Crowds are up - If we continue on this way though, they'll be down pretty quickly!
Membership is up - True, but nowhere near where it should be. We could (and should) be easilly 50k+
TV viewing is up - Again, with our brand of football, people will turn off pretty quickly!
Facilties are built - As have every other team in the AFL
Elite training is organised - Yeah, look how it helped us. Personally, i don't buy into that. Hell, even North are doing the High Altitude Arizona training now days!
Debt coming down - Still? Geez..... i was reading about our debt back in 2003! That's almost 10 years ago now.
Top assistants coaches employed - Really? John Barker a top assistant? Please.....
Pulled Andy Mckay out of The AFL - I'm not sold on this either. He hardly brought any consistancy to the tribunal board when he was on it. But then again....... neither has anybody else.


I think a lot of people at this club need to go. They've had they're time and it's now time for change.

We love them and thank them for their continued efforts and passion for the club but at the end of the day they are just like any other player on our list............. when their time comes, unfortunately they have to be moved on - for the good of the club!

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"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit"
- Aristotle

Perhaps a Harold plant.


This stuff always comes up when we lose a few games.

If someone wants the Prez gig bad enough they will get it. If Sticks scares them off then really what good are they?

One issue worth discussing is the role of the President and the Board. In the corporate world they set the high level strategic direction, appoint the CEO and do the oversight, approve yearly budget etc.

At footy clubs we do see very active, hands on Presidents, e.g. Eddie and Kennett. Is that always a good thing? Not sure. At Geelong they had a high profile President, but I don't think he got involved in any tactical/operational issues, key to their turn around was the CEO.

Personally I like to see a President who is a public figure head, but lets management do their job. A board that is small and professional and focuses on oversight and accountability. What we really need is the best management team in the business who have the authority to make changes. My gut feeling is that Swan either is not as good as we like to believe or he is hamstrung by the Board. But the key issue remains, we need people at the helm who get the best people to run the club and who don't try to run the club as a hobby.

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

Have you heard him speak Doc?

Not exactly a person who can relate to the common sportsfan.

I still shudder at his interview after the first Rebels game, something along the lines of "the crowd sing lovely songs and create a wonderful atmosphere"

Isn't he more of an 'arts' man than a 'sports' man?

70 years old also - is that too old?

Is this all we have?????

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Between our dreams and actions lies this world

When I said I was surprised he was 70 it was because he had tremendous drive.

Age is no barrier if his mind is still a Agrade.

I got the impression from the interview that he's got more go in him than people half his age. I reckon the rest of the club would have trouble keeping up with him.

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I hope Essendon* folds.

just to clarify, of course he could be an outstanding president, successful people are required, just keep him away from the microphone

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Between our dreams and actions lies this world

excellent as always Doc.

I think it really comes down to a simple question

are club presidents/boards responsible for the success of a club?

if yes - where is Stick's presidential/board success over a very long period (since he stopped playing)?

if no - fine, we'll just carry on shall we. Pip.Pip....

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This type of slight is alien in the more cultured part of the world - Walsh. Its up there with mad dogs, Englishmen and the midday sun!

You should keep the current one away from microphones as well. Particularly those big fluffy TV mic's.

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I hope Essendon* folds.

Yes, I've worked with him, albeit briefly, but that was some years ago and he talks like a leader because he understands the game...and by game - I don't mean football (even though he's obviously got a fair idea given he attended Carlton games for years)...I'm referring to the real game. Governance, politics, relationship building, dealings with the AFL...the game. There's a game being played here. I'm not entirely convinced that Sticks and board get it. Our benefactor does - but he's not calling the shots and he lives on the Gold Coast. Perhaps with his nephew on the board as years' end, he can have a greater influence.

But why haven't people like Ian Herman been sounded out for board positions? He's now Australian Managing Director of Grant Thornton and provides advisory services to public companies, large private organisations and government entities. The fact that we talk a good talk when it comes to asking for people to become members but don't give those members a vote astounds me. As a Carlton member - you should be treated as an investor, a consumer and hopefully a returned customer. This is the 21st century. Would someone please let my football club know.

Great post Doc.

Nothing more I can add except to say that if Stephen Kernahan hasn't already personally sounded-out people like Harold Mitchell for the Presidency, he's either:

a lier for continually telling us that he's a "reluctant president" who'd be only too happy to step down in favour of someone more suited to the role...

or completely delusional, believing that he IS actually the best person in all of Melbourne to do this job.

Because four years is about two years too long for a "reluctant president". He's just taking the piss with that line, which he continues to peddle to this day.

(I've had a couple of dealings with big Harold... and yes, he's probably the most connected person in Melbourne - one of those rare people who connect all the heavy hitters from the business, the sporting and the arts communities. He's the real deal. One question though: does he get on with the Pratts... and do they get on with him?)

mmm..and this is what troubles me most about the current situation.
Are we beholden and obliged beyond what is best for the club here?
I'm not saying we are, but just asking the question.

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That’s not a political statement — it’s a harsh reality, and we must act,” she said. “He is a clear and present danger to the things that keep us strong and free. I support impeachment.”

Without sounding harsh, do we need the Pratts anymore?

Do we need to continue with them leading us? Has their money bought them an unassailable position at the centre of the club for eternity?.

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I hope Essendon* folds.

Do we NEED the Pratts? Maybe, maybe not. But until we have a business model that allows us to make a profit without gifts from benefactors (Matheson money, Visy sponsorship) perhaps so.

But the key still is the Pratts.

You can't expect anyone of note to organise a ticket and actively take-on both the Pratt family AND Kernahan (aka Bambi)... no-one wants the kind of bad blood that would result from that. Why would a Harold Mitchell need that kind of shit in his life?

Even Dick Pratt didn't want to actively take on Smorgon... he wanted him gone before stepping in.

So this would have to be clean, rather than a shitfight. Like Collingwood did, the incumbents knew that McGuire was the right person for the job and gracefully stepped aside.

Yes. Well respected by the Pratt family - even the Waislitz's.

Thanks Doc for a great read.

The situation is very upsetting. We have a board that is failing in their brief to build the biggest club in the land. We are stagnant when we should be flying. The AFL has given us the advantage of a super draw from a marketing viewpoint 2 years in a row and our membership is an embarassment when you take that into consideration and you see the jump that Richmond, Hawthorn and Collingwood can make.
But there is no realistic scenario where the board would be challenged/replaced or even changed.
No-one of substance like Mitchell could challenge a board with the Pratts and Kernahan and their appointed members. I am not sure the general membership would support anyone against them.
In essence we are stuck with a board that is just functioning and I can't see how that can change.

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T E A M

Bullshit. I would have posted this if we were 12-0. There are some fundamental things wrong at the top unrelated to on-field performance. I've been dissatisfied with things for some time, but the stupidity is escalating. I think most members are happy with the status quo because they're oblivious to it. That's fine. You'll be amongst the crowd to give Sticks and the board a massive cheer when the debt's paid off - yet they'd have very little to deserve that applause. We know where the money is coming from, but where are the ideas coming from? Who's being proactive in a business that demands it? Where's the leadership? Who's keeping the CEO, the board sub-committees and senior staff on the same page and leading? Who's adhering to the Strategic Plan and business model that sits underneath? Has Sticks surrounded himself with good people or will the incomplete Kernahan, Gleeson, Malouf football department review of 2006 be superseeded by a Kernahan, Gleeson, Swann review? I'm gravely concerned that passions have clouded business sense. Smart boards of professional sporting organisations understand there are more goals than just winning competitions.

Some football clubs are still coming out of an era where the board is essentially executive and gets involved in management tasks. Greg Swann could write a book on it...whether he or Ruffy Germinder are right or wrong isn't something I'm going to delve into, but where's the leadership to sort out a dispute when the lines are blurred? Some directors may be heavily involved in sponsorship or marketing, or in aspects of the football team itself. The better sporting boards are separating the role of board and management. The Geelong board, for example, no longer has marketing or football sub-committees.

Hardly an ideal situation.

Sounds more like a Kerry Stokes, Gina Rhinehart backdoor ownership of WA Newspapers and Fairfax.

Even if their motives are completely honourable, I don't think it's healthy to be overly dependent on a family who are also largely responsible for the stewardship of the club.

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I hope Essendon* folds.

the answer is we need them now but we wouldn't need to rely on them if we got our stuff together.

I know Bruce is OK with us not needing him.

hope the Pratt family feel the same way.
I don't think they do!

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Due to recent budget cuts and the rising cost of electricity, gas, and oil....... the Light at the End of the Tunnel has been turned off. We apologize for the inconvenience.

The obsession of some people regarding membership numbers interests me, I would like to think that an increasing membership base isn't the key to our financial survival.

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Between our dreams and actions lies this world

its a measure of our status in the competition.

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Due to recent budget cuts and the rising cost of electricity, gas, and oil....... the Light at the End of the Tunnel has been turned off. We apologize for the inconvenience.