Phil Gardner to step down as Knights CEO

Billy said:
I hoped the new junior grandstand and accommodation would be finished before he left.
Building stuff for a fraction of what you would think is his best skill.
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Apparently he’ll leave at the end of the year, so there might still be time? You’d know how far along those are.
 
I agree with all the above, but it is horses for courses.
Phil is a great accountant/running of West Group, but there are better CEOs out there who can advance the Knights even further. I admire Gardiner and West Group for supporting the Knights financially now and into the future, and if it had not been for Super/Star League, West Group would probably have been our major backer from decades earlier, avoiding all the pain suffered by the club and its supporters.
Thank you Mr Gardiner, and full steam ahead Knights.
 
Gardner is a business man and an outstanding one at that. No doubt there and he has strengthened the financial position of the club. For that he should be thanked.

I can't see him just disappearing from that role with us completely.

From a football perspective, and from what has been advised in the media, and the seemingly routine loss of administrators for reasons like spending more time with family, connecting the dots he is a difficult person to deal with.

He had his time at the club, time to move on to the Board, or back to Wests.
 
To quote a Simpsons episode…
 

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Owey said:
We have come a long, long way since Wests took over this club. I think we stand ready to become a real powerhouse in this comp.
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He even said himself early on pretty much from the start that he was never going to do it forever and I think if Covid didn't happen he probably would have walked away sooner. To be pretty much turning over a profit every year is one of the bigger reasons why it was necessary for them to take charge.
As for not paying for it...He mentioned they were happy to take over any unaccounted for debt or accounting/finance red flags which was the risk associated with it so now that things have been almost pretty much self sufficient and and his role isn't as needed to a larger extent overseeing things it's the right time to step down. Multiple core players tied up for the next few years, other things off the field nicely set up and staffing is where they want it to be (took a while but it got there)

So yep thanks for that. And thanks for constantly putting the Sydney media in their place.
 
Despite creating the thread I've forgotten to add my two cents in.

I've always thought Phil was good with finances and hospitality. But was very underwhelming with the rugby league side of things. I think he listened to the wrong people when it came to running a footy side but eventually got it right bringing Peter Parr and Peter O'Sullivan. Also got in the way a lot and said some silly stuff but that old McGuigan bloke was a lot worse.

I'm from the didn't watch NRL until 2020 fame so didn't the horrendous era of 2015-2017 but from what I've heard the club was in regular trouble financially so it's refreshing to hear that club isn't going broke or the potential move out of Newcastle.

Hopefully Parr and the rest of the staff and players can take the club to the next level and push for potentially top 4 finishes and hopefully a 3rd premiership sooner rather than later.
 
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Celticman98 said:
Despite creating the thread I've forgotten to my two cents in.

I've always thought Phil was good with finances and hospitality. But was very underwhelming with the rugby league side of things. I think he listened to the wrong people when it came to running a footy side but eventually got it right bringing Peter Parr and Peter O'Sullivan. Also got in the way a lot and said some silly stuff but that old McGuigan bloke was a lot worse.

I'm from the didn't watch NRL until 2020 fame so didn't the horrendous era of 2015-2017 but from what I've heard the club was in regular trouble financially so it's refreshing to hear that club isn't going broke or the potential move out of Newcastle.

Hopefully Parr and the rest of the staff and players can take the club to the next level and push for potentially top 4 finishes and hopefully a 3rd premiership sooner rather than later.
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It's hard to convey just how cash strapped we've been over the years. I remember near when I first started supporting the club they were having an art selling show to try and raise funds which didn't fill me with confidence, even as a teenager!

I think creating a Knights Leagues Club which then went bankrupt I think in under 12 months was a lowlight. Locals will know more about what went down with that than I do.
 
There were times when the Knights struggled to find a ground to train on and the players including Joey, had to get changed in a shipping container. I remember the Knights being unable to train on a field because a third grade soccer team wanted to train there.

We also had the Tinkler debacle and then we were funded by the NRL to keep the club going.

The Knights definitely struggled financially for a long time.
 
jamesgould said:
It's hard to convey just how cash strapped we've been over the years. I remember near when I first started supporting the club they were having an art selling show to try and raise funds which didn't fill me with confidence, even as a teenager!

I think creating a Knights Leagues Club which then went bankrupt I think in under 12 months was a lowlight. Locals will know more about what went down with that than I do.
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I lived in Adamstown at the time. Not sure why that club didn't work out financially, but I reckon a lot of it was location.

It was not really near the stadium like most leagues clubs, Parra, Cronulla, Dragons, Illawarra, Panthers are ones off the top that are right next door.

Now if it were Wests club near the stadium that would be different. You get the boost of punters coming straight from the game to the club.

Plus, this leagues club was a fairly ordinary venue more like a poor bowling club than a ritzy leagues club.
 
Kurriboy said:
I lived in Adamstown at the time. Not sure why that club didn't work out financially, but I reckon a lot of it was location.

It was not really near the stadium like most leagues clubs, Parra, Cronulla, Dragons, Illawarra, Panthers are ones off the top that are right next door.

Now if it were Wests club near the stadium that would be different. You get the boost of punters coming straight from the game to the club.

Plus, this leagues club was a fairly ordinary venue more like a poor bowling club than a ritzy leagues club.
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Was once Adamstown Soccer club .Had already gone bust once .Was a very popular venue in the 70's & 80's . Don't know if it was the introduction of the booz bus or night clubs that killed it ?
 
Sarge said:
Was once Adamstown Soccer club .Had already gone bust once .Was a very popular venue in the 70's & 80's . Don't know if it was the introduction of the booz bus or night clubs that killed it ?
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Thats right it was the Soccer club.

I think just what it offered compared to other newer venues, it just couldn't compete.

Like I was saying it was a fairly low quality club, looked tired from the outside and small on the inside. Other then going there simply due to it's connection with the Knights, you wouldn't go there.
 
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