Three cheers for Max

[Bill Hamilton]

I recently contacted Max Delmege and basically asked him what he thought of the club at the moment, I reflected that I am disappointed the direction the club has taken post Toovey, Max replied;

"Absolutely hurting. The club wants no part of what I did for them which also breaks my heart."

As a fan of nearly 50 years, we need the Max's of the world involved in our club and I for one are grateful for everything he did for the club. Three cheers for Max.

 

[manlyfan76]

If Max gets his due credit, then Penns contribution is diminished. Penns see themselves as the hero's

 

[MadMarcus]

No Max and there’s no 2008, no 2011 and no Manly. The fans will always remember and the Delmege jerseys will live on forever.

 

[bob dylan]

The Penn years could be be the most memorable.

If they are the last years.

 

[Supreme Leader]

Met and spoken to Max in a Manly and external capacity many times, always was approachable, took time out to chat, no rushing, took his time. I'm a Neville but he also had time for me. Truly a gentleman, and also his wife was awesome as well. Truly she probably was thinking, not him again? but never told to get lost.

Penn family response was why do I have to talk to you - who are you again.

There in also lies the culture of the club, Max had time, Penn family were elitist. Club now acts the same. It starts at the top and goes south.

 

[The Royal Soup]

Max forever


**** the Penns

 

[SwornEagle]

Penns have destroyed the club, like nothing I’ve seen before. From where the club was less than 10 years ago to today is pathetic.

 

[Wombat64]

Penns have destroyed the club, like nothing I’ve seen before. From where the club was less than 10 years ago to today is pathetic.

Totally. We've lost contact with our past, the results have been abysmal, the culture is deplorable and the future is not rosy. What they have done to us and how they have run the "business" has been beyond terrible. It seems the strategy is to deliberately run the club into the ground (like in that Baseball movie Major League) and then sell or move us.

 

[Freagle]

Totally. We've lost contact with our past, the results have been abysmal, the culture is deplorable and the future is not rosy. What they have done to us and how they have run the "business" has been beyond terrible. It seems the strategy is to deliberately run the club into the ground (like in that Baseball movie Major League) and then sell or move us.

I have to wonder...I certainly support the fact that we are being run down, but if they wanted to sell the club then presumably the better-performing it is, the more they can get for it? My take is that they are just not very good at it. Shame - the bottom line is that they are Manly fans, and "Daddy Penn" essentially bought the club because his kid really wanted it. And TBH, if I was in a position where my father had enough coin to buy Manly, I'd have it on top of my christmas list too...

Edit - and I agree, the part about 'losing touch with our past' is probably the most hurtful thing in all this. As soon as we cut off from the previous admin, and started cutting loose our club legends like Tooves, we started to lose our soul and our identity, and then we lost our way.

 

[Wombat64]

I have to wonder...I certainly support the fact that we are being run down, but if they wanted to sell the club then presumably the better-performing it is, the more they can get for it? My take is that they are just not very good at it. Shame - the bottom line is that they are Manly fans, and "Daddy Penn" essentially bought the club because his kid really wanted it. And TBH, if I was in a position where my father had enough coin to buy Manly, I'd have it on top of my christmas list too...

Edit - and I agree, the part about 'losing touch with our past' is probably the most hurtful thing in all this. As soon as we cut off from the previous admin, and started cutting loose our club legends like Tooves, we started to lose our soul and our identity, and then we lost our way.

Yeah, I understand what you are saying, I just don't get what the end game is then? It's almost not possible for an ownership group to have done a worse job than what they have done.

 

[manlyfan76]

Yeah, I understand what you are saying, I just don't get what the end game is then? It's almost not possible for an ownership group to have done a worse job than what they have done.

Pride, I feel is in the way of this club -our club-being run how it should.

 

[HappilyManly]

Max is the only one who came up with the bailout of the Northern Eagles

Max also helped create the ownership structure of FC, LC plus Owners. The Manly Heritage was integral to the 3 part ownership model

Sadly the LC Board was easily taken over due to the debt run up to keep Manly out of Super League

I hope we can maintan the Football Club seats on the Franchise Board and continue our 71+ years of history as a district football club

#ThanksMax

 

[anthonyb1965]

Yeah, I understand what you are saying, I just don't get what the end game is then? It's almost not possible for an ownership group to have done a worse job than what they have done.

I don't think they have been worse at all but have made decisions that has angered fans (ie; Toovey sacking) and on a whole, remained distant. We haven't been performing either so every little thing they do or don't do is magnified x 100.

The "infighting" before the Penn's took over was worse than the front office management that is around today. Hasler, shielded the players from most of this while digging us into a financial hole and at the same time, winning 2 premierships. I also don't recall much communication from the previous management but we were winning games then so in reality none of us fans cared that much.

From a business perspective, is the club in a better financial position today? I am not sure.
Did the Penn's buy Manly to ride the club into the ground? I don't think so.
Where did our club culture go? Snake, Skivvy, Killer, Nivea, Choc, Gifty, Princess etc can probably answer that easily. We only have the Turbo's, DCE and Jorge that experienced and bought into our "culture" from those players so I suspect it is very hard for 4 players out of 30 to keep it going in the same vein.

Just my thoughts.

 

[BOZO]

I recently contacted Max Delmege and basically asked him what he thought of the club at the moment, I reflected that I am disappointed the direction the club has taken post Toovey, Max replied;

"Absolutely hurting. The club wants no part of what I did for them which also breaks my heart."

As a fan of nearly 50 years, we need the Max's of the world involved in our club and I for one are grateful for everything he did for the club. Three cheers for Max.

Max is and will always remain a Manly Icon .
Max was the Messiah that saved our club and brought us back from the brink of extinction to our brilliant best with a historic record breaking grand final 40-nil win
Max will for ever have a place in our beloved Sea eagles history .
We will always remember Max . Lest we forget !!!

 

[tookey]

Max saved the club only for the Penns to destroy it

Very sad

 

[BOZO]

When the Penn's sell, will we all have fond memories of their time? I think not but then I guess we could get sold to someone worse? Are we better off being a perennial losing club owned by the Penn's? Isn't it good to be emotionally invested in a club that is a rich mans play thing????

I met the Penns and I met Max and I can tell you that they are all Passionate Manly men who put their money where their hearts are and that is with the Manly Sea eagles .
I am grateful and respect all of them

 

[anthonyb1965]

We will always remember Max . Lest we forget !!!
View attachment 8854

So now we are using a War Remembrance phrase for recognising achievements in owning a football team?

 

[Terry Zarsoff]

Max is the only one who came up with the bailout of the Northern Eagles

Max also helped create the ownership structure of FC, LC plus Owners. The Manly Heritage was integral to the 3 part ownership model

Sadly the LC Board was easily taken over due to the debt run up to keep Manly out of Super League

I hope we can maintan the Football Club seats on the Franchise Board and continue our 71+ years of history as a district football club

#ThanksMax

I believe it was Paul Cummins and the Penns that devised the ownership structure, not the other way around.

That is where all the bad blood germinated. We’ll never know for certain what might of happened if Delmege had simply remained a sponsor rather than a part owner.

 

[HappilyManly]

I believe it was Paul Cummins and the Penns that devised the ownership structure, not the other way around.

That is where all the bad blood germinated. We’ll never know for certain what might of happened if Delmege had simply remained a sponsor rather than a part owner.

https://www.thefanatics.com/sports.news.view.php?id=58410

Then
http://forums.leagueunlimited.com/threads/sponsor-buys-manly.74920/

As posted by SER in mightyeagles.com


Sponsor buys Manly
By Dean Ritchie
04jun04
MANLY last night voted to be privately owned - and are now ready to poach the game's elite and reclaim the title as rugby league's most hated club.

In a historic decision, football club members last night voted 162-10 in favour of selling 62.5 per cent of the club to property developer Max Delmege, also the club's major sponsor.

The deal is worth $3.5 million, with Manly also to receive $1million in sponsorship from Delmege and a further $1million leagues club grant.

That gives the Sea Eagles a $5.5 million war chest with which to go after marquee players, just as they did famously during the 1970s, 80s and 90s, earning the wrath of rival fans but plenty of premierships.

Off contract players such as Ben Kennedy, Ruben Wiki, Matt Orford and Canberra's Joel Monaghan will be in the Sea Eagles' sights.

Delmege will buy 3.5 million shares over the balance of 2004-2005. The Manly football club will have 2million shares with Penn Sport taking 100,000.

An additional 4.4 million shares will be available to members, supporters and investors.

Sea Eagles executive director Paul Cummins said his club was now ready to enter the player market with vigour and spend up to the NRL's $3.25 million salary cap for the first time in four years.

"After June 30, we will be in the market to obtain two or three blue chip players," Cummins said.

Cummins described Delmege as a soul saver.

Delmege added: "I'm very passionate about this club and want to see it get back to where it was, a very successful rugby league team."

To pass last night's motion, the club needed to obtain more than 75 per cent of the vote from football club members, but received 93 per cent of the vote.

Manly chairman Joe Cross said his club would have faced financial difficulties as early as the end of this year had the Delmege money not arrived.

Cross said the privatisation model represented a new beginning for the Sea Eagles.

"Unlike other models we looked at, this model not only secures our future, but gives us an opportunity to rebuild the football club into a powerful financial force through an expanded membership base," Cross said.

Manly will have seven directors - two appointed by the football club, two appointed by Delmege and two directors appointed by Manly Leagues Club.

An independent chairman will be appointed by the six directors

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

As posted by SER in mightyeagles.com

Must be one of my ancestors