Delisted Former CEO Xavier Campbell - Resigned - 24/8

To be fair Knights, Worsfold and Rutten have a combined 8 seasons without a finals win. So that bit doesn't help endear them to coteries...
If that's what it takes to endear yourself to the coteries I have to wonder how Campbell has survived for like 9 seasons without one, and recently signed on to take it out to 11 as well...
 
Can someone shed some light on what Xavier has done to be exempt from so much scrutiny for the last 10 years or what ever it has been in power (not just CEO but a serious power broker on our board)?
I think the saga has papered over as many cracks as it exposed.
 
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I think the saga has papered over as many cracks as it exposed.
I don't care too much about the saga, what has Xavier done to be in the role(s) he has for as long as he has?

The fact the real truth isn't out is enough to hold the club to ransom for his position? If that is it, we really are a stupid club and deserve no success then.
 

CBombers17

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I'll own my part in that. People had commented about Xavier being a problem before then, but it didn't really become apparent to me until more into 2020. I think part of me was more focused on the why, than the if. He obviously still has staunch supporters on the board of directors. Although it's notable that the problems pre-date him, his own appointment as CEO was just as poorly run.


So basically if you don't thrive in a situation that no one would thrive in then it's your fault and you should leave.

I mean I guess that chimes with the earlier comments you've made about board members that should cut and run if something happens that they disagree with, and maybe that's true on a self-interested level if you want to have any integrity and further opportunities in your career.

But as a member of the club who has a vested interest in the club improving, if all the people who are any good take the self-interested route of cut and run, that just leaves us with even more problems. (Spill the board!)


So you're asking if we'd let Worsfold go at the end of 2019, should we have put Rutten in? Or at the end of 2020 when Woosha's contract actually expired?

I mean I think the root of that particular problem goes back another year before that to 2018, when Campbell and the board extended Worsfold's contract for two years in about March, probably a decision that was made with Campbell as acting head of the football department given Rob Kerr left in about November and Richardson started in January or February? And I think the board also basically absent by that point as well so significant amounts of delegated decision making.

Richardson had been there five minutes when Worsfold was extended so I don't think he had much to do with that, and then Neeld was sacked in about April and the coaching department rearranged, Rutten was employed at the end of 2018, by the end of 2019 Caracella came across and the succession plan was in place with Rutten as the next senior coach, Daniher was forced to stay with Richardson and Campbell the only ones willing to speak to the media about how they weren't going to let him leave, and Fantasia was quietly also encouraged to stay as well. To me it seems pretty clear that Richardson saw an opportunity to remake Richmond at Essendon, bringing all of his people in and pushing both Worsfold and Dodoro out of the way. Campbell supported that and/or let it happen apparently uncritically, with a basically absent board of directors.

The handover thing under those circumstances was more or less an arse-covering exercise for Campbell and the board, because they either didn't want to pay Worsfold out or didn't want to admit they'd stuffed up by extending him, or being absent when he was extended, or maybe both. Although given what has just been posted in the Worsfold thread I'm starting to think that Worsfold was actually possibly the right person for the job but wasn't allowed to do the job properly, to some extent or in some circumstances, etc. The succession plan was just a further undermining of Worsfold's tenure from that perspective. It's interesting that in 2017 the board were actually more involved with Worsfold and giving him a bit of undue feedback about how he chose to coach the players. Or maybe they were only more involved on that particular day because the club made a final. 🤷‍♀️

In any case, I'm not sure that it reflects on Rutten's capability as a senior coach so much, I think he was generally well-regarded around the industry, he was suitably qualified with the Level 4 qualification that they have to have these days (which I think our entire coaching panel now has). Plus his attitude seems right, his instincts seem right, and he has the confidence of the players. If we sacked him I'd expect him to get another go somewhere else.

His name was floated for other appointments alongside Brett Ratten, Michael Voss, Justin Longmuir, Jade Rawlings, and Brad Scott (according to an article about St Kilda's coach in 2019 – I remember there being others but that's the evidence I have handy). Longmuir went on to coach at Fremantle and they're now top 3, Voss is at Carlton and they are on a run of form, Ratten picked up St Kilda who are also tracking well, Brad Scott wasn't available at the end of 2019 and ended up at AFLHQ, and Jade Rawlings is seemingly still coaching in the SANFL.

Did we just happen to pick the only dud in the set? Would any of those have fared any better, in this circumstance? When Longmuir landed at Fremantle a few people seemed to wish we had him instead of Rutten, but he's just as much of a rookie coach, so would he have thrived here in these circumstances? Does the club have enough self-awareness to even know what these circumstances are, even if they did run a proper process? Would someone more experienced have been better, needing a little bit less support? That said, refer again to Worsfold's tenure – highly experienced, well regarded, respectable, and then very quickly left without support, chewed up and spat out.

So I don't think Rutten is a bad candidate or even necessarily the wrong one (in the sense that the trend seems to be that there is no right one, and you can make the right decision by accident), but I agree that the process reflects extremely poorly on upper management, that they didn't seem to consider anyone else, that Richardson had that much sway, that the board had so little oversight, that arse covering had more say than making decisions that were good for the club rather than the individual.

I think going back to the big personality idea, I don't know how the coteries were in the 70s when Sheedy was appointed from Richmond, but I think if they can't handle Rutten and they couldn't handle Knights, and they didn't take to Worsfold either, then they're at a stage now where the only thing they will really rally around is a former Essendon player.

I thus come to the inevitable conclusion that the only person who is sufficiently qualified and available with the capacity to bring the coteries and the board into his orbit is James Hird. Which I expect every sane and knowledgable person to have huge reservations about. Literally anyone else is going to struggle with appropriate support unless and until upper management gets its s**t together as a professional football club (emphasis on all three words). And with that said, I'd focus on the latter before worrying about the former, because it really doesn't matter who gets to sit in the big chair until the music is turned off.
Certain factors would suggest to me its unlikely Rutten was the best choice available - accross all the competition - for our senior coach.

I'd ask did we realistically appoint a league wide top candidate for the actual role he was tasked with when he finally took over ?

Probably the biggest concern is the total change in the deliverables of the role between when he was gifted the job and he finally took over a year later. If you could make an argument for him as our flag tilt defensive finisher coach (a finals winning capable side) - doesn't it get difficult to also argue as a rookie he's your build the team from ground up guy too? The second is a huge challenge and you could easily argue requires a lot of people management experience. The requirements of the second job compound when you add in having to endure the pressure that was always coming at a club like Essendon when losing.

To me any suitability for the role had diminished even further by the time he took it over. Say it's possible he was a top 6 candidate for the first version - he may then have been 15 to 20 for the second. Not sure we are headed in the right direction if that's the case.
 
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Certain factors would suggest to me its unlikely Rutten was the best choice available - accross all the competition - for our senior coach.

I'd ask did we realistically appoint a league wide top candidate for the actual role he was tasked with when he finally took over ?

Probably the biggest concern is the total change in the deliverables of the role between when he was gifted the job and he finally took over a year later. If you could make an argument for him as our flag tilt defensive finisher coach (a finals winning capable side) - doesn't it get difficult to also argue as a rookie he's your build the team from ground up guy too? The second is a huge challenge and you could easily argue requires a lot of people management experience. The requirements of the second job compound when you add in having to endure the pressure that was always coming at a club like Essendon when losing.

To me any suitability for the role had diminished even further by the time he took it over. Say it's possible he was a top 6 candidate for the first version - he may then have been 15 to 20 for the second. Not sure we are headed in the right direction if that's the case.
Goes to the self-awareness point - club people not capable of identifying their needs let alone who would fill them now or in 12 months time
 

CBombers17

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Goes to the self-awareness point - club people not capable of identifying their needs let alone who would fill them now or in 12 months time
I think so. And once again this is no slight on Rutten. But IMO it's not hard to see how a Voss, Ratten or Buckley type background/experience would be better positioned for an Essendon rebuild than a rookie coach.
 
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The part that I find offensive is being told by this clown that.... "we've got to make sure he's got the best support". It's a given the coach should have the best support - WE all assume that's what the ducken club does / has been doing for years now.

Telling others what your job is is as hopeless as it gets in leadership. The club is in tatters. It's a clear as day. These idiots are sucking the place dry and telling us what they should be doing while they fail to do it.

As for the quotes I understand the sentiment. Support for someone is all well and good as long as they are going to be able to do the job at some point. Is Rutten up for the job? If he wasn't who would tell us? Campbell? Who at Essendon would actually know?? Probably the assistant coaches would be about it.

The Rutten appointment is clouded with self interest and self protection (like many others at the club). Essendon is an organisational cesspit. I take no pleasure in saying this but nothing good will come from this regime.
… and no one is making any tough decisions!
 
Looks like we’re finally getting a new COO:

It’s interesting to compare the “about us” for that role as compared with this one:

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It is interesting that XC is very highly regarded within AFL house to the point that they tried to head hunt him at one stage.

His runs on the board are clearly off field and putting the club in a solid off field spot after the Saga and delivering the Tullamarine project.

So he is a tick on the corporate side of things but a fail for supporters due to an under performing football side of things and the questionable processes.

The upside is it seems we have a good footy manager now .
 
Apparently he was at the AFLW game tonight despite not being there in an official capacity, which is a nice touch.

He is apparently an Essendon supporter from before he was CEO so could be that, or could just be the pay-off for the last few years campaigning to get a license, or a bit of both. But ye
 
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