Mariners fan forum at Ettalong

[marinermick]

I am actually feeling the opposite from many here after listening to the stream. I found Anton a bit dismissive of fan opinion and talked over the top of people. He was also defensive at times. Not a good look when you are talking up "change".

The whole "we are new and we are here and that is why things will be better" narrative just doesn't wash with me. People left the fan forum with Mulvey last season with the same impressions.

I am yet to see real change, meaningful structural change. We were told told investment will stay the same. We were told that we will not be spending the cap. We have pretty much the same personnel on board.

Call me cynical but I have been fed the exact bullshit for five years now.

 

[JoyfulPenguin]

In answer to a couple of your points with some things I picked up last night. Many talking privately before and after.
I got the impression that Anton is contributing financially to the Club but has not bought any share.
I do not think anyone is expecting the Club to run at a profit the aim is for it to break even and stand on its own two feet financially.
Next season there will be other clubs not spending the full cap on players.
On us spending the full cap on players I have no problem if parts of it are spent on positions that are just as important (ie strength and conditioning, video analysis, etc). The Club will spend between the floor and the limit with more being spent as finances (sponsorships) improve.
The Club sees an independent A-League as a boon not only to CCM but the League in general.
The rumour spread that 3 spoons in a row or 3 out of 5 brings licence suspension is not true.
The Club had a win over council about ripping up the pitch hence we will be there at the start.

The "rumour" came from the mouths of multiple FFA board members, on record. I'm sorry as much as I want to believe that it is false, it isn't.

 

[Ancient Mariner]

It seemed very much painted as Anton and Stajcic are the saviours, just ignore Shaun in the corner he can be sacrificed for Charlesworth's sins. If all the organizational decision making has been so poor the last few years why is Shaun still our CEO? I think he is a wonderful fellow but when your leadership leads to our license being questioned our literal existence being questioned, your leadership itself has to be questioned.

It's all well and good to say you will spend your money wisely, I'm sure Moss, Walmsley, Okon and Mulvey thought they were spending their money wisely. But as Stajcic himself said it's impossible to know how players will actually perform until they arrive and play, and it's dangerously simplified to assume that just because you are new to the gig means you will magically avoid the pitfalls of the past four coaches simply because Anton is here now. The honest truth is money, while not the be all and end all, makes things easier, and in a season where we have no room to have difficulties shouldn't the coaches job be made as easy as possible?

I do not see Shaun there to be sacrificed. I suspect last year with Phelan going missing and Mulvey not fulfilling his role as team manager, allowing strength and conditioning to fail, no vid analysis, plus having an absentee owner, Shaun ended up carrying a lot of the running that were in truth outside his role and for decisions on which he was powerless to act. He may be CEO but he does not carry the authority of a director.

This is why many of us were happy with the appointment of Anton, described as the missing link. I see him as filling the hole in the Club that was so obvious last year.

I am sure there will still be the odd mistake made, it is not possible to be error free, but I do not expect to see periods of nothingness when things need to happen.

 

[Ancient Mariner]

I am actually feeling the opposite from many here after listening to the stream. I found Anton a bit dismissive of fan opinion and talked over the top of people. He was also defensive at times. Not a good look when you are talking up "change".

The whole "we are new and we are here and that is why things will be better" narrative just doesn't wash with me. People left the fan forum with Mulvey last season with the same impressions.

I am yet to see real change, meaningful structural change. We were told told investment will stay the same. We were told that we will not be spending the cap. We have pretty much the same personnel on board.

Call me cynical but I have been fed the exact bullshit for five years now.

Anton talked over the top of people the whole night, not just during the official part of the meeting. To me it came across as enthusiasm and an excitable nature rather than being dismissive. He did talk a lot of sense.

I agree there was a lot of positive talk and cheer leading that we hear every year.

The difference was that this year we heard from a director who will provide direction on the spot, throughout the year not just on the odd visit or video link and someone who will be able to make decisions.

The other thing was I think we have done well at last with the new manager.

However the proof will come in the new season.

 

[turbo]

What is even more disappointing is that even with the new income streams that will be available to Charlesworth through and independent A-League we are still not spending the whole cap, that is reprehensible

I'm not sure you can blame him for not committing to spend money that hasnt come in yet and could still be held ransom by state federations and/or the FFA. On top of that the independent league might need to invest heavily in promoting the game taking a cut of those streams, it'll very much be in recovery mode and not an overnight fix. If more money does come in who knows what will happen in the January window and following season.

Our priority should be fighting to be in the 6 and landing anywhere between 5th and 8th (keep in mind there's 11 teams this season). Put some distance on the spoon, start rebuilding our reputation and give disillusioned fans a chance to get on board. Then improve the roster further via smart spending and ditching some bad deals for 20-21 while we still have many of our new/extended players signed and have a decent crack at the 6.

My general take away was we've made mistakes in the past and will do better, we also understand talk is cheap so stick with them and see what they can do this year.

 

[marinermick]

Anton talked over the top of people the whole night, not just during the official part of the meeting. To me it came across as enthusiasm and an excitable nature rather than being dismissive. He did talk a lot of sense.

I agree there was a lot of positive talk and cheer leading that we hear every year.

The difference was that this year we heard from a director who will provide direction on the spot, throughout the year not just on the odd visit or video link and someone who will be able to make decisions.

The other thing was I think we have done well at last with the new manager.

However the proof will come in the new season.

The difference was that this year we heard from a director who will provide direction on the spot, throughout the year not just on the odd visit or video link and someone who will be able to make decisions.

The other thing was I think we have done well at last with the new manager.

If this is what we are hanging our hats on then I am justified in my cynicism.

 

[JoyfulPenguin]

I'm not sure you can blame him for not committing to spend money that hasnt come in yet and could still be held ransom by state federations and/or the FFA. On top of that the independent league might need to invest heavily in promoting the game taking a cut of those streams, it'll very much be in recovery mode and not an overnight fix. If more money does come in who knows what will happen in the January window and following season.

Our priority should be fighting to be in the 6 and landing anywhere between 5th and 8th (keep in mind there's 11 teams this season). Put some distance on the spoon, start rebuilding our reputation and give disillusioned fans a chance to get on board. Then improve the roster further via smart spending and ditching some bad deals for 20-21 while we still have many of our new/extended players signed and have a decent crack at the 6.

My general take away was we've made mistakes in the past and will do better, we also understand talk is cheap so stick with them and see what they can do this year.

The only thing that is being discussed with the State Federations at the moment is whether they will get 10% or 18% of revenue. That is not a huge distinction and provides more than enough certainty to be able to spend the whole cap. That was supposedly the entire reason Charlesworth and Shaun campaigned for an independent A-League, to have more access to their own intellectual property and more access to ticket revenue, most of that discussion is over and Charlesworth's spend is not reflecting that.

 

[adz]

The only thing that is being discussed with the State Federations at the moment is whether they will get 10% or 18% of revenue. That is not a huge distinction and provides more than enough certainty to be able to spend the whole cap. That was supposedly the entire reason Charlesworth and Shaun campaigned for an independent A-League, to have more access to their own intellectual property and more access to ticket revenue, most of that discussion is over and Charlesworth's spend is not reflecting that.

I got the impression it's going to be wait and see if finances improve with ticket sales etc (whatever comes with the independent A-League changes), then assess whether it's possible to spend more, rather than Charlesworth putting more money in.

 

[turbo]

he only thing that is being discussed with the State Federations at the moment is whether they will get 10% or 18% of revenue

What happens if they cant reach an agreement by the deadline which is very soon? The way I understood the situation was basically the federations could hold the whole thing ransom and delay it by a year if they dig their heels in. Nevermind the short sighted thinking around damaging or holding back the league resulting in less funds long term.

 

[JoyfulPenguin]

What happens if they cant reach an agreement by the deadline which is very soon? The way I understood the situation was basically the federations could hold the whole thing ransom and delay it by a year if they dig their heels in. Nevermind the short sighted thinking around damaging or holding back the league resulting in less funds long term.

Well the State Federations can but they will also impoverish themselves by doing so and endure a damaging PR campaign already being waged against them by Fox Sports. The State Federations have very little options here.

 

[turbo]

I got the impression it's going to be wait and see if finances improve with ticket sales etc (whatever comes with the independent A-League changes), then assess whether it's possible to spend more, rather than Charlesworth putting more money in.

That's a worrying chicken & egg situation. Hopefully they can perform better with what we have at our disposal and start improving attendance and sponsor value. That said if we raise our attendance by 2k per game that's worth somewhere between 500 and 800k over the season by my rough numbers, probably at the lower end of the range. That's probably the best we can hope for next season and is still a big ask.

 

[turbo]

Well the State Federations can but they will also impoverish themselves by doing so and endure a damaging PR campaign already being waged against them by Fox Sports. The State Federations have very little options here.

The politics and egos involved dont always do the rational thing. Look at how a couple of federations held off FFA leadership reform for so long.

 

[turbo]

On another note did they say anything about securing management rights for the stadium? They were trying last year.

 

[pjennings]

On another note did they say anything about securing management rights for the stadium? They were trying last year.

The process is now in place whereby you can put in unsolicited tenders to take over management rights. That passed council a couple of weeks ago. Up until then the Council could and seemingly did say - well that is interesting but we have no process to deal with this.

The club will be putting in a tender, the first and most important stage is to get it past the Councillors so I suspect that some intense lobbying is taking pace.

 

[turbo]

Thanks pj. As a fan, local resident and rate payer I hope they can work something out with the council. No one wins if the club goes away and even as is the stadium is largely under utilised. A strong club who stands to gain from getting people in to the Gosford CBD all year round is a win for the community, the region and local businesses.

 

[pjennings]

If the club gets control of the management rights I expect the stadium will be a lot more accessible to ratepayers than it currently is. We have a community asset that the Council is basically gouging their anchor tenant to pay for as a cost recovery exercise. I suspect and would hope that CCM would get more events there as Council are not set up to chase events that will susbsidise opening up the stadium for more community access. If they get the rights CCM have to make the stadium a place they people think about going to regularly and you don't do that by keeping the asset closed 345-350 days a year.

 

[turbo]

If they get the rights CCM have to make the stadium a place they people think about going to regularly and you don't do that by keeping the asset closed 345-350 days a year.

Agreed, and by extension they're helping to bring people in to the gosford CBD which will help the local businesses and play a part in revitalising the area. It's a win-win situation if they can find an acceptable number for both parties.

 

[pjennings]

Earlier this year it has been reported that the head of the FFA David Gallop warned the Council that without better co-operation from them, if Mike Charlesworth received an offer that he wanted to take they would not stand in his way in selling the license for the team to be moved elsewhere.

When you look at the new expansion teams, Western Melbourne and South West Sydney, one of the primary reasons they were selected was because of the commitment of local councils to make the teams a success.

Campbelltown Stadium, like Central Coast Stadium and Brookvale Oval are all council run grounds. The common theme in all of them is that they have only been run by the various councils as a cost recovery exercise. They have not been exploited as community assets, indeed for the most part they are locked away from use by the community while little investment in improving facilities is undertaken.

Campbelltown City Council in support of the new South Western Sydney A-League team has now committed to changing their strategy.

Campbelltown City Council's acting Director of City Lifestyles, Jenny Franke says their vision is to see the south west Sydney stadium transformed into a "significant sporting, recreation and entertainment destination.

"As part of this vision, the stadium and broader precinct would provide further opportunities to host a range of activities including live events and concerts.

"This is one part of (the) Council’s strategy to provide sporting and entertainment opportunities for current and future residents in one of Australia’s fastest growing regions and provide a venue that is accessible, rather than having to drive over an hour to access entertainment and sports venues in Moore Park, Homebush or Parramatta.

"The accessibility of the Campbelltown Sports Stadium is unrivalled anywhere in Sydney with adjacent public transport options, including a train station within 100 metres, and access off major road links."

Wyndham City Council has been very supportive of their new A League team. The other winning A League expansion bid was Western Melbourne.

In a statement titled 'Western Melbourne is born', the bid team said on their website that "the Western Melbourne Group could not have achieved this momentous opportunity to be awarded an A-League licence without our incredible partners, Wyndham City Council."

They added: "We thank the Mayor and Councillors of Wyndham City Council along with their CEO Kelly Grigsby and Business Director Kate Roffey. Their vision from day one in identifying our future home has been a cornerstone of our bid.

How different this is from the diffidence that the Central Coast Mariners get from Central Coast Council where Council seems to be happy to largely lock a major community asset away from the community for a large part of the time while exploiting the anchor tenant and providing little investment in improving facilities until very recently.

The FFA could not have been clearer in January. Without Central Coast Council support they will do nothing to keep the Central Coast Mariners on the Coast if the right offer came in to the current owner. If there is a commitment the Central Coast Mariners are here for the long term.

I am not advocating about buying and developing the Central Coast Stadium site for private profit. This is purely about management rights and the Stadium strategy.

The Council has now got a long record of minimal investment in Central Coast stadium while financially gouging their only anchor tenant. Their efforts to bring in other content have been abysmal. While the Council are concerned with rebuilding the Gosford CBD why not allow management rights to the stadium to be passed to the Central Coast Mariners.

 

[Insertnamehere]

Earlier this year it has been reported that the head of the FFA David Gallop warned the Council that without better co-operation from them, if Mike Charlesworth received an offer that he wanted to take they would not stand in his way in selling the license for the team to be moved elsewhere.

When you look at the new expansion teams, Western Melbourne and South West Sydney, one of the primary reasons they were selected was because of the commitment of local councils to make the teams a success.

Campbelltown Stadium, like Central Coast Stadium and Brookvale Oval are all council run grounds. The common theme in all of them is that they have only been run by the various councils as a cost recovery exercise. They have not been exploited as community assets, indeed for the most part they are locked away from use by the community while little investment in improving facilities is undertaken.

Campbelltown City Council in support of the new South Western Sydney A-League team has now committed to changing their strategy.

Campbelltown City Council's acting Director of City Lifestyles, Jenny Franke says their vision is to see the south west Sydney stadium transformed into a "significant sporting, recreation and entertainment destination.

"As part of this vision, the stadium and broader precinct would provide further opportunities to host a range of activities including live events and concerts.

"This is one part of (the) Council’s strategy to provide sporting and entertainment opportunities for current and future residents in one of Australia’s fastest growing regions and provide a venue that is accessible, rather than having to drive over an hour to access entertainment and sports venues in Moore Park, Homebush or Parramatta.

"The accessibility of the Campbelltown Sports Stadium is unrivalled anywhere in Sydney with adjacent public transport options, including a train station within 100 metres, and access off major road links."

Wyndham City Council has been very supportive of their new A League team. The other winning A League expansion bid was Western Melbourne.

In a statement titled 'Western Melbourne is born', the bid team said on their website that "the Western Melbourne Group could not have achieved this momentous opportunity to be awarded an A-League licence without our incredible partners, Wyndham City Council."

They added: "We thank the Mayor and Councillors of Wyndham City Council along with their CEO Kelly Grigsby and Business Director Kate Roffey. Their vision from day one in identifying our future home has been a cornerstone of our bid.

How different this is from the diffidence that the Central Coast Mariners get from Central Coast Council where Council seems to be happy to largely lock a major community asset away from the community for a large part of the time while exploiting the anchor tenant and providing little investment in improving facilities until very recently.

The FFA could not have been clearer in January. Without Central Coast Council support they will do nothing to keep the Central Coast Mariners on the Coast if the right offer came in to the current owner. If there is a commitment the Central Coast Mariners are here for the long term.

I am not advocating about buying and developing the Central Coast Stadium site for private profit. This is purely about management rights and the Stadium strategy.

The Council has now got a long record of minimal investment in Central Coast stadium while financially gouging their only anchor tenant. Their efforts to bring in other content have been abysmal. While the Council are concerned with rebuilding the Gosford CBD why not allow management rights to the stadium to be passed to the Central Coast Mariners.

Baffles me why the council wouldn't line up a profit share partnership. Get it sorted I reckon.

 

[BrisRecky]

Baffles me why the council wouldn't line up a profit share partnership. Get it sorted I reckon.

Allow me to unbaffle you....our beloved Central Coast Council are all sitting around twiddling their f**kin thumbs happy in their delusion that the Central Coast Bears are over West Gosford picking up the new club strip ....we got soccer haters on the Council rest assured