Half Time address from Peter Jackson Yesterday

[deanox 9,989]

I thought How crofts answer about "people wanting to challenge for the board" was fine on paper.

The question was "you were abysmal, I hope you know people will challenge" and he said that a challange was fair and within the rights of the member...what's the problem?

[jackaub 1,402]

Its my belief that the Board problems real or perceived can be fixed

Its my belief that a competent CEO will fix structure and lines of communication

Its my belief that the new CEO can make significant improvements to the personel and accountability of all departments

The membership can be re-engaged with and re-invigorated The same with sponsors

However ther is something that needs critical attention

PJs biggest challenge is to understand the reason for the complete disconnect between the players and the footy club

While I am not a CEO any more I have had the opportunity to be involved with significant change management with a number of organisations mostly cultural

My advice is that within the first 2 weeks PJ interviews everybody at the club All players all coaches all support staff.If he doesn't he will never find out as an insider

He has one only first time opportunity as an outsider to find out the truth behind the problems and its devastating resultant effect on the players ability and willingness to play for the club

Good Luck Peter Jackson if you find out and fix this disconnect all else is possible. If you don't opportunity wil be lost for ever and we will continue to struggle. The Clock ticks!

[leehow 303]

Its my belief that the Board problems real or perceived can be fixed

Its my belief that a competent CEO will fix structure and lines of communication

Its my belief that the new CEO can make significant improvements to the personel and accountability of all departments

The membership can be re-engaged with and re-invigorated The same with sponsors

However ther is something that needs critical attention

PJs biggest challenge is to understand the reason for the complete disconnect between the players and the footy club

While I am not a CEO any more I have had the opportunity to be involved with significant change management with a number of organisations mostly cultural

My advice is that within the first 2 weeks PJ interviews everybody at the club All players all coaches all support staff.If he doesn't he will never find out as an insider

He has one only first time opportunity as an outsider to find out the truth behind the problems and its devastating resultant effect on the players ability and willingness to play for the club

Good Luck Peter Jackson if you find out and fix this disconnect all else is possible. If you don't opportunity wil be lost for ever and we will continue to struggle. The Clock ticks!

I agree. Someone mentioned, either on this thread or one of the others, that we should have a psychiatrist interview all the players, with a guarantee of anonymity, and ask them their thoughts on what is wrong and how it can be fixed. While i have been a supporter of Neeld's, and i though that sacking him now would cause greater upheaval, it is patently obvious that there are major issues at the club. We need to find out exactly what they player's issues are straight away, and start to fix things. In saying that though, these are guys who are being paid hundreds of thousands of dollars, and if personal issues with coaches/admin/board are the reason that they are putting in such poor performances, then i don't think we have the right players.

[binman 43,759]

One thing i like about Jackson is that already when talking about the club he talks about 'we' and uses the phrase 'our club'. Contrast that to Neeld who for months after joining did not use phrases such as we or us or our club.

[low down 21]

What pleases me the most about Jackson being on board is that he is not tied to the board. He is an experienced CEO who can provide a direct line in to the AFL; this means he's not only qualified to identify the issues, he's also qualified to report the problems at board level without fear of implications of his own job. I agree with what Jack said - Jackson's arrival is a signal from the AFL that they have zero confidence in the club to sort out its own mess. From that perspective I'm confident we'll see a way through now.

I wonder how long Jackson needs to remain the caretaker of the club for? At the very least he needs to be involved in the hiring of the permanent CEO, but I think there is a need for him to see in a new board as well. I'd like to see him leaving a well oiled machine in his wake, but I expect that's too big an assignment for his relatively short tenure.

To me this feels like the end of a long, bad relationship. We're emotionally exhausted and financially cactus, but the weight has been lifted and we can start to clean up the bloody mess. I hope so anyway.

was at the President's Lunch yesterday and Jackson was asked about next year - he certainly wasnt ruling it out. i got the sense he was up for it but needed to run it past his boss (i.e. wife)... no firm basis for this conclusion though, just observation.

[machine11 142]

[censored] this board... the most useless pontificating bunch of nerfs to ever run this club.

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

What pleases me the most about Jackson being on board is that he is not tied to the board. He is an experienced CEO who can provide a direct line in to the AFL; this means he's not only qualified to identify the issues, he's also qualified to report the problems at board level without fear of implications of his own job. Jackson's arrival is a signal from the AFL that they have zero confidence in the club to sort out its own mess. From that perspective I'm confident we'll see a way through now.

To me this feels like the end of a long, bad relationship. We're emotionally exhausted and financially cactus, but the weight has been lifted and we can start to clean up the bloody mess. I hope so anyway.

Good post Nasher.

I think we still have to bounce along a rocky bottom for a period as the Club and the AFL works through all this. And there is indeed a lot.

We have made some small steps toward addressing those issues. But he'll I thought that in 1998, 2008 and to an extent in 2011.

Lets hope it's the right path this time.

[old dee 23,872]

Good post Nasher.

I think we still have to bounce along a rocky bottom for a period as the Club and the AFL works through all this. And there is indeed a lot.

We have made some small steps toward addressing those issues. But he'll I thought that in 1998, 2008 and to an extent in 2011.

Lets hope it's the right path this time.

I agree RR I feel like I am on a merry go round.

Oh here comes the rebuild, oh here comes the debt reduction, oh here comes the rebuild again. what I seem to have been here a few time before.

[Redjacket 756]

[censored] this board... the most useless pontificating bunch of nerfs to ever run this club.

I think you forgot to add ...... since the last board and the board before that and ..... you get the picture.

[Older demon 2,779]

Caller to Ox on SEN just gave the same story at the meeting yesterday and noted that many long serving club benefactors were angry and at the point of withdrawing their support even saying they would not offer financial support while Neeld is there. Damian Barret on the AFL website has stated that process is already in place to replace the coach in 2014.

Let me say Board stuff is complex! I chair the board of an amateur club and it is very difficult to not get caught in the operational side of things.

The board is their for governance, risk assessment, legal issues, financial planning, strategic planning in other words the role is to govern not manage. Management is the CEO's job and clearly Jackson has identified issues with reporting to the CEO. He has yet to say how matters are bought to the board and it would appear there are deficiencies there.

Having said that I still expect the footy department to prepare the players to the best of their ability and send out a competitive unit each week to quote John Northey the team must 'Have a red hot go" I am not convinced that they are having a red hot go and we are the most uncompetitive I have ever seen.

[old dee 23,872]

Caller to Ox on SEN just gave the same story at the meeting yesterday and noted that many long serving club benefactors were angry and at the point of withdrawing their support even saying they would not offer financial support while Neeld is there. Damian Barret on the AFL website has stated that process is already in place to replace the coach in 2014.

Let me say Board stuff is complex! I chair the board of an amateur club and it is very difficult to not get caught in the operational side of things.

The board is their for governance, risk assessment, legal issues, financial planning, strategic planning in other words the role is to govern not manage. Management is the CEO's job and clearly Jackson has identified issues with reporting to the CEO. He has yet to say how matters are bought to the board and it would appear there are deficiencies there.

Having said that I still expect the footy department to prepare the players to the best of their ability and send out a competitive unit each week to quote John Northey the team must 'Have a red hot go" I am not convinced that they are having a red hot go and we are the most uncompetitive I have ever seen.

Some of those years in the 70's we were very poor Older Demon

But from memory I never remember that those sides looking like they wanted be somewhere else at the 1 minute mark of the first quarter.

Now perhaps it was my youth at the time ( cannot believe I am saying that ) but most weeks that I went I thought we had a chance.

Again from memory we usually looked like we were having a red hot go at least for the first half.

We often got run over in the second half or the last quarter.

For the last two years we mostly look disinterested at the five minute mark.

In fact we don't look interested at the first bounce.

IMO this is the worst / lowest skilled side I have ever seen fielded over an extended period.

[bing181 9,328]

PJs biggest challenge is to understand the reason for the complete disconnect between the players and the footy club

Probably a bit OT, but once again, you have to wonder about having the FD and players in one place, and the Admin in another. Can't be helping contribute to a sense of unity.

[Dee Fan 3,247]

I hope that Jackson can sort the mess out but I'm not going to get sucked in like I did with Neeld unless I see some tangible evidence that he has changed the way the club operates, and for the good.

Neeld came in and talked the talk but he fell flat when it came to walking the walk.

If he succeeds then he will have done something that no one before him could, because this club has been a shambles for as long as I can remember.

[Dee Fan 3,247]

Some of those years in the 70's we were very poor Older Demon

But from memory I never remember that those sides looking like they wanted be somewhere else at the 1 minute mark of the first quarter.

Now perhaps it was my youth at the time ( cannot believe I am saying that ) but most weeks that I went I thought we had a chance.

Again from memory we usually looked like we were having a red hot go at least for the first half.

We often got run over in the second half or the last quarter.

For the last two years we mostly look disinterested at the five minute mark.

In fact we don't look interested at the first bounce.

IMO this is the worst / lowest skilled side I have ever seen fielded over an extended period.

Funny you should say that I used to be the same, I always thought we had a chance even though we we're crap, and as a coincidence, on the way home I was listening to SEN and they had Robbie on and he was the same, he always went to the ground thinking we could win. His thoughts were, if I do my job and win my wing and the others do the same we can win the game.

Pity the players at the moment don't think the same way.

[The Song Formerly Known As 6,479]

Funny you should say that I used to be the same, I always thought we had a chance even though we we're crap, and as a coincidence, on the way home I was listening to SEN and they had Robbie on and he was the same, he always went to the ground thinking we could win. His thoughts were, if I do my job and win my wing and the others do the same we can win the game.

Pity the players at the moment don't think the same way.

Check out Garland's interview i just posted in another thread, he shares a very similar sentiment.

[Whispering_Jack 30,640]

Reading from the transcript confirms my view that while things are not good, they are not as bad as some people paint them.

Just as I felt four years ago that it was a bad idea to frogmarch the entire board out and replace it (we lost some good people and the move created enormous resentment), I think it would be a poor idea to throw out our entire board, admin, football department and lop heads off willy nilly just for the sake of it or to make some people feel better.

From the sound of things Jackson has things under control and isn't likely to do anything too precipitous.

We might be a basket case but we're currently under the patronage of both the MCC and the AFL. It's not the most comfortable of feelings but I do suspect that by the end of June a number of things will have started taking shape.

[Moonshadow 17,677]

One thing i like about Jackson is that already when talking about the club he talks about 'we' and uses the phrase 'our club'. Contrast that to Neeld who for months after joining did not use phrases such as we or us or our club.

With all due repect binman, I don't think that is quite true. I recall Neeld using that language immediately upon joining our club. And he would have been told to use those phrases whenever speaking to the press as soon as he started. In his first MFC speech at the 2011 B&F he used the words 'our club' and 'us'.

[Slartibartfast 17,625]

Just as I felt four years ago that it was a bad idea to frogmarch the entire board out and replace it (we lost some good people and the move created enormous resentment), I think it would be a poor idea to throw out our entire board, admin, football department and lop heads off willy nilly just for the sake of it or to make some people feel better.

Nobody is suggesting we march everyone out are they? Most think a change of senior coach and President would go a long way to improving things.

Would you keep Neeld and McLardy in the long term (past 2013)?

[Slartibartfast 17,625]

With all due repect binman, I don't think that is quite true. I recall Neeld using that language immediately upon joining our club. And he would have been told to use those phrases whenever speaking to the press as soon as he started. In his first MFC speech at the 2011 B&F he used the words 'our club' and 'us'.

Go and have a look at his post Brisbane presser R1 2012. Talks about "them" all the time.

[Moonshadow 17,677]

Go and have a look at his post Brisbane presser R1 2012. Talks about "them" all the time.

Go and have a look at his first B&F speech. Talks about "us" and "we".

[Sir Why You Little 37,125]

I am just glad that Peter Jackson faced the music yesterday. Good on him.

Where was the President i wonder?

Mr. "We are not going to talk about that"

It's time we did

[old dee 23,872]

Reading from the transcript confirms my view that while things are not good, they are not as bad as some people paint them.

Just as I felt four years ago that it was a bad idea to frogmarch the entire board out and replace it (we lost some good people and the move created enormous resentment), I think it would be a poor idea to throw out our entire board, admin, football department and lop heads off willy nilly just for the sake of it or to make some people feel better.

From the sound of things Jackson has things under control and isn't likely to do anything too precipitous.

We might be a basket case but we're currently under the patronage of both the MCC and the AFL. It's not the most comfortable of feelings but I do suspect that by the end of June a number of things will have started taking shape.

WJ will you stop being sensible.

You make a lot of sense.

I am very happy if the MCC and AFL take over control of the MFC.

IMO that is the only way out for for us.

Embarrassing but we have clearly demonstrated we cannot run our own club.

Better to be embarrassed than extinct!

[old dee 23,872]

I am just glad that Peter Jackson faced the music yesterday. Good on him.

Where was the President i wonder?

Mr. "We are not going to talk about that"

It's time we did

To be very honest wyl I am very glad it was PJ

Our illustrious leader would have berated us for being upset and concerned.

[sue 9,142]

WJ will you stop being sensible.

You make a lot of sense.

I am very happy if the MCC and AFL take over control of the MFC.

IMO that is the only way out for for us.

Embarrassing but we have clearly demonstrated we cannot run our own club.

Better to be embarrassed than extinct!

I don't often agree with OD, but I agree wholeheartedly with the last line. I don't give a toss how the club is run. Happy for it to be run by a busload of Martians - whatever it takes. I just want to see the club perform well on the field.

[Sir Why You Little 37,125]

To be very honest wyl I am very glad it was PJ

Our illustrious leader would have berated us for being upset and concerned.

Oh i agree. It just shows who is now in charge.