What would you do differently?

[LFCMariners]

Bears will get in long, long before the Sharks or Lol@50uff$ relocate to the Coast...

 

[pjennings]

You know something we don't, or wishful thinking? The Bears bid looks pretty f**king good compared to the plastic bids up here in Qld JQ...

I do know some people low down in the bid. They are still upbeat - but nowhere near as confident as they used to be having seen the strength of their rivals. TBH I think the Perth bid is a shoe-in for one as it gives a different time-zone and had a very reasonable following before. The second license is more problematic. I really think the second Brisbane team is ahead of North Sydney.

Restoring the Bears really adds nothing except another Sydney club in a Sydney-centric comp. The only way I can see them coming in in the near future is as a replacement for a Sydney club that is going under.

 

[Nathan Byrn]

The word around Holt street was that the Bears were no chance. That was a year or so ago. Have to admire their passion though. Though I found the presence at shopping centres selling memberships for a team that did not exist yet odd. Smart but odd, with The Mariners not doing a similar thing.

 

[pjennings]

Having already had a go at question 2 - I'll now have a go at the first question.

If you were given the keys to the club today, in its current state, how would you fix things?

We need to make football THE EVENT on the coast, that will take time and will not happen overnight. However, it does mean the hosting of marquee events on the coast.

In the meantime success on the pitch is important. While we are one of the more comsistent teams we still have not won a Grand Final. Success on the pitch is important to help build a viable club. In 20 years we may be able to rely on rusted on supporters but we are too young to rely on that at the moment without success.

So here goes:-

1) First of all I would complete the deal with the Russians. From what I hear it is worth about $6million - with $3million earmarked for paying debts. This will not make us a rich club - but it will certainly keep the wolf from the door.

2) Win the right to host the Grand Final

3) Convince the FFA to allow us to host the Grand Final

4) Pray for a fine day for the Grand Final

5) Pack the stadium, a live site opposite in Leagues Club park, carnival and food stores on the waterfront.

6) Win the Grand Final.

7) Change the narrative

When the club was founded was family-focussed and strove for excellence. That narrative changed somewhere along the line to "the little club that could". I really think that change, whether deliberate or not, is an unsustainable narrative. If you don't actually deliver that narrative is flawed.

I would advocate that we need to re-focus as a community-focussed club that strives for excellence. The concept of the COE, though not it's execution so far, in many ways can be a tool for that narrative. Community facilities funded by the government on the site are a good start. Better connections with CCF, clubs and schools.

Negotiate with Singo to buy out the Gorman family interest. While I appreciate the work that Lyall put into the club he is now part of the FFA and Singo is part of the Central Coast community.

Involve the community - while a supporters trust in an area the size of the coast will not raise huge amounts of money the symbolic importance of allowing represenatives of a supporters trust onto the Board would be an incredibly strong statement about the clubs commitment to the area and the community.

8 ) Negotiate with Singo and the Council for a better deal at BlueTongue including more control of the playing surface. This may mean that club will need to supplement the amount of money Council puts towards the ground.

9) Use Singo's advertising expertise

10) Use Singo's business connections for further sponsorships.

11) Assuming a better playing surfaces as per ( 8 ) lobby for a Socceroo friendly before a Sydney round 4 WC Qualifier to raise the profile of football on the Central Coast. It would be magic watching Jedi play with the Socceroos, maybe Maty Ryan getting half a game and Musti getting 20 minutes. Showing a pathway from the Mariners to the Socceroos to the casual fans would open a lot of eyes.

12) Get more funding from the FFA through an improved media deal.

13) Complete the COE. The HAL will for as long as I can foresee be a selling league. If we can develop young players and sell them at a profit (at the time of our choosing - not to meet day-to-day bills) then we should also be able to compete with the larger clubs for more experienced players.

14) Always look at quality coaching staff.

 

[style_cafe]

I think if anything, I would have had some sort of supporters club where the supporters could meet,socialise & talk Mariners.

As fans we are somewhat neglected, but are an absolute necessity to ensure the club`s future..

Look at the Gold Coast.Palmer had all the money but they had a dwindling bunch of fans that in the end, all but disappeared.

In our case we have lost so many people that used to come to games but we still get our 7500 av. to games, which shows we have a hard core support base.

To bring these people together in a more social atmosphere would be a way of increasing numbers & give the fans some sort of ownership through involvement.

Various social functions could be held to raise funds to assist the club.

The supporters club could also assist with memberships,community projects,administration etc.

Another benefit may be to assist the club with the housing of youth players that come to the coast.In overseas clubs supporters billet youth team players so that they maintain a family type environment when away from home.

There could be so many benefits for the club with little to no outlay.

 

[Nik Mrdjas Disco Bikkie]

I'd follow the AFC's example and take the lids of everyone's soft drinks. WTF was with that?

 

[dibo]

So you can't fill the bottles and throw them.

 

[bikinigirl]

So you can't fill the bottles and throw them.

. obviously with the thinking that if you are stupid enough to want to do that sort of thing you are also stupid enough to not realise a lid would be relatively easy to smuggle into the ground

. and i apologise to those that were showered in soft drink after i accidentally kicked one with the lid off

 

[adz]

note to all: watch your beers if bikinigirl is around

 

[Nik Mrdjas Disco Bikkie]

So you can't fill the bottles and throw them.

Obviously they knew in advance how bad the refereeing would be.