CCM's transmutation - HAL Season 11 & 12

[Gratis]

I have been wanting to start a thread like this for a while and figured now that we've written page after page in one of the game threads it's time to start one.

We're evolving as a club both on and off the pitch.

It looks like it'll take this season, the pre-season and some of next season to see the goods.

It is a painful transformation at this point with little going right in terms of results and now injuries, but some great stuff going right too in terms of gems uncovered, legends recruited and finances managed.

There's so much to talk about in terms of players, coaching and the future of this season and the next - maybe the mods could move a bunch of the discussion over from the R20 City v CCM thread which is now distinctly about this stuff?

 

[dibo]

TBH I've been scared to look in that thread. At some point I'll pull on the gumboots and wade through the goo, but let me brace myself first...

 

[FFC Mariner]

I think there are a number of areas where the club has moved forward :

Engagement and back office generally. I think Shaun has helped the "back office" make enormous strides this season. More to do but you can't fault the effort so far.

NPL2 and youth development. This is what TW was brought in to do and from where I sit I think we are going 100% in the right direction. Already drooling for this season to be over and NPL2 to start.

First team. Message was right "we are rebuilding" possibly received wrongly as "results don't matter" The side has not developed in its structure and organisation and frankly performances are embarrassing. At some point someone has to be accountable for that.

As ever, our retention and signings will determine if this season of pain and humiliation will be worth it or we become the new scum.

 

[Timmah]

I think FFCM has summed up my thoughts well there tbh.

 

[Ancient Mariner]

Fully agree.

 

[Ancient Mariner]

TBH I've been scared to look in that thread. At some point I'll pull on the gumboots and wade through the goo, but let me brace myself first...

Actually it is not to bad.

A little bit of handbags at 10 paces by a couple of old farts, but overall a feeling of tolerance and hope for next season.

Mind you if things do not improve significantly then the shit will really hit the fan.

 

[Ancient Mariner]

By old farts I mean long term members.

 

[Spacks]

CCM needs more presence on Youtube in my opinion. Perhaps some highlights of each game per week.

 

[Capn Gus Bloodbeard]

What Ancient really means is that a few of the forumites are complaining about the season and Ancient is hitting them/us over the head with this cane.... ;-)

We knew it was a transition period at the start of the season. Although that may be because with the roster we had, that was the only way we could maintain hope...lol
Seriously though, we've always done amazing with youth development, but with our financial strategy of developing and selling, there's the risk that our cupboards may get bare sometimes. There's still a dire hope that it will change next season, and most of us still believe that most of our roster can do that. Then there's the CoE as well.
Recruitment after the season will make all the difference, and I don't think we need many players to make all the difference. MC is pulling out the chequebook more, which is great to see.
Engagement - I live in Melbourne and I can certainly see that there's more engagement online, and Shaun is driving that from the front. With the community involvement that our club demands, I think it's important to see that. I mentioned elsewhere that he supported the fans in Melbourne yesterday.
Didn't I read somewhere that we were expected to start returning a profit again soon?
Small club in a bad season, but we have one of the greatest histories of the HAL, there are many clubs with trophy cabinets more bare than ours. We've always punched above our weight and we will again soon.

Problem is, hope is increasingly something we're clinging to but not necessarily substantiated. That means that more losses means more hope dies, and more cries for TW to go. I've joined them but I hope to be proven wrong. People are just wanting a little more than sheer faith to justify any particular person keeping their job. What makes it difficult is that when you're on the bottom, losses compound as frustrating builds and confidence drops the moment anything goes wrong.

It's not an easy time to be a supporter right now - but if you're only in it for the easy times then you're not a real supporter. Sports support has highs and lows - but after this season, f*** it's going to be sweet when we take out the toilet seat again and/or the plate within the next 2-3 seasons. Because there's no way we're going to be kept down for more than a season or two, absolutely not.

 

[Gratis]

Was thinking about Izzo and I suspect the reason he is being endured as first keeper is the clubs develop and sell policy...
It's time for the others to have a chance though

I do hope we hold on to Austin for a couple more years, and that his next gig is a big os move

 

[Timmah]

CCM needs more presence on Youtube in my opinion. Perhaps some highlights of each game per week.

Highlights of every game appear on the club website, that's on the FFA and probably Fox Sports as to why Youtube is less popular / not a realistic option.

 

[dibo]

I think we need to actually go over the football department properly and get it in good shape.

We've essentially put a first-time head coach in charge of the youngsters and hoped that it won't be disastrous. It hasn't actually been a disaster but it certainly hasn't been good. I don't think that's TW's fault; I think he's been on a hiding to nothing, and while others might have done better I'm not sure that they'd have even considered taking the job on in the state we were in when Moss exited!

Since then, under TW's leadership, the squad has had major surgery and that's ongoing; this coming off-season will see more change I'm sure, but ultimately there's a core of hungry youngsters in need of some quality leadership to climb the ladder. He gets major credit for that - there have been very few deadset duds (and *every* manager gets at least some signings wrong) and he's been shopping in the cheaper aisles so I'm comfortable with where we're at so far.

When we signed TW on as head coach, I got the feeling that that was a stop-gap measure. Maybe the best solution is that he should still be at the club, but in the TD role he was originally signed up for.

And if anyone thinks that Hutch should be put into the crucible they're mad. Let the guy learn his trade before throwing him in there. If he's good enough he'll get there anyway.

I'd like to see a broader role like a 'Head of Football' role, which crafts the football plan for the club from HAL down to SAP, from WWL down to Girls' SAP, and from there out to development squads and whatnot on the ground.

It would oversee a team of technical directors, head coaches and coaches going right to the grassroots (at the three academies - Central Coast, North Shore and Western NSW). One badge, one club.

Everything should ultimately feed into the men's and women's first teams.

 

[FFC Mariner]

I think TW was originally hired for that role

 

[dibo]

Yeah, and I had a theory back then that he got stuck with the head coach role because we couldn't attract anyone else even after a 'world search'.

I think Kev nailed it back then:

Do a review, set up a structure and long term plan ... appoint an overall technical director ... then make an ad hoc appointment of the TD as coach .. around we go again! Beats me!

So now let's clear the decks. We've got the office humming, let's give the football department the same treatment. Appoint TW to the role he was hired to do, and let him do it. As it stands, there's a queue around the block of people who want to take his head off, and that's not fair on him. Let him do the job he was hired to do and have another bash at getting a head coach in.

 

[BrisRecky]

CCM needs more presence on Youtube in my opinion. Perhaps some highlights of each game per week.

That would be more than the fkn SBS World game do for the coast on a weekly basis

 

[Rowdy]

That would be more than the fkn SBS World game do for the coast on a weekly basis

Last placed teams always manage the 'least amount' of column inches and in SBS's defence - that applies to air-time too.

It's only when our opposition give us a real good 'touch-up', i.e: 4 or more goals - then we get a mention

...... for just having our arses kicked.

....... yet again.

 

[sydmariner]

That would be more than the fkn SBS World game do for the coast on a weekly basis

Dutchie's on regularly

 

[BrisRecky]

Last placed teams always manage the 'least amount' of column inches and in SBS's defence - that applies to air-time too.

It's only when our opposition give us a real good 'touch-up', i.e: 4 or more goals - then we get a mention

...... for just having our arses kicked.

....... yet again.

The SBS wankers didn't even give Adelayed or Plastic M.C props for flogging us...now that's ignored