Rod Butterss & his vision for the future

[Mr Magic]

Everton, thanks for posting this thread.

I too am very interested to hear what teh RB Board has in store as its plan for going forward.

Now that it has apparently achieved financial stability, I need to know how they intend to run our Club so that we can achieve 2 goals - Premierships and sustained success.

I do not want from them any 'motherhood statements'.

I want to know details.

Just as I have been asking/demanding for from SFF.

Once I have those details I can make a reasoned decision on their relative merits.

[evertonfc]

Everton, thanks for posting this thread.

I too am very interested to hear what teh RB Board has in store as its plan for going forward.

Now that it has apparently achieved financial stability, I need to know how they intend to run our Club so that we can achieve 2 goals - Premierships and sustained success.

I do not want from them any 'motherhood statements'.

I want to know details.

Just as I have been asking/demanding for from SFF.

Once I have those details I can make a reasoned decision on their relative merits.

Details are the key to this.

I think BOTH groups need to make themselves accountable to members, incumbant or not.

Being in power doesn't mean you can become lazy. The motherhood statements - nice phrase Magic - have become a sickly indicator of how lowly we are thought of. Basically, tell the stupiddumbpublic "We've never been so close to a premiership" and they'll lap it up, even though we've fallen out of the top eight teams in the competition. That hurts.

Thus far it has appeared that RB's forum fan club have jumped all over the supposed lack of information from SFF - I mean, well, what did you expect? Of course they won't have put everything together as yet.

I want to see detail from both SFF and RB.

In time, I'm sure it will come from the former, and whilst seven years of motherhood statements and vague promises have come from the later, I hope Rod shows us enough respect to hold himself accountable in detail too.

[joffaboy]

In time, I'm sure it will come from the former, and whilst seven years of motherhood statements and vague promises have come from the later, I hope Rod shows us enough respect to hold himself accountable in detail too.

pfft - go and grab the financial statements from 2001 and then compare them to 2003 onwards

Fair Dinkum, you can have your opinion, but please base the financial aspect of them on facts not blithe ignorance and subjective loathing.

Motherhood statements. pfft - nothing Motherhood about retiring 3.7 mill in debt, and making multiply $1 mill profits.

The only mob with motherhood statements is the aspirants who are so far running on a platform of excessive spending and no piss at board level.

*shakes head in disbelief at the rank ignorance*

[Mr Magic]

Details are the key to this.

I think BOTH groups need to make themselves accountable to members, incumbant or not.

I couldn't agree more.

[evertonfc]

I totally agree joffaboy that RB did some great financial work in 2002-04 - he really turned us around. I think every St Kilda fan should be grateful for that.

But it's things like the following that have upset people...

- Working to build the public stoush with GT...
- Banning The Footy Show? Great for the club's profile, eh?
- Ironic that St Kilda now has a dud fan merchandising deal with...guess who?
- Mood lighting at AFL games? What the...
- Thomas undermining the club? Spot on with the law-suit timing, eh Rod?
- Fearing for his safety if he meets with GT. Having us on, surely?
- Going out of town during key Moorabbin talks - and then totally ignoring what the CEO says. Huh?
- ...before then doing an about-turn and then (obviously) agreeing with him?
- But, hey, despite all that - we're on track for a premiership?

Nobody doubts he is frugal did the right thing in turning our club around. But what he's done since then is what's causing people concern.

It's not all that dissimilar to George Piggins. He rescued his club, did all he could, but wasn't the man to take it forward - and now others have picked up the slack to take SS to the next step.

[evertonfc]

So, are we only going to turn the screws on SFF about their plans...

...without putting scrutiny on RB and his plans?

It's my view that incumbancy should not give rise to lethargy.

We should hold both accountable.

[Mr Magic]

We should hold both accountable.

Exactly.

[spert]

Accountability is the word used around this challenge to the board, but in the end, the results on the field will speak over all else. The current board have done a great job financially which is what the AFL wants and really for on-field success, we need stability, and although Butters rubs people the wrong way, I would much rather the current board stay in place and let RL build the team for 2008 with minimum background crap going on..I think in 2007 there was always going to be public airing of dirty washing between GT and RB, and that has peaked and probably passed. Lets just resist any move to destabilise this club yet again.

[The Peanut]

A very good sober post 'spert' but I would be interested to hear what you have to say regarding the following:

• The disarray down at the club with the staff.
• The marginal income revenue produced from minor and major functions.
• The sponsors not being adequately serviced, and indeed one even suing the club for not providing the promised service.
• The lack of communication to members who do not use the internet.
• A President that does not offer any ideas to improve the off-field chaos at the club - even under the current pressure.
• A President that appears to be more interested in what the AFL think rather than its own members.
• Why our recruiting is kept trimmed to the minimum.
• Why many of the members groups appear disenchanted.

I ask this because these are some of the issues that worry me about next year. I think that many of the onfield issues have been addressed although Burkie and Thomo seem to think that there is much room for improvement in some areas - probably not the coaching though as to my knowledge, they have never alluded to that.

I am also astounded how uniformed many of our mature aged members (and people with disabilities etc) are that don't use electronic mediums to keep up-to-date with what is happening and their only source of communication from the club is usually when they are asked for membership fees.

Sorry to keep filling up space on SS but these things really get to me and I believe this is the time of the year to air our concerns and differences of opinions as it appears to be the least disruptive time.

[evertonfc]

Spert, in your opinion, is their stability at the club right now?

I'd suggest we need to do everything possible, as a club, to give Ross Lyon the chance of leading us to a flag.