Dear Arnie,
I’ll admit, I was at first sceptical when you first joined the club but I decided to give you a chance and you soon repaid the faith by delivering the club a Premiership and then in the magical season of 2012/13 you delivered the club its first grand final victory and Championship. We loved you for it.
Our club is used to losing key players. We’d experienced it with Mat Simon, Rostyn Griffiths, Tom Rogic, Mustafa Amini, Mile Jedinak, Danny Vukovic and Alex Wilkinson just to name a few. But we always rebuilt, despite being written off time and time again we continued to punch above our weight.
After the Championship triumph we lost a number of key players. The Flying Dutchman moved into coaching, Bojic moved to Sydney FC, Ibini went to China, Ryan went to Europe along with Bozanic and McBreen our goal scoring machine was loaned out to China.
The 2013/14 season started with the club looking to win back the Premiership and go back to back for the Championship. And then the offer came in from Vegalta Sendai and you were off to Japan. Like the players that moved on to bigger and better things, I didn’t begrudge you the chance to fulfil your dream, make more money and participate in a bigger league. I was hoping we’d see you back in the A-League one day, you said so yourself, returning home triumphant and at the helm of the mighty Mariners after a successful career at Sendai followed by a crack somewhere in Europe.
But then you took McGlinchey with you and your words of sorrow at leaving the club began to sound hollow. I don’t begrudge McGlinchey his chance at playing in a bigger league for more money but I thought it a little rude of you to pick off our best player in the middle of a season in which we were the defending champions. Then the wheels fell off at Sendai. What you were promised didn’t materialise and I saw the writing on the wall even then, Sydney FC would finally get their man.
We’ll always have the 2011/12 Premiership and the 2012/13 Championship and for those I will always be thankful. You did great things at the Mariners and I wish you all the luck for your career, just not at Bling FC. Maybe one day you’ll be back at the helm of the Mariners.
But for now, hands off our players. The first shots have been fired with Ibini reneging on a verbal agreement to remain on loan with the Mariners. It’s not the fact he’s leaving, it’s the way it has happened. McGlinchey is rotting on the bench in Japan, we want him back, not in sky blue.
You have a job to do at Sydney, I understand that, but don’t destroy everything you did here by poaching our much loved players. I won’t begrudge you the bigger pay check, but rebuild Sydney FC by doing what you did here, identify and develop young players, don’t buy them. Don’t burn bridges with the fans that you gave so much to and that gave you so much in return. Respect takes so long to build but can be lost in an instant. Seeing one more Mariner sign for Sydney FC will be that moment.
Sincerely,
Mariners Fan.