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

 

[faible]

Drafting players with the genetic disposition to be an elite runner would also help…..

Tom Scully is what happens when you combine a guy who could be an elite runner with someone who can actually football.

Pity he wasted away at Melbourne when they were shit, then after finally getting in to his groove as an elite wingman, destroyed his ankle / foot.

His running capacity was incredible, would perfectly suit the way the game has moved to be played the last few years.

 

[faible]

Even with Robinson’s piece about how Hird had been strung along/mistreated in the coaching selection?

I think Robbo worships at the altar of Hird, but less convinced Hird is driving the agenda. Just happens to be the beloved of Sheeds and Robbo.

 

[boncer34]

Tom Scully is what happens when you combine a guy who could be an elite runner with someone who can actually football.

Pity he wasted away at Melbourne when they were s**t, then after finally getting in to his groove as an elite wingman, destroyed his ankle / foot.

His running capacity was incredible, would perfectly suit the way the game has moved to be played the last few years.

Off topic. Maybe that's why JHF and others leave super early now.

 

[Stopher]

It’s astonishing Robbo is not even aware of the damage he has and is causing the club he supports. He’s a moron who’s not fit to be a chief football writer

I think he's very aware. But 'supporting' the club is well down his list of priorities, with being a 'journalist' at the top, and an Essendon supporter somewhere between a Jack + Coke and leftover pizza.

 

[thebigboy]

It’s astonishing Robbo is not even aware of the damage he has and is causing the club he supports. He’s a moron who’s not fit to be a chief football writer

From the 2 separate occasions I've met Robbo, self-awareness is not a problem. Won't meet someone more full of his own self-importance.

 

[Zach Package]

I think Robbo worships at the altar of Hird, but less convinced Hird is driving the agenda. Just happens to be the beloved of Sheeds and Robbo.

I’m not sure anyone who knows anything about James Hird can think Hird is whiteanting through Robbo, even if he was he’s far too smart to do it through Slobbo anyway so it wouldn’t look like this.

Sheeds and the coteries are driving that train.

 

[MarkJohnson#1]

I'm on the Barham bandwagon now. I wanted his head after his first couple of f* ups but he's getting shit done now so good on him.

Also, can people stop sooking about the review and it's findings? Yes we are all experts and knew we needed improvements in all these areas long before an external review reminded us but gee can we just let the process run its course now..?

 

[silk]

I feel what is being missed here, especially with all the "I told you so" articles, is that external reviews are often seen as having more legitimacy.

I recently reviewed the sales process of the smallish company I was working for. In short, I looked at all aspects of the sales process from lead gen to close and identifies areas they were underperforming and provided recommendations.

The actual change that resulted from this review was extremely minimal, and the biggest reason for this was the company's directors refused to buy in; no surprise they were the ones who created the processes.

Had I been an external consultant, which they have paid for, I'm certain they would have implemented at least some of the recommendations. Of course, had I been external, my review too would have changed, as I wouldn't have had to be as careful about my criticism so as not to offend.

I'm not saying this is always the case with internal reviews nor and I trying to diminish their value.

 

[windyhill]

I’m not sure anyone who knows anything about James Hird can think Hird is whiteanting through Robbo, even if he was he’s far too smart to do it through Slobbo anyway so it wouldn’t look like this.

Sheeds and the coteries are driving that train.

I don’t agree. From white anting Knights, through the supplement disgrace to this latest tilt at the coaching job, hird has clearly fed his boy robinson and let him , along with the string pulling sheedy, go for it. Plain as day.

 

[yodellinhank]

I don’t agree. From white anting Knights, through the supplement disgrace to this latest tilt at the coaching job, hird has clearly fed his boy robinson and let him , along with the string pulling sheedy, go for it. Plain as day.

What white anting did he do on Knights? It's often said, but I can't remember

 

[faible]

I feel what is being missed here, especially with all the "I told you so" articles, is that external reviews are often seen as having more legitimacy.

I recently reviewed the sales process of the smallish company I was working for. In short, I looked at all aspects of the sales process from lead gen to close and identifies areas they were underperforming and provided recommendations.

The actual change that resulted from this review was extremely minimal, and the biggest reason for this was the company's directors refused to buy in; no surprise they were the ones who created the processes.

Had I been an external consultant, which they have paid for, I'm certain they would have implemented at least some of the recommendations. Of course, had I been external, my review too would have changed, as I wouldn't have had to be as careful about my criticism so as not to offend.

I'm not saying this is always the case with internal reviews nor and I trying to diminish their value.

I suspect often external reviews are just saying the same things that people already know internally, but in a format that makes it easy for the executives to pretend it was all their idea.

Most of the external review recommendations are stuff even us BigFooty supporters could see needed to be done a mile off.

 

[Lore]

I suspect often external reviews are just saying the same things that people already know internally, but in a format that makes it easy for the executives to pretend it was all their idea.

Most of the external review recommendations are stuff even us BigFooty supporters could see needed to be done a mile off.

Given that they find out things predominantly by interviewing people inside the organisation it's not surprising that it's all stuff someone already knew.

Was looking back on the sticky timeline and the original scope of the review was four areas:

(1) Board effectiveness & composition - so far we know they want a First Nations Director. They also appointed Andy Welsh. There's two more empty seats still... I wonder what the priorities will be for those gigs. Also not sure what the go is with Sheedy, might be pushed out.
(2) a review of leadership, operations and culture including the footy department - that part has mostly been announced now, with a GM-Performance, Head of Development, more full time assistants, fixing up the VFL with a full time senior coach, and giving Mahoney and Scott control of the whole thing with oversight rather than meddling. Dodoro is the last one that seems to be hanging by a thread with the foreshadowing about unity.
(3) the senior coach appointment - experienced coach, Brad Scott obvs
(4) the new CEO appointment - Thorburn still working on it, looking for someone with a football background

Still feels like there's some more bits to happen.

Pre-season starts November 15 for the 1st-4th years. Presumably the rest of the roles in the footy department want to be filled by then so that everyone knows who they're working with and what they're about before the players start coming back. Particularly as it's the younger players and you're talking about development roles. And strength and conditioning staff as well, if there's any change there.

The draft is November 28, so anything with the list management team probably happens after that, but not straight after it or it would overshadow the new draftees being welcomed to the club.

AGM is December 15 so Peter Allen will officially finish then and probably we then get announcements about new appointed directors once the election of Muir and Welsh is finished (given the cap on the number of appointed directors, we need Welsh to be elected so we can add another appointed director, and can't replace Allen until he's vacated).

 

[windyhill]

What white anting did he do on Knights? It's often said, but I can't remember

Had his boys do it for him. Jobe on the inside, timmy on the outside, ever reliable coteries offering to pay knights out, robinson trumpeting for him.

 

[yodellinhank]

Had his boys do it for him. Jobe on the inside, timmy on the outside, ever reliable coteries offering to pay knights out, robinson trumpeting for him.

What about Sheeds and Dodoro? If you're going full conspiracy theory you've got to throw those two in surely.

Hird had his own media platform at the time didn't he? All I really remember is he denied wanting to coach then next week he was the coach.

 

[ghostdog]

Even with Robinson’s piece about how Hird had been strung along/mistreated in the coaching selection?

Yep. I think Sheedy would love to mould Hird in his own image.

 

[Dave]

Having now read it... by golly that's pushing a barrow isn't it

Yep. Robbo showing what a joke he is.

 

[Dave]

* Robo . Was he supposed to fix 15 years of failure in two seasons.

Yes, yes he was! I want success NOW DAMMIT!!!!!??&#$@%!!!!!!

/s

 

[rumply]

I feel what is being missed here, especially with all the "I told you so" articles, is that external reviews are often seen as having more legitimacy.

I recently reviewed the sales process of the smallish company I was working for. In short, I looked at all aspects of the sales process from lead gen to close and identifies areas they were underperforming and provided recommendations.

The actual change that resulted from this review was extremely minimal, and the biggest reason for this was the company's directors refused to buy in; no surprise they were the ones who created the processes.

Had I been an external consultant, which they have paid for, I'm certain they would have implemented at least some of the recommendations. Of course, had I been external, my review too would have changed, as I wouldn't have had to be as careful about my criticism so as not to offend.

I'm not saying this is always the case with internal reviews nor and I trying to diminish their value.

When people aren't willing to be honest with themselves, there's very little that can be done.

 

[windyhill]

What about Sheeds and Dodoro? If you're going full conspiracy theory you've got to throw those two in surely.

Hird had his own media platform at the time didn't he? All I really remember is he denied wanting to coach then next week he was the coach.

What about Sheeds and Dodoro? If you're going full conspiracy theory you've got to throw those two in surely.

Hird had his own media platform at the time didn't he? All I really remember is he denied wanting to coach then next week he was the coach.

Oh absolutely, those two. That goes without saying.

 

[mike ross]

I called the club yesterday to renew my membership and while I was on the phone I told them that I've been very happy with the club over the last couple of months. The appointment of Scott, the review (findings such as getting focused on footy) and glad we didn't hire RTB lol.

Feel like finally the club is getting it's shit together, I've supported this club since the mid eighties and I'm excited. Yes I know there will be plenty of bumps along the way but I'm in. Thanks Dave

Go Bombers

P.s great post MarkJohnson#1

 

[Maxabillions]

Dodo must be getting desperate planting that kind of blatant propaganda with Robbo.

Yeah the guy who’s been with the club two years is to blame for the lack of unity between coaches and list management. Not the list manager who’s been there 20 years and has had conflicts with every footy manager ever.

 

[Koopa]

It’s astonishing Robbo is not even aware of the damage he has and is causing the club he supports. He’s a moron who’s not fit to be a chief football writer

Robbo being featured so prominently across various platforms is an indictment on the whole footy media landscape. Especially over the past decade and you can say that for so many others in the boys club too. That article was embarassing and cringeworthy.

AFL is so far behind other sports when it comes to professionalism and efficient reporting. You could drag any random, logical and somewhat sober fan from a pub and they'd do a better job than Robbo.

Pleasantly surprised by the response from the club, keep the changes coming. Sheeds and Dodo next please, in due course.

 

[Dave]

Thanks Dave

You're welcome

 

[windyhill]

I called the club yesterday to renew my membership and while I was on the phone I told them that I've been very happy with the club over the last couple of months. The appointment of Scott, the review (findings such as getting focused on footy) and glad we didn't hire RTB lol.

Feel like finally the club is getting it's s**t together, I've supported this club since the mid eighties and I'm excited. Yes I know there will be plenty of bumps along the way but I'm in. Thanks Dave

Go Bombers

P.s great post MarkJohnson#1

I did as well mike! They wanted my credit card details updated. Now I know that none of them probably support Ess and it’s just a job to them but the young lady I spoke to was very pleasant.
” you’re lucky you know who wasn’t brought back , because I was wavering “
She giggled, knew where I was coming from.

 

[Jade]

Yep. Until the bedwetters throw a tantrum again.

Who are these people?