News Crows appoint new chairman, John Olsen AO

Is this a good appointment?


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davos44

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I don't know how a one way freeway managed to get SA out of debt, or justifying dodgy deals with Motorola.

Don't deepthroat the boot m8.

Building a 1 way freeway is cheaper than building a 2 way freeway, not spending money is a great way to get out of debt. I think its a fairly simple concept?
 
Building a 1 way freeway is cheaper than building a 2 way freeway, not spending money is a great way to get out of debt. I think its a fairly simple concept?

Using that reductionist argument, building no freeway is better than a 1-way freeway that'd end up needing to be upgraded to a 2-way freeway, because you're not spending money.
 
Oct 14, 2005
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Building a 1 way freeway is cheaper than building a 2 way freeway, not spending money is a great way to get out of debt. I think its a fairly simple concept?
It's a false economy. It costs more in the longer term, when the 2nd half is eventually built. 2x 1-way freeways will always cost more than 1x 2-way freeway.
 
Jun 21, 2004
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Building a 1 way freeway is cheaper than building a 2 way freeway, not spending money is a great way to get out of debt. I think its a fairly simple concept?

It was also a great way to stall the local economy and put us a decade behind the rest of the country.

We sat on our hands in the 90s while states like Victoria, WA and QLD underwent massive infrastructure projects and sadly missed the boat.
 
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I think a lot of people are missing the point about the appointment.

To me it is not about Olsen getting appointed, it is the process that sucks. Chapman thought he had the right to determine his replacement. He did this why? Ego?

Chapman has been a poor Chairman. He has seen a club lose market share to its opponent. He has seen a club fail to capitalise on what was a clear monopoly. As a banker, he should have left the club in an incredibly strong financial position. Instead we are mediocre at best.
He has seen zero premierships. He has overseen the club name be tarnished by scandals. He failed to hold anyone accountable for the Tippett disaster, instead offering up sanctions that we are still feeling. He resisted any move to hold a review at the end of 2019. He then tried to pre-empt the findings of the review. He has overseen a club culture of me first that runs from the board through to the playing group.

There is literally nothing he has done that suggests he has earnt the right to have any say at all in our direction moving forwards. He should have announced he would be stepping down and then let the board find the replacement. But no. He couldn't do it. He had to find a way to ensure that the gravy train kept flowing.

I'm not pissed at Olsen. I'm pissed at Chapman for not having one ounce of moral fortitude or self awareness.

I'm not sure he did. Publicly Chapman was saying it was up to him, but it took a long time and there seemed to have been some angst along the way. Especially when Hazel was quoted. We know Chapman is that much of a knob that he would believe it's his position to to impose his replacement upon the board, but we don't know whether the board have been saying no until Olsen came along. Personally, I think there's a chance that Chapman has been forced out and the board have been involved behind the scenes in approving his replacement. It's their duty to do this as a Chairperson cannot be appointed to the board without a vote of directors in favour of the appointment.

What is seen in public isn't a full window into what is going on behind the scenes. First, Chappy has resigned and there is now a spot for a new appointed director and there is no Chairperson. The AFL appoint Olsen, based on board recommendation, onto the board where he becomes an ordinary appointed director. Then at the next board meeting, originally chaired by vice chair Hazel, the below happens. There is almost no chance that Chappy has just been out there working through his own rolodex and arriving at his choice without acceptance from the rest of the board as a whole.

32. Chairman and Deputy Chairman

(a) The Directors may elect a Director as Chairman for a period determined by the Directors (which period must not be less than 2 years) and may determine from time to time that the title of that person is to be Chairman or President at their discretion.
(b) The Directors may elect a Director as Deputy Chairman for any period they decide.
(c) An appointed Director may hold the office of Chairman or Deputy Chairman.
(d) If Chairman or Deputy Chairman is to be removed within two years of appointment, the Directors may remove that person by approval of not less than 75% of the Board.
 
Jun 7, 2011
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Surely no one believes that is really the case, the Chairman drives the board.

No, the chairman drives the meetings, they are one vote of the board like the rest. I understand that at lower level committees that may be the case as ordinary people are elected and they don't know their rights and responsibilities. And the chairperson or president is normally the one that takes a greater interest and help out in the day to day. But that is amateur hour stuff. At the higher level, these people would all be fully aware and they would not allow Chappy to just select his own replacement without their approval. Of course blocs form and there are stronger personalities that drive certain matters into their direction, like Roo with the footy side of things. My guess is that at best Chappy was humoured by the board in his personal public search for his successor, but I doubt that they were just going to be stuck with Chappy v2. I think Olsen will come in with some ideas, but if the directors weren't aware of their individual power prior, they most certainly would now.
 
Jun 21, 2004
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It's a false economy. It costs more in the longer term, when the 2nd half is eventually built. 2x 1-way freeways will always cost more than 1x 2-way freeway.

Much like the North-South corridor.

We originally had the land acquired but the Tonkin Liberals sold it off in the late 70s/early 80s for a cheap payday.

Now 40 years later we're reacquiring the land at about 100 times the cost.
 
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Much like the North-South corridor.

We originally had the land acquired but the Tonkin Liberals sold it off in the late 70s/early 80s for a cheap payday.

Now 40 years later we're reacquiring the land at about 100 times the cost.
I was just thinking in terms of the building costs. It's even worse when you factor in the decision to sell, then re-purchase, the land required for the 2nd part of the freeway.
 

BronCrow

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I think a lot of people are missing the point about the appointment.

To me it is not about Olsen getting appointed, it is the process that sucks. Chapman thought he had the right to determine his replacement. He did this why? Ego?

Chapman has been a poor Chairman. He has seen a club lose market share to its opponent. He has seen a club fail to capitalise on what was a clear monopoly. As a banker, he should have left the club in an incredibly strong financial position. Instead we are mediocre at best.
He has seen zero premierships. He has overseen the club name be tarnished by scandals. He failed to hold anyone accountable for the Tippett disaster, instead offering up sanctions that we are still feeling. He resisted any move to hold a review at the end of 2019. He then tried to pre-empt the findings of the review. He has overseen a club culture of me first that runs from the board through to the playing group.

There is literally nothing he has done that suggests he has earnt the right to have any say at all in our direction moving forwards. He should have announced he would be stepping down and then let the board find the replacement. But no. He couldn't do it. He had to find a way to ensure that the gravy train kept flowing.

I'm not pissed at Olsen. I'm pissed at Chapman for not having one ounce of moral fortitude or self awareness.

Great post, you have got in one. The process is the issue. Always has been with me.


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BronCrow

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Much like the North-South corridor.

We originally had the land acquired but the Tonkin Liberals sold it off in the late 70s/early 80s for a cheap payday.

Now 40 years later we're reacquiring the land at about 100 times the cost.

I notice that you didn’t mention about the plan being abandoned by the previous Labor government under Dunstan.


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ShadeyP

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It was also a great way to stall the local economy and put us a decade behind the rest of the country.

We sat on our hands in the 90s while states like Victoria, WA and QLD underwent massive infrastructure projects and sadly missed the boat.
That might have been because South Australia was essentially bankrupted by the State Bank catastrophe ... our hands were crushed by more than some lazy fat asses . Let's start with Tim Marcus-Clarke .
 
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That might have been because South Australia was essentially bankrupted by the State Bank catastrophe ... our hands were crushed by more than some lazy fat asses . Let's start with Tim Marcus-Clarke .

I agree about Tim Marcus-Clarke, but let's not forgot that Victoria had a 32 billion dollar debt in the early 90s and that didn't stop Victoria from undergoing a massive infrastructure investment during the mid to late 90s.

Brown and Olsen were too busy fighting each other behind the scenes while the state just sat there in neutral.

The one way freeway has always been a symbolic reminder of Adelaide during the Brown/Olsen decade.
 
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I notice that you didn’t mention about the plan being abandoned by the previous Labor government under Dunstan.


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There is a distinct difference between shelving a project with a view to revisiting it in the future in comparison to selling off the assets in a short sighted cash grab knowing that future generations will have to pay significantly more when the time comes to finally make it a reality.

Labor/Liberal aside, it was a short sighted decision that 40 years down the track has now lumbered the state with a massive bill.
 

6BTS

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I've been waiting years for Chapman to p*ss off and this is what we get as the replacement???

Just what we need, someone who's an expert at spin, denial and deception... Looks like nothing has changed, I'll be very happy to be proven wrong, but a club with a history of lying, deception and denial appointing an ex politician as Chairman doesn't give the appearance they're trying to change anything, in fact it appears they're doubling down on the way they do things in some kind of sick joke at the fan's expense.

The club should fear the wrath of their paying fan base, this proves that the "customers" are an afterthought who'll blindly throw money at the club and will support the club no matter what they do.
 

Scrogdogg

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I’d say a two way freeway would’ve been more expensive? :p

Much more. From first hand experience I know that the one way option had been lurking for years and years in the Transport Dept. That is where the push would have come from to an impoverished Government. Anyway, let’s go Olsen. Strike the required balance between football success and all those people comprising the AFC.
 
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I agree about Tim Marcus-Clarke, but let's not forgot that Victoria had a 32 billion dollar debt in the early 90s and that didn't stop Victoria from undergoing a massive infrastructure investment during the mid to late 90s.

Brown and Olsen were too busy fighting each other behind the scenes while the state just sat there in neutral.

The one way freeway has always been a symbolic reminder of Adelaide during the Brown/Olsen decade.
We like to blame politicians and to a point they do drive it.

But I lay the blame at the feet of the populace. We have been anti-change for 30 years.

We voted Weathrill in for how many years who was pro small Adelaide and pro-SA ends at Gepps Cross.

Look at pretty much any progressive idea and the protests have been sustained and loud.

We are to blame for our own demise, no progressive forward thinking politican would last a term in SA
 

Scrogdogg

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Much like the North-South corridor.

We originally had the land acquired but the Tonkin Liberals sold it off in the late 70s/early 80s for a cheap payday.

Now 40 years later we're reacquiring the land at about 100 times the cost.

The NS Corridor was a remnant of the MATS (liberal) plan. The Highways dept had acquired almost 75% of the land required and were the largest property owner/rental operator in the metro area. Duns tan, aided and abetted by his Director of Transport Mr ‘there must be a betterway’ Derek Scrafton, killed it off and began selling. The tax payer lost big time all due to political game playing and pique.
 

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It was also a great way to stall the local economy and put us a decade behind the rest of the country.

We sat on our hands in the 90s while states like Victoria, WA and QLD underwent massive infrastructure projects and sadly missed the boat.
Not entirely true, WA and Qld when on massive infrastructure projects on the back of guaranteed money from the mining industry, Victoria spent the money due to expansion,
SA problem was it was in serious financial trouble due to the State bank collapse in 91,
 
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The NS Corridor was a remnant of the MATS (liberal) plan. The Highways dept had acquired almost 75% of the land required and were the largest property owner/rental operator in the metro area. Duns tan, aided and abetted by his Director of Transport Mr ‘there must be a betterway’ Derek Scrafton, killed it off and began selling. The tax payer lost big time all due to political game playing and pique.
A great shame the MATS plan was scrapped.

NS corridor is a legacy, also allowed for the OBahn. SE Freeway also part of it

Would have been a lot better if it was done earlier and completed.

Not to mention retaining the light rail system.

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BronCrow

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There is a distinct difference between shelving a project with a view to revisiting it in the future in comparison to selling off the assets in a short sighted cash grab knowing that future generations will have to pay significantly more when the time comes to finally make it a reality.

Labor/Liberal aside, it was a short sighted decision that 40 years down the track has now lumbered the state with a massive bill.

Just added it in for balance. Agree with everything else you said.


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