12 minutes ago, A F said:

He might have done all that mate but to come back after all of PJs incredible hard work and try and claim credit for it. Wow. Our club was on its knees. If he didn't want the post as President, he shouldn't have stood for Vice Presidency.

And I love the club but I'm not trying to destabilise it. Probably the most egotistical approach to it too. He's very quiet during PJs time and now that we've made finals, he's trying to take credit.

Just yuck.

nevertheless still a bit harsh, af

he was probably approached by the journo and the journo composed the interview and no doubt put his own spin and narrative on it

i'll give him some credit of doubt

First of all the timing on this one is questionable but it was probably going to come up at some point. Its a very tricky situation as this particular era of the footy club should be remembered in some kind of form but not to dwell on. When Jimmy came in the intentions were very good and he rallied everyone like few others could. He was incredibly ill in those last few years and fought on when it may have been best to step away. Don Mclardy is a good man and from the outside seemed like a great right hand for Jimmy, he was a reluctant president. Schwab was a good appointment when it was made, finally we had a credible CEO at AFL level. Who would have thought he'd save his worst years for those last 3 with us?

I don't know, I really don't have a definitive opinion on this. I do think the focus should be on the job that the Bartlett/Jackson/Roos era have done to get us back. The others should be noted as part of the journey but not in full focus, not for now at least.

Edited September 3, 20186 yr by layzie

1 hour ago, A F said:

He might have done all that mate but to come back after all of PJs incredible hard work and try and claim credit for it. Wow. Our club was on its knees. If he didn't want the post as President, he shouldn't have stood for Vice Presidency.

And I love the club but I'm not trying to destabilise it. Probably the most egotistical approach to it too. He's very quiet during PJs time and now that we've made finals, he's trying to take credit.

Just yuck.

Not once in the entire article did McLardy try to take any credit for it though! He simply said he was thinking of people like Jimmy and Robbie Flower who would be enjoying this so much.

He's obviously been asked for a quote, all he's said is that it's taken a long time to get the whole club right and now finally it is, which I don't think anyone can argue with. Rome wasn't built in a day, it's been the hard work of many people over the last decade that has got the club to where it is today. Including Jimmy and Don.

The gist of his quotes are that he couldn't be happier, especially for people who have been there for the long haul like Jones, Gawn, Viney and Mahoney. Not sure how it's destabilising in the slightest, and how you could hold that view unless you didn't read the article?

Gosh.  I read the posts here before I read the article.  I was expecting Don with a trophy saying “Jimmy and I did it”.  If you read what he actually said, it is entirely uncontroversial.  I think he was really trying to evoke the memories of Jim and Robbie (and Neale’s current plight too).  

There is no doubt that Jim brought excitement and passion back into a fractured club.  He’s not with us any more, so perhaps we can allow ourselves to focus on what he did do, not what he didn’t. 

4 hours ago, Lucifer's Hero said:

Journo looking for 'sound bites'.  Unfortunately, it is the headline that gives a biased slant. 

 

1 hour ago, layzie said:

First of all the timing on this one is questionable but it was probably going to come up at some point.

...be interesting to see if Carro mentions anything tonight.

Maybe a bit of stirring with the week off.

"The origins of Melbourne's long-awaited finals return stem from Jim Stynes becoming the club's president a decade ago, according to his successor Don McLardy" 

Stynes loved the club, was a great man, and did great things re debt reduction but the reality is when he became president the debt was $5m before being wiped, but by 2013 the debt was $8.1m, and we finished second bottom with a percentage of 54%.  If PJ/Roos/Bartlett had not been put in place in 2013 no one from the pre 2013 would be able to take any credit for the origins of anything.  I think that says it all really. 

16 minutes ago, Watson11 said:

"The origins of Melbourne's long-awaited finals return stem from Jim Stynes becoming the club's president a decade ago, according to his successor Don McLardy" 

Stynes loved the club, was a great man, and did great things re debt reduction but the reality is when he became president the debt was $5m before being wiped, but by 2013 the debt was $8.1m, and we finished second bottom with a percentage of 54%.  If PJ/Roos/Bartlett had not been put in place in 2013 no one from the pre 2013 would be able to take any credit for the origins of anything.  I think that says it all really. 

Jim Stynes Presidency reminds me very much of Gough Whitlam as PM. 

Jim was a great man. A man of vision and big ideas and plans. But just like Gough certain of his Employees went to far and destabalized. 

Gough would have been forever remembered if the Centre of Australia had been properly irrigated as planned by Rex Connor. Sadly it wasn’t and we still have massive drought

Jim stepped in when we needed him most and then got very crook.
The End.

 

As has been noted. Jimmy stepped in when he needed. But he needed an excellent CEO to run the club, not Schawb. If you match Jimmy with say a PJ, his tenure may be remembered very differently. 

Jimmy trusted the wrong people and advice at the wrong time.  But he did his best given his health.  Its the following administration which has more to answer, no excuses.

 

5 hours ago, Members' Wing said:

Not once in the entire article did McLardy try to take any credit for it though! He simply said he was thinking of people like Jimmy and Robbie Flower who would be enjoying this so much.

He's obviously been asked for a quote, all he's said is that it's taken a long time to get the whole club right and now finally it is, which I don't think anyone can argue with. Rome wasn't built in a day, it's been the hard work of many people over the last decade that has got the club to where it is today. Including Jimmy and Don.

The gist of his quotes are that he couldn't be happier, especially for people who have been there for the long haul like Jones, Gawn, Viney and Mahoney. Not sure how it's destabilising in the slightest, and how you could hold that view unless you didn't read the article?

“A lot of this started with Jim, and all the excitement that came with him becoming president,” McLardy told The Age.

“The whole thing really was a building process for probably over 10 years,” he said.

“The last piece has been getting a really credible footy team on the field, and as we know with equalisation, the pieces can be in place but it’s hard to put a good list together.

“Things just don’t happen overnight. I think it’s taken a lot of pieces of the jigsaw to fall into place over a long period of time.

I'm sorry, but that's taking credit. The inferences are there.

Perhaps, it's not destablising and he does give some credit to the guys who he worked with, but he doesn't seem to glowingly credit PJ or Barlett. PJ is the architect. He's built from ground zero up. 

Why does McLardy need to comment at all to a journalist, unless he feels the need to stick up for their legacy.

I loved Jimmy as a footballer and I even loved him initially as a President. They tried their best, but they were utterly incompetent and very clearly incapable of running a football club. As a result, they almost killed the club I love. So I'm sorry if I'm a little passionate about the subject, but let's remember who oversaw the darkest period of our football club and the debacle that was 2007-2013.

17 minutes ago, A F said:

“The last piece has been getting a really credible footy team on the field

This is the big differences between the old admin and the new.

PJ came in and put the team first. What is a club without a team? how do you survive without winning?

You build the club around the team.

Don's comments are delusional.

The last piece my a....

1 hour ago, rjay said:

This is the big differences between the old admin and the new.

PJ came in and put the team first. What is a club without a team? how do you survive without winning?

You build the club around the team.

Don's comments are delusional.

The last piece my a....

Yeah totally with you guys on this comment from Don. There will be 4 players on Friday night that were drafted in that era. Might not sound bad, but if they really did such a good job ‘getting a team on the park’ I’d have expected about 8 or 9 guys lining up at least.

Real talk: This current administration is responsible for the way our list is right now. PJ, Roos, Jason Taylor are the heroes here.

Edited September 3, 20186 yr by layzie

Thank God for Peter Jackson and Paul Roos. 

Stynes was the catalyst to all to keep the love and faith in the Dees. Rip big man. You did us proud on and off field. 

I don’t see this as particularly controversial. Rather it covers the era from the viewpoint of one of those closely involved at a time when the club was struggling and in conflict. Perhaps, one day, an historian will examine the era more closely and come up with an interesting story of how the club was able to recover from the travails that beset it in the latter part of the last decade and the first half of the current one but that’s for another time. 

We’re back in the finals - let’s enjoy them!