124 Tigers fans unite, will you join them?

At this present time, 124 Tigers fans and supporters of fans belief in the team have united on Change.org in the long written about aim to bring the Tigers name, colour and history back to the original Tigers and their home at MSAC.

124 people is not a small number but it can be much bigger, it can be so much bigger because the Tigers are iconic before on a local and international level from VJBL to BigV and NBL the Tigers have been there and so have the players, staff and fans.

If you believe that the Tigers should be given the right to choose it’s own destiny away from United then please take the few seconds to sign the petition, your few seconds mean and do so much for the Tigers and their supporters.

The Tigers have the fans to make things happen, the Tigers have friends of the fans to make things happen, the Tigers have family of the fans to make things happen, all you got to do if you haven’t signed is decide on whether or not to make all of it happen.

https://www.change.org/p/larry-kestelman-vince-crivelli-michael-slepoy-larry-kestelman-release-the-tigers-intellectual-property

Be united to demand to be divided from United, Go Tigers!

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Stand together, work together, succeed together

The other day I was having a discussion with a guy who loves Melbourne United and he loved the Tigers but he hated the juniors because he had to play them for a long time and this prevents him from signing the petition and thinking back it seems the juniors have been a problem to many for a long time because it has come up so often.

Is it really the Tigers fault for having a comprehensive Basketball program? No it is not and the reason why is that every organization aims to do their very best and the Tigers for a very long were able to do so much because they were very organized and managed to ride out many of the storms Basketball has endured in recent decades.

The Coburg Giants then North Melbourne Giants were one team battered by some of those storms but today they are doing great, yes the seemingly forgotten Coburg Giants before they claimed the North end of Melbourne to become North Melbourne are still around, they have a great program in fact they are in some of the BigV competitions too and they doing quiet well, check them out here and if you are a Giants fan give them your support.

We make no secret of the desire to make the Tigers great once again and write new chapters in the story that has been written since 1931, unfortunately the Tigers of today do not have the luxury of being a full time operation but those who work with the Tigers are working very hard in their spare time to make the team get off the ground and back into the ring for another bout against the very best and so the Tigers faithful is needed to work with them wherever possible to achieve the best outcomes.

We all know that we are not full timers either Tigers fans, we have to work, eat and all the rest before sleep comes before another day but what has to be remembered is that the tiny things we can do can make a difference long after the action is done and if that tiny action is not done then nothing will definitely happen.

Every reader knows there is the petition going on and so far only 86 people have answered the call, we’ve had to beg and beg some more for many signatures and I the writer of this blog plea once again to please sign and share the petition.

Don’t just post in groups but also when talking to friends on Facebook Messenger give them the link and ask if they would please sign it for you.

If you know a Tigers fan then get them to sign, If you got lots of family members then get them all to sign, it does not cost a cent to sign and while you are on change.org you can sign other campaigns to make a difference in this world, it does work and lots of good has been done.

Counting the Tigers club with hundreds of juniors and scores of seniors, the officials that look after them and the parents of those playing on the courts, we have a lot of numbers and we need to flex our muscles, if we get the rights back for the club we can ensure that the club can live to the best of it’s ability they could do so much with the rights but they need me, they need you and they need the people unaware of what we are doing to put fingers to keyboards and sign and find people to sign.

Do not forget what happened for the South Dragons group, they got a tiny piece of media exposure and BOOM their numbers went up big time to the point it is believed their numbers more than doubled by the same time the next day, if we keep pushing and get the right attention then the spotlight is on the Tigers and rightfully so, we would be doing our club a great service.

So please if you haven’t already by this line, sign and share the petition below.
https://www.change.org/p/larry-kestelman-vince-crivelli-michael-slepoy-larry-kestelman-release-the-tigers-intellectual-property

I love Basketball, I love the NBL, I love the Melbourne Tigers and I believe in the future of the club, how about you?

Go Tigers!

Dragons fans p###ed off by HS mistake

You got to admire South Dragons fans, they are very protective of their team who had a very short yet very successful life in the NBL, a life that could just continue in the future if the fans have it their way.

A great demonstration of the Dragons fans defending their history was when the Herald Sun posted about United winning three straight games in a row and mentioned the Melbourne Tigers winning 9 in a row in 2008/09 and going on to win the title but several mistakes were written in that article.

Firstly it says the Tigers won the title in 2008/09 but the South Dragons were the ones who won in 2008/09 defeating the Melbourne Tigers in 5 games.

Secondly the Melbourne Tigers didn’t win 9 straight in 2008/09 and neither did the Dragons, the Melbourne Tigers won those 9 games straight in 2007/08 and won that season’s title.

Finally there’s supposed to be a ‘the’ before Melbourne Tigers in the article, perhaps they were trying to say Melbourne United for ‘the Melbourne United’ doesn’t sound right and remembered the Melbourne Tigers were the team that done it.

Current Hisense Arena occupiers Melbourne United have recorded a dip in attendance with the 7,009 first week total (Sunday) being followed up by a 5,243 attendance which was on a Friday night, a loss of 1,766 attendees or 25.2%.

Moral of the story today is do not anger Dragons fans.

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Support surges for Tigers

It’s been a fantastic week for Tigers fans, morale is sky high and signatures are once again flowing into the petition.

49 people isn’t a jump over the moon total but the jump from 15 just a few days ago is a sign that the petition is making it’s way to Tigers fans who want the Tigers property to be released in order to get the Tigers back onto the path of participating in the highest levels of sport.

Fans of all NBL clubs are welcome to sign the petition, we love hearing from you we even had a Wildcats fan comment the other day which was nice to see and so if NBL fans who want the Tigers to join the NBL party sign then we can really get things rolling.

For newcomers the petition is located at
https://www.change.org/p/larry-kestelman-vince-crivelli-michael-slepoy-larry-kestelman-release-the-tigers-intellectual-property

There is further good news as the Tigers now have a website in development at http://www.melbournebasketball.com.au/girls it has information on the girls teams and according to Janet Gaze there will be an /seniors addition for all the senior team information plus much more so head on over Tigers fans and check it out.

Keep those signatures coming and rejoice in the news the Tigers are up and about.

Go Tigers!

Tigers fans working together for success

Last night the Tigers fans petition calling on Melbourne United to release the Tigers intellectual property was stuck on 15 signatures and so this writer decided to discuss the situation with then ask good friend Michelle Sallyman to invite some of her friends to sign and see what happened from it.

The response from friends was terrific, Michelle explained to her friends why the Tigers are important and left the decision in their hands and most if not all of the five friends she was chatting to signed, while that was going on this writer asked some of my friends who knew of my passion for the Tigers if they would sign and they happily agreed.

This morning, Tigers fan Chris Pimm decided to spread the word around and his efforts attracted instant results after a bold move to post on a Richmond Tigers page and so by the time of this blog entry the total stands at 36 signatures.

The important lesson that was learned today is that there is no shame in messaging a friend asking them to sign, if they know you and know how passionate you are about the Tigers then it is likely they’ll help you out and in turn helps everyone else out so don’t be afraid to show your rebel side, your passionate side and your hope your friends are supportive friends side.

For newcomers the link is https://www.change.org/p/larry-kestelman-vince-crivelli-michael-slepoy-larry-kestelman-release-the-tigers-intellectual-property every signature generates a message to Melbourne United.

Meanwhile 7,009 people (NBL.com.au said it was impressive) went to a top level curtained off (spotted by Brett Be) Hisense Arena to see Melbourne United win a game against Illawarra (almost called them Wollongong), the highlight for Tigers fans was a Tigers jersey wearing patron winning a car, thanks to Kathy Meeson for pointing it out.

It’s great to see a Tigers jersey in a crowd!

Tigers

Looking in from the outside

Last night, the NBL launched it’s season with the big news that Channel Nine was picking up games along with Foxtel.

This news has basketball fans jumping for joy, enthusiasm that hasn’t been seen in years and yet for many Tigers fans, Dragons fans, Magic fans, Giants fans, Cannons fans, Falcons fans, Blaze fans and all the other teams that been casualties over the years and lost to the NBL are looking on saddened that their team is not part of it all and some wish the league would just die anyway.

The transformation in the NBL has all been because of Larry Kestelman and while the job he has done has been stunning the question that must be asked is why on earth didn’t he throw his weight behind the Tigers when he was their co-owner before the change to United? Tigers fan Peter Disco noted that on his way to work he heard three United radio ads whilst years earlier you wouldn’t hear a Tigers ad.

Was Larry’s majority ownership of the NBL part of a long range plan? Was the first step to take out the Melbourne Tigers name, colours and history and replace it with a we’re for Victoria team to eliminate resistance and the second was to take control of the league to build upon his business interests?

Will Larry put Melbourne United at risk by allowing a second Victorian team in? Which cap will he cling to the most, the co-owner of Melbourne United cap or the NBL majority owner cap? Will he let go of the Tigers to expand the league so he can rake in more cash? There’s no finer team to put in than the Melbourne Tigers.
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We’re asking him to risk United, we’re asking him to release the Tigers Intellectual Property and establish a new Tigers with it’s name, history and colours intact and allow them to compete against Melbourne United but WANMU cannot do this alone, we need every fan to support the petition in some way, sign it, share it, get family aboard, all the little things because all the little things is how big things happen and everyone has to decide if they’d take the little time to do them.

https://www.change.org/p/larry-kestelman-vince-crivelli-michael-slepoy-larry-kestelman-release-the-tigers-intellectual-property

Let’s not stop there, C’mon Dragons fans make a petition to enter the league, C’mon Giants fans it’s time to awaken your sleeping Giants and Magic fans it’s time to cast your spells again.

Why? Because now is the time to act while the media is so in love with the NBL, it’s time to be heard so speak up while you still can.

#wewanthardballtoo

This is our time

The 2015/16 NBL season is about to start and it will be the second season without the Melbourne Tigers.

They say this season will be one of the best but this writer doesn’t feel very enthusiastic, I love the game but without the Tigers the NBL is just a league among leagues with the BigV on top of my list.

But let’s not despair about the fact Melbourne United are playing and use the fact they are playing to motivate us to get the Tigers back where they belong.

We’ve got choices Tigers fans, we can accept we’ll never get into the NBL again and just reminiscence about the four titles and many times more iconic coaches and players or we can take up the challenge of restoring the Melbourne Tigers to the NBL.

It’s not easy, Kestelman and Slepoy own the Tigers rights and they will hold on to them because they are lucrative and iconic but that’s not to say it’s impossible because never underestimate the power of the masses, there are two change.org petitions to choose from one is to make sure United stop using retired Tigers jersey numbers because they are meant to be one and the same club and the second is to free the Tigers property from Kestelman and Slepoy.

https://www.change.org/p/melbourne-united-larry-kestelman-nate-tomlinson-kyle-adnam-melbourne-united-stop-using-retired-tigers-jersey-numbers

https://www.change.org/p/melbourne-united-larry-kestelman-nate-tomlinson-kyle-adnam-melbourne-united-stop-using-retired-tigers-jersey-numbershttps://www.change.org/p/larry-kestelman-vince-crivelli-michael-slepoy-larry-kestelman-release-the-tigers-intellectual-property

The jersey one is for those who want to defend Tiger history while United still have it in their possession and the second one is a vote of no confidence in United being the front for Victorian basketball.

We also got the BigV, how do we make the Tigers strong in the BigV? WANMU believes that to succeed we will need to give the Tigers team lots of help and advice because they will not have the staff like the NBL team but the dedication no doubt is exactly the same if not higher for the Tigers also manage many juniors teams totaling hundreds of kids and teens.

As pointed out by Gavin Ingham, The Men’s team is coached by Andrew Gaze, the Women’s teams have daughters of Andrew Gaze and Nigel Purchase, Lindsay Gaze makes appearances, Lanard Copeland coaches in the same competition and a cup is on the line when his Broncos take on the Tigers.

Stay tuned Tigers fans on Tigers 2016 membership, every membership is important and fans may even get a nice surprise in their membership too like 2015 members who signed up for the higher levels got a signed Andrew Gaze shirt complete with message and those shirts made plenty of people’s days.

Keep those petition signatures coming, keep sharing with family and friends, remember a campaign works if people act like a basketball team passing and assisting each other to move things down the court for a score.

Keep on battling on Tigers fans.

United mails those who don’t want to be mailed

Melbourne Tigers fans who did not join Melbourne United were startled this week when Melbourne United membership packs started arriving in their mail.

This was followed up by texts and phone calls with United reminding people of upcoming games and membership offerings, Melbourne United have claimed that some names were transferred by accident from the Tigers 2013/14 list to the United 2015/16 list although some are skeptical that this is the case.

Some have mailed back the pack, some have sent it back with a message, others have put the pack into recycling (good choice for the environment) or thrown it in a fire.

Other reports have that United got details off those who were lucky enough to see Ben Simmons and LSU in action against United earlier this season, this method is really sneaky as those who were lucky ticket winners became potential members.

Those who receive texts can get them stopped by texting STOP and the messages should stop, if they do not stop email a complaint to united@melbourneutd.com.au or email their CEO Vince Crivelli directly at vince.crivelli@melbourneutd.com.au

One fan wrote the following to Melbourne United (rude words censored)

“Do not send me any more text messages. Like I said before I’m a Tigers fan NOT a United fan (BTW using a soccer name for a basketball team? What a joke).
I made it CLEAR to you people last year that I was done with th
e NBL after this rebranding s**t. And don’t claim it was sent ‘by accident’. You want to change our team to a f**king soccer name (I HATE soccer BTW) you suffer the consequences of losing the fans that stuck by the Tigers loyally all these years.

F**k off”

Some fans have suggested giving them an abusive text before texting STOP, WANMU does not feel that is a good idea but each person has the right to choose what they want to do.

Melbourne United and other clubs if they do the same practice should not hound non members to become members, if somebody wants to become a member they will contact the club themselves to make arrangements.

Lastly Melbourne United, Melbourne is a city not a town so get that right in your next sales pitch.

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(Picture provided by Kathy Meeson)

#21 Liberated, #6 still is and #8 is now misused by United

There was some good news for Melbourne Tigers fans as a check of Melbourne United’s roster revealed that the revered number 21 was not being used by United this season.

Tigers fans know that the number was made famous and iconic by Lanard Copeland and seeing it used in the NBL 2014/15 season by United was very insulting, adding to the insult was the fact Warrick Giddey’s #6 was also on the court when it was supposed to be retired.

The good news was short lived as it was discovered that United this year given Tigers 90’s hero Ray Gordon’s retired #8 to development player Kyle Adnam with Nate Tomlinson still to the disgust of passionate Tigers fans occupying Warrick Giddey’s #6.

Readers may be confused by this situation, Melbourne United is after taking away its last name and its colours is the Melbourne Tigers but the club seems eager to step as far away from the Tigers history as possible going as far as using the retired jerseys even if those retired jerseys are hanging on the walls of Hisense Arena and Margaret Court Arena.

With three of the Tigers six retired numbers being either used or is being in use by Melbourne United, it is only a matter of time before the remaining three of #10 (Andrew Gaze), #25 (Dave Simmons) and #50 (Mark Bradkte) will be used by United bringing more upset to those Tiger fans who fight for every scrap of the 1984-2014 NBL team’s dignity.

Tigers fans now have the opportunity to voice their displeasure by reading and signing the petition at
https://www.change.org/p/melbourne-united-larry-kestelman-nate-tomlinson-kyle-adnam-melbourne-united-stop-using-retired-tigers-jersey-numbers
Every signature will generate an email to Melbourne United in the hopes that they either take down the Tigers jerseys because they have insulted the fans for too long or Nate Tomlinson and Kyle Adnam make number changes themselves.

WANMU will keep you updated on the story as it unfolds.

Happy Birthday WANMU

We Are Not Melbourne United has recently celebrated it’s first birthday!

It’s been a great year of being a rebellious website fighting for the Melbourne Tigers and it’s fellow former Victorian NBL team rivals/brothers.

Our Tigers battled through BigV this year and posted more wins this year than last so that is very good news and we’re positive 2016 will be an even better season, make sure fans that you keep talking up the Tigers because people love to be part of the action and so the more talk equals more action equals more followers.

We will strive to keep fans informed on all important Tigers news including player arrivals/departures, memberships and it’s prices so you can snap one up and become an all important member of a club going strong since 1931.

Dragons fans are starting to roar again, Magic fans are having their say, Supercats are being talked up again, Giants fans pretty much only have one man waving their flag but hopefully that will soon change and so WANMU hopes more chatter continues because let’s face it there is no more passionate sports fans than Victorian sports team fans (no offence rest of Australia).

The NBL does look exciting with it’s roster of players and the Foxtel deal that shows all games but Larry Kestelman owns the majority of the NBL (and United!) and with no Tigers it’s just not 100% appealing at this time and WANMU can’t wait for the Tigers to play ball anywhere at anytime and make us forget the NBL is going around.

To close, the pictures below sums up our feelings until United comes falling down.

We REALLY ARE Melbourne, The Melbourne Tigers!.

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