2014 to 2018 a decline of once great club and a story of fan disengagement

[Cameron]

No, the major trigger was Glenn Stewart’s departure and that decision was made by the a Quantum clique. The Foran & DCE contract sagas were a direct consequence of the Gifty debacle.

The thing that makes my blood boil. Is the current management including that old fool peters jumped up and down and blamed Toovey and the other owners for the way Glenn was treated in 2014. Yet 2 years on in 2016 they did the same thing to his brother Brett. That in my opinion was unforgivable.

 

[Tragic Eagle]

Well said brother keep your head high we will get our club back and be proud once again.

Not whilst Barrett is coach!

 

[cherry_poppins]

No, the major trigger was Glenn Stewart’s departure and that decision was made by the a Quantum clique. The Foran & DCE contract sagas were a direct consequence of the Gifty debacle.

Foran left football the day Gifty got let go

He's been **** ever since

 

[HK_Eagle]

I must say... the state of the game, our club and our team is at such a point I also feel disillusioned and disengaged. Our once proud culture feels not much more than a sentimental myth carried on by us long term supporters. Politics and the commercialisation of footy teams as sanitised PC products to be sold to growing markets, leave me completely disbelieving in what I once identified with as the "Manly spirit". It is getting to the point where I have to consider the worth of investing my time and passion into this hollow shell.

 

[HoldenV8]

I have been saying for quite a while now that if someone like Hugh Jackman came along and bought the club from the Penn's and they were no longer involved.....I'd be celebrating.

Ever since they took over as sole or majority owners of this club we have gone from one off-field crisis to another. They have been nothing but trouble for this club since 2014.

Don't get me wrong, I know without their money we might not have a club right now. But I won't ever be sorry to see the back of them.

 

[bob dylan]

I blame Penn 100%.

Like my mate Neil Young said "it's better to burn out than fade away".

 

[HK_Eagle]

I have been saying for quite a while now that if someone like Hugh Jackman came along and bought the club from the Penn's and they were no longer involved.....I'd be celebrating.

Ever since they took over as sole or majority owners of this club we have gone from one off-field crisis to another. They have been nothing but trouble for this club since 2014.

Don't get me wrong, I know without their money we might not have a club right now. But I won't ever be sorry to see the back of them.

Yeah, but at what point does it stop being a club we love and identify with? If I consider my life long narratives about what Manly means to me... and probably many others on here, are we really that anymore? We accepted and embraced adversity in our history because it fuelled great success on the field. In fact, it made the successes even greater and something we could pride ourselves on. Powerful stuff. What happens when we continue to manufacture adversity, but stop using it as fuel to perform?

 

[HoldenV8]

Someone needs to tell Taupau that you don’t win premierships with drop balls and silly penalties

Someone needs to ban Marty from being interviewed full stop.

Last year he said in the media he wanted to average 200+ metres per game. The very week he said that his form started dropping and he rarely (if at all) reached 200 again for the year.

This year he comes out and says we will win the premiership after a win in round 2. We've gone 1-4 since then and only beat a team that was at that point running second last. And today we got thumped by a team that had not yet won a game this year.

He said he wants to use his brain more than muscle. Well Marty.....time to shut up and muscle up.

 

[simon64]

I will be tipping Newcastle next week.

I'm glad that I'm the MC at my cousin's wedding while the game is on so I won't be tempted to watch it. I can't watch any more inept displays.

Where is their pride ? Have a go you f***in' mugs.

 

[Chuck]

No, the major trigger was Glenn Stewart’s departure and that decision was made by the a Quantum clique. The Foran & DCE contract sagas were a direct consequence of the Gifty debacle.

Same same.

 

[Harvies elbow]

It's just a natural cycle that after a term of long serving players age, the next established roster takes 5 - 10 years to manifest.

Been through a few of these since the mid 70s.
Still have nightmares about 89

Hard to watch the constant roster changes in the meantime

I agree HM that we have been through these times before but this time there is one major difference.
We are no longer a club but a privately owned franchise.
And though mistakes and poor decisions were made back then there were people on those boards and commitees with enough football nous to know how to fix it.
We quite obviously don't have those people anymore and Penn is massively out of his depth.

 

[Cameron]

I agree HM that we have been through these times before but this time there is one major difference.
We are no longer a club but a privately owned franchise.
And though mistakes and poor decisions were made back then there were people on those boards and commitees with enough football nous to know how to fix it.
We quite obviously don't have those people anymore and Penn is massively out of his depth.

I was hoping Gorman is the answer it’s only early days but the blokes gonna have to make some big calls

 

[sheridanstand78]

The decline began when on that Monday night before we played Saints at Kogarah, knowing that a win would take us four points clear and Whatmough announced on the evening news that four players wanted out, the togetherness that was the glue of our famous side came unstuck after that night and we were never quite the same in 2014 and we have struggled ever since. We have seen a change of ownership but even deeper divisions, a plethora of CEOS coming and going, unprecedented player turn over, making bad decisions about player retention, we have been a dysfunctional rabble at times and we are at a low ebb now and the only way out is accountability and bloody hard work. It is in times of adversity that you see leaders emerge, right now we have a vacuum of this and the next month or so will give us a good idea of who is committed? and who is not?!!

 

[Harvies elbow]

I was hoping Gorman is the answer it’s only early days but the blokes gonna have to make some big calls

And that's the thing I don't get mate.
Is he allowed to or is he just a bean counter and sponsor getter?
Penn seems to do the talking that other CEO's do. ( is Lyall the CEO or some other title).
I don't know if Gorman makes any decisions.
I'm lost with how the place works.
But it doesn't seem to be a normal CEO structure to me.

 

[Frogz]

And also under Penns watch,the disintegration of the Football Club. The pompus pr1ck even giving out his own life memberships. The place is farked and the team is as well.

 

[Frogz]

And that's the thing I don't get mate.
Is he allowed to or is he just a bean counter and sponsor getter?
Penn seems to do the talking that other CEO's do. ( is Lyall the CEO or some other title).
I don't know if Gorman makes any decisions.
I'm lost with how the place works.
But it doesn't seem to be a normal CEO structure to me.

who the fark is Gorman, I have not sighted him

 

[simon_eagle]

Great post. The rot started late in 2014. With a little over a month to go before the finals, we were on track to win our first minor premiership since 1997. Then bang! Players wanted out and the whole mood changed overnight.

 

[Harvies elbow]

who the fark is Gorman, I have not sighted him

The Penn's might've taken him fishing.

Underbelly style....

 

[winnyason]

Look the rot started in 2014. Everyone ****ing knows this. Its how we get out of it.
From 1999 to lets be honest 2006 we where in rebuild and a basket case. From 88 premiership side we made finals until 99 bar 93 won a comp and played in 3 gfs.
Under barrett we are in year 3 and to be honest bar a hot patch we got us in finals in 17, we looked terrible.
The coach is a rookie making rookie errors croker, walker at 6, nate myles, letting go of blake green.
He not the right coach and i beleive this hastings issue has fractured squad.
We in for some tough years ahead by no means do i see any champion qualities in this current group bar prob jake.

 

[court83]

I will be tipping Newcastle next week.

I'm glad that I'm the MC at my cousin's wedding while the game is on so I won't be tempted to watch it. I can't watch any more inept displays.

Where is their pride ? Have a go you f***in' mugs.

well, Pearce missing the nxt 4 months may help us next week. Still sad, we need to rely on opposition key players being injured to have a shot at winning games