Kudos to Cameron Schwab!

[Dee Fan 3,247]

As we give him credit for his part in everything it should be noted that he is not a volunteer in all this and I have a different view to CEO's in football to many - and I am sure Cameron. If the board wish to save some cash and promote from within instead of paying for Schwab or a similarly waged individual I will completely understand as the major decisions will have already been made: head coach, head of FD, fitness staff, major sponsors, signing of KPF, and re-signings of key players (ie Trengove) will have been completed by the end of 2012. These decisions require a great CEO. But they are cyclical. And I would completely understand if the board decided to move on Cameron at the end of next year. I don't believe CEO's run the club - I think that the Head Coach is the one who should have run of the place (assuming the board have faith in him).

So you would allow the CEO to do all the work getting new sponsors and then effectively sack him until the next round of negotiations came around? That would say a lot to our Sponsor Partners and the AFL and would make it almost impossible to get anyone of quality at any future time.

Are you serious or is this a joke?

Did I misunderstand your post?

Edited October 17, 2011 by RobbieF

[rpfc 28,734]

The head coach should only be focussed on the FD issues and even then today they have salaried mentors indicating that the role has expanded.

CEO's definitely have a role and say in the appointment of key Club Appointments. But it should be the Head of FD that should be running the FD. There should also be a Board director with football experience to provide a Board view on FD proceedings.

CEO's are ultimately responsible for the implementing the Board's vision and delivering on the bottom line across all departments. It would appear CS played in one sandpit more than others he should been attending to.

I think we are talking past each other here.

I am saying that Schwab hasn't been comfortable that limited role and that Neeld's dominance of the FD will conflict with Schwab and his desire to play in anothers' sandpit, as you say.

We will see late next year.

[Sir Why You Little 37,120]

Let us not forget that through all this our inspirational President has been gravely ill. CS may have overstepped his boundries trying to do jimmy's work as well.

The circumstances may well not have been planned but more instinctive. Wilson has definately got it in for CS, since KB got the ass i am guessing. She has gone quiet on the subject so CS must be kicking goals!! Get well Jimma.

[rpfc 28,734]

So you would allow the CEO to do all the work getting new sponsors and then effectively sack him until the next round of negotiations came around? That would say a lot to our Sponsor Partners and the AFL and would make it almost impossible to get anyone of quality at any future time.

Are you serious or is this a joke?

Did I misunderstand your post?

Well it can be read that way so no you haven't misunderstood.

What I am trying to get at is we have a very well paid individual who has had trouble playing well with others, and that may not be the best fit for the club at a time when the most important decisions a CEO can make are already made.

I know it reads tough.

I would just understand if the board felt it was time to move on.

Edited October 17, 2011 by rpfc

[baysidedave 246]

I didn't get why CS was the scapegoat earlier this year. Everything. That has gone well off field in the last 3 years he has orchestrated ... If he was axed I was going to have some bloody big questions to ask at the AGM next year ..... I'm a consultant and deal with similar types of people to cam and I can generally pick up if these types have a genuine idea and don't just rely on people around them to make them look good. Cam oozes charisma !

We all should be glad we have him !!

he was the media's scapegoat, for what reason I don't know but CC must have been doing something wrong because he's been moved out into another role.

[John Dee 445]

Cam deserves a lot of credit with the effort we put into Clark. When they got the nod. they emailed Schwabby's daughter who lives in Perth and got her to drive the documents over to Clark's manager, who lives in Perth. She then emailed them back to Cam and Co.

BTW Just heard him interviewed on SEN, worth a listen. The podcast will be up on the SEN site, no doubt.

[MelbournePassion 7]

Thats what 'aggressive' recruiting does for ya. Be bold, be brave Melbourne.

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

I think we are talking past each other here.

I am saying that Schwab hasn't been comfortable that limited role and that Neeld's dominance of the FD will conflict with Schwab and his desire to play in anothers' sandpit, as you say.

We will see late next year.

I wonder how that will go. I dont think CS will be staying anyway.

Let us not forget that through all this our inspirational President has been gravely ill. CS may have overstepped his boundries trying to do jimmy's work as well.

The circumstances may well not have been planned but more instinctive. Wilson has definately got it in for CS, since KB got the ass i am guessing. She has gone quiet on the subject so CS must be kicking goals!! Get well Jimma.

When Jimma took control of the FD and given CS was the person reporting to the Board on the FD, it does not look good. And given in Jimma's absence but should have been with his knowledge, McLardy sought to i/V the players on their concerns with Schwab. Not a good sign even if it was "instinctive". More like poor CEO judgement.

[Surfer Rosa 15]

There may be some that have more inside knowledge and that would be great. But from the outside and as a simple 24 year member of the club, I can only give praise to Cameron.

He seems to have orchestrated much of the good that has happened to the club.

I hope nothing underlying remains from the 186 and ensuing sackings etc. A new football dept from top to bottom, with a much clearer reporting structure should see Cameron at arms length and concentrating solely on what he clearly does very well.

G Lyon deserves much credit also. His presence at the end of the year, if nothing else, clearly got things moving in the right direction. Getting the coaching group in place before trade period was a success. So far.

[Biffen 12,944]

The players should not have been discussing the future of the CEO of the club .CS has been extremely clever in his management of this club and it's staff .If he were judged by any fair criteria ,he has been fantastic . The attempted Bailey /Schwab showdown really showed who had been doing their job and who hadn't .Over doing is job? There is no such thing in football .Even fools like us have opinions on the MFC that aren't our business .We won trade week .

[Biffen 12,944]

Let us not forget that through all this our inspirational President has been gravely ill. CS may have overstepped his boundries trying to do jimmy's work as well.

The circumstances may well not have been planned but more instinctive. Wilson has definately got it in for CS, since KB got the ass i am guessing. She has gone quiet on the subject so CS must be kicking goals!! Get well Jimma.

Poor Caroline thought she had a big scoop because CS had a contract ending .What she didn't realize was that Bailey was a dead man walking . Cam Schwab has the master plan and Bailey had no game plan .Caroline couldn't find a story in the library .

Edited October 17, 2011 by Biffen

[Dee Fan 3,247]

Well it can be read that way so no you haven't misunderstood.

What I am trying to get at is we have a very well paid individual who has had trouble playing well with others, and that may not be the best fit for the club at a time when the most important decisions a CEO can make are already made.

I know it reads tough.

I would just understand if the board felt it was time to move on.

There were a number of unsubstantiated rumours circulating (they've stopped now) about CS but none of us on here, despite what we think know the full story so repeating these rumours does no one any good. CC was moved to the other side and whether this was because he was better suited to that or wasn't doing his job we don't know.

Bailey was moved on and we all know why that is not a rumour that is a fact.

Just repeating Caroline Wilson rumours doesn't make them fact and surmising what transpired is useless, the board and CS know that's all we do know.

[DemonWA 3,936]

I think Schwab did the right thing by getting involved in everything a few years ago. Schwabby obviously had a vision which involved making a big deal about the history & tradition of the club, and working on the Emblem etc, so good on him for being so involved in these aspects which form part of his grand plan.

The fact that he probably got a little too hands on for a while,just shows how passionate he is about the club.

[Grandson of a gun 276]

.......cough........cough...........i'm in agreeance with RobbieF on this one!

I have seen nothing factual to suggest Cameron has done anything but bleed for our club and try to put them in the strongest position possible.

Whether he overstepped or not- no one here knows and will unlikely ever know.

But what we know is that ever since 186 and more importantly, in the last 4 weeks, our club has shown that it can be strong, decisive, get their men on multiple occasions and will do whatever it takes to achieve it's goals. All without a leak in sight.

I will keep beating the same drum- i have absolute faith in the current administration of this club and what they are working to achieve. I have not seen one reason to think otherwise.

[Jordie_tackles 354]

Schwab also had a tempered dig at Fremantle, after they questioned Clark’s failure to honour the commitment he made to them to join just 24 hours before signing with Melbourne.

That statement seemed at odds with the Dockers’ treatment of coach Mark Harvey who was sacked to make way for Ross Lyon despite having a year to run on his contract.

“The trade period narrative is about pots calling kettles black. Has been for 25 years,” Schwab wrote.

It is from SNF but still a good quote at the end, i think he he would have taken a bit of enjoyment out of snaring Mitch, obviously... Fremantle supporters hate him haha but i see only good things personally

[Dee Fan 3,247]

I think Schwab did the right thing by getting involved in everything a few years ago. Schwabby obviously had a vision which involved making a big deal about the history & tradition of the club, and working on the Emblem etc, so good on him for being so involved in these aspects which form part of his grand plan.

The fact that he probably got a little too hands on for a while,just shows how passionate he is about the club.

I hope they extend is contract during the year or at least give him a long term contract when his current one expires. Cam knows how to run a football club and there are few that do, we've had a couple in the last 10 years that didn't have a clue. Is that what we want to go back to Steve Harris, Paul McNamee?

[Fitz Fitzpatrick 886]

As we give him credit for his part in everything it should be noted that he is not a volunteer in all this and I have a different view to CEO's in football to many - and I am sure Cameron.

If the board wish to save some cash and promote from within instead of paying for Schwab or a similarly waged individual I will completely understand as the major decisions will have already been made: head coach, head of FD, fitness staff, major sponsors, signing of KPF, and re-signings of key players (ie Trengove) will have been completed by the end of 2012.

These decisions require a great CEO.

But they are cyclical. And I would completely understand if the board decided to move on Cameron at the end of next year.

I don't believe CEO's run the club - I think that the Head Coach is the one who should have run of the place (assuming the board have faith in him).

I disagree. He is one of the best in the business and they dont grow on trees. Look at Nettlefold. We can be thankful we dont have him as ceo. CS is very astute and knows the business inside out. We should hang on to him at this stage. Of course he takes a decent wage but his passion for the club is clear to see and that quality is a huge asset to the club. I agree he may have been part of the problem as far as getting to o involved in the FD but his intentions were honest and its clear hes been wound in a bit and been sat down and had his role clarified. Fantastic contribution overall, CS

[Dee Fan 3,247]

.......cough........cough...........i'm in agreeance with RobbieF on this one!

I have seen nothing factual to suggest Cameron has done anything but bleed for our club and try to put them in the strongest position possible.

Whether he overstepped or not- no one here knows and will unlikely ever know.

But what we know is that ever since 186 and more importantly, in the last 4 weeks, our club has shown that it can be strong, decisive, get their men on multiple occasions and will do whatever it takes to achieve it's goals. All without a leak in sight.

I will keep beating the same drum- i have absolute faith in the current administration of this club and what they are working to achieve. I have not seen one reason to think otherwise.

Don't worry it'll pass, you'll get over it after a good night's sleep.

For what it's worth, I think the current administration is as good as any we've had in 47 years. I said a couple of weeks ago that this is the most professional administration we have had in my lifetime, including the latter parts of the 50's and the early 60's.

[Dr. Gonzo 24,271]

As long as Schwab keeps his nose out of the FD and focuses on admin duties, I think the job is his. The FD is now stacked with experience let them do the job they were hired to do. Regardless of whether he was gone before 186 the work he's done since then is tremendous and I think he should have all but redeemed himself. All we need now is to secure the front of jumper sponsor and he will have helped totally turn the club around off-field (with the obvious help of Stynes, Lyon & McLardy).

Edited October 17, 2011 by Dr. Gonzo

[rpfc 28,734]

I think Cameron is one very passionate Demon and very good at what he does.

But I can see some problems and am just saying that if we were to not extend his contract I would understand.

Cameron is a massive investment and while I think he has been worth every penny in the last couple of years, the fact remains that he was at the centre of some disharmony and the board may wish to go in a different direction.

[Dee Fan 3,247]

I think Cameron is one very passionate Demon and very good at what he does.

But I can see some problems and am just saying that if we were to not extend his contract I would understand.

Cameron is a massive investment and while I think he has been worth every penny in the last couple of years, the fact remains that he was at the centre of some disharmony and the board may wish to go in a different direction.

I've met a few of the staff in the senior admin area and I have not seen one I would promote to run the club as CEO.

I don't know where you get your information but if you know the details of any disharmony please let us know.

Don McLardy is doing a good job as a stand in for Jimmy but I can assure you this wasn't his intention when he convinced Jimmy to stand for President and whilst he's a good business man he is probably not really equipped to run a football club. That's one of the reasons why Garry was brought in.

Cam is a very good football administrator and they would have to have someone other than the office manager in mind if they wanted to replace him.

[rpfc 28,734]

I've met a few of the staff in the senior admin area and I have not seen one I would promote to run the club as CEO.

I don't know where you get your information but if you know the details of any disharmony please let us know.

Don McLardy is doing a good job as a stand in for Jimmy but I can assure you this wasn't his intention when he convinced Jimmy to stand for President and whilst he's a good business man he is probably not really equipped to run a football club. That's one of the reasons why Garry was brought in.

Cam is a very good football administrator and they would have to have someone other than the office manager in mind if they wanted to replace him.

I very much doubt my 'information' would convince you, Robbie.

Nor would I air any sensitive details on Land - whether or not I had any.

Suffice it to say - it has been a tough 6 months on all involved and I can only hope that we see the best out of Cameron and the other high calibre people at the club in the future.

[dee-luded 2,959]

He certainly is passionate about the place, and I hope his relationship with others at the club is better now.

We might not know for certain what happened the days leading up to 186 but whether or not Cameron is here come next trade week it is safe to say that he will be remembered as a very effective CEO.

I'd bet a whole desk on it...

Well If I had to guess, & i will, the past players from the Daniher era, have all screamed at contract time or at their last stanzas. ("What about Me")

All were over paid for soft efforts for much of their careers.

Then when we started to rebuild and refashion the club & culture, through tough contract negotiations and possibly performance based criteria. And an obsessive hands on approach, by many old boys. May have been hard to take for some, to get the list just So.

They're may have been some unhappy and losing patience with the direction. But the trains may be behind schedule, but the track determines they will come past soon enough.

Cam has always been a great recruiter & he has set us up financially to be able to afford those Marquee players that McNamee wanted 3 or 4 Years back.

Now we have the depth of 'Potential' talent, that needs the deevelopment to bring it all out, plus some fine maturing players who will continue to grow, we are finally seeming to get some 'Balance' about Us.

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

The players should not have been discussing the future of the CEO of the club .CS has been extremely clever in his management of this club and it's staff .If he were judged by any fair criteria ,he has been fantastic . The attempted Bailey /Schwab showdown really showed who had been doing their job and who hadn't .Over doing is job? There is no such thing in football .Even fools like us have opinions on the MFC that aren't our business .We won trade week .

The players were not discussing the future of the CEO.That is the Board's domain. Prior to 186, McLardy met with a small group of players then met with the broader group to air grievances. This process undertaken in the absence of the CEO by the Dep President reflected questions that the Board had over Schwab. It might have been preferable if the Board had replaced Leoncelli's role when he left rather than McLardy's actions bringing all these issues to a head prior to the Geelong game. Schwab clearly has not managed his r/ship with the Board or the players as well as he could have. There was no BaileySchwab showdown. It was a no contest as Bailey was slowing had his support eroded throughout 2010 and in the lead up to 186. After 186, his position was untenable.

I think Cameron is one very passionate Demon and very good at what he does.

But I can see some problems and am just saying that if we were to not extend his contract I would understand.

Cameron is a massive investment and while I think he has been worth every penny in the last couple of years, the fact remains that he was at the centre of some disharmony and the board may wish to go in a different direction.

An astute assessment rpfc. A performance of plusses and minuses by Schwab

I've met a few of the staff in the senior admin area and I have not seen one I would promote to run the club as CEO.

....

Cam is a very good football administrator and they would have to have someone other than the office manager in mind if they wanted to replace him.

If we dont re appoint Schwab, why do you think the next CEO appointment will come from inside MFC? I would be surprised if the next CEO is within MFC ranks at the moment.

IMO, McLardy is out of his depth once out of Jimma's shadow. Stynes has done some wonderdful things at MFC but his ailing health has got to a stage then when he been unable to fulfil his requirements there has been no one at Board level to come forward.Its no wonder they chased Lyon as the Club seemed to be losing direction and focus.

[myboiwattsy 3]

Schwab is a star, need to keep him on