Half Time address from Peter Jackson Yesterday

[Binmans PA 26,093]

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)?

I don't get that feeling at all. I'm not for sacking the entire board. I don't know enough about their internal workings, but I'm not of the opinion that simply sacking Neeld and relieving McLardy of the presidency will bring about onfield improvement. If anything that's simply a short term fix that will keep the merry-go-round spinning. It's far deeper than two. It's up to Jackson to identify the weak links. Restructure the football department and administration. Neeld will be gone come season's end. His position is now so ridiculously untenable and while I'd argue it'd be best to show him the door right now, either way I agree in a sense. That is one tick on a long list.

There are a multitude of areas that require TLC:

* Instilling a compotent board, with a mixture of experience and youth, probably okayed by Jackson and therefore the AFL.

* A restructured footy department, which will require a bunch of redundancies and new jobs up for the taking, one of the major vacancies will obviously be the senior coaching position.

* It's clear McLardy is out of his depth and frankly, I don't believe he's ever wanted the Presidency (hence Jimmy in the first place). So he'll be replaced, once again, with a person who's AFL and Jackson endorsed.

* Finally and probably most importantly, Jackson has identified it's about bringing in people from OUTSIDE of the club. Experienced people, who have been part of successful footballing environments, the likes of GFC, CFC and HFC.

Something Jackson has that Neeld (and McLardy - talk about the upper echelons having a flow on effect to the rest of an organisation) doesn't is his empathy and respect for what we as a supporter base and club have been through. Reading the transcript from his address yesterday supported the measured, but earnest way he spoke on the radio. I hope the feeling of optimism I have for his appointment and seeming abilities are rightfully placed. We shall soon find out.

Edited May 13, 2013 by AdamFarr

[Bring Back Barassi 532]

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.

PJ will do whatever Vlad tells him to. He is obviously a player in a larger plan the AFL has to fix this club

[Gorgoroth 12,320]

PJ will do whatever Vlad tells him to. He is obviously a player in a larger plan the AFL has to fix this club

I don't agree with this.

PJ will do what is best, Vlad knows he is a good CEO so will let him do what is needed, and TBH I think PJ would not do something just because Vlad wanted it if it was not the best thing to be done, he has a reputation to uphold.

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

I don't get that feeling at all. I'm not for sacking the entire board. I don't know enough about their internal workings, but I'm not of the opinion that simply sacking Neeld and relieving McLardy of the presidency will bring about onfield improvement. If anything that's simply a short term fix that will keep the merry-go-round spinning. It's far deeper than two. .

If you actually took the time to read and think about what Baghdad Bob has been saying then you would realise that the problems at MFC are far more profound than just these two dismissals. In fact BB has been on about this for months. But as you have pointed out Neeld and McLardy must go. They are not part of any solution. But welcome aboard with ideas. These and more have already been discussed at some length.

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

I don't agree with this.

PJ will do what is best, Vlad knows he is a good CEO so will let him do what is needed, and TBH I think PJ would not do something just because Vlad wanted it if it was not the best thing to be done, he has a reputation to uphold.

The view given by BBB is indeed simplistic.

I would have thought Jackson and Vlad would be aligned in their interests here....to rectify MFC.

Edited May 13, 2013 by Rhino Richards

[Dr. Mubutu 694]

Would it hurt MN to go to another position within the club?

I don't see massive amounts of ego from him, and IMO, he would be very helpful, if only in the position of opposition analyst, Senior development coach or something similar?

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

Would it hurt MN to go to another position within the club?

I don't see massive amounts of ego from him, and IMO, he would be very helpful, if only in the position of opposition analyst, Senior development coach or something similar?

It's up to the new FD heads. I think it better that he seek a role at another club.

[fuchsia 37]

J

A member of the audience turned to Howcroft and asked how this Board had allowed all this to happen in the 4 or 5 years of their watch. Howcroft dodged the question saying as a member based organization we could all stand for election. He has an unfortunate manner and his smugness and lack of empathy with the mood of the audience led to interjection and abuse being hurled at him and the rest of the Board.

Jackson clearly understands footy. He immediately engaged the members. He knows what a good footy club looks like. He understands Boards, Administration and corporate structure. He knows this Board is a failure.

What makes this absolutely painful is that some of us have recognized the clear failings of Don, Schwabby and his merry men for ages. Anyone with any training or experience in how business work could see this. And yet this Board who have so much individual talent couldn't.

I'll never understand that. There is no doubt their hearts were in the right place but the damage they've done is incalculable.

great post well done..!!

also very surprising & genuinely good responses without the vitriol..

wanting to emphasise the "howcroft' attitude is SPOT ON..!!

this is precisely the type of person that infuriates,& disillusions the members & emphasises a " total INCOMPETENCE..

they appear everywhere especially the media; a " GOD COMPLEX "..

it was prevalent back in 1996 when board member " GUEST "( of furnishings fame ) was quoted in the press as

referring to the members who disagreed with them about the merger as "PLEBS"..

its amazing how NS quotes back in 1965 keep reverberating and prove how insightful, brilliant he was, when he stated that the

1; the club is slipping, its slipping..

and with a fervent grit of the teeth;

2;to GET RID OF THESE BLOKES !!!

nearly 50 years on & they still permeate through this club..

oh for a , jim cardwell and a norm smith ..wherefore art thou.

one can dream....

[Grimes Times 1,278]

I'll do it. I know [censored]-all about running a football club, but I damn well have some empathy with those of us in the 'cheap seats' - after all, I sit in one!

EDIT: On that note, I may actually talk to the old man. He's mid-50s, looking to step back from his role in business. He's taken a relatively small gantry crane company and built it into one of the best and biggest companies in the industry over the last 15 years. He left the company in the mid-90s and was headhunted to come back when they were on death's door; resurrected them and they're now expanding overseas. He's also a bloody passionate Melbourne man.

Mick Gatto??

[whatwhat say what 18,957]

get him on board striker475.

[Slartibartfast 15,774]

I don't get that feeling at all.

I agree but I think few if anyone wants everyone gone and I think most would welcome a new coach, CEO and Chairman who would then shape the club the way they want which would require restructuring and different people.

Once you get the cornerstones in place the rest follows.

Calling a spade a spade the cabal of Stynes, Connolly, Lyon and those attached to them were passionate MFC people but they showed that just because you are an icon of a club doesn't mean you've got the skills to run one. Hence we are in the position we are in. Stynes was a great figurehead but a poor Chairman, McLardy a passionate MFC supporter who didn't understand his role and was out of his depth. Schwab loves the club and its history more than anyone I know but wasn't a good CEO and Connolly is, well, Chris. And don't ask me about Lyon.

The AFL have put Jackson in to right the ship. If we can get the other cornerstones in place we will progress. As Jackson says, it's not a hard fix, just a not a quick one.

[H_T 2,941]

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.

To read about Jackson (experienced CEO) speak of the club's lack of governance and right structures/lines of communication, what does it say about Schwab? My fears of when he landed at Melbourne from Fremantle having had past indiscretions (salary cap penalties) have coem to fruition.

I hope Jackson can stick around for a longer tenure to see this mess out.

[Redleg 37,600]

It's up to the new FD heads. I think it better that he seek a role at another club.

I would imagine that since the glowing recommendation he gave to Lyon, Malthouse would have him at Carlton.

[H_T 2,941]

In 2008 Jim Stynes and Don McLardy approached the Gardner Board and told them they were out of ideas and needed to move on for the betterment of the MFC. To the Gardner Board's eternal credit they recognized a better Board, read the tea leaves and saved the Club from a battle that would achieve nothing.

I'm not entirely sure the Gardner Board did their due diligence here either. But that's the past, let's look forward to the future once we can get through riding this elongated storm.

[Redleg 37,600]

I agree but I think few if anyone wants everyone gone and I think most would welcome a new coach, CEO and Chairman who would then shape the club the way they want which would require restructuring and different people.

Once you get the cornerstones in place the rest follows.

Calling a spade a spade the cabal of Stynes, Connolly, Lyon and those attached to them were passionate MFC people but they showed that just because you are an icon of a club doesn't mean you've got the skills to run one. Hence we are in the position we are in. Stynes was a great figurehead but a poor Chairman, McLardy a passionate MFC supporter who didn't understand his role and was out of his depth. Schwab loves the club and its history more than anyone I know but wasn't a good CEO and Connolly is, well, Chris. And don't ask me about Lyon.

The AFL have put Jackson in to right the ship. If we can get the other cornerstones in place we will progress. As Jackson says, it's not a hard fix, just a not a quick one.

Bob while I am as depressed as any Dees fan, I agree with Jackson that it is not a hard fix.

First he gets the right people in place and clearly defines their roles and the goals.

Next he ensures proper governance.

Last we need to get the perfomances on field up to a proper standard. That of course will not be his task but rather the FD.

As for the List, I am sure we all thought that while not great, it was reasonable at the start of the year. Clearly the performances are far below what we could have reasonably expected. Those performances can color one's impression of the list.

If you analysed the list, you could say it was reasonable in the back half, ok in the forward half when you accept Hogan is to come, lacking in the midfield and ruck and lacking strong leadership and talented experienced players.

IMO the club sought to remedy the last bit with Gillies, Byrnes, Rodan and Pedersen and IMO has failed dismally. Admitting the error at season's end and moving them on puts us back one year only if that. Playing younger players adds experience to the list.

I can see a PP or two plus another early pick and that should allow us to improve the midfield if we get it right. A free agent or two could further add to the midfield.

We have several young players to come, in Toumpas, Hogan, Barry, Tynan, Fitzpatrick, Blease, Taggert, Davis etc.

On the horizon is a young Stretch and maybe a young Grinter and others.

The key is getting the right people in place and especially a Coach that the players will work for and learn and develop from. The culture, that wonderful word, can be created with all of the new breed coming in.

The bad press needs to stop and I accept that will only happen when performances improve.

We need fairly soon to end the Coach speculation, even if a fill in takes over until a new permanent Coach can be appointed.

We have significant assets and no debt at the moment.

The membership will rise when we improve on the field.

WE ARE NOT A BASKET CASE, WE ARE JUST PLAYING LIKE ONE.

[Sir Why You Little 34,470]

Bob while I am as depressed as any Dees fan, I agree with Jackson that it is not a hard fix.

First he gets the right people in place and clearly defines their roles and the goals.

Next he ensures proper governance.

Last we need to get the perfomances on field up to a proper standard. That of course will not be his task but rather the FD.

As for the List, I am sure we all thought that while not great, it was reasonable at the start of the year. Clearly the performances are far below what we could have reasonably expected. Those performances can color one's impression of the list.

If you analysed the list, you could say it was reasonable in the back half, ok in the forward half when you accept Hogan is to come, lacking in the midfield and ruck and lacking strong leadership and talented experienced players.

IMO the club sought to remedy the last bit with Gillies, Byrnes, Rodan and Pedersen and IMO has failed dismally. Admitting the error at season's end and moving them on puts us back one year only if that. Playing younger players adds experience to the list.

I can see a PP or two plus another early pick and that should allow us to improve the midfield if we get it right. A free agent or two could further add to the midfield.

We have several young players to come, in Toumpas, Hogan, Barry, Tynan, Fitzpatrick, Blease, Taggert, Davis etc.

On the horizon is a young Stretch and maybe a young Grinter and others.

The key is getting the right people in place and especially a Coach that the players will work for and learn and develop from. The culture, that wonderful word, can be created with all of the new breed coming in.

The bad press needs to stop and I accept that will only happen when performances improve.

We need fairly soon to end the Coach speculation, even if a fill in takes over until a new permanent Coach can be appointed.

We have significant assets and no debt at the moment.

The membership will rise when we improve on the field.

WE ARE NOT A BASKET CASE, WE ARE JUST PLAYING LIKE ONE.

You can see 2 Priority Picks at years end and high draft picks??

Wow you must be on better stuff than me.

I reckon Footscray will get PP's before us.

The MFC has to prove itself as a worthy recipient first.

[Redleg 37,600]

You can see 2 Priority Picks at years end and high draft picks??

Wow you must be on better stuff than me.

I reckon Footscray will get PP's before us.

The MFC has to prove itself as a worthy recipient first.

What, you don't think we will get at least one PP and a high draft pick? I can see a high PP and maybe a lower PP and us in first or second position in the draft.

Worthy recipient first!!!!!!!!! What about 7 sh-t years and then this year of sub standard AFL footy.

The Dogs are better than us and played finals a few years ago.

[daisycutter 28,531]

You can see 2 Priority Picks at years end and high draft picks??

Wow you must be on better stuff than me.

I reckon Footscray will get PP's before us.

The MFC has to prove itself as a worthy recipient first.

i would have thought the opposite - bigger the basket case = more chance for pp

[old55 21,338]

I'll be totally amazed if we get a first round PP. We've wasted previous drafting opportunities and we need to show we've got our house in order.

[Satyriconhome 9,982]

Can I ask was anybody else present at this gathering apart from BB and his jaudiced opinion to verity what actually occurred or to give a different slant on reactions particularly Howcroft or do we accept that is what happened,

Edited May 14, 2013 by Satyriconhome

[Nasher 33,047]

Classic WYL logic. There is only one man on this forum who could arrive at the paradoxical conclusion that we're too crap for a priority pick.

[Damo 2,995]

I would think no other club would complain if we had an early pick.

Its not like we identify talent.

[Satyriconhome 9,982]

I actually thought Peter Jackson's ,main theme was that the Club was lacking in experience, everywhere

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

I would think no other club would complain if we had an early pick.Its not like we identify talent.

Oh but they will Franky......Bet you they will.

[binman 38,091]

I would think no other club would complain if we had an early pick.

Its not like we identify talent.

In fact the other clubs would love it - when it comes to recruiting we are like a coffee filter. All the good stuff goes through and we get the dregs. Imagine the grief we have saved other clubs by kindly ensuring they didn't have to pick up Sylvia, Morton, Scully (GWS bad luck on that one - an expensive tagger!), Gysberts and of course the Cookie monster.

On Gysberts it has to be said that he is yet to set the world on fire at Norf