So, the logic here is that, in order for our brand, which for most of its history has been a tearaway success and even last year was setting new highs in membership numbers, to move forward we have to either:

1. Jump into bed with some other teams that have no supporters and dilute our current brand, or

2. Alienate the large current supporter base that we already have to go and try to create a new one somewhere else??

Neither option seems particularly smart to me.

The reasons we are where we are are twofold:

1. We were screwed by the AFL over the Legends Stand/Telstra Dome. We lost millions and are still paying for it.

2. Our team is cr@p and we are going through the worst onfield patch in our history.

Whats needed is:

1. The AFL to fess up and help us crawl out from under the Legends Stand millstone. Our finances will then be on the improve

2. The rest of us to have some patience with the new team that the coach is building. 2-3 years from now we will be OK again.

Footy's about passion and I hated last Sunday like the rest of you. Sitting out there in the cold watching our team getting belted by the filth, and paying for the priviledge. I guess this is what all of those St Kilda and Footscray supporters that I used to laugh at at school used to feel like.

We might be a little bit vulnerable at the moment, but our problems arent that we cant get the support in Melbourne. Ideally the AFL should want Ess, Coll, Carl & Rich as the cornerstone clubs in Melb. These are the big clubs with the big popular support. If anybody is going to relocate it should be the clubs that, in 70-80 years still havent managed to engender much popular support. It's easy to get carried away with short term sentiments and media fluff, end of the day though the powerbrokers will surely look at the big picture. Saying CFC has 20-30k members in Melb, if we get another 10K in western syd we will be up to 30-40K doesnt wash because many of us would be lost to the club if we moved. I know I would be. I'd probably still support the club at arms length, might even buy the odd tea cup, scarf etc, but my days of buying a membership and turning up to games would be gone. Yu need another option on the poll, that is stay here and fight it out!!!

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"Who discovered we could get milk from cows, and what did he think he was doing at the time?" Billy Connolly

anyone for soccer?

I would become a A league follower.

relocation/merger is not an option.

Never will be

Two words.

Terry.

Lamb.

The prosecution rests, your honour.

_________________
And so while others miserably pledge themselves to the pursuit of ambition and brief power, I will be stretched out in the shade, singing.

Are we that far gone in spirit that people are discussing this...is everybody that short in memory...............

NEVER,NEVER,NEVER,NEVER would support this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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#sayerscouldbetheman!!

Here's that Age article quoting Graeme Smorgon:

http://www.realfooty.theage.com.au/real ... 10772.html

"From Carlton's point of view, we continue to work very closely with the AFL and the AFL has had a team of people looking at our finances and they have had independent people looking and we will continue to talk to the AFL about our future, because we ourselves are not financially viable as it stands today and that has been well documented."

_________________
2002:> "In their Masters Chambers
They Gathered for their Feast
They Stabbed us with their Steely Knives
But They Just Can't Kill The Beast!" <2016

THE BLUEBAGGER BEAST IS BAACKK!!

We should merge with Chelsea....

CASH FLOW PROBLEMS SOLVED!!!

Does anyone here know any oil billionairres with a vested interest in getting a lot of Australians to think he's "one of us blokes"????

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Love Cricket? Love me

I wouldn't have named my 2 year old son Carlton (born March 2004 after Black Friday) if I thought we would merge. It's not in the AFL's interest to do it. Demetriou has stated that a healthy Carlton is important to AFL football just recently.

Since the weekend some of the opinions from the media have included:

Lyon: he compared the roar from 60,000 Carlton and Collingwood supporters to the 90,000 on Anzac day, and suggested that it's obviously louder from the 60,000 Carlton and Collingwood armies. The passion of an age traditional rivalry being the reason.

Healy: The Blockbuster or biggest rivalry in Melbourne is still Carlton Collingwood. Given where these two teams have been in the last few years it's incredible to think of what would be if they were both form teams. regardless of position though, they always seem to get a big crowd, unlike other rivalries.

Sheehan: When Essendon* and Carlton are winning, there's no doubt that the intensity and passion from these two teams rivals the SA and WA derbies. Healy rebutted to suggest that the only difference is that with derbies involving the only 2 teams in town, don't need form and ladder position to sell out the stadium (50,000), and if Subi could cater for 60,000 they would sell it out.

What does this suggest?

A: Tradition is a good reason to retain the current status quo
B: It is better for AFL attendance records to have a healthy Carlton
C: There is a huge Carlton support base for these games that doesn't translate into memberships.
D: A few wins, a good marketing strategy, and board stability will see Carlton once again attracting more members.
E: When Carlton is successful again, and with Telstra Dome Carlton's home being a state of the art entertainment venue, the formula is there to entice supporters back and then we will have the situation:

1. it will not be able to hold say 35,000 Carlton members, 10,000 Carlton supporters (non members) as well as 30,000 Collingwood, Essendon* and Richmond supporters, hence these games will continue to be played at Australia's No.1 venue The MCG, attracting crowds excess of 70,000 people.

2. it will not be able to hold say 35,000 Carlton members, 10,000 Carlton supporters (non members) as well as 15,000 Geelong, StKilda or Hawthorn supporters.

Sell outs will create a groundswell of hysteria, we are back on the map on Free to air with "Game of the Day" and the sponsors will be knocking on our door once again.

Couple this with:

AFL taking over MC Labour Park
AFL agreeing to give $1-$2M per year over 5 years to all clubs

I can't see the merge happening. Change will take time. Patience and a positive voice from supporters is needed at present. But as I said before if a merge did happen for Carlton, it's Game Over for me.

_________________
Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

If a present or future CFC board put a merger/full relocation proposal to the members they'd be thrown out of office so quickly they wouldn't know what hit them. The massive Carlton supporter base would awaken from hibernation and join up as members.
A merger/full relocation proposal would be the ultimate scare tactic to force membership signups.

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There's so much I could say...

Might be just the tonic our recalcitrant supporters need, Budzy!!

_________________
2002:> "In their Masters Chambers
They Gathered for their Feast
They Stabbed us with their Steely Knives
But They Just Can't Kill The Beast!" <2016

THE BLUEBAGGER BEAST IS BAACKK!!

Are you sure you didn't name him after Will's cousin in the Fresh Prince of Bel Air?

_________________
Love Cricket? Love me

We are The Melbourne
Melbourne Victory
We are the Melbourne
Melbourne Victory


If carlton left this state or merged it would be end of AFL for me.

more so if we end up getting a Rugby Union side as well.

_________________
Got to love the stare Down by Setanta on Llyod

The AFL want second clubs in Qld and Sydney so its going to happen...when you have your snout in the CBF they own you.
I dont think its out of the question that any club with finance problems could be asked to relocate if it got that bad that you were insolvent..

We are no longer a power and dont rate with Essendon*, Collingwood as a Vic power club...we are down with the Roos and Bulldogs as a banana republic in terms of money and are vunerable...

I could see Sydney being a good fit for us as far as the AFL are concerned.....buying a membership is a great idea but it wont pay off the major debts....you need major long terms sponsors and creditors who can be talked around into coming to terms....that requires a smart president , smart CEO and smart board members.....we are trying to fix the finances and onfield stuff at the same time ..thats whats making it doubly hard for us...
I think the club needs to be at its best off the field for the next few years to avoid being relocation candidates and get our club out of the Roos/Bulldogs grouping....

_________________
"When you have the attitude of a champion, you see adversity as your
training partner."
- Conor Gillen

Brizzy,

I don't get it when people talk about the immediate playing list benefits of a merge…ie adding a Sylvia or Mclean to the list. That's going to be well & good for 7 or 8 years or so, but we're talking about ending a century old tradition to begin another.

_________________
#DonTheStash

worse yet, CK, a 142 year tradition.... and a 3.5 year tradition of the Tyrant on Carlton forums

_________________
Love Cricket? Love me

And worse still,

Formerly_Bomber_Now_Blue_Now_SouthportBlueShark just doesn't work….

_________________
#DonTheStash

maybe as a name... but he's still a dynamo in the sack

_________________
Love Cricket? Love me

I miss him.

_________________
#DonTheStash

never gonna happen

_________________
SMFC 1959 : ONE LIFE, ONE LOVE, ONE CLUB

2nd teams in Sydney or Qld will never work. There's simply not enough support. It's RL territory. The Gold Coast is too close to Brisbane for a second team there. As for Sydney, well, I'd never consider it in the first place, it'll never work.

We a down but will always be a power, one of the 4 big clubs with a big supporter base. Current form is temporary. It's wasn't that long ago Collingwood (pre Eddie) and Geelong were financial basket cases either but like us, they have the support structure to get through it. Carlton re-locating or merging? it will never happen. Watch this weekend, Carl & Ess, will still draw a big crowd despite the fact they're vieing for the spoon. That'll tell you something in itself.

You're wrong.

Sydney is the most populous city in the country, and it's simply HUGE geographically, so it would be simple to fit a second team here.

The support for the Swans is primarily in the Eastern Suburbs and North Shore, and as such that leaves a massive swathe of population to try and get a club embedded.

The problem here isn't RL, because RL is its own worst enemy and with players constantly playing up, clubs being merged/shut down etc.

The problem with getting support for AFL here is that the AFL simply doesn't promote the game here, they only promote the Swans, and until the game itself is promoted, and all clubs get decent FTA coverage, and good coverage in local media, the interest isn't going to happen. So, consequently, when the Swans take a nose-dive, support for AFL plummets too. The AFL could make sure this doesn't happen if they promoted all the clubs and the game in general up here.

_________________
And so while others miserably pledge themselves to the pursuit of ambition and brief power, I will be stretched out in the shade, singing.