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]

It's time to abandon the dysfunctional football department structure.

Bring in a football GM who everyone reports to and who only answers to the board. He becomes responsible for all of the football program.

The coach can then become what we're led to believe it is but can be paid accordingly.

In this context, we could go for an untried coach.

I wonder if Lyon would be interested.

I’m not convinced Lyon is the man for on field but in terms of footy director I can’t really think of anyone more suited unless we go beyond footy and just look at sports administrators as a whole.

Need an iron fisted organiser given he would essentially be the most powerful man in the club.

 

[boncer34]

I never stopped.

He has one intangible that no amount of assistant coaching can teach or develop.

He's a leader.

The reality is that I had fallen out of love with Hird based on his handling of the list (and it started during the trade period last year). I've heard a lot of talk of player unrest and I have to say that it doesn't surprise me as much as it doesn't surprise me to hear that the senior player have stood by him, but therein lies the problem.

I don't see this as an inevitable consequence of keeping Hird on as coach post 2013, his position was nothing close to untenable until team selection become a joke a few months into this season. This whole sorry state of affairs really speaks to a continued failure on the part of the football department to develop a program that is greater than the sum of its parts (despite continuing to invent pointless roles for highly paid senior members of the department) more than anything.

There is a lot of talk about needing to 'move on' but it is simplistic drivel that vindicates the media obsession and draws on WADA fatigue as being the reason that the club needed to make a change when, as far as I'm concerned, and all of the anecdotal evidence suggests that the problems were purely football related.

By the time Hird had to 'move on', it wasn't because he is a link to scandal or anything of the sort, it's that he was a link to what now has to be accepted as a failed group of senior players and serious damage to a list that had been built almost flawlessly until 2012 (and frankly the work or Dodoro and his recruiters in the last few years has been exceptional in about the worst possible circumstances).

Essendon does not have until the end of 2016 to tread water. There are 25+ games between now and that point that need to be used to develop the contemporary AFL talents on the list and to, as best as we can, shape the list in the coming off season. I have seen almost nothing from Hird in 2015 that suggests that he is the right person for that job and, on that basi, he had to go.

 

[Old Campaigner]

That's the question isn't it. Does that baggage mean that the next generation of kids won't listen to him?

I don know the answer to that. I would put my money on it not being an issue.

Even if the players don’t have a problem with it, the coach is the public face of the club. I wouldn’t be surprised if it negatively affected memberships and sponsors, with no guarantee he’d actually improve our on field performance more than other applicants.

 

[HirdsTheWord]

I see it differently - yes we absolutely need to do the work - but when are we going to bring in someone who knows what that means and won't stand for less? We need to be ruthless again - I'm sick of everyone pumping up a guy like Ross Lyon as the answer when he couldn't put away a premiership no matter how hard he tried. We won't solve this by copying Richmond and trying to be a better Richmond. I don't improve myself by wanting to be someone else - I do the hard work on myself and improve myself - not by copying someone else. Its not about looking back - its about looking at what made us a great club and ensuring we lift our eyes to be a great Essendon again - not a Richmond (or Melbourne or whoever) 2.0

lol ross lyon has had more success in a single season than we have had in ****in 20 years.

he might not be the answer, but the mere fact he hasn't won a premiership is a stupid reason to discount him.

 

[TheGreatBarryB]

I never stopped.

He has one intangible that no amount of assistant coaching can teach or develop.

He's a leader.

No. It's the exact opposite and Hird became the fall guy because he was the biggest name.

No he was a failed leader. He’d known Shane Charters for years and trained with him. Most other coaches would not have let those dicks anywhere near the club

 

[Tyrone5]

 

[RearNaked]

lol ross lyon has had more success in a single season than we have had in *in 20 years.

he might not be the answer, but the mere fact he hasn't won a premiership is a stupid reason to discount him.

If anything it’s a good reason to get him he wouldn’t be checked out and would be desperate for a flag

 

[Lads2023]

DODO NEXT PLEASE

Dodo to get a promotion/statue of a cockroach outside of windy hill

 

[BrunoV]

Even if the players don’t have a problem with it, the coach is the public face of the club. I wouldn’t be surprised if it negatively affected memberships and sponsors, with no guarantee he’d actually improve our on field performance more than other applicants.

Hird coaching Essendon being negative for our membership?

Don't make the mistake journalists make when they use Twitter to listen to the echo chamber instead of 'public opinion'.

I'd expect there to be a groundswell of support.

 

[TheGreatBarryB]

lol ross lyon has had more success in a single season than we have had in *in 20 years.

he might not be the answer, but the mere fact he hasn't won a premiership is a stupid reason to discount him.

It’s such a lazy argument. He came just a toe poke and bad bounce of being a dual Prem coach and then coached another club to a GF and within a couple of kicks of beating one of successful teams in history.

 

[tandino]

Dodo to get a promotion/statue of a cockroach outside of windy hill

Dodo will be there holding the Boer War bonds in his hands the day they wind the club up.

 

[HirdsTheWord]

It’s such a lazy argument. He came just a toe poke and bad bounce of being a dual Prem coach and then coached another club to a GF and within a couple of kicks of beating one of successful teams in history.

im just happy for a process to finally happen.

I have no issues with Ross being part of that, he may very well not want anything to do with us.

 

[fairbump_playon]

Path is clearing for James Hird as coach reporting to Ross Lyon as GM Football

 

[Mootsy]

Path is clearing for James Hird as coach reporting to Ross Lyon as GM Football

What have you heard?

 

[Petrify]

This has been an amazing news day. It doesn't matter which faction you were aligned with, the fact that one faction is leaving and the club can finally be aligned is great news.

 

[Hamez]

Apologies if already posted:

 

[eth-dog]

This has been an amazing news day. It doesn't matter which faction you were aligned with, the fact that one faction is leaving and the club can finally be aligned is great news.

Nope. Both factions have to go.

 

[jmoo wan]

Apologies if already posted:

I feel there is more to this story.

 

[Howard Moon]

i've got every clown friend or associate of mine that mercilessly berated me or talked down on me during the saga coming back for more just on the mere sniff that Hird might be lurking. I dont need this anymore. Please, please dont.

 

[Mootsy]

Wait, so what was Madden’s opinion on where the club should progress, I feel that’s important to figure out

 

[Petrify]

Nope. Both factions have to go.

Sure I'd rather they all leave but it's still better to have one coordinated party than two unaligned parties

 

[Runk]

Sure Essendon getting rid of their CEO & board members is awesome, but have you every been offered 12% off all Bomber Shop items?

i've got every clown friend or associate of mine that mercilessly berated me or talked down on me during the saga coming back for more just on the mere sniff that Hird might be lurking. I dont need this anymore. Please, please dont.

Same - fmd the trolls are out and off the leash.

 

[eth-dog]

Sure I'd rather they all leave but it's still better to have one coordinated party than two unaligned parties

Not when it's the back in Hird crew. I'd rather a split to ensure Hird never coaches here again than one aligned group that will see him in.

 

[BrunoV]

No he was a failed leader. He’d known Shane Charters for years and trained with him. Most other coaches would not have let those dicks anywhere near the club

I've been at workplaces where you get a bonus for referring someone who ends up employed.

Do you know what happens to get to that point?

HR and partner in charge interview. People of the same level of experience interview separately.

There might even then be another round of interviews.

There is then a 6 month probation period.

Do I get in trouble when my referral doesn't work out?

I can't believe people fall for this horseshit propaganda driven by Caroline Wilson acting as the mouthpiece of Demetriou (who then went into direct or was already in direct business competition with Hird).

We now understand, and have for a long time now, that coaches are limited by recruiting, development, assistant coaching, etc and yet I read all of these bozo views that a senior coach was responsible for the recruiting staff and running a supplements program.

Do you think Hamilton, Robinson, etc, might have gotten advice or figured out for themselves that blaming the guy everyone wanted to blame was the way to go. What were they all being paid to do?

Like I'm sure Robinson wasn't motivated by his, what was it, $800k pay out as part of his unfair dismissal claim.

 

[HirdsTheWord]

i've got every clown friend or associate of mine that mercilessly berated me or talked down on me during the saga coming back for more just on the mere sniff that Hird might be lurking. I dont need this anymore. Please, please dont.