A 17-year-old was handed the captain’s armband by the club owner, the coach was temporarily stood down by the owner for making a mockery of the decision and subsequently quits. This all happened in what was an extraordinary week on the Gold Coast.
I was stunned when I read owner Clive Palmer’s remarks. His total disregard for football was clear for all to see and as a football fan it’s hard not to feel let down.
In saying that, the Gold Coast has been a great disappointment because of what should have been. The FFA must shoulder a chunk of responsibility for rushing expansion.
Gold Coast’s empty stadiums and soulless club have been embarrassing. The club has been extremely poorly managed from day one and the sadly ignoble end it is facing was inevitable.
Palmer is not the first irate owner; he is merely the loudest. FFA-owner relationships continue to be a serious issue that must be addressed.
With North Queensland already gone and Melbourne Heart still facing challenges ahead, along with talk resurfacing regarding a possible second Sydney franchise being included in the A League, the FFA along with existing owners need to ensure management and implementation strategies are correct before any further steps that are taken could backfire again.
While it’s hard to pinpoint the exact moment when the Bleiberg-Palmer relationship became untenable, their relationship has always been an interesting one – both outspoken people who are not shy to voice their opinions.
Bleiberg has been left hung out to dry as a result of Palmer’s decision to suspend him and his decision to walk away from the club was the correct one.
The media love Bleiberg, and why wouldn’t they; he’s entertaining, you don’t have to ask many questions to get the headlines you’re looking for, and while I feel for Miron as he’s had to juggle coaching with managing Palmer’s outrageous expectations, the question needs to be asked, is he a good manager?
Sure football needs personalities and I for one hope he is not lost to the game, but we must stop judging coaches on how they entertain the media or the number of exciting press conferences they provide – it’s down to how well they coach.
On Sunday Palmer attacked the very fabric of the game. His comments were out of order and offended the heart and soul of football, the fans of the game.
The game now needs to stand up and be counted. Anyone who disrespects the game should leave; they are not needed or welcome.
Everyone in football should be very clear on one thing: we are all here to serve the game, never ever the other way around.
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