Eddie McGuire-You are on notice.

[Clemo]

Scottie Davo,

Your and Eddie's comments have also put a tear to my eye. I am proud to be not only a Collingwood supporter but a Social Club Member too! I was amongst the many who voted last year, and it reflects in the confidence we have of the current board. The vote tally says it all.




Collingwood Forever !
Tony_Clemente@hotmail.com
www.netspace.net.au/~clemo

[Sly]

I'll be even more accessible as (the next) President.

Then again, I'll be a lot more impolite.

S.

[magpie joffa]

SCOTTIE DAVO
It's me joffa....GO PIES
Hey make sure you come over and say hello i will be in the official cheer squad area you'll have no troubles finding me im the ugliest bastard there...and we'll have a quiet beer outside cheer squad area of course or email me joffamagpie@hotmail.com
thanx mate.

There is nothing in life greater, than to be a supporter of our beloved collingwood football club,we must remain united,we must stand tall,we must be prepared to fight for our glorious black and white for we are the ENVY OF ALL NATIONS.
http://www.mp3.com/joffa

[magpie joffa]

Hey scottie davo if yourself and girlfriend would like to sit with cheer sqaud you are quite welcome ok.

There is nothing in life greater, than to be a supporter of our beloved collingwood football club,we must remain united,we must stand tall,we must be prepared to fight for our glorious black and white for we are the ENVY OF ALL NATIONS.
http://www.mp3.com/joffa

[Greg J]

What can not be denied is that people who order their membership over the phone (and probably through the mail) have been experiencing long delays, for at least the last two seasons (and probably longer than that).

On the other hand I get my membership at the first game I attend every year and, by being lucky with timing, have not experienced long delays in queues, or in the signup process (mind you the cap was not ready).

So even though I have not been effected by the delays I am interested to know what the club has done to alleviate this problem in the past few years, and whether it intends to review the process before the next season.

Eddie, is trying various things to get Collingwood on a solid economic footing in an environment with escalating costs. Not all of them will be effective, take for instance the decision to get a telemarketing firm to solicit members. Apparenly, on the 3LO, the club commented on this issue, because the telemarketer was accused of ripping of its employees! Did anybody hear who spoke for the club and what was said?

Anyway the moral of the story is, that people will get pissed off if they have to wait any length of time for what it really important to them (so the club has to continue to improve the process). AND if you intend attending a game early in the season, turn up a bit early and get your membership then.

Greg J

[Rohan Coventry Tateson]

The trouble at the moment is that too many people are hailing Eddie McGuire as the saviour. Although there are signs we are improving, hardly anything has been achieved. Because of his high media profile, people think that he knows best. He even say's that because of a personal business motto, he knows best.
I'm sure if any company from a MNE's to a small business shared that view they would all be doomed. All this topic has highlighted is that Collingwood is in a business, and as a result, it has to build a competitive advantage over other forms of membership (i.e AFl, MCC). To build this advantage the club has to offer customer service levels that compliment there claims ("only the best"). Judging by the failure of the club to respond to the membership inquiry we can safely say that this is lacking. Making excuses for the club's ineptness is a main reason why we are in the predaciment we are in.




Go St Kevin's College Old Boys

[CQ]

well i think eddie has done a fair bit for collingwood, and im not into worshipping anyone. what he has done is go around australia and advertise collingwood, people recognise him from tv and therefore aren't thinking things like 'who does this guy think he is?'. its good for collingwood, THOUGH %$^£$%^&%% eddie! ur on tv too much! every time i put the tv on i see u on it, even on the races!!!! i have no idea how u have time to go on here and write to us yobs as well as being on every show on ch 9 and be collingwood predident all while traipsing around the country and also spending time with ur son, %$^£$%^&%% i reckon thats a top effort!

249

[DaicosForever]

To call Eddie a saviour is certainly putting some pressure on the man in terms of our expectations, hell we dont want to be to unfair to the prez.Dont get me wrong no hero worshipper here either but judging by his track record of attracking a top line coach when the previous administration could not attract Damien Drum is certainly a positive example of what we may expect during his tenure.Furthermore he has stabilised a bickering and often volatile group of Board members, created a fucntional and cohesive football dept, attracted sponsorship from the like of Emirates,Dan Murphy,Volvo, Fai and numerous other businesses, in a market so competitve many argue that for clubs to flourish others clubs must fold.I'd say impressive so far. I know of one on true bonafide saviour and he was crucified because not everyone agreed with preachings. Sure Eddie may have his own opinions but grant him that they are educated and he knows a thing or two given his many profiles and experiances. Even if some people dont agree with this issue and perhaps other views he harbours.



Louis

[Spidergirl]

ahh finally some others have seen the light - EDDIE IS NOT GOD he may be kewl but stop kissin his ass!

[London Dave]

RCT, I agree with some of the sentiments of your call. We still have a long way to go, but Eddie and hs team have put the house in order, which would have to happen before the team gets a lot better on the field (judging by history). I also think from reading the guys posts (and not his mind) he'd be the first to admit we are a long way from Nirvana still.
I do think you have mis interpreted some of his statements. I see nowhere where he suggests he knows best. He says that 'the chairman is the person with the best idea at the moment' or words to that effect. My reading of this in the context it was written suggests that he would welcome any contributions which would help improvethe pies on and off the field.
Go and re read the post, and then tell meyour St Kevins education let you down in this instance. Is your gripe based on Eddies alma mater (CBC I think!), not mine (Clayton Tech!!!!)

CQ, the only time I see Eddie on TV here is watching the battered tape of the 1990 GF, when he goes beserk on the boundary line as Lethal walks down to the boundary. Check it out, you can see where his heart lies, and Eddie, if you read this, I love that bit! The dorks whose heads never disappear from the box here are infinitely worse, and definately don't follow the pies!

[AlfAndrews]

I think the big factor that has won Eddie a lot of respect among Collingwood supporters is the way he has been able to retain his ability to communicate with ordinary people, despite being a multi-mega-media-star.

I haven't seen too many Club presidents over the years who actually go out of their way at matches to talk to ordinary supporters. And I'm convinced it's not just some publicity stunt. Because he usually does it when the cameras are not watching. I'm sure it's because he sees himself as one of us ... and cares about what we're thinking.

Much of his job, as the Club's most high profile supporter and official, is to help translate what happens in the corridors of power into terms that the rest of us can accept and deal with. This is not always an easy task, given the conflicting demands of the football "industry" and the expectations of football's traditional "community".

I was a bit cynical when Eddie McG became president. I saw him as a fast-talking media snake-oil salesman and didn't really trust him. And it's pretty obvious that the corporatisation of football and the rip-off of the fans is going to continue no matter who the president of the Collingwood Football Club happens to be. Eddie simply doesn't have the power to change that. It's inextricably built in to the system.

But the football industry has the choice of either just carrying on and treating people like they don't matter, or actually trying to find how people really feel about things. And I'm not talking market research here. I'm talking about caring. And passion. And giving people a chance to actually BE a part of the Club and not just delude themselves into imagining that they are.

I believe Eddie McGuire is a guy who prefers to really connect with the supporters and make them a part of what is happening. And I reckon he has done a lot to change that aloofness that The Club seems to have developed in recent years. There's no doubt that Collingwood Football Club has taken its supporters for granted over the years ... but I can feel that changing. And the reason I can feel it changing is because I can see it happening at the top. And I really don't think I'm hallucinating.

Unfortunately no organisation will ever be perfect ... certainly not the Collingwood Football Club There will always be problems and inefficiency and people getting stuffed around. But to blame Eddie McGuire personally is a bit over-the-odds, I reckon.

**floreat pica**

[Mick]

Rohan - your comments are the most incisive I've seen on this topic.

The Club has failed to address the issue that their product "membership" competes with other products "AFL/MCC membership or gate entry". I find the marketing approach of "buy a membership - it's your duty" or "buy a membership or the club will go under" entirely uncommercial. The core members are used to this approach. The theatre-goers/fence-sitters i.e the people who will take your membership from 30,000 to 40,000 don't place any value whatsoever on this approach. They want to be enticed. They want value for money.
You're right - no other business would approach their customers this way.

If you remove this from their marketing strategy their products simply don't compete.

Take the social club vs MCC/AFL membership comparison.
It's a no brainer - you'd be mad to join the social club ahead of taking up AFL or MCC membership.
Until the social club is built at the MCG there is no compelling reason to join the Collingwood Social Club because in reality it does not exist.
At the moment I, like many others pay an additional $132 as an AFL member to be a social club member.
I think of this as a dontaion.
In return I get four copies of InB&W and a vote.

[the president]

Team this is great feedback.
Everyone makes valid points. Thanks to those who think we are doing a good job. Thanks to those who don't look at me as a saviour.
I must admit I still look at myself as a Collingwood supporter catching the train to the footy who grew in pride at every stop on the way to the city as more and more Collingwood people got on the train and when we arrived at Vic Park or the MCG or any of those god forsaken other grounds there would be more of us, we were louder and more pasionate and downright madder than anyone else.
That's what I want Collingwood to stand for again.
we are looking for "value Ads" to use the advertising jargon of the day to make our social club more relevant.
Discussions with the MCG continue but as you would be reading in the papers there is plenty of battles to go before the Northern stand goes up.
In the meantime we have a couple of other very exciting projects on the board. More later.
But basically the way to make sure we have members is by providing better service(yes we are working on this, doesn't help when the call centre falls over for two days) but really by providing the color and excitement that comes from winning games and having the army in full flight.
People want to be involved where the action is. I, like Joffa, was devastated a few years ago to see the passion levels falling. That is why I put my hand up. I seriously felt the club was stuffed. When I found out what had been going on behind the scenes it broke my heart.
Anyway that's behind us and now it's up to us, led by me, to make a difference.
We have plenty of work to do. We are improving in every department. But please be assured that as I hit every board room in town to drag in sponsorship (and have I got a ripper to announce in he next few weeks, you beauty!) decisions are made for the fans.
We are the club. Corporates only get involved because of our supporter base, lets be honest who at Emirates, Primus, Adidas, Volvo,etc would care if not for the attention that is derived by Collingwood which occurs because of our supporters.
I'm glad people don't see my presidency as a publicity stunt. The Collingwood football club is the single most important and overwhelming part of my life. Thankfully my wife is as passionate about the magpies as me. As I wrote on an earlier post "The chairman is the person with the best idea in the room."
So give me your best ideas. Let me know what is worrying you. But give me some suggested solutions. Make the effort, be proactive you have an open gateway to the board, use it.
The social club areas at the games will be much more "Collingwood" this year, make sure you know when the aftermatch functions with the players are on at Colonial and the "G" and get involved.
I am currently working on a plan to make the Copeland accessable to as many fans as possible. We have to be careful of creating "classes" of supporters but if there is a feeling of unity then those who can pay more hopefully will and those who are on a budget will be looked after.
I don't deny I'm going OK these days but it wasn't until my mid twenties that I could afford to go to anything Collingwood other than the game so I know what its like.
Anyway we'll get things wrong and we'll get things right but one thing I promise you is that we won't die wondering.
At Collingwood it's one in - all in.
The President.

[Scottie Davo]

Interesting stuff folks, RCT, I made the point in my initial response to Eddie the fact that to raise the number to the 40,000 figure we cannot expect these people to make all the effort in securing the membership-and in fact the onus is on the Club to attract them.

I think this point has been laboured.

All Eddie is asking for is perspective. Where we have been, what we have done, and where we are going. I am willing to allow for this perspective, and furthermore, we all need to remember this very poignant fact: There are culbs in a worse position than ourselves, and we have improved our overall position.

I, like everybody else, do not dare to rest on any laurels no matter how triumphant they are when it comes to this Club. The President himself knows there is an infinite path to be walked to achieve and then maintain on and off field success. But what I am willing to do RCT, is to watch with active anticipation (that's not masturbation by the way-although it sounds like it huh...)for the progress of this Club over the short term of this and next year.

If I do not believe that progress has been made, and I have ALL of the facts, including our relative position against other clubs and the overall state of play of the game of AFL itself-only then will I swiftly demand as will others, for the removal of people from the board.

I remember I think back to 1995 when we were told by the Club to 'expect two years of pain' before we can expect results.
I will not tolerate comments like that again.

Eddie has heeded the comments on this obviously heartfelt topic, I entrust to him that he also has the perspective to prioritise it accordingly.

Joffa, I will grab you for a beer mate-no worries. Renee, my girlfriend is a bit anxious about you guys, she's not the rough and tumble footy type, but she has seen a few games...and the death look she can give me when I've screwed up would make Rene' Kink shiver. I suppose I will have to protect her yes? (burp)...

I'm also coming with my brother who I haven't seen in three years so I'll see if they are keen to hang out with the cheer squad or would rather the 'quieter' approach! I suspect they will want to come down for the experience!

See you around midday.

Go you Pies!

In my blood...

[Scottie Davo]

Uh! You got your post in there while I was doing mine Mr President, two final queries...


1)Can we create an E-mail grouping for all interstate supporters so we are easily accessible when coordinating the attendance and potential volunteer work for those matches in each state?

i.e At a Swans match, I would gladly volunteer to man a membership desk, merchandise stall, general info stall etc. Is there a position already allocated for such coordination in each state and territory? How about gathering E-mail addresses of each state's Collingwood suppoerters and then the mass communication could be total and efficent. Yeah!

Secondly...what the announcement huh?huh?huh?

COME ON! I won't tell anyone...

scottiecollingwood@hotmail.com

In my blood...