RICHMOND'S only surviving premiership president, Ian Wilson, has joined the call for change at Punt Rd.
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Wilson said yesterday the Clinton Casey administration had presided over the darkest period in the club's history.
"The club's at rock bottom, the lowest ebb it's been in its history, and I'm just sick of watching it self-destruct," he said.
"There's got to be change. These blokes have presided over a wooden spoon year and a loss in the order of $2.5 million.
"Jack Dyer and Graeme Richmond would bloody well turn in their graves to see the pitiful state of the bloody joint now.
"Look, they'd be doing everyone a favour if they did what the old Arabs did: fold up their tents and fade into the night.
"Hey, the results are on the board. Read the papers every bloody week: we've won the wooden spoon and we're going to lose $2.5million.
"Anything's got to be better; let somebody else have a go.
"It's all very well for people to be talking about Hawthorn, well, they belted the s - - t out of us two weeks ago."
Wilson, 70, was Richmond president from 1974-85, a term that produced two premierships from five top-four finishes.
He remains a keen Richmond follower, but says he has no interest in resuming an active role at the club.
Wilson admitted to the Herald Sun he was a close friend of Peter Welsh, a key member of the Brendan Schwab group challenging for power, and also a member of the Casey board until early this year.
Wilson said he was speaking independently. "I'm speaking as a Richmond supporter, nothing else," he said.
"Look, running a footy club is as simple as this: winning games on Saturday afternoon and balancing the books. Winning football on a Saturday afternoon is all the average punter cares about.
"The new blokes are pretty well credentialled. They can't be worse than the old mob. You want someone to breathe some fire into the bloody joint.
"You walk into the place now and it's as flat as a s - - tcarter's hat.
"Twenty years ago, we were the most respected and feared club in the league. Now we're the easy beats."
Wilson said he had nothing personal against Casey.
"I really don't know him that well. He's always been pleasant to me, I can tell you. I'm not being judgmental on him personally, I'm only judging the performance.
"The club hasn't had a great five years, has it? Football clubs are run from the top. Very few football clubs win premierships with bad administrations.
"People are telling me they're sorry for the Tigers. I hate people being sorry for us. 'Poor old Richmond', they're saying. We liked it when people hated us because it meant we were successful. I think it's paramount there's change."
Asked if he were concerned director of football Greg Miller might reconsider his position if Casey lost the presidency, Wilson said: "I think he's done a good job, but if that's what he thinks, so be it."
Asked if running a football club were easier from the outside, he said: "I was the president of the club that swapped the Whale (Brian Roberts), Francis Jackson and Graham Teasdale, Brownlow medallist, for John Pitura."
Casey is overseas and could not be contacted last night.
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,10720281%255E19742,00.html