This is a copy of an email sent to the club by a prominent supporter. I have edited out the name to protect this person I can reveal however this letter hit home and many believe caused the leaked memo to be written
The thing is no progress has been shown because of inept list management
> and
> > insipid self-interest.
> >
> > The Football Department have been so focused on keeping their jobs that
> they
> > went for 'success now' and showed no interest in the future. Topping up
> the
> > list with veterans, has-beens and never will-bes and refusing to cut
> players
> > who are clearly not up to scratch. While it is true that we will not be
> > able to make 15 changes to the list this year, we shouldn't have to.
> These
> > changes should have been made over the past 4 years, an extra 2 changes
in
> > each of those years and we would have been better placed.
> >
> > No vision, no plan, no talent, no genuine sense of what was needed. No
> > courage to make tough decisions.
> >
> > The notion that we were within even a bull's-roar of a premiership is
> > laughable. That assessment shows gross incompetence. We should have
> spent
> > the last 3 years turnng the list over, but no we kept saying "patience,
> > patience". Whoever has been making these assesments is a rank moron.
> >
> > PATIENCE? PATIENCE? What we need is a sense of URGENCY. If we don't
put
> a
> > good team together this proud club will spiral into the mire and be out
of
> > business. You can not have two finals campaigns in 21 years and
> continually
> > blame the impatience of supporters or demand their loyalty.
> >
> > How dare our UNELECTED, JOHNY COME-LATELY, CONVERT president even utter
> the
> > word bandwaggon. How dare he even suggest by association that I am
> anything
> > less than loyal. I have TWENTY-ONE YEARS OF EVIDENCE to support my
claim
> as
> > a true tiger, what does he have. What do any of them have.
> >
> > They should not be issuing pleas for patience, they should be issuing
> > apologies for the rank amateurism which they still profer or defend.
> >
> > The short playing list and a decade of neglecting the rookie list are
the
> > result of supporter impatience are they? The decision to recruit
veterans
> > to top-up the list is my fault is it?
> >
> > We have been 4 years away from having a good team, every year for the
past
> > 20 years.
> >
> > When someone comes in and demands $150k pay rise CALL THEIR BLUFF. When
> > player number 16 on your list suggests he is thinking of leaving TELL
HIM
> TO
> > RACK OFF. Trade hard, bargain hard, upset a few players and player
> managers
> > and if fans are weeping because a favourite has been shipped-off then SO
> > BLOODY WHAT.
> >
> > Are we trying to win premierships or run a bloody benevelong society.
> >
> > Complaceny is death in profesional sport. If you are not moving
forward,
> > you are falling behind. Waiting for Richo to come good, waiting for
> Bowden
> > to come good, waiting for Fiora to come good. You can only have one or
> two
> > project players, not half the starting line-up.
> >
> > When a player like Hilton turns up to his first preseaon at the club
> > overweight you put him him on notice. And when he doesn't get his act
in
> > gear you don't show patience, you say "sorry, we have to look
elsewhere".
> It
> > doesn't matter if he stars elsewhere, you make tough decisions. When it
is
> > clear that the likes of Biddiscombe is a severly limited player you
don't
> > offer mutli-year deals on inflated salaries. For heaven's sake,
> Biddiscombe
> > is in his TENTH year of AFL football. There is patience and then there
is
> > lunacy.
> >
> > What was it in the first THREE years that warrants a 4th year for Mills.
> >
> > King, Hyde, Biddiscombe, Houlihan, Hilton, Mills, Vardy and Nicholls
need
> to
> > go. Pettifer, Cameron, Rogers, Dragicevic, D.Kellaway, Hall and Fleming
> > need to replaced (that does not mean sacked, but replaced with better
> > options). Richardson, Fiora, Ottens, Bowden and Blumfield need to get
> their
> > heads straight. You can't have that many guys who can't or won't play
up
> to
> > their ability. McGrath, Krakouer and Rodan need more time but
> > are not up to the required standard, and probably never will be.
> >
> > We have only 10 contributers on the entire list. Campbell, Coughlan,
> > Gaspar, A.Kellaway, Tivendale, Holland, Stafford, Chaffey, Zantuck and
> > Newman. And only one prospect in Schulz. Of those there are questions
> > about Zantuck's attitude, Holland's fitness and Campbell and Stafford
are
> > not spring-chickens.
> >
> > We have mostly passengers and prima-donnas. Our football department has
> > been spineless, cowardly and negligent.
> >
> > We have only three players Tivendale, Newman and Fiora who can raise
> enough
> > pace so that they don't look like Sunday joggers.
> >
> > I have every faith that in demanding pay cuts Miller is finally putting
> our
> > house in order, but the disgraceful condition of our playing list is all
> our
> > own fault. After 4 years of Frawley we have almost nothing upon which
to
> > confidently build a future other than Coughlan and Newman.
> >
> > And we have a coach who has no sense of what he is doing other than
trying
> > to avoid getting caught out as the sham that he is.
The thing is no progress has been shown because of inept list management
> and
> > insipid self-interest.
> >
> > The Football Department have been so focused on keeping their jobs that
> they
> > went for 'success now' and showed no interest in the future. Topping up
> the
> > list with veterans, has-beens and never will-bes and refusing to cut
> players
> > who are clearly not up to scratch. While it is true that we will not be
> > able to make 15 changes to the list this year, we shouldn't have to.
> These
> > changes should have been made over the past 4 years, an extra 2 changes
in
> > each of those years and we would have been better placed.
> >
> > No vision, no plan, no talent, no genuine sense of what was needed. No
> > courage to make tough decisions.
> >
> > The notion that we were within even a bull's-roar of a premiership is
> > laughable. That assessment shows gross incompetence. We should have
> spent
> > the last 3 years turnng the list over, but no we kept saying "patience,
> > patience". Whoever has been making these assesments is a rank moron.
> >
> > PATIENCE? PATIENCE? What we need is a sense of URGENCY. If we don't
put
> a
> > good team together this proud club will spiral into the mire and be out
of
> > business. You can not have two finals campaigns in 21 years and
> continually
> > blame the impatience of supporters or demand their loyalty.
> >
> > How dare our UNELECTED, JOHNY COME-LATELY, CONVERT president even utter
> the
> > word bandwaggon. How dare he even suggest by association that I am
> anything
> > less than loyal. I have TWENTY-ONE YEARS OF EVIDENCE to support my
claim
> as
> > a true tiger, what does he have. What do any of them have.
> >
> > They should not be issuing pleas for patience, they should be issuing
> > apologies for the rank amateurism which they still profer or defend.
> >
> > The short playing list and a decade of neglecting the rookie list are
the
> > result of supporter impatience are they? The decision to recruit
veterans
> > to top-up the list is my fault is it?
> >
> > We have been 4 years away from having a good team, every year for the
past
> > 20 years.
> >
> > When someone comes in and demands $150k pay rise CALL THEIR BLUFF. When
> > player number 16 on your list suggests he is thinking of leaving TELL
HIM
> TO
> > RACK OFF. Trade hard, bargain hard, upset a few players and player
> managers
> > and if fans are weeping because a favourite has been shipped-off then SO
> > BLOODY WHAT.
> >
> > Are we trying to win premierships or run a bloody benevelong society.
> >
> > Complaceny is death in profesional sport. If you are not moving
forward,
> > you are falling behind. Waiting for Richo to come good, waiting for
> Bowden
> > to come good, waiting for Fiora to come good. You can only have one or
> two
> > project players, not half the starting line-up.
> >
> > When a player like Hilton turns up to his first preseaon at the club
> > overweight you put him him on notice. And when he doesn't get his act
in
> > gear you don't show patience, you say "sorry, we have to look
elsewhere".
> It
> > doesn't matter if he stars elsewhere, you make tough decisions. When it
is
> > clear that the likes of Biddiscombe is a severly limited player you
don't
> > offer mutli-year deals on inflated salaries. For heaven's sake,
> Biddiscombe
> > is in his TENTH year of AFL football. There is patience and then there
is
> > lunacy.
> >
> > What was it in the first THREE years that warrants a 4th year for Mills.
> >
> > King, Hyde, Biddiscombe, Houlihan, Hilton, Mills, Vardy and Nicholls
need
> to
> > go. Pettifer, Cameron, Rogers, Dragicevic, D.Kellaway, Hall and Fleming
> > need to replaced (that does not mean sacked, but replaced with better
> > options). Richardson, Fiora, Ottens, Bowden and Blumfield need to get
> their
> > heads straight. You can't have that many guys who can't or won't play
up
> to
> > their ability. McGrath, Krakouer and Rodan need more time but
> > are not up to the required standard, and probably never will be.
> >
> > We have only 10 contributers on the entire list. Campbell, Coughlan,
> > Gaspar, A.Kellaway, Tivendale, Holland, Stafford, Chaffey, Zantuck and
> > Newman. And only one prospect in Schulz. Of those there are questions
> > about Zantuck's attitude, Holland's fitness and Campbell and Stafford
are
> > not spring-chickens.
> >
> > We have mostly passengers and prima-donnas. Our football department has
> > been spineless, cowardly and negligent.
> >
> > We have only three players Tivendale, Newman and Fiora who can raise
> enough
> > pace so that they don't look like Sunday joggers.
> >
> > I have every faith that in demanding pay cuts Miller is finally putting
> our
> > house in order, but the disgraceful condition of our playing list is all
> our
> > own fault. After 4 years of Frawley we have almost nothing upon which
to
> > confidently build a future other than Coughlan and Newman.
> >
> > And we have a coach who has no sense of what he is doing other than
trying
> > to avoid getting caught out as the sham that he is.
