Phil Gould

[Saint_JimmyG]

Gould is an egotistical turd who the media kowtow to for no apparent good reason
His persona is far greater than his ability
A poor man’s Jack Gibson.

Unlike Jack, Gould succeeded at SOO level as a coach.

It’s all relative.

 

[Saint_JimmyG]

It would be a yes from me, however we all know that Gould won’t ever go to SGI in any capacity.

A far bigger issue is replacing the current clown masquerading as an NRL coach.

 

[Coffs dragon]

Unfortunately, Gus coming to The Dragons is never going to happen. Too much conflict of interest with WIN Corporation being a 50% owner, whilst Gus is employed for the opposition at 9 Network! That in itself is a big No No No.

 

[possm]

I would take Gould in a heart beat only problem is, if you still have the same board and all the other clowns, he cant do much, the place needs a clean out and people with a footy/ business brain need to come in and move us into the 21st Century...

Like Bennett, Gould would demand the authority and appropriate delegations to make change otherwise he would not even consider coming to a Club. The Mess at the Panthers is all caused by a higher authority not communicating with Gould and making desions according to his own desires.

Gould had a handshake deal with Bennett, an agreement to coach the Panthers - this was struck after Bennett met with Craig Young and Peter Doust to discuss a coaching deal that ended in the negative. This in itself speaks volumes about Gould's negotiation skills. Without consulting with Gould, the Penrith official did a deal with Cleary to return to the Panthers and this is why the mess occurred.

 

[Frank Facer]

Gould was a Saints fan as a kid.

I can't see him coming to us, as he would upset the apple cart, so to speak.

 

[merahputih]

Theres a long read on NRL.com talking about the Seibold/Bennett saga.

Worth a read
https://www.nrl.com/news/2019/04/01/power-play-the-drama-behind-bennett-seibold-coaching-swap/

You are correct re Gus's choice, and I reckon that has pissed him off big time, as he seems to want to make all the calls.

Whilst no one here is doubting his credentials, I honestly think he has become quite bitter, and very divisive. He used to be an analyst and a good one. I find his persona has changed and is looking long term for the lead job at the NRL. He's done a lot at the pennies, but has not met his own targets.

Very good article, assuming not too much journalistic licence has been used. Interesting that the ' Bennett Curse' has been officially recognized at The Broncos with Jason Demetriou the latest victim after Ivan Henjac and Super Coach Price. Poor old JD is now in line for another kiss of death at the Rabbitohs.

 

[giboz71]

I heard someone talking on radio yesterday and Im sure they said just getting Cleary to Penrith and walking out on his West /Tigers contracted etc etc ended up costing $10 million

All so they could keep Nathan.

Let's face it, he has talent but he could also be the next incarnation of Mitchell Pearce, who's surname was worth a lot more than his talent.

 

[Slackboy72]

Another possm special.

 

[giboz71]

Very good article, assuming not too much journalistic licence has been used. Interesting that the ' Bennett Curse' has been officially recognized at The Broncos with Jason Demetriou the latest victim after Ivan Henjac and Super Coach Price. Poor old JD is now in line for another kiss of death at the Rabbitohs.

Gee, I wonder why the Broncos' rejected Bennett's plan to install Jason Demetriou as head coach beyond 2020. Could the Steve Price reign at the Dragons be a clue?

End of the day, Bennett is too smart to strengthen a team he is leaving and will likely have to coach against.

Just ask the Dragons and Knights (who both suffered equally after his departure).

At least Browny had the balls to actually call him out on it.

 

[Old Timer]

Unlike Jack, Gould succeeded at SOO level as a coach.

It’s all relative.

Really don't care for whatever happens at SOO.
Gould hasn't coached at club level for 19 years and the game has moved on significantly since then and despite all his interference at Penrith that club is now a shambles and undermining him so there has to be some underlying issues there and that could be as simple as the size of his ego.

 

[BennyV]

Really don't care for whatever happens at SOO.
Gould hasn't coached at club level for 19 years and the game has moved on significantly since then and despite all his interference at Penrith that club is now a shambles and undermining him so there has to be some underlying issues there and that could be as simple as the size of his ego.

How are Panthers a shambles?

 

[Old Timer]

How are Panthers a shambles?

• Sacked their coach leading into the finals last year.
• Club willing to risk almost everything just to secure Nathan Cleary's signature long term.
• Gould trying to do a deal with Bennett and the club doing a deal with Cleary who Gould had previously sacked.
• Player misbehaviour with a possibility of more revelations.

For the professional Gould is reported to be the above looks pretty shambolic to me.

 

[BennyV]

• Sacked their coach leading into the finals last year.
• Club willing to risk almost everything just to secure Nathan Cleary's signature long term.
• Gould trying to do a deal with Bennett and the club doing a deal with Cleary who Gould had previously sacked.
• Player misbehaviour with a possibility of more revelations.

For the professional Gould is reported to be the above looks pretty shambolic to me.

3 of those issues are effectively 1 problem (ie coaching changes, an issue Dragons fans dream of having) and if players being involved in sex tapes is their biggest scandal, they are doing ok (again, Dragons fans dream of that being the biggest PR issue).

Before Gould got involved, Penrith was a REAL mess. A bankrupt club who were stuck at the bottom of the table with talented juniors rushing out the door while they spend majority of their cap on Tim Grant, Luke Lewis, Lachlan Coote and Michael Jennings (who was playing in reserve grade). THAT is a mess.

Gould has done a fantastic job. Penrith are a powerhouse now. One of the most financially strong clubs in the league, self sufficient in hand with a profitable leagues club, a centre of excellence that pumps out talented players and a team chock full of local juniors, with a conga line of talent being utilised as depth, developed and turned into career first graders at that club. He absolutely nailed his 5 year plan (which, contrary to popular belief, was not to win a premiership and had everything to do with becoming a financially stable club and properly utilising their talent pool).

Of all the clubs in the league, they are the one that Dragons should be jealous of because they, as a club, are succeeding in every aspect that we are failing.

 

[Old Timer]

3 of those issues are effectively 1 problem (ie coaching changes, an issue Dragons fans dream of having) and if players being involved in sex tapes is their biggest scandal, they are doing ok (again, Dragons fans dream of that being the biggest PR issue).

Before Gould got involved, Penrith was a REAL mess. A bankrupt club who were stuck at the bottom of the table with talented juniors rushing out the door while they spend majority of their cap on Tim Grant, Luke Lewis, Lachlan Coote and Michael Jennings (who was playing in reserve grade). THAT is a mess.

Gould has done a fantastic job. Penrith are a powerhouse now. One of the most financially strong clubs in the league, self sufficient in hand with a profitable leagues club, a centre of excellence that pumps out talented players and a team chock full of local juniors, with a conga line of talent being utilised as depth, developed and turned into career first graders at that club. He absolutely nailed his 5 year plan (which, contrary to popular belief, was not to win a premiership and had everything to do with becoming a financially stable club and properly utilising their talent pool).

Of all the clubs in the league, they are the one that Dragons should be jealous of because they, as a club, are succeeding in every aspect that we are failing.

There are separate areas of his involvement in the many discussions taking place in here.
I was addressing those issues directly related to the football side of things and I do consider them shambolic as Gould obviously is pulling 1 way and the club is pulling another and that is playing out in public and IMO shows Gould as a know it all, my way or the highway sort of person and that IMO ultimately ends in grief.
I am interested to see what people's arguments are in relation to him turning the club around financially.
Penrith were always going to prosper as the Sydney sprawl kept pushing its way and they now have the luxury of being an outlet where the multi cultural world can push money though the poker machines similar to other strong clubs like Bankstown Sports and Canterbury so I am not exactly sure what role Gould plays in that.

 

[BennyV]

There are separate areas of his involvement in the many discussions taking place in here.
I was addressing those issues directly related to the football side of things and I do consider them shambolic as Gould obviously is pulling 1 way and the club is pulling another and that is playing out in public and IMO shows Gould as a know it all, my way or the highway sort of person and that IMO ultimately ends in grief.
I am interested to see what people's arguments are in relation to him turning the club around financially.
Penrith were always going to prosper as the Sydney sprawl kept pushing its way and they now have the luxury of being an outlet where the multi cultural world can push money though the poker machines similar to other strong clubs like Bankstown Sports and Canterbury so I am not exactly sure what role Gould plays in that.

Referencing the footy side - he basically rinsed the roster over the space of 2 years, removing a lot of overpaid deadwood and starting almost from scratch. He had a heavy input into the training, development and coaching structure of juniors, culminating in the centre of excellence for junior rugby league and the results of that entire process speak for themselves. Yep, he made some poor decisions with regards to coaching (the main one being removing Cleary to begin with, everything else was a flow on effect) but considering the remainder of his contribution to their football management, including getting Cleary there to begin with, I’d say it’s forgivable.

As to the finances, without knowing many ins and outs I believe he has been pulling strings regarding funding models and leagues club contributions. The leagues club has become a powerhouse in its own right (and to say they were ‘always going to prosper’ is rubbish, they have prospered due to fresh ideas and top shelf management, leagues clubs being successful isn’t an inevitability under any circumstances) but I believe the interaction and use of the leagues club funding has been heavily influenced by Gould. One only needs to look at our own club to see how easily poor management of funds can drive a club into the ground.

I don’t care if he is egotistical, divisive or a knob. If he came to us and did what he’s done to Penrith, I’d be thrilled.

 

[Old Timer]

Referencing the footy side - he basically rinsed the roster over the space of 2 years, removing a lot of overpaid deadwood and starting almost from scratch. He had a heavy input into the training, development and coaching structure of juniors, culminating in the centre of excellence for junior rugby league and the results of that entire process speak for themselves. Yep, he made some poor decisions with regards to coaching (the main one being removing Cleary to begin with, everything else was a flow on effect) but considering the remainder of his contribution to their football management, including getting Cleary there to begin with, I’d say it’s forgivable.

As to the finances, without knowing many ins and outs I believe he has been pulling strings regarding funding models and leagues club contributions. The leagues club has become a powerhouse in its own right (and to say they were ‘always going to prosper’ is rubbish, they have prospered due to fresh ideas and top shelf management, leagues clubs being successful isn’t an inevitability under any circumstances) but I believe the interaction and use of the leagues club funding has been heavily influenced by Gould. One only needs to look at our own club to see how easily poor management of funds can drive a club into the ground.

I don’t care if he is egotistical, divisive or a knob. If he came to us and did what he’s done to Penrith, I’d be thrilled.

 

[Old Timer]

Referencing the footy side - he basically rinsed the roster over the space of 2 years, removing a lot of overpaid deadwood and starting almost from scratch. He had a heavy input into the training, development and coaching structure of juniors, culminating in the centre of excellence for junior rugby league and the results of that entire process speak for themselves. Yep, he made some poor decisions with regards to coaching (the main one being removing Cleary to begin with, everything else was a flow on effect) but considering the remainder of his contribution to their football management, including getting Cleary there to begin with, I’d say it’s forgivable.

As to the finances, without knowing many ins and outs I believe he has been pulling strings regarding funding models and leagues club contributions. The leagues club has become a powerhouse in its own right (and to say they were ‘always going to prosper’ is rubbish, they have prospered due to fresh ideas and top shelf management, leagues clubs being successful isn’t an inevitability under any circumstances) but I believe the interaction and use of the leagues club funding has been heavily influenced by Gould. One only needs to look at our own club to see how easily poor management of funds can drive a club into the ground.

I don’t care if he is egotistical, divisive or a knob. If he came to us and did what he’s done to Penrith, I’d be thrilled.

TBH I don't consider their roster to be outstanding and I'm not sure it is that impressive considering all the local talent it has to draw from.
It is not as if there is a plethora of budding or really good players wanting to be where Gus is so he can mentor them.
Re the club the BOD and CEO are the drivers of that and to my knowledge Gould is not on the BOD.
Penrith have the luxury of an ever increasing population of the right age group as well as industry surrounding it so the potential to tap into is immense compared to many others.
Having some knowledge of the club industry I can assure you that a great CEO is necessary as is a great gaming manager.
It is an incredibly long bow and potentially very naive to think Gould has those expertise and would be able to tell the BOD what to do.
The club I was associated with was in debt up to its ears when I joined the BOD and the CEO whilst a good chap had little vision or expertise in gaming so we replaced him.
From the interviews we conducted we hired the person with the best knowledge of gaming and very soon after that the club was out of debt, doing renovations, acquiring assets and looking for other ways to generate income.
StG as a liscenced club ended up where we are because we had a dud CEO and BOD and if they had of canvassed correctly we would be in a far better situation and IMO Gould wouldn't get us there either. What we need is the best people within the club industry itself and not someone who sits on the edge of it.

 

[giboz71]

There are separate areas of his involvement in the many discussions taking place in here.
I was addressing those issues directly related to the football side of things and I do consider them shambolic as Gould obviously is pulling 1 way and the club is pulling another and that is playing out in public and IMO shows Gould as a know it all, my way or the highway sort of person and that IMO ultimately ends in grief.
I am interested to see what people's arguments are in relation to him turning the club around financially.
Penrith were always going to prosper as the Sydney sprawl kept pushing its way and they now have the luxury of being an outlet where the multi cultural world can push money though the poker machines similar to other strong clubs like Bankstown Sports and Canterbury so I am not exactly sure what role Gould plays in that.

Its interesting you mention Canterbury, as like Penrith, they are also a financial powerhouse mainly due to their Leagues Club. In fact not so long ago, we all used to hold them in the same light as the Roosters and the Storm with an endless supply of TPA's and international quality forward packs trotted out year after year, with Hasler pulling the strings.

It was so ridiculous at one stage, didn't they almost land Andrew Fifita to join the likes of James Graham, David Klemmer, Sam Kasiano, Josh Jackson, Greg Eastwood, Frank Pritchard, Tony Williams et all all on huge contracts??

But despite their financial riches, you ask any Dogs fan they will tell you the period after the 2014 GF is one of the darkest in their history. They are favourites for the spoon this year and the salary cap mess left by Hasler won't be fixed till after 2021, despite losing Josh Reyonolds, James Graham, the Morris boys, Aaron Woods, Moses Mbye etc.

So while we all lament our current situation with Mary, its probably better than being a Dogs fan in recent years.

 

[LINESPEED]

Referencing the footy side - he basically rinsed the roster over the space of 2 years, removing a lot of overpaid deadwood and starting almost from scratch. He had a heavy input into the training, development and coaching structure of juniors, culminating in the centre of excellence for junior rugby league and the results of that entire process speak for themselves. Yep, he made some poor decisions with regards to coaching (the main one being removing Cleary to begin with, everything else was a flow on effect) but considering the remainder of his contribution to their football management, including getting Cleary there to begin with, I’d say it’s forgivable.

As to the finances, without knowing many ins and outs I believe he has been pulling strings regarding funding models and leagues club contributions. The leagues club has become a powerhouse in its own right (and to say they were ‘always going to prosper’ is rubbish, they have prospered due to fresh ideas and top shelf management, leagues clubs being successful isn’t an inevitability under any circumstances) but I believe the interaction and use of the leagues club funding has been heavily influenced by Gould. One only needs to look at our own club to see how easily poor management of funds can drive a club into the ground.

I don’t care if he is egotistical, divisive or a knob. If he came to us and did what he’s done to Penrith, I’d be thrilled.

Gould doesn’t want the Sharks’ gig.

He’s a Dragons man at heart - lived on the Jubilee Hill as a kid

 

[BennyV]

TBH I don't consider their roster to be outstanding and I'm not sure it is that impressive considering all the local talent it has to draw from.
It is not as if there is a plethora of budding or really good players wanting to be where Gus is so he can mentor them.
Re the club the BOD and CEO are the drivers of that and to my knowledge Gould is not on the BOD.
Penrith have the luxury of an ever increasing population of the right age group as well as industry surrounding it so the potential to tap into is immense compared to many others.
Having some knowledge of the club industry I can assure you that a great CEO is necessary as is a great gaming manager.
It is an incredibly long bow and potentially very naive to think Gould has those expertise and would be able to tell the BOD what to do.
The club I was associated with was in debt up to its ears when I joined the BOD and the CEO whilst a good chap had little vision or expertise in gaming so we replaced him.
From the interviews we conducted we hired the person with the best knowledge of gaming and very soon after that the club was out of debt, doing renovations, acquiring assets and looking for other ways to generate income.
StG as a liscenced club ended up where we are because we had a dud CEO and BOD and if they had of canvassed correctly we would be in a far better situation and IMO Gould wouldn't get us there either. What we need is the best people within the club industry itself and not someone who sits on the edge of it.

Penrith Leagues has always been a profitable, successful club. However, that wasn’t translating to a thriving footy club until Gould came in. Not sure if that’s coincidence, but considering that was one of his targets, it’s hard to believe he didn’t influence it.
As for their roster - not sure what you’re looking at because it’s brilliant. Any of their back 5 walk into our starting line, and 4/5 of them are local juniors. Their halves walk into our team, 1/2 local juniors. Their back row is one of the few in the comp who could compete with ours (and all significantly younger) 3/3 local juniors. The front row is the only place we are superior. But their depth kills ours.

And it’s not that youngsters ‘want to stay an be monitored by Gould, but he has put everything in place to keep them there, develop them and give them a path to first grade. He’s invested heavily in training and developing from junior level. He’s set up the coaching structure in the juniors and planned for development. And he’s provided the succession plan for all those kids to first grade.

From a roster/football management POV, he leaves Millward for dead.