Caros take on our current situation

[saintsrus]

from realfooty, apolgies if this is already posted, couldnt find it
http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/s ... 21057.html



Saints become a plaything for rich boys

Caroline Wilson | September 12, 2007

WHEN the 2007 season ended for St Kilda, the club was considered to have underachieved. Upon reassessment, given all the dirty laundry and division that clearly has haunted the club for much of the year, it seems a miracle Ross Lyon and his team were still a chance to play finals into round 22.

You have to feel for Lyon. He has been around football clubs, including feuding ones, for many years but his previous job was at Sydney during that club's most united and successful era. How he must be missing it now.

Lyon replaced a coach who had fallen out with his president in a feud that was not only financial but became legal. The board handed him a football operations boss in Ken Sheldon who Lyon initially had his doubts about but determined to make the relationship work.

In the meantime, the president, Rod Butterss — a likeable but unpredictable leader who destabilised the club with his ill-timed attack on former coach and ex-best friend Grant Thomas back in June — fell out with chief executive Archie Fraser, who in turn appeared to have issues with the football manager. The two couldn't seem to agree on anything.

Early in the season, Fraser fell foul of the AFL's new human resources set-up because he had been too tough on several staff members — all of whom seemed stressed and overworked because there were so few of them. Fraser also fell out with his deputy James van Beek, who had some issues of his own with staff members.

Van Beek departed to work for Concept Sports — a company several St Kilda directors own shares in. And still the Saints kept getting injured. Despite their bad injury record for most of Thomas' tenure, only a year ago did the club get serious about tackling it. The latest in a long list of fitness and conditioning managers, Craig Starcevich, departed over summer for personal reasons.

Meanwhile, the club's vice-president, Ross Levin, fell out with Butterss and his inner sanctum of Glenn Casey, who used to employ Sheldon at Nylex, and football director Mark Kellett. Seasoned board campaigner Ray King also fell out with the rebel directors.

Levin, who is the only director the new rebel group will keep on the board, and fellow board member John Gdanski, who has jumped ship to join the St Kilda Footy First ticket, appear aligned with Fraser but not Sheldon. The two rebel directors reportedly were horrified that Casey took $30,000 from the Saints to mentor Fraser last year when he was no longer required at Nylex.

They are both lawyers who apparently have done plenty of work for free for the club but who will receive five-figure sums this year for St Kilda legal work. Surely club directors are there to help the club for free, particularly when times are tight.

Enter on-field stalwart Andrew Thompson. He was approached by his former captain Nathan Burke, who not only sits on the AFL's match review panel but also recently helped Melbourne find its new senior coach.

This time last year, the St Kilda players were in shock over the Thomas fallout. Now they are heading off on an end-of-season trip with a teammate who suddenly has been transformed into a major player in an off-field power struggle.

Confused? It could be worse. You could be a St Kilda member who still believed your football club was above a dirty game of cowboys and Indians. Or Lyon, the rookie senior coach who thought he was being promoted into the big time at a united football club with the single purpose of winning a premiership. Not a rich boys' club.

[saintlee]

Caro just loves this board turmoil stuff doesn't she?

She's such a rumor monger.....

[Dan Warna]

I hope to god we spank richmond by 1000 points next year.

[GrumpyOne]

I hope to god we spank richmond by 1000 points next year.

I'll just settle for spanking Caro 1000 times next year.

[Brian Collis]

She doesn't need a spanking she needs a caning the stupid old graggy bitch. She really shouldn't s*** in her own backyard. Obviously got nothing newsworthy to write about

[Eastern]

I hope to god we spank richmond by 1000 points next year.

I'll just settle for spanking Caro 1000 times next year.

Grumpy !!

You are MUCH, MUCH sicker than I thought !!

[GrumpyOne]

I hope to god we spank richmond by 1000 points next year.

I'll just settle for spanking Caro 1000 times next year.

Grumpy !!

You are MUCH, MUCH sicker than I thought !!

Fair go East! Its not as if I would insist on her wearing the leather school uniform or anything. There are limits to my depravity.

[riccardo]

She's such a rumor monger.....

My name for her only had 5 letters, but yeah, she is.

[The Peanut]

In a way these positions are a plaything for the rich kids but that is the way of things - If the rich kids convince the members that they are competant and passionate enough to do the job well - so be it.

RB was only a member for 1 year or less when he got the job - so I guess you could call his involvement a plaything, an interest, a challenge or whatever.

Call 'spud' a potato

[riccardo]

You have to feel for Lyon. He has been around football clubs, including feuding ones, for many years but his previous job was at Sydney during that club's most united and successful era. How he must be missing it now.

This is the part that got my back up the most.

This sort of gutter sniping boils my blood.

[BakesFan]

Don't let 'it' bother you, ricc.
The bitch can only dream about having the sort of success the Saints have had over the past few years.... and the success we're primed to acheive.
She's simply a bitter, twisted old crone.
Were she to spend her energies pointing out the Tigers gross deficiencies; rather than the relatively minor ones at St Kilda; she may actually be able to acheive some good with her poisoned pen/keybord.

GO SAINTS!!!!

[Seaford_Saint]

I'm certainly no "Caro fan".... but you have to admit, she has some points....

When we have disputes (are mis-aligned), why does it always have to be played out on the back page???

I've read everything... and listened to everyone..... but at the end of the day - would Collingwood / Essendon / Eagles / Crows have played this sort of feud out in such a public forum???.... NO... the CULTURE wouldn't allow it...

Get with it Saints - I find it quite tiring

[GrumpyOne]

I'm certainly no "Caro fan".... but you have to admit, she has some points....

Two, and nobody wants to see them.

[brown-coat]

Some things never change.

f****** culture..

[Brian Collis]

Some things never change.

f****** culture..

I think you stained your jocks

[saint66au]

I'm certainly no "Caro fan".... but you have to admit, she has some points....

When we have disputes (are mis-aligned), why does it always have to be played out on the back page???

I've read everything... and listened to everyone..... but at the end of the day - would Collingwood / Essendon / Eagles / Crows have played this sort of feud out in such a public forum???.... NO... the CULTURE wouldn't allow it...

Get with it Saints - I find it quite tiring

Name me an AFL Board challenge that HASNT been played out all over the back pages..and with Caro sticking the knife in. I grant you that a WCE or Crows tussle would be less news over here, but in their home state they'd have to print 20 extra pages of the morning paper to cover it.

Culture?? Essendon?? Pffft...the club that blatantly lied to its members about the future of Sheedy?