MFC - The Fish rots at the head

[mhill]

It is the sad truth of football. Success begins off the field.
Look at what I believe are the best run clubs in the AFL over the past 10-15 years - Eagles, Crows, Swans/Lions (with a little help from their friends), Power and more recently Cats and Magpies.

As a long suffering Richmond supporter, I was always convinced that the 90s contained a never ending supply of useless boobs running our club. Jim Malone, Mark Brayshaw and Ian Campbell through the late 90s and early 2000s.
We had board upheavals, turnover in staff and coach after coach - particularly in the 90s and it made our club a mess.

It happened to Carlton in the late 90s and was camouflaged by systematic cheating of the salary cap. But when the jig was up, they too fell into a administrative mess that ended ruining their off field performance.

So what does that have to do with Melbourne?

Having had some experience over the years with my own club, I can see a bad president a mile away. Makes excuses, uses making profit as his own measure for success, blames the coach and sack him, blames the supporters for not joining up, oversees huge off field turnover in executive staff and isn't there for every game.

McNamee may well be good for your club but give me a freakin break talking about the "brand". The biggest bullshit word in football. A brand is a packet of Twisties, something you eat and throw away. Anyone that loves football knows that it means a hell of a lot more that a packet of Twisties to them.

If you get a bad packet of Twisties, what are you going to do? Throw the packet out and buy Cheetos. Your not going to ditch your football team if they suffer 100 point defeats in consecutive weeks are you?

Because football is a fxxking religion not a brand.

And people like the Melbourne president are too far removed from their supporters and the game to realize that.

I noticed the quote of Gardener yesterday about the supporters - this is after a 100 point defeat in round 1:-
Gardner labelled "pathetic" supporters of the club who criticised while not contributing anything themselves

Hey *******, how is that going to motivate anyone to join up? Rally the troops don't ostracise them
I wonder if he is that arrogant to his potential advertising clients? I'd doubt it.

Now this may may sound harsh, well okay. But I have seen this all before and some would say our club is still getting it from Miller and Wallace. We'll soon see. But there is no doubt that at the moment in Demonland the problem starts at the top. Your President must go.

 

[Adrian1]

here here ! PG is the epitomy of the problems at the football club. He believes we will exist because of our name and has this ridiculous notion of we have to stay at the MCG to be successful.

For the last 20 years it hasn't worked so why will it now.

I reckon the club should permanently move out to Casey Fields and forget the Olympic Park precinct. But you are right Gardner is way too arrogant to admit he might be wrong.

There appears to be a groundswell to get rid of him though. Hopefully they can replace him with someone who knows how to market events and attract sponsors like Ron Walker.

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

It is the sad truth of football. Success begins off the field.
Look at what I believe are the best run clubs in the AFL over the past 10-15 years - Eagles, Crows, Swans/Lions (with a little help from their friends), Power and more recently Cats and Magpies.

As a long suffering Richmond supporter, I was always convinced that the 90s contained a never ending supply of useless boobs running our club. Jim Malone, Mark Brayshaw and Ian Campbell through the late 90s and early 2000s.
We had board upheavals, turnover in staff and coach after coach - particularly in the 90s and it made our club a mess.

It happened to Carlton in the late 90s and was camouflaged by systematic cheating of the salary cap. But when the jig was up, they too fell into a administrative mess that ended ruining their off field performance.

So what does that have to do with Melbourne?

Having had some experience over the years with my own club, I can see a bad president a mile away. Makes excuses, uses making profit as his own measure for success, blames the coach and sack him, blames the supporters for not joining up, oversees huge off field turnover in executive staff and isn't there for every game.

McNamee may well be good for your club but give me a freakin break talking about the "brand". The biggest bullshit word in football. A brand is a packet of Twisties, something you eat and throw away. Anyone that loves football knows that it means a hell of a lot more that a packet of Twisties to them.

If you get a bad packet of Twisties, what are you going to do? Throw the packet out and buy Cheetos. Your not going to ditch your football team if they suffer 100 point defeats in consecutive weeks are you?

Because football is a fxxking religion not a brand.

And people like the Melbourne president are too far removed from their supporters and the game to realize that.

I noticed the quote of Gardener yesterday about the supporters - this is after a 100 point defeat in round 1:-
Gardner labelled "pathetic" supporters of the club who criticised while not contributing anything themselves

Hey *******, how is that going to motivate anyone to join up? Rally the troops don't ostracise them
I wonder if he is that arrogant to his potential advertising clients? I'd doubt it.

Now this may may sound harsh, well okay. But I have seen this all before and some would say our club is still getting it from Miller and Wallace. We'll soon see. But there is no doubt that at the moment in Demonland the problem starts at the top. Your President must go.

Great post.

Unfortunately, Gardiner has to go without blood being spilt. If he doesnt resign, (which he wont), they cannot afford a spiteful boardroom fight. It will break their back.

They only way for them to move forward is for a carefully stage-managed transition to a new board and President with an open mind about the future. This change must be headed by McNamee (he's there now, may as well give him a go), that at least gives a public impression of unity.

Then get rid of Yze Neitz Robertson Sylvia and Carroll at the end of the year (final warning for McLean) and the decks are clear.

 

[Bollox]

Just what they need...some lug with a few catch words that wants to pretend he's some sort of administrative elixer or marketing flog.

Cant wait for him to pull out another one like "the dynamic" or introduce '"team and club dynamics for the future"

geeeeeezus...if i hear that pathetic american phrase "the brand" again i'll spew. Who the hell gives a rats arse about "the brand" when you;re getting your arse kicked on the paddock for christsake.

 

[Messenger]

It is the sad truth of football. Success begins off the field.

Great post, mhill.

I think in this case the stimulus for a revival at Melbourne will be on the field.

Certainly they have some issues with membership structure and MCC members and the lack of permanent training venue, but it is difficult to attract fence-sitters to a team who get their arse handed to them regularly.

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

Just because he spits out a couple of cliches after a week on the desk doesnt mean he's not the best man for the job.

Give the guy a break.

Melbourne have a million problems. McNamee isnt one of them. Yet.

 

[mhill]

Just because he spits out a couple of cliches after a week on the desk doesnt mean he's not the best man for the job.

Give the guy a break.

Melbourne have a million problems. McNamee isnt one of them. Yet.

I didn't say he would fail, my point was his first press conference could have been a bit more "football" than "business".

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

I didn't say he would fail, my point was his first press conference could have been a bit more "football" than "business".

CEO's role is not about football. Its about finance.

 

[Omegaman]

Melbourne have a million problems. McNamee isnt one of them. Yet.

No, their problems start with Mr Paul "It won't happen overnight and now looks like it won't happen at all" Gardiner. What has the guy actually changed since the days of Diamond Joe Gutnick? Sacked the Reverend and come across as an aloof snob every time someone stuck a microphone under his nose? Daniher's time was up as a coach but if "brand awareness" was a concern, the Rev was one of their best public spokesmen- who do they have to spruik the name now? Garry Lyon? When he isn't spruiking his #1 team, the Footy Show maybe. Dean Bailey might well be the nicest guy on the planet but he has other fires to fight right now- like being a poor advertisement for their coaching "executive recruitment strategy" for starters. What would Sheeds be thinking right now?

Gardiner is a poster boy for every half successful businessman that chased an AFL presidency as a vanity project.

 

[Bollox]

Gardiner is a poster boy for every half successful businessman that chased an AFL presidency as a vanity project.

Good effective and efficient disposal Show that to Jude Bolton at training.

 

[Merv]

Great post.

Unfortunately, Gardiner has to go without blood being spilt. If he doesnt resign, (which he wont), they cannot afford a spiteful boardroom fight. It will break their back.

I disagree totally.

Melbourne need blood spilled.

The best thing that could happen to them, if in fact Gardiner is no good and i have no idea if he is or isn't, is for the Melbourne supporters to show some passion and fight tooth and nail to clean out the place.

 

[Robbie]

OP is excellent.

Heard Gardiner yesterday blaming the media for negative write ups of Melbourne's off field performance. If that isn't burying your head in the sand I don't know what is. Seems like the only ones that don't know they have a major problem is the MFC Board.

Disgraceful.

 

[mango]

It is the sad truth of football. Success begins off the field.
Look at what I believe are the best run clubs in the AFL over the past 10-15 years - Eagles, Crows, Swans/Lions (with a little help from their friends), Power and more recently Cats and Magpies.

wouldnt go as far as to call it a 'sad truth', more a 'necessary ingredient to on field stability'

and you might want to add essendon to that list, doubt if any club has come as far off field in the last 20 years as the bombers

now, time to go skin a cat or 2...

 

[Omegaman]

Good effective and efficient disposal Show that to Jude Bolton at training.

Trained the house down in the preseason.

 

[retroparty]

They need someone like Robbie Flower or Ron Barrassi in charge.

 

[demonfan9]

Many Melbourne supporters have a feeling that Gardner will hand over the reigns at the end of the season anyway, provided there is a suitable replacement in the wings of course. It's been rumoured that Jim Stynes/Garry Lyon might be making a push. I think that could be great, even if they aren't big business wigs, they are still respected football people, intelligent, measured and passionate for the club. I think if they were serious, then Gardner would be happy to hand over the reigns. He has mentioned in past interviews that he doesn't see himself doing this for the rest of his career.

I think the McNamee appointment will be a good one. He has a good record in the sport industry, is a respected identity and would have a lot of contacts in the big end of town. Just because he said a cliche in his interview doesn't mean he isn't right for the job. His message was still correct though. We need to embrace our image and our heartland (but we also need to develop support in other areas, which is why the Casey Fields idea could be good), we need to be proud of our club, we need to utilise the stereotypical supporter, who has a lot of disposable income and business connections.

 

[w00dy]

OP is excellent.

Heard Gardiner yesterday blaming the media for negative write ups of Melbourne's off field performance. If that isn't burying your head in the sand I don't know what is. Seems like the only ones that don't know they have a major problem is the MFC Board.

Disgraceful.

the point he was trying to make was we're in a much better position now as a club than we were 5 years ago...

we were over $5 million in debt and making losses... we've halved the debt, making profits (all be it modest ones) and we're spending more on our football department than we ever have...

why all of a sudden are we a club in turmoil when we're in our strongest position financially for a long time? that was the point he was making...

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

They need someone like Robbie Flower or Ron Barrassi in charge.

They need Jimmy Stynes. Only problem with that, is that he's got Gary Lyon attached to the hip.

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

the point he was trying to make was we're in a much better position now as a club than we were 5 years ago...

we were over $5 million in debt and making losses... we've halved the debt, making profits (all be it modest ones) and we're spending more on our football department than we ever have...

why all of a sudden are we a club in turmoil when we're in our strongest position financially for a long time? that was the point he was making...

It wasnt the time or the forum to make those comments. It may be true but thats got little to do with their current dilemma. Besides, is it sustainable? How much of that gap was closed by selling their home games? Was it wise to end it?

 

[w00dy]

It wasnt the time or the forum to make those comments.

Why not? I think it was the perfect place to make a statement like that.

It may be true but thats got little to do with their current dilemma.

What dilemma do you speak of? We don't have a dilemma off field, that was the whole point of the statement. On field we obviously have some problems, but that doesn't have a whole lot to do with the president, and is not what Gardiner addressed.

Besides, is it sustainable? How much of that gap was closed by selling their home games? Was it wise to end it?

is what sustainable? the club? if we improve in the next 5 years as much as we have in the last 5 then we will be fine... still a lot of work to do, but not the doom and gloom sensationalists like Hutchy claim...

 

[mhill]

wouldnt go as far as to call it a 'sad truth', more a 'necessary ingredient to on field stability'

and you might want to add essendon to that list, doubt if any club has come as far off field in the last 20 years as the bombers

now, time to go skin a cat or 2...

I reckon the Bombers were actually real trailblazers in the AFL in the early to late 90s with the off field stuff. Training facilities, coaching set up, recruiting staff were all leading edge during that period. Incredibly stable and united board and the club did an incredible job building up the list and the overall club from 94-98 which led to that golden era of 99-01.
The reason I left them off is mainly due to the period 02-07 where I think the club just lost their way and got a bit comfortable with their achievements. The on field results in the past 3 years have proven that. Eagles, Crows, Power and possibly Brisbane look like they bounce back quicker when their "old generation" retire, their list management looks a little more pro active than the Bombers is all. The Magpies look like they get a bit more out of their list than the Bombers - particularly in 02/03.

But having said that, overall your club do it pretty well.

 

[Bombermania]

It is the sad truth of football. Success begins off the field.
Look at what I believe are the best run clubs in the AFL over the past 10-15 years - Eagles, Crows, Swans/Lions (with a little help from their friends), Power and more recently Cats and Magpies.

As a long suffering Richmond supporter, I was always convinced that the 90s contained a never ending supply of useless boobs running our club. Jim Malone, Mark Brayshaw and Ian Campbell through the late 90s and early 2000s.
We had board upheavals, turnover in staff and coach after coach - particularly in the 90s and it made our club a mess.

It happened to Carlton in the late 90s and was camouflaged by systematic cheating of the salary cap. But when the jig was up, they too fell into a administrative mess that ended ruining their off field performance.

So what does that have to do with Melbourne?

Having had some experience over the years with my own club, I can see a bad president a mile away. Makes excuses, uses making profit as his own measure for success, blames the coach and sack him, blames the supporters for not joining up, oversees huge off field turnover in executive staff and isn't there for every game.

McNamee may well be good for your club but give me a freakin break talking about the "brand". The biggest bullshit word in football. A brand is a packet of Twisties, something you eat and throw away. Anyone that loves football knows that it means a hell of a lot more that a packet of Twisties to them.

If you get a bad packet of Twisties, what are you going to do? Throw the packet out and buy Cheetos. Your not going to ditch your football team if they suffer 100 point defeats in consecutive weeks are you?

Because football is a fxxking religion not a brand.

And people like the Melbourne president are too far removed from their supporters and the game to realize that.

I noticed the quote of Gardener yesterday about the supporters - this is after a 100 point defeat in round 1:-
Gardner labelled "pathetic" supporters of the club who criticised while not contributing anything themselves

Hey *******, how is that going to motivate anyone to join up? Rally the troops don't ostracise them
I wonder if he is that arrogant to his potential advertising clients? I'd doubt it.

Now this may may sound harsh, well okay. But I have seen this all before and some would say our club is still getting it from Miller and Wallace. We'll soon see. But there is no doubt that at the moment in Demonland the problem starts at the top. Your President must go.

Congratulations on a top post

I think the culture of the MFC administration was shown when Gardiner first became president for he skipped his first match to go for a walk that in itself may have been a small thing but it appears the culture of Melbourne has become stuffy and stale and while the players are seprate from the administration side of things, anyone who has worked in a large company knows if the management has a particulr culture over time it impacts on everything and everyone.

What Melbourne have produced so far this year has been poor quality heartless football which may be the result of a club obessed with a structure that is striftling and ridget and the langauge from senior members of the Club indicate that is the case.

Paul did a great job running Tennis Australia but does he fit the culture of the MFC at present, I'm not sure he does.

 

[Zvim]

They need someone like Robbie Flower or Ron Barrassi in charge.

If you put Barrassi in charge the Demons will be the West Sydney Demons in 2012. He is an expansionist now and history/tradition mean nothing to him.

Melbourne has lost the passion, all the supporters need is someone to come in who has passion to re-ignite it and to fire up and rally the supporters. People are sheep, without the figurehead they wont do anything.

 

[unstable punt]

Great post.

Unfortunately, Gardiner has to go without blood being spilt. If he doesnt resign, (which he wont), they cannot afford a spiteful boardroom fight. It will break their back.

They only way for them to move forward is for a carefully stage-managed transition to a new board and President with an open mind about the future. This change must be headed by McNamee (he's there now, may as well give him a go), that at least gives a public impression of unity.

Then get rid of Yze Neitz Robertson Sylvia and Carroll at the end of the year (final warning for McLean) and the decks are clear.

he will go at the end of the year if someone will take his job, Jimmy Stynes has put his hand up and apparently Ron Walker might be interested. Gardner said that on Footy Classified he might go this year, definitely next

 

[unstable punt]

also Neitz,Yze,Green,Miller, probably White and maybe Sylvia & Carroll will be gone