Kennett future MelbourneFC President?

[Deano74 156]

Good to see all the Melbourne people beating the door down to be a president and change our club ooops hang on, there arent any ??

Id say back Jeff, he seems detirmined to do the job and want to succeed.

I dont care if he barracks for the Hawks, If he comes in with the Melbourne Brand at heart then give him a go.

Id see Jeffs time as helping us get back on track.

Edited June 15, 2013 by Deano74

[tonatopia 278]

I am still here.

Who would you select as our next coach?

When would you give neeld his marching orders?

[Bring-Back-Powell 13,190]

Just to set the record straight nasher, I was correct about the following;

Bailey over sheedy -ridiculous

Neeld over malthouse/matthews -ridiculous

getting rid of moloney -ridiculous

Making trengove & grimes captain -ridiculous

Recruiting Gysberts over jetta -ridiculous

Recruiting cook over darling -ridiculous

Recruiting seller, gillies, rodan & Byrnes -ridiculous

Not being able to train at our home ground -ridiculous

Wearing white jumpers -ridiculous

Getting external "consultants" to select our coach -ridiculous

Allowing Jurrah & wona to 'slip thru' - ridiculous

I've been pretty accurate really.

Yeah wearing white jumpers is the cause for all our problems ....

[DemonFrog 1,347]

Who would you select as our next coach?

When would you give neeld his marching orders?

At the end of the season.

At 8,30am tomorrow (Sunday), as it would be rude to call him at 12.12am right now.

[CBDees 3,162]

It is also pretty obvious that there are a number of people who support him because they support his politics.

As I've said, I don't give a damn about his politics if he is the right man for the MFC (it's footy, not the future of the society).

But I sure do worry about what will happen if he decides he can't fix Melbourne after a couple of years. His personality suggests he will conclude that the problem is unsolvable, not that he just didn't do things right. He would then revert to his earlier merge/relocate position. If we find someone who is not quite as good as some claim he will be, but who is a Demon through and through, this danger is averted.

To me the enthusiasm for Kennett sounds like the usual MFC supporter problem that many on this forum have complained of - seeking a short-term fix and faith in a Messiah.

Methinks you underestimate the man, he is unlikely to take anything on and let it fail. Perhaps the fact that he is not a one-eyed Demon may assist in him being objective as his motives for taking it on is to preserve the 'Melbourne' brand and not see the football club carrying the name of Victoria's capital being a laughing stock! It is surprising that so many Demonlanders are anxious to replace Neeld with Lethal Leigh Mathews yet dismiss Kennett, despite both having major impacts at Hawthorn!

[Redleg 37,599]

Who would you select as our next coach?

When would you give neeld his marching orders?

I will answer the second question first, if MN has lost the players as most of us suspect, I would find a decent and respectful way of doing it today.

Our next Coach has to be experienced. A flag would be a bonus. A flag as a player would be better. He would have to have had experience with a team low on the ladder as well. He HAS to be a "players man". A leader who can command respect from his players, who respects them in return and can engender the buy in from all at the club.

The only person I can see who fills most of the above criteria is Mark Williams. I am open to others but can't think of any who also fill most of the criteria. Mark Williams can be erratic, but he lives and breathes footy and most who have played with or under him like him and will work with him. If you got a Junior as an assistant that would also be a good move.

I have left out Roos because I believe he is unavailable.

Edited June 16, 2013 by Redleg

[Redleg 37,599]

Yeah wearing white jumpers is the cause for all our problems ....

A bit of info for you considering your name. Stephen Powell who played at 3 clubs is a MFC member and regards us as his favourite club he played with. He follows us therefore and like the rest of us wants success badly.

That was passed on to me thursday from a close friend of his.

[tonatopia 278]

Redleg, thanks for nominating your candidacy, but I think it should Lethal.

[Redleg 37,599]

Redleg, thanks for nominating your candidacy, but I think it should Lethal.

I just get the feeling that Lethal has been out of it for a while and is not really interested anymore. I believe he is happy with his media work. I think he still lives in Queensland, but I could be wrong and wants to stay there.

Mark Williams is still involved at Richmond and is still in the thick of it. He is also younger than Leigh who is now 61.

[tonatopia 278]

Yeah wearing white jumpers is the cause for all our problems ....

It shows our board is spineless.

"keep your eye on the red and the blue...........and white"

Fish rots at the head.

Edited June 16, 2013 by tonatopia

[DemonFrog 1,347]

I thought the boards plan was for all supporers to wave the whiteflag before every game in 2014. That is if MN is still the head coach.

[Lordweaver 235]

If Kennett wants to be taken seriously, he needs to declare who he's running with. A Board is not a President and no one else; just like McLardy didn't do everything, Kennett won't do everything. So we need to know who he has with him.

He also needs to give some sort of statement as to what he thinks needs to be done. It's not enough to say 'Melbourne needs change'. What change? What exactly do you think needs to happen?

I'd also like to hear him explain if/why he no longer thinks we should merge with North Melbourne, a view he held just months ago, and now conveniently is not in existence.

Everyone, read this before you mouth off!

[jackaub 1,402]

Geoff Freeman will, i hope be our next President. Not a self serving, headline grabbing, egotistical [censored].

Kennett would fracture the club even more than it is now. God help us...

So Freeman has the passion and the abilty to communicate that passion or is he just another insurance business man?MFC needs much much more than a good business man at the Moment

The club and its losing culture will be saved by someone totally invested in success! That means an ability to move the Whole club forward to drive agendas to heal wounds to make us all feel as one.Being good at business is just one of the skill sets.

[beelzebub 22,225]

Methinks you underestimate the man, he is unlikely to take anything on and let it fail. Perhaps the fact that he is not a one-eyed Demon may assist in him being objective as his motives for taking it on is to preserve the 'Melbourne' brand and not see the football club carrying the name of Victoria's capital being a laughing stock! It is surprising that so many Demonlanders are anxious to replace Neeld with Lethal Leigh Mathews yet dismiss Kennett, despite both having major impacts at Hawthorn!

quite frankly theres a lot of hysterical panic at the notion of Kennett , or a Jeff type coming on board.

Some of us would simply consider him as we would others and are open to what he has to say and suggest.

To not be open , is by definition to be closed.

Closed thinking gets us no where....in fact ...gets us exactly where we are.

[Guest]

I'm heartened to see that a lot of Demonlanders are starting to realize what a farce this all is...

What still gets to me though is how short a lot of people's memories are. It would seem that most people look at Jeff's career in public life as the following:

1) got voted in as Premier when Victoria was a shambles: THIS is true!

2) by sheer presence alone fixed everything: look at the record. Sure he made hard and necessary decisions but if I were readers of the land, I would look up the Paul Keating question time answer when he was talking about the tendering for Crown Casino and how it was 'like a dead cat in the middle of the road, stinking to high heaven.' That was the other side of Jeff's time in Victoria. I won't deny some of the economic achievements but let's not pretend that he set up Shangri-La in Victoria either. He saved Victoria from it's parlous state but there was a huge cost in other areas for achieving that. I will go no further.

3) He was voted out by an ungrateful public: I have gone into his relationship with Russell Savage earlier. And Roger Pescott. And Peter MacLellan. And Alistair Clarkson. And Stephen Mayne (though he is a troublemaker, a necessary one but a troublemaker nonetheless).

While all public figures have the disadvantage of having everything on the record, Jeff has a list of knucklehead performances longer than your arm. The pro Kennett crowd, if they were intellectually honest, would at least acknowledge the risks that he brings with him. Dermott Brereton, even though he is a bit of a head wobbler, was good enough to do this.

Edited June 16, 2013 by Guest

[timmyo64 44]

why we need jeff...

In vogue today is the succession plan wiith coaches, learn from the best see how its done then take over the reigns, it is the same with presidents. We have been a joke for over half a century and no melbourne person that could help right now knows what success in football takes, I don't care what business credentials they have, sport is on a different planet. Now say you bring in this freeman fella, who presumably has been asked by don to come in, what can Don teach him? chances are the end result will be the same as every other president we have had for 50 years, historical evidence proves this.

Bring in Jeff how ever, a person with no ties to melbourne prior, who has done what it takes and also learnt through Dickson or had a steady platform passed onto him, the chances of success are much higher. It is not an unknown.

You can keep saying get passionate melbourne people but as long as this the case, right now will always be the case. The club does not know success and as much as some of you don't want it, it needs complete change, a new club with the same colour, logo and song and home ground. Jeff can do this It will be like a blood transfusion.

Look at geelong, flag drought was longer then ours, but they still had the likes of ablett and Hocking who leave on aura of greatness around the club, it breeds success. Who have we had since barrassi, other then Jimmy. Don't say flower because i reckon 95% of our list would never of seen him play. If you say an ox that highlights our problem, he was awesome but was never allowed to reach his true potential. Sounds like a lot of melbourne players of the past decade doesn't it. THere is no one to hang around the club that can resonate this back to the players. Thus, we need to start with Jeff.

LET GO OF THE PAST AND WELCOME THE CHANGE, 49 YEARS IS A LONG TIME TO ROT SURELY THERE IS NOT MUCH TIME LEFT.

[What 18,810]

for me it all comes down to his ticket

he is just a spokesperson and spruiker, the board is what matters

[Grand New Flag 3,226]

why we need jeff...

In vogue today is the succession plan wiith coaches, learn from the best see how its done then take over the reigns, it is the same with presidents. We have been a joke for over half a century and no melbourne person that could help right now knows what success in football takes, I don't care what business credentials they have, sport is on a different planet. Now say you bring in this freeman fella, who presumably has been asked by don to come in, what can Don teach him? chances are the end result will be the same as every other president we have had for 50 years, historical evidence proves this.

Bring in Jeff how ever, a person with no ties to melbourne prior, who has done what it takes and also learnt through Dickson or had a steady platform passed onto him, the chances of success are much higher. It is not an unknown.

You can keep saying get passionate melbourne people but as long as this the case, right now will always be the case. The club does not know success and as much as some of you don't want it, it needs complete change, a new club with the same colour, logo and song and home ground. Jeff can do this It will be like a blood transfusion.

Look at geelong, flag drought was longer then ours, but they still had the likes of ablett and Hocking who leave on aura of greatness around the club, it breeds success. Who have we had since barrassi, other then Jimmy. Don't say flower because i reckon 95% of our list would never of seen him play. If you say an ox that highlights our problem, he was awesome but was never allowed to reach his true potential. Sounds like a lot of melbourne players of the past decade doesn't it. THere is no one to hang around the club that can resonate this back to the players. Thus, we need to start with Jeff.

LET GO OF THE PAST AND WELCOME THE CHANGE, 49 YEARS IS A LONG TIME TO ROT SURELY THERE IS NOT MUCH TIME LEFT.

All very true.

I would like to add that having a President and CEO who are non Melbourne people is exactly what we need. We need the view of those outside the club looking in, rather than from inside the club being blinded. Jeff’s credentials are outstanding, he will increase our club profile, will increase interest and media attention. This leads to more media, higher sponsorship, more members and interest in our club from outside players.

It is my view Jeff would be a godsend to our club. Another successful business man like Freeman with no experience in sport or media is not the answer.

If you always do what you have always done, you will always get what you have always got. In MFC case this is FAILURE. Its time to step away from our failed model we have followed for 50 years.

Bring on Jeff. I will vote for him.

Edited June 16, 2013 by Grand New Flag

[beelzebub 22,225]

for me it all comes down to his ticket

he is just a spokesperson and spruiker, the board is what matters

This is very much it...and the same for any candidate and wannabe Chairman... its a simple question ; what are you(collective ) about ? and how will this fix Melbourne.

Many need to keep in mind the MFC is very much a business. It came out of an era when clubs were some sort of extension of the daliancies of those so able and interested to what they are now, multi-million dollar enterprises that need to be treated and run as such by those most able and qualified to do so.

it would be nothing for Chrsyler to pinch a Ford exec , oh wait...they did . and so on and so on.

Some of you lot are just going to have to be dragged yelling and screaming into the 21st century.

The only thing thats half way a constant are the Jumper and colours. . Please note even these have changed over time.

We all seem to get caught up with " Oh we're Melbourne, we dont do it like that " ,when in reality the only thing we dont do is win and succeed in general.

Clever organisations bring in talent. Look to the world of IT , they go and get the most inventive and creative minds. They look oput of the box or even design and build a new one, or something thats not even a box !!

What do we do , we just keep on wallpapering over the cracks and lo and behold the cracks are still there, never fixed and just getting worse and worse till one day the walls come tumbling down.

What bemuses me is not that theres damage as a result of this but that still so many are aghast that the walls even fell, that there was anything wrong with them.

I too was amongst those that simply didnt know/understand the depth and saturation of the cancer ( npi ) that has riddled our club.

Now we know,we must act with a clinical common sense. In medicine you would seek the best advice and bring in the best skilled to operate. Hell , they might even come from another hospital ( egads) .

ive often said I dont care really whos wearing the jumper as long as they do so with pride, with conviction and with fervour.

I dont care where that jumper occurs, on the field, in the FD , admin , or even at board level. i just dont care who they are really only that once there they ARE MELBOURNE for their duration.

For these simple reasons I WILL entertain ANYONE on merit.

The MERITS:

Are you able to do the job

Do you want to do the job

Will it be better if you do it than someone else

Will you treat the Club and by extension its members with respect.

Im tired of the MFC being a boys club , a stuffed up association of seemingly well -intentioned well -to-dos , who simply fail at every hurdle...or by history's page most of them.

Its TIME

(and yes I fully understand the irony of that )

[rpfc 27,469]

I don't have blind faith in him and I don't see him as a messiah but Jackson has the mandate of the AFL to shake up the club as CEO - both above and below.

Jackson and the AFL have stepped in - there is no need for Jeff Kennett.

[beelzebub 22,225]

I don't have blind faith in him and I don't see him as a messiah but Jackson has the mandate of the AFL to shake up the club as CEO - both above and below.

Jackson and the AFL have stepped in - there is no need for Jeff Kennett.

Here in you lay the grounds for a mis direction.

The Job of Jackson as the bequest of the AFL is to oversee the re engineering of the machine. The AFL are paying the bills.

The Job of a President/Chairman and his/her board is to oversee the direction of its spirit and culture

They are two vastly different if , interdependent vocations

There is EVERY need for a Chairman with passion and vision.

Jackson will be a transitional influence. then he will in all likely hood move on, job done. The Chairman will I suspect be here for a longer period of overseeing the rebuild off the field leading to the resurgence on the field.

We need both , an effective CEO and a passionate , visionary President/Board

[timmyo64 44]

there have been to many "imagine if" with melbourne ala gutnick and westpac centre, numerous draft picks, coaches the list could go the length of this thread. I just don't want to see freeman or any of the other melbourne candidates out of the job in 3 years with no success and see people saying "imagine if" we voted on jeff.

[timmyo64 44]

your all baying for change, and saying if there was something i could do, i would. As a member you can, vote jeff. Or let Don bring his new man in and effectively you have no change, Don would still be calling the shots. Jeff would be like a blood transfusion thats the change we need.

[Sir Why You Little 34,459]

Bottom line for me is Freeman is going on holiday and is unwell.

He is not the man to lead this club out of the mud.

Reading todays Aged Jeffrey says Freeman is a mae.

Cool maybe a good fit is that Geoff Freeman joins the Kennett ticket.

I say it again...WE NEED OUTSIDE ENERGY.

People who have been at successful clubs.

No more jobs for mates.

[rpfc 27,469]

your all baying for change, and saying if there was something i could do, i would. As a member you can, vote jeff. Or let Don bring his new man in and effectively you have no change, Don would still be calling the shots. Jeff would be like a blood transfusion thats the change we need.

Don would be calling the shots?

Don't be so naive - this isn't Moscow circa well...anytime really, this isn't Hollywood, he isn't an evil ogre - he has moved on and now Jackson - with his expertise is looking at Board as well as the Admin and the FD.

How about this?

If Jackson sees the great Jeff Kennett as our absolution then so would the AFL and we can go forward into the night with this marriage, happily arranged by the AFL paratrooper in Jackson.

If not, then the AFL and Jackson both believe that, despite public platitudes, it is not best for the MFC to surrender to Kennett.

Who will be right? I don't know. But one thing is for certain, if you want to vote on it you are going to need to get a copy of the constitution because for the umpteenth time - there are no wholesale elections to the MFC Board at the end of any year.