I've got a question, did the club advance at all with Ian Collins at the helm? In any way?

He abused Elliott for signing Pagan on a lucrative long deal and then did the @#$%&! same thing himself.

Ian Collins is just as much to blame as anyone else, he's an absolute disgrace

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Time to go: Smorgon, Pagan

Our problem is our revenue stream is the lowest in the AFL.. but they tell us that we have a full house of sponsorships..

The club is pathetic at attracting dollars and generating dollars.

Too much is left to too few... and its the same loyal members/ sponsors putting in ever year.
Little real effort is made to source new money bloodlines ...

After seeing Smorgon if you had a cool 500k burning a hole in your pocket would you invest it in Carlton???

They have no idea how to market a powerhouse club...

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Due to recent budget cuts and the rising cost of electricity, gas, and oil....... the Light at the End of the Tunnel has been turned off. We apologize for the inconvenience.

and all the others on the board at the same time.

and those all through the 90's, Collins included

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SMFC 1959 : ONE LIFE, ONE LOVE, ONE CLUB

Pagans contract didnt land us in this trouble.... you can pay anyones contract if you have the means to raise the cash...

And the board was unianimous in Pagans contract....

Collo was probably more a stick in the mud with that.....

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Due to recent budget cuts and the rising cost of electricity, gas, and oil....... the Light at the End of the Tunnel has been turned off. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Obviously it didn't land us in this financial trouble, but did he or did he not whinge about the appointment of Pagan and then as President of the club re-appoint him on a well paid long term gig?

What exactly has Collins done for the club? He's taken every opportunity to denigrate Carlton to the media 'Z graders', laughs on his phone during 120 point losses, I cannot think of one @#$%&! positive

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Time to go: Smorgon, Pagan

Hes allowed to laugh on his phone... how do you know if the guy on the other end isnt someone funny???

But the best thing collo organised was our belated exit from PP that had held us back while Essendon* and Collingwood had a jump on us...


You cant go to playing in front of 22k a week at PP and expect youre going places...

Im not worried about Collo... just that he stayed a year too long..

Its those still at the club that are going to kill us.. cos they come to the table with zilch!!!

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Due to recent budget cuts and the rising cost of electricity, gas, and oil....... the Light at the End of the Tunnel has been turned off. We apologize for the inconvenience.

We were only playing 4 games at OO the year before Collo came.

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"We used to sit around and talk about how bad the game plan was." Anthony Koutoufides

but the club was insolvent before Collo came... in fact Mathison suggested we hand the keys over to the AFL and Collo wouldnt...

Thats where your mate had us..

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Due to recent budget cuts and the rising cost of electricity, gas, and oil....... the Light at the End of the Tunnel has been turned off. We apologize for the inconvenience.

On a one year deal that Elliott organised because we needed the money.

Then what happened? We went back to 9 games a year at Optus.

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"A good composer does not initiate. He steals."

- Igor Stravinsky

This is going to sound almost mind boggling to some of you.. But after intense analysis over the past few weeks and speaking to some people in high enough positions and having watched our Presidents performance tonight...

I agree completely with everything Synbad has to say about the state of our football club. And that hurts more then anything..

Im so depressed!!!!
I wonder what effect this will have on the players Sunday!!
I even forgot we were f#@$%$ playing a game this week after all this shit going on!!!

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Happy Days Are Here Again!!

Would I be too cynical to suggest that we've released this story to take the heat off Pagan in the wake of 'petitiongate'? (ie we can't afford to sack him?)

I hope so, because right now I'm shedding a tear at the thought of losing the one constant love I've had in my 32 years on this planet

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Richard Pratt - A Carlton legend.

carlton = very good VFL club
carlton = very bad AFL club

the seeds were being sowed in the 90s.

carlton stagnated off the field (despite generally having a good team on the field) while Essendon*, collingwood and to a lesser extent hawthorn capitalised. the carlton brand name was diminishing even then and Essendon* and collingwood were playing at the MCG with big attendances, big exposure, big memberships and ultimately big revenue. carlton stayed at optus oval too long among many other mistakes. they didn't evolve with the changing competition.

the shit now (when the onfield stuff is also going wrong, but AFL is cyclical these days so it was bound to happen) can be traced back to poor management in the 90s by the Elliot admin.

You can't rectify the situation off the field if the on-field is so bad. So really Collo and Smorgon have no chance of turning it around until the team is better and this takes time and several years of draft picks. Had Elliot not left the club is such bad financial shape, then like Essendon*, it would have been more capable of overcoming 4 or so years of bad football.

Sums up my feelings atm.

This continuing situation is just so pathetic.....and what's worse is I just don't trust anyone of them with their decision making anymore. We've been fed too much bullshit.
Open & accountable....pfft!!!

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There's so much I could say...

In terms of cash flow the main problem as I can see is the use of Princess Park.Where still paying off a stand that was never really full.It sits there now virtually gathering dust.The club must first of all get rid of the debt on this complete waste of structure .How I dont know.Perhaps Pratt could give us a hand.

We should have played all our games at the G and telstra,not built the Legends stand and shared a training base with Hawthorn out at Waverley.


The problem comes down to people running the club who thought that because of our history we were bullet proof. I believe Elliott was the main problem. The people who didnt agree with him and ther must have been some would have been intimidated by this bloke who comes across as a non pratical dumb bully.

Anyone got the powerball numbers from last night?

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Patrick Smith - Just another reason to HATE Essendon*!

does anyone know if we have had any external consultants into help us ? (ie Marketing / Business Development consultants )

It seems as though we have been going through this same thing for the past 3-4 years and the only things which seems to be changing is the severity of the problem and our president.

We had a 3 year plan a few years ago which has obviously been spectatuarly unfulfilling - does anyone know who prepared it ?

I hope you are wrong Synbad, i hope Pagan is not sacked. I do not want that to happen with this baord, they may just gain an extra year or two out of that act.

Get rid of the board, then look at the coaching, not the other way round.

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This type of slight is alien in the more cultured part of the world - Walsh. Its up there with mad dogs, Englishmen and the midday sun!

Surprise sur-bloody-prise. Where are those threads from a couple of months ago??

INSOLVENT - $7 MIL IN DEBT AND GETTING WORSE
CANNOT PAY PLAYERS
NEGATIVE CASH FLOW
WE HAVE SPENT THE MONEY WE GOT FOR MOVING TO TD
OUR AFL DISTRIBUTION GOES DIRECTLY TO THE NAB (AS WE HAVE SPENT TO OUR OVERDRAFT LIMIT)

Apparently Price Waterhouse have been in there doing a review. Accounting 101 "Balance Sheet Review" students would come up with the same answers.

An AFL handout will only prop us up short term. We my friends are rooted. Right where the AFL wants us. Hello Gold Coast.

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I support Carlton, Fulham and I'm an accountant - my mate calls me a 3 time loser.