Skinner
Coach
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True this
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Serc said:
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...s-nathan-tinkler/story-e6frexnr-1226009709075I want Wayne Bennett, reveals Nathan Tinkler
- EXCLUSIVE by Paul Crawley
- From: The Daily Telegraph
- February 22, 2011 12:00AM
Source: The Daily Telegraph
JUST hours after withdrawing his offer to buy the Newcastle Knights, mining magnate Nathan Tinkler issued a highly charged message to Knights fans that indicated his fight for the club is a long way from over.
In an explosive interview with The Daily Telegraph, Tinkler admitted for the first time he did call Cronulla's Kade Snowden last week and that he advised the former Newcastle Knights junior not to sign a contract until the end of the season.
Tinkler also confirmed his interest in Bulldogs sensation Jamal Idris - and backed himself as the man who could lure supercoach Wayne Bennett to the Knights.
"I think I could be very persuasive with him [Bennett]," Tinkler said.
On Idris, he said: "Show me a coach who doesn't want Idris and I will show you a liar."The Knights are in crisis with members last night gathering at a Newcastle pub - furious that the club's dithering has chased Tinkler's money away.
SOME people have suggested Newcastle chairman Robbie Tew and CEO Steve Burraston are simply trying to save their own necks rather than do what's best for the Knights. How do you see it?
They are playing real-life fantasy league. They do not keep their board informed and they are the only two people who make decisions at the club. It is not a community club. I was proposing this transaction for the benefit of the Newcastle community. We are involved in a range of other community projects with groups who are keen to work with us and we will devote our attention towards them in future.
Have you given up on taking over the Knights? Will you ever walk away from the club?
My offer has been rejected. I have not walked away but the Knights' proposal is not capable of acceptance. There are plenty of other charities and sporting groups that appreciate our support and will benefit from this. We look forward to working with them.
Is it now up to the members to get rid of the board?
That is not my call.
You said previously you could not understand how a city that exports 40 per cent of the state's wealth still struggles to finance a footy team. You said it was incomprehensible, not exactly a ringing endorsement for the current management structure. Can you comprehend the negative campaign Tew and Burraston appear to have mounted against your takeover bid?
It has been disappointing but the Knights have a long tradition of not being able to help themselves. I believe the community deserves better.
Are you sick of dealing with them?
They appear to be solely focused on disaster scenarios. I am surprised they dare go outside.
What has been the most frustrating aspect for you during this whole process?
The lack of commercial awareness and the poor advice the Knights are being given. This transaction has proven to be beyond them and their legal advisers as we have seen from their statements.
Do you feel there have been deliberate hurdles to block your deal?
Messrs Tew and Burraston appear to be the only ones involved in any decision-making process. Everyone else is in the dark. I am certain they knew their proposed changes to our offer of assistance were not capable of being accepted. This scenario has gone to plan for them.
Do you think their constant questions are in the best interests of the club?
I believe our offer would be accepted by nearly any other NRL club. It was an offer that I wanted the community and members to see as very good value and guaranteeing the future and success of the club for the region. My mistake was probably not guaranteeing Tew's and Burraston's future involvement at the club.
Why do you want to be involved in the Knights?
The Knights are a massive part of the fabric of Newcastle. I believe the community deserves to have a strong competitive club that is well managed and capable of winning premierships - not struggling to survive with the aim of making the semi-finals. To play for the Knights and be involved with the club should be considered a privilege. I think you only get that from developing junior talent and this management has not given our community much to cheer about, on or off the paddock.
What do you say to claims you haven't been open and honest in the offer you have made to the members?
I am very comfortable with the conduct of myself and my team. The best interests of the Newcastle community have always been at the top of our agenda. Clearly, offering to underwrite club sponsorship, develop junior talent and ploughing all profits from the club back into its junior development is not good enough for these guys.
Would you back yourself to turn the Knights into an NRL super club if you were given the green light?
Absolutely. The Knights need to rid themselves of their cannibalistic culture of infighting and struggling. It's not a happy club and that culture needs to be reinvigorated. There is a reason we can't attract talent to the club under its current management.
Kade Snowden. Did you ring him last week to talk about returning to Newcastle? Have you spoken to him at all?
Yes I did. I didn't tell anyone. I don't need permission to use a phone and local talent should always be first priority. I believe he will be the best prop in the game for the next five years, and as a local talent he belongs in Newcastle. Kade would sweat for the blue and red like Chief, Sarge, Butts and other great front-rowers for the Knights. I don't believe kids grow up aspiring to play outside their local NRL team, so he should return home and play for the Knights.
Was an offer ever made on your behalf?
No. I just asked, what's the hurry? I didn't realise he was being pushed to sign a new deal and had no clue the Knights had walked away from signing him. Kade should wait till the end of the year. His price is only going up.
Would you like to see him back at Newcastle?
All Knights supporters should. It would scare all clubs for us to get Kade back because it would give us an enforcer again. We haven't had one since Craig Smith retired but we can produce one. The Chief, Sarge, Butts were all great hard men for Newcastle who the community still honour today. Kade is of that ilk and can be that for Newcastle for the next five to six years.
Is your vision to have as many home-grown players back playing for the Knights?
Absolutely. Name me the last local player to come through the Newcastle competition or Group 19, Group 21 or Group 3? We even let talent like Inglis, Idris and co escape. We have established a strong culture of beating ourselves when it comes to developing talent. Andrew Johns playing reserve grade straight out of school might have been pushed out of the club under this management. Kade Snowden was playing front row in first-grade at 19 and they still couldn't keep him? One of the only guys to move on, why? Because he could attract another club. The Knights get left with the rest and that's why we struggle.
Can you understand why Newcastle's current board would want it any other way?
Winning is a culture - you either have it or you don't. They don't.
What about Jamal Idris. Would you like to see him in Knights colours?
Show me an NRL coach that doesn't want Idris and I will show you a liar.
There has also been speculation you'd like Wayne Bennett on board. True or false?
Who wouldn't? Any coach needs cattle and I would not be confident Wayne would take this squad on. He is a master coach and a master at identifying talent. You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear though and while coaching the likes of Kurt Gidley must be appealing to him, I am not sure he would be attracted to the current roster. Why take that on when you are a legend of the game whose legacy will be talked about for generations and you have your pick of nearly any club in the competition? Having said that, I think I could be very persuasive with him!
I read recently that Russell Crowe had actually advised you against trying to get involved with an NRL club. Do you wish you had taken his advice?
His advice to not get involved was personal but, like Russell, my offer was an act of community and about giving something back. Russell and his management team have made a really positive difference to that club and that community and they should be congratulated. They don't have a premiership yet but they are already winning.
Would you like to meet face to face with the fans and the members to explain your proposal?
I have met with many already. Unfortunately, members can't accept the offer unless it is proposed by the board. I think we have wasted enough time. I think the whole thing is very unfortunate. Let's get on with running 10th! Looking forward to the season.
How do you respond to claims by Tew that your final offer to buy the club was a "pale imitation" of the $100 million bid initially proposed last month? Tew also claimed you had moved the goalposts before withdrawing the offer to buy out the club.
The Tinkler Group has responded to the claims of Newcastle Knights chairman Rob Tew. We stand by the $10 million per year commitment in sponsorship and corporate hospitality guaranteed over 10 years to the club as presented last month. There have been no material variations to the offer and it is now clear that Mr Tew did not understand the original offer. As we presented to the board, TSG was prepared to underwrite the difference between the annual sponsorship of the club each year and the $10 million each year. Our offer and guarantee make no mention of membership or ticketing revenue. It is unfortunate Mr Tew has sought to misrepresent our offer and indicates he is not interested or capable of determining the value of our proposed commitment.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/a-city-divided-by-knight-power-passion/story-fn6bmf48-1226012267205A city divided by Knight power, passion
- Paul Crawley
- February 26, 2011 12:00AM
Negotiation: Newcastle Knights CEO Steve Burraston (left) and chairman Rob Tew. Picture: Robert McKell. Source: The Daily Telegraph
OLD mates in Muswellbrook say the big bloke's best asset as a footballer was "he had plenty of ticker". Nathan Tinkler was never going to be the Newcastle Knights' next Chief Harragon.
He had guts, though, and was likeable.
Gary Harris, the elder brother of champion jockey Wayne Harris, has lived in Muswellbrook his entire life.
Back in his youth Gary was a golden gloves boxing champion who knew a thing or two about ticker.
He says he remembers big Nathan well.
How did he go as a footballer, we asked?
"Had plenty of ticker," Harris said.
That was back when Australia's richest man under 40 was an electrician - who lived up from the hockey fields in Muswellbrook - and used to run by Harris's squash courts for a game and a chat.
"I never knew how smart he was, we didn't talk business," Harris recalled.
"He used to play squash and we'd sit down afterwards and have a beer and talk sport. He loved his footy, loved racing and loved the punt... absolutely loved the punt."
One day the local electrician took the punt of his life - and got lucky. Kind of like Jed Clampett in The Beverly Hillbillies.
The story goes Tinkler borrowed $500,000 in 2006 with his old man and bought himself a mine. By 2008, Tinkler was up $440 million. By the middle of last year, the mining magnate's wealth had grown to $600 million.
Today, big Nathan has already hit the $1 billion mark - and counting.
John Singleton reckons Tinkler has the potential to be the greatest Australian of all time. Seriously, Singo likens him to a young Lang Hancock. Which goes to show, ticker can get you a long way in life if you're prepared to back yourself.
It brings us to Newcastle this week - and the question everyone's asking.
How on Earth did the Newcastle Knights board almost stuff up this deal of a lifetime?
Tinkler loves everything Newcastle, wants to buy the Knights, wants to bring home-grown talent back to the club, players like Kade Snowden and Jamal Idris.
He has proven success in sport with a $200 million racing empire - and at the Newcastle Jets, Tinkler's money has turned a disaster into a dream. He had the cash and contacts to bring David Beckham's LA Galaxy to town, and has now secured the services of Socceroo star Jason Culina.
So why were the Knights trying to push him away - what on Earth is the problem?
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THE problem is this. Newcastle chairman Robbie Tew loves the Knights every bit as much as Tinkler - in a different way, though. Tew's been portrayed as the evil villain in this campaign, but the fact is he has devoted the best part of two decades to the club and what it stands for.
He does good deeds every day of his life, friends say, that never make the newspapers.
Tew is not about self-promotion. They say he is about integrity, honesty and decency.
Where Tinkler backed himself to make Newcastle an NRL powerhouse, Tew couldn't - and wouldn't - accept any offer without guarantees. As chairman, his job was to ask questions. Demand answers.
Which is why the Knights are now on the verge of taking up this third and revised deal that should secure the club's future forever.
No, Tew's name doesn't resonate through league circles like Newcastle greats Harragon, Butterfield and Johns, all Tinkler supporters. But talk to anyone who knows Tew well and they will tell you he is a man to be trusted - and his character has been shortchanged.
While Tew doesn't have Tinkler's billion, he is successful enough to own an acreage in Newcastle on the back of his work as a real estate valuer.
Tew was actually a handy five-eighth in his day and played in the Knights' very first game against Parramatta in 1988, marking up against the brilliant Brett Kenny.
He kicked the only two goals for Newcastle in that 28-4 loss.
He also coached under-19s and 21s - and was David Waite's assistant first-grade coach for the back end of 1991.
He actually coached Andrew Johns in his very first grade game in 1992.
Back in the early years at the club, the Knights established a creed that stands to this day: Be a player others want to play with.
Tew's mates say it sums up the man. A man who has now been made to look like a goat during a media-savvy campaign orchestrated by the same gurus who helped push Russell Crowe to power at Souths.
If you remember in that episode, Rabbitohs legend George Piggins played the evil villain.
They say every war needs an enemy.
But to say the chairman was only attempting to save his own neck by standing in the way of Tinkler's takeover goes against everything he stands for in life, mates add.
"The position as chairman doesn't come with a salary," one said to me yesterday.
It's why this tale has no villains - or at least shouldn't.
Both men say they wanted what's best for the club - and because of both the club is now standing at the doorstep of this deal of a lifetime. Where Tinkler played hardball, Tew stood his ground. He called Tinkler's bluff, a brave move when you play poker against a billionaire. The fact that Tinkler came back suggests Tew isn't the dill some took him for.
Perhaps it's a lesson for all at the club as they prepare for a new era under Nathan Tinkler's reign.
Chances are, Tew's days as chairman are numbered. But should he be remembered as the bloke who almost butchered the Tinkler deal - or the man who helped to guarantee the Knights' future?
Remember, Tinkler's guarantee is all he wanted. "I'm like the majority of members, I have a strong affection for the place," Tew told us this week. "I love the environment I live in ... we've got a large acreage here and it's in the middle of town, you can't do that anywhere else. And I've got an affection for the club like any other member. But I am sitting in a position with my fellow directors where it's appropriate that we be careful."
WHILE Tew chooses words with caution, Tinkler's campaign has resembled the bull at the gate. He saw opportunity, and charged. He wanted Newcastle yesterday.
When Tew put up barriers, Tinkler got cranky. In an interview with The Daily Telegraph this week, Tinkler was asked if he would back himself to turn the Knights into an NRL super club if his deal was given the green light.
"Absolutely," he said.
But what caused great concern in that same interview was Tinkler's admission that he had made that phone call to former Knights junior Snowden without the club's permission.
In the same interview, Tinkler also gave the club's current roster a stiff backhand, which apparently left heads hanging on the eve of the new season. Depending on who you talk to, Tinkler is either the best bloke in the world or a bully with a quick temper.
It was reported he told one journalist last year: "You're a f...ing deadbeat, people like me don't bother with f...ing you. You climb out of your bed every morning for your pathetic hundred grand a year. Good luck."
In racing circles, you hear similar stories.
They either love him or get the hell out of his way.
Since Tinkler first bulldozed his way into the turf world back in 2007, where he spent something like $15 million at New Zealand's Karaka yearling sale to announce his arrival, he has unloaded $200 million-plus to build up his Patinack Farm racing empire.
Yet in a few short years he's also gone through about six trainers.
There are those at the Knights who will tell you his comments in our interview had some players wondering what future they will have when Tinkler takes power.
The fact is the reason the Knights pulled the pin on Snowden originally was that they had run out of money under the salary cap, following Chris Houston's return.
The club had a moral and legal obligation to take Houston back - and when Evarn Tuimavave took up his option for another year at the club, the Knights had no money left to go after Snowden.
Tinkler saw it differently, though.
"I don't need permission to use a phone," he said in our interview, "and local talent should always be first priority."
No wonder some players are nervous. Especially if they don't hail from the Hunter.
But that is also a big part of Tinkler's charm. Like Jack Newton told us this week, he just wants to get back the club that Brian Smith tore apart.
"This board, on the main, has been in for the last two terms, so the last eight years," Newton said. "I blame them for allowing Brian Smith to come in here and put us in a situation now where there is a mad rush on to try and buy your own player back that has been punted.
"So they have to take some responsibility and that includes Steve Burraston and Robbie Tew."
The argument has divided the community.
Even at the Katara touch footy this week a difference of opinion ended up in some push and shove.
It seems inevitable Tew and Burraston will be casualties in the takeover.
Burraston's supporters also believe he's been poorly portrayed in these negotiations. Isn't this the deal of a lifetime?
But Burraston's name is mud to many.
Already there is talk Tony Butterfield will be the Knights' next CEO.
What's certain is whoever coaches the Knights next season will either have to say yes well - or be strong enough to tell a man worth $1 billion to pull his head in.
Tinkler makes no secret of the fact he'd like Wayne Bennett as coach.
He told us this week: "I think I could be very persuasive with him."
But how do you think Bennett would have copped the Kade Snowden admission?
Or the attack on his players as they prepare for a new season?
It makes you wonder if this deal of a lifetime should come with a packet of Panadol.
Yet if you ask the bloke who used to play squash with big Nathan back in Muswellbrook, it's a no-brainer.
"Newcastle would be mad to turn their back on him," Harris said.
"The thing I always remember about him was his passion for sport ... that's a good thing, isn't it?"
