Phil Gould to be made redundant by Penrith Panthers board

Phil Gould has denied Penrith’s decision to re-hire coach Ivan Cleary over his head had anything to do with the decision to make his position redundant, abruptly ending his eight-year reign at the Panthers.

• Buzz: Ugly saga that ended Gould’s reign
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Penrith executive general manager Phil Gould has sensationally made himself redundant after losing a dramatic power struggle at the under-pressure club.

The Daily Telegraph understands Gould’s shock request will be accepted at a Panthers board meeting starting at 11am Wednesday. It has left the Panthers in turmoil.

Well-placed sources at the club claimed Gould and new coach Ivan Cleary — whose side has won just two games this season — could not coexist. Gould formally told Penrith of his plans to walk away at 3pm on Tuesday.

“The decision hasn’t been made exactly when this will take affect. Maybe the end of year or a couple of months, but I recommended we do it sooner rather than later,” Gould told Nine News.

“I’ve always maintained this position wasn’t going to be around forever and I just see the club in such a strong position at the moment.

“We have the right board of the directions, the right management, the right coaching staff.”

Penrith Panthers general manager of football Phil Gould’S future at the club remains clouded. Picture: AAP

Cleary, who battled and was sacked by Gould during 2015, won the war against his old nemesis. It an untenable situation, Cleary did not have to report to Gould, despite Gould’s lofty position as executive general manager of football.

Gould’s power at the club had eroded significantly when he wanted Wayne Bennett as coach for this season but club chairman Dave O’Neill overruled and appointed Cleary.

It was a clear sign Gould had lost his influence. There is little doubt some members of the board — at least privately — wanted Gould out.

Gould fiercely denied he has lost power or that he left after falling-out with Cleary.

“(That has) absolutely nothing to do with this decision,” Gould said. “Ivan is the right coach for the club going forward.”.

Phil Gould helping Dallin Watene-Zelezniak at Penrith training. Picture Brett Costello

Provocative, intelligent yet polarising, Gould was a powerful figure at Penrith who found it difficult to step away from running and influencing the football department. He previously had full control over football decisions.

Gould is expected to formally leave Penrith within weeks. Penrith’s board will discuss possible candidates to replace Gould in an interim capacity. Directors will also talk about the club’s management and football operation structures.

“We have come to an agreement with Phil that his position has become redundant,” said Panthers group general manager, Brian Fletcher. “Phil was adamant his position had become redundant and his time at Panthers was at an end.

“It was always his intention that his job would eventually become redundant. I didn’t think he would do it as early as this but he has decided to do it now.

“Gus feels it is time now that Ivan is here and settled. He is in discussions with myself at the moment about when that date for redundancy commences. Phil has been very good for the place and we want to make sure we thank Phil for that.”

O’Neill, Cleary and Fletcher are known to work closely together. Gould, 60, will seek a hefty payout on his $800,000 a year contract.

Cleary had sought full autonomy over the football department but told club officials this couldn’t be achieved with Gould at the club.

Tensions had increased to the point where board members felt the matter had to be resolved immediately. Penrith’s spluttering start to the season only exasperated the drama.

Gould recently made inquiries at Channel 9 about a full-time role at the network to cover potential loss of earnings if he was to quit his position at Penrith.

It appears Gould may struggle to find another NRL club in the short-term after Cronulla rejected any moves to sign him as the club’s new general manager of football.

Panthers coach Ivan Cleary could get his wish to have full control over the club’s football operations. Picture: Phil Hillyard

Penrith was reluctant to admit Gould and Cleary had issues but one well-placed source near the club admitted: “It’s not a relationship where you would see them going to the races or church together.

“It was a difficult situation. The key question was whether Ivan needed Gus’ input anymore? Ivan is a mature coach. I wouldn’t like someone sitting across the desk from me telling me what to do if I was Ivan.”

The Panthers have struggled to start the 2019 season after all the pre-season fanfare around Ivan Cleary’s return. Picture: AAP

Gould, employed by Penrith since 2011, met Fletcher and O’Neill on Tuesday morning to start informal talks about quitting. Others connected to the club are filthy Gould has essentially been forced out.

In his eight-year reign at Penrith, Gould attracted Oak as a long-term major sponsor and helped drive construction of the club’s $22m Rugby League Academy.

He also given the club a strong financial base but couldn’t secure the premiership he desperately craved. Gould twice left Penrith previously — once as a player and then a coach.

“I’m not so worried about the premiership, our initial goal was long-term survival and financial stability,” Gould said.

“The club has got a very strong financial base at the moment and a long and sustainable future.”