JK
Guest
- Messages
- 5,549
From crikey.com.au
Eddie's latest over the top spray
By Stephen Mayne, Eddie-watcher and Richmond supporter
Another Saturday, another hysterical Eddie McGuire column in the Herald Sun.
12 October 2003
Under the headline "We draw and your lot dont", Eddie has sprayed incoming Melbourne President Paul Gardner and relatively new Richmond CEO Ian Campbell. What's the problem? These lads had the temerity to attack Collingwood for getting almost every request it lobbed at the AFL for the 2004 draw, including 11 MCG home games, 9 Friday night blockbusters and only 4 interstate trips.
They were good lines from Eddies latest and newest critics. When asked if other clubs get a charmed run from the AFL, Gardner said: ``It's hard for me to say, not running The Footy Show.''
And the Tigers boss said the football competition was supposed to be ``the AFL and not the CFL''.
The basis of Eddies attack was that Collingwood had helped Richmond and Melbourne out previously with draws and gates so this was meant to buy their silence on getting done over by the AFL as everything went Collingwoods way.
This is the Eddie modus operandi. Throw small benefits around to most of the key players, including traditional bitter club rivals, to keep them in line as the great Eddie and Collingwood mutual benefit caravan rolls on with more and more conflicts and unacceptable behaviour.
When someone crosses the lad, you can see the venom that is unleashed. Campbell was told to "go and take a flying jump" before Eddie gratuitously dished out "a quick history lesson" through the pages of the Herald Sun.
Eddie then claimed he saved Richmonds TAC sponsorship and that Collingwood delivered Melbourne more money than any other club.
The new Melbourne boss copped a similar spray: "Paul, you're not even in the business yet, so just pull up. History again shows Melbourne is the only club that has benefited from the Footy Show hosting a telethon to raise money to directly save their club."
Eddie finished his spray with the following threat: "Next time administrators, supporters and the media squeal about Collingwood and Essendon getting an easy ride, just remember, it might be your club that misses out. And that includes Richmond and Melbourne."
Before we get onto Eddies huge personal conflicts in this whole AFL draw debate, we have to bring you this hysterical item which also ran in his column:
"On Arnies Team
Dont ever give me conflict of interest again. With the election of Arnold Schwarzenegger as Governor of California comes news that Mrs Arnie, Maria Shriver, is going back to her old job as a political reporter for NBC America.
With her Republican husband holding one of the sensitive positions in the American system and here family, The Kennedys, still dominating the Democrats side of politics, Shriver will have a fine line to tread. But the Americans dont seem to mind."
Ends
How breathtaking is that? Eddie reckons that the multiple conflicts he has are less than a politician being married to a political journalist. Er, wasnt Paul Kelly married to Ros Kelly? Doesnt Maxine Mackew live with long-time Labor heavy Bob Hogg. And wasnt that Mick Malthouses daughter Christie getting access to the Collingwood rooms and huddle during the grand final for Channel Ten?
Lets just quickly explain Eddies various AFL conflicts starting with the draw. As the most powerful AFL person at Nine, Eddie gets to choose which Friday night blockbuster games Nine broadcasts each year. Lo and behold, Collingwood has eight Friday night blockbusters and one against Brisbane on Thursday night. All these will be broadcast by Eddies team on Channel 9 and the big audiences will allow Collingwood to pull in more jumper sponsors on what is already "the most valuable sporting real estate in Australia", if you believe Eddie. Every President wants to play Friday night blockbusters, only Collingwoods can actually make it happen. There are some dubious choices too. Why did Channel Nine opt for Collingwood vs Geelong as the round 15 blockbuster on July 9 when Richmond vs Essendon would arguably pull a bigger audience.
And will Maria Shriver also develop the websites for Arnie and some of his political rivals? That's what Eddie did as he and Steve Vizard bought up the commercial development rights to the Collingwood, Carlton, Hawthorn and Western Bulldogs websites.
As we've said on countless occasions, Eddie can't be a commentator and club president at the same time and he shouldn't have have these for-profit sidelines such as the website deals and the interest in the AFL and government-sanctioned Tippstars.
The rest of Eddies column included the usual soft plugs for those who toe the Eddie line. There was a nice picture of his former flatmate Michael Christian with Footy Show talent and Hawthorn captain Shane Crawford at the races.
Here's an abridged version of Eddie's lead item from his latest Herald Sun column:
We draw and your lot don't
By Eddie McGuire
RICHMOND football club chief executive Ian Campbell is a former Australian Olympic triple jump star so he is well- qualified to follow my advice this morning -- and that is to ``go and take a flying jump''.
The Tigers boss this week decided to stick his head into Collingwood's business, quacking on about the football competition supposed to be ``the AFL and not the CFL''.
Campbell's outburst follows the announcement of the 2004 draw which saw Richmond downgraded because of lack of numbers last season in its blockbuster status, losing one of its two games next year against Essendon.
None of that is my business, but at Collingwood we are starting to get sick of the conspiracy theories and of helping clubs behind the scenes only to see them deride us publicly.
Campbell is new to the caper so maybe a quick history lesson is needed.
Collingwood and Hawthorn had a deal they would play each other in Round One of the season. The Hawks became greedy and wanted Round One, always a good drawing game, as their home match every year. The home club keeps the entire gate.
Naturally we grew sick of this and did a deal with the Tigers where not only would we play each other in Round One but also share the two gates each season, giving the Tigers some badly needed certainty in their budgeting and cashflow at the time.
It was also a big issue for the TAC, sponsor of both clubs, who were about to pull their major sponsorship deal from Richmond because of misconduct of several of their players.
Collingwood worked extremely hard behind the scenes to ensure the TAC stayed on board. The joint marketing of the two games has played a significant role in the TAC staying on at Punt Rd.
The only thing Richmond should worry about in regard to Collingwood and the fixture is that they are there in Round One and again later in the year.
Even better was the nonsense spoken by aspiring Melbourne chairman Paul Gardner who, when asked if other clubs get a charmed run from the AFL, claimed: ``It's hard for me to say, not running The Footy Show.''
Paul, you're not even in the business yet, so just pull up.
History again shows Melbourne is the only club that has benefited from the Footy Show hosting a telethon to raise money to directly save their club.
Yes, Collingwood has high-profile games, but it was our idea to play Sydney as a one-off game with Sydney keeping the gate and receiving huge benefits.
We put the effort in this year to set up next year's game by working with Sydney and the AFL to manufacture a record crowd for a game outside Victoria this year at Telstra Stadium.
Let's not forget that Colling wood and Essendon, like every other team has the right to determine where it plays its home games. We play all of them in Melbourne.
So that's 11 games. After that it is up to the AFL. Next year we will play in each state once.
Next time administrators, supporters and the media squeal about Collingwood and Essendon getting an easy ride, just remember, it might be your club that misses out. And that includes Richmond and Melbourne.
Eddie's latest over the top spray
By Stephen Mayne, Eddie-watcher and Richmond supporter
Another Saturday, another hysterical Eddie McGuire column in the Herald Sun.
12 October 2003
Under the headline "We draw and your lot dont", Eddie has sprayed incoming Melbourne President Paul Gardner and relatively new Richmond CEO Ian Campbell. What's the problem? These lads had the temerity to attack Collingwood for getting almost every request it lobbed at the AFL for the 2004 draw, including 11 MCG home games, 9 Friday night blockbusters and only 4 interstate trips.
They were good lines from Eddies latest and newest critics. When asked if other clubs get a charmed run from the AFL, Gardner said: ``It's hard for me to say, not running The Footy Show.''
And the Tigers boss said the football competition was supposed to be ``the AFL and not the CFL''.
The basis of Eddies attack was that Collingwood had helped Richmond and Melbourne out previously with draws and gates so this was meant to buy their silence on getting done over by the AFL as everything went Collingwoods way.
This is the Eddie modus operandi. Throw small benefits around to most of the key players, including traditional bitter club rivals, to keep them in line as the great Eddie and Collingwood mutual benefit caravan rolls on with more and more conflicts and unacceptable behaviour.
When someone crosses the lad, you can see the venom that is unleashed. Campbell was told to "go and take a flying jump" before Eddie gratuitously dished out "a quick history lesson" through the pages of the Herald Sun.
Eddie then claimed he saved Richmonds TAC sponsorship and that Collingwood delivered Melbourne more money than any other club.
The new Melbourne boss copped a similar spray: "Paul, you're not even in the business yet, so just pull up. History again shows Melbourne is the only club that has benefited from the Footy Show hosting a telethon to raise money to directly save their club."
Eddie finished his spray with the following threat: "Next time administrators, supporters and the media squeal about Collingwood and Essendon getting an easy ride, just remember, it might be your club that misses out. And that includes Richmond and Melbourne."
Before we get onto Eddies huge personal conflicts in this whole AFL draw debate, we have to bring you this hysterical item which also ran in his column:
"On Arnies Team
Dont ever give me conflict of interest again. With the election of Arnold Schwarzenegger as Governor of California comes news that Mrs Arnie, Maria Shriver, is going back to her old job as a political reporter for NBC America.
With her Republican husband holding one of the sensitive positions in the American system and here family, The Kennedys, still dominating the Democrats side of politics, Shriver will have a fine line to tread. But the Americans dont seem to mind."
Ends
How breathtaking is that? Eddie reckons that the multiple conflicts he has are less than a politician being married to a political journalist. Er, wasnt Paul Kelly married to Ros Kelly? Doesnt Maxine Mackew live with long-time Labor heavy Bob Hogg. And wasnt that Mick Malthouses daughter Christie getting access to the Collingwood rooms and huddle during the grand final for Channel Ten?
Lets just quickly explain Eddies various AFL conflicts starting with the draw. As the most powerful AFL person at Nine, Eddie gets to choose which Friday night blockbuster games Nine broadcasts each year. Lo and behold, Collingwood has eight Friday night blockbusters and one against Brisbane on Thursday night. All these will be broadcast by Eddies team on Channel 9 and the big audiences will allow Collingwood to pull in more jumper sponsors on what is already "the most valuable sporting real estate in Australia", if you believe Eddie. Every President wants to play Friday night blockbusters, only Collingwoods can actually make it happen. There are some dubious choices too. Why did Channel Nine opt for Collingwood vs Geelong as the round 15 blockbuster on July 9 when Richmond vs Essendon would arguably pull a bigger audience.
And will Maria Shriver also develop the websites for Arnie and some of his political rivals? That's what Eddie did as he and Steve Vizard bought up the commercial development rights to the Collingwood, Carlton, Hawthorn and Western Bulldogs websites.
As we've said on countless occasions, Eddie can't be a commentator and club president at the same time and he shouldn't have have these for-profit sidelines such as the website deals and the interest in the AFL and government-sanctioned Tippstars.
The rest of Eddies column included the usual soft plugs for those who toe the Eddie line. There was a nice picture of his former flatmate Michael Christian with Footy Show talent and Hawthorn captain Shane Crawford at the races.
Here's an abridged version of Eddie's lead item from his latest Herald Sun column:
We draw and your lot don't
By Eddie McGuire
RICHMOND football club chief executive Ian Campbell is a former Australian Olympic triple jump star so he is well- qualified to follow my advice this morning -- and that is to ``go and take a flying jump''.
The Tigers boss this week decided to stick his head into Collingwood's business, quacking on about the football competition supposed to be ``the AFL and not the CFL''.
Campbell's outburst follows the announcement of the 2004 draw which saw Richmond downgraded because of lack of numbers last season in its blockbuster status, losing one of its two games next year against Essendon.
None of that is my business, but at Collingwood we are starting to get sick of the conspiracy theories and of helping clubs behind the scenes only to see them deride us publicly.
Campbell is new to the caper so maybe a quick history lesson is needed.
Collingwood and Hawthorn had a deal they would play each other in Round One of the season. The Hawks became greedy and wanted Round One, always a good drawing game, as their home match every year. The home club keeps the entire gate.
Naturally we grew sick of this and did a deal with the Tigers where not only would we play each other in Round One but also share the two gates each season, giving the Tigers some badly needed certainty in their budgeting and cashflow at the time.
It was also a big issue for the TAC, sponsor of both clubs, who were about to pull their major sponsorship deal from Richmond because of misconduct of several of their players.
Collingwood worked extremely hard behind the scenes to ensure the TAC stayed on board. The joint marketing of the two games has played a significant role in the TAC staying on at Punt Rd.
The only thing Richmond should worry about in regard to Collingwood and the fixture is that they are there in Round One and again later in the year.
Even better was the nonsense spoken by aspiring Melbourne chairman Paul Gardner who, when asked if other clubs get a charmed run from the AFL, claimed: ``It's hard for me to say, not running The Footy Show.''
Paul, you're not even in the business yet, so just pull up.
History again shows Melbourne is the only club that has benefited from the Footy Show hosting a telethon to raise money to directly save their club.
Yes, Collingwood has high-profile games, but it was our idea to play Sydney as a one-off game with Sydney keeping the gate and receiving huge benefits.
We put the effort in this year to set up next year's game by working with Sydney and the AFL to manufacture a record crowd for a game outside Victoria this year at Telstra Stadium.
Let's not forget that Colling wood and Essendon, like every other team has the right to determine where it plays its home games. We play all of them in Melbourne.
So that's 11 games. After that it is up to the AFL. Next year we will play in each state once.
Next time administrators, supporters and the media squeal about Collingwood and Essendon getting an easy ride, just remember, it might be your club that misses out. And that includes Richmond and Melbourne.
