For all the talk at the Central Coast Mariners about wooing fans back with their own variation of joga bonito, it feels they’ve slightly misdirected their focus. On the field, Tony Walmsley and John Hutchinson’s project needs time to nurture, with just one win from the opening six games of the season.
Saturday’s injury-time equaliser in the F3 derby with 10 men suggests the desire is certainly there in the playing group and things may have been much different had Jake McGing not got sent off so early on.
Harmony between on and off-field security has been hard to come by since Graham Arnold’s exit, though.
Executive vice-chairman Peter Storrie says the reason behind the club’s memberships falling by around 1000 from last season is the “unattractive football” played under Arnold’s former lieutenant Phil Moss. So it’s clear Walmsley will be given time to refine the full throttle attacking approach they have maintained all season.
The latest hit to the Mariners’ attempts to return to their former glory is the mobile phone scandal reported by the nationals yesterday.
It was initially claimed the club had ordered all players to hand over their mobile phone records amid an alleged leak of tactical information ahead of the 3-1 defeat to Sydney FC last month. Central Coast later confirmed in a statement they had requested the details from players, coaches and staff, but hadn’t made it mandatory. Not that that makes a difference.
A divide has been created between officials and the players who aren’t guilty, but simply refuse to oblige with that invasion of privacy as a matter of principle.
Granted, Storrie, CEO Mike Charlesworth and Walmsley likely believe a hard line approach works best to get rid of the “mole” and thus the risk of it happening again.
But it’s tough to see this doing any more than contributing to what has threatened to become a toxic relationship between players and staff. A bid to improve trust may have just done more harm than good.
It is terrible timing for the Mariners, too, after News Corp also reported on Tuesday that the club’s suspension of Liam Reddy has “been struck down by an independent arbiter” as the shunned goalkeeper battles to defend himself and his future.
There is no doubt Reddy’s time on the Coast is up, and to many it’s just the latest scandal in his colourful career, but he has every right to protect his integrity and won’t go without a fight.
Eddy Bosnar’s exit also has the volcano bubbling. The defender’s contract was mutually terminated last week as his fallout with management came to a head.
One problem down, two to go, eh?
Part of the post-mortem when these sagas eventually end should be why some players feel so distanced from the club’s management that they no longer have a desire to wear the yellow shirt or leak potentially game-changing information to a rival.
It’s understandable Arnold may still be close with a number of his former players, but they wouldn’t pass on tactical information out of friendship. The Mariners’ loss was probably more down to Nick Fitzgerald’s first-half red card than the leak, but while it’s important to avoid a repeat of this in the future the club shouldn’t think it’s problem solved when they get rid of the guilty player.
Walmsley is clearly very invested in the club and determined to improve the culture. It may have ended in a draw, but following Saturday’s derby the Englishman personally thanked the travelling fans and had earlier greeted them as they arrived to the stadium.
Perhaps small gestures, but that’s what the Mariners need to focus on.
Things may be different if Lawrie McKinna was still there in an official capacity, having resigned from his ambassadorial role over the North Sydney Oval debacle.
The Scot told Soccer Stoppage Time this week that he has since turned down approaches to rejoin the club. It gives an indication that the board is on a different page to the fans if they can’t reel back in perhaps their biggest supporter.
It’s been reported that many players turned down the phone record request, and rightly so. It’s a disturbing invasion of privacy, and it will serve Central Coast well to glance at the mirror.
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