As I was saying in the other thread:
Voicing displeasure ain't gonna achieve shit.
If people are so well informed as to the state of the club, spill it and force the FFA to act. Pull the trigger.
Otherwise it's all pissing in the wind.
So now we're getting somewhere:
The club is in serious trouble and you would know I would not take this tone on this forum unless I was very concerned. I have been positive in the past but people have to realise that the club is not peaches and cream as we are led to believe.
- loss of two of our best players at a crucial time in the season
The Simon sale concerns me more than the Griffiths sale. When someone offers you nearly 7 figures for a bloke with three months left on his contract, you take it. I'm surprised they didn't take their arms off for it. Tidy bit of business that not a club in the league would have turned down.
What they *do* with the cash is a different question. Long-term, player sales can't be simply poured into recurrent expenditure, or we're toast.
- one win in last six games, lead being cut from 11 points to 3, and despite still first nothing has been won yet
We were f**ked earlier in the year when players weren't getting paid and we built up that 11pt lead in that time. the notion that our finances are the reason we're in shit I'll take with a pretty big grain of salt. It also coincided with key suspensions, Olyroos going away and both Patrick and Rostyn hitting unspeakably awful form.
- a coach that has transformed our team leaving at the end of the season unless things seriously change. Given that he can leave means we have breached his contract.
Yep, but we've known about this for a while. Have good coach for two years, he builds a club, he's going to get offers even before contract expiry. If the club's been in a shoddy financial situation, then all the more reason for him to look at the exit. It's bad but it's not new.
- substandard training facilities for the team
Again - bad but not new. We've had shitty training facilities ever since we left Mingara what (5 years ago?), and even then it was arguably miles below standard. Given that construction is underway at Tuggerah (as noted before - see Nearmap) at least there's believable movement on this front.
- a number of senior players leaving at the end of the season leaving us with a new, untried coach and a youth team competing next season. If we cannot afford Arnie's mediocre wage who could we possibly recruit?
Which senior players are leaving?
From our own 2012/13 Player Thread:
Daniel McBreen
Joshua Rose re-signed
Pedj Bojic
Brad Porter sold
Patrick Zwaanswijk (Fgn)
Rostyn Griffiths sold
Brad McDonald extended deal
Stuart Musialik
Sam Gallagher (u21)
Trent Sainsbury (u21)
Tom Rogic (u21)
So there are three potential starters that may go, and neither McBreen's nor Bojic has been universally loved, and I'm not just talking about their performance from the penalty mark. Zwaanswijk is in the worst form of his stint here and looking not a shadow of his former self.
- players told that they will not be receiving ACL bonuses
Can't speak to this, not privy to that kind of info and nothing's been announced.
- a Centre of Excellence in shambles with the majority of income generating facilities unlikely to be built (hotel, office towers, Uni of Newcastle facility, med centre, leisure centre). Other facilities drastically downscaled. No grand stand, less fields etc. In three years not one full field has been built.
- The only facilities built are those paid for by Soccer 5s.
Can't speak to this, not privy to that kind of info and nothing's been announced.
- Four million due to Wyong Leagues Club at end of the year.
Not privy to that kind of info and nothing's been announced, but that would certainly be the subject of discussion with potential new backers.
- Million owed to tax department.
That's been publicly canvassed and would certainly be the subject of discussion with potential new backers.
- Skeleton administration staff that are underpaid and over-worked.
If they were spending up big on the office while struggling elsewhere we'd be panning their extravagance. It stinks, but it's not unusual and in itself not the biggest cause for complaint.
- A number of unpaid creditors
Not privy to that kind of info and nothing's been announced, but that would certainly be the subject of discussion with potential new backers.
- Falling crowd numbers
Crowds are pretty much consistent with the other seasons' patterns, only we're averaging 2,100 better than last year.
- No major spponsor for next season
Not privy to that kind of info and nothing's been announced, but that would certainly be the subject of discussion with potential new backers.
And so then we come to the main game:
- Potential investors walking the moment they do due diligence of the financials, management and owenership structure of the club. Not even able to negotiate any sort of deal without the stipulation that the current owner is in charge.
If I were Peter Turnbull, I'd be flicking through my licence agreement to see what might constitute a material breach. If he can't sustain the club, then he might want to change it up. If he wants capital to come in, there needs to be an understanding that it won't come for free - the COE and control of the club need to be on the table.
Otherwise he might be getting called to attend a meeting at 1 Oxford St. Given the transformation at our northern neighbours, I don't think he should rely on supporters being fearful of an FFA takeover and a new buyer being sought for a bare licence.
I'm not playing a polyanna game, clearly we're not in rude health, but let's talk about things we know. It seems unlikely to me that we'll get to the end of the off-season without either the present owners sealing a deal on fresh capital or the FFA taking back the licence.
I don't think anyone seriously expects that the latter option would result in anything other than the FFA having us in a holding pattern while they do a clean deal with someone who's already been kicking the tyres but ran from PT.
Any other option means FFA turning their backs on a moderately successful club who have built an identity and a character of their own and set deep roots in their community. Were they to pull CCM entirely, it'd be tantamount to saying that the whole idea of an A-League is farcical and that we can go back to provincial leagues. I simply don't see them doing that.
your clear thinking and realistic expectations will probably see you branded as a naive supporter of the hedonistic owners of the mariners ( 
was that a bit too much?)
