Mega Thread Matt Rendell situation thread #2

[aussierulesrules]

I really struggle to see how mud can't stick to the club now.

That's why it doesn't pay to act out of fear, because the thing you're afraid of ends up happening anyway. Far better to stand your ground with honour and integrity and face your fear, after which you'll realise that there was nothing to fear in the first place.

 

[cmndstab]

Mate, there is a massive difference between saying that opinions critical of the club are not being allowed, and us not wanting BF to be used as a vessel to organise a real-life protest.

There have been a good 1000 posts this evening that fall into the former category.

As for being okay with "forming a mob" to carry out a pro-Crows agenda, again, you're painting with way too broad a brush. I wouldn't be happy for you to organise a pro-Crows rally down King William St on BF either. Organising an email drive? Sure. Organising a support group at the grounds? Fine.

As I'm sure you can appreciate, the BF rules on these sorts of issues are covered roughly but not in detail. There is no checklist given to moderators as to what is, and what is not, acceptable with this stuff. I have to go with my gut decision. If you want to ask me if I think something is acceptable, I can give you a yes or no answer. If you want a detailed description of precisely what is acceptable - or even simply what I think should be acceptable - then I'm afraid I can't give you one in this case.

Again, I fully encourage you to speak with the administrators if you think something should change. Chief is absolutely hot on social networking options at the moment, he might see it as something worthwhile. In the mean time, I'll continue to make decisions as best I can.

As for the personal issues creeping into moderating, that's an opinion you've expressed to me before - for well over a year, in fact. There isn't anything much I can say to you that I haven't said before. I haven't seen evidence of it myself.

Anyway, this discussion has gone on long enough in the public forums. If you still feel you have something you need to discuss with me, feel free to send me a PM.

 

[Southerntakeover]

As for the personal issues creeping into moderating, that's an opinion you've expressed to me before - for well over a year, in fact. There isn't anything much I can say to you that I haven't said before. I haven't seen evidence of it myself.

I provided two examples in this very thread.

I'll leave it in this thread for now though. Stayed up way later than I intended to anyway.

 

[Crouch]

Could anyone send a video link of the interview? CBF going thru all these pages.

 

[jenny61_99]

I jsts flicked this through to triggy - if you guys feel as strongly about it as you sound, please do something similar.


Steven,

After watching Matt Rendell's heart-wrenching interview on footy classified I felt compelled to write to you again.

As the leader of our club and man behind the decision to push Matt to resign I believe we, the supporters, deserve to hear from you on why we seem to have hung one our own out to dry.

I've often not agreed with your decisions before in how we choose to handle our public relations. The non-incident with Bernie Vince last week being a prime example. To a degree though I've appreciated why you may have felt you couldn't handle it differently.

This latest situation though - I'm at a loss to understand why on earth you wouldn't let Rendell explain his side of the story.

My understanding at this point is that we couldn't allow the 'mud to stick' to our club that we've made racist recruiting decisions. Surely the club, and Matty, have enough evidence to the contrary to support him being given the opportunity to explain his side of the story?
(if you felt it would never come out like it has I am astounded.. he's far too forthright for it not to)

Surely education, if required - which it sounds like it isn't, is a much better outcome to push for than throwing Matt under the bus?

After watching the interview with Matt Rendell, and matching that with the inconsistencies spouted by the AFL CEO on 'On the Couch' I appreciate you're in a really hot place at the present. One you may have hoped to avoid with the decision to push Matt to resign last week.

I implore you to consider all options in navigating the decisions you will be faced in the next few days - including reinstating Rendell to the club for the rest of the year and supporting further exploration of the suggestions he put forward to Jason Misfud.

Do you truly believe following such a course of action will stick more mud the club than what will stick in hanging someone trying to address the serious issues out to dry? Perhaps I'm being naive, and most certainly I'm ignorant to all of the complexities you face in this - but unfortunately that's the job you signed up for Steven and many of the supporters of the club are crying out for a display of strong leadership from you right now. Please make us proud of our club and be proud of our people, inclusive in our approach to resolving this issue; and uncompromising in pushing for this not to be swept under the carpet.

All the very best, I mean that sincerely, in finding the best way to lead the club out of this mess. Personally I'd love to see you support Matt Rendell and work with him and the AFL to address the real issues that exist with the attrition rate of indigenous AFL footballers. I'm very concerned this is going to end messily.

Please, have the courage to defend our own rather than continuing to defend a brand that becomes more meaningless the more we don't.

I'm not going to threaten to hand in my membership over this - but I can assure you the 10 memberships I helped coordinate to sit together for this coming season (including 3 new memberships) all consider this issue far more worthy of such a decision of principle than Bernie celebrating his cricket teams GF win in a manner I'm sure he's been doing for the best part of a decade. I can only hope the boys enjoyed themselves as much as that on Saturday night after the NAB cup win.

Cheers

Shaun

that is brilliant! I hope others who have issues with Trigg put some thought into their emails like you have.

 

[jenny61_99]

I eagerly await Jen's revelations.

about? Like all of you I'm trying to make sense of all of this. I believe more will come out about it in the next few days. I'm most interested to hear it.

 

[jenny61_99]

The last time Matt said something in public, this was the headline:

Giants will be smashed: Crows

Crows didn't say it, Matty did.

 

[The_Wookie]

Ive uploaded everything except the Demetriou interview from on the couch

Adrian Andersons comments as seen Eddie McGuire Tonight on Sunday

[youtube]y8h_56ZQmwg[/youtube]

AFL 360 last night on the Rendall sacking

[youtube]7JuzXHQdNzo[/youtube]

Footy Classified interview with Matt Rendall

[youtube]jTh-3-4iIMU[/youtube]

 

[LC40]

Re: The Yes man that is Steven Trigg

I'm no Steven Trigg fan at all.

IMO he over analyses and over emphasises every issue he deals with.
His double speak and gobblely gook is straight out of the Neil Craig book on 'processes, structures and systems' with a few "'it's a good point you make" "we're doing our darnedest" and "let me assure you" thrown in.

His muddling approach to Adelaide oval was half baked and his dealings with the AFL in front of the media is full of clichés and apologies.
His standard "Behind closed doors we are working hard to get the best outcome for the Adelaide football club" reeks of subservient diplomacy.
How about from time to time calling a spade a spade and not hiding behind 'brand Adelaide.'

His handling of the Bernie Vince issue was I feel insipid and he should have actually backed his player and demonstrated some loyalty as Vince did nothing wrong.
It was the opportune time to back his player and would have galvanised the team behind it's CEO.
This argument of the 'sum of all ills' was pathetic and pandering to interests that quite honesty didn't need to be pandered to.
When will the club back a player if not with something like that non issue.

Having said all that Trigg has my full support in the way he has handle this latest incident.
The club had to come out strongly and act swiftly as not only is the subject matter divisive and repulsive it will in this case tarnish brand "Adelaide."

Rendell had to go because clearly this is not a view held by the Adelaide football club now or in it's past history.

I have to cut and paste this post as the thread was closed.
I posted this first comment on the 17/3/12 as I believed the club had done the right thing in dealing with a subject that really has no excuse.

The club had to act swiftly at the time because this was an incident that had the potential to damage Adelaide's standing within the AFL and the broader community.

The comment in black and white is damning and still abhorrent and if the club thought that they couldn't employee someone who held those beliefs then fair enough.

What I naively or prematurely never considered was that Adelaide had not allowed Rendell right of reply or due consideration in this matter.

Surely with a subject manner this sensitive Rendell was allowed to explain himself.
Adelaide obviously took the line nothing you say can excuse you from this statement so you have to go.
The one problem with this attitude though is that a man's history follows him everywhere. When you have 35 years in the AFL a pattern of behaviour to an issue can be gleamed.
It will be scrutinised and examined with a fine tooth comb in latter days and the club should have been savvy enough to expect that.
A man's career and reputation was on the line here and he should have been accorded a fair hearing. The club has to be certain that the charge was clear cut and no ambiguity existed.

The real strength of Steven Trigg's leadership is how he handles this predicament from now on.
The easy option will be to state "The matter is now closed ,Mathew Rendell's resignation has been accepted, no further statement will be made from the club."
If they go down this line then everything I think and have said about Trigg holds true.
Stop hiding behind the brand and be honest and open and give Rendell some credit.
There are those that will always agree with Rendell's resignation and the reasons behind it but at least accord the man some semblance of loyalty and respect and allow him to leave the club with some acknowledgement of his fine work.
I can't see Rendell coming back but how the club preforms in the next 24 hours will reflect enormously on the leadership values of the club.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Do people think there's any chance of Rendell coming back to the club?

I don't think so. Such an emotional few days for him, he'd be over it I reckon.

Also it would make the club hierarchy look stupid. Asking Rendell to come back after demanding his resignation would be even more insipid than the Edwards farewell game back flip in terms of lack of leadership.

The question now is how can the club save face and emerge with as little damage as possible. I'm struggling to see an option.

Demetriou and the spectre of racism came knocking on our door. We panicked and turfed a respected football identity with 35 years in the game who loves football and has done a lot for the club without even caring if the allegations were true.

When we found out they weren't true, we didn't refute them, we didn't explain and we didn't stand by our club personnel.

If Trigg apologises, says that in hindsight that the club should have immediately let Rendell explain the context of the comment and admitted that they handled it poorly that would be a start. Further, Trigg might say that the issue helped clarify in Rendell's mind that he is ready to move on to something else in his life.

If Trigg really wants to earn the club back some respect, he needs to highlight exactly what the AFL's role was in the handling of the issue last week. *If* as quite a few posters are saying our hands were tied (I don't see how this is possible but anyway) then Trigg needs to explain how it works when AFL House comes knocking on your door.

Further Trigg then needs to say that this is the last time the AFC will be told what to do. From now on the good of the game... the good of the brand... will take a back seat to what is for the good of the club.

Trigg needs to admit that it was an awful situation to find ourselves in and one that we didn't expect. We handled it exceptionally poorly and have lost a great club man as a result. The issue has caused the club to look at how it operates and will cause a sea change in how the club handles future issues and indiscretions.

 

[Drakescoffeecake]

Some fantastic emails to Trigg in here. I think I'll need to send another more thought out one from my work email. The email I sent last night consisted of 8 lines, and it was not nice at all

 

[Drakescoffeecake]

** If you wish to email Trigg, then I suggest you email him appealing for him to reinstate MR, rather than abusing him and calling for his resignation. One is constructive, the other is just an ill-directed emotional outburst which won't achieve anything.

With all due respect, you're just a moderator. You don't have a say in what other people should or should not send to Trigg. And I think regardless of the context of the emails, it's the quantity received that matters most.

 

[Baldur]

Adelaide has my sympathy. This is typical for the AFL. They run into a problem. Instead of facing their problem, they find a whipping boy, in this case Adelaide & Rendell to distract attention.

So a conversation in January is misrepresented, Vald gets on the blower & demands ACTION. Code for sack him now or else. Adelaide acts as demanded.

It is all very good to say that the Adelaide CEO should have stood up to Vald. But in the real world only Collingwood gets away with that.

 

[FR0GGY]

If only we could hack the afl website again and post what we think of AD and while we are at it do the AFC website too for Trigg.

 

[Dustin Credible]

I hope you don't mind my intrusion on your board.

My initial reaction after hearing Rendell's explaination was that Trigg had been weak and sold an important part of your club down the river. But in some respects getting Rendell to resign puts distance between the club and this affair.

There will be more fallout over this I'm sure. but that will now be between Rendell, the AFL (namely Vlad) and the media. With the Crows having some breathing space in it all.

I appreciate though that you may have other issues with your CEO of which this forms only part.

Anyway congrats on the NAB cup and all the best for the season.

 

[The Karma Bus]

Demetriou on radio the other day said something along the lines of this recruiting officer involved should start looking for alternate employment..

Then last night on "On the couch", he says he never suggested, asked for or wanted Rendell's sacking or resignation..

I can imagine behind closed doors what was said when he spoke to Trigg and told him "you need to be aware of this and deal with it" as he also said last night on Foxtel..

 

[Slippery Pete]

Demetriou on radio the other day said something along the lines of this recruiting officer involved should start looking for alternate employment..

Then last night on "On the couch", he says he never suggested, asked for or wanted Rendell's sacking or resignation..

Very good point.

 

[Gets!]

If I was a sponsor of the AFC I would be WITHDRAWING my sponsorship over the treating of Rendell, not the other way.

I am absolutely disgusted by the complete lack of backbone by Trigg, the ridiculous crap we CONTINUALLY put up with from Vlad and the whole situation in general. Absolute crap.

 

[pethouse]

If only we could hack the afl website again and post what we think of AD and while we are at it do the AFC website too for Trigg.

I notice that the Rendell story is not getting a mention on the AFC website. I do hope that this isn't a directive and that it just hasn't been updated as yet.
At least it's on the AFL site.

 

[Freddy Bassett]

I have been a crow member since I was a 14 yr old child. I lived down the road from west lakes and I walked to the first game against Hawthorn with my brother and fell in love with this team from Adelaide. I had never been to an AFL game before and it was not a game aligned to my cultural background. I save my pocket money every year to buy a membership a smy parents were not football followers and would not have contemplated buying us a ticket for this game they didn'appreciate.

On the topic of racism, as you have probably gathered from the above I was not born in Australia and have through my life been subject to many racial situations growing up in country Australia in dominant Anglo saxon areas and then on a smaller scale in the city from primarily kids who can be the cruelest. I have grown up and all this has done is made me more proud of my culture and who I am.

I must say though that racism however comes from hatred. I didnt care if anyone used my cultural background as a joke or as a throw away comment growing up if I knew that person had no hatred toward me or my culture. But I always knew the diffrence between someone who believed what they were saying and someone who said it with hatred.

I have never sensed that at all from Rendell. Racism is more than just a reference to culture or colour. It is a hatred. Rendell I can see from the bottom of my heart does not have this in his body.

Tonight for the first time I am ashamed to be a member of the Adelaide Football Club and Steven Trigg. He has unfortunately fallen to the corporate facade which I have felt Demitriou has bought to the game of football since becoming its number one man. This does not stand alone- he is constantly trying to leave his mark on the game by way of rule changes, and perceptions of the AFL system. He is actually turning alot of people off I know. The day the corporation became bigger than the sport was a sad day. At the end of the NAB CUP Demetriou strolled across AAMI stadium a lonely figure. Those in the crowd around me were all saying look at Andrew he is walking around on his own. I think this is unfortunately the way this man is going to leave the game(alone).

Great post.... I hope you send this to Trigg

 

[jackster83]

Just sent my email in:

Dear Steven,
I am writing to you today to express my grave concerns about the direction in which the Adelaide football club is heading.

I have been a crows fan ever since the early 1990’s when Modra-mania was the talk of schoolyards everywhere. We enjoyed an excellent period from 1997-2006, with the highlight being the premierships in 1997 and 1998. The excitement that gripped the state was amazing. Similarly the period in 2005 and 2006 saw the club rebound back to the top of the ladder and come agonizingly close to further premiership glory. Furthermore, the club has always been seen as one of the most professional and successful off the field with a stable board and a membership base that sits in the top echelon of sports teams in the country.

My concerns stem from the direction the club has taken in recent years. I feel that we have lost our way as the club for all South Australians as well as our place at the forefront of AFL clubs.
I have felt dismayed at the following actions by the club:

Labelling the supporters pathetic

Forcing supporters to purchase shed memberships in order to access the new facility

Lack of direction regarding AAMI Stadium/Adelaide Oval

Meek acceptance of the compensation awarded for the loss of Bock

Lack of transparency regarding the end of Neil Craig’s coaching tenure

Phil Davis being given a press conference to announce he’s leaving (for the money)

The Jake King dobbing incident

Jack Gunston being stripped of his award (and using Daniel Talia as a political pawn)

However the biggest disappointment in my eyes is the lack of loyalty shown to people involved with the Adelaide Football Club. The way that Tyson Edwards (one of the greatest players to play for the AFC) was treated whilst battling cancer was nothing short of shameful. It is no coincidence that he is now working for the “enemy”. The way that Bernie Vince and Taylor Walker in particular have been left to dry following extremely minor off-field incidents was extremely poor form by the club and shows a lack of courage and leadership.
Furthermore, the treatment of Matthew Rendell has convinced me that the club considers political correctness and “towing the AFL line” ahead of its coaches, support staff, players and members. A man’s reputation after 35 years of hard work has been destroyed at a whim of a comment being taken out of context. At a time when we are seeking to rebuild both on and off-field, this has the potential to seriously damage the AFC’s brand.

I feel that Rendell deserves a public apology and an offer of his role back. This whole incident has left many fans feeling angry and ashamed of their club so I can only imagine how he must be feeling. If this is how every AFC employee is going to be treated after a rumour, then Bock, Davis and Gunston leaving is just the tip of the iceberg.

This has left a really bitter taste in my mouth. I won’t be returning my membership but rest assured I won’t be hesitating to state my opinion on a certain popular football forum.

Yours Sincerely,

Jack
Membership no. xxxxxxxx

 

[WALL-e]

Where to start in this whole messed up situation. A truely sad time as a supporter and personally. From a personal point of view, I'm very vindicated to have Matty basically come out and give the context of the 'quote' which has supported what I'd hoped for; that they were made to get a point accross on a future issue. It's what I believed happened and I feel somewhat releived to here Matt say it in public.

I'll follow the basic timeline of the events here I guess as that may be easier, save I get caught up in an angry rant and lose my shit.

The conversation with Jason Mifsud is as expected. A meeting that wasn't planned and was basically a giant spit ball of ideas, in which Matt raised a ripper (this actually needs to be given some credence as well, it's a beauty). I'm not sure who was in that meeting with them (and either is Caro.....shut up Caro) so I'll not touch on their alleged 'comments' and 'offence' as all it is is alleged, no less by the mouthpiece of crap.

I feel for Jason Misfud, I truely do. In having a conversation with his friend, in trying to resolve a long standing issue, there was (in classic MR style) a throw-away line used to help exaggurate a point. A point that remains an issue. Jason then used Matt's throw-away line to make a point to Dimetriou, again to train and get this issue dealt with. Inadvertently, he's given Dimetriou ammunition to load the weapon that would execute his mate.

Demetriou has then done the following:

• Forced Mifsud to released details of who said it (JM would know by now what AD was getting up to). Making JM release that as part of his job.
• bypassed the actual issue at hand, gone into full media mode and began an orchastrated assault on Matt.
• He knew (at the VERY latest) on the Wednesday just passed.
• He then organised an official AFL media interiew for Mifsud and another AFL rep with The Age Thursday.
• He had Mifsud drop that out of context quote to the Age.
• He then conducts seperate media interviews himself, in which he firstly pretends NOT to know about the issue, saying the comments are "stupid" and anyone who said them should "pack their bags".
• In a seperate and following interview he now claims to know. He saidthere was no place for that in the game, that this recruiter was "lucky to be a part of the game" and to think long and hard about "future employment".

Let's not bullshit about here, in between Vlad finding out on Wednesday, and the release on Friday, he's met with Trigg and the AFC and would have demanded Matt's head.

Matt then comes back to SA Friday awaiting an ambush from his own club, orchastrated by the all seeing Greek eye.

I will preface what I am about to say by saying I do not envy the position of Trigg, I wouldn't want my every move scrutenized, I wouldn't want Demetriou forcing my hand, I wouldn't want my hand to be forced on a friend and I wouldn't want to deal with sponsor related backlash 24.7 on every issue.

Now that's out of the way, Steven Trigg, that was shit. You've not only let an employee get scapegoated, a very GOOD employee, but you've let a mate take the sword for fear of reprisal by sponsors, but more accurately the AFL and their dictatorship regime.

Matt has served this football club fantastically, and to treat him like that, not even to allow him to explain himself before reading out your disclaimer list of appologies on his behalf (enhancing the guilty verdict Demetriou had planted in the media) was disgusting.

To have the club bend over at the whim of the AFL is painful enough, and tirsome to be honest, but to do so at the cost of a great man. I'm filthy.

Now to the media list of tossbags that put a guilty verdict on someones head before hearing their story, I'd be ashamed, but I distance myself from you so much, I refuse to acknowledge the cellular similaritizes as a species. Caroline Wilson, if you're not going to listen to someone being interviewed, plain and simply 'shut the **** up'. That's all that group deserve, oh and a massive shout out to Mark Robinson for beind on the front foot from the get go. Even Eddie, good work.

Now onto a whole more generalised discussion on this 'issue'.

We were blessed last night to be provided with two polar opposites of the human spectrum. We got to see a bleeding man pour his heart out truthfully, following the interview of the marduers lieing with a straight face, standing over the bloody body claiming he didn't do it.

Demetriou, you've waged a war against someone infinately more respected than you. Where else will you see such big journalists names, player names, past figures fight tooth and nail for a bloke before hearing his side. You'll hear it being shouted now that he's FINALLY had a chance to offer up his story. There's a reason for this, this is because Matt if a genuine bloke, a likeable bloke and a bloke who treats everyone with the respect they deserve. It's his attitude MAtt has that has seen him make countless friends through the industry over 35 years. I honestly question whether AD's mother wouldn't have a swing at him with a knife if she had the chance.

An unbelievable contrast in people, stories and philosophies on life and how they live it.

I've had absolutely NOTHING, but fantastic dealings with Matt. Each time I've been able to walk away more enriched and knowlegable because of it.

I thank you for the time at the club Matt, I know your pride won't have you return regardless of future actions, but just know it's been the clubs pleasure to have you. And to leave like this, a man thrown under a bus by Demetriou, to divert attention from their own car crash, and to have the club you put so much effort into stand by and watcj, not even offering a helmet on the way down, you're not deserving of that. You are a gun, and you always will be.

The mud stains? It most certainly does, but Matt comes out of this with the cleanest skin of all!

 

[JP Sauce]

orchastrated by the all seeing Greek eye.

Racist. You should resign as mod immediately so we don't all get muddy.

Great post though.

 

[King Elvis]

So even MR agrees that Trigg had no choice in the matter..

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-sport/rendell-racist-comment-throwaway-line-20120319-1vg0x.html

If MR thinks Trigg was right, what gives us the right to say otherwise?

Vlad on the other hand... makes my blood boil.

** If you wish to email Trigg, then I suggest you email him appealing for him to reinstate MR, rather than abusing him and calling for his resignation. One is constructive, the other is just an ill-directed emotional outburst which won't achieve anything.

The fact Rendell did the right thing the club just reinforces the calibre and integrity of the man - and suggests even more so that we should've fought for him.

Trigg has done nothing wrong. Vlad on the other hand should be impaled, with his head hung from a stake outside the front entrance to AFL House.

Vlad is the biggest issue, but it's a cop out to say Trigg has done nothing wrong.

 

[Hank93]

How Passionate was Matty last night! He went nuts in the interview.

As I have posted in previous threads, the quote didn't look good. However, I'm backing in Rendall now.

On his events, it was clearly a throw away line. I want MATT BACK!