Fitzpatrick on Open Mike, Caro, Clarkson

[KSAS]

I originally posted this in the Hawthorn match day thread & then on reflection felt it didn't belong there and more appropriate here:

Mike Fitzpatrick was on "Open Mike" this week which covered a wide range in the 30 mins available, which included only briefly Buddy & Goodsey (didn't record it, so going by my single viewing). When Sheahan brought up Buddy, Fitzpatrick reckoned he was happy Buddy went to the Swans even though he hoped he'd go to GWS to help kick start them like Plugger did with us (*cough *cough). Fitzpatrick played down his abusive phone call to Colless & queried whether Colless did record it. He proudly claimed he was the last defender of the Swans COLA, but had to remove it after we got Tippett & Buddy in successive years. Sheahan then said to Fitzpatrick "are you saying the Swans manipulated the Cola to get Tippett & Buddy?" (which he did very much came across like that). Fitzpatrick said no they didn't (probably to save himself from Swans legal action). Disappointed Sheahan did not raise & press him on the consequent trade ban.

On the Goodes booing, he more or less admitted the AFL were slow in recognising the Goodes booing was racially motivated only because they hadn't witnessed anything like that before & it took the West Coast game before they realised it!!!!! (I was gobsmacked). Sheahan questioned whether the AFL's response was strong enough. Fitzpatrick said intent was for their statement to be strong but admitted it didn't come across that way (no @@@@ Einstein!). Finished up Fitzpatrick saying he hoped Goodes isn't lost to the game & was confident he'll return (he didn't sound sincere or convincing for entire interview).

Footnote: During the height of the trade ban, I was working in the Melb CBD & would sometimes see Fitzpatrick getting lunch from same food court I frequented. Had to restrain myself each time from going over & give him a piece of my mind of what I thought of his treatment

[Blood Fever]

I originally posted this in the Hawthorn match day thread & then on reflection felt it didn't belong there and more appropriate here:

Mike Fitzpatrick was on "Open Mike" this week which covered a wide range in the 30 mins available, which included only briefly Buddy & Goodsey (didn't record it, so going by my single viewing). When Sheahan brought up Buddy, Fitzpatrick reckoned he was happy Buddy went to the Swans even though he hoped he'd go to GWS to help kick start them like Plugger did with us (*cough *cough). Fitzpatrick played down his abusive phone call to Colless & queried whether Colless did record it. He proudly claimed he was the last defender of the Swans COLA, but had to remove it after we got Tippett & Buddy in successive years. Sheahan then said to Fitzpatrick "are you saying the Swans manipulated the Cola to get Tippett & Buddy?" (which he did very much came across like that). Fitzpatrick said no they didn't (probably to save himself from Swans legal action). Disappointed Sheahan did not raise & press him on the consequent trade ban.

On the Goodes booing, he more or less admitted the AFL were slow in recognising the Goodes booing was racially motivated only because they hadn't witnessed anything like that before & it took the West Coast game before they realised it!!!!! (I was gobsmacked). Sheahan questioned whether the AFL's response was strong enough. Fitzpatrick said intent was for their statement to be strong but admitted it didn't come across that way (no @@@@ Einstein!). Finished up Fitzpatrick saying he hoped Goodes isn't lost to the game & was confident he'll return (he didn't sound sincere or convincing for entire interview).

Footnote: During the height of the trade ban, I was working in the Melb CBD & would sometimes see Fitzpatrick getting lunch from same food court I frequented. Had to restrain myself each time from going over & give him a piece of my mind of what I thought of his treatment

Of course he wasn't pressed on COLA issue. Cosy Melbourne AFL journos buddy club. Fear of offending a very vindictive outfit as well.

[dejavoodoo44]

Of course he wasn't pressed on COLA issue. Cosy Melbourne AFL journos buddy club. Fear of offending a very vindictive outfit as well.

Yes, to me it seems that there are a decreasing number of journalists, that are prepared to ask powerful people tough questions. Using AFL as an example, firstly, there's those who actually work on the AFL site. You're probably not going to get much criticism of AFL management there. Then there's Fox Footy. Essential parts of the Fox business model, are to flog subscriptions to people who want to watch AFL and to get advertising revenue from ads shown during the breaks in AFL coverage. So, once again, we're probably going to get things reported in a manner that is friendly to the AFL. Then there's other TV stations and the newspapers. They've all had shrinking advertising revenue for years and consequently, the number of journalists employed has been shrinking. The often job insecure ones that remain, are more likely to tow the corporate line and to give favourable coverage to major advertisers: like the AFL.
Which tends to leave a lot of frustrated media consumers thinking, "My god, why aren't they asking that bastard the obvious questions!"

[Blood Fever]

Yes, to me it seems that there are a decreasing number of journalists, that are prepared to ask powerful people tough questions. Using AFL as an example, firstly, there's those who actually work on the AFL site. You're probably not going to get much criticism of AFL management there. Then there's Fox Footy. Essential parts of the Fox business model, are to flog subscriptions to people who want to watch AFL and to get advertising revenue from ads shown during the breaks in AFL coverage. So, once again, we're probably going to get things reported in a manner that is friendly to the AFL. Then there's other TV stations and the newspapers. They've all had shrinking advertising revenue for years and consequently, the number of journalists employed has been shrinking. The often job insecure ones that remain, are more likely to tow the corporate line and to give favourable coverage to major advertisers: like the AFL.
Which tends to leave a lot of frustrated media consumers thinking, "My god, why aren't they asking that bastard the obvious questions!"

Spot on. Only journo who came out and called the Gil Clarkson meeting outrageous was Robert Walls who, like him or not, is unafraid regardless of who is involved. No one took his line up. Unbelievably fizzled out.

[dejavoodoo44]

Spot on. Only journo who came out and called the Gil Clarkson meeting outrageous was Robert Walls who, like him or not, is unafraid regardless of who is involved. No one took his line up. Unbelievably fizzled out.

Yes, though I may have missed any mentions, another really strange thing is that there seems to be a state of media amnesia, concerning Clarkson's suspended $15,000 fine for umpire criticism. You would assume, that if a prominent AFL coach stands to lose all that cash, for breaching the terms of a previous sentence, then somebody in the media may have thought it worth mentioning. But no: crickets.

However, while looking up Clarkson's record, I did find this Patrick Smith article, which seems even more appropriate now.

Nocookies | The Australian

I don't think Patrick Smith is writing anymore, is he?

Grrrr! I just checked the link and that puts you behind the Australian paywall. But if you just copy this into google, it should get the article: Clarksons insults will keep on coming until he's banned - The Australian

[Aaron]

Quote from

PATRICK SMITH

Clarksons insults will keep on coming until he?s banned

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/opinion/patrick-smith/clarksons-insults-will-keep-on-coming-until-hes-banned/news-story/195dde4a8ecffc7aee1aaa3b1e9baaf9

The Australian12:00AM June 14, 2017

At the after-match news conference Clarkson replied to a question: ?I am not able to comment on disgraceful umpiring ... so I am better off not saying anything.? It is irrelevant which decision anybody at the news conference was referring to. Clarkson insulted the umpires and in the ugly process he abused his position as senior coach. Again.

Before we take this any further we need to document what Clarkson has got up to in the past when it comes to umpire assessment. A list of his general indiscretions has been published elsewhere but the ones that count are these:
? He was given a suspended $5000 fine when he confronted umpires on a flight back from Perth in 2006;
? Two years later he was fined $5000 for mocking an umpire after a match against Geelong;
? In 2012 he abused a league official in a junior football match and the league ? in which his son?s team played ? suspended Clarkson for four games. Then came Saturday?s remark about ?disgraceful umpiring?.

[dejavoodoo44]

Thanks for that, Aaron. I suspect that by googling an old article a few times in ten minutes, I may have woken up a slumbering paywall.

[Blood Fever]

Quote from

PATRICK SMITH

Clarksons insults will keep on coming until he?s banned

Nocookies | The Australian

The Australian12:00AM June 14, 2017

Great post Aaron. So Clarkson, instead of being held to account, is a trusted adviser to his close friend Gil. Quite unbelievable and as I've said before, you couldn't make this up. Yet not a peep out of the footy media and commentary in Melbourne. Unhealthy shambles.

[Blood Fever]

Yes, to me it seems that there are a decreasing number of journalists, that are prepared to ask powerful people tough questions. Using AFL as an example, firstly, there's those who actually work on the AFL site. You're probably not going to get much criticism of AFL management there. Then there's Fox Footy. Essential parts of the Fox business model, are to flog subscriptions to people who want to watch AFL and to get advertising revenue from ads shown during the breaks in AFL coverage. So, once again, we're probably going to get things reported in a manner that is friendly to the AFL. Then there's other TV stations and the newspapers. They've all had shrinking advertising revenue for years and consequently, the number of journalists employed has been shrinking. The often job insecure ones that remain, are more likely to tow the corporate line and to give favourable coverage to major advertisers: like the AFL.
Which tends to leave a lot of frustrated media consumers thinking, "My god, why aren't they asking that bastard the obvious questions!"

Caroline Wilson article in The Age today talking about Clarkson and Longmire burying the hatchet . Good description of Swans anger and disappointment over Clarkson's comments and McLachlan's meeting with him. She still doesn't criticise McLachlan directly. Frightened to lose her preferred AFL journo status.

[dejavoodoo44]

Caroline Wilson article in The Age today talking about Clarkson and Longmire burying the hatchet . Good description of Swans anger and disappointment over Clarkson's comments and McLachlan's meeting with him. She still doesn't criticise McLachlan directly. Frightened to lose her preferred AFL journo status.

Ta, I do wonder if when she writes: "The Swans' view was that Clarkson?s behaviour was petulant, hypocritical and unsportsmanlike and that he was indulged by the game?s governors." if that comes from a backgrounder given to her by Tom Harley? Either way, it's good that he got on to Hocking and let him know that we take a dim view of Clarkson's tantrum.

[stevoswan]

........."that he was indulged by the game?s governors." That's enough.......the word 'indulged' says it all.

[Flying South]

Caroline Wilson article in The Age today talking about Clarkson and Longmire burying the hatchet . Good description of Swans anger and disappointment over Clarkson's comments and McLachlan's meeting with him. She still doesn't criticise McLachlan directly. Frightened to lose her preferred AFL journo status.

Ever watched Footy Classified? She is regularly critising the AFL mens club. She is no preferred AFL journo.

[Blood Fever]

Ever watched Footy Classified? She is regularly critising the AFL mens club. She is no preferred AFL journo.

When it comes to the crunch, she will back Gil, Eddie etc and toe the AFL line and do their bidding.

[Bloods05]

When it comes to the crunch, she will back Gil, Eddie etc and toe the AFL line and do their bidding.

Yeah, nah.

[Mel_C]

In the Caroline Wilson article she also had a go at Mike Fitzpatrick's performance on Open Mike.

How can a Commissioner not know the rules of COLA??? How could he believe that it was only to be distributed amongst the younger players? And why did he believe that we used it to recruit Buddy and Tippett when it was clearly demonstrated that that wasn't the case??

No wonder we were given the trade ban. They really have no idea what they are doing at the AFL!! It is run by Muppets...(although that's probably harsh on Muppets).