Gee, things just keep getting better at St.Kilda!

[Smokin]

Monday, July 23, 2001

IN a joint statement today, St Kilda football club and assistant coaches Peter Jonas and Ken Hinkley announced that the club has accepted their resignations, effective immediately.

At a meeting earlier today with CEO Jim Watts, Jonas and Hinkley explained that their close relationship with former coach Malcolm Blight made their future with St Kilda unworkable.

Speaking from Moorabbin today football manager Brian Waldron said he respected the decisions and wished Jonas and Hinkley well for the future.

 

[DarkRider]

The same, sorry old story at St Kilda. All the wrong people resign or are sacked, and the problems remain.
Butterss would have to go down in their sorry history as the biggest goose of all time, and Thomas as the biggest snake-in-the-grass.

 

[GOALden Hawk]

So now what, Grant Thomas to coach with Robert Harvey and Nathan Burke as his assistants??? This whole thing is getting more and more bizarre by the minute. There is no no one on the Saints coaching staff with any AFL experience at all.

What next? Grant Thomas to be given a 10 year deal? Robert Harvey to captain-coach? All players to have mandatory designer beards?

 

[CJH]

Maybe Rod Butterss will have to roll the sleeves up....

He can be the defensive coach! He'd be pretty good at it, as he's done nothing but defend since last Thursday!

 

[gPhonque]

The thing i don't understand with this whole mess is:

What is the "culture" the board are talking about?

Losing games?

Sacking coaches? (the year after they get to a GF)

Winning 1 (ONE) Premiership in over 100 years?

What is this elusive "culture" they speak of?

They say Blight didn't "embrace the culture of the club". I thought they'd paid him to CHANGE that?

Did they expect him to walk in and instantly "love" the club as though he was a lifelong supporter? Because that is what they are saying.

Come on, the guy was there to do a job, not kiss peoples arses, which seems to be the one "requirement" Blight didn't posess. (according to the board.)

I still want to know when the entire board is going to resign since they just cost a cash starved club one million dollars by making 2 very bad and important decisions.

Not to mention Blight's reputation.

 

[Shinboners]

It seems that Grant Thomas is very keen to cement his spot as the Saints long term coach.

Usually, when a new coach takes over a club, they bring in their own assistants. But if Thomas gives Harvey and Burke roles as assistants, and gives them plenty of responsibility, then it could almost make it impossible for the board to sack Thomas as coach. Firstly, if Harvey and Burke become loyal to Thomas, then that could be enough to entrench him. If the board feels that another candidate is better, then they will have a problem if Harvey and Burke come out in support of Thomas. The last thing is that Thomas could call a bluff, "If I go, then so will Harvey and Burke".

Looks like Fremantle will have their choice of available coaches to themselves.

 

[Joffaboy]

What did you all expect to happen.
Jonas and Hinkely had no one to play golf with since Blight was sacked. They were asked to do what they were paid to do ie help develop a football team, so they resigned.
Good riddance to these pathetic bludgers. And good riddance to chief bludger Malcolm Blight.
$333,333 a win Mal hope that sits comfortably with you.

How did the Saints waste $1 million? They had only two assistant coaches where other clubs have up to 6. They had the 5 lowest costs for a coaching staff in 2000 and will be in the bottom half for 2001. The membership rose 24% which meant an increase of $350,000 in revenue.
In purely marketing terms the Blight adventure was cash flow positive. I know you lot wont be able to understand that as your mentality is one of sticking the knife in and nothing constructive or objective.

The "culture" they are talking about is one where weakness will no longer be tolerated. In years gone past the board wouldn't have had the bottle to make the hard decisions. Just look at how players like Winmar and Lockett got away with chronic misbehaviour.
In previous administrations Blight would have been allowed to keep burning young players and bludging and playing golf to his hearts content. Not any more!
This admin has got guts and character. They realised that ignorant ametuers like you lot would make the usual ill informed comments, but still made the decisions.
You lot especially you Smoker dont get it. If the hacks like Sheehan, Connelly and Nicholson can get it (Smith is the usual gutter moronic self opinionated liar) surely you lot might be able to use your feeble minds to understand something was seriously wrong with Blight.

And to you Smoker, so Riewoldts daddy is upset - STIFF!! his little darling is signed up, along with a whole bunch of young prospects, and whats more the Saints will pick up two more of the countries best talent this draft. So get stuffed ****head and go and watch the bum sniffer drongos or whatever ****ter game they play in Queensland.
BTW- I see Fitzroy are going well in Brisbane, go you Roys!!

 

[Joffaboy]

Originally posted by Shinboners
It seems that Grant Thomas is very keen to cement his spot as the Saints long term coach.

Usually, when a new coach takes over a club, they bring in their own assistants. But if Thomas gives Harvey and Burke roles as assistants, and gives them plenty of responsibility, then it could almost make it impossible for the board to sack Thomas as coach. Firstly, if Harvey and Burke become loyal to Thomas, then that could be enough to entrench him. If the board feels that another candidate is better, then they will have a problem if Harvey and Burke come out in support of Thomas. The last thing is that Thomas could call a bluff, "If I go, then so will Harvey and Burke".

Looks like Fremantle will have their choice of available coaches to themselves.

That would be a neat trick Shinboner considering they are both under contract for the next two years, but hey, dont let the facts get in the way of a good story mate. Der!

 

[Hit The Boundary Saints]

I see Joffaboy got the same email that I got from the club.

 

[Joffaboy]

No email HTBS, info posted by the CEO on the website.
Does it really matter where the information came from? Unless the laws have changed, the St.Kilda books will be examined by auditors and the AFL and if Jim Watts is lying he will be well and truly found out.
All I was attempting to do was to put so knowledge and information into the cesspool of ignorance and ill formed opinion and heresay masquerauding as fact.
But as I stated, these people probably aren't interested in fact. Like some in the media ie P.Smith, they want to peddle mistruths and downright lies as fact. This is unacceptable. If Watts is lying, he will be found out and members such as you and I will have the option to do something about it.

 

[Shinboners]

Originally posted by Joffaboy


That would be a neat trick Shinboner considering they are both under contract for the next two years, but hey, dont let the facts get in the way of a good story mate. Der!

I don't claim to know about the contractual situation in regards to Harvey and Burke, BUT, the point remains that by having these two players as assistants, it puts Thomas into a powerful position when it comes to the coaching position.

On the one hand, the board seems to want him only as an interim coach, but Thomas wants the job long term. By having two of St.Kilda's legends as his assistants, it puts him into a powerful position when it comes to internal club politics.

I am not judging whether St.Kilda, Thomas, and Harvey/Burke are doing the right thing or not. I'm just making an interpretation of the effects of the sacking of Hinkley/Jonas and the use of Harvey and Burke. After all, if Thomas wins a few games and the players and admin are happy with that, then he'll probably coach next year. What could be interesting is what happens should the Saints continue to lose.

 

[Smokin]

Originally posted by Joffaboy
What did you all expect to happen.
Jonas and Hinkely had no one to play golf with since Blight was sacked. They were asked to do what they were paid to do ie help develop a football team, so they resigned.
Good riddance to these pathetic bludgers. And good riddance to chief bludger Malcolm Blight.
$333,333 a win Mal hope that sits comfortably with you.

How did the Saints waste $1 million? They had only two assistant coaches where other clubs have up to 6. They had the 5 lowest costs for a coaching staff in 2000 and will be in the bottom half for 2001. The membership rose 24% which meant an increase of $350,000 in revenue.
In purely marketing terms the Blight adventure was cash flow positive. I know you lot wont be able to understand that as your mentality is one of sticking the knife in and nothing constructive or objective.

The "culture" they are talking about is one where weakness will no longer be tolerated. In years gone past the board wouldn't have had the bottle to make the hard decisions. Just look at how players like Winmar and Lockett got away with chronic misbehaviour.
In previous administrations Blight would have been allowed to keep burning young players and bludging and playing golf to his hearts content. Not any more!
This admin has got guts and character. They realised that ignorant ametuers like you lot would make the usual ill informed comments, but still made the decisions.
You lot especially you Smoker dont get it. If the hacks like Sheehan, Connelly and Nicholson can get it (Smith is the usual gutter moronic self opinionated liar) surely you lot might be able to use your feeble minds to understand something was seriously wrong with Blight.

And to you Smoker, so Riewoldts daddy is upset - STIFF!! his little darling is signed up, along with a whole bunch of young prospects, and whats more the Saints will pick up two more of the countries best talent this draft. So get stuffed ****head and go and watch the bum sniffer drongos or whatever ****ter game they play in Queensland.
BTW- I see Fitzroy are going well in Brisbane, go you Roys!!

Are they your thoughts because I may be mistaken, but they sound familiar - like Ive read em before somewhere else!

Um, Connelly was on Footy Feedback tonight was exactly right behind the saints!

The board has guts and character?

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

They blatenly lied to you - the saints fan! They couldnt even keep a story straight for 2 days! haha what a pathetic excuse for a board! You're being run into the ground and you dont even realise it!

Plympton cleared all of St.Kildas debt, got a postive cash flow going now look where the Saints are situated! Back in the $hit again!

Gee, the club is going to be coached by a bloke and assistants with NO afl coaching experience AT ALL! This is good?

Fellas - dont buy the crap your board is trying to tell you - open your eyes and see the bigger picture.

Isnt it funny how it's ONLY saints fans who are trying to defend their club!

I wouldnt bag QLD too much mate - Southport registered the "Southport Saints" name today! You might be calling this place 'home' in the not too distant future!

 

[Joffaboy]

Gee mate, really got your finger on the pulse, and you can read posts as well. Gee you are clever!
As a member of the club, I and the other members will make decisions on the board not the likes of someone who lives thousands of kilometres away.

Stick to the bum sniffers mate, and the relocated Fitroy team.
If the Saints go to Southport, they will just be a pretend no tradition TV product with no heart or soul, just like the Brisbane side.
Got any other good recruits likr Riewoldt

 

[Diatribe]

Originally posted by Joffaboy
Stick to the bum sniffers mate, and the relocated Fitroy team.
If the Saints go to Southport, they will just be a pretend no tradition TV product with no heart or soul, just like the Brisbane side.
Got any other good recruits likr Riewoldt

Isn't smokin a Dons fan?

 

[Smokin]

Im a Victorian idiot - I follow Essendon, and Im up here for a while due to private circumstances. Back by finals at the latest tho!

Keep yappin about Brisbane - soon to be your sister side! lol Yep, Fitzroy didnt merge, they got tookover! Same will happen to the next team that 'merges' interstate!

whose comments are u gonna steal this time? When are you gonna grow up and think for yourself?

Also, another saints fan on another thread was going on and on about how Blight WASNT the reason for increased memberships etc. Now you saying the opposite and that he wasnt a bad investment!

Then again - if the board cant be honest and CONSISTANT- why should the supporters?

You want another Riewoldt? Well, just try and hang on to him! From what he said, I wouldnt be suprised if he gets the hell outa there as soon as his contract is up!

Maybe you guys can go spend a fortune on another ordinary player of the Hamill ilk! hahaha what an overrated, underachieving dollar chasing excuse for a "star"!

Hey - Michael Symons is only after $400,000 a season to come out of retirement from the west. Wouldnt he be a pickup!!!!!

 

[Smokin]

Originally posted by Diatribe


Isn't smokin a Dons fan?

Yea - I dunno where he got this Brisbane thing from - maybe somebody else thought so, so he just COPIED the thoughts!

I reckon the saints CEO could post "the sky's green" on their website, and this kid would believe it!

 

[Hit The Boundary Saints]

Smokin's got a St Kilda obsession, this is about the 10th time he's written on this topic, and each is as cliched and ignorant as the last.
Does it make you feel like a hero, beating up on poor little St Kilda?

 

[Diatribe]

St Kilda got themselves in this Poor old position.

 

[Roylion]

Originally posted by Smokin


Yep, Fitzroy didnt merge, they got tookover!

Absolute rubbish. Where's your evidence?

 

[karnaby]

Yes diatribe the club did get themselves in this position. Also they were somewhat economical with the truth last week & that may well reflect some inexperience at board level. However for all that, we as supporters don't get much say in how the club operates (I certainly don't want any more than I can have here) but we do go on barracking for our team warts, lack of success & all.

I can't see what the concern with Thomas is, fred nurk wasn't available so we went with the next best thing as an interim measure, so what. I'm pretty damn confident that he wont be there next year but if by chance he is there on MERIT I'll wear that.

As for smoking's obsession, frankly I reckon it's time you did something about it. How many posts slagging off at the Saints have there been ****head? Got nothing better to do with your time? Go and shove your head firmly up your clacker cobber.
Yeh we're not travelling that well at the moment, but I have every intention of sticking by my side for-bloody-ever & to have a phukhead like you digging the boots in is something I don't need. P!ss off & get a life

 

[Roylion]

Originally posted by Joffaboy

Stick to the bum sniffers mate, and the relocated Fitroy team.
If the Saints go to Southport, they will just be a pretend no tradition TV product with no heart or soul, just like the Brisbane side.

More rubbish.

On one hand, you say we're a relocated Fitzroy team and then in the next breath we're "a pretend no tradition TV product with no heart or soul".

So which is it?

I would suggest to you that if we are a re-located Fitzroy team then we have as much, if not more, tradition than St Kilda.

For a supposed "pretend no tradition TV product with no heart or soul", I don't get to see my team on TV much at all. If somehow "having 'no heart and soul' (whatever that means) is meant to imply that Brisbane is somehow inferior to St Kilda, I would disagree. Brisbane, thanks to its Fitzroy heritage, matches St Kilda in all respects.

 

[Smokin]

Well, this thread I just posted FACT - I simply copied and pasted an article which came thru at AFL.com.

Then a saints fan had a go at me, blabbering on about topics which I had previously read anyway at st.kilda's page.

Look - the St.Kilda saga is currently the hottest and most talked about issue in the game! Everyone is talking about it - so if you want to go and have a go at me for making comments on what will probably be one of the biggest issues this year - fine! You can try and sweep in under the carpet, others wont!

Again, it's only saints fans who are forthcoming with arguments in favour of the inept board. Someone needs to stand up against this sorta crap - finally someone is apparenlty, read the article on the afl website.

Whats interesting is that you couple saints fans here are bringing up conflicting arguments yourselves - ie. did Blight increase membership yes or no? which one is it? You guys cant even produce a straight argument - more than likely because the board cant either.

If you read my posts you will see that it's now necessarily WHAT was done that I dont like, its HOW it was done. Big difference, but you guys cant seem to get a grip on that. I dont care if blight played Golf or not - St.Kilda shoulda known all of Blights ways BEFORE they got him. Fine, they had their apparent reasons to sack him - then whats so hard about keeping a straight story and not lying to everyone? Why make comments on the players behalf to then have them contradicted by the players?? I'd love to know why Thomas got the job as well, a boardmember, and a guy responsible for Blights sacking (in part), and a guy with no experience. The WAY they went about things was wrong - inept.
The board's credibility is ZERO as a result!

RoyLion - cmon mate, everyone knows it was more of a takeover. For that reason heaps of Fitzroy fans dont follow the Lions at all.

 

[Danni]

Originally posted by Smokin
RoyLion - cmon mate, everyone knows it was more of a takeover. For that reason heaps of Fitzroy fans dont follow the Lions at all.

Smokin, before you manage to enrange even more Lions ppl from both former clubs, can I suggest that you go to This Site and read the copy of the merger document.

There was give and take on both sides. And personally I am sick to death of the blatant disregard shown for such a personal topic to Lions supporters. The AFL has done stuff all for the promotion of the merger, the Lions have done quite a fair bit, but the ultimate success is going to be dependent on the supporters understanding what each other went thru and lost, and an understanding of each others history and culture. Throw away barbs from ppl that don't have a full understanding of what it was like and what the agreement was, do nothing to help the healing process at all.

 

[Smokin]

And I will tell you why I am passionate about this topic

Over at Essendon we went thru similar times to this in regards to bad eggs at a club wanting control and forming alliances to try and rid Sheedy. "mates" were getting together in a business environment - VERY bad news at any company.

The club was divided and that sorta crap is so detrminental for any organisation. It is clear that things arnt consistent at St.Kilda either.

Essendon had a bit of an overhaul, and look where we have gone! Straight to the top - from the Board down Essendon is one very co-ordinated unit. St.Kilda isnt.

Being family friends with Sheedy, i know how hard this can be on a coach and his players. A bloke like Sheedy, one of the smartest footballing brains going around cant have blokes with little real knowledge of coaching telling him, or pushing him around - they cant possibly do that. If they are then there are alterior motives.

You just gotta look at blokes like Sheedy and Blights history and success - blow ins dont have the authority to try and tell them how to run things. 90% dont tho - its the other 10% of rotten apples who do this for other motives which are the problem.

This issue here isnt that far away from what Essendon experienced. However one club handled the problem in a more professional way than the other.

Obviously the two clubs went opposite ways about it. Then again, the two clubs have had opposite histories - one successful and secure, one not. There is no real reason why St.Kilda would change now - is there?

 

[Smokin]

Originally posted by Danni



Smokin, before you manage to enrange even more Lions ppl from both former clubs, can I suggest that you go to This Site and read the copy of the merger document.

There was give and take on both sides. And personally I am sick to death of the blatant disregard shown for such a personal topic to Lions supporters. The AFL has done stuff all for the promotion of the merger, the Lions have done quite a fair bit, but the ultimate success is going to be dependent on the supporters understanding what each other went thru and lost, and an understanding of each others history and culture. Throw away barbs from ppl that don't have a full understanding of what it was like and what the agreement was, do nothing to help the healing process at all.

Yea, and comments like Voss' regarding the reason (back then) for the struggling club was the Fitzroy contingent there did heaps for this 'healing' process.

I know Fitzroy supporters today who hope Voss breaks his leg again everytime he takes the field.

It probably was mostly the AFL's fault regarding that 'merger' but that doesnt change the fact that most Roy fans saw it as a takeover and dont have any interest in the club.