Analysis Carlton Football Club Off Field - Opinion, Analysis and News

[thylacine60]

 

[SBYM]

Good thinking, 99.

 

[SBYM]

I guess that's what I'm after...a discussion of whether or not the board is entirely controlled by the $$$$...

Is there no hope for a broader range of minds/ideas/persepctives at that level?

 

[thylacine60]

It's not always as obvious as the money of course. Successful people often have wealth and that's ok. But what type of successful people are we after?

 

[SBYM]

Other than The Bear, I see no connection with the footballing side of things...

And don't get me wrong, I understand the corporate nous required at that level, but there's just a pervasive sameness to that lot...where's the doctor, the academic, the school principal, or the CEO of a not-for-profit?

These people are successful. And I get that these types of people actually need to want to do it...my question is, if they did, would they be able to get on there?

 

[zeeCFC]

I have no idea why Raph Geminder is on the board, remember him doing a fan interview a couple of years back that really made me wonder if he could name more than 20 Blues players.

I like Sayers and sadly Ryan Trainor left...they were my two favourites for future president on the board but looks like we have to endure more of the Pratt/Mathieson struggle.

 

[SBYM]

I have no idea why Raph Geminder is on the board, remember him doing a fan interview a couple of years back that really made me wonder if he could name more than 20 Blues players.

I like Sayers and sadly Ryan Trainor left...they were my two favourites for future president on the board but looks like we have to endure more of the Pratt/Mathieson struggle.

Was this knobhead's son on the board when he went on his full page HUN rant?

 

[Jabba73]

It's not always as obvious as the money of course. Successful people often have wealth and that's ok. But what type of successful people are we after?

Checklist:
1. Where do they rank on Supercoach/Dreamteam? - must be in top 20% to show drafting/list management skills
2. Footy tipping history? Have they ever tipped against the Blues (loyalty test) and how well do they rank other teams.
3. BF likes received. Test of how well they reflect and understand the views of fans
4. Who do they follow and who follows them on Twitter? Shows ability to be social media savvy and engage with fans

Pretty sure ....

 

[Aphrodite]

Was this knobhead's son on the board when he went on his full page HUN rant?

Pretty sure it's his nephew SBYM.

 

[SBYM]

Yeah...what she said...

 

[MrsEddieBetts]

Got my email from ol' Triggy:

Dear Mebby,

I write this month to inform you about our progress in some key areas of our strategic plan, the Key Drivers of Success. There are particular areas that I believe are important and will be of interest…

Firstly though, a sincere thank you to all members for being with us in 2015. We had a very heartening response to our recent membership drive, which has bumped up our membership number toward the 50,000 mark.

We still have much to do in this area because, as all Carlton people know, we have massive support – and there is so much un-tapped potential out there for us to significantly grow that membership over time. I promise that we will grow it! We'll grow membership because we are serious about sticking to our strategic plan. As a reminder, there are two vital parts of that plan:

1) 'Putting supporters at the centre of everything we do'

2) 'Building a sense of pride and belonging'

Let me give you some examples of things we're doing in this regard.

We are:

• Working hard on improving our systems and processes within the membership department.
• Working on ways to better communicate with our supporters – especially those who don't have digital media access.
• Working hard on how we better connect with supporters in regional and interstate locations.
• Building the connection with members and supporters on match days.

We are also:

• Putting on a series of 'Carlton Social Club' events (free for members) after several games at the MCG, to bring the tribe together. There will be separate communication on this for members, staff, players and the Board. Our first event will follow the Essendon game this week and will be hosted by Andy Lee and Sam Pang.
• Striving to do something special for Mother's Day. Again there'll be separate communication, but note that our Etihad game against Brisbane is the only game on that day. We intend to make it a day that all mums and families can enjoy, including a kick-to-kick on the ground post match.

I also reiterate a point made in my last report – and that is – we are acutely aware of the issue of cost (of membership) and it will be the number one consideration in our 2016 planning.

In short, members (and supporters attending our games) are the absolute lifeblood of our Club. We can't flourish as a Club and have the success we want without retaining members, growing membership and building attendances.

All of that is absolutely real, but to take that further, it has to be said there is an 'unreal' perception (by some) that 'Carlton doesn’t need members'. A perception (by too many) that 'Carlton has rich benefactors' who will simply rescue us; that a few wealthy families will 'see us through'. In my first six months I have kept hearing this but to be blunt, while those families have been incredibly supportive in the past, they're not 'saviours'. In short, there are no 'white knights' (on-field or off-field).

The reality is we are faced with a time in which we are being challenged financially. Our prosperity, in terms of our growth both on and off the field, is in membership and attendance at our home games.

So, we will keep working on improving those systems and processes, on creating that sense of belonging, on putting our supporters at the centre of everything we do and improving our match-day connection and overall communication.

We are certainly buoyed by the recent announcement of a Partnership with Virgin Australia. Virgin Australia is a great brand and the company has been a great innovator. We will be working with Virgin on customer service across all areas at Carlton, as well as a number of match-day initiatives, which will be terrific for all of our members and supporters.

The other element of our Plan I want to report on is in Key Driver #4, Elite List Management.

We have committed to 'better resource our list management area' and to 'develop a functional list management database'. We have also committed to a 'closer connection with the Northern Blues' all with a clear plan (for the list).

By way of an update for members we have:

• Secured an experienced GM of List Management and Strategy – Stephen Silvagni.
• Commenced the build of a list management database (the platform for which comes from the Boston Redsox) and an accompanying 'analytics program'. This program will allow us to store better information, benchmark and value players (our own and others), link it all to vision, and generally help us to make better and more informed decisions.
• Established a physical 'hub' within the Club that is to be a centre of list management excellence. Within that, Stephen will lead and work with the recruiting team, our opposition scout (Barry Prendergast) and our coaches. Their focus is on building sustainability for the future and building a premiership-winning list.
• Bolstered our relationship with the Northern Blues whereby they will play some curtain raisers to our AFL games. We are integrating Plans and Values, and we will have a CFC Director (Greg Lee) on the Northern Blues Board.

I want to emphasise to all members just how important all of this work has become.

It's critical work simply because we don't have enough depth or depth of experience. We have some bright young prospects, but we need more. We've often heard the call (from members) for 'no quick fixes', and we are very much aligned with that in our (List) Plans. We need to build for the future , and have an element of patience along the way. We have to draft superbly, access free agents/trades to supplement our growth, and develop (and coach) as effectively as we can over the coming years.

I believe we communicated that over the off-season. But after just a couple of rounds, let's be very clear about it...

• We have a significant list 're-build' in front of us.
• That re-build is going to take time.

All of the many changes we've made over the off-season and our greater investment into list management is aimed at just that – building our list – and building success. No quick fixes, no white knights.

In simple terms, we must bring in more talent while intensively developing and supporting our current players.

In the meantime, we will continue to push to develop a winning culture – and keep improving in everything we do, week by week.

I simply ask all supporters and members to have a clear understanding of where we are at, to be patient, and to share with us the journey as we undertake this work.

For all that, we haven't had the start to the season we all had hoped for, but there have been some positives. I'm confident that members know how much work we have in front of us and that we'll have to ‘hold our nerve’ from time to time, as we will most certainly be tested.

Again, to all members, (nearly 50,000 strong) thank you for being with us. Your support is genuinely and greatly appreciated!

 

[SBYM]

We have a significant list re-build in front of us....that re-build is going to take time...no quick fixes, no white knights...

Agree wholeheartedly with the first sentiments, hoping like hell the last isn't just empty rhetoric.

 

[The_Wookie]

Rideo...I've had a squiz at the constitution (fork I hate legal docs) and have got the nomination/voting process down pat...

Just wondering now if anyone could offer some insight into the votes required? How likely is it someone from outside the clique would even get the votes?

And I see that each nominee has to be approved by the board itself...I'm assuming the vested interests and agendas we all seem to loathe are controlled that way??

Apologies for the noob questions...I've just never really taken an interest in this kind of stuff...

Not having been to an AGM, and with precious little information available, Id have no idea.

On the second part, Nominees generally have to face board approval in a lot of corporate election processes. There's nothing overtly sinister in this, although it can lend itself to scenarios where the board only approves people in its current favour. Be thankful that they are still subject to election though - its becoming more and more common for some clubs to only allow for a limited number of elected positions on the board, with the board itself simply appointing the remaining members.

 

[thylacine60]

AD usually has info and insight on Board stuff.

 

[Jabba73]

Who appoints and renews contracts for the assistant coaches?

 

[MrsEddieBetts]

Who appoints and renews contracts for the assistant coaches?

I imagine it would be Andy McKay but I could be way off, so this post doesn't help you at all.

 

[LanceRomance]

Who appoints and renews contracts for the assistant coaches?

Ceo?

 

[Dramoth]

I like this comment...

All of that is absolutely real, but to take that further, it has to be said there is an 'unreal' perception (by some) that 'Carlton doesn’t need members'. A perception (by too many) that 'Carlton has rich benefactors' who will simply rescue us; that a few wealthy families will 'see us through'. In my first six months I have kept hearing this but to be blunt, while those families have been incredibly supportive in the past, they're not 'saviours'. In short, there are no 'white knights' (on-field or off-field).

Obviously he hasnt come on to this board where we tend to have harsh words aimed towards a certain 'rich family' (Bruce "*******" Mathieson) and their unhealthy influence in the club due to the monies raised through stuff they have handed over to the club.

 

[Aphrodite]

Who appoints and renews contracts for the assistant coaches?

I imagine it would be Andy McKay but I could be way off, so this post doesn't help you at all.

Most likely Andy McKay with Board approval.

Also you would think that Mick would have a say about his assistants.

 

[SBYM]

Not having been to an AGM, and with precious little information available, Id have no idea.

On the second part, Nominees generally have to face board approval in a lot of corporate election processes. There's nothing overtly sinister in this, although it can lend itself to scenarios where the board only approves people in its current favour. Be thankful that they are still subject to election though - its becoming more and more common for some clubs to only allow for a limited number of elected positions on the board, with the board itself simply appointing the remaining members.

You never let us down, Wookie...

 

[Jabba73]

Most likely Andy McKay with Board approval.
Also you would think that Mick would have a say about his assistants.

Thanks Aph.

If that is the case, then I would suggest that they need to review this part of the football operations. I cannot accept we have "missed" with so many picks in the last decade, development must be part of the equation. Assistant coaches have a fair bit of input into players from their area of responsibility.

The current debate is around our progress since Malthouse took over, if I am not wrong, we have kept some of the assistants that were there when Ratten was coach. There has been a huge turnover of players and a change of coach but similar problems remain. What is the common denominator?

 

[BlueVision]

With Trigg's appointment at the time a lot of posters here were divided, for those closer to the club than me, it would be interesting to hear any thoughts on how he is going, from where I sit he seems to be doing a reasonably good job.

 

[LanceRomance]

I am rather confused at what is going on with this rebuild business.

Firstly: We are two rounds in and the club declares a rebuild. why?

Secondly: Last year we were able to re-sign Murph, but more specifically Judd, Gibbs, and Menzel who were concerned about the direction of the club.

Thirdly: The coach is under a lot of pressure to perform? but why? we are rebuilding?

Fourthly: Haven't we already turned over more than half the list since MM took over?

I am sure there are other oddities to find explanations for....

 

[SBYM]

1. Good question

2. It is a bit foolhardy, in my opinion, to base conclusions on players re-signing....for all we know, said player's manager might have been in touch with other clubs and found little interest. Or perhaps Murph knows his best is long gone and he took what he could get... The point is, we have no idea what goes on inside players' heads and nor should we speculate.

3. We don't know this as fact. Pressure from the media and fans, yes. Internally? All they've said is they will assess at the end of the year. Smart move imo.

4. Yes, and for the better in my opinion. Got rid of a great deal of dead wood and brought in as much quality as we could, relative to the picks/trade bait we had available. Time will tell if this quality is flag winning quality, but it most certainly needs to be augmented by much more talent moving forward. We cannot afford any more dud drafts (if we want success this century, that is...)

 

[Doro]

Okay, seems a lot of anger toward the board so we might as well discuss it.

Mark LoGuidice (Managing Director Crawfords group)
Jeannie Pratt (co-chairperson Visy)
Marcus Clarke (Barrister)
Zac Fried (director Spotlight group)
Ahmed Fahour (CEO Australia Post)
Adrian Gleeson (Financial planner)
Raph geminder (Executive chairman Pact Group)
Greg lee (Director recruitment)
Luke Sayers (CEO Pwc Australia)
Craig Matheson (CEO matheson Group)

http://www.carltonfc.com.au/club/board

Who goes, who stays?

To me the recent appointments and action by the club has been promising, but the group think seems to want blood. I'd be interested to hear ideas about replacements.