Why Are Newcastle So Crap?

[Dogs Of War]

Bulldogs have taken upper hunter and mid north coast too.

This is exactly what Wests (Knights owners) need to be spending their pokie money on - but they are tight as a fishes asshole

I think if the Knights were investing that wouldn't have happened. Your catchment area is so large, and the focus needs to be putting money into areas which are producing, which really the amount of guys who just come from the Hunter region is where 90% of the money needs to go into.

I'm a Newcastle born boy (No knights when I grew up though), used to go to heaps of Knights games as I lived at Adamstown and could walk to games. I'd like to see a strong Knights side, but they really need to put money into that and get guys want to stay. Geez you look at the guys who are in the NRL who get there start at the Knights in lower grades and go elsewhere. That makes one great team, even if you get half of those to stay, you guys are a powerhouse.

Wests leagues just needs to put some money into ensuring that the club itself has that attraction to stay.

 

[glockers]

The club has basically moved on all the local duds Joey has talked up so you're really off the mark here. People indulge Joey publicly because of who he is and what he's done but in reality they know he's an overly emotional baby when it comes to footy and player opinions and rarely act on his "advice"

It's great they have been moved on, but the current situation is the result of decades of issues. Issues created due to what happened over a long period of time, including the influence of the od boys.

I speak from experience being a Tigers fans. Way too much cliques, old Magpie and Balmain management types plus ex players. We're only just moving them on now thanks to Richo and the independent board (apart from Benji). Knights are further along but the damage still exists. I reckon give it another five years and you might be a powerhouse team.

 

[macavity]

I think if the Knights were investing that wouldn't have happened. Your catchment area is so large, and the focus needs to be putting money into areas which are producing, which really the amount of guys who just come from the Hunter region is where 90% of the money needs to go into.

I'm a Newcastle born boy (No knights when I grew up though), used to go to heaps of Knights games as I lived at Adamstown and could walk to games. I'd like to see a strong Knights side, but they really need to put money into that and get guys want to stay. Geez you look at the guys who are in the NRL who get there start at the Knights in lower grades and go elsewhere. That makes one great team, even if you get half of those to stay, you guys are a powerhouse.

Wests leagues just needs to put some money into ensuring that the club itself has that attraction to stay.

The Dogs and Roosters took our territory WHILE WE WERE OWNED BY THE NRL.

It happened BECAUSE we didn't control the club and the NRL wouldn't invest to stop it happening. Funny that.

 

[butchmcdick]

 

[Captain Apollo]

The Dogs and Roosters took our territory WHILE WE WERE OWNED BY THE NRL.

It happened BECAUSE we didn't control the club and the NRL wouldn't invest to stop it happening. Funny that.

You are in error. The Roosters formed its partnership with Woy Woy Leagues club in December 2013. That was before the NRL took control of the Knights which happened the followoing year.

 

[Woody90]

You are in error. The Roosters formed its partnership with Woy Woy Leagues club in December 2013. That was before the NRL took control of the Knights which happened the followoing year.

I think he was referring to the CCRL that happened while the Knights were NRL run, not Woy Woy specifically (who was more just a direct feeder club thing and I don’t think are even affiliated with the Roosters anymore).

 

[macavity]

You are in error. The Roosters formed its partnership with Woy Woy Leagues club in December 2013. That was before the NRL took control of the Knights which happened the followoing year.

OK sure, they did it while we were going broke and on our knees. Potato/Potatoe.

 

[T-Boon]

The Newcastle Herald has images of what the plan is for Broadmeadow. Looks pretty great and with bars and restaurants right next door to the stadium crowds will only increase.

 

[Apey]

It still fascinates me we rank 2nd across the competition in run metres, post contact metres but we are historically bad in points scored. I guess anyone who watched the Warriors game would think its because we blow so many chances but truthfully for most games its just because we've been so insipid inside the opposition 20.

I guess in fairness to us we look a much better team in attack when Best is fit. Feel like we can barely fire a shot without him sometimes.

 

[macavity]

It still fascinates me we rank 2nd across the competition in run metres, post contact metres but we are historically bad in points scored. I guess anyone who watched the Warriors game would think its because we blow so many chances but truthfully for most games its just because we've been so insipid inside the opposition 20.

I guess in fairness to us we look a much better team in attack when Best is fit. Feel like we can barely fire a shot without him sometimes.

Add Lucas, Sharpe and Pong to the team and we have plenty of bullets... except for our half and hooker being awful in attack.

 

[HarVeeGee]

I think if the Knights were investing that wouldn't have happened. Your catchment area is so large, and the focus needs to be putting money into areas which are producing, which really the amount of guys who just come from the Hunter region is where 90% of the money needs to go into.

I'm a Newcastle born boy (No knights when I grew up though), used to go to heaps of Knights games as I lived at Adamstown and could walk to games. I'd like to see a strong Knights side, but they really need to put money into that and get guys want to stay. Geez you look at the guys who are in the NRL who get there start at the Knights in lower grades and go elsewhere. That makes one great team, even if you get half of those to stay, you guys are a powerhouse.

Wests leagues just needs to put some money into ensuring that the club itself has that attraction to stay.

Investing what, exactly? Hopes and dreams? There was no money, as macavity says. The club was broke & they sold out to a paper billionaire who didn’t understand footy and thought he could buy a quick fix. It wasn’t “old boy cliques” like people on here are saying. If anything it was the opposite, the club brought in outsiders like Brian Smith or Tinkler/Bennett and basically gave them carte blanche to dictate how everything at the club should work. The old boys were cut out for the most part, and if it wasn’t for one particular old boy in Matt Gidley insisting on a $1 buyback clause during the club takeover, the Knights probably wouldn’t exist anymore.

The club as a whole had simply long been run on the smell of an oily rag, even with the temporary cash fountain from Tinkler which never reached below the first grade setup. You can’t be a professional operation like the elite clubs were becoming in the 00’s and early 10’s if you literally don’t have any money.

Wests has invested and is investing orders of magnitude more in pathways & we’re starting to see the benefits of that now, for all Joey’s bleating about how back in his day they had “75% internally developed players” in their premiership winning teams (11/17 is actually 65%, but you don’t need to be good at maths to play footy), almost every team we’ve put out this year has had at least 8 and usually 10 guys who’ve come through Knights pathways. Which would compare well to like half the clubs in the comp right now.

 

[HarVeeGee]

Embarrassing club that’s been shit for most of their history despite one of the most “born on third base” situations any franchise could ask for, and needed an all time fluke to beat a bottom four team missing its three best players. Win one comp then talk shit losers. Enjoy your 40-0 drubbings when the finals roll around.

 

[butchmcdick]

Embarrassing club that’s been shit for most of their history despite one of the most “born on third base” situations any franchise could ask for, and needed an all time fluke to beat a bottom four team missing its three best players. Win one comp then talk shit losers. Enjoy your 40-0 drubbings when the finals roll around.

lol

im not a warriors fan, im a cowboys fan

come the finals both our clubs will be in Bali

I’m assuming too that pretty soon both of our clubs will know what it’s like to have Ponga leave. Oh and we also know how it feels to have Jake Clifford as a halfback. For us it’s an upgrade on Purdue and the Chad. How was it for you ?

 

[HarVeeGee]

It wasn't great.

 

[HarVeeGee]

And honestly you guys are like the Raiders in that you will need to develop your own and hope you can hold onto them. Dogs juniors got destroyed when Des was here, and until Gus came, we were stuffed. Now we have pathways which are much stronger.

What's the highest number of pathways guys you've fielded in a game this year? Four?

 

[Wb1234]

 

[Woody90]

I’ve not been super impressed with Parr so far, but also from what I understand he’s been limited by what he can do under Phil Gardner, so I’ll hold off judgement to see how he goes with Gardner gone. At least he has a rugby league background and you don’t worry when he talks like Gardner.

 

[macavity]

Investing what, exactly? Hopes and dreams? There was no money, as macavity says. The club was broke & they sold out to a paper billionaire who didn’t understand footy and thought he could buy a quick fix. It wasn’t “old boy cliques” like people on here are saying. If anything it was the opposite, the club brought in outsiders like Brian Smith or Tinkler/Bennett and basically gave them carte blanche to dictate how everything at the club should work. The old boys were cut out for the most part, and if it wasn’t for one particular old boy in Matt Gidley insisting on a $1 buyback clause during the club takeover, the Knights probably wouldn’t exist anymore.

The club as a whole had simply long been run on the smell of an oily rag, even with the temporary cash fountain from Tinkler which never reached below the first grade setup. You can’t be a professional operation like the elite clubs were becoming in the 00’s and early 10’s if you literally don’t have any money.

Wests has invested and is investing orders of magnitude more in pathways & we’re starting to see the benefits of that now, for all Joey’s bleating about how back in his day they had “75% internally developed players” in their premiership winning teams (11/17 is actually 65%, but you don’t need to be good at maths to play footy), almost every team we’ve put out this year has had at least 8 and usually 10 guys who’ve come through Knights pathways. Which would compare well to like half the clubs in the comp right now.

It was Robbie Tew who insisted on the buy back.

Matt Gidley was the CEO between Tinkler and Wests. The poor bloke aged 10 years in 2 and f**ked off to run McDonalds franchises instead so he could work with a higher standard of team member.

I have had a little bit to do with the club over the years as both head of the supporters club and a minor sponsor - from the mid 2000s to date.

It has always been amateur hour to say the least.

The constant staff turn over at all levels means there was close to zero corporate knowledge in the joint at any one time. Just a revolving door of (at first) enthusiastic people thrown into roles with either little support or little capacity (or both) and then they leave quickly when they realise they can't do the job.

I could write an essay on the joint, but tldr - its a bin fire, and always has been. Needs a full re-set. Hopefully yet another CEO can turn it around.

At least the new COE is quite nice - a lot better than the former squash courts we used to squat in. When I went there last half the rooms still weren't furnished though.

 

[HarVeeGee]

It was Robbie Tew who insisted on the buy back.

Matt Gidley was the CEO between Tinkler and Wests. The poor bloke aged 10 years in 2 and f**ked off to run McDonalds franchises instead so he could work with a higher standard of team member.

My mistake, don't know why I thought it was Gids then.

 

[macavity]

My mistake, don't know why I thought it was Gids then.

The whole period (lets be honest, the last 20 years) is just one terrifying fever dream. You can be excused for mixing people up.