I just emailed this to Steven Trigg

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I have been a season ticket holder since 1992 (ticket number xxxxx) and been going to most of the home games since 1991. I would generally refer to myself as a die hard Adelaide supporter and love the club (I lined up for three days to get a ticket for the 98 Grand Final so it speaks for itself).
For the first time ever I totally disagree with a decision the Adelaide Football Club has made. This particular decision relates to the appointment of Neil Craig (if it is indeed true) as senior coach past this season.
Let me put forward the following information;
1. The large majority of the callers on 5AA over the past few weeks have opposed Neil Craig's appointment and these callers, including Graham Cornes, know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Neil Craig wasn't the best coach available to the Adelaide Football Club.
2. The poll on www.afl.com.au as to who crows fans believe is the better person they prefer for the job (there was over 2.500 votes I believe) and it was hugely in favour of Rodney Eade over Neil Craig (from memory 78% to 22%).
3. The crowds have been down, surely if Neil Craig was the big hometown hero that everyone wants to get behind and support, why are people staying home and not at AAMI stadium???
4. The performances of the team in my opinion and the opinion of others since Craig tenure is that things appear to be worse than when Garry Ayres was there. Many tactical flaws in Craig's tweaked game plan have already been noticed by supporters and many of the ugly aspects of Garry Ayres' game plan still remain.
Lets face it, the search for a new coach has been a total farce. Firstly there was the meek attempt toward approaching Terry Wallace, confirmed by Terry Wallace on 5AA. Now we have been made aware that Wayne Jackson (important to know as he was the only outsider in this process) wasn't at Rodney Eade's interview. We then find out that Jackson, surprisingly, was available next day for Craig's interview. Perhaps this was to make sure that there were no stumbling blocks to Craig's appointment, I guess the truth behind this will never come out. You will undoubtedly disagree, but Craig's appointment was announced to the public weeks ago and yet you still continued to toy with your supporters making statments like Neil Craig wasn't a certainly for the job when this clearly was false. His performances on the field haven't helped his cause and yet we are still to believe that you went through the process and Neil Craig was the best candidate. At the end of the day it seems that the AFC believes that Garry Ayres was the only person responsible for the downfall of the club, which is totally laughable. Even Michelangelo Rucci was pushing for Craig's appointment, he is the biggest critic of this football club and enjoys seeing the AFC in turmoil, the day he backs someone in Adelaide you really have to question his motives. Maybe Rucci can see what a majority of the Adelaide supporters can about the future of the club under Neil Craig hence the reasons why he pushed so hard for his appointment. He has already made an attempt to make contact with a group of disillusioned supporters (dubbed by him as the "Unofficial Match Committee"). It is well known that he has his ear to the ground and monitors many of the outlets Adelaide supporters have to voice their praise and concern (5AA and www.Bigfooty.com) and he would know that the Craig appointment already has the wolves beginning to circle the club and by trying to make contact with this group he is obviously going to try and get a major story from this.
The fact is that Neil Craig's appointment goes against what a large majority of your supporters wanted, which I find interesting as one minute the AFC are placing ads in the Advertiser pleading with supporters to attend or give your ticket to someone who can, then you (the AFC board) turn around and tear the heart out of 80% of your supporter base by appointing a coach that we don't believe was the best man for the job. While I have been at all the games this season, if Neil Craig is announced I will not be attending another AFC match this season and WILL NOT pass my ticket to someone else to use. We don't have the power to vote for the board, so not putting bums on seats is our only form of protest!! It is going to take more than just an ad in the paper to get people to the football, maybe if you were in touch with your supporters and understood what they wanted you wouldn't be losing them. All you have to do is listen to the callers on 5AA to know this is going to and has already impacted very negatively on the club and is going to be a real public relations nightmare if this fails when you have made a decision against most YOUR supporters better judgement.
Let me just say in closing that I hope the AFC board and Neil Craig proves me wrong with this appointment, though if the appointment fails you would clearly understand that a majority of the members of the Adelaide Football Club will expect your resignation and that of the other board members involved in this process. This appointment has now placed the board and Neil Craig aka "the boys club" under the microscope and I wish you well for long task of trying to win your supporters back over.

Thanking you for your time reading this email.


Todd xxxxxxxxx
A dishevelled and disappointed supporter

 

[mymansyd]

10 out of freakin' 10!

 

[crowie]

I think we can claim a united front, that was a great email.

 

[Alex99]

Great letter, don’t agree with it all, but over all a good letter from a passionate supporter of the AFC.


Post a re-ply if Mr Steven Trigg has the internal fortitude to reply, please

 

[Tyson20]

good letter! like crows98, i dont agree with everything you have written, but it will at least give Triggy an idea of the effect their decision has had on some of the supporters!

definitely a lot passion in that letter!

 

[GrandfinalGurus]

You get 2 Thumbs up from me!

 

[drakeyv2]

I think it needed more exlamation points!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Riddler]

Well Done Relapse!!

 

[relapse]

Here is Trigg's response, pretty poor I might add

Thanks for your thoughts.
By all means question the credentials of candidates/appointees...but do
not bring into question the integrity of the process or (by association)
the people involved.
The people here want badly to be successful. Do you really think a
decision would be made for convenience, or because it's easy?
Please don't tell me that one person in the media (with a personal
agenda) is going to know better - or have ALL the facts at his disposal!

Steven Trigg Chief Executive Officer
Adelaide Football Club
PO Box 10
West Lakes SA 5021

 

[noddy]

Here is Trigg's response, pretty poor I might add

Thanks for your thoughts.
By all means question the credentials of candidates/appointees...but do
not bring into question the integrity of the process or (by association)
the people involved.
The people here want badly to be successful. Do you really think a
decision would be made for convenience, or because it's easy?
Please don't tell me that one person in the media (with a personal
agenda) is going to know better - or have ALL the facts at his disposal!

Steven Trigg Chief Executive Officer
Adelaide Football Club
PO Box 10
West Lakes SA 5021

Not word for word but my reply was something along those lines.

 

[Baldrick]

Wholeheartedly agree with the lot and thank you for expressing the views of the majority in such a level manner. I doubt that I could be so constrained.

It's unfortunate that the message will fall on the deaf ears of corrupt cronies at the AFC. Expect a response full of cr@p justifications from Trigg in a feable attempt to change your views.

 

[tribey]

Here is Trigg's response, pretty poor I might add

Please don't tell me that one person in the media (with a personal
agenda) is going to know better - or have ALL the facts at his disposal!

The reply I received included the same vague inference that I was being unduly influenced by this 'one media person', which I found quite insulting to be honest.

Heaven forbid an AFC member has a thought of his own.

 

[brucetiki]

Here is Trigg's response, pretty poor I might add

Thanks for your thoughts.
By all means question the credentials of candidates/appointees...but do
not bring into question the integrity of the process or (by association)
the people involved.
The people here want badly to be successful. Do you really think a
decision would be made for convenience, or because it's easy?
Please don't tell me that one person in the media (with a personal
agenda) is going to know better - or have ALL the facts at his disposal!

Steven Trigg Chief Executive Officer
Adelaide Football Club
PO Box 10
West Lakes SA 5021

Proves the club is out of touch with reality IMO

 

[gundy]

........ We don't have the power to vote for the board, so not putting bums on seats is our only form of protest!!
..........
..........
Let me just say in closing that I hope the AFC board and Neil Craig proves me wrong with this appointment, though if the appointment fails you would clearly understand that a majority of the members of the Adelaide Football Club will expect your resignation and that of the other board members involved in this process.

Are you a member or not? You say that you don't have the power to vote for the board which suggests that you are not a member but then you go on to speak on behalf of the members.

If you are not a member of the AFC join up and vote against the current board at the next AGM.

 

[crowie]

Here is the e-mail I sent.



Dear Mr Trigg,

I am not a member of the AFC but I am currently on the waiting list for a season ticket, I attend matches at both AAMI Stadium and Melbourne venues regularly.
I would like to register my disapproval at the appointment of Neil Craig as the new coach of the AFC. I have nothing against Neil Craig and only have the best intentions of the AFC at heart. I have supported the Adelaide Crows since I was a boy, so I wish nothing but success for the club now and in the future.
I am extremely disappointed with the way the AFC has gone about the appointment of a new coach, in my opinion the selection process was flawed and always gave Neil Craig an advantage over any of the other candidates. I know that it is common practice to appoint an interim coach who is also one of the candidates, but in doing this the AFC not only gave him an unfair advantage but also put the reputation of the club at risk with suspicion and rumours about the so called Adelaide "Boys Club".
I cant believe that you have come to the conclusion that Neil Craig is better qualified than Rodney Eade to coach the AFC next season without any bias involved. The process is brought further into question when the selection committee's outside man, Wayne Jackson, was not present for Rodney Eade's interview. I think that we, the supporters deserve a fair explanation into why this decision has been made and enlighten us as to why you think Neil Craig is a better coach for the AFC than Rodney Eade. I know that it was said before the process was started that the teams win/loss ratio wouldn't matter, but what about the type of football that has been played in the last six games. Surely that must have been taken into account, because I'm not the only one that was embarrassed when we lost by 141 points to Brisbane or witnessed one of the worst games that the Adelaide Crows have ever played against The Kangaroos.
I feel that the hard earned reputation of the AFC has been irreversibly damaged for the foreseeable future and because of this I ask of you and your fellow board members to resign your positions at the AFC if the appointment of Neil Craig is seen as a failure, I hope I am wrong and as I stated before, I wish nothing but success for the club.
I would like you to know that this is an open e-mail and will be posted on the www.bigfooty.com website, as will any reply.

Your Sincerely

Blake

 

[brucetiki]

Are you a member or not? You say that you don't have the power to vote for the board which suggests that you are not a member but then you go on to speak on behalf of the members.

If you are not a member of the AFC join up and vote against the current board at the next AGM.

Only Bronze and Gold members have voting rights (approx. 500 of the 45 000 members), the silver members have no voting rights.

 

[Blue Red and Gold]

Good email, i agree with everything you said

 

[gundy]

Only Bronze and Gold members have voting rights (approx. 500 of the 45 000 members), the silver members have no voting rights.

Yes, the old membership numbers swindle. Both the AFC and PAFC count SANFL members as club "members" when reporting membership numbers to the AFL. Being a Category 1 SANFL member I am counted as a "member" of both clubs.

So the AFC also counts season ticket holders as "members". I didn't realise that. So if a Silver "member" wants to be a real member they have to pay another $60 to become a Bronze member as well or is that what a Gold member is?

 

[Tyson20]

Yes, the old membership numbers swindle. Both the AFC and PAFC count SANFL members as club "members" when reporting membership numbers to the AFL. Being a Category 1 SANFL member I am counted as a "member" of both clubs.

So the AFC also counts season ticket holders as "members". I didn't realise that. So if a Silver "member" wants to be a real member they have to pay another $60 to become a Bronze member as well or is that what a Gold member is?

effectively yes! a gold member has a season ticket (silver membership) and then pays a further $70-80 to become a Gold Member! Gold Membership is limited, and once the target is reached, it is closed off!

 

[drakeyv2]

The people here want badly to be successful.

I think the real point is that the people there want badly to stay there.

They have appointed someone to the job who will have no real power.

Does anyone really beleive Craig will not be beholded to Reid, Trigg & the rest.

Does anyone beleive there will be a real meaningful cleanout of the football department.

He is a puppet. A coach who is no threat to their positions of power within the club.

 

[Cap]

just has a look at AFC website and found bronze members dont have voting rights ,

looks like i'm going to have wait until next year to become a gold member so i can vote , unforunatly i took up the Category 1 membership which cost me an arm and a leg anyway and let my gold lapse.

 

[Panthers64]

It will be very interesting now to see which assistant coaches are appointed.

I would like to see the Crows make one good decision this year and appoint Shaun Rehn as an assistant.

Happy to see Peter Curran leave.

Seems that the Crows have a number of untouchables - Trigg, Reid, Fantasia and now Craig.

mmm, Interesting times ahead.

 

[gundy]

just has a look at AFC website and found bronze members dont have voting rights ,

looks like i'm going to have wait until next year to become a gold member so i can vote , unforunatly i took up the Category 1 membership which cost me an arm and a leg anyway and let my gold lapse.

Bronze Membership

Description:
This is the best way to feel a part of the action for those supporters who want to be kept informed but can only get to a few games during 2004.
Bronze Membership benefits include:

Bronze Membership Sticker
Bronze Membership Badge
Exclusive Bronze Member Scarf
Ticket Wallet
2004 Member's Directory
Bronze Membership Card
3 Editions of the Crows Magazine
Invitation to an Information Meeting
CROWmania Discount Vouchers
Opportunity to Join the Season Ticket Waiting List at No Cost
Voting Rights (over 18 years only)
Free Entry to Regional Supporters Group (where applicable)
Opportunity to Participate in 'Members Most Valuable Player' Voting
Free Entry to Members Day
Priority to Purchase up to Two Tickets or One Family Ticket to Camry Crows Home Games - Excluding Showdowns (v Port) Games and Home Finals
Free Entry to The Crows Shed (when a daily ticket has been purchased)
PLUS
10% Discount to AFL Hall of Fame and AFL Sensation Opening in Melbourne in Mid 2004.

 

[Cap]

Bronze Membership

Description:
This is the best way to feel a part of the action for those supporters who want to be kept informed but can only get to a few games during 2004.
Bronze Membership benefits include:

Bronze Membership Sticker
Bronze Membership Badge
Exclusive Bronze Member Scarf
Ticket Wallet
2004 Member's Directory
Bronze Membership Card
3 Editions of the Crows Magazine
Invitation to an Information Meeting
CROWmania Discount Vouchers
Opportunity to Join the Season Ticket Waiting List at No Cost
Voting Rights (over 18 years only)
Free Entry to Regional Supporters Group (where applicable)
Opportunity to Participate in 'Members Most Valuable Player' Voting
Free Entry to Members Day
Priority to Purchase up to Two Tickets or One Family Ticket to Camry Crows Home Games - Excluding Showdowns (v Port) Games and Home Finals
Free Entry to The Crows Shed (when a daily ticket has been purchased)
PLUS
10% Discount to AFL Hall of Fame and AFL Sensation Opening in Melbourne in Mid 2004.

hmmm ok then i think i may have been slightly wrong

 

[macca23]

To use Steven Trigg type vernacular, it's "interesting' that while Trigg is quite definitive and indignant that there was a process, nowhere but nowhere has anybody from the AFC, including him, tried to define to the public at large what that process was.

They may well believe that they followed an honourable process, but what it looks like to observers from the outside is a shoddy shallow half hearted attempt with an almost lack of respect for candidates other than Craig.

The club and Trigg could have done themselves an enormous favour by not thinking they were above transparency, and attempting to keep it's supporters informed of what that prosess actually was, and it's progress.

Triggy hasn't tried to justify Craig's appointment in front of much more highly credentialled and experienced coaches in any of his responses. However, I doubt that even Houdini could conjure up a plausible escape route in this instance.

P*ss poor