Is it time?

[76woodenspooners]

I disagree because I don't see the President's role as one that requires succession planning. For me, the president presides until such time as he is either deposed through a vote from the members or chooses to retire.

Totally agree.

The succession planning of board members since Ed took over hasn't been healthy IMHO. They've been great candidates, but they really should have been ratified by the membership.

My feeling is that if Ed right now could see a better option as president he would seriously consider retirement ...

LOL, I disagree with you there. Ed makes those noises but I don't think he's serious.

... and the only rightful alternative to that IMO is that someone challenges and wins the hearts and minds of the members.

IMHO that's the flaw in the argument.

I just don't think Ed would welcome any challenge at all, he'd take it as a personal affront.

The times I've seen Ed nervous (shit scared) is when he's fronted up to Collingwood AGM's (and the inaugural member's forum) and been accountable to the membership.

 

[76woodenspooners]

I agree it should be peaceful and transition should be smooth because the media will run the fires and pour petrol on them.
That Ed has mentioned retiring so to speak, then evoking his family saying to stay and fight, to me betrays he's not remotely thinking of going anytime soon.
Ed brings a verve and a frontman approach to the role.
He's the PR and voice of the club (sometimes that goes askew) but lots of the work is the (shock horror!) the CEO and his team getting sponsors. Ed offers the generated publicity, the spruik etc.
But it's a big team, and many people work hard for Collingwood.
But ed holds the edifice together which is to his credit.
Yet it's become "him" as Collingwood, and for me our club should be beyond that.
It's hard getting real talent as president, that is true.
My two best presidents, observed from afar were Frank Costa of Geelong and David Smorgon of Footscray.
Both did things that Ed did, pull their club from difficult times, with less supporters than we have, less gaffes and passed on their clubs in better shape to successors.
Frank Costa was my best ever president and with great great respect leaves Ed in his wake in his manner and representation.
But Eds done a great job. Been terrific. Happy for him to stay but not forever.

I'd add Kennett to that list of successful presidents.

Not everybody's cup of tea, but just like when he was state Premier, he was a strong agent of change, achieved some strong success during his time, and it's become all too easy to take for granted the ongoing prosperity that he laid the foundations for.

 

[jmac70]

Let's agree to disagree

I have heard Geoff Walsh speak about the impetus for the 2010 flag. He said the decision to recruit Ball and Jolly came about because Ed gave the footy department a massive blast after the 2009 prelim. Even then the form of the side after the bye in 2010 came as a surprise.
Bucks himself said recently that he was prepared to wait to take over in order to give the 2011 side a clear run at it. Clearly this is what should of happened. At least then we could all rest easy in the knowledge that there was no external reason for failing to win that flag. The succession plan has been an almighty **** up.

 

[Saintly Viewed]

I'd add Kennett to that list of successful presidents.

Not everybody's cup of tea, but just like when he was state Premier, he was a strong agent of change, achieved some strong success during his time, and it's become all too easy to take for granted the ongoing prosperity that he laid the foundations for.

He was very good for hawthorn.
Not a costa but still excellent.
I think what he's done for beyond blue is so exemplary that is what he should always be thanked for. Game changer in that area.

 

[jmac70]

He was very good for hawthorn.
Not a costa but still excellent.
I think what he's done for beyond blue is so exemplary that is what he should always be thanked for. Game changer in that area.

He also closed schools.

 

[noideaatall]

Great posts '76. Agree with most of your reply to my op so I'll just pick a few bits out.

...
Difficult to achieve any kind of success in this world without making enemies somewhere. Some of Ed's enemies are in the media, but all they're doing is working to keep his profile elevated. Does Ed have enemies who are powerful, and are more powerful than him and his allies? Probably not.

Ed is a very tall poppy, taller than most. Are his allies such that they will stick by him when the chips are down, or turn like a rabid dog pack/

Flack from whom? Apart from the three examples I gave above which transcend football, the rest is just grist for the mill.

Does it matter who the flack comes from. People throw mud, the mud was/is we have a sexist, racist, boy's club president. Not the be all and end all but I wouldn't want it to be a yearly event.

Depends how you look at it. If you count Premierships over that period and compare us to Hawthorn, Brisbane, Geelong or Sydney, then yeah, some clubs have done better.
But if you count up the number of times over the 17 years that you've been able to whistle smugly as you stroll past the water cooler on a Monday morning ... Ed has delivered pretty well.

Agreed. Point is we wouldn't be retaining Eddie based on the club's on field success alone.

Year 1 of the succession plan delivered a Premiership to a club that's only won one other since 1958. It always astounds me folks call the succession plan a failure given that fact.

I thought the succession plan was about ensuring a smooth transition plan from one coach to another. It didn't.

C'mon, compare the 'The Ratpack' to 'The Beaks' (Travis Cloke, Cameron Wood, Alan Toovey, Tyson Goldsack) tell me which group you'd rather be an honorary member of???

Loaded question. Nowadays neither. The current version is that MM/success poisoned a group of premiership players at the Pies, impacting on our future success. Does Ed bear any responsibility? Question not opinion.

Does it?

Why has Balme been caught by surprise by this? Put it this way, I spent more than 30 seconds wondering about the way events are playing out.

Something that's worth considering is who the folks are who vote for the board. Look around BigFooty Collingwood or look around a Pies MCG crowd and you will see the full cross section of society represented. However go to a Collingwood AGM and you will see a quite narrow demographic of the supporter base. Average age would be above 60 - most will have been Collingwood supporters for a very long time. They're the folks who decide Ed's fate.

That I didn't know and is interesting. Apparently people get smart around that age so I will trust their judgement. Perhaps Bigfooty collingwood board can pitch in, buy ourselves a membership, elect a representative and have a vote.

IMHO, it's a fair question you ask, but I think some of the reasons you've given imply that you're trying to justify a prejudged opinion.

No, the questions are questions. My opinion is leaders have a useby date, they should nominate a date by which they retire. I think this year would be a good time for Eddie to do that and a retirement date should be 3-5 years from now. so there you go, you have my opinion and some thoughts. The questions were bait for fish.

 

[76woodenspooners]

Are his allies such that they will stick by him when the chips are down, or turn like a rabid dog pack

Is that a question? My answer would be "his allies are such that they will defend him like a rabid dog pack when the chips are down". Ed is on pretty solid ground at the moment, but if he wasn't, you wouldn't have been able to create this thread without having had the most venenous green bile hurled your way.

Does it matter who the flack comes from.

Yes. There is a difference between how Collingwood supporters / members / voting members perceive their President versus the rest of the football community. Collingwood have always had a bit of an "it's us versus everybody else mentality", so external flack doesn't necessarily translate to internal flack (obviously it does and it should around greater societal issues like racism / sexism / etc)

People throw mud, the mud was/is we have a sexist, racist, boy's club president. Not the be all and end all but I wouldn't want it to be a yearly event.

That stuff is not good.

I thought the succession plan was about ensuring a smooth transition plan from one coach to another. It didn't.

No, the succession plan was about winning premierships. It did.

Loaded question. Nowadays neither. The current version is that MM/success poisoned a group of premiership players at the Pies, impacting on our future success. Does Ed bear any responsibility? Question not opinion.

The leader of any organisation is responsible for its culture. Ed is the top leader, so if there's a cultural problem the he's responsible for it, yes.

Why has Balme been caught by surprise by this? Put it this way, I spent more than 30 seconds wondering about the way events are playing out.

In a perfect world Balme should have been involved in the process. But we don't live in a perfect world. People have personalities. Things leak. Etc, etc.

That I didn't know and is interesting. Apparently people get smart around that age so I will trust their judgement. Perhaps Bigfooty collingwood board can pitch in, buy ourselves a membership, elect a representative and have a vote.

IMHO we need more young people who take an active interest in this stuff (and by "young", I mean younger than 60)

 

[THATSGOLD]

Did you say the same about McAlister in the 90's?

No way. He was a mess. When we got a curse put on us by the aboriginals that was enough.

 

[76woodenspooners]

No way. He was a mess. When we got a curse put on us by the aboriginals that was enough.

Won us a Premiership but?

 

[FuManchu]

Ahh I get it, bit slow this time of the morning. I agree. Still Ed could nominate a year he wanted to move on rather than be forced.

And what if he said he had no immediate intention on vacating? Where does that leave you?

 

[noideaatall]

Is that a question? My answer would be "his allies are such that they will defend him like a rabid dog pack when the chips are down". Ed is on pretty solid ground at the moment, but if he wasn't, you wouldn't have been able to create this thread without having had the most venenous green bile hurled your way.

I am not thinking of allies in terms of the footy world, rather the rest of Ed's world, particularly media. Not convinced that world would stand by him if they thought it would damage them.

Yes. There is a difference between how Collingwood supporters / members / voting members perceive their President versus the rest of the football community. Collingwood have always had a bit of an "it's us versus everybody else mentality", so external flack doesn't necessarily translate to internal flack (obviously it does and it should around greater societal issues like racism / sexism / etc)

That was more what I was getting at. The mob at work love to hate the pies so got all excited at dishing to Ed. I don't care what they think of him. It was the general public furore where everybody and his dog (ie. people not interested in footy) was having a go that concerned me. Probably worth me stating I thought it was much ado about nothing in the case of Goodes and Caro (reflected poor language by Ed rather than deep seated sexist/racist beliefs).

No, the succession plan was about winning premierships. It did.

Touche.

And what if he said he had no immediate intention on vacating? Where does that leave you?

Still in God's own country but too far from the G. Still happy Ed will be president over the next three years. I don't matter though.

 

[MISFITS]

Leave Eddie alone get rid of Pert is my vote.

By the way a few months ago (after Carogate) I heard a rumour that Eddie was forced to step down.

Not sure if people remember but I posted a photo of Ed with my son & I after the Gold Coast game.

I couldn't resist so I asked him if he was stepping down this year...........he replied......NO WAY.

Eddy appointed Pert.
Eddy is the real authority

 

[Pie eyed]

I loved the pies before Ed came along. I will love them after (if I live that long...). He has done a great job, no question, but he hasn't made the greatest and biggest sporting club in Australia. He just happens to be president of it. I count that a privilege, not a right. I hope Ed sees it that way too.

Not sure how old you are but Ed can take credit for at least 50% of Collingwood's resurgence from the early 90's.

Which even in isolation is a lot for just one person.....in any organisation.

 

[noideaatall]

Not sure how old you are but Ed can take credit for at least 50% of Collingwood's resurgence from the early 90's.
Which even in isolation is a lot for just one person.....in any organisation.

I am 53, the "if I live that long" was tongue in cheek response to posters giving Ed the liberty to remain president for as long as he wants...

I didn't think we were doing that bad early 90's. Failed to capitalise on the talent then maybe drifted down rather than constantly rebuild until we ended up in a hole. Exited the hole pretty quickly. Getting MM was a good move but outside of that I don't give too much credit to Ed. That is onfield and I don't claim a great analysis. Off field I can't really comment in detail. Bottom line I view that 50% as your opinion, not fact. There have been a number of good posts to this thread that have outlined why we shouldn't just give all the credit to Ed for every positive change over the last 18 years.

Ed has been the best president over the time I have followed the pies. The OP is not an attempt to bash his legacy, rather posing the question should someone of his statue set a retirement date and whether now is a good time for him to do that. No matter what the past, I am interested in what is best for Collingwood in the future.

 

[Matz]

He saved the club from extinction. He can be president for as long as he wants for all I care.

Agreed. It's up to players to make it happen on the field , not Eddie.
I think Pert might need to go but not Eddie.

Sent from my SM-G925I using Tapatalk

 

[Saintly Viewed]

He also closed schools.

We weren't going down the political road.
Too problematic.
The lefties think he did nothing good,
The right ones think he was fantastic.
Never the Twain shall meet.

Good and bad on both sides of the political aisle.

 

[Cousin of Daicos]

Eddie must never leave. The greatest president of the collingwood football club. A true powerhouse. He has even delivered a premiership which has been rare since 1958. Should go when he decides. Will stay on until he is 75.

KOLOKOTRONIS

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[Anzacday]

Τι κάνεις εδώ μέσα βρέ?

Well he had gone and now you've probably invited him back

 

[Cousin of Daicos]

He was very good for hawthorn.
Not a costa but still excellent.
I think what he's done for beyond blue is so exemplary that is what he should always be thanked for. Game changer in that area.

I adored Jeff but it's kind of ironic that he's the head of Beyond Blue while he shut down all the mental facilities in Melbourne which.has caused an increase in homelessness.

Most of the homeless are suffering from mental health issues. They should be in special facilities. But Jeff shit them all down.

 

[MISFITS]

I have heard Geoff Walsh speak about the impetus for the 2010 flag. He said the decision to recruit Ball and Jolly came about because Ed gave the footy department a massive blast after the 2009 prelim. Even then the form of the side after the bye in 2010 came as a surprise.
Bucks himself said recently that he was prepared to wait to take over in order to give the 2011 side a clear run at it. Clearly this is what should of happened. At least then we could all rest easy in the knowledge that there was no external reason for failing to win that flag. The succession plan has been an almighty **** up.

Life is series of superlatives..
That's interesting
I wonder if Ed and the Pies had signed off on Jonathan Brown at the end of 2008, if we would have been in a premiership window.
Given the injuries that grabbed John Brown, I think that we dodged a bullet.
Similar Mark Jamar circa 2011.
Either way. Aggressive trading won the day.
Thanks to Ed
Those premierships are damn hard to win.

 

[Saintly Viewed]

I adored Jeff but it's kind of ironic that he's the head of Beyond Blue while he shut down all the mental facilities in Melbourne which.has caused an increase in homelessness.

Most of the homeless are suffering from mental health issues. They should be in special facilities. But Jeff shit them all down.

I'm not aware of what was or was not shut down. What was or was not put in place.
All I know is when politics becomes the subject, the two streams often can't see past their boundary lines.
Good and bad on all sides.
And if Jeff is doing a fine job in this area of mental health he should get praise, if he didn't do a good job in this area in a previous time, he can get a whack etc.

 

[KOLOKOTRONIS]

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Ήρθα για να πω τη γνώμη μου χαχα

ΚΟΛΟΚΟΤΡΩΝΗΣ

 

[KOLOKOTRONIS]

Eddie effectively saved the club and turned it into an off field powerhouse. Had you snagged a premiership in 2002 he would have been the ultimate hero. Four grand final appearances and numerous finals following a terrible 1999 is huge. Not to mention an elusive premiership.

Eddie is collingwood. End of story.

Getting rid of Eddie would be the equivalent of hawthorn dumping clarkson. Football royalty goes out on its own terms.

KOLOKOTRONIS

 

[PieNSauce]

Totally agree.

The succession planning of board members since Ed took over hasn't been healthy IMHO. They've been great candidates, but they really should have been ratified by the membership.



LOL, I disagree with you there. Ed makes those noises but I don't think he's serious.



IMHO that's the flaw in the argument.

I just don't think Ed would welcome any challenge at all, he'd take it as a personal affront.

The times I've seen Ed nervous (shit scared) is when he's fronted up to Collingwood AGM's (and the inaugural member's forum) and been accountable to the membership.

Truth is we're both speculating so I'll leave you with your opinion while I stay with mine.

 

[noideaatall]

...
Eddie is collingwood. End of story...
KOLOKOTRONIS

Really? Guess coming from a hawks supporter that must be gospel. There is one story about to end that interests me. Have a guess.