Mariners identity. Who are we? What do we represent?

[Elastico]

Hi all – my first post ever and a question or two…

Some clubs in the A-League seem to have cultivated a strong brand identity and club culture: think Sydney and Bling FC (though now they seem to not quite now who they are), WSW have quickly built a strong identity based on their geography and I think when they sing, they understand what they are singing for; Adelaide seem to be building a culture and identity through a Barcelona style football philosophy and culture under Gombau; Brisbane appear to have already established their club around a football philosophy under AP and Mulvey has continued this with the Roarcelona tag continuing to stick

What do the Mariners represent? Are we the family club? The community club? The little guy punching above his weight? We don’t seem to be a club whose identity is based on a football style or attitude (or maybe I’m wrong?)

We do always seem to be the club perceived to have poor crowds/poor support (from others outside the club).

Love to hear what people out there think about what we represent and whether our culture/identity is strong enough, whether we should change it, celebrate it, enhance it or evolve!

Sorry if already on another thread...couldn’t see that these questions have been raised before

 

[Roy Law]

We are the little engine that could

 

[Kareem]

I wrote 2-3 weeks back that I think we have one of the strongest identities in the league.

Hard working, underdogs...
A champion team rather than a team of champions
(Compare us to the newcastle team in 2008 who went from heroes to zeroes within 12 months after losing a couple of players).
We don't have an ADP, a broich, a berisha...
We signed Flores, but he came here as an equal, not like your typical marquee (which is a credit to his personality as well).
We are certainly a family orientated club... (In my opinion)
The promotion and nurtuing of young, Australian talent!

And we have only had 3 head coaches which is the lowest for any foundation club!

This type of identity doesn't translate onto the pitch as obvious as a Barcelona based football philosophy...

But I think the way we play somewhat reflects our clubs identity.

Well structured, hard working and great spirit (usually)

Yes I've whinged about the spirit in past weeks eg. Wellington and Victory at home...but matches against Sydney and Hiroshima have reassured me that this great team spirit has lived on!

We've managed some very impressive feats in years gone by; the 2008 semifinal vs newcastle, the 2 epic comebacks away from home against Adelaide and Sydney, the. 5-4 loss to Sydney playing with only 10 men for the majority of the match, our first ACL win, breaking our grand final hodoo, our ACL win 48 hrs after the grand final, qualifying for knockout stage of the ACL...

Most of the above wouldn't have happened without the mariners culture IMHO

And that for me shows that not only do we have an identity...but in my honest opinion we have the best identity in the leage!
( that may also have something to do with the fact that I have no respect for the Barcelona based style of football)

Ps. I might make some more additions later in the day, when I am actually awake

 

[sydmariner]

I wrote 2-3 weeks back that I think we have one of the strongest identities in the league.

Hard working, underdogs...
A champion team rather than a team of champions
(Compare us to the newcastle team in 2008 who went from heroes to zeroes within 12 months after losing a couple of players).
We don't have an ADP, a broich, a berisha...
We signed Flores, but he came here as an equal, not like your typical marquee (which is a credit to his personality as well).
We are certainly a family orientated club... (In my opinion)
The promotion and nurtuing of young, Australian talent!

And we have only had 3 head coaches which is the lowest for any foundation club!

This type of identity doesn't translate onto the pitch as obvious as a Barcelona based football philosophy...

But I think the way we play somewhat reflects our clubs identity.

Well structured, hard working and great spirit (usually)

Yes I've whinged about the spirit in past weeks eg. Wellington and Victory at home...but matches against Sydney and Hiroshima have reassured me that this great team spirit has lived on!

We've managed some very impressive feats in years gone by; the 2008 semifinal vs newcastle, the 2 epic comebacks away from home against Adelaide and Sydney, the. 5-4 loss to Sydney playing with only 10 men for the majority of the match, our first ACL win, breaking our grand final hodoo, our ACL win 48 hrs after the grand final, qualifying for knockout stage of the ACL...

Most of the above wouldn't have happened without the mariners culture IMHO

And that for me shows that not only do we have an identity...but in my honest opinion we have the best identity in the leage!
( that may also have something to do with the fact that I have no respect for the Barcelona based style of football)

Ps. I might make some more additions later in the day, when I am actually awake

 

[VicMariner]

I guess any answers will be subjective, everyone one has their own view of the club, so here is mine:

Perennial underdogs - At the start of almost every season we are written off, forgotten or ignored by the pundits. It is part of the Aussie sporting culture to follow an underdog.
Overachievers - We have less of everything yet have been the most consistently competitive team in the comp. Underdogs who bite.
Regional team - Not everyone lives in a big city, regional areas like their sport too and the Mariners show the big city guys that we do it better.
Band of brothers - This probably does not show to people who don't follow the team but the humble culture of the playing group is excellent. No big egos, no glamour, they're all equal and in it together.

I've never really worried about the Mariners identity, Melbourne Heart may struggle but we know who we are.
As for the future development of the team identity, I say let it evolve naturally. The league has been in existence less than a decade, better to let the teams slowly form and strengthen their real identities rather than force a plastic brand on them.

It is interesting to see how others view the Mariners anyway.

 

[dibo]

First and foremost, we represent the Central Coast.

Second, we have a club culture. United, single-minded, a family.

Third, we are the small club that plays like a big club. We will play games our way and look to win whenever and whatever we can. We're conscious that we're often outmuscled in terms of dollars or supporters, but when it comes down to it we have 11 players on the park, just like them, and we will take on all comers.

 

[LFCMariners]

No-one rates us. We don't care.

That's our identity.

 

[tsd]

Just a side note, adelade play nothing like Barcelona, that is a 100% media hype up

Mariners don't need a media hype identity. Nobody rates us... But we don't care

 

[bikinigirl]

Just a side note, adelade play nothing like Barcelona, that is a 100% media hype up

Mariners don't need a media hype identity. Nobody rates us... But we don't care

. this is exactly what i was going to say but with much more waffle

. we know who we are ... just because the media hasn't felt the need to tag us with anything other than 'strugglers' ... does not mean we don't have an identity. our identity may be described using lots of words (not bullshit tags) ... but it is really something you have to feel and be a part of

 

[Big Al]

Poor
Proud
hard working
battlers who give better than they get.
Structures out play riches.
Opportunity - Youth, Foreigners, Coaches
We are smarter with our money 9/10 times. NSO is 1/10
Well setup prepared to do more for less.
Best band in the comp

 

[Roy Law]

Best band in the comp

Nailed it!

 

[true believer]

best band in the afc

 

[sydmariner]

Nailed it!

 

[sydmariner]

best band in the afc

Best band in the whole world

 

[LFCMariners]

Need more songs but...

 

[bikinigirl]

Need more songs but...

. if you meant 'we need more songs though' ... i can't agree at the moment

. i believe the YA have plenty of songs ... and slowly the rest of the crowd are participating more and more in the simpler ones ... this needs to continue and i think should be given priority over greater diversity at this point in time

 

[dibo]

WSW have actually shown what it takes to teach a crowd to sing - simple songs, lyrics/actions/whatever communicated widely, repeated for long enough for people to catch on.

Once they've got a bigger core of people interested in what's being sung, it's far easier to communicate new songs *to that core first*, and then the first couple of times they go up they run them for a while for people to catch on, and they run them a couple of times a game.

We've now got an instrument (or twelve) that can communicate tunes to the rest of the ground - the band. If we get the *words* going widely, we can get the tune plus the words in people's heads.

Knowing the tune plus the words are the two preconditions to singing a song. Then all you need is enough brave people to start singing in the stands as well as the ends...

You see how the process goes? But words and tune need to be known widely before anything else, and having a basic group of no more than half a dozen good songs is how that will work best.

 

[dibo]

NOTE - some of us have been at this in various capacities for a long time, and the band is the single best thing that has happened to our active support, because the coordination between band and capo work really really well.

 

[sydmariner]

WSW have actually shown what it takes to teach a crowd to sing - simple songs, lyrics/actions/whatever communicated widely, repeated for long enough for people to catch on.

Once they've got a bigger core of people interested in what's being sung, it's far easier to communicate new songs *to that core first*, and then the first couple of times they go up they run them for a while for people to catch on, and they run them a couple of times a game.

We've now got an instrument (or twelve) that can communicate tunes to the rest of the ground - the band. If we get the *words* going widely, we can get the tune plus the words in people's heads.

Knowing the tune plus the words are the two preconditions to singing a song. Then all you need is enough brave people to start singing in the stands as well as the ends...

You see how the process goes? But words and tune need to be known widely before anything else, and having a basic group of no more than half a dozen good songs is how that will work best.

Don't they print them in "the loose cannon"

 

[bikinigirl]

Don't they print them in "the loose cannon"

. copies of the loose cannon are limited ... and many people do not have the time or inclination to read every item contained therein whilst at, or preferably before, the game

. the biggest issue that people not in the bay have is that they don't even know which tune goes with which words and when they are sung in the bay the words are not clearly audible throughout the ground. this may cause confusion, uncertainty and an excuse to not get involved

. this is why the simple chants and the march are important to get people involved ... everything becomes much clearer and therefore much easier to participate ... if not practically compulsory to join in