Club Mgmt. Board of Directors as led by President Dave Barham

[Lore]

Tom Morris, 9 News via Fox Sports:

“A major board challenge is imminent at Essendon. In the wake of an off-season of turmoil, key powerbrokers - including at least one former player - are preparing a movement which would oust David Barham as president, and other directors too,” he said on Nine News.

“I’ve spoken to one of the key powerbrokers tonight, who says this is not coterie-driven, and it’s just a manner of when and not if the challenge takes place.

“There’s a view the club has been left rudderless and the Barham era has left a legacy of division, instability, player drainage and lost opportunity from this group of people.”

‘Rudderless’ Bombers facing more off-field chaos as club boss set to be challenged

‘Rudderless’ Bombers facing more off-field chaos as club boss set to be challenged

www.foxsports.com.au

 

[faible]

I agree, we must continue turning over the management positions until the stability improves.

Strong 'beatings will continue until morale improves' vibes at EFC.

 

[BrunoV]

So, what would you like done?

At Schnitzengruben made a very good point, a few pages pack, acknowledging what is starting us back in the face.

There is clearly a problem at the club. It is more than an issue with fitness staff. Sean Murphy's can't be the only head to roll.

My belief is that the current problem starts with the false promise of the new board under Barham who I do not think is fit to be a member of the board let alone chairman or president or whatever his title is. Has he ever said anything publicly about how we got from sacking Rutten to pursue Clarkson because the list was underperforming to the first public suggestion of a rebuild on the eve of the 2025 season, 3 completed pre-seasons into the tenure of the new coach? He was almost certainly involved in Sheedy's ruse to put Hird in charge which was much closer to being successful than is publicly acknowledged.

I am also concerned about the way in which this Merrett situation has been handled, with no understanding of the 90% share of the responsibility that is the club's.

So Barham needs to go as does any one of these dickheads, and it is almost certainyl all of them, who signed off on the comms strategy in relation to Merrett needs to go.

Reading between the lines we want stability now because there is a perception that this board offers some sort of protection from the boy's club or the old way. That seems to me like trying to suggest that establishment politicians are more than being two cheeks on the same arse (to borrow a line from George Galloway).

I don't beleive Scott will end up as more than the rebuild coach - he made sure of that but not starting with the rebuild. But I also see no immediate need to move him on because someone is going to have to coach the next few seasons as young players to mature so we might as well use him as the fodder (because that's all he is good for). Leave the rest in place.

 

[Nifft]

He can preach whatever he wants. The reality is that he sat on his hands for 2 seasons and the people who matter know it.

You don't have to beleive me. You can just look at our top 3 most important players (i.e. Merrett, Ridley and Draper) all leaving or trying to get out.

I am not saying that there is no such example but is there a version of this rebuilding that has worked when the team has plummeted to its lowest ebb in year 3 of the coach's tenure? I often hear that progress is not linear. That is true in terms of results it is almost impossible for improvement in results to be linear. But progress and squad development that is almost always linear and certain trends positively over time.

You should go and get all of Scott's quotes from his time at North. They prided themselves on taking every first round pick in his time there. But then Durdin and McKay had played something like 20 games in a combined total of 10 years on the list and they hit rock bottom as hard as though had been trading all of those picks out for senior players. Interestingly it was about 2 wasted yeards before Scott went to the board to say that the players weren't good enough (well into 2019) which is when he was given his marching orders. This is what Brad Scott does, he says good things...

I just don't get it. Why aren't you upset at the people who were in charge for the 20 years before the current regime were in control? Why aren't you angry at those people like Dodo etc who utterly and totally screwed the club to the point where we become an absolute basket case, and the only way to fix things was to burn it all down and start over.

How can you place all of the failures at the club on the guys who have been there the last 3 years? Do you attribute any of the clubs problems to the people who were in control before the current guys took over? And if so, why would you want any of them back at the club?

 

[boncer34]

The sheer arrogance to think you can do better combined with the utter stupidity to not realize the club is in the middle of a ****ing rebuild and just had one of the greatest runs of injuries in the history of the comp. this is what it looks like, your players are shit, we are in the process of getting new ones. Suck it up and deal with it.

What are you gonna do? What's your ****ing plan?
Probably out of the old Ted playbook of try harder and kick it forward.
You incompetent dinosaurs.

I would do less damage than these ****ing coteries and power brokers if I walked into the club and burnt it to the ground, salted the earth and sold off any and all assets it has.

Go **** yourselves. I wish you all the ill in the world and I hope you have no success.

I mean, you have my vote.

 

[boncer34]

I just don't get it. Why aren't you upset at the people who were in charge for the 20 years before the current regime were in control? Why aren't you angry at those people like Dodo etc who utterly and totally screwed the club to the point where we become an absolute basket case, and the only way to fix things was to burn it all down and start over.

How can you place all of the failures at the club on the guys who have been there the last 3 years? Do you attribute any of the clubs problems to the people who were in control before the current guys took over? And if so, why would you want any of them back at the club?

I'd suggest that BrunoV is capable of being critical of both the old guard and the new.

They arent mutually exclusive concepts.

 

[BrunoV]

I just don't get it. Why aren't you upset at the people who were in charge for the 20 years before the current regime were in control? Why aren't you angry at those people like Dodo etc who utterly and totally screwed the club to the point where we become an absolute basket case, and the only way to fix things was to burn it all down and start over.

How can you place all of the failures at the club on the guys who have been there the last 3 years? Do you attribute any of the clubs problems to the people who were in control before the current guys took over? And if so, why would you want any of them back at the club?

I am not discussing what is not directly relevant to the immedaite issue. What happened 15 years ago is not relevant to what is happening now.

But it's weird that you keep asking me about this. I reckon you asked me about Hird recently. If you read my posts enough to know that I would have taken Hird back how have you missed my views on Dodoro? I have been saying for years now probably 2018/2019, that the guy had virtually no idea what he was doing and couldn't see the game beyond a very superficial level (which is most clearly demonstrated by the state in which he left our midfield). He also missed every trend in football.

 

[boncer34]

I am not discussing what is not directly relevant to the immedaite issue. What happened 15 years ago is not relevant to what is happening now.

But it's weird that you keep asking me about this. I reckon you asked me about Hird recently. If you read my posts enough to know that I would have taken Hird back how have you missed my views on Dodoro? I have been saying for years now pre-2020, that the guy had virtually no idea what he was doing and couldn't see the game beyond a very superficial level (which is most clearly demonstrated by the state in which he left our midfield). He also missed every trend in football.

Our Dodoro view is what made us such firm friends Bruno.

 

[Nifft]

I am not discussing what is not directly relevant to the immedaite issue. What happened 15 years ago is not relevant to what is happening now.

But it's weird that you keep asking me about this. I reckon you asked me about Hird recently. If you read my posts enough to know that I would have taken Hird back how have you missed my views on Dodoro? I have been saying for years now probably 2018/2019, that the guy had virtually no idea what he was doing and couldn't see the game beyond a very superficial level (which is most clearly demonstrated by the state in which he left our midfield). He also missed every trend in football.

Fair enough. To me it seems like you're apportioning too much of the blame to the current regime. I'd say what came prior to the last 3 years definitely has a bearing on our current situation, and as they say, Rome wasn't built in a day. It was always going to take a lot of time to drag us out of the mire we were in, I don't think anyone could've had us running at 100% and playing finals within a couple of years.

 

[Nifft]

I'd suggest that BrunoV is capable of being critical of both the old guard and the new.

They arent mutually exclusive concepts.

Perhaps you're right, it just seems that most of the blame has been laid at the feet of the new rather than the old. Whereas I feel it's the other way around.

I don't for a second think the new guys have been perfect, but it must be pretty hard to unravel 20 years of bad decisions, expecially while you still have some of the old guard working within the place.

 

[srobbo]

You’re absolutely clueless, if you think that’s a good thing. Bet you go to bed dreaming that hird is going to come back and coach a flag.

ok pal, let’s just keep him in there to prove a point of stability even though we’ve gone backwards since he took the reigns.

What if this is to put Paul Little back in the role??

Then absolutely not, but I’m happy Tor entertain an alternative to Barham.

 

[dank420_]

If you can't find a Bruno post where he's upset at something, you aren't trying hard enough.

 

[MiguelM]

Ah well, the B&F should be fun!

 

[faible]

ok pal, let’s just keep him in there to prove a point of stability even though we’ve gone backwards since he took the reigns.

I think saying we've gone backwards is very reductive.

We had a list capable of mediocrity when Scott came in (I actually thought Rutten was selling the right message but he didn't politick well enough to keep the Essendon establishment at bay). We've since replaced a CEO who prioritised marketing with Vozzo who's actually focused on a football club playing football, a long-term list manager was (finally) extricated despite seemingly having tendrils in every nook and cranny including the playing group, and we've had a year absolutely decimated by injury which means we've got a golden opportunity for a draft hand we probably wouldn't have otherwise had - but needed.

No coach in the league is getting more out of the injury ravaged list we had this year. We've also replaced multiple people in our S&C department with guys that are as qualified as anyone going around in the AFL.

Now, maybe none of the above will lead to a Premiership. But we know that what we've done for the last 20 years absolutely doesn't lead to one, so we should probably give it more than a couple of years before going back down that path.

Barham is far from perfect, but I have zero faith whatsoever that people agitating for a board spill won't go back to the Hird / Dodoro / Sheedy well and set this club back another decade. We've finally ended up with genuinely good (and non-Essendon) people in key roles.

 

[GandalfTheDon]

The clown show just keeps rolling the **** on...what I'd give to understand fully which part of the club remains the core of the problem and the reason why we're destined to stay laughably shit for the forseeable future

 

[Squeaky]

Strong 'beatings will continue until morale improves' vibes at EFC.

Fatal beatings?

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Barham had made some real mistakes, the whole Rutten / Clarkson / Scott thing was embarrassing.

But getting rid of Sheedy and Dodoro is a crowning achievement that outweighs them all by a long, long way.

All hail our saviour King David.

 

[Nifft]

Barham had made some real mistakes, the whole Rutten / Clarkson / Scott thing was embarrassing.

But getting rid of Sheedy and Dodoro is a crowning achievement that outweighs them all by a long, long way.

All hail our saviour King David.

And the CEO thing wasn't done very well at first either. Not sure if that was the fault of the recruiting firm or Barham though.

As you say, getting rid of Dodo and Sheeds outweighs all the other things though.

 

[ant555]

At Schnitzengruben made a very good point, a few pages pack, acknowledging what is starting us back in the face.

There is clearly a problem at the club. It is more than an issue with fitness staff. Sean Murphy's can't be the only head to roll.

My belief is that the current problem starts with the false promise of the new board under Barham who I do not think is fit to be a member of the board let alone chairman or president or whatever his title is. Has he ever said anything publicly about how we got from sacking Rutten to pursue Clarkson because the list was underperforming to the first public suggestion of a rebuild on the eve of the 2025 season, 3 completed pre-seasons into the tenure of the new coach? He was almost certainly involved in Sheedy's ruse to put Hird in charge which was much closer to being successful than is publicly acknowledged.

I am also concerned about the way in which this Merrett situation has been handled, with no understanding of the 90% share of the responsibility that is the club's.

So Barham needs to go as does any one of these dickheads, and it is almost certainyl all of them, who signed off on the comms strategy in relation to Merrett needs to go.

Reading between the lines we want stability now because there is a perception that this board offers some sort of protection from the boy's club or the old way. That seems to me like trying to suggest that establishment politicians are more than being two cheeks on the same arse (to borrow a line from George Galloway).

I don't beleive Scott will end up as more than the rebuild coach - he made sure of that but not starting with the rebuild. But I also see no immediate need to move him on because someone is going to have to coach the next few seasons as young players to mature so we might as well use him as the fodder (because that's all he is good for). Leave the rest in place.

Problem we have is anyone coming n to challenge Barham is more than likely going to be an “Essendon “ person who still thinks the list has underachieved and we are better than we are.

Barham has had some shocking moments and yes we spent two years working out that the rebuild was not building a 11 win side to the next step but actually building a new side. At least they now know exactly where they are at and the build was adjusted.
Vozzo and Rosa need to do their thing now and to do that the current board needs to hold until at least the end of next season.

 

[Squeaky]

Now, maybe none of the above will lead to a Premiership. But we know that what we've done for the last 20 years absolutely doesn't lead to one, so we should probably give it more than a couple of years before going back down that path.

Barham is far from perfect, but I have zero faith whatsoever that people agitating for a board spill won't go back to the Hird / Dodoro / Sheedy well and set this club back another decade. We've finally ended up with genuinely good (and non-Essendon) people in key roles.

I would hope we never go back down that path.
As faible correctly states - this firm has a track record of not working.

Put the right people in place & let them cook.

This year was an absolute bust - but that was taken out of anyone's hands via a terrible injury cursed season.
We need to use it - not use it as an excuse to go backwards.

 

[TheGreatBarryB]

We’ve got rid of Dodoro..years overdue. And our recruitment last year or two has been good. A selfish captain should not derail the right track we’re on.

If members vote in new regime then they are completely f***** clueless and should never complain about next decade of irrelevance.

 

[Squeaky]

Ah well, the B&F should be fun!

There could be an 'all inner'!! - where can I get tickets?

 

[joey_jo_jo]

At Schnitzengruben made a very good point, a few pages pack, acknowledging what is starting us back in the face.

There is clearly a problem at the club. It is more than an issue with fitness staff. Sean Murphy's can't be the only head to roll.

My belief is that the current problem starts with the false promise of the new board under Barham who I do not think is fit to be a member of the board let alone chairman or president or whatever his title is. Has he ever said anything publicly about how we got from sacking Rutten to pursue Clarkson because the list was underperforming to the first public suggestion of a rebuild on the eve of the 2025 season, 3 completed pre-seasons into the tenure of the new coach? He was almost certainly involved in Sheedy's ruse to put Hird in charge which was much closer to being successful than is publicly acknowledged.

I am also concerned about the way in which this Merrett situation has been handled, with no understanding of the 90% share of the responsibility that is the club's.

So Barham needs to go as does any one of these dickheads, and it is almost certainyl all of them, who signed off on the comms strategy in relation to Merrett needs to go.

Reading between the lines we want stability now because there is a perception that this board offers some sort of protection from the boy's club or the old way. That seems to me like trying to suggest that establishment politicians are more than being two cheeks on the same arse (to borrow a line from George Galloway).

I don't beleive Scott will end up as more than the rebuild coach - he made sure of that but not starting with the rebuild. But I also see no immediate need to move him on because someone is going to have to coach the next few seasons as young players to mature so we might as well use him as the fodder (because that's all he is good for). Leave the rest in place.

in theory your issues about Barham are valid but do you really think the agitators looking to oust him arent Little/Hird/Sheeds/Dodoro aligned? Barham is the lesser of two evils in that regard, he may have made a number of idiotic moves to begin with but at least we have finally gotten to a point now that has given us clean air from the sheedy era and are actually approaching modern list management with some level of competence.

 

[Lore]

The other issue, even if this doesn’t get up, even if Merrett doesn’t leave, is that these shenanigans will absolutely drive away any players who might potentially have come to the club, say in the 24-27yo range.

I don’t think it’s wise to take all of these potential picks to the draft, but if we can’t bring in suitable players then we’re going to have to do something with them, trade up the draft or for future picks (and necessarily taking a punt on where someone else might finish).

 

[ant555]

ok pal, let’s just keep him in there to prove a point of stability even though we’ve gone backwards since he took the reigns.



Then absolutely not, but I’m happy Tor entertain an alternative to Barham.

We have gone backwards because the side was not good enough to go forward and the likes of Cox and Perkins and Hobbs who were supposed to be the future are not.

They have strengthened the recruiting department. Moved on Dodoro. Put in place a new fitness team.
Now they just have to continue the build.
The previous two years showed we were short of being a genuine finals side.
If you don’t see that then you have missed the actual problem.

 

[Kyptastic]

The other issue, even if this doesn’t get up, even if Merrett doesn’t leave, is that these shenanigans will absolutely drive away any players who might potentially have come to the club, say in the 24-27yo range.

On the other hand, the Richmond ‘Focus on Football’ shenanigans didn’t stop the Tigers getting in Prestia, Caddy and Nankervis, so not sure how impactful it will be on player acquisition