Is the writing on the wall for Gold Coast United?

No need for any more expansions. Lets walk before we can run. One of the reasons the A-League was set up is so states and cities can identify with their team. All this expansion business has come far too early without allowing the foundation clubs to grow their supporter base. I agreed with the expansion in Melbourne becuase of Victory. But even that has affected Victory's once proud supporter base. Why promote the league with 8 teams? With a possible introduction of an FFA Cup where the State League Clubs are invovled to attract even greater intrest at grass roots level.

You don't want Palmer near any football team. It was his decision to cap crowds at 5k that killed the club. His decision to force fans to sit where they didnt want to sit. His decision to make tickets more expensive than any other team in the competition. If you treat fans like that, they won turn up. Its certainly not how you run a football club. Starting a franchise in the A-League you need to expect some big losses until you gather more support and interest from Sponsors and players alike. Lets not forget. Gold Coast in their first preseaon got 25,000 to the Fulham game. Where have all those interested spectators gone?

The FFA's problem was it decided to run before it could walk. It threw half of its eggs in the world cup bid. FAIL. It threw the other half of its eggs in the expansion of the league. Again FAIL. Personally I thought the WC bid came to early and wasted valuable resources which could of been used to contribute to the expansion of the League. Whilst I see the argument if we won the World Cup the game would obviously grow, realisticly we were never going to win. The focus should of been on marketing the league and making it affordable to attend. While most of us die hards are willing to pay to watch a game, most neutral's scoff at paying $30 to see a game the are sceptical about. Alot can be learnt about the AFL and the way it has gone about it expansion. Slowly gathering momentum and intrest. For me the expansion into Queensland was a knee jerk reaction to the AFL's proposed move. Now look where we sit two years later. There is no denying the product on the park is stronger than it has ever been. However, off the park there is a long, long, long way to go.

Typical NSW BS Gobouten....... Nth Qld has produced many players just like Wollongong. I remember Wollongong struggling for crowds even when they had the best team to watch in the NSL. Nth Qld were expected to finish last both seasons. The huge hype that NSW is a football state is based on participation when compared to other states. I suspect that's because Rugby League isn't as competitive (because it doesn't suit everyone) as AFL is for young players. If Sydney FC can't regularily pull in a crowd what hope Wollongong. Once the likes of Canberra and Wollongong get a chance to fail in the A league the "football heatland" myth will be exposed and we can move on to the real problem......the flaws with the model/set up (bad kick off times and no exposure). People are kidding themselves if they think good crowds are going to rock up for a 15 game season in Wollongong at odd times and with no promotion.

I can't see why you need to change the name - that's the best part!!

There is no way you can compare Wollongong to Nth QLD. Wollongong is football heartland. They love it down there. Personally I'd love to see Wolves in the A-League, although I don't know how that would go down with the other NSL clubs. Might require a name change or something along those lines. I do think that in general any future expansion needs to have more community connection from the start. Easy to say of course...

Mike, good article, It's tough for GC to come back from this. Half their squad has signed with other A-league clubs or overseas. Djite will probably be the next to go. I feel sorry for their supporters, small numbers I know, but the ones that do turn up seem loyal. I think GC can remain in the league, but not with the two Clives or Moron! A fresh start is what they need. If I was Gorman or Buckley, I'd be talking to Palmer right now, about being major shareholder in the West Sydney bid, obviously keeping him out of day-to-day tasks at the club, leaving those to Football people. Clive is basically throwing his money down the toilet at the moment, and not making any back, he should cut his losses! If the FFA can get new owners for Brisbane, sort out the issues with the Phoenix, and don't have any owners pulling out next season, there's no reason why they can't bankroll GCU all of next season, while trying to get new investors. This way they could immediately cut the crowd cap, advertise and engage the community, and hopefully fans will come. This would obviously be a long process. But it can't get any worse, I could run that club better from my couch! I think there is a future for this club, with 8000 registered players in the area, and 15-20K in stands when big Clive threw the gates open, even in shocking weather! Under the right circumstances, and in the right hands, they could average 6-7000 a game, but a lot needs to be done. Hopefully the FFA don't let them die, we need them in the comp for a variety of reasons.

Miron can be mildly amusing at times, but it does start to wear a bit thin the whole larger than life persona: I'm an urbane, sophisticate, too good to answer questions from you plebs....zzzzzz

Bleiberg will leave the game in disgrace after this. This debacle has his sticky fingerprints all over it. As a coach, he is little more than a life support system for disaster. He has alienated fans, made a fool of himself and the club in the media, chronically confused ego with intelligence (no, Miron, they are not the same thing), shown sub state league tactical naivety, and has clearly never had the respect of his players. If Palmer had more football smarts to add to his considerable business smarts, he would have let MIron go after season 1. But that’s the trouble with GCU, its all too cosy. Clive Palmer is a close relative by marriage to CEO Clive Menink; Bleiberg is Rasputin to the Tsar and the sickly, haemophiliac son is Gold Coast United. Needless to say, it ended badly in Russia too.

Bleiberg will leave the game in disgrace after this. This debacle has his sticky fingerprints all over it. As a coach, he is little more than a life support system for disaster. He has alienated fans, made a fool of himself and the club in the media, chronically confused ego with intelligence (no, Miron, they are not the same thing), shown sub state league tactical naivety, and has clearly never had the respect of his players. If Palmer had more football smarts to add to his considerable business smarts, he would have let MIron go after season 1. But that's the trouble with GCU, its all too cosy. Clive Palmer is a close relative by marriage to CEO Clive Menink; Palmer is Rasputin to the Tsar and the sickly, haemophiliac son is Gold Coast United. Needless to say, it ended badly in Russia too.

Hell no - don't let Palmer anywhere near Brisbane Roar. I'd don't want to have to stop supporting Brisbane Roar because of its owner. He is an odious beast, in my opinion.

It looks like the Gold Coast are doomed and Plamer will be putting his money into the Brisbane Roar. I hope that the FFA soughts this out before the start of the new season. The A-League does not need more bad publicity.

I said 11 of 16. Providing three counter examples in no way disproves my argument.

Don't be so lazy Dale, do some googling and you'll find plenty of articles like this: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/afl/sydney-swans-dive-to-big-cash-loss/story-e6frexwr-1225820982027 http://www.sydneyswans.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/7106/newsid/107672/default.aspx http://www.sydneyswans.com.au/tabid/7106/default.aspx?newsid=87389 http://www.afc.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/4417/newsid/109116/default.aspx and so on . . . Compare the AFL Media handouts of $250 million a year to the A-League's 17 million and the results look even worse to me for a sport with so much cash at their disposal.

Most AFL clubs do not loss money, last year 11 of 16 clubs made operating profits totaling $17.2m. The other 5 clubs lost a combined $7.2m. By comprasion all A-League clubs lost money last year with total losses over $25m.

Most AFL and NRL clubs lose money. Manchester United is in 330 million pounds debt. Where is the fair and balanced reporting? ALL A-League articles are negative. It is a targeted campaign by a Rugby League mouthpiece to try and put down football and the A-League after such a fantastic grand final - that shows what football can really achieve in this country if people get behind it.

I understand why the FFA had to kick start the comp with a private equity model, they needed to fast track some capital into the comp. Over time, I think it is desireable that the clubs move in the direction suggested by you.

I don't understand this idea that sports news should not be reported if it doesn't show a sport in the best light. Any sports follower would not be suprised by anything mentioned in these two articles. With the first article in particular, where Smithies is reporting a couple of uncomfortable home truths about TV rights, he has been quite balanced in allowing Buckley the last word on the matter, who does end it all on a positive note. There is no suggestion in either of these two articles that the league will not survive past next season, in fact, I would conclude the opposite after reading both of them. What is true is that all who are connected with the game have to hose down their expectations of what's possible.

maybe have it 50/50 private ownership and community ownership. Hopefully as the years go by, community ownership, via members should take majority control of the club

I totally agree ItsCalledFootball You start to have a gutful of these negative articles. For many months there were articles written about the Fury, now their gone lets move on to the next "victim" with Gold Coast. And if they fold lets move on to another team. Adrian Musolino wrote a negative article on the day of the A-League grand final. It wasn't the right time. http://www.theroar.com.au/2011/03/13/a-leagues-plight-cannot-be-ignored-on-grand-final-day/ Its funny how with some journos, you think their on the money, with perhaps an inside scoop on a story. But not in this case. Back in late november last year just days before the bid there was an article where Australia were more than likely going to get the oceania vote back. Well we all know what happened. Australia didn't get the oceania vote. So much for the inside scoop. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/frank-lowys-world-cup-vote-boost/story-fn75ie93-1225963004232 In Australia for many decades, soccer has received thousands upon thousands of negative articles. (and if it isn't a true, well it seems like it) I think its time journos write articles where they address an issue at the start of it, and by the end of it come up with a solution to that issue Thats one way of moving the game forward. These CONSTANT negative articles, IMO do harm the game