Winds of change sweep through Newcastle

THE sacking of Rick Stone as Knights coach is just the tip of the iceberg for a club that has struggled for the last 10 years.

Something had to give.

The truth is the Knights are a basket case and they have been ever since the retirement of Andrew Johns in 2007.

So when the man himself says they need a clean out it might be time for someone in the club to sit up and listen.

"They need someone with a massive big whip to get in there and crack it," he told Triple M on Monday afternoon.

"The whole place needs to start again. They've lost their identity, they've lost the way they play, they've lost the culture within the place."

"I don't think they know what they stand for; I think the place is lost at the moment."

It remains to be seen whether the appointment of Danny Buderus as interim coach is a good thing, but it's an important first step in a long road back.

Put simply, results won't change just because of a change of coach.

The culture of the Knights needs changing, but it's going to take time and they need to wipe the slate clean because a culture of mediocrity and underachieving has crept into the club.

Players have been too comfortable with their first grade spots because Stone was "one of the boys" who threatened to drop players but never acted.

In the end that probably contributed to his downfall; he made a rod for his own back.

So where do the Knights go from here?

CEO Matt Gidley said during Monday's press conference that every player is on notice and they now have seven weeks to make a statement for next year.

"There's an opportunity for the players over the next seven weeks to prove to all of us that they're proud of playing for our club and they want to demonstrate that through their performances," he said.

Fans would be forgiven for thinking they'd heard that before and they deserve better.

The club needs to stop talking and throwing around empty threats. They must start to act.

"We can't sit back and tolerate poor performances over a period of time. There's an opportunity this weekend to demonstrate some character traits the club has been built on," Gidley said.

That's all well and good as a bandaid solution, but fans are after a continual effort which flows beyond this weekend's clash with the Dragons.

Knights fans know their rugby league well enough and are realistic to know their team can't win every weekend.

They just want an effort and that effort has been sadly missing for a long time.

The winds of change are blowing in Newcastle and Rick Stone won't be the first name to be shown the door. It's been a long time coming.