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

 

[Here_we_come]

Asahi is great when brewed in Japan and on tap. When it’s brewed in Queensland and in a bottle/can it’s no way near as good.

Not on tap but you can actually buy the Japanese brewed Asahi at Dan Murphy’s. it’s in a larger (500ml) can and generally available for about $65 a case. Fabulous.

 

[Westlo]

Dodoro stiff to miss out on the panels, after all he should have a hand in selecting the next CEO/Coach he will blue with and survive.

 

[Albertross]

WTF is going on in here lately? So much talk about Japanese beers and whether Dildoro was at the club before Diana died.

I'm lost in some of these threads atm, think I need a lie down, or a Whiskey. **** it, I'll have a few Whiskeys, then a long lie down. Two birds, one stone!

 

[Zach Package]

Seems like we’re about to get a quick answer to ‘what are Richmond doing that we aren’t doing?’

Answer is ‘employing 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

’.

Don’t need Ernst and Young to tell us that.

 

[Mr Mojo Risin]

Not on tap but you can actually buy the Japanese brewed Asahi at Dan Murphy’s. it’s in a larger (500ml) can and generally available for about $65 a case. Fabulous.

Yeah it’s a much better home option for sure.

 

[Lawyered]

I’ve probably missed it written somewhere, but how deep is the review diving into operations? Eg. Examining ‘why’ our track record with player development is so patchy compared to other teams, or just looking at the people involved and the current decision making process? I might be hoping for too much…

 

[Lore]

I’ve probably missed it written somewhere, but how deep is the review diving into operations? Eg. Examining ‘why’ our track record with player development is so patchy compared to other teams, or just looking at the people involved and the current decision making process? I might be hoping for too much…

In the sticky post, which in turn is the crux of what the member email said (which is in turn identical to the letter from the president on the club website):

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.

So not specifically looking at list management, but if the culture and alignment of the footy department towards common goals is a problem then it should be covered.

 

[84859300]

 

[Bunk Moreland]

So there's some detail coming out and people seem to be slowly more accepting of Barham and co...

Has he or anybody else explained how or why we could sack Rutten before anything else? If they're getting an external review of everything, how were they so sure he had to go, yet nobody else did???

Was he purely sacked because we chased Clarkson?

 

[Lore]

So there's some detail coming out and people seem to be slowly more accepting of Barham and co...

Has he or anybody else explained how or why we could sack Rutten before anything else? If they're getting an external review of everything, how were they so sure he had to go, yet nobody else did???

Was he purely sacked because we chased Clarkson?

Seems to have been part of the board split, i.e., the new President was elected on a platform of lost confidence in the existing regime including Rutten, wanting an external review and to have a crack at Clarkson.

Once he was elected he had a mandate to fulfil and didn’t have the guts or the will to walk it back once Clarkson said no.

 

[Andronicus]

For those following the aus post delivery story.

My 7 year old son loves the Bombers with a loyalty they quite frankly don't deserve. As we live in the south west of WA and know what eagles fans are truly like, we have not yet been to a game with him. This ****ing club decided on Monday to thank him for his support by sending him a membership that allowed him to attend the last 2 home games of the season. This was sent out after the Richmond game. I am seriously considering pushing him towards the dockers.

The Bombers don't deserve him.

 

[Lord Nicholson]

So there's some detail coming out and people seem to be slowly more accepting of Barham and co...

Has he or anybody else explained how or why we could sack Rutten before anything else? If they're getting an external review of everything, how were they so sure he had to go, yet nobody else did???

Was he purely sacked because we chased Clarkson?

...yes?

You can't keep someone in post if you've openly signalled that you would rather someone else doing their job.

 

[CBombers17]

Seems to have been part of the board split, i.e., the new President was elected on a platform of lost confidence in the existing regime including Rutten, wanting an external review and to have a crack at Clarkson.

Once he was elected he had a mandate to fulfil and didn’t have the guts or the will to walk it back once Clarkson said no.

If you had to chose would you bet they are working on some sort of strategic backup plan now (like angling for Hird or Lyon) or making it up as they go along / taking the process on face value?

 

[Lore]

If you had to chose would you bet they are working on some sort of strategic backup plan now (the plan B) or making it up as they go along?

I think this has been in the works since at least the day of the board coup, “vote for me if we don’t get Clarkson we’ll do an external process”, but I reckon they had most of their eggs in the Clarkson basket and then Plan B had to materialise fairly quickly after he said no.

If they didn’t think Clarkson was a reasonable possibility I don’t know if the board coup would have actually got the votes.

But yeah. The pitch is some combination of external review (in response to insular findings on the internal review of limited scope) and must chase Clarkson if he said he likes our list, which itself created time pressure.

 

[yodellinhank]

Not on tap but you can actually buy the Japanese brewed Asahi at Dan Murphy’s. it’s in a larger (500ml) can and generally available for about $65 a case. Fabulous.

You'd be mad to be drinking Asahi in this weather.

Dan's had 440ml Coopers Stout cans for $53. At that price you can forgive them for putting it in a can.

 

[yodellinhank]

So there's some detail coming out and people seem to be slowly more accepting of Barham and co...

Has he or anybody else explained how or why we could sack Rutten before anything else? If they're getting an external review of everything, how were they so sure he had to go, yet nobody else did???

Was he purely sacked because we chased Clarkson?

I would've thought the obvious answer would be he was clueless. If he can't provide an answer for how he is going to take the team forward then he's not the man for the job.

 

[Doss]

You'd be mad to be drinking Asahi in this weather.

Dan's had 440ml Coopers Stout cans for $53. At that price you can forgive them for putting it in a can.

All this is completely academic anyway mate, because it's not as if it's Grand Ridge Gippsland Gold.

Just knocked off one right now.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Seems to have been part of the board split, i.e., the new President was elected on a platform of lost confidence in the existing regime including Rutten, wanting an external review and to have a crack at Clarkson.

Once he was elected he had a mandate to fulfil and didn’t have the guts or the will to walk it back once Clarkson said no.

I just can't work out why the review is needed for everybody except the senior coach.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

I would've thought the obvious answer would be he was clueless. If he can't provide an answer for how he is going to take the team forward then he's not the man for the job.

Really the only logical explanation...

 

[Albertross]

If you had to chose would you bet they are working on some sort of strategic backup plan now (like angling for Hird or Lyon) or making it up as they go along / taking the process on face value?

Hoping that they have a strategic plan in place and follow through with it. Making it up on the fly hasn't turned out so great the last 20 years.

I'm slightly warming to Lyon, not sold on Pyke nor Yze. With the names mentioned on the selection panel, I'm less inclined to think that Hird will be the shoe in that I thought he would be a week ago.

Strange times indeed to be an Essendon supporter.

EDIT: What's wrong with you beer drinkers, whatever beer you drink, still tastes like cats piss. Not that I've tried cats piss mind you. Get a proper drink into you!

 

[Mr Bultitude]

Not beer but currently working through a cocktail...does that count?

Bartender made me a drink called "Coronation"...seems apt.

 

[Albertross]

Not beer but currently working through a cocktail...does that count?

Bartender made me a drink called "Coronation"...seems apt.

Only really ever had one cocktail, it was called "a long hard screw up against the wall". Didn't like the taste and it's name never lived up to expectations. Although I was only about 18 y/o, so probably my fault.

 

[CBombers17]

I think this has been in the works since at least the day of the board coup, “vote for me if we don’t get Clarkson we’ll do an external process”, but I reckon they had most of their eggs in the Clarkson basket and then Plan B had to materialise fairly quickly after he said no.

If they didn’t think Clarkson was a reasonable possibility I don’t know if the board coup would have actually got the votes.

But yeah. The pitch is some combination of external review (in response to insular findings on the internal review of limited scope) and must chase Clarkson if he said he likes our list, which itself created time pressure.

Im probably grasping at straws but this all stinks to me....

An alternative theory is it's possible Barham isnt as stupid as he's come across with all this. He wrestled power with the promise of a healthy chance at Clarkson - despite knowing it was way too late but took power anyway. He's then proceeded to drain the swamp with the review (that's now not required). And now it's time to land Hird which was always the promise to Sheedy to get his vote. Cue bright and shiny coaching selection panel for optics.

I can't see any way Barham realistically thought he was getting Clarkson and I also can't see any other reason he would need to publicly announce the need for an experienced coach (except having one lined up).

Of the remaining board we can only assume they are rubber stamping whatever the president says as they were clearly all aboard with another no process appointment in Clarkson if it got up.

Nothing here says anything new to me and a thorough untainted coaching selection process would be a totally new concept at Essendon, apparently being performed by a group who 5 seconds ago, was totally prepared to do the opposite.

Edit; I reckon there's a very good chance it ends up - Hird as coach. Barham stays President, Sheedy stays, Dodoro stays and Mahoney will remain (for the time being).

 

[frodos gardener]

It’s not surprising most of us have got some level of anxiety about it all; the level of trust we as fans have had of the board/admin for a long time has been zero.

It’s going to take some time for the trust to be restored and that process and span of time will be different for everyone.

I’m more on the optimistic side although admittedly a bit nervous about the Hird thing. I like the coaching selection subcommittee except for Andrew Thorburn. He didn’t exactly cover himself in glory through the banking royal commission; was very combative which was the wrong approach. I’m very curious about his connection and on what basis he was recommended to play a role.

 

[The Prosecutor]

Peroni is king.