After taking control of the club last season and vowing to correct the mistakes of Dib, Castle and Hasler, it seems that so far your administration is making the same, if not worse mistakes with regards to recruitment and retention. Nothing your administration has done has made the fans feel at ease and the circus has only gotten worse, not better.
As fans we all appreciate the poor cap situation you were handed, we all understand patience is required and we are willing to wait a year or two for the rebuild. Almost everyone was happy to see the previous administration gone and everyone has given your administration all the benefit of the doubt.
However, when our club releases numerous rep players and replaced them with nothing but reserve graders or so-so signings that may pan out then the fanbase will get restless.
You can't let go of current and former rep players in Brett and Josh Morris, Klemmer, Woods and Mbye and replace them with Meaney, Crichton, Sue, Napa and Cogger and expect us to support your regime blindly.
We all understand some players had to go, but you can't replace rep players with reserve graders and tie up what precious little cap space is left on more dead weight.
Instead of finding new homes for Foran, Tolman and Lichaa, the club releases the only players who had any value amd our roster now has more holes and question marks than when you took over.
And also, not standing up to the NRL for their absurd fine that we wouldn't have to pay a cent of if we contested it properly just alienated the fanbase further. This is a corrupt, uneven competition where the Premiers find a way to sign more rep players while a bottom four club like us has to let go of our rep players just to squeeze in some reserve graders. Again, question the NRL and salary cap and TPA's and show some leadership like other strong clubs would!
We used to be a strong club and the hope was that when your regime took over, we would become one again.
But your administration keeps the fans in the dark just as much as the previous one, listens to the fanbase as little as the previous one and shows less ambition than the previous one.
Don't sign Napa or more rejects and start building properly by poaching the best youngsters from other clubs, not the ninth best prospect at that position or players they're happy to release.
You're losing fans and memberships fast and before long, your necks will be on the line and another new regime will come in if things don't improve and you don't start making sound decisions that will improve the club, not set us back another three years.
Let me say that sometimes we react to things without knowing facts... you say,
1. "Nothing your administration has done has made the fans feel at ease".
Wow, your a hard marker. This board has brought our cap back to a respectable position within twelve months when it was said it could take three years. They had to release these "rep" players to do so who I must say showed no leadership and wanted out anyway. We had to start from the bottom again even if it means replacing them with reserve graders. What's wrong with that when our reserves won the comp not to mention how our NRL side finished the year with so called reserve graders? We asked for Steve Georgallis to be rewarded for winning the ISP, the board promote him to assistant coach along with bringing back Tony Ayoub High Performance Manager.
2. "Instead of finding new homes for Foran, Tolman and Lichaa"..how do you know they weren't offered to leave? Why would Tolman and Foran leave when they are earning $800k - $1m? Who would take them on, on those $$? Don't you remember this board inherited this? So your point is not valid, sorry.
3. "And also, not standing up to the NRL for their absurd fine"....again your point is not valid and this statement backs my reasons...
The NRL on Tuesday said they had reduced the Bulldogs’ fine to $125,000 after taking into account the club’s submission.
"The clubs submissions". This means the club did stand up and argue the hefty fine which was reduced from $250k. Oh, and your blaming the Bulldogs Board for the unevenness of the comp and cap? WTF!! Show us proof other clubs are showing "leadership"? It's not the Boards problem Des and Did paid overs for fringe players on backended deals that no other clubs want which resulted in us having to release our top players to be cap compliant. Yes Morris', Mbye (not top line) Woods (oh please!)
You don't speak for all fans I can tell you that as most are accepting that we have to rebuild that may take a few years but we have to suck it up. If players such as Klemmer want to leave, I say go now! That's not a board issue, that's an individual's choice who wants to look after himself and he doesn't give two shit about you, me, the fans or the club. Good luck to him. But before you go blaming it on the Board have a look at the big picture and be realistic.
Your negativity towards the Board is unwarranted and if you can't give them and the club the support that is required by all fans then don't support them. Your not much different to those players who decided they no longer want to wear the Blue and White....Hypocritical I say.
Go the Dogs in good times and in bad.
