C. Schwab "content" with Dockers' 2005 progress

Impunity!

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I was a guest in the Dockers' 'Admiral Suite' in the Barry Cable Room at Subiaco Oval yesterday for the game versus the Western Bulldogs.

In his traditional pre-lunch speech, Fremantle CEO Cameron Schwab stated that despite all the bagging the Dockers had been getting from the media, he and the Board of Directors were "very content" with the way their season has progressed this year.

Full marks to the Dockers for their game yesterday - after half-time they looked a lot more convincing than I've seen them in a while, although their decision-making and execution was still a little sub-par. However to be content with sitting in 11th place after 15 rounds at 6-9 with a negative percentage seems a little soft, no?

At the risk of giving that old chestnut "culture" an airing, can anyone tell me why it is that Fremantle supporters, who pay their hard-earned cash to support their club, should share their CEO's contented feeling at this juncture?

SoR

*Disclaimer, to make it easy. Yes, I support the West Coast Eagles.
 

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ThePope

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#3
SonOfReep said:
Fremantle CEO Cameron Schwab stated that despite all the bagging the Dockers had been getting from the media, he and the Board of Directors were "very content" with the way their season has progressed this year.
Think of the audience. It's (apart from you), people who might be willing to chuck some cash at the club.

If he got up there and said "we're a disgrace, we've gone backwards this year, we're going to sack the coach, trade away all the players and start again", would you think "what a refreshing attitude, where's my cheque book, I'm going to sponsor this club".

I'm sure that he said other things that explained why he was content (number of new players such as Mundy, Peake, Crowley; record memberships; still have 9 rounds left to finish of the year in a positive way; etc).

It's all known as spin. We hate the media for it, but every club is just as responsible for as much of it. What do you reckon the Carlton president said at his lunch yesterday? Or the Saints one? Or the Hawks? There would only be 1 club CEO/president who's fully content at the moment, and that's yours. Congrats. But I'm sure all 15 other clubs can put some silver lining spin on their position at the moment.
 

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#4
''Hi I rang up about the Dockers..I am an Eagles supporter and what their coach is doing is really .... ''

As noted he is speaking mainly to 100 wallets ... chaching chaching
 

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ThePope said:
Think of the audience. It's (apart from you), people who might be willing to chuck some cash at the club.

If he got up there and said "we're a disgrace, we've gone backwards this year, we're going to sack the coach, trade away all the players and start again", would you think "what a refreshing attitude, where's my cheque book, I'm going to sponsor this club".

I'm sure that he said other things that explained why he was content (number of new players such as Mundy, Peake, Crowley; record memberships; still have 9 rounds left to finish of the year in a positive way; etc).

It's all known as spin. We hate the media for it, but every club is just as responsible for as much of it. What do you reckon the Carlton president said at his lunch yesterday? Or the Saints one? Or the Hawks? There would only be 1 club CEO/president who's fully content at the moment, and that's yours. Congrats. But I'm sure all 15 other clubs can put some silver lining spin on their position at the moment.
Thanks for your comments, and you make some good points.

I just wonder if the same result (i.e. confidence in the management of the club) could also be achieved by making it known that management won't just settle for second best, and that they plan to do anything they can to achieve on-field success.

Good financials are of course a pre-requisite, however on-field success should be something which management is committed to achieving. It just didn't come across that way.

It was a good afternoon in the suite though. They even got Johnny "The Rat" Platten to give a speech, and the wine was pretty good too.
 

MarkT

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#6
Pretty much expected PR spin. If he really thinks that progress is anything other than terrible in the circumstances then he simply isn't the man for the job and should leave another unsuccessful stint and be run out of the AFL.
 

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#7
ThePope said:
What do you reckon the Carlton president said at his lunch yesterday?
I don't know. If he was taking on long term Carlton tradition then perhaps he got drunk, started slurring, bagged the ground's no smoking policy, handed out brown paper bags and declared the club never rebuilds.

Really, you can say you're not happy with this year's progress while still pointing out the positives for the future. If you go with false cheer, its usually pretty obvious.
 
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