The Story of Pagan's Purge

1AW_rules · **Posted:** Sat Mar 12, 2005 12:11 am

Article from The Age
The story of Pagan's purge

Quite a good read. It's amazing how much of our list we've turned over since Denis arrived.

Ponkstar · **Posted:** Sat Mar 12, 2005 12:24 am

That is the best bloody Carlton article I have read in 3 years. And I can't believe it was a Caro!!!

I love this quote from Sticks:

Quote:

"When I first came to the club, there were blokes like Sellars (Mark Maclure) and Jimmy (Buckley) and we trained hard and we'd go out afterwards and play hard. These blokes are more clean cut . . . but they want to be together the way we did. They're down at the club when they don't have to be, the cricket's always on and they are great mates again. What you have is a really hungry group of young players and they're playing for their coach."

Sums it up to a "T"

Kevin Bohane · **Posted:** Sat Mar 12, 2005 2:08 am

is he joe stalin in disguise? :lol:

thats quite a serious purge but at least he has replaced those who left with quality young players. the club seems to be benefiting from his policies this year and it's only march

7dominator · **Posted:** Sat Mar 12, 2005 7:03 am

"Pagan's motivation clearly involves proving himself once again to those knockers who thought he had taken on an unsurmountable challenge. To those who said that success for Carlton was at least a decade away. He also has a score to settle with the AFL, who took away Daniel Wells, Brendon Goddard and three other early draft picks over two years when they punished Carlton for salary-cap cheating.

Collins is with him on that. "I don't think you ever forgive the harshness of the penalties," the Blues' president said. "There was a new board and a new direction and they knew that, but they punished people who were no longer part of the club. Not only did they stuff us up financially but they stuffed us up in a footy sense as well . . . We missed five picks and those five picks would have been the catalyst for a really new side. But it made us more resilient and we had to look at other avenues"

Agro i am sure will really pick up on Collo's theme.

The bitterness against Demetriou is share by all Carlton people!

The Vet · **Posted:** Sat Mar 12, 2005 7:51 am

Fantastic article.

The news about Gags thinking Pagan's home now is great, and the feeling of the buzz around the club. Love it.

Sticks was always a legend wasn't he. After reading that you know that naming the room after him was right.

Who were the departing players who didn't turn up to the dinner - McKay, Ratten, Hickmont? or beaumont, the bolt and smurf?

Who bagged Pagan to the Kangaroos?

fjanyc · **Posted:** Sat Mar 12, 2005 8:30 am

Some of us have been posting on this board/TBV in all of their incarnations for over four years. It's been a tough time and in many ways the message board was a form of counselling. We would desperately crave Frank's positives thread and we would be unified in our defence against attacks from Patrick Smith, Carolyn Wilson and Mike Sheehan.

Reading the article this morning while eating my oatmeal

, it made me realize how things have slowly started to turn. I have tremendous admiration for what Denis has been able to achieve in terms of changing the vibe of the Club and it's nice to have the press starting to pay him his dues. Let's hope the pendulum keeps swinging. Instead of desperate and divided, the Club is now unified and optimistic.

The catalyst for me was the trade period last year when the Club (long having a history of being done over at trade time by rival clubs) made a statement and gave us all hope. A win tonight would be a great thing for the Carlton community.

CarltonClem · **Posted:** Sat Mar 12, 2005 8:40 am

One of the best articles I have read about Carlton for a long, long time. Well researched, and yet there is recognition of a more sinister element (with the departing players etc.).

Look, love her or hate her, Caro isn't a bad writer - her pieces are usually well researched (her Black Friday pieces all had very good info) that comes from hard work or good resources.

I'm really struggling to do this: Kudos to Caro

The Tyrant · **Posted:** Sat Mar 12, 2005 8:49 am

I respect Caro immensely. The only footy writer I read.

Synbad · **Posted:** Sat Mar 12, 2005 9:00 am

The Tyrant wrote:

I respect Caro immensely. The only footy writer I read.

She does something to your loin region doesnt she Tyrants?

I thnk we are being given an armchair ride this week.
On numerous occasions on sports talk back the sports jocks have cut people off from bagging us .They have replied with something along the lines of "this week is Carlton`s week"
Denis has brought back dignity to this club and its supporters.We could have easily have been another Richmond over the next 20 years.
I really cant believe what the great man has achieved in such a short period of time. Its not about the Wizzard cup run.. its more about the togetherness and for the first time ever im watching a creation just happen before my very eyes.It is as if Denis is a potter and a remarkable pot is being moulded by his hands on the wheel and were all lucky enough to watch it happen.

In my opinion Denis needs to be honoured by the club when his tenure is up.
I remember the posts when people doubted him in his first year. That" if he was a good coach he would make players play for him not ship them off.". or "he cant attracted big name players" .. "his game plan is too predictable".. blah blah.
i doubted that we could win alot of games and still go forward.
At the end of the day if there is someone who knows what theyre doing you can turn shit into strawberry jam.

I reckon a statue!!!

buzzaaaah · **Joined:** Mon Feb 28, 2005 10:31 am **Posts:** 17892

I hope this stops the idea that Caroline Wilson has an agenda against Carlton. She wrote what she did in 2002 and 2003 because at that time it was accurate. We were in a mess. She has been one of the writers most positive about the Blues since last year, Maybe she is making up for past sins but i'll take it anyway

The Tyrant · **Posted:** Sat Mar 12, 2005 9:17 am

Synbad wrote:

I reckon a statue!!!

I agree... and because he's Denis PAGAN...

I propose a giant totem in the middle of Optus Oval, that the players smear Ox-blood before each match.

Tasteful

Wangers · **Joined:** Mon Feb 28, 2005 9:26 pm **Posts:** 1763

Synbad wrote:

In my opinion Denis needs to be honoured by the club when his tenure is up........I reckon a statue!!!

I have no doubt he will, Synbad.

The article was a great read whilst I was having breakfast.

I liken tonights Wizzer cup final to the current "The Apprentice" series ....Booksmarts (WCE - High draft picks) V Streetsmarts (Carlton - Lack of high Draft picks and deals done via trades)

AFL - we have a score to settle :evil:

The Tyrant · **Posted:** Sat Mar 12, 2005 9:21 am

buzzaaaah wrote:

I hope this stops the idea that Caroline Wilson has an agenda against Carlton. She wrote what she did in 2002 and 2003 because at that time it was accurate. We were in a mess. She has been one of the writers most positive about the Blues since last year, Maybe she is making up for past sins but i'll take it anyway

Spot on.

Unlike 99% of Footy media personalities, Caro answers only to the integrity of her profession. If a story's there, she'll write it. She's not pushing some barrow full of Channel 9/Collingwood $$, or some petty grievance about an incident on the park in the 70s.

If Caro slings dirt, its usually because there's enough there in the first place.

No body likes reading in 2002 that your club is about to be decimated. But hey.... she was right. Can't shoot the messenger

JohnM · **Posted:** Sat Mar 12, 2005 9:40 am

I can't begin to describe how good it felt reading through The Age in bed this morning, and getting to the sports section. These last few years it's read like a script for a Hollywood slasher movie, but today's article by Caro was a wonderful summation of the postive things that are going on at the club these days.

In the article, David McKay credited three people with the turnaround the club is currently undergoing: Collins, Pagan and Kernahan.

How right he is. And it's not hard to see why: if there's one word you'd write next to each of these men's names, its STRENGTH.

Of anyone who could have challenged Elliot's board in 2003, only one man possessed the strength to turn the whole club in the right direction. Ian Collins was that man, and thank Christ he took on the job.

Denis Pagan exudes strength, but in a quiet, almost frightening way. The moment he walked in the door, the club knew that playtime was over. Many didn't like it, so they're gone. Denis had the strength to believe that his way was the right way. That club stalwarts mustn't be afforded protection just because of their status. He believes so strongly in his brand of football, that we're witnessing it rub off on a group of young men. When Denis speaks, it's clearly not some coach seeing which way the wind is blowing... it's a coach who figured out how to get young men playing Premiership Football years ago. And our boys know it.

Stephen Kernahan has been quite simply amazing. The strength of character he has exhibited these last few years has probably surprised even those who already lauded him for his exploits as a leader of men on the field.

Sticks loved Elliot, and as a friend wanted to remain loyal to him. But what he showed us all is that, unlike so many others, his love for the club came first.

Shit, I'm going to say it again because just typing it makes me feel warm and gooey: his love for the club came first.

Sticks BLEEDS navy blue, and while Collo has been laying the foundations and Denis has been building the framework, Sticks has been the glue and the nails that have held the place together.

When we win our next flag I'm going to dance and sing and cry like a baby. Because we will have done it the hard way, the true Carlton way. Just like we did in the 60's... when Ian Collins was just a back pocket with nasty elbows and our club was a hardworking, suburban club full of then-marginalised members of society (Italians, Jews... and, yes, also our share of silvertails - you can't be next door to Melbourne Uni and not get those) that decided it was going to do something great.

So it made itself a map, set a course, and worked its arse off for a decade to achieve greatness.

I'll bet there were plenty of tears of joy on Grand Final night in 1968. And I'll bet Barassi had his back slapped and his hand shook by thousands of Carlton people that night.

Collo, Denis, Sticks... it'll be your turn soon enough.

The Tyrant · **Posted:** Sat Mar 12, 2005 10:01 am

A bit of credit should go to Shane O as well.

Some awesome late picks have given us that depth that gives Pagan something to work with.

Houlihan, Thornton, Fevvie, Fisher, making the decision on Waite, Norman etc etc

Also, some clever trades have helped.

Team effort.

Bluebernz · **Posted:** Sat Mar 12, 2005 10:57 am

JohnM, it's posts like yours that make me love the Navy Blue even more.

JohnM wrote:

When we win our next flag I'm going to dance and sing and cry like a baby. Because we will have done it the hard way, the true Carlton way.

I'm not prone to such things, and have never done it in any of the previous flag triumphs I've witnessed, but I reckon I'll be crying in our next one as well. Have we done it tough or what!!! We've been subjected to the toughest penalties ever placed on any club and have gone through the lowest, darkest period in our proud history. As Dannyboy eloquently said in his other post there'll be a lot of people wearing their navy blue hearts on their navy blue sleeves. Its an exciting, emotional period for the Carlton community. Let's hope, if for nothing else, that the hard work of Collo, Denis, Sticks et al is rewarded in some ways tonight.

GO BLUES!!!

BlueWorld · **Joined:** Mon Feb 28, 2005 4:28 pm **Posts:** 3768

The Vet wrote:

Who bagged Pagan to the Kangaroos?

Beaumont.

The Vet · **Posted:** Sat Mar 12, 2005 11:28 am

Thanks Blue World, suspected as much.

Seeing as this is a Caro fest - she was the one to pick us 8th when all the others said 13 and 14. Here's the thread:The Age

BlueJean · **Joined:** Wed Mar 02, 2005 7:41 pm **Posts:** 979

A great article by Caro.

Tonight will be Carlton's night I just know it.

Go Blues!

AGRO · **Posted:** Sat Mar 12, 2005 12:39 pm

7dominator wrote:

Agro i am sure will really pick up on Collo's theme.

The bitterness against Demetriou is share by all Carlton people!

Absolutely, and if I ever hear that Demetrispew claims one iota of credit for Carlton's turnaround, in particular with his recommendation of Snowdon's consultancy - I will personally ensure he is unable to father anymore children. :roll:

The Story of Pagan's Purge

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