Mugwump wrote:
What's TRULY CRINGEWORTHY is your desperate need for the club to be doing something wrong so they can be blamed for the disappointment you are feeling after losing.
This kind of behaviour is a common among children who haven't yet learned that an emotional response to events isn't always productive.
Now, you can keep saying I'm blindly defending the club in all circumstances as much as you like. It doesn't make it any more true. If you were capable of keeping your emotions in check for long enough you'd know this.
As you know well, forums, like online shopping review sites, will always attract those on the ends of the spectrum, those who are particularly happy and those who are particularly unhappy. This period of frustration was probably inevitable, the move from Knowsley Road at a time when our legendary sides of Hanley, Millward and Anderson were coming to their natural end. What people didn't accept was this transition to mediocrity, mainly because of McManus's 'Comical Ali' style preaching every season about how amazing the squad was. His preaching about the commercial benefits of the stadium and the appointment of KC and him allowing KC to talk so much utter nonsense in the press over the off season has left us in this situation. It's incredibly poor PR from the club, they've consistently and deliberately set the bar so high that failure is inevitable from the first pre-season meetup. I kind of understand why he's done it, he's desperately trying to hold onto the season ticket holders that are flocking away from the club at the end of the 5 year deal and admitting the club would be delighted with a top 6 finish and amazed by a top 4 finish wouldn't do any good. But that's the position we are in, we are in a dog fight for the top 4, and possibly the 8 if we get any sort of injury crisis, or injuries to the remaining two key players (Roby and Walmsley).
The club is at a crucial point. From the last few years accounts, it doesn't seem like the stadium is producing the commercial returns they believed it would. We are not yet making a profit and this season is going to be horrendous, no finals last year and probably this and crowds falling by probably at least 1,500 on average this year. The club as a whole mirrors the on-field performance. We are not making a profit, we have this amazing asset yet we don't host any events at the ground? Why aren't there boxing matches, semi finals, concerts etc going on there? Why is Mike Rush, former junior coach the CEO? What business acumen does he have? Why is KC head coach in charge of developing players throughout the club? What coaching experience does he have? What are Sculthorpe and Martyn doing for the club and what are their capabilities that make them suitable for their roles? Wello? Gardner? It just gives the impression of an old boys club, a circle of friends having a riot behind the scenes and doing the bare minimum to pretend they are trying to be the successful business they claim to be.
For all he has done for the club McManus should be held in high regard. But for me it's time to re-focus and get the commercial wheel turning and reinvest in the playing staff and coaches over the next couple of years like Hull and Warrington have done, or leave. He always said he's go once he'd delivered the stadium, but that doesn't seem to be happening.
