Good CCM reports

[Forum Phoenix]

FANTASTIC article.

Weird reading all this terrific press.

Is this how the other half lives?

:blink:

 

[midfielder]

even the Terror

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/soccer/forget-roar-mariners-are-best/story-e6frey4r-1226225194906

Forget Roar, Mariners are best

Tom Smithies The Daily Telegraph December 19, 2011 12:00AM


Brisbane, by contrast, have totalled 37 points from one fewer game, despite the magnificence of the unbeaten run they kept going for 36 games. The Roar's four-game losing streak that has supplanted it really has hurt them.
Recommended Coverage

An understandably ebullient Graham Arnold yesterday reported a clean bill of health for all his players as they returned to Sydney, but they face a test of their staying power with a flight to Perth on Thursday to face Glory on Friday night, before returning home Christmas Eve.

With Brisbane not featuring again until Boxing Day, the incentive for the Mariners is a six-point margin at the top as they eat their Christmas dinner on Sunday.

On top of that, the Mariners then have the opportunity to really ram home the advantage.

Of their next four games after Christmas, three are at home Gold Coast, Melbourne Victory and Newcastle and the fourth is a road trip to Sydney. In travel terms, barely an away game at all.

Mark another date in the calendar too Saturday, February 4, when Brisbane Roar head for Bluetongue Stadium. That has the makings, even in round 18 of 25, of a season-defining clash.

 

[Muppet]

Now if only we could get the terrorgraph to publish a pull out Friday special like they do for the NRL when it is in season.

 

[dibo]

A bit like the old Football Fever liftout that they did for the first year?

 

[ExiledMariner]

Whats the coverage like in the Express? Is it a Mariners Paper during the season?

 

[midfielder]

Modern Mariners show the way

Specialised work done with minds and bodies has turned Central Coast into the A-League's dominant force, writes Greg Prichard.

IT immediately made sense to Matt Simon when coach Graham Arnold explained it, because the Central Coast striker knew what was holding him back. He just didn't know what to do about it.

''When I came here, Matt was like a coiled-up spring that wanted to burst all the time, so when he touched the ball he was so tense and tight the ball used to go flying off him,'' Arnold recalls. ''And that was part of the problem - he was so tense and so hard on himself.

''Matt's a very emotional person and I've done a lot of work with him on the mental side of things. It's about him not allowing himself to be distracted by referees' decisions, crowds or the opposition, and concentrating on playing his own game and doing his best at it.''

The result is Simon has a much more controlled on-field demeanour, mentally conditioned to fit in with a game plan that requires him to show subtle skills and hold the ball up or drop back to link with the midfield.

''It's been a positive experience for me,'' Simon says of Arnold's coaching. ''One of Arnie's many qualities is that he understands how players think, and that from player to player we're different.

''He worked out how I was thinking, and we have worked over and over on making me relax out there. He knows I can play football, and if I make a mistake he reassures me.

''I hear commentators say about me: 'He has calmed down a lot,' as if I'd been a hot-headed type of player who was getting into confrontations, but it wasn't really that way. If something bad happened out there, I would take it out on myself. If things didn't go right, it would frustrate me.

''Every coach I've had has tried to help me with this sort of thing, but Arnie has been the best at it.'
'
Arnold has credited Central Coast's fitness coach, former Mariners player Andrew Clark, with ''rebuilding'' Mustafa Amini's body this year, enabling the teenage midfielder to cope with an osteitis pubis condition that can threaten a footballer's career.

Amini signed with German champions Borussia Dortmund earlier this year, but was loaned back to the Mariners while he matured.

''Physically, he wasn't ready to play overseas,'' Arnold says. ''And, emotionally, he's just a young kid. But he's an exceptional talent …

''We've got a great relationship with Dortmund. They know the standard of the A-League … They agreed the A-League was of a better standard than reserve grade in Germany, and they were happy for him to stay here.''

Clark says the process with Amini, after initial rest to allow the problem to ease, has been about establishing the reasons behind the player having developed the condition, constructing a fitness program to give him the best chance of guarding against a relapse, and then gradually increasing his training and playing loads.
It's about injury prevention and looking after players' health to help ensure they perform at their best. ''Across the coaching staff, from Arnie to the medical team, it's very non-hierarchical. We work as a team, and that helps in all situations,'' Clark says.

Central Coast do not have anywhere near the money some other A-League clubs have to spend on players, so it is an absolute must that they get the best out of their roster.

''I'm really enjoying myself a lot more,'' Simon says. ''I've learnt to relax. So much of the game is mental, and Arnie has really helped me on the mental side of things.

''I'm not sure where he has picked it up from, his ability to read players, but his player management skills are terrific. He just knows where you're at.''


Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/sport/a-league/modern-mariners-show-the-way-20111222-1p722.html#ixzz1hJeF1gny

 

[midfielder]

WOW SMH & TerrOr on the same day...

Mustafa Amini's impact justifies the rebuilding of the patient Mariner


IT was a period of purgatory for Mustafa Amini, but the injuries that sidelined him for the start of the year could turn out to have a serious silver lining.

Amini will orchestrate the Mariners' attacks in Perth tonight having returned with remarkable impact to the Central Coast side in round 6, following months of rehab from a persistent groin injury.

Coach Graham Arnold was scathing at the time of the condition in which Amini returned from July's under 20 World Cup, but believes the way in which his tyro midfielder has made a come back illustrates a depth of desire to succeed at the top level.

Amini's brilliant finish set the Mariners on their way to a stunning triumph over Brisbane last weekend, and victory tonight would extend their lead at the top to six points.

"We brought 'Musti' back slowly after the mess he came back in from the under 20 World Cup," Arnold said yesterday. "He's done a lot of strength work, a lot of core work on his legs - he's got more power and pace.

"Maybe in hindsight it wasn't such a bad thing, being forced to give him time off so we could rebuild him.

"He's come back to the team much better - you can get concerned about the second season for all young kids, but I think with the young boys we've got, they're good pro's. They want to work hard and take their foot off the pedal. They've got ambition to be successful at a young age and are prepared to work hard.

"With Musti, I had confidence in the fact he'd get better. We could have held Patricio Perez to his contract last year, but he was that homesick - that's why I fought so hard for Musti's deal with Dortmund to include a year's loan back here."

The player himself admitted how dispiriting the road back to fitness was at times.

"It was frustrating missing the first few rounds - I came back from the world cup injured, my groin was stuffed up."I had a month off, tried to train then but it still wasn't working. I started doing a lot of dedicated work with (fitness coach Andrew Clark), trying to build my groin up.

"You want to be playing all the time, injuries are the worst thing about football."

"It was frustrating but now I've been able to contribute, and the team's starting to do well, everything's falling into place. We've found our rhythm."

 

[nero]

Another Jets article giving the Mariners a rap. Its great when your winning.

http://www.theherald.com.au/news/local/sport/football-soccer/david-lowe-jets-walking-fine-line/2408370.aspx?storypage=3

Quote
"Then I read a quote from coach Graham Arnold that the Mariners had lost only two regular-season league games in the calendar year 2011, and it got me thinking. Yes, that very fact is enough to make the average Jets fan physically ill, but it reminded me that things aren’t always as good or bad as they seem.

We, the footballing public, got swept up in Brisbane’s achievements, the fortresses that Suncorp Stadium and the ‘‘Cake Tin’’ in Wellington are perceived to be, yet the Mariners haven’t lost a game in 12 months at Bluetongue Stadium, and have pushed Brisbane to the limit in a grand final, and matched their overall record.

Were Brisbane really so good? Have we totally underestimated the quality of the Mariners? Was the wily fox Arnold just reminding us of his credentials with several coaching positions to become vacant shortly?"

 

[MrCelery]

One match report to treasure...


Simon farewells Mariners with brace

Tom Smithies The Daily Telegraph January 04, 2012 11:18PM

MELBOURNE Victory might have the gloss of Harry Kewell but the Central Coast enjoyed the ultimate Matt finish last night to cement their grip on the top of the league.

Not only did the Mariners farewell departing striker Matt Simon with a vital win in the title race, putting them six points clear, fate decreed that the local boy scored both goals before departing to a thunderous ovation, tears in his eyes.

"It was a pretty good night," he declared with some understatement. "We wanted the three points and it was a good win. The last few days have been pretty surreal for me and it just carried on.

"This is my town, I've loved every minute of playing for this club and hopefully one day I'll get to pull the shirt on again. I'd do anything for this club, and hopefully the boys can go on to win it."

It was some occasion to savour for another bumper Gosford crowd of 12,284, as both teams provided a contest of glorious abandon, forsaking any miserly thoughts of defence to unfurl a festival of offensive football. The crowds that queued in the heat left glowing with excitement.

The cynical might have seen Simon's eyes light up at the prospect of Victory's generous defence providing the backdrop to his last Mariners appearance before moving to Korea, but no one could have envisaged quite how fast they would implode.

Eighteen seconds to be precise - the time it took Simon to win the ball on the left wing and head off to the area while Rodrigo Vargas misheaded John Hutchinson's through ball and Petar Franjic allowed Troy Hearfield to rob him of the loose ball and cut it back for Simon.

The sidefoot was emphatic, but not as explosive as the roar that followed around Bluetongue Stadium.

The goal set the tone for a seesaw first half that could have ended 3-3. Carlos Hernandez was slipped in by Archie Thompson but Matt Ryan stood tall to block the shot, then a glorious pass from Harry Kewell set Thompson clear for a low cross that Hernandez touched past Ryan, only for Pedj Bojic to race behind his keeper and clear.

At the other end Ante Covic saved Victory time and again as Victory's defence continued to look as solid as Bambi on ice. Hearfield's sidefoot from Bojic's cross tested Covic's reflexes, then the same player was put clear only to see Covic race out to block the shot.

Victory really should have conceded a second on 51 minutes too, when Bojic's cross was blocked by Vargas's outstretched arm, but no penalty followed, to the incredulity of the Mariners.

Always there was the fear of conceding to Victory's skilful forward line. At times the understanding between Kewell and Thompson in particular was breathtaking, the former's passing range undimmed by age - the problem was the scarcity with which they were supplied.

Slowly though Victory were building pressure, and with 20 minutes to go Graham Arnold decided to throw his emerging attacking star Bernie Ibini-Isei into the fray.

It was almost instant inspiration as the young striker took Michael McGlinchey's pass and shot across Covic and against the post, McGlinchey himself blazing over the rebound.

The concept of midfield was clearly for wimps as the two sides traded exhilarating blows, but finally Simon sealed it, cutting in from the left and firing home a low shot.

CENTRAL COAST MARINERS 2 (Matt Simon 1m, 85m) bt MELBOURNE VICTORY 0 at Bluetongue Stadium. Crowd: 12,284. Referee: Peter Green.

 

[MrCelery]

Mariners are building their success on stability

Robbie Slater The Sunday Telegraph January 08, 2012 12:00AM


THEY are a tiny team sandwiched between Nathan Tinkler's billions at Newcastle and the big-city bling boys, but Central Coast are a glaring lesson to Sydney FC.

Just like the 1970s, when Western Suburbs and Manly engaged in rugby league's Fibros and Silvertails rivalry, the Central Coast Mariners have proved you don't need a fat wallet to be successful.

Graham Arnold's men are the best team in the country at the moment. They went within one corner of winning last year's grand final against Brisbane Roar and are runaway leaders of the A-League.

In contrast, Sydney are still searching for their identity despite winning two titles in the seven-year history of the league. The reality is they have had two good years and four bad ones.

The Sky Blues should be consistently successful. They are in the biggest city, are owned by Russian billionaire David Traktovenko and have resources the envy of all other clubs with the exception of Melbourne Victory.

But one word defines the success of the Mariners and the frustration for Sydney fans - stability.

Even when they have won the competition, Sydney have tried to reinvent the wheel. In 2010, after beating Victory in the grand final, they let the core of their team leave and it has been a struggle ever since.

The Mariners might still be chasing their first premiership, but they have been in three grand finals and have consistently punched above their weight. They have little money - they will promote from within to cover star striker Matt Simon's departure to Korea - but they have a coach who builds a team on spirit and a shared commitment to the cause.

Graham Arnold has carried on from Lawrie McKinna, building a culture of success.

He was on a hiding nothing when he took over the Socceroos from Guus Hiddink after the 2006 World Cup, and the criticism he copped was over the top and unfair.

He has shown what a good coach he is at the Mariners, developing young talent such as Oliver Bozanic, goalkeeper Matt Ryan, Mustafa Amini and Bernie Ibini.

And in Patrick Zwaansijk, who arrived with little fanfare from Holland, he has possibly the best import in the history of the competition - the Dutchman is at least in the grand final with Brisbane's Thomas Broich.

Arnold recruited players that fit into the system he wanted to play and it has been extremely effective.

In contrast, the pressure is on Sydney as they threaten to fall out of the top six after a severe dip in form over the past couple of weeks. And then came reports that a decision on Vitezslav Lavicka's future would be made in four weeks.

In seven seasons, Sydney have had five coaches. There have been just as many changes in the front office. For a long time, it was like a transit lounge.

The signing of Brett Emerton is a positive, although we haven't seen the best of him yet.

Still, we are halfway through the season and it still feels like Lavicka hasn't settled on his best combinations or how he wants to play.

Today, the Mariners drive down the F3 to the Sydney Football Stadium riding a wave of confidence. And it is Sydney who are again second guessing themselves after a disappointing run.

Of course, all is not lost. The competition is so tight that a couple of wins can put you right in the final hunt. This is the day for the bling-city boys to stand up and be counted. Their fans deserve it.

 

[MrCelery]

Central Coast Mariners show value of strong game plan
Tom Smithies The Daily Telegraph January 09, 2012 12:00AM


NIGHT and day, chalk and cheese, cab sav and chardonnay - the difference between two teams in one match is rarely so stark.

Only one goal separated the two sides, but two years' worth of differing development meant there was a gulf between them. Where the Mariners were the masters of their own tempo, Sydney were stuck on a single rhythm.

It was an early strike from Oliver Bozanic, on his 23rd birthday, that came in the midst of a spell for the visitors so dominant a boxing referee could have stopped the contest.

The belief and composure of the Mariners is quite remarkable - from the off they moved the ball, and themselves, with the certainty of a team utterly confident in its game plan.

They found and exploited Sydney's weaknesses - or the most glaring, as there were a few - to put the Sky Blues straight on the back foot.


Poor Sebastian Ryall, never the slickest of players, was asked to play out of position at left back having barely featured all season, and any self-respecting rabbit would've felt slighted by comparison.

Three times in the opening minutes the Mariners swarmed through and past him - the first two chances Pedj Bojic failed to exploit, but on the third Michael McGlinchey cut the ball back for Bozanic to smash home.

At will, the visitors chose their spot to get behind Sydney's defence, though most often targeting Ryall, who earned a booking for scything down Bernie Ibini. The latter then sprinted clear on to Daniel McBreen's flick and was only denied by a wondrous save from Liam Reddy.

Sydney had to improve, based purely on self-respect. Terry Antonis opened the second period with a perfect through ball, and Nicky Carle was denied only by a brave save at his feet by Matt Ryan.

But it was a fleeting moment of defiance, and the Mariners continued to create and waste chances. A fabulous lightning raid ripped Sydney to pieces and only another piece of brilliance from Reddy denied Ibini at the far post.

True, Sydney did accrue further chances, but as often from mistakes in the Mariners rearguard as through their own invention. Carle, Antonis and second-half substitute Mark Bridge tried to create something around the Mariners box, but the habitual slowness with which Sydney tried to get them the ball meant they were swamped by defenders.

Right at the end, Sydney managed a blizzard of corners without ever quite generating the sense that their pressure would prove decisive.

There were a few boos at the close but even the fans seemed resigned. The Mariners just slipped away, another efficient day at the office.

 

[bikinigirl]

It was an early strike from Oliver Bozanic, on his 23rd birthday, that came in the midst of a spell for the visitors so dominant a boxing referee could have stopped the contest.

. never been a fan of boxing ... but i enjoyed the first half so much, maybe i have a latent lust for bloodsport

 

[Julz]

There is an article on smh site from Mike Cockerill

 

[finally retired]

Coastal swell: Mariners have the Spirit that refuses to die
January 13, 2012

Toast of the town ... Matt Simon runs to the Gosford crowd after scoring against the Melbourne Victory earlier in the month.

Central Coast made a clear break, but still have a link to Sydney's north, writes Michael Cockerill.

We all think we know the Central Coast Mariners story. The quintessential little Aussie battlers who constantly punch above their weight, providing identity to a region discarded by rugby league and a compelling case to be everyone's favourite second team. All true enough. But where did the story really begin?

If you're wondering why this is a club that has such a ferocious spirit, there's your clue. The untold story is that the Mariners began where the Northern Spirit ended. February 29, 2004. Pittwater Rugby Park, a howling southerly wind, and just 2009 spectators scattered around the ground for the visit of Adelaide United.

The final game of the final NSL season, the final game of Northern Spirit's brief but eventful seven-year existence. The final game of Alex Tobin's record-smashing 522-game career. Momentous events, all of them, but the symbolism was lost against such an underwhelming backdrop.
Advertisement: Story continues below
soccer Northern Spirit V Parramata Power Pittwater Park. A fan watches the game at Pittwater Park. 16th February 2004 SMH Sport SPECIALX SOCCER

Northern Spirit began with a bang before packed crowds at North Sydney Oval but ended with a whimper at Warriewood, where then-owner Antonio Gelonesi took the team as a cost-cutting measure as he struggled to pay his bills. Yet from those ashes emerged a new club, with a new identity and a new purpose.

Today the Mariners are top of the A-League pile, odds-on for their first championship in the league, with new Russian investors in the wings and a state-of-the-art training complex starting to take shape. It's a triumph of will over adversity, which shouldn't be surprising.

The Mariners may have swapped sides of the Hawkesbury, but there will always be a strong thread of Northern Spirit in their DNA.

First up, there are the players. On the teamsheet for the Spirit's final game in the NSL were seven players who would be on the teamsheet for the Mariners first game in the A-League, 18 months later. In all, 10 made the switch. So, too, did Tobin and Lawrie McKinna, who were the founding coaches of the Mariners.

McKinna and Tobin are no longer in Gosford, but they've got clear memories of the transition. First, the death. ''I remember in that last week going into the club [Spirit] offices and seeing receivership stickers over all the furniture,'' Tobin says.

''We all knew the club was going under, it had basically been in meltdown for months, and we were never quite sure whether we'd finish the season. For a long time, the players didn't get paid.

''The last day, it was such a weird feeling. It was my last game, the club's last game, and the league's last day. It wasn't quite the grand farewell, but that's life. At the end of the game, I remember looking around at all the other players and thinking, 'OK, what happens now?'''

McKinna was coach that day, but almost wasn't. ''The receivers were going to wind us up, the game only went ahead because these three businessmen from the central coast [Brian Sewell, Andrew Sylvester and Jerry Raterman] came in and put $100,000 up to pay the bills,'' he says.

''They'd come to Perth a month earlier to address the players and tell us what they had in mind. Basically they were planning to take the team up to Gosford.'' More on that later.

For McKinna, who was an instrumental figure in the metamorphosis, the logic of taking a swathe of Spirit players north to Gosford was inescapable. ''It wasn't necessarily a Spirit thing, it was more the fact that they were a bunch of players I knew well,'' he says.

''There was a definite link between the two clubs, but it wasn't something we advertised. In fact, I made it clear to them [Mariners investors] that we could have nothing to do with the name [Northern Spirit].''

For all that, there were early chants from rival fans of ''Spirit in Disguise''. And a small number of Northern Spirit diehards have followed the players north.

On matchdays at Bluetongue Stadium, you can sometimes see the fans car-pooling at the start of the F3 at Wahroonga. The Mariners' connection with Sydney's north shore has remained productive on another front, with a strong relationship with the Ku-ring-gai and Gladesville Hornsby associations yielding a string of talented players.

It's a link that has also manifested itself in the evolution of the business. Sewell, Sylvester and Raterman did not become the driving forces behind the club but, through another former Northern Spirit investor, Gary Taylor, the club did find its founding shareholder, Lyall Gorman.

The Mariners had been accepted into the A-League and the announcement was due to be made on Melbourne Cup day, 2004. The problem was that the $250,000 required as the down payment on the licence was nowhere to be seen at the start of business the day before. Gorman had kept a ''peripheral'' eye on the bid, and it was in the Sydney offices of his merchant-banking company, where Taylor was a director, that the submission was completed.

Just 24 hours before deadline, Gorman was asked by the face of the Mariners bid, Clean Up Australia founder Ian Kiernan, if he could find the money. ''I rang my wife and said 'Have we got any money lying around','' Gorman recalls. ''She said 'What for?' I said 'For a football team, but don't worry, we'll get it back'.''

From those humble beginnings, the Mariners have ridden a financial roller-coaster, but all the time slowly but surely putting down their roots in the local community. Given that the community had only recently been burnt by the disastrous Northern Eagles experiment, it was important for the Mariners not to dwell on their Northern Spirit connections.

''While we respected the part played by the Spirit, we couldn't afford to be the rebirth of something,'' Gorman says. ''We had to make a clear break, we had to belong to the people of the central coast, and be badged as a team from the central coast. I don't think anybody would argue that hasn't happened. The north shore will always be part of the master plan, but the Mariners are the central coast.''

That they are, and proudly so. But, seven years on, there are reminders of the past every matchday. Graham Arnold and Phil Moss on the coaching bench. John Hutchinson, Adam Kwasnik and Alex Wilkinson on the park. The Mariners have a spirit that refuses to die.

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/a-league/coastal-swell-mariners-have-the-spirit-that-refuses-to-die-20120112-1pxie.html

 

[Julz]

Coastal swell: Mariners have the Spirit that refuses to die
January 13, 2012

Toast of the town ... Matt Simon runs to the Gosford crowd after scoring against the Melbourne Victory earlier in the month.

Central Coast made a clear break, but still have a link to Sydney's north, writes Michael Cockerill.

We all think we know the Central Coast Mariners story. The quintessential little Aussie battlers who constantly punch above their weight, providing identity to a region discarded by rugby league and a compelling case to be everyone's favourite second team. All true enough. But where did the story really begin?

If you're wondering why this is a club that has such a ferocious spirit, there's your clue. The untold story is that the Mariners began where the Northern Spirit ended. February 29, 2004. Pittwater Rugby Park, a howling southerly wind, and just 2009 spectators scattered around the ground for the visit of Adelaide United.

The final game of the final NSL season, the final game of Northern Spirit's brief but eventful seven-year existence. The final game of Alex Tobin's record-smashing 522-game career. Momentous events, all of them, but the symbolism was lost against such an underwhelming backdrop.
Advertisement: Story continues below
soccer Northern Spirit V Parramata Power Pittwater Park. A fan watches the game at Pittwater Park. 16th February 2004 SMH Sport SPECIALX SOCCER

Northern Spirit began with a bang before packed crowds at North Sydney Oval but ended with a whimper at Warriewood, where then-owner Antonio Gelonesi took the team as a cost-cutting measure as he struggled to pay his bills. Yet from those ashes emerged a new club, with a new identity and a new purpose.

Today the Mariners are top of the A-League pile, odds-on for their first championship in the league, with new Russian investors in the wings and a state-of-the-art training complex starting to take shape. It's a triumph of will over adversity, which shouldn't be surprising.

The Mariners may have swapped sides of the Hawkesbury, but there will always be a strong thread of Northern Spirit in their DNA.

First up, there are the players. On the teamsheet for the Spirit's final game in the NSL were seven players who would be on the teamsheet for the Mariners first game in the A-League, 18 months later. In all, 10 made the switch. So, too, did Tobin and Lawrie McKinna, who were the founding coaches of the Mariners.

McKinna and Tobin are no longer in Gosford, but they've got clear memories of the transition. First, the death. ''I remember in that last week going into the club [Spirit] offices and seeing receivership stickers over all the furniture,'' Tobin says.

''We all knew the club was going under, it had basically been in meltdown for months, and we were never quite sure whether we'd finish the season. For a long time, the players didn't get paid.

''The last day, it was such a weird feeling. It was my last game, the club's last game, and the league's last day. It wasn't quite the grand farewell, but that's life. At the end of the game, I remember looking around at all the other players and thinking, 'OK, what happens now?'''

McKinna was coach that day, but almost wasn't. ''The receivers were going to wind us up, the game only went ahead because these three businessmen from the central coast [Brian Sewell, Andrew Sylvester and Jerry Raterman] came in and put $100,000 up to pay the bills,'' he says.

''They'd come to Perth a month earlier to address the players and tell us what they had in mind. Basically they were planning to take the team up to Gosford.'' More on that later.

For McKinna, who was an instrumental figure in the metamorphosis, the logic of taking a swathe of Spirit players north to Gosford was inescapable. ''It wasn't necessarily a Spirit thing, it was more the fact that they were a bunch of players I knew well,'' he says.

''There was a definite link between the two clubs, but it wasn't something we advertised. In fact, I made it clear to them [Mariners investors] that we could have nothing to do with the name [Northern Spirit].''

For all that, there were early chants from rival fans of ''Spirit in Disguise''. And a small number of Northern Spirit diehards have followed the players north.

On matchdays at Bluetongue Stadium, you can sometimes see the fans car-pooling at the start of the F3 at Wahroonga. The Mariners' connection with Sydney's north shore has remained productive on another front, with a strong relationship with the Ku-ring-gai and Gladesville Hornsby associations yielding a string of talented players.

It's a link that has also manifested itself in the evolution of the business. Sewell, Sylvester and Raterman did not become the driving forces behind the club but, through another former Northern Spirit investor, Gary Taylor, the club did find its founding shareholder, Lyall Gorman.

The Mariners had been accepted into the A-League and the announcement was due to be made on Melbourne Cup day, 2004. The problem was that the $250,000 required as the down payment on the licence was nowhere to be seen at the start of business the day before. Gorman had kept a ''peripheral'' eye on the bid, and it was in the Sydney offices of his merchant-banking company, where Taylor was a director, that the submission was completed.

Just 24 hours before deadline, Gorman was asked by the face of the Mariners bid, Clean Up Australia founder Ian Kiernan, if he could find the money. ''I rang my wife and said 'Have we got any money lying around','' Gorman recalls. ''She said 'What for?' I said 'For a football team, but don't worry, we'll get it back'.''

From those humble beginnings, the Mariners have ridden a financial roller-coaster, but all the time slowly but surely putting down their roots in the local community. Given that the community had only recently been burnt by the disastrous Northern Eagles experiment, it was important for the Mariners not to dwell on their Northern Spirit connections.

''While we respected the part played by the Spirit, we couldn't afford to be the rebirth of something,'' Gorman says. ''We had to make a clear break, we had to belong to the people of the central coast, and be badged as a team from the central coast. I don't think anybody would argue that hasn't happened. The north shore will always be part of the master plan, but the Mariners are the central coast.''

That they are, and proudly so. But, seven years on, there are reminders of the past every matchday. Graham Arnold and Phil Moss on the coaching bench. John Hutchinson, Adam Kwasnik and Alex Wilkinson on the park. The Mariners have a spirit that refuses to die.

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/a-league/coastal-swell-mariners-have-the-spirit-that-refuses-to-die-20120112-1pxie.html

Thank you, I was on my ipad and couldnt work out how to post it on here

 

[Ancient Mariner]

Pitwater Park, the last ever great pitch invasion by fans.

 

[finally retired]

Thank you, I was on my ipad and couldnt work out how to post it on here

no problems....glad to help

 

[MrCelery]

Thanks AM, beat me to it. Excellent article.

 

[Ancient Mariner]

And the beer barrow .

 

[greenpoint]

Brilliant article above, and a great thread all round! Thanks to Mr Celery for getting that ball rolling.

(Mr Celery, was it you who started those 'Celery' chants at Mariners v Victory last week?)