the mariners rang

[JoyfulPenguin]

A minimum expectation is spending the entire salary cap, we get that for free from the FFA, which is paid for by fans like you and I through Foxtel. We haven't done that in the past and it is sounding like we won't spend the whole cap this coming season. We won't be competitive, which is a condition of our license and therefore existence, if we do not spend the salary cap and more.

 

[JoyfulPenguin]

I have and always will continue to support this club and have done so despite never seeing us win in person. Despite seeing us lose in person to a mid table NPL side. All I am saying by questioning whether a membership boycott is needed, not a boycott of support, is that our owner has to put us in a position where we can keep our licence and keep our position in the league. Because right now he isn't and the only thing he seems to care about is if it will cost him more money. If it costs him more money to not invest than to invest surely he would listen to that?

 

[Ancient Mariner]

I

I have and always will continue to support this club and have done so despite never seeing us win in person. Despite seeing us lose in person to a mid table NPL side. All I am saying by questioning whether a membership boycott is needed, not a boycott of support, is that our owner has to put us in a position where we can keep our licence and keep our position in the league. Because right now he isn't and the only thing he seems to care about is if it will cost him more money. If it costs him more money to not invest than to invest surely he would listen to that?

You seem to miss the point that if the licence is suspended, Charlesworth will lose the Club (his licence, not ours), his initial investment and all the millions he has wasted keeping the Club alive.
If fans walk away, there will come a point where he (and/or the FFA or whatever the Aleague controlling body turns out to be) realise that keeping a club on the Central Coast is not a viable option.

 

[JoyfulPenguin]

I

You seem to miss the point that if the licence is suspended, Charlesworth will lose the Club (his licence, not ours), his initial investment and all the millions he has wasted keeping the Club alive.
If fans walk away, there will come a point where he (and/or the FFA or whatever the Aleague controlling body turns out to be) realise that keeping a club on the Central Coast is not a viable option.

I haven't missed the point, Nikou would give the license to an expansion club not us, if Charlesworth is stripped of the license. The FFA have said that they won't take control of us.

 

[NoDiggity]

This will probably get some dislikes but so be it. I will renew every year no matter what the club serves up. I love being a part of the mariners and even though we lose so many games the experience of attending a top flight game so close to home is such a privilege. Even the last years when we’ve been shit, I still enjoy and get excited for home games. My kids love it and we are pretty lucky that the players walk around and hi-5 and chat to all fans. Pretty special imo.

 

[BrisRecky]

Well, us Recks are re-signing , were clearly insane, keep doing the same thing expecting a different result

 

[FFC Mariner]

I'll go because I want to be there when we either:
a) fold
b) turn it around
I expect to hate every second as our NPL side + 4 dodgy imports limps to 11th and Trajcic is sacked in March and Monty takes over and promises a complete clear out

 

[MagpieMariner]

I got the phone call today and I declined to renew at this stage. I certainly won't renew my platinum regardless, but if I get encouragement from what's said at the fan forum (even though it seems they've learned from our politicians) and then some good signings, I'll buy a GA membership. This is not trying to punish management for not investing to the full, it's just that I want to get value from my disposal income. The last few seasons I haven't had that. For the record I've had a membership since season 4, I only started following in season 3, but enough is enough. I'll still come to some of the home matches if I don't get a membership, but not all.

 

[true believer]

A membership boycott is certainly an effective way to hasten the demise of the Central Coast Mariners.
If you support a club you support it, simple.
Anyone who is threatening to not renew their membership gets zero respect from me.
Not renewing for whatever reason makes it that little bit harder for the Club to pull itself out of the shit.
Passing the buck to Charlesworth is just a way of copping out.
The Club is more than just the owner.
I want supporters like Wombat, Middie and FP beside me in the trenches.
End of rant.

be my guest at pickett's charge . with the pikey leading you .
what can go wrong .

 

[rbakersmith]

A membership boycott is certainly an effective way to hasten the demise of the Central Coast Mariners.
If you support a club you support it, simple.
Anyone who is threatening to not renew their membership gets zero respect from me.

I find comments like this unhelpful at best, and insulting at worst.

I've been supporting this club in one form or another since the first season. I was at the SFS for our first GF against SFC, and again when we beat the Wanderers and lifted the toilet seat; I've travelled interstate to watch the team play, and I've also frozen my butt off in a stadium in the suburbs of Tokyo watching the team play in the ACL.

I've been a member of the club for most of this decade, and a platinum member for the last six seasons. For each of those seasons I've lived away from the Central Coast, and for the last season and a bit I've lived in Wollongong - meaning that attending home games is a 7-8 hour effort.

Given the absolute dross that the club has served up over the last several years, I think it's entirely appropriate that I consider my financial commitment to the club. Why should I keep forking out hundreds of dollars a year and travel thousands of kilometres to attend home games if the owner and management group can't be arsed putting forward a team that is capable of getting into the top 6 in a 10/11-team competition?

On our current form, my game day experience would be much better - and cheaper - if I stayed at home, paid $25/month for Kayo and dropped back to a non-ticketed membership. If @Shaun Mielekamp and Mike Charlesworth want to continue getting my platinum $$$, they need to put forward a team of players and staff that can get into the finals.

 

[FFC Mariner]

I find comments like this unhelpful at best, and insulting at worst.

I've been supporting this club in one form or another since the first season. I was at the SFS for our first GF against SFC, and again when we beat the Wanderers and lifted the toilet seat; I've travelled interstate to watch the team play, and I've also frozen my butt off in a stadium in the suburbs of Tokyo watching the team play in the ACL.

I've been a member of the club for most of this decade, and a platinum member for the last six seasons. For each of those seasons I've lived away from the Central Coast, and for the last season and a bit I've lived in Wollongong - meaning that attending home games is a 7-8 hour effort.

Given the absolute dross that the club has served up over the last several years, I think it's entirely appropriate that I consider my financial commitment to the club. Why should I keep forking out hundreds of dollars a year and travel thousands of kilometres to attend home games if the owner and management group can't be arsed putting forward a team that is capable of getting into the top 6 in a 10/11-team competition?

On our current form, my game day experience would be much better - and cheaper - if I stayed at home, paid $25/month for Kayo and dropped back to a non-ticketed membership. If @Shaun Mielekamp and Mike Charlesworth want to continue getting my platinum $$$, they need to put forward a team of players and staff that can get into the finals.

Great post.
There is no right or wrong here.
I started this season going with 5 other long term rusted on members, it's quite possible that only 2 of us will be left after they way the club was run this season.
That no one is held accountable is why it keeps happening.
People need to decide for themselves.

 

[nebakke]

A membership boycott is certainly an effective way to hasten the demise of the Central Coast Mariners.
If you support a club you support it, simple.
Anyone who is threatening to not renew their membership gets zero respect from me.
Not renewing for whatever reason makes it that little bit harder for the Club to pull itself out of the shit.
Passing the buck to Charlesworth is just a way of copping out.
The Club is more than just the owner.
I want supporters like Wombat, Middie and FP beside me in the trenches.
End of rant.

Clearly signing up again and suffering through the season isn't doing the trick, so it seems the only way to make ourselves understood is not to sign up again... Fortunately for me, I'll get by without your respect, but I struggle to see how your approach does anyone any good, given it's what we've been doing for four years and nothing's changed.
That doesn't mean that I intend to stop watching games on TV, or stop participating in discussions here, but for mine, your stance is blind and naive. The club has put itself in this situation, whether it's courtesy or Charlesworth or something else - fwiw I sit more in the camp that believes that Charlesworth genuinely wants us to succeed but just doesn't know how, than the one which believes that he's just looking for some realestate win.

We have triede talking to them, we have tried yelling at them, we have tilted at windmills in every way we could - to me this is the only action that I have left, because paying more money to the club doesn't seem to change anything.

 

[nebakke]

This will probably get some dislikes but so be it. I will renew every year no matter what the club serves up. I love being a part of the mariners and even though we lose so many games the experience of attending a top flight game so close to home is such a privilege. Even the last years when we’ve been shit, I still enjoy and get excited for home games. My kids love it and we are pretty lucky that the players walk around and hi-5 and chat to all fans. Pretty special imo.

Why in the world would it generate dislikes? I don't think anyone takes issue with anyone renewing - good for you, if you feel you're still getting value for your money - clearly you do.

 

[Ancient Mariner]

All I am pointing is that, not renewing will not help the situation.

Anybody who thinks falling memberships will convince him to invest more is dreaming.

If I were the owner I would be looking at how much I have invested, how much it is costing me each year and trying to work out whether it is time to cut my losses and return the licence.

The only people interested in buying the licence are those who want to relocate.

Having a championship winning side did not seem to solve the problem. The Club went severely into the red under Arnie.

Fewer renewals means more money has to be found to keep the Club afloat.

If your choice is to not to renew for whatever reason (financial, pissed off, bored, whatever) that is fine by me, but stop preaching that by not renewing as a protest will help things. It will not. That is where you lose my respect. Go by all means but do not encourage others to follow.

All fewer renewals will do is make owning the Central Coast Mariners a less desirable proposition, for the current owner, any future possible owner or any future investors.

It is akin to abusing the owner and then expecting him to waste more of his money for your enjoyment.

I am also amazed at how the loss of respect from me can upset and insult people.

 

[Antlion]

Thing is - member numbers have gone up each year for the last few years. While this happens surely MC can't see much value in doing anything particularly differently.
If numbers halt or go backwards then he'd realise it's time to pull the finger out (I well and truly hope he has realised this already!)

My hope, and the ideal situation, is that people who hesitate still go ahead and sign on once we see something worth signing for. That really does send the message:
* do nothing to fix things, or do the same old things, and you'll lose revenue
* do something worthwhile to fix things and the supporters will support financially

I do get the whole a fan is a fan not a customer thing.
But at the same time how arrogant can you be to think that you can trot out a sub-par product, allow it to get worse, and still expect people to line and pay the premium for it

 

[true believer]

I find comments like this unhelpful at best, and insulting at worst.

the current bag of shit we've been handed for the last 4 years elicits that type of reaction . it's not a time to hold grudges

On our current form, my game day experience would be much better - and cheaper - if I stayed at home, paid $25/month for Kayo and dropped back to a non-ticketed membership. If @Shaun Mielekamp and Mike Charlesworth want to continue getting my platinum $$$, they need to put forward a team of players and staff that can get into the finals.

christ ! i'd just like to see the pikey give two shits . phelan is arguably the greatest half arse effort from the most half arse owner in the A-league.
only palmer compares for utter ineptitude on display week in , week out .
coming last isn't the problem pikeys flaccid actions are .

 

[FFC Mariner]

Thing is - member numbers have gone up each year for the last few years. While this happens surely MC can't see much value in doing anything particularly differently.
If numbers halt or go backwards then he'd realise it's time to pull the finger out (I well and truly hope he has realised this already!)

My hope, and the ideal situation, is that people who hesitate still go ahead and sign on once we see something worth signing for. That really does send the message:
* do nothing to fix things, or do the same old things, and you'll lose revenue
* do something worthwhile to fix things and the supporters will support financially

I do get the whole a fan is a fan not a customer thing.
But at the same time how arrogant can you be to think that you can trot out a sub-par product, allow it to get worse, and still expect people to line and pay the premium for it

Counting 3 and 6 game memberships in the overall numbers will do that.

 

[nebakke]

Counting 3 and 6 game memberships in the overall numbers will do that.

That's not a new thing though - we used to have dogs and babies included as well

 

[nebakke]

All I am pointing is that, not renewing will not help the situation.

Anybody who thinks falling memberships will convince him to invest more is dreaming.

If it's not, nothing is - given that as already discussed, memberships have actually been increasing over the last couple of seasons. I'm entirely with Antlion on this - it's not like any of us are lost to the club, some good recruiting and potentially some useful pre-season results would likely do a lot to get us - well at least me - back.
Let me ask you though - if not renewing isn't the thing to do (apologies for the double-negative) - how do you propose we send a signal? And if it's something that's already been done, why do you believe that it'll change anything?

 

[Ancient Mariner]

If it's not, nothing is - given that as already discussed, memberships have actually been increasing over the last couple of seasons. I'm entirely with Antlion on this - it's not like any of us are lost to the club, some good recruiting and potentially some useful pre-season results would likely do a lot to get us - well at least me - back.
Let me ask you though - if not renewing isn't the thing to do (apologies for the double-negative) - how do you propose we send a signal? And if it's something that's already been done, why do you believe that it'll change anything?

Get involved.
Contact Shaun direct rather than politely telling a minion.
Hand out pitchforks and torches at Ettalong.