Apologies, just re-read my post and preface everything with "from my discussions with "insiders". It's water tight now.

Retired from what exactly? He wasn't serving in an official capacity. I'm not disagreeing with you as to why he came back, I'm disagreeing with you in regards to what impact he had on why we were there in the first place.

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BLUES 2010: PAV AND JUDD = FLAGS. DOING IT FOR THE LOVE OF DICK PRATT.

HAVE YOU SIGNED UP FOR TALKINGCARLTON SUPERCOACH 2009 YET?

Thanks. This is what really upsets me. Making stuff up and rumour peddling about a dead man who saved the club.

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TC suffers from the social media illness - the death of respect and constructive discourse by keyboard.

Especially when its irrelevant to the topic

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WADA medical director Dr Alan Vernec describes Essendon* FC drug case as biggest scandal in team sport the world of sport has seen. #WC2WB

#GUILTY

I can't believe people are questioning Pratt. He gave over his life more to the Club than everyone else on this forum put together, multiplied by a hundred. Starting as a player with the Under 19s.

I think it's important to remember one thing when judging an individual's input to a Club. It is easy to say 'so and so DIDN'T do this', 'he came on board too late', 'where was he when...'. Well, there are a hundred, a thousand individuals who chose not to get involved, for all sorts of reasons. And that is their right to make that choice. Most people are busy. Successful people are busier than most. When someone chooses to get involved, to volunteer their time to help out, then they should be admired and thanked for that. People will then judge the worth of that effort, rightly or wrongly, accurately or not. But I don't think we have any right to aim blame at someone for not choosing to volunteer their time.

Dick Pratt achieved more in his life than most people. He wasn't perfect, he made mistakes, but he added value to lots of organisations, lots of individuals and to society as a whole. At an age where most are putting their feet up enjoying the grand kids, and with ill health and some pretty massive issues going on in his life, he chose to once again give service to the Club - having been a player and then board member for many years before, as well as a significant financial contributor - without financial reward (quite the opposite in fact).

The result of those last efforts can be debated, although surely the arrival of Swan and Judd were a direct result of Pratt. But I think it is grossly unfair to accuse of him of 'coming on board too late', or 'not giving enough'. He gave plenty.

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Mens sana in corpore sano.

Bring back the laurel wreath logo!!!

How am I making anything up here? The only thing that I've mentioned here that would require confirmation, is favourable of Pratt in saying that similar payments made in the latter stages of the Elliott regime, saved the club from what happened in 2007 happening 5-6 years earlier than it really did.

It's relevant in the sense that we're discussing "saviours" of the club, and at the same time the double standards of Fahour being apparently blocked from joining the board for not helping us whilst at NAB, yet Pratt's absence from 2002 to 2006 was plain for all to see.

I'm sure if similar arguments were made against Sticks, it'd be fair game. And yes, before you counter with "Well, he's dead" - OK - let's not forget that 2 other family members are still on the board and are just as likely to go missing when things don't go their way.

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BLUES 2010: PAV AND JUDD = FLAGS. DOING IT FOR THE LOVE OF DICK PRATT.

HAVE YOU SIGNED UP FOR TALKINGCARLTON SUPERCOACH 2009 YET?

Why, do you know where Ron Evans is buried??

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"Hence you will not say that Greeks fight like heroes but that heroes fight like Greeks"?

Winston Churchill

I think someone posted the Gore Vidal quote in the past couple of weeks - "It is not enough to succeed. Others must fail". It's relevant here.

Whilst Pratt should be lauded for exactly what you've mentioned. The lure of seeing Smorgon fall on his face cannot be underestimated.

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BLUES 2010: PAV AND JUDD = FLAGS. DOING IT FOR THE LOVE OF DICK PRATT.

HAVE YOU SIGNED UP FOR TALKINGCARLTON SUPERCOACH 2009 YET?

I'm sure we can find out

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*(grow - fun - gah)

Yeah but whatabout your whataboutism.

Why we bother digging them up in the first place is the real issue.

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Just because I'm offended, doesn't mean I'm wrong.

to feel important it seems

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*(grow - fun - gah)

Yeah but whatabout your whataboutism.

That may or may not be so. Smorgon had/has a business reputation that led many people to be very worried when he became President. If there were issues between Smorgon and Pratt, so be it. It is within Pratt's right to not want to get involved in a project where there are others with whom he doesn't have a good relationship involved; in fact, it makes sense. Perhaps he delighted in Smorgon's fall. Perhaps he was just waiting for Smorgon to be removed so that he could have a clear run at the Presidency without messy infighting and politics. Who knows? Whichever, it was still his right.

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Mens sana in corpore sano.

Bring back the laurel wreath logo!!!

says someone moderating a football forum?

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BLUES 2010: PAV AND JUDD = FLAGS. DOING IT FOR THE LOVE OF DICK PRATT.

HAVE YOU SIGNED UP FOR TALKINGCARLTON SUPERCOACH 2009 YET?

Common sense statement.

How could anyone devalue the postive effect Pratt had on the Carlton Football club is ludicrous. I'd even go as far to suggest "idiotic".

We were going under. Get it? Remember what the Swans were like after Edelston when Barrassi took over? We were worse, because we were in the same boat only we were still in close proximity to those families who supported us for the last century...and they weren't prepared to give the club in $ in the form of meberships.

Short memories.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

ooh yeah - got me there !

i need this like a hole in the head

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*(grow - fun - gah)

Yeah but whatabout your whataboutism.

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WADA medical director Dr Alan Vernec describes Essendon* FC drug case as biggest scandal in team sport the world of sport has seen. #WC2WB

#GUILTY

Point taken.

I think it's a massive step forward for the Club. Next step is to groom the next President (one would assume it will be one of them, hope they don't have a bun fight over it!), and prune the board back to appropriate numbers (not sure why that part can't start now?).

Then get strong leadership, strong culture, strong coach...bring it on!

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Mens sana in corpore sano.

Bring back the laurel wreath logo!!!

Richard Pratt had both a positive and negative impact on the club. At board meetings - he was next to useless. Embarrassing. But many people at the club thought 'Hey, Dick's on board - we're away now...just sit back and look at it go'...and that's what they did. They sat back. Both these points are fact. That's the negative. The positive was that the place did galvanise. He did manage to give some credibility to the place. His company gave tremendous support to past players and sponsorship coffers.

Mikkey you see how you want to see the club...I'll see it how I see it. Just because someone has worked at the football club, doesn't mean they've done a good job. I worked for the ACCC during your so-called 'witch-hunt' of Pratt. By your logic, I'm probably an accessory to murder!

...by keyboard.

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BLUES 2010: PAV AND JUDD = FLAGS. DOING IT FOR THE LOVE OF DICK PRATT.

HAVE YOU SIGNED UP FOR TALKINGCARLTON SUPERCOACH 2009 YET?

Well...yes. Graeme Samuel had us locked in a century-old back vault about 100 foot underneath Elizabeth St. We got the bastard though! (Graeme's words...not mine).

Agree with your backing of Pratt here Mikkey. I for one look at him as a saviour of our club.

Cant believe some of the disgraceful comments on here criticising Pratt's timing of coming on-board. Most don't realise that Richard was reluctant to do so for a number of years because he wanted the club to be seen to be self sufficient and non reliant on benefactors. The fact that he stepped in when he did is a reflection on the person he was.

Pot shot supporters such as Synbad and Rhino should outline their own strategic plan and blueprint for running a successful club and perhaps put their money where their mouth is... our should I say keyboard!