The last time Macarthur travelled to Adelaide their coach quit after branding the Bulls a "pub team" which sparked a downward spiral that ended in the club picking up their maiden wooden spoon.
Fast forward a year and the scene has changed significantly.
Macarthur have been entrenched in the top six all season and are five games from winning the AFC Cup.
Mile Sterjovski, who replaced Dwight Yorke after his pointed dressing room spray, has reinvented their style of play with young Australian players at the heart of his A-League Men side.
"It's been a long time since those comments were made and as a group we have definitely tried to look forward," leftback Ivan Vujica told AAP ahead of Monday's trip to Adelaide.
"It's safe to say that we're doing a lot better this year, and we want to continue doing better.
"We want to excel in all the competitions that we're associated with."
The personnel and tactics have changed under Sterjovski and so has the dress code, with Bulls players arriving and leaving each game dressed in suit jacket and trousers.
"It's all hard work with the boss, but he's a very positive guy and that trickles down to all the players," Vujica said.
"I focus on the game, how they want me to dress - tracksuit or suit - I'll wear whatever you want me to wear."
The chaotic early-season schedule of games in the ALM and Asia might have taken its toll over the last month, leaving Macarthur winless in their last four outings.
Sterjovski's cause hasn't been helped by a slew of long-term injuries and the departure of defender Jonathan Aspropotamitis for a club in South Korea.
The Macarthur boss has flagged they may dip into the transfer market in January over the coming weeks to maintain their push towards the finals.
"We are in talks with players and we do want to bring in some players, especially with the injuries we've had," Sterjovski said.
"We're working on it but it's not easy to bring in players, especially players that are fit and ready to go.
"But we're working on it and hopefully we can have some use in the next week or two."
