Mariners forever mired in mediocrity

You'd hope the author isn't one of those people that are calling for expansion sides from Canberra, NQ, Tassie, Geelong, Wollongong or anywhere else that will undoubtedly draw smaller crowds and have less potential than the Mariners. To me, they just seem to be a well run club that draws slightly below average crowds. Big deal, half of all clubs will draw below average crowds.

The little club that should not..

Sheek That blue and red oceans tis quite interesting which the site you read it on is.. The trick I think is to look at the same thing from a totally different stance this is another link non sporting this time ... http://www.blueoceanstrategyaustralia.com.au/what-is-bos/red-vs-blue/ Another link from the Harvard Business Review ... http://hbr.org/2004/10/blue-ocean-strategy/ar/1

Here we go again.......Mariners bashing seems to be a sport in itself. 'Mediocre' but still 3rd on the ladder as of tonight, what does that say about the 'Big City teams'. FOR GOD'S SAKE GIVE IT A REST.

Hi Midfielder, You might regret directing me to Blue Ocean Strategy Business Solutions Concept, which I am still getting my head around. I'm fascinated by the concept & I'm digesting, digesting, digesting! The Australian PFA proposed their own version of an Australian Premier League in 2004 in which they advocated that Sydney should have three teams - Sydney Northern, Sydney Western & Sydney South-East. Furthermore, Melbourne should have two teams, Melbourne North-West & Melbourne South-East. This was in the start-up proposal. When John O'Neill came onboard the FFA, he pushed the line of 'one club/one city' mantra, which eventually won the day. Initially, O'Neill's vision appeared to be the right one. But 10 years later, perhaps the APL proposal was the better model after all. It's interesting (spookily eerie in fact) how similar the ARU's current NRC proposal draws from the failed APFA APL proposal. The three teams in Sydney's Northern, Western & South-East are still there, while teams from Brisbane's North-West & South-East have replaced the two Melbourne teams. In the Leopold Method article you directed me to, part one ends with: "To this very day, Central Coast Mariners experience cash flow problems." This then appears to be the dilemma of sporting organisations in this country. On-field success is only part of the equation, and CCM have arguably been the most consistently successful on-field club in the A-League. Yet they continue to proverbially live of the smell of the oily rag. A similar argument can be made for Melbourne Storm in the NRL. Despite tremendous on-field success in the past decade, they have yet to entrench a comfortable niche in the southern capital. Despite being the only national club on the Central Coast, the Mariners, despite their attractive style & winning ways, continue to struggle to permeate themselves into the population, & develop sufficient, sustainable revenue streams. Some people subtly point CCM towards Sydney's North Harbour/Shore/Beaches/North-West. Here is the population & critical mass that can sustain CCM, or dare I say, North Sydney Mariners! The best national comp in Australia, by a country mile, is the AFL. It's instructive that the AFL bothers itself with clubs based only in the five major capital cities of Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth & Adelaide. Geelong & Gold Coast fall sufficiently close within the respective orbits of Melbourne & Brisbane. Here in the five capital cities, is the critical mass of population, players, fans, sponsors & media exposure. And regular revenue streams. I hate to say it, & I will no doubt offend some people, perhaps many people, but the Mariners must eventually relocate to Sydney's North. It's also instructive for the ARU in formulating their NRC, that the start-up teams should only be located in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth & Canberra. Whoever they might be. Canberra, being the nation's capital, any sport can get the ear/attention of whoever is in power. And most politicians like the reflected attention of being seen to support sport. The only other two cities that might have a chance of inclusion - Newcastle & Adelaide - might have to wait a few years. For the Central Coast, South Coast, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Central Q'land, North Q'land, etc of this country, their place, whether they like it or not, is most likely in state leagues. That's my early thoughts on the wonderful reading you have given me, Midfielder!

That's true mick and from talking to numerous people in my employ the reason is that they feel the club is a stain on the league and its lack of a proper stadium and large city is embarrassing. Gosford is but a small village. The club has also got to get its act together regarding fans - how many members do they have? The figure appears to be less than 5000. That's too low for the champions of the comp!!!

As a CCM fan, there are some valid points in this article, but I dont see how reaches the conclusion that they are destined for mediocrity. The vision and culture of the club are crystal clear and that is the biggest factor in determining mediocrity. That's why they have survived and thrived DESPITE player sales for the last 4 years. If any other club had suffered our player losses they would have been reeling, but our culture has seen us through. Losing mcglinchy will be the biggest test of my theory, but we will know the answer pretty soon. A youngster called anthony caceres will have a big impact on that very soon.

Spot on Ryan

The real story.. Central Coast Mariners are currently fourth on the A-League ladder just 2 points behind Victory who are sitting on third and who have played an extra game. The defending champions have long been punching above their weight, but this season, their true championship qualities are showing. In spite of not playing well all season, they are well placed to grab a top two position as they did last year. Losing promising young players has been a fact of life for the Gosford-based club, and it’s something the hierarchy are happy to celebrate. Former manager Graham Arnold recently echoed those sentiments in an interview with Robbie Slater. On Tom Rogic leaving Arnold said, “It was the philosophy of the club.” Further evidence of the philosophy can be found in the following departure list: Michael Beauchamp (left for Europe 06-07), Mile Jedinak (left for Europe 2009), Mustafa Amini (left for Europe 2012), Matt Ryan (left for Europe 2013). The Mariners have stunned us with two premierships and one championship from the eight A-League seasons so far. They’ve appeared in four of the end of season championship matches and an amazing six times in the finals series. A look at attendance averages where the Mariners are on track to average 11,000 this season is very heartening for A-League officialdom. This would mean a 49% increase in the last 4 years. HAL officials wish all clubs had such good growth. Graham Arnold is proud of the club’s attendances, saying, “there’s a population up here of 250,000 and if you can average 10,000 a game you are doing great.” And it will only get better… The Mariners was and is a 15 year seeding of football plan. They currently have the best training facility in Australia, a home stadium rated as the best pitch in the HAL and are tied to a private football school.

Another mariners bashing story,is it the fact that we are a small club with no flashy big headed players and still highly sucessful the thing that annoys some people...An old saying "a champion team will always beat a team of champions",hear that sydney

Are you being objective or just airing a personal preference? So many people seem to want the coast out of the a league. Cant understand it really

Bluetongue is a good stadium. In a good setting. Next tothe train etc. You couldn't be more off the mark. Outside of the capital cities on a good day crowds aren'tthat much better either.

This is a good article which raises some valid points which are too often swept under the carpet. The reality is that the mariners are never going to be able to draw a decent crowd - there are not enough people living there and the population that does exists is too spread out and too poor. Blue tongue stadium is a joke and looks unfinished as there are only 3 sides. This club needs to be relocated or shut down. It is going nowhere fast. If this is the crowd after they won the toilet seat, imagine if they pick up the wooden spoon. After 9 years the club has not been able to get over 5,000 members despite being champions!!!!!

Les Confused and mixed article .. if the Mariners have trouble then so do PG, AU, MH & Nix who most seasons we average bigger crowds... The Mariners has always been a 15 year seeding of football plan... nothing has changed ... BTW what about a 40 to 60 million dollar Australian best training facility and private football school....

+1

I suppose we need a crowd incident or a riot to be considered a truly successful club. Give me the mediocrity thanks

Agree, as I often do, with Ben of pp on this. A very negative article. Sounds like the impetuous ventings of a frustrated fan or jilted player than a reasonable assessment of arguably the most successful club. Every club could be labeled mediocre pending on criterion used. But results and reasonable crowds is not so galling for the coast. Hal clubs bust and boom results wise. They ''ll be back.

As often stated the Mariners are a long term project that is tracking very well. I hope it's not groundhog day for Mariners fans as the buggers keep winning titles.

"The Mariners have stunned us with two premierships and one championship from the eight A-League seasons so far. They’ve appeared in four of the end of season championship matches and an amazing six times in the finals series." If that's the defintion of mediocrity, I'll have me some of that!

I think his point is that if the Mariners are somewhat struggling in an attendance sense when they are a good team, how would they do if they had a season like the Melbourne Heart? Long term going off sponsorship and population base, the Mariners are going to be nearer the bottom of the A-League than the top. When that happens will they be able to survive