I would only suggest that somewhere in that list is the problem. And wether anyone likes it or not, we will end up burning some good people/talent on that list to find the problem and solve it.
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that is not the consensus, but if you look at this list you need to ask yourself - is this the best we, one of the biggest clubs in Australia, can do?
Are we comfortable that we effectively have an apprentice CEO running the joint? I have nothing against Xavier, very nice person and actually a good footy brain (played at a very high level) but Im not sure is the person for us. In fact, Im certain he’s not.
Is our coaching lineup the envy of anyone in the league? How many of em would walk right into jobs at the better clubs in the same position? Id argue not many.
How long can the head recruiter be in his position, with our lack of results? If you were starting Moonee Ponds FC from scratch for 2020, would he be your head hunted head of recruiting? Didnt think so.
The point is - we have settled for a fair bit of mediocrity here. In some instances, mediocrity is understating it.
IF we were to part ways with Xavier - we would have a whose who of the best sports administrators in the country apply. Make no mistake about that. Obviously an important position, but in fact a very easy position to replace. A club of our size should expect and accept no less than proven, experienced leader driven for and absolutely responsible for success.
Same with the head coach - and I would drive it that we get the post possible coaching candidate after a GENUINE process - then work WITH him to surround him with the talent he desires/requires/at least last an input to.
Head hunt the best recruiting personnel we can find. Offer 100K more, 200K more. The position is just that important.
That’s how Id start it.
And on the players - nobody is asking for heppell to go. Replaced as skipper perhaps, but not out the door. The rest wouldn’t be on any of the better teams list.
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No disrespect intended Alan, but perhaps you are letting emotion get in the way of common-sense.
By any parameters except one, which I will get to, EFC is a well-run organisation with a strong P&L, now has good governance in place and is served well by a diverse and talented Board of Directors.
It has through a period of turmoil developed amongst the best sporting facilities of any club in the country and has debt under control. Record Membership and a high profile attracting many sponsors. And those much maligned coteries are still putting their hands into their deep pockets.
Perhaps an area that needs work is PR and Communications, but to be fair they have been busy and lots has been happening, and this year were proactive after years of reacting to issues as they arose.
Now I put that down to the CEO and his Team doing a great job.
On the field is where us Blitzers and other supporters are upset. We over-rate our list and rate some as champs before they show consistent form. Our best players at present are Smith, Saad, Stringer and Shiel (thanks Adrian) and others such as Daniher, Merrett, Raz and Walla are good but injury prone or inconsistent. Younger types like Langford, Laverde, Parish, Guefli are not there yet and may never get there, and Myers, Baguley, Ambrose, Brown, Hartley, Smack, McNeice are all VFL quality and no better. Others show promise, but we do not play them so who knows. Hooker and Hurley are champs but will be gone soon.
Woosha is a very nice bloke and has coached a premiership. I reckon I could have coached the 2000 Bombers to the flag and the same goes for the Weagles when Woosha won. I do not know if Sheeds or Hird would do a better job with the current bunch.
Reality for BBlitz is that if Bombers smash the Dee’s this week and then beat the Pies on Anzac Day, the malcontents will all be smiling once again and quiet down until the next loss.
Such is Footy.
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Not sure how you measure success but a well run organisation that has failed in its core business is, in my opinion, neither a success nor well run.
A strong P &L based on large numbers of donations?
People who donate their memberships every year and never go anywhere near the place. Directors donating their time like the local footy club. Sponsors donating money in the hope that a 70k membership will buy form them.
So basically the club has done a good job at getting donations and sponsorships, just like any other charity.
Maybe just maybe the club has taken its eye off the ball, for the past 18 years.
I don’t call that successful.
I for one won’t be happy just because we start winning games. That’s just papering over the cracks. It’s the way we are playing. If my entire staff came to work day in day out and gave a confused sometimes angry listless performance like our team has then I would be thinking that there was something seriously wrong.
And it starts at the top.
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I didn’t say EFC were successful, which for me is only determined on-field by winning a flag.
Clubs like North and Footscrazy have done infinitely better than us in recent history, and we’ve always taken the ■■■■ out of them for being “poor”. It doesn’t matter at all that they have no money, the AFL props them up. You don’t need to be a rich club to be successful, all the money in the world cannot buy good decisions and a set of farking balls.
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I suggest that is already creeping in. By allowing players who didn’t contribute in the
pre-seasons games and who were obviously not ready to play perhaps even injured or not right or not in form, to play at someone else’s expense. Example Ridley and Parish.
There is a problem its plain and simple, its there for everyone to see, fixing it may not be as easy as seeing it. Our Coach is not known for his creativity but he is a good steadier of the ship.
Well it definitely not pronounced Saviour
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Spot on except that last part.
Let’s say we win 3 of our next 4 (not going to happen but play along), we wont try and burn the place down if we drop the next one (Geelong?)
However we will if we drop the games like Freo at Etihad which has been a systematic problem with our club for a long long time.
Freo are 1-13 against essendon in Melbourne. It’s systematical!!
“Like freo”
Ie: game we shouldn’t drop but we do. Freo is the next game after cats and Swans so first opportunity.
So you’ve actually emphasized my point. If we do go 3 of the next 4 and then lose to Freo who are 1-13 against us in Melbourne then it is systematic.
We’re bound to win one we’re not expected to then lose on we should win.
Bring in Big Ron.
I’m comfortable with what I said.
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I’ve only made your point because you’re kidding yourself that you’re seeing patterns where there are none.
All sides lose games.
Average sides lose about half their games. And that’s where we’ve been for much of the last 15 years.
You’ll find we’ve lost a lot more games to good sides on their own turf.
Four grammatical errors in the first two sentences. Sack X!
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Winston Churchill on ending sentences with prepositions (something the Oxford Companion rejects as being grammatically incorrect, BTW).
“This is the sort of bl**dy nonsense up with which I will not put.”
I had written off Xavier the second he apologized to the players for putting in that ■■■■ effort against Brisbane.
Like what in the actual F. Way to set the example Xavier.
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A prisoner about to be released was offered the services of a prostitute. He refused.
“I will not end a sentence with a proposition”
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yes I know
Sorry Xavier if reading this thread hurts your feelings.
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