News Allen Aylett says NSHGTTGC

[Flawed Genius]

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2014-04-24/kangaroos-wrong-hop

NORTH Melbourne is tracking nicely but still missed a golden opportunity when it rejected an opportunity to move to the Gold Coast, according to club legend Allen Aylett.

Aylett was twice president of the club but more to the point, the greatest reformer in the history of the wider completion.

In an interview for this week's AFL Record to mark his 80th birthday on Thursday, Aylett, described by the late AFL chairman Ron Evans as the "father of the national competition", claimed the Kangaroos would now be $50 million better off had they accepted an AFL proposal to relocate in 2007.

Aylett had served a second stint as president of the Kangaroos from 2001-05 and was a supporter of the club's proposed relocation.

"The deal we did with the AFL never came to fruition because it was a political thing at North and James (Brayshaw), Ron Joseph and other people at North won the battle, and fair enough, you have to accept that," he said.

"But we had done a fantastic deal with the AFL with relation to Metricon Stadium. We'd have been the Saturday night team on television in Melbourne.

"We would have been $50 million better off than now when still, it (North) is one of those clubs that has to watch everything it is doing although, mind you, they are doing a very good job."

"I can't criticise the way they’re running the club but I just think we missed a fantastic opportunity."

Aylett played 220 games for the Kangaroos from 1952-64, winning three best and fairests and being named in the club's Team of the Century. He became president in 1971 and within four years the club had won its first premiership, thanks largely to a series of brash and innovative moves such as bringing Ron Barassi to the club and recruiting aggressively for on-field talent.

He was elected president of the then-VFL in 1977 and his reformist agenda led to the introduction of live telecasts of the Grand Final in Victoria, the Grand Final parade, Sunday football, moving South Melbourne to Sydney, ground rationalisation and most significantly, the replacement of club-appointed League directors by an independent commission.

Aylett also recognised the growing popularity of other sports such as soccer and basketball and made game development a big focus of his presidency.

A passionate supporter of VFL Park, he revived the midweek night competition at Waverley. That format eventually evolved into a pre-season competition. He engineered a $1 million deal for World Series Cricket to play at the ground.

Not surprisingly, he still believes the AFL erred in closing the ground in 2000 and selling the land to a developer.

He retired from the League in 1985, immediately after the directors voted themselves out of office to allow the introduction of the commission, bringing to an end a whirlwind decade in which he had charted a new direction for the game and enhanced its claims to be the no.1 sport in Australia.

The 1975 North premiership gave him his biggest thrill in football, but he regards the establishment of the commission and the Swans move to Sydney as his greatest achievements.

"I had major support from people like Ron Barassi, Albert Mantello, Jack Clarke, Ron Joseph and Ted Whitten. I was the unpopular one with the masses, but people were behind me," he said.

A sprightly octogenarian, Aylett still works as a dentist three days a week and watches the Kangaroos most weeks, together with his children and grandchildren.

Ah, no thanks Allen.

 

[CBSlogger]

Give it a rest Allen, FFS.

 

[TennisPlayerAndy]

Hey Allen, FOAD.

 

[utility]

Allen, just f*** off. Really. F*** off.

 

[King Corey]

ALLEN Aylett is tracking nicely as dentist but still missed a golden opportunity when he rejected an opportunity to move into football industry retirement and keep his opinions to himself.

 

[giantroo]

Just please move on Allen. It's called working hard and not taking the easy option.

 

[King Corey]

Sidenote - glad he's kept the trend alive of former North people either potting the club or distancing themselves so much they end up somewhere in Siberia.

 

[LETSGOKANGAS]

So we were offered $100 million and are $50 million worse off 7 years later. So in another 7 years we will be square and another 7 years after that we will be $50 million better off and still in Melbourne?

Please Allen confirm my arithmetic bro.

 

[roosmad]

this wont go well

 

[Yianni]

In an interview for this week's AFL Record to mark his 80th birthday on Thursday, Aylett, described by the late AFL chairman Ron Evans as the "father of the national competition", claimed the Kangaroos would now be $50 million better off had they accepted an AFL proposal to relocate in 2007.

Yay!! That would be so great.

We lost to Essendon by $39 in Round 1, then beat Bulldogs by $29, Port by $7 and Sydney by $43, but then lost to Collingwood by $35 last week. That leaves us $5 up. If we'd taken the $50m we'd be $49,999,995 up which it totes heaps!

 

[astrovic]

When I read the OP I couldn't figure out what NSHGTTGC meant, so I just assumed Aylett had pumped himself full of his own novocaine and was struggling to form coherent words.

Then I read the article and realised that what had actually happened was that Aylett had pumped himself full of his own novocaine and was struggling to form coherent words.

 

[Contra Mundum]

The Man will always be a North legend - but he was an expansionist when he was at the VFL and he drunk the Cool Aid. It would be more dignified if he just shut up.

 

[hilly]

Turn it up/give me a spell.

 

[hilly]

The Man will always be a North legend - but he was an expansionist when he was at the VFL and he drunk the Cool Aid. It would be more dignified if he just shut up.

F*** him. Should have his records removed.

 

[Contra Mundum]

F*** him. Should have his records removed.

Hilly I just posted that to seem reasonable - he just about killed the thing he built up and loves!

 

[GarnerSmash]

Way to s**t in your nest Allen.

Despite being a legend of the club one can't help but feel it's his business acumen that drives his passions and not his heart given North would have ceased to exist had it moved to GC.

 

[Donkey Chop]

EAD

 

[DEVO]

Dr. Aylett is entitled to his opinion, even if it's wrong. It's a shame that those opinions no longer match those of his club and supporters, but he is still a North Melbourne legend and we shouldn't forget that he did so many wonderful things for the club. If it wasn't for him and his fellow board members, it may have been North heading to Sydney in the early '80 instead of South Melbourne.

Despite the differences of opinion I hope the club supporters remember what he achieved at North over a long period, and don't stoop to the petty and vindictive level of a Collingwood or Richmond supporter and disown him and his achievements.

 

[LuvtheKangas]

Give it a rest Allen, FFS.

This.

 

[TennisPlayerAndy]

 

[Event Horizon]

ALLEN Aylett is tracking nicely as dentist but still missed a golden opportunity when he rejected an opportunity to move into football industry retirement and keep his opinions to himself.

That is being kind to him.
To be honest, I feel like saying that he is tracking nicely in his current body, but missed a golden opportunity to die and pass his organs to others, which is essentially what he wanted done to the club. But I realise how politically incorrect it sounds, so I won't say it. Consider it as just a thought.

 

[King Corey]

That is being kind to him.
To be honest, I feel like saying that he is tracking nicely in his current body, but missed a golden opportunity to die and pass his organs to others, which is essentially what he wanted done to the club. But I realise how politically incorrect it sounds, so I won't say it. Consider it as just a thought.

* PC mate, that's a pretty good analogy.

 

[Limerick]

This is what the "relocationalists" don't get. If we had "relocated" to the GC in 2007 then there would be NO North Melbourne. We'd be just some historical reference. RELOCATION = The death of one Club to enable the birth of another franchise Club.

 

[Only Forwards]

There are times where people should just shut the f*** up.

This is one of those times.

It was 6-7 years ago, let it go and if you can't talk to a therapist rather than the media.

 

[benbanjo]

AASSTFU