At no stage during the past 12 months has the president or his board given any indication of a view other than one from the rear view mirror. They sacked the previous coach 12 months ago and this season spent most of the time focusing on this event. where was this vision for the future of the club when going to the press at every oppotunity to publicly launder our dirty undergarments for all to see. What future vision did publicly sparring with the past coach achieve?
The incumbant boards future vision might have been so blinkered on Thomas they neglected to foresee we would be without major sponsors by the end of the season. They might have done better to work on Thomas a little less whilst forging a deal with council to assure a training facility to ensure our players are given the opportunity most others already have.
One aspect that troubles me with the current board is that the pres and a few of his board are in partnership outside of the club. This situation has led to payments of $10000 dollars, (was it a week?) being paid for consulting work, I believe to teach the current CEO his job?
This arrangement clearly has two board members feel in a position untenable to a normal working arrangement with the rest of the board. Normally it might not be a problem to have such closely bonded individuals on a board, but there does seem to be a clear jobs for the boys aspect within this nucleus of the board.
Nathan Burke and Andy Thompson have been attacked a little unfairly for associating with the new ticket, Thommo in particular for the timing of his decision to link with thhe rival bid. For mine the fact that these two have decided to run is an indictment on the current regime. For a player to retire and immediately effectively choose to forgo that retirement might just be indicative of the playing groups feelings about the current regime. Who is to say that Thommos decision is not directly linked to the feelings of the current playing group. clearly most players were embarressed by the ongoing spat carried out in the media over their associations with Thomas away from footy.
The one bad aspect of the FF bid has been the drugs, alcohol statement. not because it may be deflamatory to the incumbants, but because it has given them a perfect oppotunity to deflect, and dodge as is their normal MO.
Instead of giving us a vision of this wonderful rosy future they demand from the FF ticket, the current board is hiding behind the usual smokescreen, provided by the challengers, of hurt and supposed slander after being accused of using these substances apparently.
Now as I see it the FF ticket has assembled a ticket which will effectively seek to
*Target sponsorhip by ensuring these sponsors are given value for their investment, at the moment it is mooted that sponsors feel they don't recive value for their investment, we have lost both major sponsors and another is aiming to sue the club for not delivering on the promises they offered for this revenue.
* have included a member to arrange functions that include all supporters as equals ( no tiered arrangements for elites and peons), and to ensure these functions aren't a wase of funds. It is pathetic that Harvs testimonial raised only a couple of hundred bucks, burkies $140.00.
This area is charged with getting equal access for all members, with a view to actually raising funds, Dana Nelsons expertise is specifically this area
*Switch focus from off field issues to concentrate specifically on the playing groups chances of getting to Grand finals. Money spent on injury management, recrutiment and recognition of talent and hopefully an elite training facilty.
The current board is more concerned about keeping its hold on the club, the statement that the challengers should outline a plan to the AFL and let them, not the membership determine what is the best outcome for the club, smacks of a board that as we have witnessed this year that concerns themselves with piffling interests outside of footy, and not as it should, the players and most importantly the emebers of this footy club. The board does not have ownership of the Saint kilda football club, the membership does, the AFL is not the governing factor in a decision as to which people are empowered to run our club.
This same membership which has declined by three to four thousand signatures this year after a prolongued period of success, you could say the members have already started to voice an opinion long before this Rebel pack of monsters even took seed.
Yep two choices the status quo, a board that smacks of jobs for the boys, cronyism and a power group of four that neglect to use either of the lawyers on board to fight a stupid tribunal decision that cost one of our most important players seven weeks,
Or the new broom, a board made up of two decorated and deicated ex players, a collection of people obviously very successful in their respective fields with a vision of putting the players, the members and the club before petty infighting and rear view politics.....
hmm heads or tails
