Merger with Carlton??

[Lidge]

A hypothetical.

Here's the scenario...

* AFL dangle a $5m cash carrot/incentive
* NMFC the dominant partner (as per Brisbane takeover of Fitzroy)
* New club named North Melbourne - Carlton Kangaroos
* New strip (based on last year's heritage jumper. Navy Blue with white V)
* We retain our current club song (albeit the Kangaroos version)
* We get to choose 8 of their players
* NMFC football dept retained (ie coaching staff)
* Princes Park base for training, social club & admin
* NMFC majority board (say 7/5 split)
* The new entity doesn't inherit any of Carlton's financial liabilities (other than contracts of the selected 8 players)

Possibly more of a moral dilemna - but would you vote yes or no?

 

[ARDENSTREETforever]

oooh God no, any name with Carlton in it makes me feel terminally ill.

 

[Devil Fish]

I didn't ever bother reading your `hypothetical' Lidge. MERGERS ARE A SCAM.

 

[dani77]

Lidge with the hard questions!

Not exactly what you have said but thoughts similar have been in my head since the weekend when I was discussing the future draftees of the club in terms of current players children. I said to another very long term Roo's supporter, imagine how good it will be in about 15 years time when we can draft one of Archer's sons and she said I hate to say it, but we will not be here in 15 years. the thought made me want to cry.

But with the points you put across I feel if we were to be facing no longer existing that may be a good option. Would hate to lsoe our jumper and Arden St, but at least I guess we would still be North Melbourne albeit with the Carlton Kangaroos attached but predominantly, North Melbourne or the Kangaroos would be the name used I guess, just as it is now.

So, in the slefish desire of wanting to have North Melbourne around in 15 years time I would vote yes, it was a hard hard decision to make. I am as proud and passionate as any other North Melbourne supporter as well, so please don't any one knock my hypothetical decision Also, I think we would become the SUPER CLUB of the AFL, even though in my eyes we already are!!!!!

PS - Lidge what was your vote?

 

[year of the roo]

Under that criteria (which would never ever happen BTW) you would have to look pretty hard at that and probably take it.

The result could be one of the biggest clubs, not only in Victoria, but the whole AFL.

 

[F/D]

Thats a hard choice, in the end, you would have to think about it for a long time.


BTW: 8 players? Lappin, Stevens, Waite.......eh........

 

[Lidge]

PS - Lidge what was your vote?

Tough call...there is not a club which I dislike more than Carlton, which makes it tough to remove that bias and emotion from the equation.

As YOTR pointed out, unlikely such criteria would ever be tabled (not in our favour anyway).

But I suspect if Footscray was the other half of the deal, I'd expect the poll results probably go 50%+ in favour of yes.

Motive for the thread and poll is/was to get a bit of debate (and likely to turn heated) on the subject and see what the latest views on this subject are from the died in the wool supporters on this board.

The current predicament that Carlton find themselves in (cash strapped Blues has a nice ring to it doesn't it ) was the only reason why I've thrown their name up.

My personal preferences are 100% for North to stand alone and stay in Melbourne. But for the purpose of this poll (and conditions attached) I'd go yes.

 

[year of the roo]

BTW: 8 players? Lappin, Stevens, Waite.......eh........

Walker, Fisher, Thornton, pick 1 and 3 in the ND...?

 

[F/D]

Walker, Fisher, Thornton, pick 1 and 3 in the ND...?

Joke buddy, it was a joke.

BTW, me dont rate Walker, and thats no joke.

 

[1jasonoz]

Walker, Fisher, Thornton, pick 1 and 3 in the ND...?

I voted no. But just on the question of players, the same question was asked about who we would take from the Bullies if we merged, and most came up with the Likes of Darcy, Grant and Johnstone etc; all older players. My belief is that IF we had to merge, pick players for the future(talented younger players) who would set us up with a greta list for the future.

But lets hope we never get into the position.

 

[Bren]

I voted yes so long as we keep our name, song, players, staff, home ground, colors, jumper... the ONLY thing that i would take from them is there members

 

[utility]

Reminds of a quote I can't remember exactly... there are no mergers in business, only rapings.

We have little in common with Carlton so it just wouldn't work. By the way the $5M carrot is less than the $6M carrot offered in 1995-96.

 

[Sexiano Ronaldo]

So long as the deal involves us securing Luke Livingston i'm all for it.

 

[Archer_11]

Lidge you are a sick sick man.

 

[Lidge]

Lidge you are a sick sick man.

Guilty as charged. Will accept the early plea and take a reprimand

 

[Borak]

Hell No

 

[jackson_rules]

an outsiders view if welcome, dont eccept you guys are better then carlton one of the more successful teams over the last 10 yrs so why merge

 

[pafc4life]

Guilty as charged. Will accept the early plea and take a reprimand

hey whats with the sig? i thought the Roos had 5 flags or something like that?

 

[Rookie]

North Melbourne can survive as their own seperate entity. Carlton would never, ever be reduced to such bad terms so it won't happen.

I'm confident North can survive on their own.

 

[CURVE]

Doesn't sound like a merger, sounds like a takeover. While, after the events of the late 80's, taking over Carlton would be sweet, I dont really want to be associated in anyway with Carlton.
The BIG positive about this "takeover" would be the massive heart attack suffered by John Elliott, after discovering that small, inconsequential team he tried to buy in the late 80's has taking over his beloved Blues. Sweet as.

Apologises if the heart attack comment is in poor tatste, but I really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really hate that guy. If you get my drift.

 

[Twinkletoes]

Originally Posted by pafc4life
hey whats with the sig? i thought the Roos had 5 flags or something like that?

It's a list of our club's premierships.........VFA, VFL and AFL.

We joined the VFL in 1925, after trying to get in for many years and back when the VFA was a very comparable competition (pre the big $$$$), so the list includes our VFA flags of 1903, 1904, 1910, 1914, 1915 and 1918.

(I hope you don't mind me answering for ya there Lidgey)

T'toes

 

[Twinkletoes]

BTW............back on the topic........

I just can't answer that one Lidge. The thought of a world where we're faced with that possibility is too difficult to imagine.

That's a world where people blow themselves up in order to blow up others, big brother is watching, teams like Port Adelaide are winning AFL flags, Wayne Carey is an ex Adelaide player, we can't even qualify for a Davis Cup Semi Final, we're beatable in ODI cricket by teams as lowly as Bangladesh, the World Trade Centre twin towers are but ruins, dope is legal in South Australia etc etc etc....................none of which could ever happen!!!!!!!!

Nah............can't think about any of those, let alone us being in a position where a merger was our future..........especially with CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARLTON!!!!

T'toes

 

[Zondor]

I didn't ever bother reading your `hypothetical' Lidge. MERGERS ARE A SCAM.

Yep, the only thing I wanted to do back in 96 was to merge my fist with Miller's head. The club has already survived some 9 years after the failed merger we had to have. This rot about us having to merge cause we are a smaller club has been proven to be wrong. We are the North Melbourne Football Club. We can survive as the North Melbourne Football Club. The mere thought of merging our football club with another makes me sick. I'd rather talk about merging in a sexual nature. Now that's a more uplifting topic to discuss.

 

[Kimbo]

Guilty as charged. Will accept the early plea and take a reprimand

Sorry Lidge, the standard penalty is 8 weeks!

I distinctly remember getting 'reported' and 'suspended' for asking similar questions when I first got on the Board. Naivety was met with a mugging!

whispering...

but, in any possible merger, the royal blue and the Kangaroo emblem would be high on my list of requirements.

"We are the old double blue Kangaroos.." !?

 

[gold cup 1996]

I don't care what team is named that we are to merge with, I would rather us die as a club than merge because merging is murder in my mind anyway. I could handle relocating as a last resort though.