It's been a tough season at the Panthers - and the stress on everyone is clearly showing.
Respected Penrith head of performance coach Hayden Knowles has had enough of the criticism directed at Ivan Cleary and his players and let fly this week.
He called the keyboard warriors 'pathetic', 'weak as piss' and 'cowards' for turning on the players.
Twitter exercise - scroll through comments of losing teams or players across a week in sport.
Imagine these players were your own kids.They are human.
DEAR FANS who think it is ok to be a keyboard coward,
you know if this is you!
You are PATHETIC & weak as piss #getalife
Let's hope it's a happier week for all at the foot of the mountains after Thursday night's breakthrough win.
Replies
Bwahahaha! none of these clowns would have a job is it wasnt for the die hard fans who stick around year after year while guys like Knowles jump from club to club to make a living, he will leave the panthers to join another club soon, the panthers fans will still be there, year after year, turning back up no matter what happens..
The panthers fans have every right to bag anybody they like in relation to the club.
Sounds to me like Haydens as weak as piss and cant accept some criticism that comes with the job.
He'll be sacked soon and would be best served doing his job properly and not turning on the fans who will be there long after he's gone.
If the Panthers or any other club did not carry emotional attachment and was run like any other business, they would shut down quick smart.
If I was addressed like that and I was a member of the club or season ticket holder I'd tell the club they can forget about me and my family handing in my membership and season ticket.
Players and staff a bunch of overpaid wankers as stated in the sheds.
Agree, thank fek this fools not here any more.
If the panthers stopped paying Hayden tomorrow he wouldnt turn up, the fans dont do it for money, they will turn up year after year and give give give to their clubs.
The kent should be ashamed of himself calling life long fans cowards because they are bagging an underperforming coach and players.
Sounds like he's as weak as piss.
No individual player or staff member is bigger than a fan. Fans are what make a club. They are the most important stakeholders in any sporting organisation. If they wanna be critical you either learn to take it or quit. If you attack your fans you have already lost.
For the amount of money the players are on and being in the public eye they deserve to be scrutinised if they are playing poorly (Especially Michael Jennings who is on 800K this year!!). More so if after full time and they lose, you see players smiling, hugging and shaking hands.
Fans are a big part of any club and no player is bigger than the club.
I agree with him. People can be critiqued but the sorts of things people say about others On social media is disgusting at times. Being a fan does not give us the right to insult and defame. Suggesting that someone is well payed therefore we should be able to say what we like is a flawed argument. Put yourself in someone else’s shoes.
Social media is here to stay. Young fans love the stuff. Young fans will grow to be old fans. Fans are more important than some random player here and there. If you can't handle the heat get out of the kitchen. Certainly a lot of the keyboard warriors wouldn't say it to players faces but thats not the point. For one to suggest it, they are missing it.
I think it would actually be worse to be called out in public as useless and shit than the same being done to you on social media. At least on social media it can be ignored.....
Yes it’s probably not nice to read or see derogatory things said about you online, but I can’t bet you my balls many if not all players get called out in public all the time by trouble makers looking for some reaction....
So it’s actually not correct to call some fans keyboard warriors hiding behind a fake name. There are plenty of these people in everyday life looking for the reaction some claim they run from.
Thats life in the public eye in the new world - either suck it up or find a new line of work.