Ext User(k r u d l e r)
05-09-2006, 11:03 AM
Pagan on Carlton's chopping block
05 September 2006 Herald-Sun
Jim Wilson and Trevor Grant
DENIS Pagan's head will be on the chopping block at a crucial meeting
tonight after several Carlton directors privately endorsed assistant Barry
Mitchell to replace him
A day after the Herald Sun revealed Pagan is fighting to keep his job, it
emerged Carlton powerbrokers have also been told influential club champions,
corporate supporters and members will return to the club if Pagan is axed.
A final decision is not expected tonight but three scenarios will be put to
the board:
PAGAN to be sacked and Mitchell to replace him.
PAGAN to become director of coaching and bring Mitchell in as match-day
coach.
PAGAN survives.
Board members Stephen Kernahan and Adrian Gleeson have driven tonight's
review.
It is believed the directors, who will take time to consider the
recommendations, are evenly split on Pagan's future.
"It's extremely tight and the board may even be split down the middle," a
club source said last night.
"But Denis is certainly under the pump and Mitchell is the bloke who's
waiting in the wings."
Former Carlton president Ian Collins predicted chaos and mayhem would break
out if Pagan was sacked.
"I don't know whether it's impatience or a lack of understanding, but once
you appoint people and agree to go down a certain track then you have got to
stick and play out the scenario," Collins said yesterday.
"If you don't and you swap and change all the time, you're not going to
achieve anything but chaos and mayhem."
Despite club champion Stephen Silvagni, Collingwood assistant Guy McKenna
and Fremantle's Mark Harvey all being considered, Mitchell is the coach in
waiting to replace Pagan, who has two years to run on his contract.
Pagan is expected to flatly reject any offer to become director of coaching.
But if Pagan, who has taken the team to back-to-back wooden spoons, remains
as senior coach, Mitchell will almost certainly be forced out of the
assistant's role.
Pagan hosted a lunch yesterday in the city attended by his coaching
department, including Mitchell.
"It's business as usual as far as I'm concerned and I have a two-year
contract to go after this year, and I'll be doing everything I can to get
Carlton up the ladder,' Pagan told Channel 7 last night.
Collins said it was financial foolishness to appoint another coach and then
face a $1.2 million pay-out to Pagan.
He said the AFL's recent $2 million assistance package to the club should
also preclude any decision to change coaches.
"I don't know how he can be paid out. They haven't got the money to do that.
Do they borrow from the AFL and then pay him out with the other hand?
Where's the money? It doesn't make sense," Collins said yesterday.
But, in another major development, it is believed a group of business people
have indicated they would finance any payout for Pagan.
Asked whether he believed the board was about to create chaos, Collins
replied: "To my way of thinking, yes, you are probably right. It's no good
changing unless you've got someone who's a lot better."
Collins, who was replaced by Graham Smorgon earlier this year after taking
over from John Elliott in late 2002, refuted criticism that his board's
decision to re-sign Pagan after the 2005 pre-season cup victory, a full
season before his initial contract was due to expire, was unnecessarily
hasty.
He said the club had decided to go with a youth policy at the time and Pagan
was judged as the man to see it through.
He said performances from the current team, which included a 92-point loss
to Sydney in the final home-and-away game on Sunday, had to be taken in the
context of a long-term rebuilding plan.
"It's easy to make judgment in retrospect but one would have to ask when was
the last time a milk-cart horse won the Melbourne Cup? You can't make a
decision to go with youth and then if you don't get the results, blame
somebody," Collins said.
It's understood if Mitchell gets the nod, it will spark a massive cleanout
of the football department.
Assistants Tony Elshaug, who is closely linked with Pagan, and Tony
Liberatore would almost certainly be pushed out.
Mitchell's appointment could see Carlton greats return to the club in
coaching and mentoring roles.
Premiership stars Greg Williams, Craig Bradley, Brett Ratten, and Peter Dean
will all be involved in the new off-field team.
Williams refused to comment when contacted last night, but it is understood
he is playing a key role in anointing Mitchell as Pagan's replacement.
Club champion Stephen Silvagni was considered as a possible replacement but
would not comment yesterday.
"I don't want to get involved to be honest,' Silvagni said.
"I'm hopefully coaching somewhere next year in some type of role."
The Carlton players were also reluctant to comment yesterday.
Coleman Medal winner Brendan Fevola said he believed Pagan would survive
while outgoing captain Anthony Koutoufides distanced the group from the
off-field dramas.
"I don't think we've been consulted in the past so I don't know what's going
on," Koutoufides said. "The entire review is about everyone at the football
club and questions will be raised. That inevitably happens when you win
successive wooden spoons."
Chief executive Michael Malouf was in damage control and dismissed claims of
Pagan's demise as nothing more than speculation.
The AFL, which has assisted the Blues with a $1.5 million bailout, deny it
will intervene in the decision-making process.
AFL commissioner and Blues champion Mike Fitzpatrick will attend tonight's
board meeting as the league's representative.
AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou would not weigh into the issue, saying
it was a decision for the club.
05 September 2006 Herald-Sun
Jim Wilson and Trevor Grant
DENIS Pagan's head will be on the chopping block at a crucial meeting
tonight after several Carlton directors privately endorsed assistant Barry
Mitchell to replace him
A day after the Herald Sun revealed Pagan is fighting to keep his job, it
emerged Carlton powerbrokers have also been told influential club champions,
corporate supporters and members will return to the club if Pagan is axed.
A final decision is not expected tonight but three scenarios will be put to
the board:
PAGAN to be sacked and Mitchell to replace him.
PAGAN to become director of coaching and bring Mitchell in as match-day
coach.
PAGAN survives.
Board members Stephen Kernahan and Adrian Gleeson have driven tonight's
review.
It is believed the directors, who will take time to consider the
recommendations, are evenly split on Pagan's future.
"It's extremely tight and the board may even be split down the middle," a
club source said last night.
"But Denis is certainly under the pump and Mitchell is the bloke who's
waiting in the wings."
Former Carlton president Ian Collins predicted chaos and mayhem would break
out if Pagan was sacked.
"I don't know whether it's impatience or a lack of understanding, but once
you appoint people and agree to go down a certain track then you have got to
stick and play out the scenario," Collins said yesterday.
"If you don't and you swap and change all the time, you're not going to
achieve anything but chaos and mayhem."
Despite club champion Stephen Silvagni, Collingwood assistant Guy McKenna
and Fremantle's Mark Harvey all being considered, Mitchell is the coach in
waiting to replace Pagan, who has two years to run on his contract.
Pagan is expected to flatly reject any offer to become director of coaching.
But if Pagan, who has taken the team to back-to-back wooden spoons, remains
as senior coach, Mitchell will almost certainly be forced out of the
assistant's role.
Pagan hosted a lunch yesterday in the city attended by his coaching
department, including Mitchell.
"It's business as usual as far as I'm concerned and I have a two-year
contract to go after this year, and I'll be doing everything I can to get
Carlton up the ladder,' Pagan told Channel 7 last night.
Collins said it was financial foolishness to appoint another coach and then
face a $1.2 million pay-out to Pagan.
He said the AFL's recent $2 million assistance package to the club should
also preclude any decision to change coaches.
"I don't know how he can be paid out. They haven't got the money to do that.
Do they borrow from the AFL and then pay him out with the other hand?
Where's the money? It doesn't make sense," Collins said yesterday.
But, in another major development, it is believed a group of business people
have indicated they would finance any payout for Pagan.
Asked whether he believed the board was about to create chaos, Collins
replied: "To my way of thinking, yes, you are probably right. It's no good
changing unless you've got someone who's a lot better."
Collins, who was replaced by Graham Smorgon earlier this year after taking
over from John Elliott in late 2002, refuted criticism that his board's
decision to re-sign Pagan after the 2005 pre-season cup victory, a full
season before his initial contract was due to expire, was unnecessarily
hasty.
He said the club had decided to go with a youth policy at the time and Pagan
was judged as the man to see it through.
He said performances from the current team, which included a 92-point loss
to Sydney in the final home-and-away game on Sunday, had to be taken in the
context of a long-term rebuilding plan.
"It's easy to make judgment in retrospect but one would have to ask when was
the last time a milk-cart horse won the Melbourne Cup? You can't make a
decision to go with youth and then if you don't get the results, blame
somebody," Collins said.
It's understood if Mitchell gets the nod, it will spark a massive cleanout
of the football department.
Assistants Tony Elshaug, who is closely linked with Pagan, and Tony
Liberatore would almost certainly be pushed out.
Mitchell's appointment could see Carlton greats return to the club in
coaching and mentoring roles.
Premiership stars Greg Williams, Craig Bradley, Brett Ratten, and Peter Dean
will all be involved in the new off-field team.
Williams refused to comment when contacted last night, but it is understood
he is playing a key role in anointing Mitchell as Pagan's replacement.
Club champion Stephen Silvagni was considered as a possible replacement but
would not comment yesterday.
"I don't want to get involved to be honest,' Silvagni said.
"I'm hopefully coaching somewhere next year in some type of role."
The Carlton players were also reluctant to comment yesterday.
Coleman Medal winner Brendan Fevola said he believed Pagan would survive
while outgoing captain Anthony Koutoufides distanced the group from the
off-field dramas.
"I don't think we've been consulted in the past so I don't know what's going
on," Koutoufides said. "The entire review is about everyone at the football
club and questions will be raised. That inevitably happens when you win
successive wooden spoons."
Chief executive Michael Malouf was in damage control and dismissed claims of
Pagan's demise as nothing more than speculation.
The AFL, which has assisted the Blues with a $1.5 million bailout, deny it
will intervene in the decision-making process.
AFL commissioner and Blues champion Mike Fitzpatrick will attend tonight's
board meeting as the league's representative.
AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou would not weigh into the issue, saying
it was a decision for the club.