without any sponsor or owners. But in December 2006, signs were shown that owners had been found by the FFA, and so Western QBE were reinstated. The FFA (holders of the Perth Glory licence) announced on 23 February 2007 that the Glory was to be handed over to a triumvirate of owners: Tony Sage, Brett McKeon and John Spence. This announcement ended almost a year of uncertainty. The new Glory owners were ambitious in their plans, bringing new hope to a club that was somewhat poor, both off the field and on, in 2006–07 season. The 2007–08 season saw the arrivals of new, promising additions to the side. The Glory signed Anthony Danze, Billy Celeski, Dino Djulbic, AIS graduate Jimmy Downey, Naum Sekulovski, former Perth Soccer Club and Young Socceroos goalkeeper Tando Velaphi, Nikita Rukavytsya, Sydney FC player Nikolai Topor-Stanley, Milton Keynes Dons winger Nick Rizzo, Croatian striker Mate Dragičević, Hayden Foxe, Mitchell Prentice and striker James Robinson. Probably the biggest coup for the Glory for the 2007–08 season was the signing of a one-year sponsorship deal with Singapore listed steel manufacturer Delong Holdings, worth A$750,000, one of the biggest in the A-League, who featured on the back of the Glory jersey. In the 2007 A-League Pre-Season Challenge Cup, the Glory surprised many by making it to their second final, despite not playing a single game in Western Australia, which they lost 1–2 against Adelaide United. The new league season started poorly for the Glory, winless after 12 rounds and attracting only four-figure attendances. As a result, Ron Smith came under increasing pressure from fans and the media to deliver results. The team struggled to score goals, with Mate Dragičević in particular becoming a figure of derision. Glory legend Bobby Despotovski publicly called for Smith to be replaced, and on 4 November, Smith was sacked as manager. David Mitchell was handed the caretakers role for the rest of the season. The bold new era of Perth Glory began the same day, when it was announced the Glory were forming a strategic alliance with English Premier League club Manchester City. A 4–1 thrashing of Newcastle in Mitchell's debut match bode well for times ahead, with Glory's first win at home in a year against Melbourne and Glory's first-ever league win over Sydney. Mitchell won four and drew two of the remaining 10 games of the 2007–08 season, with the club finishing