Eels greats stage coup talks - Sun-Herald

[bartman]

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/eels-greats-stage-coup-talks-20100821-139v6.html

Eels greats stage coup talks

Adrian Proszenko

August 22, 2010

EXCLUSIVE

DISGRUNTLED former Parramatta players have held secret talks about assembling a rebel ticket to overthrow the current board.
The Sun-Herald can reveal that 10 former Eels, including some of the club's biggest names, met a fortnight ago to discuss the problems engulfing the club. The ex-players believe the club is being mismanaged off the field and the dramas are affecting performances on it.
Their concerns include:
❏ the constant leaking of sensitive information from the boardroom to the press;
❏ the lack of loyalty to the coach with replacements sought for Daniel Anderson, despite a year remaining on his contract;
❏ poor recruitment strategy, which includes releasing playmakers Kris Keating and Feleti Mateo - both local juniors - without suitable replacements in mind;
❏ the mass sackings of leagues and football club staff, believed to be a vendetta against those appointed or linked to previous chief executive Denis Fitzgerald.
A growing number of Eels greats are becoming increasingly frustrated with the direction of the club. Michael Cronin, a veteran of 216 games for the club who did not attend the meeting of former players, was stunned to learn of an approach from Parramatta chief executive Paul Osborne to Melbourne assistant Stephen Kearney last week.
''It seems strange that [Anderson] can get them to a grand final in his first year and can then be so bad that, all of a sudden, the next year that he's going to be sacked,'' Cronin said.
As revealed in last weekend's Sun-Herald, Anderson has been a dead man walking for four months, when Eels officials first sounded out Wigan coach Michael Maguire about taking over next year. But a backlash against Anderson's planned sacking - led by co-captains Nathan Hindmarsh and Nathan Cayless - has raised hopes that he could survive if the team finishes the season strongly.
However, the fate of the current board is now clouded following revelations of a planned coup, with the football club elections looming in December and the leagues club elections next April. The identity of the rebel Eels remains a closely guarded secret. They did not want to make their plans public for fear of further disrupting the team before its must-win encounter against Wests Tigers today. However, one attendee of the meeting said: ''Some of the greats of the club are certainly concerned about how the coach and the players are being treated by the current board.
''We've had constant leaks coming out of the board because the incumbent directors got a leg up from News Ltd. Everything is being announced in the paper the next day. There are people [in control] who believe that is how you should run a football club. It's not doing the club or the supporters any good and they are certainly concerned about it.
''The [former Eels greats] spilled blood for that club, spent lots of years there, [some] won premierships there and they are worried about how the spectators and players are being treated.''
Asked about the possibility of opposing the current directors, the source said: ''There was a mixture of people willing to support a ticket, and others willing to run. There was nobody there who wouldn't support a ticket, if it was put together.''
Eels chairman Roy Spagnolo swept to power as part of a 3P ticket at last year's football and leagues club elections, ending Fitzgerald's 30-year reign as chief executive. However, the current dramas at the club could lead to another change of management. Spagnolo has rejected claims he has a vendetta against Fitzgerald appointees and this week claimed that Anderson would see out his contract.

Forget Fitzy v Ossie, or Fitzy v 3P etc etc. To be honest, THIS is what I was waiting for given the current lots' failure to stop the leaks and give our team a stable back office...

Not just 3 playing legends fronting a whole lot of property developers and the like. Not just change for change's sake, or to get rid of Fitzy. But 10 playing legends - standing up because they (like me) are concerned about the direction of our management.

I'd be very interested in not only voting for an alternate ticket with the above-mentioned priorities and issues, but in actively helping a ticket like this to get elected (handing out etc). After meeting some of the puppeteers behind 3P on the balcony, I could never really trust them enough to want to help them out.

I was hoping that the members would have an alternative this time, that's not the current mob, and wasn't just Fitzy or the old mob. And it looks like we will have an alternative that might be able to steer our club more sensibly. :thumn.

 

[parra-matters]

very distablizing for the club all this change, but whats happening is effecting the on field.
The question is do we give them another term to sort it out or do we punt them depending on the alternative of coarse.
I just like for one week not to be linked to some high profile player that really is no hope of coming or reading in the papers that so and so is under pressure to hold his job weather it be a coach or ceo or board member. The board need to find the source for the leaks and punt him to show that the club won't tolerate it.

 

[Casper The Ghost]

It is so very clear for all to see that the agendas of the controlling interest behind 3P are involved in the Eels club/s & with their greedy selfish hands on its assets for all the wrong reasons. The spirit of this club has been strangled and is quickly dying. Casper offers his help with the Eels greats new coup if required. I am so very glad this has finally come out into the open.

 

[Jake the snake]

What a freakn shambles. We are the laughing stock of the league.

3P are failing. Those stupid idiots have brought all this on their own heads.

Just like Fitzgerald, 3P are Parra's own worst enemy. I can't believe the board of directors could do this to a club.

Also, I've lost faith in Ozzy. That Stepehn Kearney meeting is just sackable. Fancy meeting another coach In the middle of the Season? What was Ozzy thinking? He obviously had another super market checkout moment where he forgot to friggin think.

Shambles!!!

 

[Jake the snake]

It is so very clear for all to see that the agendas of the controlling interest behind 3P are involved in the Eels club/s & with their greedy selfish hands on its assets for all the wrong reasons. The spirit of this club has been strangled and is quickly dying. Casper offers his help with the Eels greats new coup if required. I am so very glad this has finally come out into the open.

This is not a happy time for the club. It's capable of actually destroying the club.

After such a good start via 3P, the wheels have fallen off. And most of the blame is directed at Ozzy and the stupid board who freakn can't protect their own club.

 

[Casper The Ghost]

This is not a happy time for the club. It's capable of actually destroying the club.

After such a good start via 3P, the wheels have fallen off. And most of the blame is directed at Ozzy and the stupid board who freakn can't protect their own club.

I think you will find that Ozzie and Daniel are under the pump of 3P. Ozzie is not that stupid, it appears he was forced into doing that trip by the circumstances that were presented to him by 3P and their views on Daniel Anderson long-term tenure. 3P has to go ASAP... all of them.... they are a terrible cancer/blight to this great club.

 

[strider]

I particularly liked this bit ...

They did not want to make their plans public for fear of further disrupting the team before its must-win encounter against Wests Tigers today. However, one attendee of the meeting said: ''Some of the greats of the club are certainly concerned about how the coach and the players are being treated by the current board.

... didn't want to make anything public, but still thought it'd be ok to tell all this to a journo :-k :?

is this any better than what happening right now? deja vu

 

[Stagger eel]

anyone believeing this is good for the club need their head read...

btw Adam, why not name the former players???

 

[strider]

exactly .... not a name to be seen .... generally i wouldn't accuse the SMH of making up stories, I don't think its their way - but you've gotta question how much credibility this one has

 

[Stagger eel]

exactly .... not a name to be seen .... generally i wouldn't accuse the SMH of making up stories, I don't think its their way - but you've gotta question how much credibility this one has

this is no different to whats currently happening at the club, lets leak some info about a meeting about the state of the club...:lol:

and yet Casper thinks it's a great idea.

 

[MarkInTheStands]

Oh Dear!

 

[Tony Bongo]

I particularly liked this bit ...

... didn't want to make anything public, but still thought it'd be ok to tell all this to a journo :-k :?

is this any better than what happening right now? deja vu

My thoughts exactly. Why couldn't they just wait until the season was over ?

 

[scottyeel]

FFS, this season goes from bad to worse.
Parramatta eels=JOKE!

 

[Gronk]

FFS amatuers with egos ! At least Fitzy placed footy ahead of himself.

The SMH article reiterated my concerns. The numbers in the doubters corner continue to swell.

 

[Jake the snake]

FFS amatuers with egos ! At least Fitzy placed footy ahead of himself.

The SMH article reiterated my concerns. The numbers in the doubters corner continue to swell.

Please mate. Getting rid of Fitzy was inevitable. He lost the fans. He was arrogant and did his own thing. And when he opened his mouth he was a bigger idiot. That "5 year" comment was the nail in the coffin. He had many years at Parra and lost a lot of money with Parra Power and the Parra Rugby side.

I thought Spagnolo was a breath of fresh air. But obviously it's looking like he can't even manage his own board. So disappointed.

 

[hineyrulz]

I particularly liked this bit ...

... didn't want to make anything public, but still thought it'd be ok to tell all this to a journo :-k :?

is this any better than what happening right now? deja vu

:lol: Thats what i thought, whinging about media leaks while whinging to the Media before a must win game :?

 

[Suitman]

:lol: Thats what i thought, whinging about media leaks while whinging to the Media before a must win game

Ironic isn't it??? :lol: A leak about too much leaking! :lol:

We don't even know who these clowns are and already they are being claimed as our saviours!! :lol:
Hell, I'll even hand out pamphlets for them, whoever they are!!!

Suity

 

[Stagger eel]

the best person for this club was Tony Zappia, his 20 year experiance at club level as a coach and administrator would of been invaluble and I would of been more than prepared to ride the storm of his appointment until things settled down.

The main issue of our club I believe is 1 person and at the moment with 7 or 8 positions in the fulltime squad still up for grabs and the fact that it's nearly September, he is under enormous preasure with results for next years player roster.

if that's not recified soon that the hard work in the membership, marketing and sponsorship department in the past 12 to 18 months would turn out to be a waste of time.

 

[Gronk]

Please mate. Getting rid of Fitzy was inevitable. He lost the fans. He was arrogant and did his own thing. And when he opened his mouth he was a bigger idiot. That "5 year" comment was the nail in the coffin. He had many years at Parra and lost a lot of money with Parra Power and the Parra Rugby side.

I thought Spagnolo was a breath of fresh air. But obviously it's looking like he can't even manage his own board. So disappointed.

I do not disagree with you. Fitzy had to go. Having said that I do believe that his goal was always Parra 1st. There are others in power now who seem to be putting themselves, aliances with media organisations and other agenda ahead of the team and that is obvioulsy screwing us ATM.

We have a rat(s) in the ranks.

 

[Jake the snake]

I do not disagree with you. Fitzy had to go. Having said that I do believe that his goal was always Parra 1st. There are others in power now who seem to be putting themselves, aliances with media organisations and other agenda ahead of the team and that is obvioulsy screwing us ATM.

We have a rat(s) in the ranks.

I agree.