Another billionaire wants to buy us...

[Newie is God's Country]

I feel the NRL's slow burn approach could strengthen his resolve but i do not see him getting outright ownership. Maybe a share of a club. WESTS are seemingly going to watch the 2015 season profits or losses before they decide to make their move.

 

[Whats Doing]

"While he remains interested in the Newcastle Knights, NRL chief Dave Smith has put up the “no sale” sign, privately telling colleagues the first priority is stabilising the club following the exit of boganaire Nathan Tinkler. The NRL does not dictate ownership structures for clubs, which have the final say on ownership matters."

Looks increasingly like the NRL are going to make us the poor cousin of the comp. Kourash is out here over Christmas and looks like making a play then. If he can't buy a club he is looking to buy shares in the Broncs. Other clubs he is interested are the Dragons and Titans

What a waste of money where it could be better spent on the knights.

 

[The Showstopper]

Seems contradictory doesn't it. The say no sale but do not dictate ownership structures. I think the NRL's stance on us is wrong. As an example Manchester City was owned by the crooked ex prime minister of Thailand only to have him be bought out by the obscenely rich Abu Dabi group and are now easily the most powerful sorts franchise in history. Point is the failure of one dickhead does not mean the next one, who has a proven track record as a brilliant businessman, is going to do the same thing. It is a joke their stance and I wonder if Koukash will explore his legal options.

 

[Baron Vo Mandor]

Maybe if he hadn't thrown his little baby boy temper tantrums at the fans and the players smith might not be so gun shy.

 

[Swarzey]

It's clear the NRL want to establish a board that will remain throughout any future private ownership ventures and want the club to be in a position where they can negotiate and stop any Tinkler-esque saga happening again. Yes, the likelihood of that happening with Koukash is slim to none, but it's still a possibility.

Is it frustrating? Of course. Do I want Koukash to buy the club? f**k yeah but the NRL is setting up a front office that the club is in dire need of and something have never had. Financially, Tinkler f**ked us over big time; we were broke for 3 weeks of the month. I don't think anyone understands the full scope of the task to fix the Knights, it isn't just implementing a new board, it's also cleaning up position after position as people working at the club were employed by HSG (Correct me If I'm wrong) from players to cleaners.

We're just not in a position to go back to private ownership. It would be unloading so, so much work onto anyone who takes us. I still believe we'll reap some benefits of being under the NRL whatever they may be, but it won't be anytime soon and people need to understand that. They're not trying to make Newcastle the slums of the NRL, they've just got bigger issues to fix and ensure Newcastle is still around for the foreseeable future.

 

[macavity]

It's clear the NRL want to establish a board that will remain throughout any future private ownership ventures and want the club to be in a position where they can negotiate and stop any Tinkler-esque saga happening again. Yes, the likelihood of that happening with Koukash is slim to none, but it's still a possibility.

Is it frustrating? Of course. Do I want Koukash to buy the club? f**k yeah but the NRL is setting up a front office that the club is in dire need of and something have never had. Financially, Tinkler f**ked us over big time; we were broke for 3 weeks of the month. I don't think anyone understands the full scope of the task to fix the Knights, it isn't just implementing a new board, it's also cleaning up position after position as people working at the club were employed by HSG (Correct me If I'm wrong) from players to cleaners.

We're just not in a position to go back to private ownership. It would be unloading so, so much work onto anyone who takes us. I still believe we'll reap some benefits of being under the NRL whatever they may be, but it won't be anytime soon and people need to understand that. They're not trying to make Newcastle the slums of the NRL, they've just got bigger issues to fix and ensure Newcastle is still around for the foreseeable future.

Disagree entirely - if they wanted us to be successful, they would be talking to Koukash. They don't want us to be successful, they want us to exist.

 

[Swarzey]

Disagree entirely - if they wanted us to be successful, they would be talking to Koukash. They don't want us to be successful, they want us to exist.

:lol:

Pathetic logic. If the NRL wanted us to exist rather than be successful, they would have thrown together a board with no f**king idea like they did with Wests. Pull your head out.

 

[Baron Vo Mandor]

Do you guys reckon if Koukash had of conducted himself with dignity and professionalism and class the NRL would have a problem with him.

Lets take the emotion out of it.

And remember his ridiculous tirade against the fans, the FANS for not rocking up like lemmings straight after a horror season.

Plus the absolute insanity of cancelling all after the season celebrations for a club that went from LAST to just missing the finals.

Yes or No?

 

[Spot On]

Yes, I agree somewhat.

If the NRL do want him involved Newy would almost have to be the best fit for him you would think. I can see both sides here - NRL's stance and the Knights fans like us - NRL doesn't want to have to clean up another mess and we want an ownership model that puts us in a powerful position both financially and on the paddock for years to come.

Surely the NRL and Koukash can belt out a mutually rewarding scenario.

 

[The Showstopper]

Marwan in town this coming fortnight. For the Melbourne Cup I presume. Buzz Rothfield is still adamant we are the club he is after and is looking to make the deal happen. He is not as resistant to it as he was with Tinkler. Fair play to Rothfield on Tinkler. He never wavered in his view Tinkler would end up nearly killing our club from day one. He was the first to reveal Tinkler's enormous gambling debts and his paper billionaire status even before the 2011 vote.

 

[macavity]

:lol:

Pathetic logic. If the NRL wanted us to exist rather than be successful, they would have thrown together a board with no f**king idea like they did with Wests. Pull your head out.

Wests and us are completely different scenarios.

And who is saying our board will have a clue? I worked closely with corporate types and politicos for a very long time, trust me - most of them don't have much clue, they are just good at talking shit and taking credit for other people's work. Don't be impressed by titles and fancy suits champ. Most of them trade on other people's money and ideas.

We are going to end up with a boys club (with a girl or two of course), just one from the top end of town rather than the playing sheds. Because that is what happens when these things are put together like this.

I will say it again. We aren't a fashionable club, we aren't a favoured club. We need to exist, but it is better for the NRL if other clubs are successful, and they know it. They have no incentive to make us successful on the park, only an incentive to make us break even off it.

 

[mozza91]

Yep. Our survival is imperative for the NRL because we're a Rugby League heartland and produce so many first graders. But they want success for the bigger Sydney based clubs and the Broncos. Us winning the comp wouldn't bring in the revenue or ratings that Souths, Parra or Brisbane would.

 

[Swarzey]

Wests and us are completely different scenarios.

And who is saying our board will have a clue? I worked closely with corporate types and politicos for a very long time, trust me - most of them don't have much clue, they are just good at talking shit and taking credit for other people's work. Don't be impressed by titles and fancy suits champ. Most of them trade on other people's money and ideas.

We are going to end up with a boys club (with a girl or two of course), just one from the top end of town rather than the playing sheds. Because that is what happens when these things are put together like this.

I will say it again. We aren't a fashionable club, we aren't a favoured club. We need to exist, but it is better for the NRL if other clubs are successful, and they know it. They have no incentive to make us successful on the park, only an incentive to make us break even off it.

That's the thing though, I'm not anticipating a board that's going to take the club in the right direction, but Wests had a board complied within weeks which suggests the process is a hell of a lot more thorough for us. I have to have some some faith that we're going to end up with competitive people running the club, it's better sitting here sulking and trying to convince myself that we're f**ked when it couldn't be further from the truth.

I'm actually fine with having people from Newcastle running the club, better than having suits from Sydney, Melbourne or whatever the f**k they're getting them from. As long as they have the right corporate knowledge and ability to make decisions to advance the club and turn a profit instead of running it into the ground; really, is there anything much better? The only thing Koukash would really be doing is making the life easier for the board and injecting enough money to throw about. No doubt that would be nice but what's the point in having money when you don't have the people with the right minds to make the most of it?

Really, we're only a handful of months into the new structure under the NRL and it isn't even complete, yet you're making it out to be the end of the world, that Newcastle are doomed till the day we collapse because we could perhaps miss out on a billionaire to bankroll us? f**king Christ. And through all of this, you haven't given me a reason to back up the logic that the NRL doesn't want us to succeed on the field. Nothing. There's absolutely nothing to suggest the NRL don't want Newcastle to succeed.

 

[Noname36]

Yep. Our survival is imperative for the NRL because we're a Rugby League heartland and produce so many first graders. But they want success for the bigger Sydney based clubs and the Broncos. Us winning the comp wouldn't bring in the revenue or ratings that Souths, Parra or Brisbane would.

Nail on the head.

They need us to exist so the area doesn't turn into a soccer/AFL heartland and so we don't stop producing talent for the rest of the comp. They also don't give a crap whether we can hold onto anyone we produce (hence why there still aren't measures in place to help the clubs that might not have access to third party money but actually produce the talent keep them).

 

[The Showstopper]

The draft is essential to stopping this practice. Exactly why the AFL is so strong across the board as the elite youth talents go to the lower end clubs AT THE TIME. A kid like Milford would be more likely to come here than Brisbane but could be traded for another elite player. Draft gives an emerging team serious bargaining power. This aside Marwan would make us a heavyweight in time. I have no doubt. The NRL are making excuses. Not doing business.

 

[Noname36]

Draft isn't the answer. Takes away the tribal aspect of the game and we're one club in particular that would suffer due to that. What's the point of bringing kids through the juniors encouraging them to play for the Knights only for them to be forced to leave because they weren't in the top 5? What's the point of us putting time and resources into a bunch of kids that will go on to play for another club anyway?

Cap exemptions for long-term juniors (not poaching someone from another club's NYC team then playing them in FG) is the only (and most simple) way to fix the problem. Helps clubs hold onto the talent they have by and giving them that advantage also encourages more clubs to start investing in junior development because they don't want to be at a disadvantage by not receiving the exemptions.

 

[Knight Vision]

Draft isn't the answer. Takes away the tribal aspect of the game and we're one club in particular that would suffer due to that. What's the point of bringing kids through the juniors encouraging them to play for the Knights only for them to be forced to leave because they weren't in the top 5? What's the point of us putting time and resources into a bunch of kids that will go on to play for another club anyway?

Cap exemptions for long-term juniors (not poaching someone from another club's NYC team then playing them in FG) is the only (and most simple) way to fix the problem. Helps clubs hold onto the talent they have by and giving them that advantage also encourages more clubs to start investing in junior development because they don't want to be at a disadvantage by not receiving the exemptions.

Couldnt agree more. Clubs like Canberra, Penrith and Newcastle would thrive under a cap exemption for Juniors. It would strengthen the roots of the game.

 

[Spot On]

Regardless of cap exemption (and I do agree with you about it) I think you'll find that while Gould is at Penrith they'll keep the very best of their juniors and when a few make huge names for themselves and take the massive $$$ somewhere else, they'll simply promote the next young gun waiting in the wings.

We only need management with half a brain to utilise the local area/s and copy Penrith's model. It can't be that hard.

Newy seem to struggle with this idea. Nabbing Garth Brennan could have been huge for us.

 

[Yosh]

Maybe the NRL really does want us to fail... I can't see how else we're run so badly...

 

[Joker's Wild]

What does the NRL have to gain by "wanting us to fail"?

A shitty Knights team means fans walking away and the club folding. Not a good outcome for anyone