An emotional Michael Thwaite has vented three years worth of frustration, demanding answers as to why his beloved Gold Coast United was not “run properly from the start”.
An emotional Michael Thwaite has vented three years worth of frustration, demanding answers as to why his beloved Gold Coast United was not “run properly from the start”.
The club captain and Qantas Socceroo hopeful opened up following his side’s heartbreaking 2-1 loss to Brisbane, a match that could well be their last ever.
United is currently under FFA control after former owner Clive Palmer was stripped of his Hyundai A-League license, and a decision is yet to be made over whether the side will be around for next season.
Speaking passionately and at length about the troubles that have plagued the club since he joined the expansion side as a foundation player in 2009, Thwaite revealed the true depths of his disappointment.
“Three years ago I was made a lot of promises,” he said.
“I moved my family here, I bought a house, took on a mortgage, started coaching an under-12 local team at Mudgereeba … What I’m trying to say is that I made some decisions in my life to move my family and I want answers.”
“I want some people to start talking and not hiding away and taking responsibility for the rise and demise of Gold Coast United.”
“The market is there and it needed to be done properly from the start, and it wasn’t.”
“Whether it be a report exactly what we did and did wrong, so that other clubs can learn in the future … I want to know why the club wasn’t run properly.”
“I’m very, very disappointed and I want someone to take responsibility for what actually happened.”
A cartel of local businessmen are rallying the FFA to keep Gold Coast in the competition, but they face an uphill battle with $5 million in funding needed in just two weeks.
Despite FFA’s lofty benchmark, the consortium is continuing unabated and plan to meet with the new LNP Queensland Government this week to garner support. Their efforts may be boosted by the fact key investor Tom Tate is a member of that political party.
But even if the bid is successful, the potential owners will have a difficult task trying to engage with former fans who gave up on the club because of their mining magnate former owner.
Thwaite stopped short of criticising outspoken billionaire Palmer, whose decisions as chairman have been blamed for both the on and off-field woes of the club.
But he said the “structure” at United was never right.
“There needs to be a structure, people in the right positions, making the right decisions,” he said.
“There needs to be a system that works and it wasn’t done properly from the start. If it was done properly maybe we would have two championships already, when we had the calibre of players.”
The lionhearted defender said the young players at the club have proven they can match it with the best in the league, but many of them are signing contracts with other teams to secure their professional futures.
Thwaite himself is being courted by Perth Glory and K-League team Incheon United, but revealed he won’t put pen to paper anywhere until a decision is made on the future of Gold Coast.
“I’m a very loyal person. I put a lot of time and effort into this club and I won’t go down without a fight,” he said.
