Club Mgmt. Board of Directors as led by President Dave Barham - Statement from Barham addressing Merrett etc - 12/9

[Lore]

Spoiler: Timeline of events

• 15/8: President, Paul Brasher resigns, replaced by Dave Barham who foreshadows external review
  • Votes for Brasher: Peter Allen, Simon Madden, Sean Wellman
    Sean Wellman

    Age

    51

    Ht

    193cm

    Wt

    90kg

    Pos.

    Def

    Career

    Season

    Last 5

    D

    14.1

    4star

    K

    9.7

    4star

    HB

    4.5

    3star

    M

    4.5

    4star

    T

    1.0

    3star

    No current season stats available

    D

    8.0

    2star

    K

    4.4

    2star

    HB

    3.6

    3star

    M

    2.6

    3star

    T

    0.8

    3star

  • Votes for Barham: Andrew Muir, Dorothy Hisgrove, Melissa Green, Kate O’Sullivan, Kevin Sheedy
• 21/8: Senior Coach, Ben Rutten
  Ben Rutten

  Age

  42

  Ht

  190cm

  Wt

  98kg

  Pos.

  Def

  Career

  Season

  Last 5

  D

  13.4

  3star

  K

  6.3

  2star

  HB

  7.0

  4star

  M

  5.3

  5star

  T

  1.3

  3star

  No current season stats available

  D

  10.6

  3star

  K

  6.2

  3star

  HB

  4.4

  4star

  M

  3.6

  4star

  T

  1.0

  3star

  sacked
• 24/8: CEO, Xavier Campbell resigns
• 24/8: Directors to resign
  • Paul Brasher, immediately
  • Simon Madden, immediately
  • Sean Wellman, after new football director is appointed
  • Peter Allen, after AGM & finance portfolio handover in December
• 26/8: Details of coaching selection committee appointment
  • Sub-committee of 6: Josh Mahoney
    Josh Mahoney

    Age

    48

    Ht

    180cm

    Wt

    83kg

    Pos.

    Fwd

    Career

    Season

    Last 5

    D

    11.3

    3star

    K

    6.8

    3star

    HB

    4.5

    3star

    M

    3.5

    4star

    T

    1.6

    4star

    G

    0.9

    4star

    No current season stats available

    D

    9.2

    3star

    K

    5.4

    2star

    HB

    3.8

    3star

    M

    2.2

    3star

    T

    1.6

    4star

    G

    0.4

    3star

    (Chair, GM-Footy), Robert Walls, Jordan Lewis
    Jordan Lewis

    Age

    39

    Ht

    186cm

    Wt

    86kg

    Pos.

    D/M

    Career

    Season

    Last 5

    D

    23.5

    5star

    K

    12.1

    4star

    HB

    11.5

    5star

    M

    5.5

    5star

    T

    2.7

    4star

    MG

    310.5

    4star

    No current season stats available

    D

    15.0

    4star

    K

    6.8

    3star

    HB

    8.2

    5star

    M

    4.8

    5star

    T

    2.8

    5star

    , Simone McKinnis OAM, Andrew Thorburn and Dorothy Hisgrove (board member).
• 26/8: Details of external review process
  • Ernst & Young to coordinate with support from Andrew Thorburn, working closely with Nick Ryan (Acting CEO) & Dorothy Hisgrove (board member)
  • Focusing on four areas: (1) Board effectiveness & composition, (2) a review of leadership, operations and culture including the footy department, (3) the senior coach appointment and (4) the new CEO appointment.
• 26/9: Andrew Welsh appointed to the board of directors, replacing Simon Madden
• 29/9: Brad Scott appointed as Senior Coach
• 30/9: Kevin Sheedy claims decision to appoint Brad Scott was 6-1 against him
• 3/10: Andrew Thorburn appointed as CEO - alternative link
• 3/10: “External review to be handed to the board next week”: Andrew Thorburn, Crichton Medal Address
• 4/10: Andrew Thorburn resigns as CEO
• 11/10: External review preliminary findings
• 24/10: External review preliminary findings II
• 2/11: Dan McPherson appointed as General Manager of Performance & Cam Roberts as Head of Development
• 11/11: Dean Rioli appointed to the board of directors, replacing Paul Brasher
• 14/11: Tim Roberts & David Wills appointed to the board of directors, replacing Sean Wellman and Paul Allen respectively
• 28/11: Dorothy Hisgrove announced as first female vice-president (at the Essendon Women's Best and Fairest night)
• 1/12: Craig Vozzo appointed as CEO
• 13/12: Board director election results: Andrew Welsh and Andrew Muir elected
• 15/5: The club's First Nations Advisory Council established, to be led by Dean Rioli (chair, Indigenous board member), and including: Leanne Brooke (EFC EGM – Community & The Long Walk. Essendon FC), Dorothy Hisgrove (EFC VP and National Manager Partner KPMG), Kane Ellis (CEO of Illawarra Aboriginal Medical Service), John Evans (Pro Vice-Chancellor Indigenous Engagement at Swinburne) and Che Cockatoo-Collins (EM, Indigenous Affairs NBN, EFC Past Player)
• 16/5: Board of Directors declare support for the First Nations Voice to Parliament, after consultation with the new First Nations Advisory Council
• 28/8: EGM - Football, Josh Mahoney has accepted a role as GM Football Operations at the AFL
• 10/10: GM - Performance Daniel McPherson, and Head of AFLW/AFL Operations Manager Aysha Ward have been elevated to the club executive as joint leaders of the club's football department, as GM-AFL and GM-AFLW respectively

 

[Zach Package]

So he can throw around flag in 2-3 years because at the end of the day he won’t be there to be called out on it. I wish there was one way to spill the board this year and also have campbell fired. Blow the joint up I say.

It’s all bottom line stuff and it’s all pandering, which is why X got extended, membership looks good and the books look good. Which they do so fair play to him in that regard tbh.

In that context of his tenure it does make the whole ‘competing for a flag in 2-3 years’ timeline but also internal review thing that much more galling.

He’s not going to be there to see it through and frankly I’m sick of shrivelled old white blokes in charge running the joint with all the vigour of a ham sandwich.

 

[silk]

Forgive my sloppy editing and delay in making the meme. I'm sick.

This meme makes me laugh mostly because Basher looks a bit like Alan Partridge (Steve Coogan).

 

[Lore]

The first half hour of this is about this /expletives removed/ review and the video etc etc [it’s supposed to be a preview pod for round 12]



Can’t argue with much of it really. Lots of things we have already covered ourselves. The condescension, the bullshit, the fan engagement problems, the soullessness, corporate mumbojumbo, and the defensive tin-eared approach to feedback etc.

Also the facilities at Tulla being wonderful but soulless – players come and go but the connection you build with the community and the supporters, the spaces that are inviting for fans and supporters, the club’s history but also the present, e.g. appropriate seating for fans to watch training without sitting in the dirt.

Some interesting insights with regard to the VFL program being “left to hang in the wind”, which we kinda knew but there’s some anecdotes and detail there. How does the VFL program slip through the cracks?

Well apparently after Richardson was sacked, XC was acting footy manager and the VFL program that had been gutted in 2020 and with the pandemic soft cap cuts etc it got zero attention and the players found somewhere else to be that could give them some certainty to build their lives around.

That’s how entire important chunks of football clubs slip through the cracks.

I like Shaw’s points about Wellman being a part-time director with his own business and also being director of football that only goes to meetings once a month (I wonder if the Annual Report will support the idea of regular board member attendance?). It’s very old hat 70s/80s stuff, as he said.

Shaw also suggested that we should scrap that and get a full time director of football programs to oversee all four teams and report to the CEO: the head coach(es?), footy manager and head of womens footy all report to this director of footy programs. Not the silliest thing I’ve ever heard. Four or five complete programs (if you include wheelchair), plus JHA is kind of a lot to deal with if you’re hands on about it.

Interesting points about the pool of potential recruits for various roles in middle management too, something about picking up people who’ve just been sacked from those same roles somewhere else. Interesting assertion that the best people don’t want to work at Essendon.

It’s the longevity of the problem and the administration that has enabled it that needs to be reviewed, impartially and honestly, so we can move forward. Not the last few games and the latest coach.

 

[Lore]

RohanConnolly you need to do a special mini ep for Essendon rants instead of 1.5h pods

 

[ant555]

RohanConnolly you need to do a special mini ep for Essendon rants instead of 1.5h pods

He only does podcasts now days. Maybe he should run for the board.

 

[Bipolar Bear]

****ing blow it up. Get Clarkson. Kick Dodoro out, kick out all the jobs for boys nuffs and reset. I cannot see Carlton win 17th just because we didn't try.

 

[fairbump_playon]

Re the review, I was hoping he would be more .. brash

 

[CBombers17]

He only does podcasts now days. Maybe he should run for the board.

Any rumblings about this (or any.others)?

 

[ant555]

Any rumblings about this (or any.others)?

Nothing of substance yet.

 

[CBombers17]

The first half hour of this is about this /expletives removed/ review and the video etc etc [it’s supposed to be a preview pod for round 12]



Can’t argue with much of it really. Lots of things we have already covered ourselves. The condescension, the bullshit, the fan engagement problems, the soullessness, corporate mumbojumbo, and the defensive tin-eared approach to feedback etc.

Also the facilities at Tulla being wonderful but soulless – players come and go but the connection you build with the community and the supporters, the spaces that are inviting for fans and supporters, the club’s history but also the present, e.g. appropriate seating for fans to watch training without sitting in the dirt.

Some interesting insights with regard to the VFL program being “left to hang in the wind”, which we kinda knew but there’s some anecdotes and detail there. How does the VFL program slip through the cracks?

Well apparently after Richardson was sacked, XC was acting footy manager and the VFL program that had been gutted in 2020 and with the pandemic soft cap cuts etc it got zero attention and the players found somewhere else to be that could give them some certainty to build their lives around.

That’s how entire important chunks of football clubs slip through the cracks.

I like Shaw’s points about Wellman being a part-time director with his own business and also being director of football that only goes to meetings once a month (I wonder if the Annual Report will support the idea of regular board member attendance?). It’s very old hat 70s/80s stuff, as he said.

Shaw also suggested that we should scrap that and get a full time director of football programs to oversee all four teams and report to the CEO: the head coach(es?), footy manager and head of womens footy all report to this director of footy programs. Not the silliest thing I’ve ever heard. Four or five complete programs (if you include wheelchair), plus JHA is kind of a lot to deal with if you’re hands on about it.

Interesting points about the pool of potential recruits for various roles in middle management too, something about picking up people who’ve just been sacked from those same roles somewhere else. Interesting assertion that the best people don’t want to work at Essendon.

It’s the longevity of the problem and the administration that has enabled it that needs to be reviewed, impartially and honestly, so we can move forward. Not the last few games and the latest coach.

Great podcast I thought. The Club needs a top to bottom overhaul. A total refocusing and new key appointments accross the board. It may still take us 5 to 10 years to be a consistent finals performer but so be it. You can actually be going nowhere and Essendon 2022 is exactly what that looks like.

The point they raised about the problem of talent not considering Essendon can't be overstated. Any regime the repells talent MUST go. Between that and getting rid of a lot of baggage and political crap are big arguments for new leadership.

Not sure where they are headed with the Tulla criticism though? Is there an alternative or are they suggesting the club puts a bit of seating around for training and maybe make some other superficial changes?

Unless there's a viable alternative to this type of crititsim then all it achieves is diluting the arguement IMO. It's the podcast version of the nuffie "the players don't play for the jumper" supporter letter.

 

[eth-dog]

Let's get Ron Gauci.

 

[silk]

Sounds like we need a review of the review process before we can start the review. We're like an episode of Yes Minister these days. If they ever made a modern version of the club, you just know we'd be the subject.

 

[boncer34]

Let's get Ron Gauci.

Explain why without referencing a green buddah building material.

 

[Lore]

Not sure where they are headed with the Tulla criticism though? Is there an alternative or are they suggesting the club puts a bit of seating around for training and maybe make some other superficial changes?

I don’t know precisely what they mean but I’d say having members and community around the place more. Not just saying people are allowed to go there but actively encouraging and accomodating it.

Maybe it’s a cost cutting thing but you can do a lot more community clinics, school holiday crap, encouraging local kids to use the lower oval, bins of old footies that people can borrow (the smarty pants in marketing could put a few logos on it too so if it goes missing it still serves a purpose), invite some Auskick stuff there or something idk. Get Kendra Heil to do a mural that doesn’t just go in the board room.

It’s not like the children of past players are the only kids that want to play for Essendon when they grow up. It’s a club, not a business. That means sometimes you do things in, with and for the community that don’t lead to a direct discount on a superstar at the draft or immediately boost the annual membership and merchandise sales. It’s an investment in who and what you are beyond platitudes and superficial window dressing.

 

[eth-dog]

Explain why without referencing a green buddah building material.

Ran for the board (and president) in the middle of the saga, stated he wouldn't renew James Hird's contract which was the right move but the "Stand By Hird" mouthbreathers frothed and he didn't get in
Became President of Melbourne Storm straight after the salary cap scandal, and then turned them into probably the most professionally run club in Victoria

The rest doesn't matter.

 

[boncer34]

Ran for the board (and president) in the middle of the saga, stated he wouldn't renew James Hird's contract which was the right move but the "Stand By Hird" mouthbreathers frothed and he didn't get in
Became President of Melbourne Storm straight after the salary cap scandal, and then turned them into probably the most professionally run club in Victoria

The rest doesn't matter.

I thought he ran during the election that saw one of the Blitz stand by Hird members turfed.

Of course he could've run both I guess.

 

[eth-dog]

I thought he ran during the election that saw one of the Blitz stand by Hird members turfed.

Of course he could've run both I guess.

I definitely remember part of his platform being "sack Hird" but probably both.

 

[carloss]

A fiasco for the ages at Essendon but meaningful change remains unlikely | Craig Little

A full-scale review of the embattled AFL club appears to lack resolve to turn over every stone

www.theguardian.com

 

[boncer34]

I definitely remember part of his platform being "sack Hird" but probably both.

Redirect Notice

Don't think sack Hird is quite what he ran on.

 

[Mr Mojo Risin]

Or just be enjoyable to watch as a starting point

Hell no, being enjoyable to watch to the majority (which includes casuals and neutrals) has been our problem. When we do this we forget defense.

I'd rather we look as ugly as **** first a la Ross Lyon teams until defense is habitual before we become enjoyable to watch.



Maybe we are on the right path? I haven't been enjoying watching us at all!

 

[Old Campaigner]

I thought he was running against a couple of explicitly Stand By Hird candidates who were active on Blitz and they romped it in

 

[Mr Mojo Risin]

We riot

 

[boncer34]

I thought he was running against a couple of explicitly Stand By Hird candidates who were active on Blitz and they romped it in

He ran twice

 

[citizen-erased]

Hell no, being enjoyable to watch to the majority (which includes casuals and neutrals) has been our problem. When we do this we forget defense.

I'd rather we look as ugly as duck first a la Ross Lyon teams until defense is habitual before we become enjoyable to watch.



Maybe we are on the right path? I haven't been enjoying watching us at all!

By enjoyable i mean not going every week expecting a loss.

Not just pure attack.

 

[Mr Mojo Risin]

By enjoyable i mean not going every week expecting a loss.

Not just pure attack.

I'm in agreement with that, but I don't think we fix that short term until we've got through the ugly phase. I guess we should expect what you're saying by the end of 2-3 years.