Tiger turmoil on Free speech

[harry bosch]

http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/tiger-turmoil-on-free-speech/2008/07/30/1217097331636.html
 Caroline Wilson and Patrick Bartley | July 31, 2008


RICHMOND director Tony Free has been hauled over the coals for breaking with club protocol and being interviewed on Melbourne radio following the Greg Miller sacking and has been warned to stop destabilising the Tigers' football department.

President Gary March confirmed last night that he had strongly reprimanded Free for speaking publicly about club and its politics and agreed Free had been "naive and over-eager" in attacking the job of examining Terry Wallace and his assistant coaches.

But March denied that Free would be stepping down as a board member, despite suggestions yesterday that the former Richmond skipper had irretrievably damaged his relationship with the Tigers' coaching staff and would be departing as a director after joining the board last month.

"I won't be moving him off the board," March told The Age last night. "We as a board are not moving Tony on. Would he step down? I wouldn't think so. I think he's a bit sheepish at the moment and I think he realises he's overstepped the mark on a couple of occasions but it's our job to educate him."

Free, who sat in the coach's box last Saturday night during the Richmond-Brisbane Lions game at the coach's invitation, has upset staff in the football department by his confrontational interviewing process and by his gung-ho approach to reviewing the club's football operation. He gave an interview to radio station SEN on Tuesday against the club's wishes.

Free has held talks with a number of assistant coaches at other clubs, along with recently retired Nathan Buckley, and some of his comments about Richmond are understood to have filtered back to Wallace's team.

March, who has insisted there was never any intention to clean out Wallace's coaching panel, admitted Free had ruffled feathers since replacing Miller on the board. "Tony's gone into it like he's played footy," said March. "With a bit of whiteline fever.

"That eagerness has come out as though we are trying to make changes. Tony's got no authority to make change. He's not the director of football. He's a Richmond Football Club director. At the moment he's not even a part of our football sub-committee although that will happen."

March also denied allegations Free had been identified as "Tiger Tony", an outspoken supporter on the Richmond website. Miller investigated whether or not Free had been contributing to the site and questioned him over the matter but Free vehemently denied it and March has accepted his denial.

March added that the board had not given Free enough direction.

"I take some responsibility for this," said March. "We never carried out a full board induction with him and that will now happen. Tony has run off trying to learn about footy again and I've tried to explain he needs to step back and do less and observe more.

"In fairness to him most of us have been on boards before and we need to help him with some guidance."

March has spoken this week with Wallace, Brian Royal, David King, Jade Rawlings and Craig McCrae regarding the speculation about coaching jobs and assured them suggestions they would be removed were inaccurate.

Of Free's relationship with Wallace's assistants, March said: "I think he's got a bit of work to do there … Has Tony acted naively? Yes, he has."


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[Infamy]

I'm glad March has nipped this in the bud, but seriously we already look like idiots, let's just admit we made a mistake in appointing Free and get someone with the proper credentials.

[mightytiges]

What an utter shambles      .

Once again proving all this "Richmond people" talk is just sentimental crap  and board members who are foolish enough to listen to the old backroom boys are idiots. Like those morons know anything about running a successful football club .

Surely Freezer is now dead man walking. He's a loose cannon and should never have been put on the board in the first place as he is clearly out of his depth. Professional organisations don't have L-platers deciding their future  . Free should do the right thing and hand in his resignation today pronto.

If March wants Free to stay on then March should go to! 

[Moi]

It couldn't get any worse on a PR level at the moment, MT
Nothing wrong with recruiting and changing your mix if it's not working, but you do it in a professional way, advising all people before you go to the media and presenting a united front behind your decisions.
Having someone make media comments when they admit they weren't a part of the process from the beginning, answered questions by saying you should ask someone else.
That interview was a role for the President and no-one else IMO.

PS:  What did March mean by he's overstepped the mark on a "couple" of occasions?  So there have been other incidents?

[jackstar]

Who is too blame here ? blame starts at the top .Gary March and Steve Wright.
And funny how the assistants are feeling uncomfortable, protecting there jobs no doubt.

[Moi]

Who is too blame here ? blame starts at the top .Gary March and Steve Wright.
And funny how the assistants are feeling uncomfortable, protecting there jobs no doubt.

I guess if we make the finals they would be wondering, like others, where all this talk is coming from and why it's out there.

[jackstar]

with ANY business, all staff are put through an induction program which covers these areas.
RFC did have a confidentality agreement in place, but this seems to have disappeared over the years.

[dereel-tiger]

its funny how all of a sudden people are saying the tigers are in trouble because of tony free.
last year most supporters couldnt wait to place the noose around wallace and miller.
and most of this year as well ,
its not frees fault miller went,it was decided before free joined the board .
l would suspect that steve wright also had a hand in millers removal ,maybe the tigers are using tony free as a scapegoat for some personal removal.
whatever the case is some deadwood needs to be removed if wallace cant handle new assistants maybe he should go.
you dont hear much from other clubs when they make changes ,lve got a feeling that this will benefit the club in the future, and will remove people who think they can do as they please wallace being one of them .
greg miller should have confronted march when he heard about his sacking instead of trying to turn it into a circus .
miller no doubt leaked his possible sacking to the media and took off .
all in all l think people are over reacting ,l see this opportunity is a chance for us to get better people in the club and take us to the top.
our financial position is really good and now we can finally get decent staff in ,with richmond success  as there prime objective not there pockets or egos .
as for tony free speaking in an interview l dont think there would be a problem any other time, its just the timing when the tigers are trying to play low key.

[Ramps]

Our football club looks like an unorganised brothel at the moment. Everyone should pull there heads in and just shut up.

[Moi]

its funny how all of a sudden people are saying the tigers are in trouble because of tony free.
last year most supporters couldnt wait to place the noose around wallace and miller.
and most of this year as well ,
its not frees fault miller went,it was decided before free joined the board .
l would suspect that steve wright also had a hand in millers removal ,maybe the tigers are using tony free as a scapegoat for some personal removal.
whatever the case is some deadwood needs to be removed if wallace cant handle new assistants maybe he should go.
you dont hear much from other clubs when they make changes ,lve got a feeling that this will benefit the club in the future, and will remove people who think they can do as they please wallace being one of them .
greg miller should have confronted march when he heard about his sacking instead of trying to turn it into a circus .
miller no doubt leaked his possible sacking to the media and took off .
all in all l think people are over reacting ,l see this opportunity is a chance for us to get better people in the club and take us to the top.
our financial position is really good and now we can finally get decent staff in ,with richmond success  as there prime objective not there pockets or egos .
as for tony free speaking in an interview l dont think there would be a problem any other time, its just the timing when the tigers are trying to play low key.

Are you Tony Free?

 

 

[tigersalive]

its funny how all of a sudden people are saying the tigers are in trouble because of tony free.
last year most supporters couldnt wait to place the noose around wallace and miller.
and most of this year as well ,
its not frees fault miller went,it was decided before free joined the board .
l would suspect that steve wright also had a hand in millers removal ,maybe the tigers are using tony free as a scapegoat for some personal removal.
whatever the case is some deadwood needs to be removed if wallace cant handle new assistants maybe he should go.
you dont hear much from other clubs when they make changes ,lve got a feeling that this will benefit the club in the future, and will remove people who think they can do as they please wallace being one of them .
greg miller should have confronted march when he heard about his sacking instead of trying to turn it into a circus .
miller no doubt leaked his possible sacking to the media and took off .
all in all l think people are over reacting ,l see this opportunity is a chance for us to get better people in the club and take us to the top.
our financial position is really good and now we can finally get decent staff in ,with richmond success  as there prime objective not there pockets or egos .
as for tony free speaking in an interview l dont think there would be a problem any other time, its just the timing when the tigers are trying to play low key.

The guy is in a Director's role, not a stuffing media spokesman.  Board members should be seen but not heard imo, you dont see the other two shooting their mouth off at ANY time.  He needs to keep his head down, STFU, and do his job for the sake of himself and our club.   

[dereel-tiger]

Our football club looks like an unorganised brothel at the moment. Everyone should pull there heads in and just shut up.

lolol yeah it is abit but l think the media has jumped all over us .
hopefully fevola keeps up with his antics and they head over to carltank .

[dereel-tiger]

its funny how all of a sudden people are saying the tigers are in trouble because of tony free.
last year most supporters couldnt wait to place the noose around wallace and miller.
and most of this year as well ,
its not frees fault miller went,it was decided before free joined the board .
l would suspect that steve wright also had a hand in millers removal ,maybe the tigers are using tony free as a scapegoat for some personal removal.
whatever the case is some deadwood needs to be removed if wallace cant handle new assistants maybe he should go.
you dont hear much from other clubs when they make changes ,lve got a feeling that this will benefit the club in the future, and will remove people who think they can do as they please wallace being one of them .
greg miller should have confronted march when he heard about his sacking instead of trying to turn it into a circus .
miller no doubt leaked his possible sacking to the media and took off .
all in all l think people are over reacting ,l see this opportunity is a chance for us to get better people in the club and take us to the top.
our financial position is really good and now we can finally get decent staff in ,with richmond success  as there prime objective not there pockets or egos .
as for tony free speaking in an interview l dont think there would be a problem any other time, its just the timing when the tigers are trying to play low key.

Are you Tony Free?

 

 

no,what gives you that idea?

[Ox]

What an utter shambles      .

Once again proving all this "Richmond people" talk is just sentimental crap  and board members who are foolish enough to listen to the old backroom boys are idiots. Like those morons know anything about running a successful football club .

Surely Freezer is now dead man walking. He's a loose cannon and should never have been put on the board in the first place as he is clearly out of his depth. Professional organisations don't have L-platers deciding their future  . Free should do the right thing and hand in his resignation today pronto.

If March wants Free to stay on then March should go to! 

well said mate.

[Infamy]

Not sure why anyone is bringing Steven Wright into all this, this is a board matter
The board had the football sub-committee which makes decisions on the football department, Tony Free is a board member and as such isn't responsible to Wright.
Not Wrights responsibility to be making a decision on Miller either, he's a business man, not a football expert