Remove this Banner Ad

Club Mgmt. Board of Directors as led by President Dave Barham

🥰 Love BigFooty? Join now for free.

Log in to remove this Banner Ad

The footy club needs to be on the same page from the board down. All our issues 100% start with the board.

Even if Barham resigns, who's moving in? We need to have one of those board takeovers where someone else has a ticket and offers us a plan and something to vote for.
Honestly the board just needs to shut the **** up and let the football department do it's job without interference. The club was in much better shape until one week ago where we manufactured a crisis and now we're scrambling to fix one almighty mess we've made.
 
You're kidding yourself if you think we could fall into the finals playing any other game plan. I'm not phased by losing, it's about how you lose. I would mind if we lost every game of the year if we were competitive and had a structure that was scalable. Rutten has had 3 years to build a structure...he's failed
While there are question marks rightly in truck, we have had Knights, Hird, Bomber, Worsfold now Rutten that have failed in getting a defensive game plan capable of running deep into finals. He may be a problem but the issues run far deeper
 
The problem with a 10 person board is that building a ticket that big is difficult.

I would love nothing more than (and I mean genuinely) for them to make the hard call tomorrow and keep Rutten, do an external review and cut out dead wood (players who don't 'buy in', Dodoro, Campbell, Sheedy etc).

However I don't see it happening, mostly that would mean both the two factions on the board would have to admit they got it wrong. The Barnham side would have to admit undermining Truck was silly with no genuine chance at Clarkson, and the Brasher side would have to admit backing Campbell and Dodoro was a mistake.

However there is too much ego involved for that.
 
The problem with a 10 person board is that building a ticket that big is difficult.
I had never really paid attention to board matters but Eddie McGuire made a comment the other night on Footy Classified that Essendon is renowned for having a large board. This allows for factions to grow and there not to be a total buy-in for the direction of the footy club. It would be great if something like that was looked at in the future, but I can't see why that would happen.
 

Log in to remove this Banner Ad

The problem with a 10 person board is that building a ticket that big is difficult.

I would love nothing more than (and I mean genuinely) for them to make the hard call tomorrow and keep Rutten, do an external review and cut out dead wood (players who don't 'buy in', Dodoro, Campbell, Sheedy etc).

However I don't see it happening, mostly that would mean both the two factions on the board would have to admit they got it wrong. The Barnham side would have to admit undermining Truck was silly with no genuine chance at Clarkson, and the Brasher side would have to admit backing Campbell and Dodoro was a mistake.

However there is too much ego involved for that.
The only way this works (and I want it too as well) is if the whole lot of them get behind the external review and agree to action all recommendations whether they’re mates with the bloke in the gun or not
 
I had never really paid attention to board matters but Eddie McGuire made a comment the other night on Footy Classified that Essendon is renowned for having a large board. This allows for factions to grow and there not to be a total buy-in for the direction of the footy club. It would be great if something like that was looked at in the future, but I can't see why that would happen.
That’s true but it’s also customary for the board to present a united front.

Like even if you go back and read the thing from Brasher and Barham after the coup on Monday, the quotes from both of them sort of puff each other up with all the pleasantries.

It’s why the weird shit with Sheedy and the Clarko Norf to Tassie thing is so bizarre
 
We clearly have players that are in support of Truck. Are we in danger of having players requesting a trade due to the events over the last week?

Zach made mention of it on his regular TV gig this week, he waited to sign a new contract until he knew what direction the club was taking. McGrath is another who waited, clearly if either were not happy with the club's vision for the future, they would have been gone and been rewarded with lucrative offers at more successful clubs than us.

If Truck is sacked, I would not be surprised to see some senior players requesting a trade, Zach potentially being one of them.
 
The only way this works (and I want it too as well) is if the whole lot of them get behind the external review and agree to action all recommendations whether they’re mates with the bloke in the gun or not
Unfortunately I feel this has a snowflakes chance in hell of happening.
 
Unfortunately I feel this has a snowflakes chance in hell of happening.
I think the terms of reference are going to limit the review to the administration, and if it’s conducted by PWC then mostly I guess it’s looking at the finances, staff turnover and cultural issues more than the NFP side of things. So yeah. ❄️
 
I think the terms of reference are going to limit the review to the administration, and if it’s conducted by PWC then mostly I guess it’s looking at the finances, staff turnover and cultural issues more than the NFP side of things. So yeah. ❄️
I think from his press conference he said it was the whole club, he mentioned one of the big 4 consulting firms and some footy people and Dorothy Hisgrove.

I doubt you would have just an admin review if you were including 'footy people'
 
I think we're collectively stuck between wanting people that are bold enough to drive real change and accountability - while also not being reactionary, miscalculated or grubby in doing so.

A part of us likes that a push for an external review is happening and that bad habits/signs are being called out - but another part of us dislikes the uncomfortability it has caused us to feel from a sociable/empathetic aspect, and the feeling of falling forward into an unknown future holding great risk it has caused within us.

It's a fine line.
 
I had never really paid attention to board matters but Eddie McGuire made a comment the other night on Footy Classified that Essendon is renowned for having a large board. This allows for factions to grow and there not to be a total buy-in for the direction of the footy club. It would be great if something like that was looked at in the future, but I can't see why that would happen.

Not only the largest board, but also possibly the most coterie and supporter groups.
 

Remove this Banner Ad

Industry groundswell for Rutten is palpable and there are very pointed (and justified) criticisms coming for the board and the exec. Trust levels in the club are probably lower right now than mid saga.

It doesn’t fix any of the backroom stuff but I think backing Rutten in no uncertain terms tomorrow at least until a full external review is complete will go some way to restoring a level of trust and credibility after what they have done.

I don’t see how we possibly attract or retain players, appeal to draftees or even attract the best coaching and footy ops applicants without doing this. Leon Cameron this evening said there is no way he would consider applying on the basis of what happened this week. We’ve just demonstrated in the worst way that we don’t give two shits about our people.

Add to this there’s footage going around of Truck in the rooms looking close to tears hugging I’d presume family and Madden is swanning around 2-3 metres away from him with a big, dumb grin on his face not acknowledging him at all. Get him the **** out of the joint.
 
Last edited:
We wouldn't even be having this conversation if Rutten was a past Essendon player. Hird in his second year was given a pass for missing finals from 10-3 and 138% after round 14. Literally lost 8 of the last 9 games with losing margins of 71, 67, 96, 94 included in that stretch. Can you imagine if Rutten did that?

I'm just sick of how this football club operates. Knights got zero support and Hird gets probably one of the most expensive coaching teams ever assembled. Rutten gets disrespected for no good reason.

I'd be ok with specifically making sure we don't employ Essendon people until the club stabilises.
Don’t you remember every single player was popping hamstrings in the 2nd half of 2012. Thanks weapon
 
Who is Vice President ? Can he speak in front of the camera ? Because poor old Barham has shown it’s not his strong point. That presser was ****ed up and did not fill me with confidence. But then again, he did make more sense than “ the back pocket plumberS” inane ramblings.
 
Call me sexist, whatever. Sonia Hood, class. Peggy O’neal, class. The bulldogs old girl, she’s a ripper . Melbournes prez, you’d have a beer with her, she carries on like me. We need a female in charge, so obvious it hurts.
Lore I’m looking at you
 
Call me sexist, whatever. Sonia Hood, class. Peggy O’neal, class. The bulldogs old girl, she’s a ripper . Melbournes prez, you’d have a beer with her, she carries on like me. We need a female in charge, so obvious it hurts.
Lore I’m looking at you
Can we poach Christina Holgate from the Pies board? The men aren't cutting it anymore.
 

🥰 Love BigFooty? Join now for free.

I reckon most of you know now that I'm involved in St Mary's Salesian footy club. And for those that don't follow the VAFA, we've endured a season where the club has won 1 game in our men's and women's program combined. One of the worst in the club's 90 year history.

I say this without a shadow of a doubt. SMS is better placed than Essendon. We are the worst run "professional" sporting organisation in the world. We have to fix it.
 
Who is Vice President ? Can he speak in front of the camera ? Because poor old Barham has shown it’s not his strong point. That presser was *ed up and did not fill me with confidence. But then again, he did make more sense than “ the back pocket plumberS” inane ramblings.

There isn't a Vice President

Call me sexist, whatever. Sonia Hood, class. Peggy O’neal, class. The bulldogs old girl, she’s a ripper . Melbournes prez, you’d have a beer with her, she carries on like me. We need a female in charge, so obvious it hurts.
Lore I’m looking at you

There would be many excellent candidates for Essendon's first women president, and If I had to choose from the three women currently on the board, I would probably go with Melissa Green, she is a Bomber tragic and is approachable. Dorothy Hisgrove is approachable, although she is new to supporting the club which could work for or against her being president then there is Kate O`Sullivan, however I don't know as much about her as the other two.
 
Just re-watched Jobe teeing off on the club with Carey and Darcy earlier.
Very well put "looking outwards instead of inwards" and you could tell it was hard for him to keep all his emotion in check while on National TV no less.
 
Yep, probably should make Jobe president. Also get Carey on in some sort of coaching role, I genuinely felt he had a lot of sympathy for us.
 
Yep, probably should make Jobe president. Also get Carey on in some sort of coaching role, I genuinely felt he had a lot of sympathy for us.
No to Jobe. As much as I love him, he’s still far too “Essendon”, given his links to the players, board, and I’m sure even some passive links with shady back room figures due to Tim.

Carey, just no. The domestic abuser shouldn’t even be on TV anymore, but Channel 7 and the AFL media, just like Essendon… boys will be boys.
 
Call me sexist, whatever. Sonia Hood, class. Peggy O’neal, class. The bulldogs old girl, she’s a ripper . Melbournes prez, you’d have a beer with her, she carries on like me. We need a female in charge, so obvious it hurts.
Lore I’m looking at you
Agree, go the Icelandic approach - tear the place down and boot the boys.

I would fear for a female leader at Essendon though. Or any female, if the rumours are to be believed.
 

Remove this Banner Ad

Club Mgmt. Board of Directors as led by President Dave Barham

Remove this Banner Ad

🥰 Love BigFooty? Join now for free.

Back
Top