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Random Tigers articles from the media

Ron's_Mate

Bench
Messages
4,037
Jason Taylor has been sacked as Wests Tigers coach and this time Robbie Farah can't be blamed
Andrew Webster
Published: March 20, 2017 - 8:59PM

This time, they can't blame Robbie Farah.

Eight months ago, Jason Taylor decided it was time to ungraciously push the Tigers captain and club legend out the door, out of Concord and over the edge of the cliff.

"I believe we're going to be better with Robbie not in the team," Taylor told reporters, chest puffed out, emboldened by the support of the Tigers board. "We've got too many cooks spoiling the broth in regards to the cohesion of our team."

Taylor has every right to determine the squad he coaches and he was bang on, too … as the 46-6 loss to the Raiders on Sunday and the 36-2 loss to Penrith the Sunday before that clearly showed.

Imagine if they had the NSW hooker – the hooker the club is still paying $750,000 to play elsewhere – on the field? Could've been a disaster.

When the news broke just after lunch on Monday that the Tigers board had unexpectedly sacked Taylor just three matches into the season, the first person many weary fans thought about was Farah.

He wasn't answering his phone but those close to him say he was hardly skipping around his new home at Redfern Oval singing Ding Dong! The Witch is Dead!

Farah played his 250th match on Saturday but it wasn't for the Tigers, his beloved club, but South Sydney. Understandably, he was left feeling hollow by Taylor's sacking.

All that heartache, all that BS, that defiant can of beer sitting up there beneath the old scoreboard at Leichhardt Oval … and for what?

So, in the absence of Farah, fingers had to be pointed elsewhere for Taylor's sudden demise and many of them were being pointed at leading player manager Isaac Moses.

He manages the so-called Big Four – captain and prop Aaron Woods, fullback James Tedesco, five-eighth Mitchell Moses, halfback Luke Brooks – and they all come off contract this year. Indeed, another masterstroke from the club: having your top four players coming off contract at the one time. Pure genius.

Two weeks ago, on NRL 360, Woods threw out a line about wanting some certainty around Taylor – who was also coming off contract this year - before re-signing and the media pounced on it like dobermans, as they should.

Moses also represents Todd Payten, who is an assistant at the Cowboys but also the successful former under-20s coach at the Tigers who many of the players adore and respect and many wanted as coach after Mick Potter was sacked.

He is also the player manager club bosses loathe but players respect because of his ability to screw out every last cent for them. He represents some of the biggest names in the game, headed by Kangaroos captain Cameron Smith, and is close to NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg from their days working at ANZ Stadium.

The suspicion is that Moses is holding a gun to the head of the Tigers' board, trying to work out what's best for all of his clients and for him. I've never known a player manager to do any different.

He refused to comment when contacted on Monday so he couldn't shed any light on his position but surely the Tigers board or whoever is in charge of signing players there are watching the same game as the rest of us.

Because if they are watching the same game, they should see that Woods is a bankable forward worthy of a contract befitting a NSW Origin captain of the future. They should also see that Tedesco is the NSW fullback of the future, although one who is injury-prone.

And if they are really watching the same game as the rest of us they will see that Moses and Brooks are boys playing against men.

Potential and promise is one thing, and that comes with a handy price tag.

But playing finals footy, winning finals footy, playing in rep sides is another thing altogether and neither have achieved any of that to be demanding salaries over $500,000 a season.

So, if Issac Moses isn't to blame for this disaster at the Wests Tigers, then who is?

Maybe the coach, who was sacked as Souths coach following his infamous Karate Kid impression in front of David Fa'alogo during Mad Monday celebrations.

He came to Concord and promised to bring a hard defensive edge to the side. The last two matches speak for themselves, although in fairness he had to deal with a Tim Simona gambling saga he never saw coming.

When the disgraced centre revealed in The Sunday Telegraph that he'd been snorting cocaine with teammates during Mad Monday celebrations, it rocked the squad on the day of the match against Penrith.

If Taylor isn't entirely to blame, then, perhaps it's chief executive Justin Pascoe.

Early into his tenure at the Tigers, Pascoe was warned about the pitfalls of keeping Taylor. Promises were made about ensuring Farah would be safe; that he'd be treated with respect.

As the deplorable events of last season unfolded, and Farah was told on the eve of his 250th match that he was being dispatched to NSW Cup, Pascoe fell silent.

"We're not going to allow this organisation to drift again," Pascoe declare at a media conference late on Monday.

Drift? The Tigers went out with the tide months ago.

The chief executive, though, is answerable to a board, and on that count it must surely be time for change.

It's understood the club is now paying about $1.2 million for players and coaches who are no longer there: $750,000 to Farah, about $200,000 for Curtis Sironen and now $250,000 for Taylor.

The Tigers have now sacked three coaches in five years. They fell for Taylor's spell, chose him over a club legend on the promise of change, and have now decided to sack him after just three matches.

If the conspiracy theorists are correct, and they've sacked a coach and sided with a player manager in a desperate bid to keep their biggest names, it will go down as the most sickening display from a board in recent history.

So maybe the people at the very top are to blame. And, for a change, they can't blame it on Robbie Farah.

This story was found at: http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...bie-farah-cant-be-blamed-20170320-gv2bv1.html
 

Ron's_Mate

Bench
Messages
4,037
Wests Tigers chief Justin Pascoe confirms Jason Taylor had lost support of playing group
Michael Chammas
Published: March 20, 2017 - 9:45PM

At a cafe inside Wests-Ashfield Leagues club on Monday afternoon, Aaron Woods met with interim Tigers coach Andrew Webster to mark the beginning of a new era at the joint venture.

Inside the same building that saw the Tigers draw an end to the Jason Taylor regime earlier that day, the captain, coach and head of football, Kelly Egan, gathered in an attempt to resurrect what for the past two weeks had looked like a sinking ship.

But, for Taylor, the writing was on the wall in the nation's capital the day before. The face of chief executive Justin Pascoe and chair Marina Go after the match said it all. The 40-point shellacking was the final straw for a club that felt its players just weren't putting in enough for the coach.

The board was left with two choices – either flick the coach or tell Aaron Woods, James Tedesco, Luke Brooks and Mitchell Moses to look elsewhere. They came to the conclusion the coach had lost the support of the playing group.

"I think we observed around the organisation and certainly reflected in the performance that that might have been the case," Pascoe said when asked if Taylor had lost the players.

After several phone calls on Sunday night, the board decided there was only one choice. Taylor was summoned to Wests-Ashfield to hear the news of his demise, before the NRL squad was called to the Leagues club to put them all on notice.

"It's really important to understand as an organisation we're here to make some tough decisions," Pascoe said. "Those tough decisions are aimed at making sure this organisation is put in the best position to move forward. We felt the performance of the team this year – we're not going to sit here and allow this organisation to drift again and miss out on the finals. It has been since 2011 now.

"We're focused and unapologetic that we're going to make these tough decisions. Those last two games were both performances that were unacceptable to this organisation and again showed to us that the improvement we hoped for was not there."

All that now remains is to secure the services of the big four. And despite a strong suggestion Taylor's exit will ensure they remain in Tigertown, club bosses insist the two issues are not related.

"This is a completely separate issue," Pascoe said. "We have had no conversations, as I said two weeks ago, in relation to the big four. Players play, the coaches coach and we administer. That's as simple as it is. We have had no discussion with the players in regard to the coach. This is a performance based decision made by the board and myself."

This story was found at: http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket...support-of-playing-group-20170320-gv2gwr.html
 

Ron's_Mate

Bench
Messages
4,037
Ivan Cleary, Todd Payten head the list as Wests Tigers start hunt for coach to replace axed Jason Taylor
Michael Chammas
Published: March 20, 2017 - 9:03PM

The Wests Tigers believe they can re-sign the big four without knowing who will coach the club next season, as Ivan Cleary firms as the favourite to replace Jason Taylor.

Within an hour of their decision to axe Taylor, the club received four calls from agents putting forward the names of their clients. But the Tigers insist the job is interim coach Andrew Webster's to lose at this stage.

Although the Tigers are backing Webster, who coached Mitchell Moses and Luke Brooks through the grades, they will also begin a six-week search that is set to see Todd Payten's name come up alongside former Penrith coach Cleary and even Dogs boss Des Hasler.

The two-time premiership-winner is off contract at Belmore and has the runs on the board over a long period of time. However, the Tigers, who are still paying Robbie Farah $700,000, would need to decide if they can afford his services.

Payten has the backing of the playing group, having forged a strong bond with them during his time at the club before he joined North Queensland as an assistant. He was, however, overlooked as Mick Potter's successor and didn't leave the club on the best of terms — which could work against him.

Still, Payten does have one possible advantage in that his manager, Isaac Moses, is also the agent of star quartet Aaron Woods, James Tedesco, Brooks and Moses. But Fairfax Media understands the club is reluctant to increase Moses' influence at the Tigers given the perception he has held them to ransom over the future of the big four.

"If any coach, whether it's Todd Payten, Ivan Cleary or anyone else, wants to put their hat in the ring, we'll entertain that within the process," chief executive Justin Pascoe said.

"Andrew would be a part of that mix. We hold Andrew in the highest regard. He's certainly a part of that mix and he's got the opportunity now and it lies with him."

While Woods has previously indicated he wants to know who will be running the side in 2018 before he commits to a deal, Pascoe doesn't believe that is going to be a stumbling block and insists the players won't be consulted.

"No. It's a really clear point — the players do not decide who coaches this organisation," Pascoe said. "There's no defined timeline. We'll follow a formal process and whenever that process comes to a conclusion we'll make everyone aware. There's no timeline — if it takes until the end of the year then it takes until the end of the year. We're more focused on making sure we find the right person for this job."

The Tigers hierarchy met the players after telling Taylor of their decision to sack him, asking them to start taking responsibility for their performances after a horror fortnight that resulted in 34- and 40-point losses to Penrith and Canberra respectively.

"The players have to take responsibility," chair Marina Go said. "We do as an organisation as well. From the board down, we all take responsibility for where we sit today. But the players — we had a conversation with the players this afternoon and they are taking this on board. They're not shying away from the fact they need to step up.

"We obviously had a conversation with Jason this afternoon and clearly he was disappointed — as you'd imagine he would be. It's very difficult news to receive and difficult to deliver. We obviously feel for him. Clearly he was disappointed."

This story was found at: http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...eplace-axed-jason-taylor-20170320-gv2g5w.html
 

BrotherJim05

Bench
Messages
3,401
lol, sorry but all I can do is laugh. Just when you thought this club couldn't get any more stupid...the most consistent thing about Wests Tigers is there ability to surprise you year on year with the level of stupidity. The worst part of this is that Farah was right all along. They pushed a club legend out the door because they believed he was trying to control the club...well maybe he saw that the ship was sinking and put the club above everything. What's done is done...another 3 years of rebuilding ahead.

There is one silver lining to all of this...just one. We have like 3-4 players contracted for next year (plus ET may be leaving). That's it. We also won't be paying anyone to play at another club. This means that whoever the new coach is can start with a clean slate and build the team they want from the get go.

I hope that we can sign the likes of Hasler. Imagine, Hasler with a clear salary cap and full control over his roster.
 

Tiger Ted

Bench
Messages
2,952
Yep great article & exemplifies what a f**king train wreck this club is confronting!

Isaac moses also being the manager of Payten is not good.Moses right now believes he holds all the aces.Its up to the board & Pascoe to grow some balls & show otherwise.If they sign Payten & the fraudster halves + woods on overs this club will b staring down the barrel of a gun !

Btw i can't believe we r also paying 200k for Siro to play @ manly.When is this bloody rot going to end.
 

BrotherJim05

Bench
Messages
3,401
and can we f**k off with this big 4 nonsense. Tedesco and Woods should be a priority but Brooks and Moses are completely unproven
 

Tiger Ted

Bench
Messages
2,952
lol, sorry but all I can do is laugh. Just when you thought this club couldn't get any more stupid...the most consistent thing about Wests Tigers is there ability to surprise you year on year with the level of stupidity. The worst part of this is that Farah was right all along. They pushed a club legend out the door because they believed he was trying to control the club...well maybe he saw that the ship was sinking and put the club above everything. What's done is done...another 3 years of rebuilding ahead.

There is one silver lining to all of this...just one. We have like 3-4 players contracted for next year (plus ET may be leaving). That's it. We also won't be paying anyone to play at another club. This means that whoever the new coach is can start with a clean slate and build the team they want from the get go.

I hope that we can sign the likes of Hasler. Imagine, Hasler with a clear salary cap and full control over his roster.
Hasler's appointment as coach MUST b a priority for the degenerate board & CEO.However I'm concerned these gutless parasites will submit to Isaac moses & comply with whatever this slimy prick demands !!
 
Messages
3,320
Being held to ransom and second guessing what to do next indicates what a rabble our board is,for the record the board should tell Moses considering our position on the ladder your clients are worth 'x' amount,if they don't like it try else where.
 

Tiger Ted

Bench
Messages
2,952
Being held to ransom and second guessing what to do next indicates what a rabble our board is,for the record the board should tell Moses considering our position on the ladder your clients are worth 'x' amount,if they don't like it try else where.
Geez I wish I was chairman as i know who would hold the bargaining chip when dealing with the parasitical salesmen/cousin of our egotistical & over-rated overpaid under-delivering nephew of dickhead brain dead backdoor !
 

Crazyperpman

Juniors
Messages
429

Great article, with 5 great questions:

How is the club at its cap ceiling?
Why is there zero depth at the club?
Why are all three sides being flogged?
Why did the club agree to have its ‘Big 2 and 2 passengers’ all come off contract at the same time?
Why did no one know about Tim Simona’s off-field antics?

If the board can come up with answers and provide a clear vision moving forward, they can stay. If theyjust change coach and hope for the best, the parasites can bugger off and find some other gravy train to leach off.
 

Tiger Woody

Juniors
Messages
1,630
Great article, with 5 great questions:

How is the club at its cap ceiling?
Why is there zero depth at the club?
Why are all three sides being flogged?
Why did the club agree to have its ‘Big 2 and 2 passengers’ all come off contract at the same time?
Why did no one know about Tim Simona’s off-field antics?

If the board can come up with answers and provide a clear vision moving forward, they can stay. If theyjust change coach and hope for the best, the parasites can bugger off and find some other gravy train to leach off.

Mate they knew about Lovett and Simona..
Thats why they were shopping them around before the shite hit the fan..
No coincidence there.
 

madunit

Super Moderator
Staff member
Messages
62,358
Mate they knew about Lovett and Simona..
Thats why they were shopping them around before the shite hit the fan..
No coincidence there.
Fully agree.

Instead of admitting they had failed in their duty of care for the players they tried to send them off and hope the dramas around them would go away.
 

Ron's_Mate

Bench
Messages
4,037
Wests Tigers to impose deadline on 'big four', as CEO declares 'we won't be held to ransom by anyone'
Adrian Proszenko
Published: March 25, 2017 - 10:00PM

Wests Tigers chief executive Justin Pascoe says the club will be imposing a deadline on its "big four" stars to re-sign with the club, declaring "we won't be held to ransom by anyone".

The Tigers have sacked coach Jason Taylor just three weeks into the season, the latest drama following the Tim Simona scandal and the controversial departure of fan favourite Robbie Farah last year.

Taylor's sacking will have implications on the futures of the club's four best players, the off-contract quartet of Mitchell Moses, James Tedesco, Luke Brooks and Aaron Woods. Those players are likely to wait for the appointment of a new head coach before deciding whether to remain at Concord or continue their careers elsewhere.

In a wide-ranging interview, Pascoe revealed the formulation of a "plan B" should the quartet depart, the reasons for punting Taylor so early in the season and why the club wouldn't have changed its decision to release Farah from his contract a year early.

D-DAY LOOMS FOR BIG FOUR

The Tigers tabled contract extensions for Brooks, Tedesco, Moses and Woods before the start of the season. But uncertainty over Taylor's tenure has been one of the reasons they remain unsigned.

Taylor has now been sacked and his replacement could be in place within a fortnight, giving all parties clarity on the issue. Yet if the Tigers' young stars continue to deliberate, the club will play hard ball and withdraw the offers while there are alternative options still on the open market.

"It's always club first," Pascoe said. "We're mindful of the time frame, as any club would be. We have to make sure we come to an agreement with their management at some stage sooner rather than later that we're either all here or not. We haven't discussed a time frame or timeline with their management at this stage. But it's recognised that we will have to put some time frames around it.

"It's our responsibility to have a plan B, it's as simple as that. And we've got plan Bs in place."

Pascoe stressed the preference was to ensure the big four remained Tigers for life.

"Internally, we don't reference them as the 'big four' – they are four players of a top 25," he said.

"I couldn't be more complimentary of each of those four players. They are terrific young men, they are highly talented and we value them and would obviously love them to stay at this club. We're doing everything in our power to make sure that happens."

Pascoe said the new coach would have input on the future of the quartet, should they not re-sign before his arrival.

"The coach needs to have an involvement in the retention and recruitment of players," he said. "It won't change in this instance either."


AGENT PROVOCATEUR

There have been concerns that player manager Isaac Moses wields too much influence at Wests Tigers. Moses manages the four young stars, interim coach Andrew Webster and a prospective head coach in Cowboys assistant Todd Payten. Moses is also close friends with Joe Wehbe, a mentor to the quartet who was sounded out about a permanent position on the Tigers staff.

Pascoe said no individual would be allowed to have undue influence over the club.

"I and the board won't allow this club to be held to ransom by anyone," Pascoe said.

"We are a strong club and our job is to build a winning culture for our supporters and players and to create that environment.

"We won't be held to ransom by anyone. From our perspective, we are having positive discussions with their management.

"The appointment of the coach is a decision we made as a club. If the players and management want to wait until a coach is appointed, that's their decision."

FARAH GONE … AND NOW SO IS TAYLOR

The Tigers back Taylor's decision to squeeze Farah out of the club … and then sacked Taylor just three games into the new season.

The Tigers – who are still paying $750,000 of Farah's wage to play at South Sydney – are now on the lookout for a new coach, with Ivan Cleary the favourite to take over. Pascoe defended the timing of Taylor's sacking.

"Firstly, it's not that we made a decision on three games – it's two-and-a-half years into a three-year contract," Pascoe said.

"This club has always been about making hard decisions to really ensure we have an environment where our supporters look forward to us playing finals football.

"The timing is never going to be perfect in these decision-making processes, but we wanted to give Jason full support over the off-season heading into this season. This season, as he was always aware, was performance based. We as an organisation believed there hadn't been improvement from last year.



"We will not let another season slide away or drift away again. The fact is, we have lost four of our last six games by over 30 points, so improvement was needed. We believed we weren't seeing that so we made a decision. It was a hard decision that will put this club into a better chance of playing finals football."

Asked if, in hindsight, Farah should have been retained, Pascoe said: "No. The Robbie Farah one and Jason Taylor one are totally separate issues.

"The decision to move Robbie on was a decision made last year, it's a list management decision. The decision to move Jason Taylor on was a performance decision based on where the team is."

BEST SPORTING ORGANISATION IN AUSTRALIA

The Tigers have made the finals just three times in 16 years, have churned through their third coach in five years and are still reeling from the Farah and Simona scandals. However, Pascoe is bullish about the club's aim of becoming the No.1 sporting franchise in Australian sport.

"Our intention is to play finals football this year, that's why we continue to make the hard decisions," he said. "Our intention is to play finals football every single year. This is a really unified board and we have a clear vision around making sure this becomes the best sporting organisation in Australia.

"We're not going to deviate from that vision. We've improved commercially over the past two years, we have record membership levels and our apparel value is the highest it's ever been.

"We continue to enrich the lives of many with the community work we do. We're not shying away from the fact we want to be the best sporting organisation in Australia."



NO BASKET CASE

The Tigers board, chair Marina Go and Pascoe himself have come under fire for Taylor's sacking and their handling of player contract negotiations.

"People who aren't within the organisation will have opinions on the decisions we're making," Pascoe said.

"We as an organisation are very confident we're making the right decisions. As a board, I can tell you in working closely with them, that it is operating in unity and only have one thing in mind and that's the best interests of the Wests Tigers.

"You need a level of resilience in this job and we are very comfortable that what we're doing internally is the right thing. We're not going to deviate from that vision."

This story was found at: http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...held-to-ransom-by-anyone-20170325-gv6cp6.html
 

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