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Wasn’t Gary Pert CEO of Collingwood when they won their last Premiership? Or let’s forgot that because it doesn’t fit the narrative? The situation we’re in doesn’t come down to one persons fault, there’s plenty of factors that have got us to where we currently are.

A 3AW interview before the Tigers game, that has escaped Demonland's attention. Pert Interview Questions/discussion (Paraphrased response in itallics) Players fitness on return from preseason holidays? Pert talks about the 14 surgeries and less training sessions for the group. He watches training and sat in player meetings and there is no complacency. Club expected fitness to build in early stages of the season. Role of CEO in challenging a coaching group about systems or who is there to challenge the coaching staff on what they are doing? Its not the CEO role but he sits in a lot of the meetings and talks to Mahoney and Goodwin on what we are doing to turn things around. What you want to know you have the best people, can see an energy and commitment to turn things around. Work rate is pretty good but the system is crap! Its the system and the execution. Poor execution and skills will make the system fail. Role of Brendan McCartney philosophies and relationship with players and coaches? Pert sits in football department meetings. Challenges occur among the coaches which is healthy but their are no issues. Given all the meetings he goes to, is he in the football department! As CEO he is getting a feel for the personalities and dynamic of the group. He is very impressed with Mahoney, Goodwin etal I thought Pert came across really well. Was assured and represented us well. He side stepped some questions which is to be expected. I'm not convinced that all is well. I have said on DL for over a year that our Football and Coaching staff are too inexperienced in their roles. I've lamented that we do not have a Neil Balme type person to oversee football and coaching and to challenge, mentor and support those staffs. Pert's responses to 2 and 5 suggest he is filling that role atm. It is quite appropriate that he does because someone needs to hold them accountable and as he says, to assess the people and the dynamics (which he is happy with). Pert apparently had a penchant at Coll for being too involved in football matters/decisions. Its hard to tell whether his deep involvement in football related meetings is that penchant at work, a new CEO getting the lay of the land or real concern about how we are performing. Probably all 3. I'm pleased Pert is going to meetings etc: something needs to change off-field and he will make that happen. On staffing, imv while it is important to know a new appointee will fit into a team far too many appointments have been made based on relationships and not on a proven track record. A successful team needs a balance of experience, past success and fresh blood. Nearly all our coaches are 'rookies' in their current role or come from friendships forged at Bulldogs, Ess or Port and from what I can see most have little experience let alone successful experience in their jobs. Will Pert be happy in 6 months time? I would be shocked if we don't have personnel changes at years end.

might be just me..( I know...often is..... ) but I dont think Weed is the culprit here. Hes a bit down on form but he has shown he can take a mark...he can get to a leading position. Both of these situations require one very important thing to happen...decent ball delivery. The defence rests

It was a lot easier two weeks ago when we could just blame everything on Oscar McDonald.

He talked to the medical staff and left, probably for a massage, seemed fine afterwards when I saw him, 2 days to the game Best bit of training today both Lever and Hannan training strongly

Yep, i put full blame on Pert for our midfielders being completely lazy and not running both ways, not able to hit targets from 15m out and constantly bombing to our forwards heads at all times. The 1-5 start is completely on you Perty!!! ?‍♂️?‍♂️

The good news is that we should avoid a delayed start to preseason this year as players will be on holiday in the first week of September - Dees!

Jenny Craig

Just a couple of weeks ago the club took a stand against online trolling. I reckon we Demonlanders should respect what the club and players were trying to do and improve our game. The two disrespectful names/descriptions used here are just two examples. I'm not a great fan of allegedly funny nicknames for clubs such as Essendope, either. But at least that's not targetting an individual. Names like these are just pathetic, and I'd like to see Demonland be more respectful of all who contribute to the wonderful game of AFL.

We seem to be obsessed with the blame game as if one single person is is responsible for all of our woes! So far, we have identified Taylor, Misson, Chaplin, Jones, Pert, Hogan, May, etc. I thought Melbourne supporters were smarter than that. Not being able to train because of surgeries, to me, is the biggest factor in our poor form. One that most informed Demonland posters were worried about in February/March.

Didn't the Crows also get some mentalists to kidnap their players?

Ffs do you need him to tell you we're underdone Off season Ops which along with the new AFLPA Christmas break rule hampered continuity for training Impacting our fitness levels across almost half the list Poor start to the season has effected any semblance of confidence players may have had Or would you prefer he wrote a fairytale and told you it was all because a) we still have players on our list who were part of 186 b) a curse from 1965 when we sacked Norm Smith

playing t mac as a defender was a concession of defeat from the get go he and weed as our primary forwards must be proceeded with

I put one poster on ignore and thread has gone from 5 pages to four posts. Brilliant

Wowee, thread of the year so far. Entertaining stuff. I’d post that GIF of Michael Jackson eating popcorn, but he’s a [censored] pedophile.

Correct, the problem was he wants to be in WA and NOT in Melbourne. The club didn't get rid of him, they traded because if he had stayed he would have walked out at the end of this year with or without a premiership, that so many people on this site think he would have delivered for us.

I disagree, I thought they were ridiculous. Oliver to FF (He's our only A grade mid) Brayshaw to wing (came 3rd in Brownlow as a midfielder) TMAC, Hibbo and Melk moves worked but then that takes away a 50+ goal FWD from last year, our in form forward this year who is the only one looking likely to hit the scoreboard. As I repeated last year, I'm very concerned with the way Goodwin coaches, people should not be satisfied with a half of effort. The game style stinks, we still leak easy goals over the back, he's the poorest tactical coach in the comp. Another thing I did say last year was he needs to be surrounded with experienced assistants from successful clubs. I thought there would definetly be changes post 2018 but I think it's one of their biggest mistakes going into this year. No Roos or Stone, the guy needs help. His attitude and endeavour are refreshing, but he needs some ideas from fresh minds.

By this logic, we should never have got rid of Cameron Schwab then right? Remembering the catalyst for him getting moved on was 2 enormous losses at the start of the 2013 season. We were investigated for tanking with him at the helm, how can you possibly say the CEO has 0 influence over on-field performance? You seemingly have little understanding of how corporate structures operate in practice.

They’re training?! I thought we’d given that up until next season.

I think this points to a number of impacts - not only were we essentially 33% down on completed sessions, 22 to 33, we were also down 36% in the number of played who did them (25 to 39). This speaks to a decrease in conditioning prior to the first game, but also speaks to individual players not being confident or up with their skills. Even more importantly, the lack of team cohesion becomes apparent when the players have had little chance to work together on the game plan, on changes to the gameplan, and to convert ‘what we have to do’ into instinctive play through repetition. The lack of cohesion is critically apparent. Poor decision making, looks like there is low trust for players to complete what is expected of them (lead to space, win an contest) and this is dramatically slowing the play, allowing the opposition to become completely set behind the ball. So no excuses. However how can you realistically compete when your team is >5% down across the board (Rusty Nails stats analysis), only 2/3 of players completed 2/3 of the volume and training? Seems like either a disaster, or long term planning in action. My suspicion is they thought they could get away with it, but are being caught out. The pressure will go on to be more competitive, and as we start to bring important players back and conditioning and cohesiveness improves, the back part of the year should be vastly improved. It is still a terrible waste, however!

So we're judging a CEO's ability on 'the vibe'? Denis Denuto would be proud That's about all you can hang your hat on Range Rover

Can we merge with the sack everyone megathread? I'm looking forward to tallying up the 2019 scapegoats and it will be much easier if they're all under the one roof.

More CBF

I can’t for the life of me imagine how he would have any impact whatsoever on our onfield performance. With that said, Collingwood played finals 7 of his 11 years at the helm, winning 1 premiership and coming runner-up once. If he does have an impact, sounds like a pretty good one.

I was there in 1987 when Gary Lyon broke his leg on the outer wing at the Whitten oval and listening to the Hawks and Cats game for updates in the last Quarter as were the majority of the Melbourne supporters. The crowd cheering with excitement as we all were stuck on the radio listening to the game down Geelong where Dunstall kicks the goal to put the Hawks in front with less than a minute to go. The crowd goes wild as Melbourne are going to win but it is Hawthorn that wins and not the siren that blew at the Whitten oval against the Bulldogs. An amazing day as we win by 15 points make the finals for the first time in 23 years. The tear and joy and the smiles and elation a remarkable day of footy unforgettable. To see Robbie play in the finals was better than anything at the time. Steven Stretch and Todd Viney come to memory when l watch Billy and Jack play. OH WELL i GOT CARRIED AWAY.

As a diehard supporter devastated and despondent as to the position we find ourselves, I also don't want to be part of the negativity that other Club supporters, the Media and some of our own supporters are relishing. We are generally all passionate supporters on this site and and the extreme disappointment we all feel is exacerbated by the fact that there are no clear answers to our problems. However, why can't we all put that aside and actually support the boys when they really do need our support. I know that the players will be really feeling the anger and frustration of their supporters and despite their outgoing positive comments they will be hurting. I really believe we have the team to turn it around. Friday 3rd May, there is a light training run from 9.30 to 10.30 at Gosch's paddock. I really hope that we can get as many "supporters" there to show the players that we do support them and believe that they can turn it around. I know that we have the team to do exactly that but we will have to get through whatever is happening at the moment. I'm not making excuses for them. I just want to show them that we haven't given up on them. There will not be any BBQ's or marketing tents just plain old fashioned spontaneous support for our players. Let's bring back a sense of unity amongst members and supporters. Bring your dogs, children, neighbours and anyone that loves the MFC.

Waiting for these injured players to return is like waiting for a tradesman to turn up. They give you a time, you take time off work, you wait patiently, only for them to reschedule at another time totally unsuitable for you. You want to sack them all but you need someone to do the job. You are stuck and have to resign yourself to be patient again. SO FRUSTRATING. Sort of sums up what being a Melbourne supporter is all about.

Nice quick google research [censored]. You're now on ignore.

Some people already want Jordon and Bedford delisted..... they're teenage rookies who have played 4 or 5 games in the VFL. Crazy times around here I tell ya.

Caroline has got good contacts and she writes a good story, likes to create some drama in the off field goings on at football clubs. It wouldn't suit her narrative if the people behind the scenes were just a bit disappointed... ...but as to the very high up people...if they are majorly cheesed off and if that has rubbed off on the players in any way shape or form then those very high up people need to take a very long hike... It was very high up people, including ex players that very nearly drove us to extinction.

I know the feeling.

Gary Lyon then??

Let's all just stop with the name calling. You can disagree and argue all you like but don't make it personal. Last warning.

He should have been fitter at the start of the season.

Appraisal : We're last with little to no hope for the rest of this season. I typed that very calmly btw

And who do you suggest should assume the role of CHF when Weideman is demoted? Keilty is not the answer

Schwab was interfering with football matters. The only thing relating to the footy department that Pert has been involved with is signing Goodwin to a long term deal, which by all accounts was a popular move. Over time Pert will shape the Footy department - mainly with funding, direct hiring of staff, decisions on facilities as well as more indirectly with leadership/staff development etc. Its just too early to judge him on that when he hasn’t made those decisions.

This is an article by Caroline Wilson last year: https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/gary-pert-s-resurrection-a-contentious-call-at-melbourne-20180629-p4zojn.html If you don’t believe 1 person can cause trouble in a football club, try remembering how bad it was when Cameron Schwab was around.

Great news re JKH well ahead of schedule 3-5 weeks I know he gets s#1t piled onto him throughout this forum because he's not a superstar but his efforts later half of last year were great and always gives 110%, runs both ways (unlike many), tackles and is a reasonable kick... I'm looking forward to him returning, he's the genuine depth we're missing from much of the rest

Rather than looking for a scapegoat to pin this too, why don't we look at the facts from Pert's time at CFC: - Time at Collingwood extraordinarily successful - peopled laughed when he set the target of 80k members as they are laughing now at the target he has set for MFC - no club in the history of the game has experienced the level of growth that CFC did in Pert's time as CEO - membership, revenue, profit etc. - took a bottom 4 list and built it to a premiership side - Developed a facility that has become the benchmark for all others WITHOUT requiring taxpayer funding - Exited CFC from the gaming/hospitality investments of the previous administration that were haemorrhaging money and returned CFC to profit within 2 years - Removed a coach that looked good on paper but was subsequently moved on by Carlton FC shortly after his appointment (interestingly, spent most of his first preseason at Carlton on a book tour rather than overseeing training) - Appointed a coach that in 2018 took the team to a grand final - In the face of intense criticism that ultimately lead to his demise as CEO, backed Buckley and his system when the easy thing to do would have been to sack Buckley and buy himself time while the club 'imbedded' a new coach and system. Buckley now coaches the premiership favourite team which surely vindicates the club and Pert's support of him. Didn't get everything right; - Appointment of Allen and Eade, potential missteps. Removal of Balme arguably another (although Balme was in favour of removing Buckley so perhaps this has also been vindicated). If we look objectively at the decisions that are now up for debate as to whether that have enhanced or will hamper long term success, they were overwhelmingly made under the leadership of Jackson and Roos and Mahoney (the latter being Jackson's preferred CEO appointment to allow Jackson to stay on at the club as a mentor...). For what it's worth, I think the decisions that have been made over the last 5 years at least, will ultimately prove to be astute moves that will take us where we all desperately want to go. I believe, the appointment of Pert will be another of those positive moves and that at this stage, all be can do is have a little faith. When it comes to faith, every day of the week, I'll give mine to those that have been there and done it and when you look below the surface, have made a majority of very positive calls.

This is what’s most pertinent. In fact, Goodwin has said all along that it is not an excuse.

The bottom line is it is what it is. There simply had to be consequences of the Post Season Operation schedule, consequences, no doubt, of Melbourne's late season success and attack at the Premiership. Trying to blame people, looking for leakages, shedding of responsibilities is all like spitting in the wind. It solves nothing, you can't blame Misson for the injuries... Injuries are not the excuse, they were a fact of life. Not much you can do about that.

You have a very limited understanding of organisations and hierarchies holding that view. If the energy in the top office is not right it can flow very quickly onto performance on the field. Very quickly.

The biggest issue I have with Pert is not with Pert himself, it's the unfortunate timing of the changeover. I think we needed to have a club review of the Prelim performance that being the new man in the job it wasn't appropriate for him to call.

Dropped by the Crows and will be 31 next season. Surely we arent that desperate

Please don’t forget to mention that this Saturday’s game theme is to raise breast cancer awareness. I will definitely be there in honour of my mum. ?

That game has to be the number one most exciting and important game I ever witnessed. The excitement level was so high, and the crowd so loud, it was hard to concentrate on the game itself! It was a struggle to see anything standing on the dirt among the crowd (why is everyone so tall?) but one of those great moments in life which you could tell your children with pride, I was there the day Melbourne made the finals. And Robbie was such a champion who deserved success. It was a pity he wasn't rewarded more.

He wouldn't be playing in the same form with us then he is now.

Coniglio = Free Agent.