Long road back for Richmond
30 June 2004 Herald Sun
Trevor Grant
WHEN the bluebloods at Carl ton began to wake to the lie of prosperity under the John Elliott regime and were about to join all the other hungry, shoeless waifs of AFL football, the man who had led them there decided to have one last crack with the credit card.
With exquisite timing, Elliott targeted Kangaroos dual premiership coach Denis Pagan, who had become unsettled by the stark reality of his club suddenly being beholden to the AFL's financial toe-cutters.
It was not a cheap option. Pagan is believed to have cost in the region of $700,000-$800,000 per annum, which was twice, and, in some cases, almost three times what several other clubs were paying a senior coach.
But the club, in spite of what turned out to be a precarious financial position, believed it was banking one of the most important assets in the business -- credibility.
And of course, Elliott was in desperate need of a credible lifeline. The administration that replaced him was initially concerned by this spending spree, but has long since accepted it.
Whether the splurge was value for money is yet to proved, but already there are signs that Pagan's presence has at least bought time for the beleaguered club.
His reputation now sits like a giant comfort blanket over the entire club, allowing it to a go about the slow and uncertain business of resurrection without being distracted, or derailed, by dissenters, all of whom now sit silently on the sidelines.
It's amazing how so many sins are absolved once a man of authority is in charge, not to mention the willingness of supporters to hold their tongues and put their hands in their pockets.
Another financially stricken inner Melbourne club, Richmond, is also now in the market for a coach. Yet it would seem that poor timing and a sick balance sheet has left it without much choice.
Now that Kevin Sheedy is out of calculations, having agreed to new terms with Essendon, Richmond has given up the fantasy of spending up big to get out of trouble.
Indeed, if you believe what the president Clinton Casey and head of football, Greg Miller, have said about the man who will replace Danny Frawley, he will have to accept he's working at K mart, not David Jones.
Only three weeks ago, Casey signalled that the razor gang had finally arrived at Richmond. "In the past the football department has not met certain areas of budget. But there's been a fundamental change in philosophy," he told me.
"The footy department won't be getting priority. It will be just another side of the business that needs to operate within a strict parameter.
"All those costs that can be reduced will be. We have allocated money very carefully to all departments.
Things they don't have they are going to have to live without until we are back in the black."
Casey says the club has no choice. It is facing a loss of more than $2 million this year, and next year's budgets, which have been signed off by all directors, are being closely monitored by its banker.
Salary-cap payments will be cut from 100 per cent to 97 per cent next season. And Miller has said the club wouldn't be in the market for a highly paid coach.
While Miller and Casey have been at pains to say they won't be running an undermanned operation, there are mixed messages here that would cause concerns for any prospective coach.
And money isn't the only cause for confusion. What of Miller's role? Is he, as Casey has said many times, the man who is responsible for evaluating the list? Or will the coach, as Miller has said, be the judge of which players stay and which ones go?
Some prospective applicants have indicated it is all as clear as mud. One said: "Before you go in there, there's a few things that need to be cleared up. You need to ask them how deep are the cuts and then you need to ask yourself: could you work under that regime?"
Another said: "Does it mean you have to go with one assistant coach less, or no rookies, or are you are restricted in going after uncontracted players?
And another: "Is Miller going to step back from running the list? If not, what say will the coach really have?"
Richmond is buried under a mountain of questions right now. And meaningful answers appear about as forthcoming as wins at Punt Rd this season.
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,9997062%255E19742,00.html
