Analysis Has Matt Finnis been a good CEO?

[Mikka84]

 

[George]

It was a while ago now, but during the disintegration post Roo George put out that Finnis liked Cho because he didn't bother him or ask for more funding and so on.

Obviously Finnis wanted to concentrate on administrative matters and leave the footy matters to others, which isn't a problem within itself isn't a problem. However, his choice of football personnel and subsequent lack of attention to their performance has been abysmal, and the lack of understanding that a good football department is one of the pillars of growth and sustainability is a totally unacceptable failure.

Finnis set about rebuilding the club in his own image of social justice, inclusiveness and family friendly culture that was very needed at the time and of course his efforts bringing us back to Moorabbin can't go unnoticed. However he also holds the primary accountability for the hole we find our team in right now, along with a weak Board and President. So like anyone else it's a mixed bag.

With time I believe Finnis will be viewed favorably because the stuff he did get right has set the club up for the long term. But it's important to realize that with his major achievement now essentially completed, the club must above all get back to the business of winning games.
With this agenda in mind, one can only for the view that Finnis has proven inept on footballing matters and has now served the purpose for which he was appointed.

If he wants to stay at the club and drive his pet interests than so much the better, but it should no longer be from the CEO's office. Weather it be Lethers or someone new, it's time for a change at the top. Finnis is well suited to a lesser position in supporter and sponsor engagement or CFO and the like.

We as members should acknowledge and thank Finnis for righting the club admin. He's done what he was able to do with his skill set, and with the appointment of Leathers he's seemingly allowed him to set about correcting our football department with all haste.
However when looking now at our spine of Basset, Finnis and Lethers, I see Finnis as the next guy to rotate out..

Lmao, I didn't say anything like that.

I'm trying not to get involved here because I've made my point really clear already.

 

[Diehard Saint]

Thomas 2001 - 2006
Lyon 2007 - 2011
Watters 2012 - 2013, He had to go
Richo 2014 - 2019

Dont think we are as bad as we once were

Still hope we don't re-sign Ratts too early next year.

 

[George]

The Dogs and us are the only two clubs that were on similar deals. Ess had a great deal. Other clubs who were 'tenant' clubs had different arrangements (North had big $ from Tassie, Carl got home games at the G).

The Dogs won a flag & have maintained a base in their heartland. They have also only recently been able to leave behind struggle street.

We had a bunch of muppets running the show when we had a chance to cash in, who then moved us to the arse end of the world.

Whether people like it or not, the mess that Finnis inherited and where we are now (off field) are so far apart that the bloke should have a bronze statue on Linton Street.

As for on field, we're not as far off as this season suggests. It's shattering and disheartening to be where we are again but it's not like the cupboard is bare of talent like it has been so often in the past.

Fantastic post. It's hilarious watching people on here gloss over or just straight out ignore North Melbourne's Tassie deal and the Dogs facility + premiership. This is why I can't be bothered arguing my point anymore. Many here just have no clue.

 

[ScrappyDo]

Lmao, I didn't say anything like that.

I'm trying not to get involved here because I've made my point really clear already.

Yeah well you're in now. And yes you did.

 

[Dr Spaceman]

 

[Joffaboy]

Norf and the Dogs got the business model working with docklands. if they can do it, there is absolutely no excuses for us. especially when you consider our AFL distribution is higher and our support within the community is higher.

And yet both are a long way off our membership numbers even with the Dogs premiership and a top four chance this year.

Why is that?

 

[gringo2011]

The answer is clearly yes. You only have to look at two measures (RSEA Oval and the Docklands stadium deal) to know that.

Nick Riewoldt: St Kilda's move to Seaford 'crushed' the club | Sporting News Australia

Former St Kilda Saints captain Nick Riewoldt has said the move to Seaford from Moorabbin ripped the heart out of the club.

www.sportingnews.com

Just as they are settling back in to their Moorabbin base, former St Kilda captain Nick Riewoldt has said the move to Seaford ripped the heart out of the club.

The Saints trained 20 kilometres from their traditional home at Moorabbin for the past seven years following a fallout with the local council.

This month marked St Kilda's relocation back to Moorabbin, a move that Riewoldt said was long overdue.

"For the group at the time, on the back of a grand final in 2009 and 2010, arguably the best list that we'd accumulated in the club's history, and then to go down to Seaford, away from the spiritual home, it crushed the group at the time."

Looks to me like we are building/funding a big council facility at Moorabbin.

We don't even have freehold on the land.

I spoke to someone about it and because we had already been granted a lot of money to move to Seaford the other clubs were not keen for us to get another hand out so we agreed to take AFLW, Sandy Dragons and a few other community groups in with us which attracted government and council funding as well as AFL.

 

[gringo2011]

that part in bold is important.

unless we think the moorabbin project has more 10s of millions of funding coming in and further expansion and that it is considered more important than on-field results.

We are the only supporter group that wants to put a up a statue for a guy who fixed a * up. It's like erecting a statue for someone because you shat your bed and they changed the sheets for you.

 

[gringo2011]

And yet both are a long way off our membership numbers even with the Dogs premiership and a top four chance this year.

Why is that?

The worry is next year when we are coming off the disappointment of a down year and momentum drops. I have 4 memberships and I'm not renewing 2 and I was speaking to two other Saints fans who claim they are not renewing next year all together. Perhaps it's just rage now but the Dogs will keep theirs up as they meet expectations.

 

[Mikka84]

In all honestly I think Matt’s made the best out of a bad situation. He came in when the chips were down. We aren’t a powerhouse and the Marvel deal meant it was a push uphill with minimal members from the start.

Moorabbin is his legacy. Getting us through Covid and winning a final the other. He’s had to face massive internal politics for the last few years. Something that would break most. I suspect this year will be his last. Years like this people fall on their sword. I think it would be universally agreed - some new leadership and ideas from a CEO that will last the next half dozen years. It’s almost impossible for a CEO to reinvent themselves whilst still in the same environment.

Cheers to the broken hearted.

Mikka for CEO.

 

[pebblesofsand]

I spoke to someone about it and because we had already been granted a lot of money to move to Seaford the other clubs were not keen for us to get another hand out so we agreed to take AFLW, Sandy Dragons and a few other community groups in with us which attracted government and council funding as well as AFL.

No one gets money from the AFL or the State Govt unless they are building multi purpose "community" facilities. Grants for exclusive use just don't happen any more.

Interesting to see what happens with the Pies in their upcoming board battles, they are chasing $15M for a centre but do not meet the new State govt gender and diversity requirements for boards to qualify for State govt funding.

 

[George]

The worry is next year when we are coming off the disappointment of a down year and momentum drops.

Lol, what do you base that off of?

Increase of 25,000 since he took over in 2014 and as for the momentum and down years correlating to "drops in membership";

2014 - 30,739
2015 - 32,746
2016 - 38,009
2017 - 42,094
2018 - 45,678
2019 - 42,910
2020 - 48,775
2021 - 55,012

And if you look at the years before that, even in down years, the trend is upwards. This narrative about having a bad year will result in significant drops in memberships is a myth. And you can say that there's more options to become a member now than before but the rule has always been anything $50 or more is counted.

 

[jwikked]

Lol, what do you base that off of?

Increase of 25,000 since he took over in 2014 and as for the momentum and down years correlating to "drops in membership";

2014 - 30,739
2015 - 32,746
2016 - 38,009
2017 - 42,094
2018 - 45,678
2019 - 42,910
2020 - 48,775
2021 - 55,012

And if you look at the years before that, even in down years, the trend is upwards. This narrative about having a bad year will result in significant drops in memberships is a myth. And you can say that there's more options to become a member now than before but the rule has always been anything $50 or more is counted.

There's no way we beat 50k members next year if we keep playing the way we've played all year.

 

[George]

There's no way we beat 50k members next year if we keep playing the way we've played all year.

Based on what exactly? Never had a drop of over 5,000 memberships in any time under Finnis even in the horrific final years under Richardson.

Actually, since membership tallies were recorded in 1984, we've never had a drop of 5,000+ in one season. Lol.

 

[pebblesofsand]

In all honestly I think Matt’s made the best out of a bad situation. He came in when the chips were down. We aren’t a powerhouse and the Marvel deal meant it was a push uphill with minimal members from the start.

Moorabbin is his legacy. Getting us through Covid and winning a final the other. He’s had to face massive internal politics for the last few years. Something that would break most. I suspect this year will be his last. Years like this people fall on their sword. I think it would be universally agreed - some new leadership and ideas from a CEO that will last the next half dozen years. It’s almost impossible for a CEO to reinvent themselves whilst still in the same environment.

Cheers to the broken hearted.

Mikka for CEO.

Hope not - now is not the time for Finnis to leave.

Our performance this year is an outlier. If the board is thinking some new ideas, it would be much better for a change of CEO to happen at the end of next year when the trajectory will be more positive.

 

[gringo2011]

In all honestly I think Matt’s made the best out of a bad situation. He came in when the chips were down. We aren’t a powerhouse and the Marvel deal meant it was a push uphill with minimal members from the start.

Moorabbin is his legacy. Getting us through Covid and winning a final the other. He’s had to face massive internal politics for the last few years. Something that would break most. I suspect this year will be his last. Years like this people fall on their sword. I think it would be universally agreed - some new leadership and ideas from a CEO that will last the next half dozen years. It’s almost impossible for a CEO to reinvent themselves whilst still in the same environment.

Cheers to the broken hearted.

Mikka for CEO.

I'm in, the first move to scrap the special interest rounds and have beer round where everyone gets to neck a can on the way in the gate, even the kids. Build atmosphere and an investment in the future of your other enterprises.

 

[gringo2011]

Hope not - now is not the time for Finnis to leave.

Our performance this year is an outlier. If the board is thinking some new ideas, it would be much better for a change of CEO to happen at the end of next year when the trajectory will be more positive.

Burn the Finnis. We want sacrifice and he'll do. Besides you know what they say, never trust a guy who looks like Willy Wonka.

 

[gringo2011]

No one gets money from the AFL or the State Govt unless they are building multi purpose "community" facilities. Grants for exclusive use just don't happen any more.

Interesting to see what happens with the Pies in their upcoming board battles, they are chasing $15M for a centre but do not meet the new State govt gender and diversity requirements for boards to qualify for State govt funding.

Geelong's community use is to let the feral inside when they pay for the privilege.

 

[Mikka84]

Hope not - now is not the time for Finnis to leave.

Our performance this year is an outlier. If the board is thinking some new ideas, it would be much better for a change of CEO to happen at the end of next year when the trajectory will be more positive.

Someone will take the fall. Whether it’s Letho leaving, Finnis stepping down, Ratts under huge pressure or by a saving grace - total restructure of assistants. There is always a fall when expectations are shattered. Especially a public company such as a footy club.

 

[pebblesofsand]

Someone will take the fall. Whether it’s Letho leaving, Finnis stepping down, Ratts under huge pressure or by a saving grace - total restructure of assistants. There is always a fall when expectations are shattered. Especially a public company such as a footy club.

Take the fall for what? One poor season where we were decimated by injury before a ball was bounced.

Baby, bath water.

Assuming reasonable performance from here in I'd expect minor change only - change of assistants coaches (but only those coming off contract)

But I want big line in the sand statement from Bassat about no longer accepting failure, everybody on notice for next year.

Anything more than that and we are seriously in danger of becoming a total rabble, responding to non-issue's driven by the click bait media.

I repeat again Baby, bath water.

 

[Saint Watto]

Speaking of membership.......55,234 as of late this arvo.......incredibly......it's still ticking over.....very slowly tho.

 

[Mowman]

How does Finnis compare to our last 3 or 4 CEO ?

 

[gringo2011]

How does Finnis compare to our last 3 or 4 CEO ?

Crop of potatoes. Potato Finnis would be like the others with a smily face drawn on it at least.

 

[Saint Watto]

How does Finnis compare to our last 3 or 4 CEO ?

Just casting my mind back.......back to GT's days as a start point....fact check may be required:

Waldron

Nettlefold

Fraser

Finnis

As someone suggested in an earlier post.....maybe that statue at RSEA should get commissioned.

LOL