Here is the article that was taken down. Apologies for the length:
Before I start this rant I want to make something perfectly clear: I have a ton of respect for the man and player known as Bob Fulton.
Everyone should, and anyone who doesn’t must have rocks in their heads. He was part of the original ‘Immortals’ group inducted when the concept first began. He won three premierships as a player, with many sources saying that he single-handedly won the 1973 premiership for Manly.
This article isn’t going to even question his ability as a player, because his ability is unquestionable.
As for his merits as someone running a team, however, my opinion of him is lessened significantly. I don’t think it would be possible for someone to sabotage a team more effectively than Bob Fulton has since he rejoined the club in 2015. There appears to be favourtism at play, awful roster decisions and an inability to evolve with the modern game. Fulton has taken a winning culture and has ripped it in half.
Manly had made the finals every year since 2005. In that time they have survived their star player being accused of sexual assault and being injured for two years, their coach signing for another club a few days after winning a premiership, and even reports of the entire club hating one another – yet they still finished second in 2014.
This team was like that cockroach that decided my bathroom was a great place to live: it just refused to die. But then Fulton came along and took Manly on his wild ride.
Let me ask you something: have any of Manly’s recruitment decisions since 2014 worked out? I would be one of the few people to argue that the inclusion of Martin Taupau was good recruiting, and Darcy Lussick also helped a bunch in 2015, so that has panned out, but every other decision since Fulton took over has been terrible.
Nate Myles, Lewis Brown, Curtis Sironen, Tom Wright, Matthew Wright, Frank Winterstein, Akuila Uate and Tim Moltzen were all terrible decisions. Dylan Walker has been underachieving. Matt Parcell showed promise but was dumped for some reason, and Apisai Koroisau struggles to pass effectively at all.
Then compare that to the quality of players we let go. Clinton Gutherson has been killing it at Parramatta, Peta Hiku is a damn sight better than Uate and the Wrights, Siosaia Vave was excellent for Manly in 2016, Tom Symonds was a very honest toiler and Parcell had excellent service and is carving up the English Super League.
But the worst decision of all has been letting go Jamie Buhrer. This is a guy who bled Manly, and he is a wonderful player who would never let you down and who had an excellent connection going with Daly Cherry-Evans. Many in the club thought he was going to be the next captain.
This is the guy that was shafted by Bob Fulton because he needed to bring in the son of his mate into the side.
It seems Bozo Fulton has always been a big fan of jobs for the family, and boy is this coming through in spades at Manly. Not only did he acquire duds Curtis Sironen and Jackson Hastings, two players whose fathers he has connections with, but he also has got jobs in the club for all of his family. Scott, Brett and Kristie Fulton (who was admittedly recently sacked by the club) were given jobs at the club, even though none of them seem capable of running a side.
Heck, I reckon the only reason Scott Fulton played his measly 49 first-grade games was because he played while his dad was coaching the side; he didn’t get a single game after 1999 when Bob left his role as the Manly coach.
Let’s look at Bob Fulton’s recent history. For years he has been one of the major selectors for New South Wales in State of Origin, and how has that turned out? One win in 11 years, thanks to baffling selection after baffling selection.
Why was Walker brought in as bench utility last year? Fulton is why. He has a winning percentage success rate of nine per cent as a NSW selector. How in the world did it take this long for him to be forced out?
And look at Manly’s results since he took the reins. They went from second in 2014 to ninth in 2015 to 13th in 2016. With the recent disgusting ‘effort’ against the Rabbitohs in Round 2, this side has lost seven games in a row, and due to this sudden fall there is a lot of negative opinion about their current coach, Trent Barrett.
Barrett is no master coach, but he isn’t the problem. The problem is he doesn’t have a say in recruiting or anything behind the scenes. I know this because many times in 2016 he publicly endorsed Buhrer and spoke about how he was a leader of the side and was captain material. You can’t criticise a coach that doesn’t have control over his team’s recruitment decisions – that’d just be silly.
It is only Round 2, but Manly once again look like a rabble – because they are. Fulton has his hands over everything again, and you can just see the sticky marks his fingers are leaving – 40 players and an entire coaching staff in two years. That is the turnover this guy has produced.
And why was this necessary in the first place? Manly had a winning culture, they just won and won and won and somehow succeeded despite everything for years. Heck, in 2015 under Geoff Toovey, a side with no forward pack and a ton of injuries were two points away from making the grand final in the face of attempts to undermine the coach. Now, in 2017, Manly are sitting on seven losses in a row, with three wins from their last 11 games at their former fortress home stadium.
Bob Fulton as a player was legendary, but as someone running a football club he really does live up to his Bozo name. I am 110 per cent convinced that until he is pushed out of Manly they will be stuck at the bottom of the ladder. He may be an Immortal, but the game has well and truly passed him by.
