Foopy on the telly

Poor comparison. A: Geelong Football Club are called ‘Geelong’ and are based in Geelong - and always have been. It’s a unique area where it is pretty much rural and is therefore attractive to players seeking a different lifestyle. Just ask Isaac Smith. B: (And arguably most important) The facilities at Geelong are pretty much the very best in the league - and everything is under one roof. Something that our fragmented set-up simply cannot match.

If my memory serves me correctly, the president at the time (who we can’t name for evident reasons) basically went out on his own and brought Pert to the club, which blindsided PJ and co. This contributed to somewhat of a fallout between PJ and the board (Well, that is if you believe what Caro Wilson wrote regarding the situation).

It’s actually pretty standard practice not to release the report to the public. Mainly due to the impact it may have on the reputation and careers of those named in it, as Malcolm Speed alluded to in that interview.

For crying out loud champ, people are allowed to hold their club accountable. And very ordinary to call others ‘maggots’ on here as well. While the media clearly loves stirring the pot about us (I really do hate Sam McClure), there is too much noise for one to stick their head in the sand and think “yeah, everything’s rosy over at Melbourne HQ”. Whether you like it or not, the fact that all of this information has been leaked out to the media, points to an inability of the club to prevent information leakage. That’s an issue of the club and certain people privy to information who won’t keep their damn mouths shut.

I just don’t understand how it’s got to the point that the board has apparently been making all of these ‘bad’ decisions. They have a governance code to go by, which by all reports was overhauled with the involvement of the AFL 11 years ago. Has this changed? And if not, why are they going against their governance code if they are in fact performing poorly?

Just heard Cam Bruce mentioned, surely make a play to get him back to Melbourne as an assistant? I’m not usually one for bringing a former Melbourne person back but being the midfield coach of a GF side could be very enticing.

To be fair, the Pope is also a catholic.

Not sure what rock you’ve been living under mate but they literally came out and said the Yarra park precinct wasn’t possible (around 2019/20).

Of course they’re not going to verify that. Because it’s negative. What do you think they’d say if asked? “Nah, I’m sick of the club, the culture is trash and I want out”? Dreaming. You have to go with what multiple people report and if there are similarities in the stories that different people tell, then the odds of that being true rise quite dramatically. Morris’ account of the trac fiasco matched Goodwindees (and others)’ mail to an absolute tee. So based on the balance of probabilities, you can draw the conclusion that there is likely a reasonable degree of truth to it.

Talk about not doing enough research…

This I kind of agree with. We actually do have really good-quality training facilities, it’s just the location that’s the problem. People don’t make that distinction enough, which causes confusion.

We’ve got an opportunity to get everything under one roof for the first time in decades. The fragmentation has played a huge part in winning only 1 flag in 60 years. You underestimate the impact of these things on footy clubs. The same argument can be made for pretty much any organisation, sports or otherwise.

All well and good to say that but when you compare the situation to other clubs, we are very hamstrung with our facility locations. Any issues arising from that really dampens the chances of long-term success. Back when we were at the slums of junction oval, people with your opinion would’ve done my bloody head in.

During the Trac saga, the name I heard least was Goodwin's. Everything seems to be about the board and executive. You have to be careful when thinking if the coach should go, because from the outside it is always just speculation. You can't know what the issues are for sure, and who's causing them. It really isn't hard to think critically about these issues. Who would we replace Goodwin with? And will we be calling for the replacement coach's head too, if things go [censored] up? Surely we have learnt this after the Dean Bailey fiasco, with his 'replacement' and the ensuing events. I mean seriously. It's like when Bolton was sacked at Carlton, and then when Teague won a few games, their [censored] supporters thought he was their saviour. Then the club appointed him long-term on whim, based off a short trend. Look what happened after. Don't get me wrong, if next year doesn't see improvement then Goodwin should go, because he has been given enough chances. But automatically going after the coach every time something goes wrong, particularly when the issues are evidently deeper than just one person, is overly simplistic and - quite frankly - just so [censored] stupid.

Why can’t they just only train out of AAMI/Gosch’s paddock until we get the new facility sorted? Is it because of the deal we signed with the city of Casey or do other clubs need to use it?

How many times has it been said that he’s pretty much in a caretaker role? He won’t be permanent. Jee whiz

FWIW, Gale was appointed at the end of 2009.

On a side note, I went for a run this morning, and ran past Jake Lever going for a walk. His arm was in a sling. Did I miss news of him getting injured again or something? Hope we’re not gonna see him with an interrupted preseason for next year.

Forgive me for being pedantic, but it gives me the [censored] how almost no one highlights the difference between quality of facilities, and having everything under one roof. This is specifically in relation to the people who mistakenly mention that we have poor training facilities. By all reports the quality of our facilities are actually excellent, it’s just that the admin, men’s and women’s teams are all at separate locations. That is the problem. Some may think i’m pointing out the obvious there, but when supporters equate the club having bases in different locations, to somehow having “poor training facilities”, then that is pretty stupid. Particularly when there doesn’t seem to be any evidence for that.

Well when someone breaks the story of a 7-year contract offer being tabled to Trac - before any of the journalists even become aware of it -, then you have to conclude they’ve got good info.

I’d go as far as to say it was almost ALL down to player development during the Bailey/neeld years. The vast majority of players we drafted back then were objectively the highest-rated players in their respective drafts (yes, even Jimmy Toumpas). A classic example is that almost any other club would have taken Jack Watts at pick 2 if we didn’t take him with number 1. To then say they “stuffed up the draft picks” would be wildly incorrect and simplistic, especially considering that you couldn’t possibly get that many picks wrong even if you deliberately tried. I mean think about it. Anyways, hard to believe that was 10-15 years ago now.

Being non-profit doesn’t mean you don’t make a profit. It just means that the profits don’t go to shareholders or other private beneficiaries.

Sounds like one of the bigger recent cases of ‘beggars can’t be choosers’. Understand that it has to be just right though.

Vince?

Not doubting his ability mate… also well aware of his leg issues that year. But he wouldn’t have been training in full capacity before Christmas which was my main point. Agreed on his great form last year and us missing him dearly, but I reckon it just highlights the additional need for younger replacements (hence the JVR argument). I hope he kicks [censored] this year because we will need it, just won’t be surprised if he isn’t playing at his very best given his injury recovery hampering part of his pre-season preparation. But I guess it’s all just crystal ball stuff.