the mariners rang

[Wombat]

Great post Ancient. Nailed it.

You can’t fairly blame anyone from opting out after the past years, but I think you’re definitely reading the situation correctly. If you still love the Mariners, personally I just don’t think there is a viable alternative but to support them until they can either turn it around or we fold.

I think there’s been a lot of heat (deservedly) directed at the club from fans, and the podcast imo has done a great job of holding the club to account also. But the needle on the dial hasn’t moved noticeably in response. Why? Because I don’t think it’s wilful belligerence or a lack of care that’s responsible for our situation.

There have been plenty of mistakes that we can’t afford to make for sure, but clearly the main differential is $$. So I don’t think ditching our memberships will alter the trajectory because I don’t think the biggest lever that is determining our success, $, are being withheld out of pettiness or spite.

Could we have a richer owner? Undoubtedly. Would spending 20 mill a year make us consistently competitive? I’m pretty bloody sure it would. But we’re a small regional Club. And our owner is not a mining magnate.

So I don’t see anything changing our fortunes consistently until someone who is happy to spend a chunk of change buying a precariously balanced club and then lose well in excess of a million a year can be found.

The other option is to try and spend just enough and get pretty much every single thing right when it comes to recruitment and coaching and then punch way above your weight. And then do this as often as you can while you build support and infrastructure. I think that was the plan. But funds have been too small, resources too stretched, resulting in too many corners cut or important work undone, and our recruitment and coaches have dismally failed.

So what do you do... hope for an oil baron while you knuckle down and keep on trying to get a low budget model to work that is competitive and sustainable enough to try and build off the back of I guess...

I ‘think’ that’s the agenda, but it’s a hell of a gig. So as a fan, what do you do?

Say enough of this shit, good luck but I’m out. Or just strap in for the ride and hope the club can turn it around.

FP,

Are you related to Churchill?
I'm willing to re-sign right now even though i know c**tsworth will f**k me over again.

 

[VicMariner]

The introduction of VAR did enormous damage to football imho and the FFA have done more to turn me away from Aussie football more than any other factor, and CCM's downward spiral has just added more to the corpse of the reborn Oz football.
I will probably renew my membership for next season but only out of misguided loyalty. Charlesworth does not seem to care about this club and it is difficult not to agree with him.

There are a lot of great people on this forum and i'm so sorry you guys and gals don't get the club you deserve.

 

[pjennings]

This.

Lawrie is the only person who has shown himself able to get a low budget competitive model not just functioning, but close to thriving.

JP, I think that there has been a lot of pressure put on the club to change and spend. I don’t think it’s gone unnoticed. Unfixed. Yes. But not unnoticed, which leads me to believe they can’t pull the requisite levers we would like and worse, may be essential to keeping us competitive.

Money money money eh...

I’m hoping Staj in combination with a proper Australian based football director, can pull off what only Lawrie has managed for us in the past.

As much as I like Lawrie part of his genius was in pulling in old contacts for the first squad. Imagine if you will pre-season cup form uninjured Disco Nik with that first season squad. I would have backed that squad with a fit Mrdja to win the double in the first year. That squad also nearly had Milligan. The original agreement was 80% of the cap would be funded by the grant but for years the cap moved with only marginal movement of the grant. By the time Arnie took over a lot of the Lawrie players from that first squad had moved on. At the same time the PFA had forced the cap up without the compensating grant from the FFA. Lawrie's last time was quite poor (historically poor at the time).
Arnie came in and brought in some players (some that would become club legends) into the senior squad like Daniel McBreen, Joshua Rose, Patrick Zwaanswijk, Rostyn Griffiths, Patricio Pérez, Oliver Bozanic, Michael McGlinchey, Trent Sainsbury, Mathew Ryan & Mustafa Amini. Simply put - the HAL had moved past Lawrie as a manager.

The other part of his genius was community engagement. By the time he left the club (not as manager) a large part of the community engagement had already been blown as Arnie tried to make us more professional.

 

[Forum Phoenix]

FP,

Are you related to Churchill?
I'm willing to re-sign right now even though i know c**tsworth will f**k me over again.

I wish.

Man I’ve always loved this line...

“I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I will be sober and you will still be ugly.”

 

[Forum Phoenix]

The introduction of VAR did enormous damage to football imho and the FFA have done more to turn me away from Aussie football more than any other factor, and CCM's downward spiral has just added more to the corpse of the reborn Oz football.
I will probably renew my membership for next season but only out of misguided loyalty. Charlesworth does not seem to care about this club and it is difficult not to agree with him.

There are a lot of great people on this forum and i'm so sorry you guys and gals don't get the club you deserve.

Quality vic.

 

[Ancient Mariner]

I wish.

Man I’ve always loved this line...

“I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I will be sober and you will still be ugly.”

A quote often mistakenly referred to as being between Lady Astor and Churchill, but more correctly was between bessie Braddock and Churchill.

My favourite Churchill response was to Lady Astor when she stated "If you were my husband I would poison your tea". Churchill's response "If you were my wife I would drink it".

 

[pjennings]

Since we are going for political quotes my favourite Australia one is from Gough.

When Sir Winton Turnbull [who represented Mallee in Federal parliament], and was slow and ponderous speaker shouted the immortal words, "I am a Count–ry member". Gough interjected "I remember".

The House erupted into instantaneous mirth and loud applause from both sides as the clearly befuddled Sir Winton could not understand why, for the first time, he had got such a reaction.

 

[style_cafe]

Since we are going for political quotes my favourite Australia one is from Gough.

When Sir Winton Turnbull [who represented Mallee in Federal parliament], and was slow and ponderous speaker shouted the immortal words, "I am a Count–ry member". Gough interjected "I remember".

The House erupted into instantaneous mirth and loud applause from both sides as the clearly befuddled Sir Winton could not understand why, for the first time, he had got such a reaction.

That`s my favourite too....

 

[Ancient Mariner]

Pretty sure it was Fred Daley, not Gough.

 

[Forum Phoenix]

A quote often mistakenly referred to as being between Lady Astor and Churchill, but more correctly was between bessie Braddock and Churchill.

My favourite Churchill response was to Lady Astor when she stated "If you were my husband I would poison your tea". Churchill's response "If you were my wife I would drink it".

I hadn’t heard that one. Crying, so good.

 

[MagpieMariner]

Pretty sure it was Fred Daley, not Gough.

Sounds more like Fred. Loved his slogan in his first campaign: "Give us this day our Daly Fred."

 

[pjennings]

Pretty sure it was Fred Daley, not Gough.

That's what I had always thought when I was younger. Gough claims it though. Maybe it was a favourite story of Gough. Barry Cohen made a tidy living of Gough quotes and stories.

 

[SuperHans]

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

A club exists to win silverware, not to be a profitable business. Anyone who think owning a football club is a sound business decision needs his head read. Losing money while winning trophies is a normal part of this 'business', not an abnormal one.

 

[Ancient Mariner]

A club exists to win silverware, not to be a profitable business. Anyone who think owning a football club is a sound business decision needs his head read. Losing money while winning trophies is a normal part of this 'business', not an abnormal one.

Not being able to pay your bills leads to bankruptcy and extinction.

 

[SuperHans]

Not being able to pay your bills leads to bankruptcy and extinction.

I am not saying the club should go bankrupt, just that it is not unusual for successful clubs to be in the red.

They expect, accept, manage and live with debt. They also understand that it is the price for success on the football pitch.

Most football clubs operate in the red; they need to offer high wages to attract and retain high quality players. A team made up of high quality players will usually beat a team of inferior players, hence success with silverware. I’m sure this is no surprise for you, but have a look at the following too.

https://en.as.com/en/2017/01/13/football/1484312280_763896.html

 

[turbo]

Short of some benevolent super rich bloke with an attachment to the coast and football that's not really a viable path for us. Better to work out how we can perform within our means and then see if MC and sponsors are willing to put in some extra if we're coming in to a bit of a golden generation. It's got to be easier to sell a one off investment every now and again than bleeding six figure sums every season with little to show for it.

 

[SuperHans]

I think you are reading too much into the post.I'm not suggesting any solution. I am suggesting that debt is not an indicator of failure in football, and is often associated with success on the pitch.

 

[Ancient Mariner]

I think you are reading too much into the post.I'm not suggesting any solution. I am suggesting that debt is not an indicator of failure in football, and is often associated with success on the pitch.

It is only associated with success if you have an owner rich enough to underwrite that debt. I see no rich Arabs or Russians coming out of the woodwork willing to lose money on the Coast. Until that happens I am happy MC is good enough to keep us alive.

 

[SuperHans]

Oh, I agree debt needs to be managed. Charlesworth has had 6 years to do so. He's a big boy, he should have done his due diligence and had access to the clubs financial records before taking control.
So, 6 years hey? What’s he doing wrong?

 

[Ironbark]

Oh, I agree debt needs to be managed. Charlesworth has had 6 years to do so. He's a big boy, he should have done his due diligence and had access to the clubs financial records before taking control.
So, 6 years hey? What’s he doing wrong?

He keeps rolling the dice on gimmicks whilst tightening the belt. Hasn't paid off, but the league will be/is independent and the planning and spending this year appear to sensible. I *feel* like we have started to gain altitude from the very very bottom of the trough