Roar Rookie
Joined January 2011
16.2k
Views
6
Published
11
Comments
Published
Comments
Yesterday, Phil Gould's article for the Sydney Morning Herald called for David Gallop to resign from his post as chief executive officer of the…
[caption id="attachment_30676" align="alignnonw" width="300" caption="New Zealand referee Steve Walsh. AP Photo/Mark Baker"][/caption]Rugby union is my son, but it’s getting harder and harder to defend…
There’s the story about Matt Giteau’s infamous green headgear, or the time Nathan Sharpe waved to my mum. There’s Harry Kewell’s Number 10 shirt,…
The Newcastle Jets, led by new owner Nathan Tinkler, announced that they would be changing the team colours from their gold to a sort…
In November of 2010, when current Liverpool owner John W. Henry took control of the club, he gave a number of interviews to English…
Wimbledon 2008 is a story of redemption and a tale of one man refusing to lie down when faced with a powerful opponent. There…
Thanks for reading NF.
The only person I was taking a shot at was Phil Gould – everybody else can relax. I have no answers for League (nor do I really care) but who says it’s broken? My point was to avoid sacking a man who has brought intelligence, reason and dignity and is a superb spokesperson for the game at a time when it desperately needs it. Phil Gould brings none of these things – just a notepad to doodle on.
Besides, with todays news from the Tigers camp, the NRL needs more lawyers, not one less.
Now THAT… is a cheap shot.
Gallop should indeed quit - and get a promotion
Actually there seem to be plenty around to do the job for me NF. Of course I was stirring the pot, but I have a great amount of respect for Gallop and very little for Phil Gould. Gallop is a man with real skin in the game (the last few lines of GD’s comment says it all), as opposed to Gould who is little more than window dressing. Vision and forward thinking are not nearly enough for a league CEO, I’m afraid. You will also need someone who is bulletproof, and who can somehow convince the parents of Australia that league is something they should be encouraging their children to participate in. They should also get used to the words “I apologise for…”
Gallop should indeed quit - and get a promotion
Thanks Willy. One thing I forgot to mention in my little rant is how referees seem to be playing around with the “crouch, tough, pause, engage” calls. You have 2 sides, each trying to restrain and hold up a metric tonne of force, and the guy in charge is offering them no help at all. There’s no rhythm at all – the ref might as well be saying “.. wait for it… wait for it….”
Ben is right though – there have been flashes of brilliance. The Force/Blues game was spectacular, but again – was not decided by the players.
Dining with sport: the Aussie code dinner party
Eight??! Geez Adrien, you’re making me feel old. I was legally (and frequently) drinking by then.
I think you’re right Willy – what a great advertisement for rugby that weekend was. Say what you want about field-goals but they’re hard to match for drama – Larkham’s wobbly kick will be long remembered.
Watching Australia win away from home
Liverpool fans, to the tune of the local favourite, “Yellow Submarine” –
“We all dream of a team of Carragher’s, a team of Carragher’s, a team of Carragher’s….
Number 1, is Carragher.
Number 2, is Carragher.
Number 3… is Carragher,
And Number 4, is Carragher…”
All the way to Number 11… And they don’t change it up. Not ever. You at least have to admire the scouse commitment.
Friday fun: Best Football chants?
Exactly right, Fussball. Especially considering now A-League clubs can choose the manufacturer, this has the potential to net them considerable money (which, in the right hands, can only be good for the club). It’s a sudden change, but a smart one.
It’s why Torres (damn him) goes for 50 million pounds and not 35 – he’s not just a player, he’s a name on a jersey.
The genius of Nathan Tinkler's Jets change
From the old die-hards, still holding on to the gold, and the new die-hards wearing the blue-and-red (who discovered the game thanks to initiatives like this).
The point isn’t the colour of the shirts (I actually like the gold look), the point is people are starting to take notice of what Tinkler is doing for the sporting community here and his hopes of bringing the multiple clubs under one banner. Very quickly, he has made the Jets one of the most professionally run, cheapest to follow, family friendly sporting clubs in Australia. And people will come…
Maybe he withheld this decision from the fans as he felt it was too important to be turned down. It’s bigger, and smarter business, than a six-year legacy and a desire (as strong as that may be) to look different to the Knights.
The genius of Nathan Tinkler's Jets change
I did for a while – sort of a misguided, teenage, rebellious streak. Didn’t stick.
The five stages of Fernando Torres grief
Thanks OneJayBee.
Yes, I’m sure the 50 million pounds eased the clubs pain. I found the interview with John W. Henry (where he talks about the amount spent on Carroll being dependent on the amount received for Torres) very interesting –
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011/feb/04/john-w-henry-interview-liverpool
He sounds like a smart guy, and it’s good to see the money didn’t go into their top pockets (Something I’m sure the Newcastle United fans will be concerned about with Carroll’s fee). It’s a shame to see Torres go, and I’m sure he’ll get to score plenty of goals for Chelsea, but at least we’re in a hopeful position.
The five stages of Fernando Torres grief
Actually, no. The buck stops with Branko.
If “Branko wasn’t involved in Jason’s signing”, then what good is he? He is the manager, and for this to happen he has been derelict in his duties. If Jason was an overweight Brazilian, he would have never made it past security. Branko may have had good intentions by not offering opinions one way or the other (in fact I’m sure he did), but it doesn’t mean he has been doing his job properly.
“Tinkler has presumed that the Culinas were in cahoots.” There’s no evidence of that at all. Tinkler has presumed that Branko has been incompetent, and he is privvy to more than us, in that regard.
As for the timing of Branko’s sacking, when would have been a better time to sack him? After the first game maybe? Before the finals? Perhaps he asked some questions at his Sydney office after the launch and didn’t like the answers.
Tinkler's temper casts aside the Culinas