This could kill us, Its Incomprehensible

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conanu

Bencher
I was writing this post on a membership thread but I thought it needed its own post.

This is such a mess. Do management realise the damage they have done to this club? It feels like a in-house Super League war. Management's scorched earth approach and absolute zero communication with fans other than to tell half truths and spin, is beyond comprehension. I don't want to go over old ground again but it is important to highlight just how ridiculous this clubs situation has become and I am not sure management realise the damage they are doing. The alternative is that our management know exactly what they are doing and that is what scares the crap out of me.

Since the Penn's takeover we have seen a political like machine very similar to the recent government take over our club. Knee jerk reactions, Media shut outs other than spoon fed propaganda, policy on the run and Bozo is apparently making crazy captains calls left right and centre..

Penn said he would re-sign our halves by christmas and we all know how that turned out.
Then they insult our intelligence by inserting fluff pieces about a pie in the sky Brookie Upgrade in the paper.
Every veteran player bar Matt Ballin wanted a release but are now happy to stay??
Kelly said Tooves was safe Penn contradicted him and we all know how that turned out.
Fans wanted Ballin re-signed so they re-signed him to keep fans happy for a minute and then months later he is told to go?
Sacked all bar one member of the greatest coaching staff of the past decade, and all this after we threatened to kill Des Hasler for trying to take them to the Dogs, So Penn decided to send them all packing.
They blamed Toovey for not re-signing Glen Stewart then when he became a free agent they didn't sign him either.
Insert Brookie Upgrade fluff piece again
Fans wanted Turbos and Gutho re-signed so they signed them to keep us happy then Gutho told to go to our arch rivals that have already poached half our team.

We now have a situation where die hard fans are so frustrated with the club they love, that the only way they know how to protest and get through to management is to withhold money for memberships and potentially force the club to go broke. It just doesn't add up. If Barrett loses the first few rounds there will barely be a soul at Brookie and the pressure on him will be enormous. I don't think any rookie coach will have ever had as much external pressure as what Barrett will face. I genuinely feel sorry for him as he won't know what hit him.

People say Rugby League is a business these days. But I have never seen a business that wants to grow and improve, be happy to watch its loyal customers get frustrated, discouraged and walk away to the point where they may never return. For management to play a high stakes game and risk it all on an untested new manager and support team that may or may not deliver.

Actually I can remember a time when that happened, It was when Apple sacked Steve Jobs and later went broke because they destroyed the culture. The only other time I have seen this type of corporate shenanigans happen is when a company wants to buy out a rival company and destroy it to gain a larger market share. But I cant figure out why the Penn's would want to do that because it makes no sense.

So that leaves us fans where we are right now. If we don't renew our memberships it may send a signal to the top that we aren't happy. But it is entirely possible the club may go broke in the process and the Penn's may sell the NRL licence to another franchise like the bad news Bears in order to re-coup their cash. Unfortunately they will be able to turn to us all and say, "Well it is a business decision and there just isn't enough support for the Manly Sea Eagles to be a going concern". They will walk away un-scathed and we will all be left wanting to burn them to the ground. The NRL won't give a rats because they would rather us gone and have a larger Central Coast fan base it won't matter to them or the Penns as it is just a business.

This whole saga is very sad, scary and also very in-comprehensible.

For god sake Scott Penn I beg you, plead with you. Explain to us what the hell is your "Grand Plan" for our club. Not bright and colourful pictures of Brookvale in 2089 but the here and now plan. Explain it to us devoid of political spin, propaganda and blame for previous owners. Just give it to us straight, We can take it. We handled the Northern Eagles so this is a cakewalk. Tell us what is your plan? What makes you think it will work? Why was it necessary to scorch the earth? And what do you need from us to make it a success?.

We want to love you Scott and we want to give you the kudos you deserve for chipping in your cash, but we need you to be up front and honest with us and communicate effectively with us. We are jaded lately because we can't trust anyone anymore. Unfortunately blokes like Rupert Murdoch and Nathan Tinkler have left us with little faith in big business and sport. Pull everyone together, Fan's and Management, so that we can indeed be "Stronger Together" and take on the sporting world as one unit. Come on Scott be the man we all need and want you to be. Show us how the Penn Era will be better than the Delmege era and all the others.

Because at the moment its a bloody mess. It looks as dodgy as a handyman with an Irish accent looking for money upfront to tarmac the driveway.
 
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The Penns have a right to run the club their way. I do not dispute this but surely after all the bloodshed we need a healing process.

The club has been battered from pillar to post internally and the sad thing is played out in the media where leaks are so common and that is really disappointing.

The current dispute over our home ground is merely a bluff about the bigger picture if it is viable for Manly to stay at Brookvale long term.

The lack of communication coming from the Penn camp is the worst thing for me. Joe Kelly seems to be anonymous and we need a leader who is out there and pushing our cause. There has been no announcement about whom our major sponsor is for 2016 and that is needed.

The club moved on from Toovey and have installed a rookie coach. They will live or die by that decision. I want to give Barrett a fair go and allow him to build the team that he wants. He has much work to do and what I really want to see from the club is a signal that they want to secure all of our key junior players from the Holden cup before the vultures swoop in.

The Penns promised an end to the dysfunction and now there words need to become reality and that is what we are all waiting to see!
 
The Penns were very public in their negative assessments of Max Delmege, Quantum, the FC board, Toovey's coaching and the Council in they way the above acted in their business lives and what they did in and around the club.
Now the Penns have total control the perception is they are behaving worse than all of the above. There is no honest communication. STRONGER TOGETHER is a lie it is rubbing our face in their DIVIDE AND CONQUER philosophy. When your enemy thinks you are behaving poorly and with no respect that should sound alarm bells. The Penns offend me everyday that I think about them and as a true supporter that is quite often.
 
I was writing this post on a membership thread but I thought it needed its own post.

This is such a mess. Do management realise the damage they have done to this club? It feels like a in-house Super League war. Management's scorched earth approach and absolute zero communication with fans other than to tell half truths, spin and lies, is beyond comprehension. I don't want to go over old ground again but it is important to highlight just how ridiculous this clubs situation is, and I am not sure management realise the damage they are doing. Or management know exactly what they are doing and that is what scares the crap out of me.

Since the Penn's takeover we have seen a political like machine very similar to the last government take over our club. Knee jerk reactions, Media shut outs other than spoon fed propaganda, policy on the run and Bozo is apparently making crazy captains calls left right and centre..

Penn said he will re-sign halves by christmas and we all know how that turned out.
Insert fluff piece about Brookie Upgrade in the paper.
Every veteran player bar Ballin wanted a release but are now happy to stay??
Kelly said Tooves was safe you contradicted him and we all know how that turned out
Fans wanted Ballin re-signed so we re-signed him to keep fans happy for a minute and then months later he is told to go?
Sacked all bar one member of the greatest coaching staff of the past decade, and all this after we threatened to kill Des Hasler for trying to take them to the Dogs. Penn sent them all packing.
They blamed Toovey for not re-signing Glen Stewart then when he became a free agent they didn't sign him either.
Insert Brookie Upgrade fluff piece again
Fans wanted Turbos and Gutho re-signed = Signed to keep us happy then Gutho told to go?

We now have a situation where die hard fans that are so frustrated with the club they love, that the only way they know how to protest and get through to management is to withhold money for memberships and potentially force the club to go broke. It just doesn't add up. If Barrett loses the first few rounds there will barely be a soul at Brookie and the pressure on him will be enormous. I don't think any rookie coach will have ever had as much external pressure as what Barrett will face. I genuinely feel sorry for him as he won't know what hit him.

People say Rugby League is a business these days. But I have never seen a business that wants to improve, be happy to watch its loyal customers get frustrated, discouraged and walk away to the point where they may never return. For management to play a high stakes game and risk it all on an untested new manager that may or may not deliver. Actually I can remember a time when that happened, It was when Apple sacked Steve Jobs and later went broke because they destroyed the culture. The only other time I have seen this type of corporate shenanigans happen is when a company wants to buy out a rival company and destroy it to gain larger market share. But I cant figure out why the Penn's would want to do that because it makes no sense.

So that leaves us fans where we are right now. If we don't renew our memberships it may send a signal to the top that we aren't happy. But it is entirely possible the club may go broke in the process and the Penn's may sell the NRL licence to another franchise like The bad news Bears in order to re-coup their cash and they will be able to turn to us all and say, "Well it is a business decision and there just isn't enough support for the Manly Sea Eagles to be a going concern". They will walk away un-scathed and we will all be left wanting to burn them to the ground. The NRL won't give a rats because they would rather us gone and it won't matter to them or the Penns as it is just a business.

This whole saga is very sad, scary and also very in-comprehensible.

For god sake Scott Penn I beg you, plead with you. Explain to us what the hell is your "Grand Plan" for our club. Not bright and colourful pictures of Brookvale in 2089 but here and now. Explain it to us devoid of political spin and propaganda and just give it to us straight. What is your plan? What makes you think it will work? Why was it necessary to scorch the earth? And what do you need from us to make it a success?. We want to love you Scott and we want to give you the kudos you deserve for chipping in your cash, but we need you to be up front and honest with us and communicate effectively with us. Pull everyone Fan's and Management together so that we can indeed be "Stronger Together" and take on the world as one unit. Come on Scott be the man we all need and want you to be. Show us how the Penn Era will be better than the Delmege era and all the others.

Because at the moment its a bloody mess. It looks as dodgy as a handyman with an Irish accent looking for money upfront to tarmac the driveway.
 
I wonder what the Penn lovers , FC Haters on here think now?

I've spent much of my 7 years as a member and probably 1/3 of my 11500 posts defending the FC and suggesting the " one ownership " model was terribly flawed, only to be continuously shot down in flames by said members of this forum.

I won't name them, they know who they are and so do most of the long standing members.

But yes I'm wondering at how their blind faith is going these days.
 
Does the FC have any actual power within the current structure?
The FC holds the preference share which stipulates that the MSE Franchise must play as Manly, wearing maroon & white and host 10 home games at Brookie. All these can only be changed by a 75% vote of the Financial (for 3 consecutive years) Footy Club Members.

They also have a vote on the Franchise CEO appointment and the Budget (exceeding forecast by 15%) of the Franchise.
 
But the Question is Mark. Are we going to let these slimy pricks beat us and kill our Club

No way, fight to the death !!

But as the original post suggests withholding funds may in fact have a negative affect , we don't want them going broke do we ( and thus become a Newcastle or Gold Coast).

Maybe a petition might work??
 
I wonder what the Penn lovers , FC Haters on here think now?

I've spent much of my 7 years as a member and probably 1/3 of my 11500 posts defending the FC and suggesting the " one ownership " model was terribly flawed, only to be continuously shot down in flames by said members of this forum.

Even with 2 private owners there was nothing to prevent one owner buying out the other. Which is what occurred.

As you know I am an FC member but I am a tad bemused at the pennic (thanks C&C) on show here currently.

It seems the departure of Mr Gutherson has tipped some over the edge. Don’t quite see the emergency myself, I think we are looking pretty good for next year!
 
Gutho as an isolated case I can deal with, Unfortunately it is one of the final straws on the camels back. I know this post may be seen as Penn bashing. However that is not my intention. My intention is to plead with Scott Penn to show us the plan for our future and be our fearless leader. I want to have the same kind of faith in Scott Penn that I did in Des Hasler. Even when we lost back in the Des days I blindly thought it was part of his plan. Such was my faith in Des. I am happy to get behind the Penns 100%, In fact I want to get behind them 100%. I understand sometimes hard calls need to be made, I think we all understand that. Unfortunately from an outsider looking in, there doesnt seem to be any real plan other than to smash the place and our albeit dysfunctional but winning culture to the ground and start again. That might make sense at a rubbish club that has lost its soul & coming last with a real problem like Newcastle. But from where I stand we werent in that position. I will be renewing my own membership, because I cannot live with the prospect that the club could die if we don't. I think we just need Scott Penn to step up and be our leader, cometh the hour and all that.
 
I don't Agree when we lose Our Younger Players this is a Concern. They are our Future. We don't spend all this time and Money to see them kicked to the curb . Dean Whare for instance. We should be Looking after the Future Not the Past. I would of rathered kept Gutherson than Get Lussick back.. Robbing peter to pay paul.
 
My intention is to plead with Scott Penn to show us the plan for our future and be our fearless leader. I want to have the same kind of faith in Scott Penn that I did in Des Hasler.

Since when did Hasler announce his plan to fans? He never did. Fans grew to trust his judgment because he improved our results and we could see progress.


Unfortunately from an outsider looking in, there doesnt seem to be any real plan other than to smash the place and our albeit dysfunctional but winning culture to the ground and start again. That might make sense at a rubbish club that has lost its soul & coming last with a real problem like Newcastle. But from where I stand we werent in that position

That is exactly the position we were in. We were running dead last for a big chunk of season 2015. You may not have thought Manly had “a real problem” but you would be in the distinct minority in that regard.

I am no Penn-lover but I recommend waiting to see what happens next year before leaping off The Gap.
 
Let's take a quick look into the facts.

Marquee player # 1: Wanted to go play for a coach elsewhere.
Marquee player # 2: Happy to be at another club and happy to play for someone now.
Marquee player # 3: Openly shopping around other clubs.

This was all under the ex-coach.

I believe if we kept Tooves we would not have acquired many new players, and would lose more existing marquee players (including DCE) to the point where in 2016 coming ninth would be a dream season. We would be on a club rebuild similar to Wests - a decade in the wilderness.

Sure, the Penns have lost the PR battle but letting go a stubborn club legend was never going to be easy. They had a lot to juggle including a core player group used to excelling and being challenged. This season they ran out a bit flat and slow, and spent most of the season at the spoon end.

Consider too that Toovey was not shafted. He is getting payed out in full - a whole years pay for no work. Wouldn't you like that?

The Penns must now ride the sword. In 2016 a top four finish will have vindicated their actions. Missing the playoffs will be a fail, and coming 5-8 just so-so.

I am looking forward to the fresh start and to see what they can achieve.

Manly forever!
 
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I don't Agree when we lose Our Younger Players this is a Concern. They are our Future. We don't spend all this time and Money to see them kicked to the curb . Dean Whare for instance. We should be Looking after the Future Not the Past. I would of rathered kept Gutherson than Get Lussick back.. Robbing peter to pay paul.
Whare wanted to leave, he wanted to be a first grade centre and had no chance at Manly. You want to keep players who don't want to be here?

You'd rather we kept Gutherson than get Lussick? Great plan, more reserve backs, who needs forwards anyway?
 
Whare wanted to leave, he wanted to be a first grade centre and had no chance at Manly. You want to keep players who don't want to be here?

You'd rather we kept Gutherson than get Lussick? Great plan, more reserve backs, who needs forwards anyway?

If Lussick is the only Forward we can get then the future is looking like **** at attracting players to our Club. You are obviously more educated than me and played the Game for over 25 years.
 
Team P W L PD Pts
3 3 0 48 6
4 3 1 28 6
3 2 1 10 6
4 2 2 39 4
3 2 1 28 4
3 2 1 15 4
3 2 1 14 4
2 1 1 13 4
2 1 1 6 4
3 2 1 -3 4
3 1 2 0 2
3 1 2 -5 2
3 1 2 -15 2
3 1 2 -22 2
3 1 2 -36 2
2 0 2 -56 2
3 0 3 -64 0
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