Brendan Schwab to be a President and Bryan Wood a football Director?

[Tiger Spirit]

Casey to meet would-be challenger
27 July, 2004
Paul Gough
Sportal

Richmond president Clinton Casey will meet with his challenger Brendan Schwab on Wednesday in a bid to avert an off-field war at Punt Road but maintains he will not step aside in favour of his former vice-president.

Schwab, who stepped down from the board earlier this year, has declared he wants to take over the financially troubled club and has launched a seven man ticket in a bid to overthrow Casey and the current board.

The ticket includes Richmond's 1980 premiership wingman and much-respected former board member Peter Welsh as well as insolvency expert and club director from 1986-93 Michael Humphris plus another former player in Bryan Wood - who would be football director under the proposed new regime.

Casey has offered to put himself and his board up for re-election at the club's annual general meeting in January but Schwab's group and rebel member Michael Pahoff want to force the club into calling an extraordinary general meeting in the next few weeks.

However Casey said on Tuesday he remained adamant a potentially divisive election should not be held until after the struggling Tigers had hired a new coach for next year.

"I have agreed to meet with Brendan Schwab and Peter Welsh tomorrow and we will sit down and hear what they have got to say," Casey said.

"But at this point in time we haven’t changed our position from the fact that any changes at board level should be done at the end of the year."

Casey said he would be willing to step aside as Richmond president if a better credentialed person came along to lead the Tigers but said Schwab wasn't that person.

And he said the son of former legendary Richmond and AFL administrator Alan had to take his share of the blame for the predicament the Tigers were in this season - second last on the ladder and facing a $2 million loss.

"Certainly Brendan has been on the audit committee for the past five or six years and to say he is not a part of the position we are in is a bit unfair and that will be part of the questions I will be asking him tomorrow," Casey said.

"I don’t know if me stepping aside at this point in time (for Schwab) is in the best interests of the club."

"I do want to stay on after the end of this year but if someone can come along that is going to do a better job I will stand aside but at this point in time I haven't seen someone that can do that."

Casey said now was definitely not the time for the Tigers to be brawling over who should be running the club.

"We believe we have got a lot to get through," he said.

"We've got to get a new coach, we need to recruit the best players, we've got a busy period to get through and then we believe that the right time for this (an election) would be at our annual general meeting (in January)."

http://richmondfc.com.au/default.asp?pg=news&spg=display&articleid=162588

[bg25]

"There's overwhelming consensus within the Richmond football family of the need for change …"

Who are these select few who give themselves the right to know and say what the members want?  How do they know what our views are and whose opinions did they canvass?  Did anyone here get asked, I know I didn’t?

"…it's our suggestion that key members of our group, Brian Wood and Peter Welsh - both former Richmond premiership players - be added to the coaching appointment panel …"

Who says members want Welsh and Wood being involved in such decisions?

No wonder we’re a joke.  You don’t need to be a Board member to make vital decisions at RFC.  Anyone can wander in, invited or not, preferably not, and make half assed decisions, based on how big an ego they have.

As members, if we don’t wake up to how this works to keep us on mediocrity street then we’re never gonna get ourselves of this situation.  We never get a say, because a select few generally get to say it for us.  No more rebel individuals/groups telling us what we want.  We deserve the right to have a say and vote on matters.  Absolutely sick to death of these ego driven maniacs wandering in whenever they feel like it, because they’ve had they’re noses put out of joint, and destroying our Club, time after time.

If they want to get on the Board, go through the proper channels, or why do we even bother with elections?

Hear, Hear....and so say all of us!

[mightytiges]

If Schwab and Co hold off to the AGM in January:

1) That Bryan Wood will be allowed to sit on the coaching sub-committee with Miller and Parkin (notice Parkin just said on Talking Footy that he hasn't spoken to Miller for a week and a half but is aware of Miller's concern over the current climate).

2) That all board positions are spilled and up for grabs at the AGM.

This will be presented to Schwab tomorrow at the meeting between him and Casey.

[WilliamPowell]

And he said the son of former legendary Richmond and AFL administrator Alan had to take his share of the blame for the predicament the Tigers were in this season - second last on the ladder and facing a $2 million loss.

"Certainly Brendan has been on the audit committee for the past five or six years and to say he is not a part of the position we are in is a bit unfair and that will be part of the questions I will be asking him tomorrow," Casey said.

Interesting question - I think we deserve an answer on that one Brendan.

the truth - how nice that would be

[WilliamPowell]

I have actually sat down tonight and re-read these articles and I must have missed this bit this morning - maybe it was the 7.45am start

"Richmond is a big club. We have a massive support base. So essentially we now have a business which is failing simply because it hasn't engaged that huge mass of people that support the club.

"That is the principal cause of our problems."

What a simpistic answer to a massive problem. The reason the Club has not been able to "engage that huge mass of people" is because the product is, for want of a better term crap. Brendan if you think getting big crowds to games is the answer you're an idiot. Is that your business plan? That has been one of the major flaws in the Club's financial planning for the last few years. It is not the principal cause of our problems.

But I'll run with you theory for the moment and I'll make it simple:
To get the big crowds you have to have a good team that plays good footy - that's why we need a good coach. Good coach - hope for the future and membership will grow. That's what people are trying to do but the harsh reality appears going by what was said on 3AW this evening by Gerard Healy and David Parkin on Talking Footy the chances of securing said good coach is fast disappearing because of more "Tiger Turmoil". 

The principle cause of our problems is that we have not achieved the revenues we need. This is because of a number of factors and I'll name a few:
1/ being too reliant on gate receipts - if the team isn't performing people wont show up - this season in particular it shines like a beacon. You cannot base financial plans on the hope we are going to play in finals.
2/ gaming revenues - if the government isn't making the money in taxes that they should then the venues are unlikely to make much either. Footy clubs in general have been stupid in their continued belief that pokie revenue is a cash cow.
3/ Sponsorship - they clearly didn't achieve what they budgeted for. The why bit is the easy part - improving it is the hard part

But who signs off the budgets? The board; and I know I harp on it Schawab & Welsh were part of the board last year that signed off on these budgets. For crying out loud take some responsibility

Where is your ticket's plan on these issues Brendan? Sponsorship, controlling costs, improving the revenues generated form the gaming venues? Give me a concrete plan!

Read the Annual Reports of the Essendon Footy CLub - they don't rely on traditional "footy revenues" to survive fianancially. They have a number of other area that generate revenues for them.

These are things that need to be addressed. To say the business is failing because 'simply it hasn't engaged that huge mass of people that support the club" will lead us to exactly where we are now and that is scary.



   

[mightytiges]

Sadly because of our poor on-field returns for 20 years we can't claim to be a big club anymore. Such talk belongs to 20 years ago and the old VFL when we had the highest attendances in the league. Instead we have the potential to be a big club again. The facts are we are behind clubs such as St Kilda and Hawthorn in terms of membership numbers. From memory we came 12th overall. Our average attendances while quite good considering how long we've been crap for are signficantly lower than the big clubs - West Coast, Adelaide, Essendon and Collingwood.

As for engaging our supporter base. Some fans last year were claiming late last year that we wouldn't reach 15,000 members if Frawley stayed on. Not only did we not lose members we increased the number by around 10%. Yes we offered free sunnies and introduce the continuous membership rewards program but still amazing nevertheless. Credit to Trent Jacobs for that. Whoever eventually wins the boardroom battle will have to try some new strategy to attract members. Ironically getting the best coach and promoting our young players as the future of the RFC will most likely be the best chance of attracting members as on-field results won't improve that dramatically in 2005. Sadly the infighting is seriously jeopardising our chances in regards to this. When it comes down to membership numbers, bums on seats and sponsors it all comes back to success of the football department.
 

[mightytiges]

Tiger rebels reject plea for more time
By Chloe Saltau, Nabila Ahmed
realfooty.theage.com.au
July 28, 2004

The battle for control of the Richmond board will intensify today when president Clinton Casey meets his challenger, Brendan Schwab, but Casey yesterday warned that any compromise struck with the club's former vice-president would not include his resignation.

Casey will ask Schwab and his rebel group of seven to hold off on an election until the club's annual general meeting in January, allowing the Tigers time to appoint a new coach and get the process of rebuilding the playing list under way.

Richmond wants to appoint a successor to Danny Frawley within a fortnight, which has created a similar sense of urgency in Hawthorn's search for a coach to replace the departed Peter Schwab.

But Brendan Schwab last night said he would not wait until January.

"We've got a football club that's bleeding," he said.

Casey was prepared to consider Schwab's demands, including his push to include former premiership players Peter Welsh and Bryan Wood on the sub-committee that selects a coach.

"If that's a part of it we'll take it on board and consider it . . . We'll sit down and hear what they've got to say, what demands or requests they've got, and we'll consider them and get back to them," Casey said after current board members met yesterday.

"At this point in time we haven't changed our position from the fact that any changes at board level we think should stay until the end of the year, and if they've got any other things to talk about we'll look at it then."

The Tigers board is under siege on two fronts, with Schwab calling for a clean sweep and rebel member Michael Pahoff threatening to force an extraordinary general meeting and overthrow Casey's administration.

Casey reiterated his belief that any election should wait until the end of the year.

"We've got a lot to get through. We need to get a new coach. We need to recruit the best players, we've got a busy period to get through and then we believe that the right time would be at our annual general meeting at the end of the year.

"I don't know that stepping aside at this point in time is in the best interests of the club . . . If someone comes along who is going to do a better job then I'm happy to stand aside. At this point in time I haven't seen someone to do that."

Casey said Richmond could not afford to lose football director Greg Miller after the man charged with rebuilding the embattled club said in a leaked letter to Pahoff that he almost felt like "giving up".

"To lose Greg Miller would be the worst thing that could happen to the place right now."

Schwab last night said his group wanted Casey to resign immediately but would be keen for Miller to remain at the club, describing him as an "outstanding football executive".

Schwab would not be drawn on who he would want as coach, saying only that both prospective candidates in Terry Wallace and Rodney Eade would make excellent appointments.

He would not speculate about the group's next step should Casey refuse its demands. He will approach today's meeting with two objectives.

"First, we want to get some solidarity and stability around the coaching option and Peter Welsh and Bryan Wood would add to the quality of the process and send the message that irrespective of the board, the new coach will have the support of the club moving forward," Schwab said.

"The other thing we want is a smooth transition of power to the new group." He said the next six months loomed as a crucial period for the financially stricken club.

Meanwhile, AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou said he did not support attempts by dissatisfied members to oust boards mid-season and suggested clubs should change their constitutions to make such moves more difficult.

He admitted the AFL was concerned that Richmond would record a loss in excess of $2 million this year, but was not worried about the long-term viability of the club.

- with Lyall Johnson

http://realfooty.theage.com.au/realfooty/articles/2004/07/27/1090693963175.html

[WilliamPowell]

I know a compromise has been reached but I thought I'd still post this article from today's HUN. A couple of weeks ago I think froars mentioned that she had seen a former board member Claude Ullin at the Social Club - it seems he is helping out with marketing see the middle of the article in italics and bold
================================================

Former board member slams rebels
28 July 2004   Herald Sun
Mark Stevens

INFLUENTIAL supporter and former board member Claude Ullin stepped into the crossfire at Punt Rd, taking a swipe at Brendan Schwab's rebel group.
 
Ullin, who as marketing director landed the TAC sponsorship and drove the Tigers' 1990 SOS campaign, said yesterday Schwab would not cut it as president.

"I don't think Brendan's got that ability, frankly. What business has he run? He's a lawyer," Ullin said. "It would just destroy the club to go into an election right now. All the wrong decisions would be made -- all on emotion.

"I wasn't going to get involved in any of this, but when you see the behaviour of certain people, I just can't keep my fingers out of it now."

Ullin, on the Tigers board from 1987 to 1994, is a councillor and former mayor of Stonnington. He is a successful art dealer.

He has been drafted on to a marketing committee at Punt Rd in recent months as the club attempts to lift itself out of the mire.

Ullin worked closely with president Neville Crowe to save the club via the famous SOS fundraising drive.

"Even during the SOS period, it wasn't as low as this. Neville Crowe was a fantastic president with a lot of charisma and we were all devoted to Neville getting through it," Ullin said.

"There were no challenges. The supporters knew we were trying to resurrect the club and we did."

Ullin backs the same scenario now, with Casey continuing to push on with recent changes in place.

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,10268155%255E19742,00.html

[mightytiges]

IMO Richmond people are now coming out publicly because they have had a gutful of all these petty ego games. After 20 years of them you would think everyone would realise all they do is keep us in the mire and provide entertainment and increased newspaper sales for others. I think we all realise what a crucial time it is for the Club. At the moment we can still get out of this mess if we work together to make the right decisions. In fact there's a bright future if that occurs. However if we stuff it up, we may never recover.