CCM - The good, the bad and the ugly... PRESS

[midfielder]

Kinda TIC sent this as an article to the Roar ... running today... Some WSW fans not happy... tis a little over the top so don't throw too many bricks..

http://www.theroar.com.au/2016/09/06/mariners-leagues-important-club

The Mariners are the A-League’s most important club

After a year of constant criticism of everything the Mariners stood for and what the club was doing, I believe 2016-17 will be a bounce back season.
In many ways the Mariners mirror a more reflective mainstream community similar to many other parts of Australia than other clubs. Having no past NSL history and no real ethnic connections has in the past led to much figure pointing.

Many see this as not being acceptable in some way. Yet there is no logical reason that a lack of ethnic connection nor past NSL history make the Mariners any less a football club.

In many ways because the Mariners have had to fight for their survival against the league in the first place, and being questioned about why they are allowed to play with real football clubs, they have become more determined.

However in the face of all snobbery, the Mariners from season one have had an academy. The Mariners have provided more Socceroos than any other club.

The Mariners have invested more in player development and facilities arguably than the rest of the A-League combined. The Mariners are the only club in the A-League that has a direct link with a specialised football private school.

The constant criticism of the current owner has boarded on abuse by many in the media. However did anyone report on what he was doing or saying in great detail to fans on the Coast? Funny about that, I missed those articles as well.

Mike Charlesworth made one huge error, a massive mistake. Charlesworth rushed the appointment of his first CEO and then took his word rather than analysed what he was saying. It almost sent the club broke.

Charlesworth tried to bring in investors but none could be found. By this time Charlesworth had fired his mistake. He spent time and managed to get the current CEO who is doing an excellent job.

He said I have to save this club and to do that we are going to endure one or two years of extreme pain.

He appointed people he knew could run a club in Peter Storrie, and a coaching consultant in Harry Redknapp.

The Fox crew almost were salivating on negative things to talk about the Mariners last year. Of course not because anyone on Fox had lost a job or not got a job.

With the club on the brink of financial collapse and the COE stalled, Charlesworth – by a fair bit the poorest owner – steadied the ship. He reasoned in a no-relegation league you could have a bad year and rebuild.

Throughout all this however he maintained the core Mariner philosophy of developing young players of exceptional talent who can play in our teams and be sold to balance the budget.

Charlesworth saved the Mariners and developed a business plan to win the competition within five years.

So why does this make the Mariners the most important side in the A-League? Two general reasons. First the Mariners are showing how to convert people from other codes to football. Second we will still produce more Socceroos than any other side.

As a final note the Mariners fans may not be the loudest, nor turn up in the greatest numbers, but we know football.

We will be competitive again this year, Paul Okon is a masterstroke – at least I hope so.

 

[localpom]

Kinda TIC sent this as an article to the Roar ... running today... Some WSW fans not happy... tis a little over the top so don't throw too many bricks..

http://www.theroar.com.au/2016/09/06/mariners-leagues-important-club

The Mariners are the A-League’s most important club

After a year of constant criticism of everything the Mariners stood for and what the club was doing, I believe 2016-17 will be a bounce back season.
In many ways the Mariners mirror a more reflective mainstream community similar to many other parts of Australia than other clubs. Having no past NSL history and no real ethnic connections has in the past led to much figure pointing.

Many see this as not being acceptable in some way. Yet there is no logical reason that a lack of ethnic connection nor past NSL history make the Mariners any less a football club.

In many ways because the Mariners have had to fight for their survival against the league in the first place, and being questioned about why they are allowed to play with real football clubs, they have become more determined.

However in the face of all snobbery, the Mariners from season one have had an academy. The Mariners have provided more Socceroos than any other club.

The Mariners have invested more in player development and facilities arguably than the rest of the A-League combined. The Mariners are the only club in the A-League that has a direct link with a specialised football private school.

The constant criticism of the current owner has boarded on abuse by many in the media. However did anyone report on what he was doing or saying in great detail to fans on the Coast? Funny about that, I missed those articles as well.

Mike Charlesworth made one huge error, a massive mistake. Charlesworth rushed the appointment of his first CEO and then took his word rather than analysed what he was saying. It almost sent the club broke.

Charlesworth tried to bring in investors but none could be found. By this time Charlesworth had fired his mistake. He spent time and managed to get the current CEO who is doing an excellent job.

He said I have to save this club and to do that we are going to endure one or two years of extreme pain.

He appointed people he knew could run a club in Peter Storrie, and a coaching consultant in Harry Redknapp.

The Fox crew almost were salivating on negative things to talk about the Mariners last year. Of course not because anyone on Fox had lost a job or not got a job.

With the club on the brink of financial collapse and the COE stalled, Charlesworth – by a fair bit the poorest owner – steadied the ship. He reasoned in a no-relegation league you could have a bad year and rebuild.

Throughout all this however he maintained the core Mariner philosophy of developing young players of exceptional talent who can play in our teams and be sold to balance the budget.

Charlesworth saved the Mariners and developed a business plan to win the competition within five years.

So why does this make the Mariners the most important side in the A-League? Two general reasons. First the Mariners are showing how to convert people from other codes to football. Second we will still produce more Socceroos than any other side.

As a final note the Mariners fans may not be the loudest, nor turn up in the greatest numbers, but we know football.

We will be competitive again this year, Paul Okon is a masterstroke – at least I hope so.

Nice piece. Not sure we are THE most important club but there's no doubting our worth (that few outside our club acknowledge). You can see how few of the other clubs invest in youth like we do. Yes, it's out of financial necessity but we are providing more than our fair share of Socceroo's for now and the future.

 

[Forum Phoenix]

Beyond nice to read something so positive.

Re most important club - i think whether the smallest clubs die or prosper is a very important factor - and as testament to what is possible very importsnt also. Cockerill has written on this - and very well too imo.

I think this articles point regarding our youth policy, academy's and socceroos is very salient. Fact is a small club needs to take risks and is forced to give players and now also 'coaches' their shot. Thats a very valuable contribution.

Also great to have some push back against the press hammering. It began long before we were a basket case and lacked any semblance of 'cruel to be kind'. It was typically belligerent and mean spirited.

 

[midfielder]

^^^^^^

KP

You do realise, I wrote it and sent it in TIC, not really expecting it to be published.

The Roar editors took our my attack on Fox, and how parts of SBS have been hhhmmmm seen our lack of ethnic and ANGLO management as poor with much finger point.

However aside from that its word for word.

I put in on the Roar as I have been told it is arguably the most influential non traditional media general sports sight where many journalist go for their angles. Just wanted to get in first but it is kinda a puff piece of all thats good with MC as a hero... errr maybe over the top but WTF ...

 

[Rowdy]

One point of your Roar post I think you need to address & correct as its significant and pertinent to your argument and that is .......

The Central Coast Mariners Football Club DONT repeat DONT have a $50+ million dollar property portfolio.

However,
Mike Charlesworth DOES though.
- & there's a very good reason for that.

It's like saying Sydney FC have a billion dollar shoping centre portfolio (Westfield) because Lowy is an owner of Sydney FC.

They most likely benefit from Westfield but they dont own it.

 

[midfielder]

Rowdy I know ..... I actually never through it would get published...

If it did get published I simply wanted to paint the Mariners in the most positive light I could.

We cope it in the neck a lot from the coffee clique and the belief by SBS you need ethic management and a history in the NSL and Fox say no more half the panel have reasons to dislike us.

Interesting if say Dibo and FP both quite good at writing over the next few weeks sent in articles positive about the Mariners, it JUST may lead to some positive media because the Roar is a site that has influence .... and maybe just maybe in its own little way it could add to our crowds and rep on the Coast...

Making MC out to be kinda a hero was also hhhhmmmm OK I will cope it..

The damage done to our brand over the years by SBS IMO has been huge, they have lied and simply told untruths ....

Rowdy yer MC owns it .... I know but trying to explain that in a forum and that in and of itself becoming the main topic I don't know how to do I don't have that skill.

 

[Forum Phoenix]

Go Middy. lol. Love it. We deserve some pro yellow propaganda.

 

[pjennings]

 

[dibo]

The answer is obviously sweeper. *Nobody* uses a sweeper these days.

 

[Rowdy]

Although, there is quite a bit of
'broom-action' going on in the HAL lately.

 

[tim...]

Rowdy I know ..... I actually never through it would get published...

If it did get published I simply wanted to paint the Mariners in the most positive light I could.

We cope it in the neck a lot from the coffee clique and the belief by SBS you need ethic management and a history in the NSL and Fox say no more half the panel have reasons to dislike us.

Interesting if say Dibo and FP both quite good at writing over the next few weeks sent in articles positive about the Mariners, it JUST may lead to some positive media because the Roar is a site that has influence .... and maybe just maybe in its own little way it could add to our crowds and rep on the Coast...

Making MC out to be kinda a hero was also hhhhmmmm OK I will cope it..

The damage done to our brand over the years by SBS IMO has been huge, they have lied and simply told untruths ....

Rowdy yer MC owns it .... I know but trying to explain that in a forum and that in and of itself becoming the main topic I don't know how to do I don't have that skill.

This is it. We get so much negative publicity - some of it warranted and plenty of it not - that we cannot afford to pick apart and cast a negative light ourselves on anything positive that does go mainstream.

While the headline - that we're the HAL's most important club - might not be necessarily true, the ethos of the article is pretty accurate. The A-League would not be the same without us. And by that, I mean for the worse

 

[pjennings]

We are the model that any region needs to follow whether it is for the HAL or a second division. Our model suits Canberra, Gold Coast, Wollongong, Coffs Coast, Darwin, Cairns, Townsville, Geelong, Hobart, Sunshine Coast, Launceston and Ipswich who have all made noises about being interested in the HAL

 

[dibo]

I think there's an issue that if we come off sounding delusional we lose any credibility we have when defending the club. That shit gets poured on us regularly doesn't absolve us of some responsibility to sound like we're engaged with reality.

We're not the single most important club in the league. But we are critical, because if it doesn't work here after more than a decade of trying it's never going to work in any small market and we might as well pack up any plans for expansion because there's no point.

But that doesn't mean that the league would suffer less from the loss of Melbourne Victory (for example) than us. It's just that it's a different form of suffering.

The piece fails to acknowledge any weaknesses, and through that failure I think it fails to give a reasonable account of what the state of the club is.

I'm happy with the business side, I think the football side is coming along, I think if the COE gets finished off promptly, we can keep cracking on with developing quality kids and the TV deal comes through well then we're a club with a really strong future, but I think the article was way over-egged.

If we sound disengaged with reality, even when we've got a point we risk being dismissed.

 

[midfielder]

^^^^^
There is nothing stopping anyone from putting up a decent article... why would we continue to publish over stated articles.

They have editors and would more than likely never see the light of day.

However it does open up an avenue for anyone, to write positive about us and put it in context.

An example our core Mariner philosophy of developing young players traced from pre Hal, the acquisition and development of the CEO.

My point if people want, they can put some time in and sent in a article... If over the next few months 2, 3 or maybe 4 got published, told our side in a positive light... that is not a bad thing.

Back to the article for a bit... I never through it would get published and while very over the top and very TIC, it was not light years away from what happened.

Tis up to each person, but me personally if done well .... I can see it only doing us some good...

 

[pjennings]

Well blow me down with a feather - a decent article form SBS

http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/arti...chief-charlesworth-not-tempted-chinese-owners

Mariners chief Charlesworth not tempted by Chinese owners
Central Coast Mariners chief Mike Charlesworth has revealed he turned down an approach to sell the club to the Ledman Group, paving the way for the Chinese company to instead splash $5 million on acquiring bitter rivals, Newcastle Jets.

By Dave Lewis

10 Sep 2016 - 12:00 PM UPDATED 26 MINS AGO

The proposed sale was spruiked by inaugural Mariners coach-turned-Gosford mayor. and now Jets CEO, Lawrie McKinna, who was the Ledman Group’s man on the ground.

McKinna was tasked with identifying an A-League franchise for the Shenzhen-based high-tech LED signage manufacturer, to add to its football portfolio.

Had Charlesworth been tempted, McKinna, who coached the Mariners with distinction for five years before becoming football and commercial operations manager, would have returned as the CEO of his beloved club.

However, Charlesworth’s head was not turned by the offer, which came earlier this year, despite the widespread perception the Englishman might have been willing to divest himself of the club he rescued from bankruptcy two-and-a-half years ago.

"There was an approach from the Ledman group, which came through Lawrie," Charlesworth said.

"They wanted to get involved with a club and Lawrie asked whether we were interested in having a chat.

"But we weren’t interested and turned down the opportunity.

Lawrie asked if we would be keen to talk with them as they were in the market to purchase an A-league club, but I wasn’t tempted in the slightest and they went on and bought the Jets.

"We didn’t even have a discussion about it (within the club) ... it was a case of thanks, but no thanks."

The approach was made before the Ledman group - and McKinna - turned their attentions to the Jets, who were in the hands of Football Federation Australia until the sale was concluded in June, in the wake of recalcitrant former owner Nathan Tinkler being stripped of his licence.

Charlesworth said he has no regrets over his stance in resisting the advances of Ledman Group.

However, it’s conceivable he could be persuaded to sell at some stage - although not in the foreseeable future.

It's likely he would take an approach from another City Football Group-type entity far more seriously, should they emerge at some future date and seek to buy into the A-League.

Charlesworth has declared himself far more interested in completing the Mariners' much-heralded Tuggerah-based Centre of Excellence facility.

“My commitment is to build the best football training facility in Australia and once we have done that then I will have achieved what I want to have achieved," he said.

"It’s about securing financial stability for the club and its long term future."

With the new season under a month away, Charlesworth is looking forward to the impact that new coach Paul Okon – briefly a Jets player at the tail end of his stellar career - will have in helping recalibrate last season’s wooden spoonists.

Once one of the A-League powerhouses, the importance of returning the Mariners to respectability has never been as essential as it right now.

"He will bring an exciting brand of football I am personally looking forward to it," he said.

"I wanted him from the start (after the sacking of Tony Walmsley).

"He came recommended by a lot of people, including (Socceroos coach) Ange Postecoglou.

"He wants to play the same attacking style of football that he played himself, and I am looking forward to seeing what he delivers."

 

[midfielder]

Maybe there is more to MC than we believed.... also while not wanting to say this has had any major impact this article could have been written anytime over the last couple of months.

Yet four days after a positive article above the Mariners and in essence praise from Mariner fans and up pops a positive SBS article.

If anyone is sending something to the Roar, Mike Tuckman is published normally on Mon & Wen so don't send the night before as it could get lost as Mike has a reasonable following.

 

[Rowdy]

Great pick up PJ,
but the Journo's just trying to piggy back this old news of Ledman Group & Lawrie onto the current cluster-fcuk at the Jets.

Whereas more interesting to me are the new comments in the article about the COE from Charlesworth :

"It’s about securing financial stability for the club and its long term future."

Still don't understand how the COE, which is a separately owned entity from the Football Club of CCMFC, will provide this 'long-term' sustainabillity
(i.e- ongoing revenue) if they're not owned by the same person/s into the future.

'Selling' (all the office space) is a one-time hit of revenue, whereas 'renting' is clearly a long-term strategy, but MC didnt choose that.

Nothing much been said about what MC is planning to do with the Hotel/Conference centre, Licensed Football 'Pub' etc once they're built ???

 

[pjennings]

I believe that the office space has been a mix of sales and leases. Pretty sure I heard Shaun say that on one of the podcasts. As to separate legal entity question I've often wondered about that. Shaun has described it similar to a Leagues Club providing grants to a Rugby League Club. How this works in practice and how you ensure it continues when the two entities can be sold separately escapes me as well.

 

[Rowdy]

"I wanted him (Okon) from the start (after the sacking of Tony Walmsley).

"He came recommended by a lot of people, including (Socceroos coach) Ange Postecoglou.

I'm calling Bull-shit on that one !

If Okon was truly the one you wanted from the get-go of Walmsley's sacking
...... then why the fcuk did you waste 3 precious weeks of pre-season training/planning, not to mention all of the subsequent bad press that occurred in those 3 weeks about the repeated dysfunctionality of your club & speculation of possible Coaches
..... until finally announcing Paolo as your '1st pick' ???

Not buying it.
Announce Okon's appointment & do it within 3-4 days of Walmsley's sacking (your decision all along - as you allude)
...... then imagine the media landscape today if you had of made that decision.

 

[Wombat]

I was given the option to lease office space at the COE. I did strongly consider it but didn't need the headache of another business so decided against it. A nearby shopping centre was wooing me with a very sweet offer at the same time.
The COE Is bloody good location and a nice set up.
MC knows the set up he has there is worth far more than 5million.