With the departure of Lou Sticca as General Manager it would seem the ideal time for the Carlton Board to have a long hard look at the club and try and build on the good foundations laid.
Unfortunately it seems (to me) that the club is losing the plot and neglecting its small but dedicated hardcore support. Post-match the club divides into a them and us situation. Many readers will remember the old days when after the match the players would pop into the bar for a drink and chat with the supporters in the supporters' bar. This was always an important facet of the club to the hardcore, it suggested a grass roots approach, where the ordinary fans and their opinions counted for something. Also the players could relate to the faithful few that turned up. Sadly nowadays the players are cloistered in the directors bar to hob nob with the chosen few and anyone else who can blag their way into that hallowed place. Whilst the true fans are paying more than nightclub prices to drink beer from plastic cups, the lucky few get to drink for free, out of glasses. Are they being rewarded for their stalwart commitment to the club they love? No. They are usually just on a corporate freebie and couldn't give a toss about Carlton.
The soÐcalled reason for the new order is that the club is worried that the true fans won't behave themselves and may say something nasty to a player, it is also as a result of some ill behaved visitor having a go at Lou. So now the players and management are in the safe environment of the directors' bar with those well behaved corporate types. Their good behaviour includes getting very inebriated on the free piss and then vandalising the bar. The only time I've been in there (it was no great shakes to be honest) I was particularly unimpressed by the behaviour of a bunch of drunk idiots who thought it would be fun to uproot a rather lovely potted plant and wave it around. They managed to do this without getting hassled by the men in yellow who were too busy ensuring the riff raff didn't get in the bar in the first place.
The club has to be careful, with numbers dropping and the hardcore being disillusioned, they need to remember where the future lies. Their priorities should lie with attracting more fans, not alienating the few they have to prostitute themselves to the corporate dollar.
As for blagging into the directors' bar, why should I? I'm a supporter and belong in the supporters' bar. I like meeting the players and having a chat, but don't think barging into the directors' bar where they are probably with family and friends is a great idea. If they want to talk to the fans, they know where we are. If they care about their loyal support then they know how they can reward this. There are a few of the team who pop still pop in to say g'day, they're usually the more committed on the pitch too (funny that). As for the directors, most of them seem so out of touch with the grass roots support they might as well live in Perth.
Sal