Autopsy The View from the Top : Interview with our incoming and outgoing Chairmen

[Keys]

https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/sport/afl/a/32649047/eagles-chairman-hands-over-the-reins/#page1

Thought this deserved it's own thread because it's the views of the man who has been at the helm of the club for the last 6 years (Alan Cransberg - AC) and the one who is taking his place (Russell Gibbs - RG). Some interesting points of interest to me (SB is the journo, Steve Butler) :

'''''' SB: Are you disappointed the club has not won a premiership in your time at the helm?

AC: Of course. You run a football club because you want to make a difference to the community, but you also run it because you want to win premierships.

This answer concerns me. The priorities are wrong and it's symptomatic of the lack of a hardened edge to our club which is a stumbling block in the search for our next premiership - surely it should be you run a football club to win premierships but you also run it because you want to make a difference to the community​

'''''' SB: Why is Adam Simpson the man to lead the club into the future?

AC: He’s really brought to this club a lot of stability, a lot of teachings, a lot of learning and a lot of football nous and the guys are absolutely engaged with him on taking the next step. When we recruited him, I’m not sure he was the best person at that time as a football coach

Now I'm happy with the decision to appoint Simpson as coach but the bolded bit is puzzling. Again it brings into question what we are trying to achieve even if we did get the right guy despite the flawed logic​

'''''' SB: What sort of season review will you preside over?

RG: The review will be over the whole organisation. We’ll look at every part, including the football component. Adam (Simpson) will come and present ... while I don’t think it’s correct for the board to sit around and play shadow match committee, the board will ask hard questions about the strategy he is going to put in place

We can only hope the review is robust. I agree the board shouldn't be making football decisions but they certainly need to ask questions when things don't go to plan like this year​

'''''' SB: Are you disappointed the Eagles will not be part of the inaugural AFL women’s competition?

RG: We’re keen to have it happen at the right time. Credit to Fremantle, I believe the proposal they put together was very strong. The right time will come and I think that will be very shortly.

We missed an opportunity to keep the club as one of the competitions leaders by not pushing harder to be the first club in WA to have a womens team. If they want to make a difference to the community then they missed a major opportunity to engage a large proportion of it. There's an old school mentality that drives our club at times and the lack of innovation it shows concerns me​

'''''' SB: Alan, how do you think you leave the Eagles?

AC: The role of any chairman or any board is to pick it up at any certain level, take it to the next level and then be delighted when the next board takes it even further on. Our membership continues to grow and our corporate support is outstanding, but more importantly we’ve got to continue to show that we deliver value in terms of what we do on and off the field. We’re one of the biggest, if not the biggest, brand in WA and one of the biggest brands in Australia, but I think any organisation that sits there and relaxes and doesn’t continue to enhance it, is not an organisation that will continue to grow.

I think we have relaxed - see the womens league comments above and our lack of engagement with both members and the wider supporter base​

Hopefully the new chairman can help reinvigorate the club because I think we've become stale and aren't focused properly on what we should be doing. Success is based on what you do on field first, off field second and even then they've missed opportunities to do that like the womens league

 

[kranky al]

RG: The review will be over the whole organisation. We’ll look at every part, including the football component. Adam (Simpson) will come and present ... while I don’t think it’s correct for the board to sit around and play shadow match committee, the board will ask hard questions about the strategy he is going to put in place

Including the fn football component?


How about looking at that fn first, in the fn middle and fn last

We are a corporation that makes money and treats top 8 as the goal rather than winning cups.

 

[ChampRevesby]

Yep. The club is still attempting to appease the AFL and general public that the club has reformed (from the Cousins era) to the detriment of the core business. We need some strong leadership to move us out of it and into an era where football is the primary focus. Cransberg looks spent.

 

[RookiePick]

Which one is Russell? Whichever it is I'm confident we are going to get a modern take on running a footy club

 

[Bleedblueandgold]

Which one is Russell? Whichever it is I'm confident we are going to get a modern take on running a footy club

I thought he was that guy from NCIS...

 

[ZergMinion]

Hawthorn and Geelong are really well run clubs off the field. Essendon tried to do whatever it takes to win the flag.

Which would you rather be?

I'm of the opinion that if you really have the off field stuff as strong as possible, on field success will come. If you throw everything at on field success then things can go totally pear shaped.

 

[kranky al]

Hawthorn and Geelong are really well run clubs off the field. Essendon tried to do whatever it takes to win the flag.

Which would you rather be?

I'm of the opinion that if you really have the off field stuff as strong as possible, on field success will come. If you throw everything at on field success then things can go totally pear shaped.

Theres a happy medium for sure - its just that we arent hitting it

 

[ZergMinion]

Theres a happy medium for sure - its just that we arent hitting it

I think once our new training facility is up and going things will improve further. Also we're down one well developed midfielder due to a couple of crap drafts a few years back. I don't think we're far off the mark. Just had some bad luck.

 

[kranky al]

I think once our new training facility is up and going things will improve further. Also we're down one well developed midfielder due to a couple of crap drafts a few years back. I don't think we're far off the mark. Just had some bad luck.

I feel like we lack mongrel.

 

[frenchconnection]

I feel like we lack mongrel.

That's something that players either have or they haven't - it can't be taught in my opinion.

 

[kranky al]

That's something that players either have or they haven't - it can't be taught in my opinion.

I respectfully disagree. The military have done it for centuries.

 

[The Stid]

I respectfully disagree. The military have done it for centuries.

Sooo, train with the SAS during pre season again? Or try bring back that Taff Davies bloke as tackling coach?

 

[avishka5]

I feel like we lack mongrel.

#6 Willem Drew – Another hard working effort from Drew. Consistently won the hardball and put his body on the line with no regard for his own safety. Not the cleanest user of the ball, but you can never question his intensity and bravery.
Thats why i wish we get him. Just the type we need and we haven't had one since waters retired. Hopefully nelson becomes a mainstay in our side as well.

 

[Benji85]

Eagles are exceptionally well run off the field, probably the best run club in the league and certainly the most profitable. Stability off field, breed positives on it, having a club heavily in debt and rolling board members all the time creates an absolute basket case. Plenty of other clubs will testify that poor admin will reck your club quicker than than a poor season.

I find it also great when a Club Chairman/President is rarely seen and rarely heard and goes about his role well. Every other club president seems to jostle for the limelight and it's ridiculous, play your role extends everyone I reckon.

 

[Chris_6678]

Eagles are exceptionally well run off the field, probably the best run club in the league and certainly the most profitable. Stability off field, breed positives on it, having a club heavily in debt and rolling board members all the time creates an absolute basket case. Plenty of other clubs will testify that poor admin will reck your club quicker than than a poor season.

I find it also great when a Club Chairman/President is rarely seen and rarely heard and goes about his role well. Every other club president seems to jostle for the limelight and it's ridiculous, play your role extends everyone I reckon.

Yeah like Koshie at Port.

 

[ZergMinion]

I feel like we lack mongrel.

I miss McGinnity too...

 

[ZergMinion]

I respectfully disagree. The military have done it for centuries.

One could easily argue that military service attracts a certain personality type.

 

[WCE_phil]

I respectfully disagree. The military have done it for centuries.

Having been there and done that it's just as prevalent. You either have it or you don't. It's why 30% fail to make it during recruit training and another 10-20% fail to complete their category training. So you have a system which attracts a certain type of personality for one and even then up to 50% fail to make the grade. The military breed their system into people, they don't change their overall character.

 

[kranky al]

One could easily argue that military service attracts a certain personality type.

It attracts people from all walks of life - some who dont have an aggro bone in their body - guys who join to toughen up.

Run the eagles through the bayonet assault course a few times

 

[The Dodger]

Don't really get the toughness thing. The players crack in when they have to and apart from Darling's acting and maybe Masten hearing footsteps a few years ago don't think anyone in particular avoids the rough stuff. I guess you could argue that they don't revel in it which could be a key difference. Some players like the contact and it makes them better players which we do have too few of and why Lycett (before trying to avoid anyone touching his knee) stuck out with his attack on the player and footy.

The clubs can be well run in both areas like Hawthorn, Geelong & Sydney but feel our focus post 2007 has been about good guys and making money. I get the feeling we don't make hard decisions on players. Gone on about it before but it was really disappointing to see Cox (a team leader) throwing himself out in contests to get frees etc. The 2012 semi against Collingwood when the game was on the line did it in about 4 or 5 important marking contests IIRC on the wing. Then start 2013 doing the same thing. I guess that is player group leadership and to an extent bothers me that he is now on the coaching panel due to that kind of thing. Personally think the club was already counting the money from the Cox 300 game memorabilia to understand the message that Simpson was trying to send ever so subtly with the "3 rucks can work in a team", and "we need to rotate out rucks" etc.
Simpson said we lacked on field leadership when he arrived so again saying that is saying Cox wasn't a leader or doing it well enough so really shouldn't then move that kind of thing into a coaching mentoring role IMO.

Also feel like the board should have a go at the MC. I don't think you have to be Head Coach or a player of "x" amount of years to know something wrong happened this year. I would ask for clear reasoning behind Redden playing from round 1. Jetta being the scapegoat. Lecras' position by the middle of the year. Emac's inclusion from round 1. I think asking for the thinking behind those decisions is a good idea as it shows how deep the plans are and what was expected.
A common theme I see posting on here is that we are in premiership mode so you cant play youth as much as you would like. Well surely Premiership mode extends to not playing clearly underdone players in the hope they will get back to their best in games for premiership points. I think we treated our list this year like they were already successful. IE how Hawthorn treat their players with players like Mitchell & Hodge coming straight back in from injury etc and allowed to find form as they have done it and know what to do. Giving proven under performers that same kind of leeway doesn't seem right to me. Very few players showed up on GF day last year and didn't deserve that kind of allowance.

If you leave every area segregated to do what they think needs to be done people build empires. At some point someone has to cross over and say that didn't work and ask what was the rationale behind it. Otherwise the only thing they can do is sit back wait for a couple of years of shitness in a row and then replace the coach hoping that they bring in a coach that can take a moderate list to premiership mode. With a core playing group not accountable to anyone because "they have runs on the board".

Its just an outsiders view.

 

[2006_Eagles]

The rats desert the sinking ship