Will you be attending the Save the Wests Tigers March?

[innsaneink]

There was alot of Balmain paraphernalia there, glad my 88 yo grandfather who played at Pratten Park didn't want to come, he thought it was developing into an anti Wests thing.

I think in the context of a Wests Tigers unite movement Balmain paraphernalia is divisive yes.

I'm sure some of those would like it to be just Tigers.

There was not a lot of Balmain visible
I saw more opposing clubs colours than Balmain or Magpie gear

 

[cochise]

I saw plenty of people with Balmain supporter clothing.

Show some, must be plenty in the pictures mate.

 

[weststigers]

I would imagine saying either Wests Magpies or Balmain Tigers are 'dead' is just as divisive.

I think we are given a unique opportunity to allow 2 clubs that simply wouldn't have survived on their own to continue on into one, stronger club.

And I think fans should lean into that history even more. But also adopt the other club history to agree, understand it.

And that then becomes Wests Tigers history.

There will always be some factions in this kind of relationship.

The issue isn't Wests or Balmain.

It's the balance of the involvement of both clubs.

Chad the WT fan...not ex Balmain or ex Magpies is fed up to the back teeth with all this. It's their club now. The people with old allegiances have to accept that.

How do you force your "history" on people that never lived it? When they say history, my belief is that they mean memories, but a 25 year old kid is not going to have an emotive response about Wests or Balmain when they never got to experience it.

For them, the 05 grand final is their "history" and they'll tell that story to some other 25 year old 50 years later who couldn't give a rats ass about Benji Marshall because in their mind, Benji is old has-been.

No amount of Wests ownership or majority board or Magpies or Balmain reserve grade is going to change that.

 

[innsaneink]

19K views · 241 reactions | 'GET RID OF THE CR*P' 💥 The Wests Tigers have united against the club owners 🥊 | Fox League

'GET RID OF THE CR*P' 💥 The Wests Tigers have united against the club owners 🥊

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[KevB]

The problem is that the people "controlling the football club" are inept , unqualified and unskilled. They are not chosen on their ability but simply on who they know or who they are related to

Partially correct in my view

You've suggested the goal is to divide the club, but cited the 90% HBG ownership. So it's ok to have division/bias/agendas one way, but a bit of push back from the other side and it's not on?

A lawyer went on record this week to state that there are directors in HBG who want the magpies back and tigers gone. Also go listen to Marina go on the playingandsimple podcast which was released this week.

We don't care how the HBG is structured, they can run brothels for I care..

We just don't want them anywhere near the club.

As fans we are entitled to take that position against an agenda driven self serving business who do not have the best interest of the football club at heart.

Lawyers don't generally give good advice unless there is something in it for them.
Marina Go is a journalist and is entitled to her opinions, as you are. I don't listen to podcasts, mate, I don't have the time.
However, ownership does have some dollar value, I think, so it is not unreasonable for an owner to have some control over their ownership.
As for the club name, I'm all in for Wests Tigers.

 

[KevB]

I couldn't imagine the sydney roosters handing control to a board of dementia holders either.

That's crap and demeaning.

 

[Tim Sheens]

No one cares about Balmain and Western Suburbs anymore, they don't even exist anymore.

Sadly, the ever dwindling group of guys and even the odd gal in Western Suburbs jerseys on the grass at Campbelltown screaming c'mon Magpies at WT games puts paid to that idyllic want.

To be fair, there are no doubt some fossils that still want Balmain. Still, whilst we haven't attended many games since moving north and covid, I haven't heard that name yelled out in the two decades since the we won the 2005 premiership.

 

[KevB]

The problem is that the people "controlling the football club" are inept , unqualified and unskilled. They are not chosen on their ability but simply on who they know or who they are related to

That's your opinion. I'm sure you think you are more qualified than successful businessmen and former players.

 

[KevB]

The only thing that keeps severely damaging the WT brand is the HBG, year after year after year.

Rinse and repeat!

 

[TheEnz]

Mate I did not see any Balmain paraphernalia, outside of 1 guy in a Balmain jersey.

There were probably 4 or 5 in balmain jerseys i saw 1 in a magpies jersey and an old bloke in a magpies polo shirt. However everyone was there for the Wests Tigers as far as i could tell from the feeling in the crowd. Im honestly getting sick of the whining from ppl holding on to the past. I fully sympathise and yes i probably would be salty if it was the Balmain magpies as my affiliation was probably more about my love of big cats as a kid...i grew up in cronulla and hate sharks. However i would like to think i would have got over it, stopped supporting nrl or gone to another club after 26 bloody years.

 

[TheEnz]

That's your opinion. I'm sure you think you are more qualified than successful businessmen and former players.

15 years of failure.

 

[TheEnz]

I couldn't imagine the sydney roosters handing control to a board of dementia holders either.

Debenture - dementia

 

[cochise]

There were probably 4 or 5 in balmain jerseys i saw 1 in a magpies jersey and an old bloke in a magpies polo shirt. However everyone was there for the Wests Tigers as far as i could tell from the feeling in the crowd. Im honestly getting sick of the whining from ppl holding on to the past. I fully sympathise and yes i probably would be salty if it was the Balmain magpies as my affiliation was probably more about my love of big cats as a kid...i grew up in cronulla and hate sharks. However i would like to think i would have got over it, stopped supporting nrl or gone to another club after 26 bloody years.

So many people holding signs saying
Not Balmain
Not Magpies

 

[KevB]

You think THIS is damaging the club? Mate, HBG do that all on their own. No need for us.

The reason why the club needs to be at arms length is due to the undemocratic debenture holder structure. We'll never have the right leadership from a pool of 20 people picked by their own mates. We wouldn't be in this situation, without that situation.

So yes, youre right, no other clubs do this, but they do not have people unaccountable at club ownership level. These guys do not have accountability from their own finances, from shareholders or from members, which is the case in every other organisational governance that i can think of.

You sound like you have relationships with HBG given this propaganda youre spewing @KevB? Tying yourselves in knots there mate.

I have no affiliation with HBG or Western Suburbs Football Club. I have been a member of Wests Tigers for over 15 years, and I don't spread propaganda. I don't think you have a clue what propaganda is...a biased or misleading nature, used to promote a particular cause, doctrine, or point of view.

 

[Tom Shines]

That's your opinion. I'm sure you think you are more qualified than successful businessmen and former players.

Spending a $100 to buy a debenture doesn’t make you a successful businessman

 

[The Chad]

Chad the WT fan...not ex Balmain or ex Magpies is fed up to the back teeth with all this. It's their club now. The people with old allegiances have to accept that.

How do you force your "history" on people that never lived it? When they say history, my belief is that they mean memories, but a 25 year old kid is not going to have an emotive response about Wests or Balmain when they never got to experience it.

For them, the 05 grand final is their "history" and they'll tell that story to some other 25 year old 50 years later who couldn't give a rats ass about Benji Marshall because in their mind, Benji is old has-been.

No amount of Wests ownership or majority board or Magpies or Balmain reserve grade is going to change that.

But fans of the last 25 years are not all the fans, are they?

There are still long standing fans of both the Magpies & Tigers. They shouldn't be forgotten or discarded.

They should be embraced, just as those fans should embrace the post-merger fans.

As I said- this is a unique opportunity to take advantage of not JUST the Wests Tigers history, but also the foundation clubs as well.

And the sacrifices those 2 clubs have made to be here shouldn't be forgotten or downplayed. Yes, they needed each other. But that doesn't mean both clubs didn't have to give up a lot for the other as well (or still do in some cases).

 

[NT_Tiger]

I am unsure of what outcome the protesters are attempting to achieve, other than to divide the club and get rid of the Western Suburbs' 90 percent ownership of the club. How the HGB is structured is a matter for this club, and its members, and in my view, Wests Tigers members and supporters should have no involvement in this matter, severely damages Wests Tigers brand to prospective members and players etc.
Concerning the internal review of Wests Tigers by Tony Crawford (North Sydney Bears Board Member) and Gary Barnier (controversial aged care executive), and implementing an independent board, I think it was always doomed for failure. Most successful NRL clubs do not use this, to my knowledge. I couldn't imagine Sydney Roosters handing over control of their football club.

Im sorry you are unable to grasp the purpose of the protest. It was fairly clearly communicated that it was about the owners of Wests Tigers taking drastic action without apparent cause, thus interfering with the smooth running of the club.
If there had been genuine cause, the owners would not have done an embarrassing back flip almost immediately, followed by the resignation of one of their members from the WT board.
This leaves us with the question; What was the cause of their drastic action? We can only speculate.
But in lieu of a public explanation coming from the owners, Wests Tigers fans have every right to distrust their motives, and to protest.
I couldn't imagine the Sydney Roosters throwing a spanner in the clubs management following one of the clubs best seasons in years, and I certainly cant imagine them handing over control to a board of debenture holders.

 

[weststigers]

But fans of the last 25 years are not all the fans, are they?

There are still long standing fans of both the Magpies & Tigers. They shouldn't be forgotten or discarded.

They should be embraced, just as those fans should embrace the post-merger fans.

As I said- this is a unique opportunity to take advantage of not JUST the Wests Tigers history, but also the foundation clubs as well.

And the sacrifices those 2 clubs have made to be here shouldn't be forgotten or downplayed. Yes, they needed each other. But that doesn't mean both clubs didn't have to give up a lot for the other as well (or still do in some cases).

No one is saying forget anyone, but we keep shifting the goalposts at this club.

Did we all agree to create a NEW team called Wests Tigers?

Now we want to talk about not forgetting long standing fans, yet we have fans lauding a Wests ownership over everyone and we need to push Magpie related issues.

Those fans are trying to turn this club into their old club...that's not the deal.

 

[The Chad]

No one is saying forget anyone, but we keep shifting the goalposts at this club.

Did we all agree to create a NEW team called Wests Tigers?

Now we want to talk about not forgetting long standing fans, yet we have fans lauding a Wests ownership over everyone and we need to push Magpie related issues.

Those fans are trying to turn this club into their old club...that's not the deal.

In all honesty- it's probably not the same argument.

100% we should all be seen as Wests Tigers fans.

What is happening at board level, the arguments for & against the Magpies side of things etc- that isn't about fans so much as where history & 'fairness' for a lack of a better word come in.

We have a 90-10% split in the club. That is wholly & solely the problem in my opinion. Fix that- you fix the problem.

 

[hammertime]

I don't spread propaganda. I don't think you have a clue what propaganda is...a biased or misleading nature, used to promote a particular cause, doctrine, or point of view.

I am unsure of what outcome the protesters are attempting to achieve, other than to divide the club and get rid of the Western Suburbs' 90 percent ownership of the club.

It was very clear what the protesters are trying to achieve. Its been stated a few times. A reinstatement of the barnier crawford report, independace for WT from HBG, a restructing of the debenture holder system or yes, for HBG to find a buyer that does not have an agenda besides success for WT.

How the HGB is structured is a matter for this club, and its members, and in my view, Wests Tigers members and supporters should have no involvement in this matter, severely damages Wests Tigers brand to prospective members and players etc.

To say that concerns on the structure of HBG is something that is severely damaging the brand is just nuts. What damaged the brand this fortnight is this structure. Trying to fix it is something to make the brand far stronger in the long term - a lot of WT members are HBG members by the way.

Both these twists of logic and factual gaps certainly sounds like youre trying to promote a certain cause to me.