soldiered on, made his debut and showed professionalism sticking around for a post-match interview despite being drenched in sweat.
Doesn't take a genius to know it was too hot to play today. Any doubts about that, just have a look at Gallas' post match interview #rooted
Gallas attempted to instil leadership among a fractured playing group still reeling from a player revolt against Edwards amid allegations of nepotism (he gave contracts to both his sons).
"The best thing that happened for me witnessing some of it at the end was Gallas fuming," Sage said, per Shayne Hope at The West Australian. "But it shows it means a lot to him and his professional pride, and the fact that he really loves Perth, that he actually did step up and say a few things."
Despite his body breaking down, Gallas played through injury, as attested by Glory manager Kenny Lowe, who succeeded Edwards.
"William had a knock and should have come off the pitch," Lowe said, per Shayne Hope at The West Australian. "He actually went back on because he didn't want to let the guys down."
Another nice anecdote in Perth was Gallas giving back to the community when he nominated Forrestfield United for a $1,000 grant, per the Gazette.
Thank you so much William Gallas, Perth Glory and ME bank for your generous contribution to our Juniors programme. pic.twitter.com/onxMGbSFRE
You may view Gallas' ending his career in Perth as an anticlimax, but it was fitting if you take into account how he struggled mightily at Stade Malherbe Caen.
Per former Caen player and France international Jerome Rothen's autobiography "You're Not Going To Believe Me" (h/t Steve Wilson at The Telegraph):
I don't think William Gallas will mind me talking about how he used to be a no-hoper.
[...]
One evening, Eric Sitruk [trainee] burst into my room and shouted, 'Someone has stolen my bank card and taken out 1,500 francs ($275/€189/£150).'
[...]
Next evening, Eric said he had gone to the bank and a surveillance camera had filmed the person using the card.
He said, 'I know who is guilty.' It was a bluff.
But an hour later, William knocked on his door and admitted his mistake.
William, enjoy retirement: $600,000 is a whole lot better than $275.
Yokohama F. Marinos keeper Hiroki Iikura won this weeks plonker of the week award for a truly horrendous display of goalkeeping against Gamba Osaka last weekend in the J-League.
With the scores levelled at one-apiece at the start of the second half, Gamba broke in a two on three situation lead by Osaka’s Brazilian forwards Leandro and Lucas Severino.
After picking up the ball in a wide left position, Lucas cut in on his right before slipping the ball into Leandro in a far more central position. The number nine took one touch before cushioning a pass back to Lucas and, having continued to drift into a more central role, Lucas immediately went for goal with a shot from 25-yards out. Sadly the ball took a hefty deflection off a Yokohama defender and the ball looped high towards exiting the pitch for a corner.
Miserly Yokohama keeper Hiroki Iikura had other ideas though on giving up a set-play so easily, and totally unnecessarily the shot-stopper flung himself to prevent the ball from crossing the out of bounds line. Unfortunately, what happened next was bed-wettingly humiliating.
Onto the list, where once again the general off-season has done little to stop a superb collection of goals from crashing into the back of the net.
Blistering free-kicks - goals 4, 5, 6 and 8 - accounted for four of the picks this week while a couple of wonder-strikes forced their way into positions 1 and 2.
The acrobatic effort is satisfied by goal 3, while a slinky solo goal is found at number 7, leaving an electric counter-attack to complete the list at position 9.
As always, all we ask is that you sit back and enjoy!
1. Alfredo Moreno (San Luis v Tigres, June 23, 2009) (1.20 minutes into the video)
2. Nondier Romero (Once Caldas v Atletico Junior, June 24, 2009)
A-League News: Move Over Robbie Fowler Here Comes Alvaro Recoba
May 1, 2009
Australian newspapers today reported that storied Uruguayan international Alvaro Recoba was a target for last season’s A-league cellar dwellers Perth Glory.
If the deal goes through Recoba—the man who said before Uruguay's defeat at the hands (or is that feet) of Australia in a World Cup playoff in 2005 "Uruguay has a divine right to play...[in the Finals]”—will become the latest 30-something great (some say former great) of the game plying his trade as a “Marquee Player” in the A-League.
But in the fifth season of Australia’s fledgling national competition is this as great a move as some make out?
Since its inception, the A-League has enforced a strict salary cap. However, each team is allowed to sign one marquee player whose salary is not included under this cap. This is the system that allowed the likes of Dwight Yorke, Juninho, John Aloisi, and, from next season, Robbie Fowler, to come to the A-League party.
It’s also allowed some lesser-known but talented Australian players such as Archie Thompson, Joel Griffiths, Ned Zelic, Craig Moore and Tony Vidmar to ply their trade at home.
But it’s also the policy that’s brought us the likes of a 38-year-old Brian Deane (who left Perth Glory after seven games because he couldn’t keep up), Romario’s embarrassing four-game stint at Adelaide United, Scot Gemmill’s uninspiring tenure with the now defunct New Zealand Knights and an overweight and unfit Mario Jardel making a laughing stock of himself at Newcastle Jets.
Obviously, as the A-League is tiny by international standards, we could never hope to grab a superstar at his peak, but there was a hope that the money on offer, combined with the Australian lifestyle, would pull in some players near the end of their career who still had the skill and flair to light up the occasional game (as well as a well-known name that the marketing guys could throw about, of course).
Now don’t get me wrong, I loved watching Yorke, Juninho and even Deane (although that was because he was so bad it was entertaining). And yes, the prospect of watching North Queensland, with Robbie Fowler up-front, take on a Recoba-led Perth Glory side has many A-league supporters including myself salivating.
However, I can’t help but be filled with dread looking at Fowler’s ample waistline and Recoba’s recent form which has been far from stellar.
All the hype surrounding these two reminds me of the media smoke blowing a few years about Jardel and, gulp, Brian Deane. But hey, Charlie Miller proved last year, winning the best foreign player gong, that you can be a lard-arse and still have good touch.
So football fans, what do you think of the marquee player, or designated player system? Does this rule allow a small league to attract big international names? Or does it pay over inflated salaries to has-beens and declining stars of yesteryear while keeping young local talent out?
