Cleary set to take charge
mellowyellow said:
I heard that Phill Cleary (sp?) will be meeting with Richmond and Coburg officials tonight (12 may) with the view of assessing his suitabilty for the position of Chaiman of the Coburg footy club . I Dont know if he would be the right person for the job or who approached who but phil seems to have put his hand up for the position.
Cleary set to take charge.
By Lance Jenkinson
INFLUENTIAL Victorian Football league commentator and
disginguished Coburg great Phil Cleary appears certain
to make a return to City Oval in an official capacity
as a club figurehead.
The former local politician met with Richmond Football
Club officials at Punt Road Oval last night to discuss
the possibility of the ex-Coburg captain and coach
rejoining the club as either chairman or president.
"Yes, I have been speaking to Richmond and Coburg people
about the situation at Coburg. It's true that I'm
seriously considering taking on a role at Coburg."
Cleary said.
"They know that if I was to take on a figurehead role
I can't be a yes man.
"I'll work corroboratively with them, but I'm not
going to be a yes man for the AFL - but I
respect the partnership."
The position became vacant after president Peter Bacash
and vice-president Tony Singarella resigned, having been
critical of Coburg's dealings with the AFL club.
Cleary has had discusions with Richmond officials Greg
Miller and Greg Hutchinson with positive feedback,
but does not retract from past comments that he was
disappointed with the AFL club's communication with
Coburg.
"I've been impressed with the goodwill show by
Richmond in my discussions.
"I'm on the record as being critical of Richmond's
dealings with Peter Bacash and Tony Singarella and I
stand by that - I don't think they dealt with the
public relations particularly well.
"I thought they should have had better conversation
with Peter Bacash and Tony Singarella and I stick
to that."
Should Cleary be appointed in the role of the club
he holds close to his heart, changes to the Coburg
Tigers partnership will be made.
"I think it is rooted in the problem that we haven't
worked out what the relationship between the AFL and
a VFL club should be like," he said.
"The consequences have been we've got VFL clubs losing
their identity and what happens when they lose their
identity, the local people don't identify with them.
"The Richmond Tigers aren't effected by that, but
they're shooting themselves in the foot because if they
want to build a strong partnership and build their
own club they need to ensure the VFL club or partner
holds on to its history and grows in the area."
Cleary described the VFL and AFL partnerships as
"rubbery" and is calling on all VFL clubs to get
together and discuss the future of the premier
grass-roots competition.
"We need to sit down and discuss a blueprint.
"We need to tell the AFL clubs that they're
making mistakes when they ride rough-shod over the
local club's history.
"How can you identify with a club wearing red and blue
singing we're yellow and black and we're from Tigerland?
"It is not sentimentality that, it is plain stupid, they
might as well take over the club."
