PETITION LINK External Review

[tony soprano]

NRL 2023: Tigers fans commence fight to change management after slumping to last​

Shattered by the club’s flagging results, influential Tigers supporters have called for action in the shape of an external review of the board and senior management.
Brent Read and David Riccio
July 8, 2023 - 7:55AM

Fed-up members of the Wests Tigers supporter base have ‘lost faith’ in the club’s leadership and have commenced a petition to evoke change.

Shattered by the club’s flagging results, influential Tigers supporters have called for action in the shape of an external review of the board and senior management.

Wooden-spoon favourites, the Wests Tigers slumped to 16th on the NRL ladder following their 36-12 loss to Cronulla on Thursday night.

The dejection has been magnified by some of the club’s most loyal supporters who have launched a petition demanding “a thorough external review, encompassing all aspects of the organisation.’’

The plan is to share the petition with the senior management of the Tigers and their majority owners, Wests Ashfield Leagues Club.

Supporter petitions rarely have an impact but what makes this one interesting is that it has been launched by fans who were previously embedded in the club.

Steve Stretton is a member of the Wests Tigers fan podcast, helped establish a supporter group and has regularly met with chief executive Justin Pascoe in recent years to help the club with its image on social media.

He recently sent Pascoe an email saying he could no longer be party to the meetings because he was disenfranchised with the organisation.

The petition has nearly 500 signatures and the aim is to get to 2000.

“We are not parroting Wests Tigers propaganda,” Stretton said.

“We just try to support the club. I know Justin well, I have met Lee Hagipantelis. The bottom line is that the club is broken.

“It’s not the players. We have one of the best forward packs in the game when they are all on the field. It‘s is not the coaches.

“The problem is the lack of governance and senior management being able to stick to a plan … and their ability to get harmony and a vision and a culture in the club that breeds success.

“I sent him an email last week and I can’t do this anymore. I said it is nothing personal but I have lost respect for the club’s senior leadership.

“We have no faith there. We have no faith there. I have never seen the agitation I have seen now. I have heard multiple people – the rusted on members – saying they hope the club will fold.”

The Tigers are reeling from key injuries to Api Koroisau and Luke Brooks, both of whom are at least a fortnight away from returning.

The Wests Tigers travel to Newcastle next Friday to tackle the Knights.

Strong words.

 

[gallagher]

I Wonder what the Wests Tigers loose if you are no longer a fan?

When was your last live match? Merchandise? Do you even at least subscribe to foxtel?

Being a regular contributor to a non official forum doesn't count.

The same probably applies to most petitioners.

Crowds are falling alarmingly. Are you really questioning that if this continues, what would the club lose?

 

[tony soprano]

This should help recruiting players to the club

 

[jadtiger]

I Wonder what the Wests Tigers loose if you are no longer a fan?

When was your last live match? Merchandise? Do you even at least subscribe to foxtel?

Being a regular contributor to a non official forum doesn't count.

The same probably applies to most petitioners.

The club would lose a lifetime supporter of the game and i go back to when the dragons won the premiership every year for a decade.Your attitude is everything that is wrong with the game putting dollars and cents before anything else,what i contribute now or in the past is completely irrelevant except to bean counters and should not and never be what our club or rugby league is all about.

 

[Todd Packer]

Jones likes his little angry slogans like "A fish rots from the head".

Can someone, perhaps one of the podcasters, tell him that that's not actually true.
A fish rots from the inside, the organs , out.
So maybe he can rejig his rant to fit that in.

 

[SeanT]

Crowds are falling alarmingly. Are you really questioning that if this continues, what would the club lose?

Not just that. What kids support the Tigers? Would be declining sharply because they always lose. The whole brand has been tarnished.

 

[TieDye]

What does it matter to anybody on here?

The club won’t listen anyway.

Lunatics running the asylum, then walking away and saving face when there’s accountability demands!

 

[innsaneink]

]

This should help recruiting players to the club

Yep.... We get the duds out and right people in we will recruit great players

 

[jirskyr]

Jones likes his little angry slogans like "A fish rots from the head".

Can someone, perhaps one of the podcasters, tell him that that's not actually true.
A fish rots from the inside, the organs , out.
So maybe he can rejig his rant to fit that in.

If we can just bring in "where there's smoke there's fire" and "Blind Freddy" we can achieve the triumvirate of pointless untrue clichés in the sport.

Wait, wait, add "it is what it is".

People who say these things have given up on robust and developed argument, preferring to go with Instagram / Happy Meal taglines.

 

[jirskyr]

Exactly. that's how you show discontent, with your wallet.
The petition's an irrelevant joke.

I don't think either of those are true.

A petition is usually to-the-point and in this case has a clear strategy of what they want to achieve. But yes it can be swatted aside very easily by the club and it's difficult to build momentum. The management can probably outlast whatever momentum the petition can pick up, because fundamentally there's no voting or constituency power behind what the petition wants to achieve.

However discontinuing membership or not turning up to games doesn't hit the spot either. It's too diffuse. Of course the club risks reduced memberships or attendances or finances if they don't win. In fact, arguably you set up a platform for retention of the management if they can still turn a profit despite the losses. You can imagine the Wests Board being quite pleased when Pascoe was able to stop coming cap-in-hand asking for more money every year.

So if you cease financial support, the club won't be able to tell that you are specifically unhappy with one element. Pretty sure they don't do exit surveys on former members.

At the least in this instance, the petition has a very clear and public aim.

 

[innsaneink]

Being a regular contributor to a non official forum doesn't count.

The same probably applies to most petitioners.

Says who?
You?
The same bloke questioning others rights 🙄

Hypocrite

 

[SeanT]

What does it matter to anybody on here?

The club won’t listen anyway.

Lunatics running the asylum, then walking away and saving face when there’s accountability demands!

Of course not. The board can't be sacked. Ridiculous.

 

[crazycat]

As for performance reviews history shows they are a waste of time. Our Brian Smith review created more problems than solutions and Canterbury having changed their board and invited Gus and so called wonder wiz kid coach Ciraldo with a huge recruitment drive are going worse. Copped 66 against a bottom of the table team at home. Probably would've copped 90 against the Cowboys who put 45 on Storm. Saints called in Gus for a review 2 years ago and they are unraveling.

I think your right.

Look a good review can do wonders. But a review isn't going to solve a problem:

A review, if lucky will highlight the right problem.
A review, if unlucky as I have seen. Will highlight a stupid problem and everyone will try to fix a "Balmain vs Wests" problem or something more stupid.

Gould from what I hear, kind can solve some things. Kinda makes an organisation "suck" to work for. Many Penrith staff I know wanted out. They really wanted out, because Gus just bullies and drives people nuts. Now gus got the structure right and success there.

^ just saying that Penrith sucked to do it. Unlike say Wayne Bennett who people enjoy playing under.


So who should do the review:
Cooper Cronk is my NR1 pick.
After that we need to lure someone back or into the club. Someone who can train people hard.
John Morris is one person who I think could do it. He is training them hard at Souths and I reckon could train people hard here. Would not be a bad coaching alternative since Flanno and Hazlier have been picked up.

 

[Magpie_Magic]

If we can just bring in "where there's smoke there's fire" and "Blind Freddy" we can achieve the triumvirate of pointless untrue clichés in the sport.

Wait, wait, add "it is what it is".

People who say these things have given up on robust and developed argument, preferring to go with Instagram / Happy Meal taglines.

Yes,

the writing is on the wall

 

[Magpie_Magic]

The club would lose a lifetime supporter of the game and i go back to when the dragons won the premiership every year for a decade.Your attitude is everything that is wrong with the game putting dollars and cents before anything else,what i contribute now or in the past is completely irrelevant except to bean counters and should not and never be what our club or rugby league is all about.

So what of the majority view who regularly attend matches.

Is a fan like you as important?

 

[BalmainJnr]

 

[BZN]

I am a season ticket holder to all grounds, member for the NRLW, member at Wests Ashfield, have attended NSW Cup games at Lidcombe this year.

I am a Wests Tigers person not a former Balmain person, in fact I want the new Leagues club at Rozelle brand Wests Tigers and not Balmain, Balmain is history.

When Wests Magpies or HBG own 90% of our WT I suggest the club at Balmain with all things being fair should be called Wests Magpies.
How would you feel about that?

 

[TrueTiger]

I have been busy working but have tried to keep up with this petition thread because although there are many passionate members,supporters and fans on this forum there are also the negative people who think it is worthless to have a petition...
In my humble opinion we should have a review of the club from top to bottom,mainly because sacking coaches,moving players on,buying broken down players on huge money and the inhouse fighting continues on and on ...this is what we have been about for the last 10 or so years and it has completely blemished our brand and culture...
If anything maybe with some media attention it COULD be a wake up call these people in our organization need...a public shaming if I can say that,because from my perspective as much as I love the club and rugby league as a whole,the embarrassment of this year with a great forward pack,some talented young players,we should be better than we are...
Also in my final summation,it was good having Benji,Farah Sheens back 18 years ago,but to allow Sheens to make Benji the NRL coach in 2 years time is a complete shambles,most NRL coaches spend years learning their trade before their even looked at for NRL head coaching..
This is why I say the club is completely unprofessional in the way it acts....they really need to get rid of the boys club scenario and start looking outward for professional people with much experience behind them whether admin,coaching or what ever positins need to be rejuvinated....

 

[Joel Helmes]

I have been busy working but have tried to keep up with this petition thread because although there are many passionate members,supporters and fans on this forum there are also the negative people who think it is worthless to have a petition...
In my humble opinion we should have a review of the club from top to bottom,mainly because sacking coaches,moving players on,buying broken down players on huge money and the inhouse fighting continues on and on ...this is what we have been about for the last 10 or so years and it has completely blemished our brand and culture...
If anything maybe with some media attention it COULD be a wake up call these people in our organization need...a public shaming if I can say that,because from my perspective as much as I love the club and rugby league as a whole,the embarrassment of this year with a great forward pack,some talented young players,we should be better than we are...
Also in my final summation,it was good having Benji,Farah Sheens back 18 years ago,but to allow Sheens to make Benji the NRL coach in 2 years time is a complete shambles,most NRL coaches spend years learning their trade before their even looked at for NRL head coaching..
This is why I say the club is completely unprofessional in the way it acts....they really need to get rid of the boys club scenario and start looking outward for professional people with much experience behind them whether admin,coaching or what ever positins need to be rejuvinated....

Well said 👍

 

[versa]

Signed