POLL: The Push to Get Rid of the HBG
To quote someone with a finger on the pulse of what is happening at Wests Tigers,
"The biggest problem is the underminding of the majority owners [The Holman Barnes Group] by those that seek to divide while hiding in the WTs supporter forums."
I will only add that these people, supported by the media in general, use Wests Tigers fandom as a trojan horse to bring back Balmain. Failing that, they are happy, through their own forums and the media, to push the narrative that the Wests Tigers are really just a reincarnated Balmain Tigers.
The fact is that those pushing, are all old Balmain supporters. And the current push is to get rid of the majority owners of the club who have kept the Balmain side of the ledger on life support, included a Balmain legend in the name of the group when they didn't have to, and paid Balmain's debts.
In business, Joint Ventures are not permanent arrangements. That is why all parties to a Joint Venture remain intact as separate entities, and why the Magpie side has kept the Balmain side alive. It is called honoring the original agreement. It is called ethics.
In view of the above, what is happening now with these so-called Wests Tiger supporter groups is nothing short of treachery.
Greg, I agree entirely with your assessment.
The most divisive element in all of this hasn't been the club or the JV structure~~it's been the behaviour inside certain supporter forums and groups.
A small but very loud faction, led publicly by Garry Watson aka Cochise, has spent years undermining the majority owners while presenting themselves as the 'true' voice of the fan base.
Anyone that speaks from a Wests Magpies perspective is treated as an outsider, no matter how factual or respectful their contribution is.
That culture has been allowed to flourish in places like WESTS TIGERS FORUM, where moderators look the other way while the same individuals target people rather than encourage balanced discussion.
It's disappointing to see supporters pushed apart by a handful of personalities who thrive on division, but refreshing to finally see the situation described honestly and without theatrics here.
Thank you Greg.
To be honest, I've been a bit slow in winding my way to this view. But everything is s learning curve.
V'Landy was interviewed on the news today. If you missed it, he said he was sticking around, and that after Perth and PNG enter the comp, they will look at either another Kiwi side or anothe Qld side.
None of that necessarily kills our cause. The problem is unchanged. Chopping the JV and going it alone.
We need to do a Freddy Flintstone and put the cat out.
