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Who is the major sponsor at risk ? Any ideas ? Energy Australia is already out of the picture with Chris Hartcher pulling the plug on corporate suites / sponsorships last year.Softly, softly suits Graham Arnold's ancient Central Coast Mariners
Graham Arnold's Central Coast Mariners have been forced to fight for every glimmer of recognition. Picture: Mark Scott Source: The Daily Telegraph
GRAHAM Arnold's Central Coast Mariners have been the flag-bearers for Australian club soccer for almost three seasons.
Beaten grand finalists in 2010-11, preliminary finalists in 2011-12, top of the A-League table since virtually the start of this season and on the way to another Premiers Plate and maybe a long-overdue championship, the Mariners should be lauded for what they have achieved.
Yet while Alessandro Del Piero, Melbourne Victory and the stunning emergence of Western Sydney Wanderers have captured the imagination of fans and the media, the boys from NSW's central coast have been forced to fight for every glimmer of recognition.
These days, the Mariners are more likely to make the news because of untimely player departures, such as Tom Rogic's transfer, and continuing financial issues (which could see them lose one of their major sponsors) rather than for all the good things they are doing on the park under Arnold's passionate and expert guidance.
But the club seems to revel in flying under the radar. The players are a tight-knit group that feeds off team spirit and Arnold's us-against-them philosophy.
According to classy left back Josh Rose, the lack of recognition is not an issue.
"We don't mind. We are happy to leave the headlines to the others," Rose said as he prepared for tonight's top-of-the-table match against Adelaide United at Bluetongue Stadium.
"At the end of the day, the objective is to get to the finals and perform well. If we do that, people will start to talk about us.
"We just need to keep doing what we are doing. We have to stay consistent and turn it on when we get to the finals.
"But, really, we are not thinking about finals football. We have a tough game against Adelaide."
Rose, who has played all 17 games for the Mariners this season and is one of their key weapons, rejected suggestions the loss of players midway through a season was a major concern.
Last season, Matt Simon and Rostyn Griffiths left the Mariners for Asian clubs and only recently Rogic signed with Scottish giant Celtic, while Bernie Ibini is also likely to head overseas.
"That stuff is like water off a duck's back," Rose said. "We work to a team structure, it's about the team, not individuals.
"Yeah, Tom is a big loss for us. He created so much and we all saw how good he is with the ball. But there are players ready to take the step up. It's a great opportunity for someone else to come in and make the spot their own."
by: Ray Gatt
Who is the major sponsor at risk ? Any ideas ? Energy Australia is already out of the picture with Chris Hartcher pulling the plug on corporate suites / sponsorships last year.
Must have been Primo. Masterfoods is owned by the Mars family.LOL talk about get it wrong within days of the article the lost sponsor re signed ... it was our current sponsor Master Foods as the parent company P Meats [who own master foods] is owned by one of the directors of WSW and it was believed he would pull his sponsorship...
From Fossie of all people....
Farrrrrrrrrrrrrkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk
Wrong thread
http://leopoldmethod.com.au/mariners-in-good-shape-to-be-our-asia-lone-ranger/
Good read, I reckon he is spot on with this observation...
"The fullbacks are the only position of concern, and only because the Mariners rely so much tactically on the ability of Pedj Bojic and Josh Rose to bomb forward. Neither of these players have replacements who can offer the same blend of solidity and penetration. Bojic has been conspicuous by his absence when unavailable this season so it will be interesting to see how Arnold manages these two, and in which matches, if any, he decides to forgo their forward runs for the sake of giving them a rest."