Ferguson job not guaranteed

Two days after Ferguson expressed his desire for a multi-year deal to continue his transformation of the club, Sage held fast to the handshake agreement which set the completion of the 2011-2012 campaign as the trigger for a decision on Ferguson’s future.

Speaking from South Africa, where the mining magnate is on business, Sage said: “I’ve been under immense pressure to sack Ian during the horror stretch of results we had last year and I backed him all the way.

“Just now because he is having a good run doesn’t mean that I will go back down on the agreement we had that a decision would be made at the end of 27 rounds.

“That was the agreement and I am not suddenly going to change my mind now. I shook his hand at the beginning of the season and he has not come back to me now to change that and I am not going to go to him either.

“We both know the situation. He is a gentleman and he is not bringing any pressure on me now while I didn’t bring any pressure on him during the horror stretch.

“He’s brilliant but he still has seven games to go, so let’s get through those 27 games.”

Sage expressed his delight at an eight-match unbeaten run which has turned Glory from also-ran to title contender.

“We had a terrible run of injuries – and losing the spine at the back four the season in Scott Neville and Chris Coyne – was a major blow for us which many people under-estimated,” he added.

“That’s why conceded so many sloppy goals. We also need at least 13 games to gel after changing 13 squad players from last season to this, so it was always a case of being patient.”

Travis Dodd, one of the new faces and the scorer of Glory’s fourth in the 4-0 Monday night romp over Gold Coast United, believes Ferguson deserves some credit after being cast as a pariah by many Glory fans earlier in the campaign.

“It’s a credit to the gaffer. From day one he never blamed the players and shouldered the responsibility for results.

“There were a lot of people wanting him out of the club but he showed enormous belief in the players and hopefully now we are starting to repay some of that.

“He’s turned things around for us and results are speaking for themselves now. He’s said that he’d like to be here for a few more years to build on where the club is at now and I’d like to see him stay.

“He’s the kind of manager you can talk to and being a Scotsman you always know where you stand with him. That’s what you want from a manager.”

Dodd is wary of talk of a top-two finish, even though Glory only trails Wellington by two points ahead of the match against Sydney FC at the SFS on Saturday.

“It has been mentioned but our objective was always top six and we’re in a position to go on that. I’ve always said we have a great squad here and there’s no reason why we can’t go on and challenge for the title.

“We’re undefeated since Christmas but we are certainly not in a position where we can get carried away with ourselves.”