I'm sure there'd be one or two on the board who'd be keen to look into it. It wouldn't be the most pressing of issues but there's no reason as to why you couldn't investigate the possibility. I'd still be looking into China or Korea purely as an opportunity to tie-in with sponsorship. An Air China deal would be great...Collingwood have barely scratched the surface with what you can do with a airline sponsorship. And China is the biggest target for international growth of the code. The AFL have said as much.

So the first port of call where Carlton is concerned is to contact Tony Woods who is the AFL's International Development Manager. Next - get together with Cameron Schwab at Melbourne to discuss their experience in the China market and the possibility of promoting it....toe in the water stuff early and then build some momentum with partnership announcements, venues, media releases etc. Earmark 2015 as potential date. Contact the People's Government of Tianjin City (Tianjin is Melbourne's sister city in China and this would be the way to garner more support from Victorian State Government and Melbourne City Council). Work with aforementioned agencies. Site visit (including one senior player during off-season for promotional purposes) to Tianjin Olympic Central Stadium. The Stadium was used for the Beijing Olympics. Holds 60,000. Has a length of 380 meters, a width of 270 meters.



There's also a nice historical tie-in. Wally Koochew was the first Victorian Football League player of Chinese background and played four games for Carlton in 1908. Koochew’s son Wally Jnr played for Melbourne reserves and his great grandson James Koochew served as a statistician at Carlton in the 1990s.

Ok...that took me all of 5 minutes. It's an easy sell and an easy write-up. Put some financials against it and make it look pretty and Keogh - you have yourself a game in China in 2015.

Not interested, sorry, we just won't agree on this. I'm sure Keogh is pleased that you're representing him so well though. Almost like a consultant.

Shouldnt he buy his own membership???

thats all nice... but what about the supporters here in Melbourne.. country Victoria and interstate???

The chinese player Koochew.. did we cut off his pigtail and tell him to go back to China.?

You actually wouldnt want to give this guy too much history of early Chinese in Victoria.. he might get interested and do abit of background reading.....might even cost Fitzys Rio Tinto a couple of billion dollar contracts as well

Why can't you look after the local supporters as well as be inventive and aggressive in expanding the brand via international markets.

No problem kk...each to their own. Mind if I put Jimmy Connors in a Carlton jumper this summer though?



Important people don't buy memberships for themselves Synbad. You know this.



Far too apathetic for my tastes Synbad. Nah...look - club is getting better at fan engagement - hopefully that'll translate into members and hopefully Mick's winning ways will draw some out from the woodwork.



Of course not. We embraced him as one of our own. The club was before their time. Leverage the story.



Old news Synners. Fitzy could indeed help us out here. Best we use his nous and support before he leaves the Commission.

DOC just cos you reckon the club is getting better doesnt mean it is.....

We got an insight on TWO board directors recently on here,,,,, guys with a real insight into where the club is being steered...
Nothing to be impressed about .....

so again... just cos people talk things up doesnt mean thats the reality at the pointy end that matters.

There is nothing that suggests these guys know what theyre doing except for a bunch of sackings they had endorsed in the first place

.....
Look to the future. Not the past. Move on. I'm not interested in the stuff ups that were the Spirit of Carlton changeover, the hiring and exit of Robert Hyde, the rotten comms dished up from Coutts, the stuff up of my daughters name on the 'Blue Believer' board that still isn't there despite having paid for it 4 years ago.

I'm even prepared to give Mick a fair go despite the fact that I don't have much time for his manager having worked with/for him. Seeing him in Carlton colors is akin to going to The Cavern Club in Liverpool to hear Paul McCartney play some Beatles songs only to get an 80-minute set of Wings songs. I'm hopeful of witnessing greatness, but I'm well aware it could also be a massive let down.

It's January. The club is moving in the right direction. It needs to do a lot more. There's so much potential don't you think? ....Hey! Look at the fortune cookie I just opened!

...and because you believe it isn't getting better, doesn't mean it's not...



Well...not to get too technical, but one current board member. True though, it wasn't impressive. My exact words to a fellow board member of his and some staff were 'You can't let that happen again.' My feelings on Ruffy's experiment would probably match yours. Not good.



I didn't come down in the last shower. I've worked with boards for 20 years. At the pointy end we've had a few board members join that are the ilk of businessmen we've been after for a while. We've had a member of the executive removed. I've every right to be enthused by action and personal correspondence with both staff and board member.



Look to the future. Not the past. Move on. I'm not interested in the stuff ups that were the Spirit of Carlton changeover, the hiring and exit of Robert Hyde, the rotten comms dished up from Coutts, the stuff up of my daughters name on the 'Blue Believer' board that still isn't there despite having paid for it 4 years ago.

I'm even prepared to give Mick a fair go despite the fact that I don't have much time for his manager having worked with/for him. Seeing him in Carlton colors is akin to going to The Cavern Club in Liverpool to hear Paul McCartney play some Beatles songs only to get an 80-minute set of Wings songs. I'm hopeful of witnessing greatness, but I'm well aware it could also be a massive let down.

It's January. The club is moving in the right direction. It needs to do a lot more. There's so much potential don't you think? ....Hey! Look at the fortune cookie I just opened!

Just because YOU say its all huny dory doesnt mean it is.........cos its pure guesswork from you.... i have their track record to go by ....
I thinks thats the salient difference between you and i...

Its just average....... has been average ... will be average....

We may disagree with his methodology (and I definitely do) but he was acting in the interests of the club as they wanted.

Tis very good from the Doc.

So you're not prepared to give Sayers, Fahour, Trainor, Mathieson, Wiley or Malthouse a go? Nor some of the staff who've had the obstacle that was Ian Coutts removed and now have a chance to show their mettle? You're just content to wallow in your misery and declare everyone and everything associated with the Carlton Football Club 'average'?

I think if I told you we'd cryogenically preserved Laurie Kerr and now had the science at our fingertips to bring him back to life and he could pull the strings in the background you'd say 'Meh - that's average'...and if we pinch a flag in the next two years are you going to rain on the parade and say 'but the board is still average'?

Sticks OFF the board.. and some ideas that get crystalised into something i think is deserving of this footy club .. instead of the insipidness we have been fed.
I want to see some meaningful reconciliation with the members and the way people are treated.

Thats just me... im one... im a harder one to please.

EDIT: I have wondered though whether Doc has bought himself a little job at the CFC.
If so, good on him and if not, we could do worse.