Parr replaces Gardner as CEO from Nov 1

[Owey]

Smith had a clear plan with how he wanted to build a squad with set ideas around tall players and Polynesians who wouldn't play origin.

He also treated players not in his inner circle terribly. The week after Nathan Hinton made his first grade debut, going close to being our best on ground, he was selected again on the Tuesday and trained all week. But when he went to get on the bus to travel, Smith asked him what he was doing and told him to get on the reggies bus.

I could see parallels between him and Seibold when he crashed in to Brisbane. You need to be aware of the culture of the club you are joining, you can't just blow everything up.

 

[sherpa]

I heard some terrible stories about how Smith treated players, making it very difficult or almost impossible for players to respect him

 

[EASBay17]

I notice a lot of our juniors are now going to Hunter Sports High - a lot of central coast and Hunter players are travelling there.
Reading an article about our Tarsha Gale halfback Smuts taking a train and a bus from the upper Hunter every day - And our halves in AJ cup being from the coal fields and the central coast, but knew each other well because they both went to Hunter SH.
I think the Knights have put some resources into the League programme at HSH for a few years now and its location would make it handy for Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and anywhere north of Wyong, being on the old pacific Highway in West Lake Mac.

You may have your schools mixed up mate, hunter sports high is in gateshead which is east lake mac and a fair drive from central coast as you need to go through doyalson,Swansea and belmont. There rugby league program is run with the knights and is the largest of the sports acadamies at the school, with around 15% of all students in the program, which is massive considering the school also has to cater for non sport program local kids.

 

[Billy]

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1770745130214377

Article on 7 news regional about Knights linking with Greater Northern.

Says 2 Greater Northern juniors debuted for Bulldogs this year.

Says the link with Bulldogs has ended and link with Knights has started.

Says they will keep their Tigers strip and name in junior comps, but train in Knights gear.

 

[Billy]

'To suggest Wests hasn't been great for the Knights would be a travesty'

Opinion | 'Time and time again, Wests has stepped up to navigate the club through troubled times'

www.newcastleherald.com.au

Article or opinion piece in the Herald written by Mark Fitzgibbon - Lachlan Fitzgibbon's father and retired top businessman.

The article talks up Wests as the best thing that's ever happened to the Knights.

He says Knights revenue is up 20% last year to 40 mill and we had a 2.5 mill profit despite putting 2 million into the womens team as a future investment.

Wouldn't surprise me if Fitzgibbon is looking for a position on Wests board - he'd be very qualified.

 

[waynesworld]

I would say Andrew Johns is the best thing to ever happen to the Knights. If we never won a couple of competitions I really worry what the 2010s would’ve done to us between spoons and Tinkler. Wests a clear second though.

 

[EASBay17]

Peter parr interview with jimmy smith 12/8

 

[Grandpa Joe]

I’d also put Brian Smith becoming Knights coach and wrecking our culture in the process in 2007.

Couldn't disagree more, he got rid of the boys culture and actually had us going well for the first time since Joey retired and we would have gone strength to strength if the club hadn't of stuffed up and he ended up a the Roosters.

 

[Grandpa Joe]

I heard some terrible stories about how Smith treated players, making it very difficult or almost impossible for players to respect him

LOL with how unprofessional we were back than those terrible stories were probably just holding players accountable for their performances. Up until than coach's were not allowed to look sideways at a player.

 

[Vagabond89]

Couldn't disagree more, he got rid of the boys culture and actually had us going well for the first time since Joey retired and we would have gone strength to strength if the club hadn't of stuffed up and he ended up a the Roosters.

Ahhh the Brian Smith apologists are out again. He sent a wrecking ball through the club. Simple.

 

[Grandpa Joe]

No further comment your honour.

 

[Grandpa Joe]

Listening to Parrs article, he knows his stuff and is realistic in his expectations is my first thought, as an aside sounds like Mooney is no sure thing.

 

[jamesgould]

Ahhh the Brian Smith apologists are out again. He sent a wrecking ball through the club. Simple.

What do you think his motivation was if he brought a wrecking ball, some sleeper agent that only wanted to destroy the club that employed him?

Also rather OTT to say anyone who likes what he brought is an apologist.

 

[Billy]

I like to think of the Smith era being caused by more than Smith himself.
Because of circumstances beyond our control, the club was broke.
Someone employed Smith and agreed to let him defund all our development to put up a still underfunded firstgrade squad.

 

[mozza]

Smith got more out of a terrible roster than Bennett did with a stacked roster. One of our best coaches easily.

 

[slotmachine]

Put up your hand if you were actually the ten year old girl who wrote a letter to the herald about what a bad man Brian Smith was.

 

[mozza]

Put up your hand if you were actually the ten year old girl who wrote a letter to the herald about what a bad man Brian Smith was.

Pretty sure Massoud is selling ice creams now.

 

[jamesgould]

I like to think of the Smith era being caused by more than Smith himself.
Because of circumstances beyond our control, the club was broke.
Someone employed Smith and agreed to let him defund all our development to put up a still underfunded firstgrade squad.

Can agree with that, but will add what he then got out of the underfunded first grade squad was exceptional.

In the end the club was in such a mess, I can't blame the club for not offering him an extended contract - they probably couldn't afford it - and I can't blame him for jumping ship to the cashed up Roosters.

Put up your hand if you were actually the ten year old girl who wrote a letter to the herald about what a bad man Brian Smith was.

One of the Daily Telegraph's most magnificent moments in publishing.

 

[HarVeeGee13]

Good God why are we still talking about Brian Smith

 

[Grandpa Joe]

Put up your hand if you were actually the ten year old girl who wrote a letter to the herald about what a bad man Brian Smith was.

Hahahahahahahaha, oh gosh that was the funniest moment ever seeing that on the backpage, I'd sincerely pay a $100 to get a copy of that page to frame it for my man cave!