Murray MiddletonGame, Set, Match - Stynes
July 24th 2008 08:55
On Tuesday Melbourne sacked their chief executive officer Paul McNamee. McNamee is the second CEO to have left the Demons in 2008. It has been a turbulent year for the club. They have lost their president (Paul Gardner), their captain (David Neitz), and two CEO's (Harris and McNamee). They also lost the majority of their board members when Jim Stynes took over as president. Out of the men who started the year in positions of power at the club, the only one to remain is coach Dean Bailey. Despite the Demons dismal on-field displays this season, Bailey's job appears to be as safe as ever.
At the beginning of the 2007 season Melbourne - who were coached by Neal Daniher at the time - believed that their list could seriously challenge for a premiership. Daniher resigned mid-season and the club finished second last on the AFL ladder. They traded Travis Johnstone - a talented, but much-maligned midfielder - to the Brisbane Lions for a late first round draft pick. This decision, above all others, ought to have given the football public a clue as to the direction the club was taking. Apparently McNamee wasn't paying attention.
Melbourne have made the smart play by deciding to rebuild. Clubs will be less likely to gain high draft picks once the Gold Coast (and possibly West Sydney) team(s) enters the competition. The West Coast Eagles have clearly drawn the same conclusion. Internally, Melbourne would have known that they were facing a bleak 2008 season. A new coach often generates excitement for a club's players and fresh hope for the supporters. Had the Demons have opted for Kevin Sheedy as coach, they would have been expected to be in contention this season. By appointing Bailey - a relative unknown - they ensured that expectations remained low.
Paul McNamee cut a forlorn figure when addressing the media on Tuesday afternoon. The decision to sack him came as a shock. But there were several signs in recent months that gave an indication of what was to come. McNamee was appointed CEO by the previous board. Once Harris and Gardner left the club, he no longer represented the people who he was employed by. AFL boss Andrew Demetriou earlier in the season said that the Demons had become a 'meaningless' brand. In his first few monhs at the club McNamee regularly referred to the importance of the Demons' brand. In the past month he has made no attempt to spruik the club.
It has since come to light that Jim Stynes banned McNamee from addressing the media when he took over the presidency. This would have hurt McNamee. His model of running an organistation relies on the spin that can only be generated by existing in the public eye. In recent years McNamee has made a habit of wearing his bone suit when presenting himself to the media. The tactic is as much about looking the part as it is about being the part. By denying McNamee the right to address the media, Stynes was effectively taking away McNamee's number one trick.
Since his sacking McNamee has also revealed that he attempted to make a play for Brisbane Lions' full forward Jonathon Brown - who comes out of contract at the end of the season. The Demons' board, led by Stynes, rejected the idea. This indicated that the new board felt that the club's future should revolve around youth. McNamee comes from the school of marquee players. In his eyes Brown would have represented the quick fix option. Instead of spending three years grooming a young key forward, such as Jack Watts, why not trade for someone who will immediately become the face of the club?
The fact that McNamee wanted to sign Jonathon Brown showed that he had a different approach to the board; an approach to which there was no compromise. The Demons have clearly invested in youth this season. Why did McNamee not share this vision? There can only be two reasons. 1) McNamee was used to playing the game on his own terms and refused to show patience. 2) McNamee thought that the club was in such a dire financial state that they could not afford to rebuild. There is a small chance that McNamee has been sacked because he was forcing Jim Stynes to face a truth that he did not want to face.
McNamee has been successful in overseeing the Australian Open tennis tournament and in the Australian Open in women's golf. He has used his public profile to generate publicity for the respective sports. The problem is that both of these roles have involved an annual tournament. McNamee had one year to prepare for his previous jobs. The day to day grind of running a football club may have been beyond McNamee's comprehension. It will take more than white suits and the acquisition of Jonathon Brown to turn around Melbourne's fortunes.
Dean Bailey gave an interesting press conference today. He re-affirmed the club's desire to focus on yonuger players. Bailey is the complete opposite of McNamee: quietly spoken and poorly dressed. It remains to be seen whether Jim Stynes and Dean Bailey have what it takes to drag the Melbourne Football Club off the shitheap. McNamee didn't want any shit to stain his bone suit.
Melbourne have made the smart play by deciding to rebuild. Clubs will be less likely to gain high draft picks once the Gold Coast (and possibly West Sydney) team(s) enters the competition. The West Coast Eagles have clearly drawn the same conclusion. Internally, Melbourne would have known that they were facing a bleak 2008 season. A new coach often generates excitement for a club's players and fresh hope for the supporters. Had the Demons have opted for Kevin Sheedy as coach, they would have been expected to be in contention this season. By appointing Bailey - a relative unknown - they ensured that expectations remained low.
Paul McNamee cut a forlorn figure when addressing the media on Tuesday afternoon. The decision to sack him came as a shock. But there were several signs in recent months that gave an indication of what was to come. McNamee was appointed CEO by the previous board. Once Harris and Gardner left the club, he no longer represented the people who he was employed by. AFL boss Andrew Demetriou earlier in the season said that the Demons had become a 'meaningless' brand. In his first few monhs at the club McNamee regularly referred to the importance of the Demons' brand. In the past month he has made no attempt to spruik the club.
It has since come to light that Jim Stynes banned McNamee from addressing the media when he took over the presidency. This would have hurt McNamee. His model of running an organistation relies on the spin that can only be generated by existing in the public eye. In recent years McNamee has made a habit of wearing his bone suit when presenting himself to the media. The tactic is as much about looking the part as it is about being the part. By denying McNamee the right to address the media, Stynes was effectively taking away McNamee's number one trick.
Since his sacking McNamee has also revealed that he attempted to make a play for Brisbane Lions' full forward Jonathon Brown - who comes out of contract at the end of the season. The Demons' board, led by Stynes, rejected the idea. This indicated that the new board felt that the club's future should revolve around youth. McNamee comes from the school of marquee players. In his eyes Brown would have represented the quick fix option. Instead of spending three years grooming a young key forward, such as Jack Watts, why not trade for someone who will immediately become the face of the club?
The fact that McNamee wanted to sign Jonathon Brown showed that he had a different approach to the board; an approach to which there was no compromise. The Demons have clearly invested in youth this season. Why did McNamee not share this vision? There can only be two reasons. 1) McNamee was used to playing the game on his own terms and refused to show patience. 2) McNamee thought that the club was in such a dire financial state that they could not afford to rebuild. There is a small chance that McNamee has been sacked because he was forcing Jim Stynes to face a truth that he did not want to face.
McNamee has been successful in overseeing the Australian Open tennis tournament and in the Australian Open in women's golf. He has used his public profile to generate publicity for the respective sports. The problem is that both of these roles have involved an annual tournament. McNamee had one year to prepare for his previous jobs. The day to day grind of running a football club may have been beyond McNamee's comprehension. It will take more than white suits and the acquisition of Jonathon Brown to turn around Melbourne's fortunes.
Dean Bailey gave an interesting press conference today. He re-affirmed the club's desire to focus on yonuger players. Bailey is the complete opposite of McNamee: quietly spoken and poorly dressed. It remains to be seen whether Jim Stynes and Dean Bailey have what it takes to drag the Melbourne Football Club off the shitheap. McNamee didn't want any shit to stain his bone suit.
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