Answers required !

[woodchuck]

Certain members of our club have escaped any critisicsm regarding the GF. As fans don't you think we deserve answers, after all isn't the Mariners our club, arent we the ones filling the stadium.  I believe what we see from the Mariners as glossy as they portray, is not the true reflection on how they sometimes operate.

We finally beat the Jets after two years and he doesn't run with that same team. Why? Owens while nothing against the guy, was underdone. Why then start him in the most important game of the year? Why didn't he play Gumprecht who had played 90 minutes in that game where we won 3-0? Aren't these fair and just questions?

To say there are political issues in our team selection is an understatement. As has been alluded to previously by others, there is a soccer clinic not doing well which has strong links to a Mariners employee. Gumprecht's on the other hand are going great guns.

Is Lawrie receiving pressure from above in team selections? Or does he put personal issues before the best interests of the team and the fans?


On current form where is the logic on picking Owens ahead of Gumprecht?

The best possible team available was not selected for the grand final. The thousands of people who went to the Waterfront on Saturday and the 20 000 fans who travelled to Sydney deserve some answers.

Saying "we didn't play well", doesn't cut it!

 

[kevrenor]

Well they certainly haven't "escaped any criticism" now have they.
If you have more than circumstantial evidence for some of your claims - ask the board.
You've asked the questions - we'll see if anyone - wants to, feels like, can, should - answer them.

 

[FFC Mariner]

I would hope no one would dignify this "analysis" with a response.

 

[Nik Mrdjas Disco Bikkie]

Why not? (S)he's 100% spot on

 

[FFC Mariner]

If Owens had scored with his blocked shot in the 1st half and we won 1-0 would this thread even be here??

Coaching, like any other job involves judgement calls. Sometimes that doesnt work.

 

[Pete]

The question you raised about Owens being picked ahead of Gumprecht can only be answered by one man - Lawrie.

If you see him around, ask him if he has the time and put the question to him politely. He's not one to hide in an ivory tower, and is approachable if you are friendly and respectful enough.

As for the alleged politics of one coaching clinic vs. another, are you implying that one player (Gumprecht) was not in the starting eleven because he is running a successful coaching clinic and the other's lack of success (you say a Mariners employee, or are they a player in the squad?) led to him being benched for a GF? Seriously - is that your question, I'm not sure what you are trying to say there?  ???

Onfield operations is controlled by Lawrie, haven't seen any proof that anyone else has a say. Do you have proof to the contrary?

 

[Marquee]

The only reason i can think of for starting Owens was his experience from last years Grand Final.
But in saying that, Gumps was in the season 1 GF.

 

[SNOWMARINER]

I have the upmost respect for what our management and our coach has acheived but the question of Owens playing ahead of Gumps after he was part of the team that blitzed he Jets two weeks earlier is one that should be answered by Lawrie.

I would be suprised whether many people understood that decision and rumours that politics played it's part in that decision have come from many people  involved with the club off the record and to ensure continued support at full tilt I think an explaination would only serve to quell any misunderstanding that  supporters may have and would prove yet again the Mariners are community based.

If I get the chance to ask Lawrie personally, and politely, I will but as it's probibly not likely I think some public explaination would certainly help.

No one wants to think that politics can have a fitter, more match fit player that proved himself the game before sidelined in such an important match. Many people offered opinions on this to me after the match and refered to 'politics' and other personal issues between Gumps and others in the club but ALL thought that he should have been on the park from the start.

 

[Tez]

lawrie is our coach and i'll stand by his decisions, he is with the players the most and as such knows more than we do - like how hard they are trainning - im sure he had a good reason for starting Owens over gumps.

Also gumps complaining to the papers instead of trainning harder mite of also had something to do with it, i remember reading a few articles over the past few weeks about gumps not starting, even in today's paper there was that article " Gumps: I should have started "...

 

[skilbeck]

yeah theres no use demanding the head of the coach everytime we lose a game. Look at managers like Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger. They are both long serving managers that are almost as big as their respective clubs themselves. They dont win everything every year, but they still have the confidence of their boards and their multitude of fans. Id like to thing of Lawrie like that for the mariners because after all he has won us the first of hopefully many premierships and he will get his hands on the toilet seat one day and hopefully on many occasions in the future

 

[woodchuck]

The fact that no dialogue has come from Lawrie at all regarding team selection leads me to ask the questions about politics.

Do I think a player was benched over soccer clinics, no I do not, but others on this forum over the past few days have provided this information. And as there is no obvious explanation why Gumps was benched, and Lawrie has not said anything publicly other than "we didn't play well", then the questions over team selections will remain.

All I am asking for is for our Club's Manager to talk about the game and the team he put on the park. I think a lot of the people who went down there and the thousands who watched here on the Coast deserve an answer.

It is obvious to everybody that Gumprecht and McKinna are not best buddies, indeed even Tom Smithies from the Daily Telegraph refers to "the out of favour" Gumprecht in his newspaper column. And I along with numerous others have heard from players that there is 'politics' at work which is fine, as all Clubs from the smallest to the biggest are run this way.

But my question still remains why did he play an out of form player instead of a player that had  played 90 minutes in a 3-0 victory? It was the Grand Final!

BTW I am not asking for anyone's head, merely answers.

 

[#1 Kwasnik fan]

I think that lawrie might have favoured Owens a bit more cause owens will be at the club next year where as gumps might not be.
At the members christmas picnic, me and my mates asked gumps when he was coming back and he told us that he wasn't in the future plans of the club anymore and that he had probably played his last game before chrissy. but he did end up playing most of the game safter that because of an injuries to certain players, one of them being owens.

 

[jaypee]

I still believe it was the correct decision. Show me one game this year that Gumps started that he played well in. I can not remember - fact is he played so well of the bench and to be honest thats his spot

My issue is that if Tommy was ok to be on the bench then he should have started.... Even if we only got 30-40 mins out of him

 

[Jimmy]

The only reason i can think of for starting Owens was his experience from last years Grand Final.
But in saying that, Gumps was in the season 1 GF.

Didnt owens get beat in last years GF 6-0?
In V1 GF gumpy fired up the team like he did this year.

 

[brett]

Right or wrong decision...

Lawrie doesn't have to answer to any fan
and
Lawrie would sooner walk out than have anyone within the club try to influence his selections.

 

[Porett]

i would venture to guess that Tom Pondeljak's injury forced a change in the midfield.

Owens is more mobile, Owens starts.

 

[serious14]

Right or wrong decision...

Lawrie doesn't have to answer to any fan

Is there a rule somewhere stating that??  I'd like to think that we are one of the main reasons the club continues to exist on a daily basis.  Not to mention the money we pour into the coffers and all that......

Every other club in the world (well, outside of Australia) seems to be answerable to their fans.  Note the ruthlessness of the fans of Italian and Spanish clubs as an example.  If they don't like what goes on they make their feelings known, and 95% of the time it gets results - whether that be the coach waking up to himself and managing properly, or a regime change.

Eh, whatever.

 

[poetryintheblood]

Lawrie is there for a reason, and that reason is to try his best, and what people seem to overlook is that it takes a big commitment of both players and staff to create success, which both have done. If anyone is to blame it's the poor excuse for Referees we are forced to have playing God at our games. I would be more interested in getting the following questions answered.
1. How the f*** did the SCUM get flares in to the stadium, and get away with it?
2. Why were the Scum on the park after the match? if we tried that shit, we'd face the hanging jury.
3. Why did Danny cop more than that f***W** Griffiths, who did worse, and only got yellow carded?
4. How far up Constantines and Lowy's ass are Shields and Breeze?

Now these I'd like answered.

 

[Arabmariner]

Certain members of our club have escaped any critisicsm regarding the GF. As fans don't you think we deserve answers, after all isn't the Mariners our club, arent we the ones filling the stadium.  I believe what we see from the Mariners as glossy as they portray, is not the true reflection on how they sometimes operate.

We finally beat the Jets after two years and he doesn't run with that same team. Why? Owens while nothing against the guy, was underdone. Why then start him in the most important game of the year? Why didn't he play Gumprecht who had played 90 minutes in that game where we won 3-0? Aren't these fair and just questions?

To say there are political issues in our team selection is an understatement. As has been alluded to previously by others, there is a soccer clinic not doing well which has strong links to a Mariners employee. Gumprecht's on the other hand are going great guns.

Is Lawrie receiving pressure from above in team selections? Or does he put personal issues before the best interests of the team and the fans?


On current form where is the logic on picking Owens ahead of Gumprecht?

The best possible team available was not selected for the grand final. The thousands of people who went to the Waterfront on Saturday and the 20 000 fans who travelled to Sydney deserve some answers.

Saying "we didn't play well", doesn't cut it!

Something stinks here.

The questions raised are entirely justified.Several people around me at the Grand Final questioned Owens inclusion ahead of Gumprecht when the team was announced before the game.I,m a Greg Owens fan but he,s struggled with injury all year and Blind Freddy can see he,s not match fit.

It was Gumprecht who sparked the team into life in the 2nd leg of the semi.Yet after playing most of the 90 mins plus extra time he,s dropped to the bench again in favour of an unfit Owens?

I would hate to think that petty politics played a part in picking our Grand Final team.I hope Lawrie is bigger than that.He,s a nice guy but that shouldn,t make him a protected species.

I,d like to hear him answer a few curly questions.

It might help to clear away the smell.

 

[pjennings]

Lawrie is there for a reason, and that reason is to try his best, and what people seem to overlook is that it takes a big commitment of both players and staff to create success, which both have done. If anyone is to blame it's the poor excuse for Referees we are forced to have playing God at our games. I would be more interested in getting the following questions answered.
1. How the f*** did the SCUM get flares in to the stadium, and get away with it?
2. Why were the Scum on the park after the match? if we tried that shit, we'd face the hanging jury.
3. Why did Danny cop more than that f***W** Griffiths, who did worse, and only got yellow carded?
4. How far up Constantines and Lowy's ass are Shields and Breeze?

Now these I'd like answered.

These seem to be much more relevant questions!!