Fowlwr to be a coach?

[downunder]

I didn't take him as one to go into coaching. (Can a mod change the title and get rid of my typo)

 

Robbie Fowler has offered to take a pay cut to become embattled North Queensland Fury's player-coach as the club battles to avoid extinction.

 

With pressure mounting on FFA chief Ben Buckley to provide the leadership, and possibly up to $1 million, to keep the A-League new boys afloat by Wednesday's deadline, marquee signing Fowler has told the club he is willing to drop $200,000 in wages to take over from under-the-gun incumbent Ian Ferguson.

 

The first-year coach, who is believed to have accepted an in-principle an offer to become David Mitchell's No.2 at Perth Glory, has been informed he will have no future at Fury under new ownership, assuming the franchise can survive to fight another season.

 

Currently on holiday in England, hitman Fowler, whose two-year deal is worth $2 million, will only return once his nemesis Ferguson moves on.

 

But unless a prevaricating FFA acts to shore up the future of a club under siege from hostile NRL neighbours North Queensland Cowboys, and rocked by the departure of major backer Don Matheson, Fowler may not have a team to return to.

 

To date, $1.5 million has been raised by seven local businesses, in cahoots with the Townsville Council, as the result of a Save The Fury campaign.

 

Matheson, who has stepped aside after taking a big financial hit, is hopeful that Fury won't be allowed to go under by the peak body in what is an era of expansion for the A-League, and also a year when Australia's hopes of staging either the 2018 or 2022 World Cups will be decided.

 

Having lost $3 million of his own money, Matheson told The World Game: "We have invested a lot of effort and energy into the club and it deserves a future.

 

"We have a football family up here and if we get through his situation the club will be here for ever as a club.

 

"The FFA has run a campaign to get the community on board. It's not an 'us and them' thing (between FFA and Fury). It's been a joint approach and we all recognise the importance of getting together to make sure the club is still here next season."

 

Despite Matheson's positive noises, FFA's reluctance to step in and provide a pledge on the club's importance to an expanding competition has sent out mixed messages on various fronts in Townsville.

 

Some issues include FFA's commitment to expansion, its pursuit of a free-to-air TV deal, pushing the amount of fans trough the gates in 2010-2011 to more than 1.7 million, proving it is worthy of hosting a World Cup and also the proposed development of a $188 million, 44,000-capacity World Cup stadium in Townsville.

 

Should Fury fold, there would be a decidedly hollow ring to all of the above and almost certainly no new stadium.

 

NRL club North Queensland Cowboys' chief executive Peter Parr has sought to speed Fury into oblivion by claiming there isn't a big enough corporate pie to go around in the far north.

 

An unimpressed Matheson added: "They have put the boot in because we are down. That's what people do in business. Peter Parr is an opportunist and he should realise it's the V8s and not us that stolen money out of the market.

 

"He is well aware of that and was before he made his comments." <br clear="all">

Edited March 30, 2010 by downunder

[Coyler]

.

Edited March 30, 2010 by Coyler

[Frosty Jack]

rafas replacement

[magneto]

Graeme Le Saux was unavailable for comment....