The Newcastle Jets, led by new owner Nathan Tinkler, announced that they would be changing the team colours from their gold to a sort of Knights-heavy, Barcelona-light, blue and red kit. Tinkler appeared to make this decision without any community or fan consultation. The guy is a straight-up genius.
Judging by comments on this website and in The Newcastle Herald, this is a divisive issue and many die-hard fans feel that they have been cheated. In his article on The Roar, Adrian Musolino stated that “the last thing the A-League needs, at this critical juncture, is for clubs to alienate its active fans.”
The thing is, Nathan Tinkler doesn’t need die-hard fans. The wonderful, vocal supporters of the Jets, who are the very reason the club and the league exist in this country, are going to come to the games anyway – they love the team and they love football, and the thought of our city without a football team is too difficult to bear.
Die-hard fans die hard – if they didn’t, they’d just be called “fans”. They will protest, and pontificate, and write on message boards about the decline of football culture in Australia, then they will buy the new kit, and sit in the stands and cheer for Nikolai Topor-Stanley, who still dons the gold… sorry, the blue and red jersey – no doubt thanks to Tinkler’s own intervention.
The new owner has no need for die-hard fans. What Nathan Tinkler really needs is… well… me. He needs me and my group of well-adjusted friends who are starting families and gaining an appreciation for football, and will soon be watching their sons and daughters run around the pitch on a Saturday morning. And he needs their group of friends.
He needs Knights fans (and I don’t purport to be one of those) who have now been presented with the option of affordable dual memberships. Tinkler needs the frustrated rugby union lover, who flicks past a soccer show and mumbles, “Gee, that was a good goal.” He needs me, who would be too scared to light a flare if I was on a sinking ship, to respond “yes” to my flatmate, who just sent me an email saying, “Hey, with all this jersey talk, we should go to the game tonight.”
Nathan Tinkler saved the Newcastle Jets and has committed to a 10-year lease – something no business person in their right mind would describe as a risk-free venture. In the process of doing this, he has brought David Beckham and Frannie Jeffers to town, saved Topor-Stanley from the slavering jaws of Sydney FC, and taken measures to ensure there will be no repeats of the “us-versus-them” stadium saga which plagued the Jets’ schedule during 2010.
Given his commitment, he is within his rights to make a decision like this. The fact that Tinkler chose not to consult with the Jets community before making this decision actually demonstrates his business acumen. Anybody with the commitment to attend a meeting discussing this proposal would have – of course – voted no.
I have never owned a gold Jets shirt (and perhaps people will judge me on this alone). Yet I’m looking forward to buying myself a shiny new red and blue one – complete with gold trim! I might even splurge on a membership (one of the most affordable in the country, thanks to Tinkler’s intervention), because I am excited about the future of the Jets.
I am a fair-weather fan, sure, but there is a growing number of us who appreciate the commitment and savvy of the new owner, whose feelings of guilt at missing games is getting bigger all the time, and who understand the need for our city to have a professional, competitive football team.
I feel sorry for the gold-wearing supporters who have made the club what it is, and who feel cheated by this development, but next year you might have a few extra friends by your side. And our shirts will match the seats!
eccy
Guest
i dont see what the fuss is about, the old Newcastle United wore red and blue anyway!
Phil Osopher
Guest
people will complain about anything, which is a default flaw of democracy. To change to blue and red is a must do move. The gold shirt is revolting and illogical, especially when playing in a stadium laden with blue and red seats which are highly visible. It states simply - this is someone elses stadium and this is the second tier sport. History? What history? Many great clubs changed their shirt. Arsenal for example. When you make a dreadful mistake to start with - the gold shirt - move on and correct it. You people complaining are nuts.
Griffo
Roar Guru
Yeah I read that. How awesome would that be! Would anyone care what shirt Owen wears if he was guaranteed to play with the Jets right now? I wouldn't - just sign him up for the love of God!! Leaves the question though of will happen to Bridges. Owen wouldn't be anything but a Marque. Would Bridges take a foreign spot then? Who would go?
Griffo
Roar Guru
I've said it around before: we could have both home kits - new one for home, gold for away. Both colours have history with the club; fans keep their current gold kit until it vapourises with age, anyone can replace it with the new. Who buys the away strip anyway? This way, you sell both. Jets have said they didn't have much time to submit designs to FFA. Maybe they'll find some soon and have a vote on: a) red-blue (home)/gold (away) b) gold (home)/red-blue (away) - really, just remove the black-white number and replace it with gold and she'll be right. As someone else has said elsewhere: I'll support the Jets in a pink tutu, because the alternative a few months back meant I wouldn't be able to support them at all - gold shirt or red-blue...or pink tutu....baby poo brown....follow the team, not the shirt. 'FC Newcastle' will be a football club regardless of what code you follow. Why not follow both? And netball. Maybe basketball, too. Hell, why not even grab the North Stars in as well - they have red and blue in the strip.
Griffo
Roar Guru
That comment in itself is gold!
macavity
Guest
If an AFL team in Newcastle got 15,000 to a game, 14,500 of them would be from Victoria.
Ned
Guest
agree i think the jets have an oppotunity to wear a world class football kit design...if i played for the jets i would rather were the barca look-a-like that some poo gold kit.
hittingthevalve
Roar Guru
As other have already pointed out, if it weren't for the intervention of Tinkler, we may not even be having this debate. I don't see much diference between a new owner coming in and making changes to the management of the club (which is a bigger factor in determining a club's success) and changing the strip. If you own the club, you have a right to say how it is run. I would have thought the fans should be focussing on things like Tinkler making sure players like Topor-Stanley and Jesic remain at the club which is a much bigger deal than changing the strip. The way I look at these things is to see if you will worry about this matter in 10 minutes? If yes, then see if you will worry about it in 10 days? If yes again, think about whether you will be stressing about it in 10 months time? If its a yes again, use a 10 year time frame? That's been a good way for me to priortise the things I should worry about.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
I think it's fantastic to a cashed-up sports fanatic, like Tinkler, willing to put his own money into Football. Such a guy is not blinded by passion for our Game and it's good to have some outside perspective. And, the Tinkler genius seems to be never-ending ... From today's Newcastle Herald: THE Newcastle Jets are well advanced in negotiations that could culminate in the signings of Michael Owen and Jason Culina, a double-barrelled coup that will stun the A-League. .... There has been speculation that Owen, a horse-racing enthusiast, has not only been offered a massive cash deal by Jets owner Nathan Tinkler, but also a thoroughbred Owen is only 31 years old and, even this season, has made 6 appearances for the team on top of the EPL. Source: http://www.theherald.com.au/news/local/sport/football-soccer/dream-double-cashedup-jets-close-in-on-owen-culina/2073009.aspx
whiskeymac
Guest
i agree people need to get a grip. the old shirt was awful. the new one is good. the clubs been saved. it may even grow into the future.
Realfootball
Guest
What the "die hard" Jets fans are forgetting is how the shirt was ridiculed on its release. That gold lame shirt is 100% Con. Good riddance. Football and the new era here we come. I hope.
Realfootball
Guest
Sounds like you are cut out to be a Roar fan, Ben. You have what it takes.
Realfootball
Guest
Well said.
Realfootball
Guest
I don't think that is possible. Reality is a bridge too far.
Roy
Guest
I've been against the gold jersey ever since it was introduced. It looks tacky and no right-minded person would ever wear it in a public setting outside of a Jets game. Although the new one does draw a lot of comparisons to Barcelona (and the Knights' 97/98 strip), it's still a HUGE step up from the repulsive piece of material the Jets and their supporters currently don every home game. Seriously, metallic gold? Why? KB were red and blue, Breakers were red and blue, United (before they became the 'Jets') were red and blue...I just don't understand where the idea of a gold jersey originated from and how it was selected out of all proposed strips. I guess I just never realised how important attracting the 'suburban rat-tailed materialistic youth' market was to the Jets. Now, with the new strip, the long-LONG-time fans can finally wear their old Newcastle jerseys again and not look out of place. Also, Tinkler is great, Newcastle's future looks up, yadayadayada.
John Davidson
Roar Guru
Thanks Vince, agreed. Made the same point about saying its a community club and then reneging on it. That is the worst part of all this
Realfootball
Guest
Yeah, that's right - he's "ruined the club". Good grief, if hyperbole could fuel a power station, after this debate we wouldn't need to burn coal for a decade and the climate would be saved - from everything except a lot of hot air over nothing.
Realfootball
Guest
You won't get the kids without their parents, and a very large slice of those parents will be NRL followers. The United States experience is of very dubious relevance.
Realfootball
Guest
Since when was decision making by committee a good idea? That last suggestion is absolutely, draw droppingly absurd. Can you imagine the process it would take? This was a sound, completely rational business decision made by a man who is going to lose millions, for sure, keeping the Jets alive. Do the Squadron want a football team or not? Are they keeping it afloat out of their own pockets, from sheer altruism? For my money this was the right decision. It's been coming ever since Tinkler moved to buy the Jets.
Thomas
Guest
Because thats all a football club is isn't it? Cost benefit analysis.