Damien Barrett what's his agenda ?

[bornadog]

great post YHF

[Rocket Science]

Fixed.

Adam Simpson : Hey Bevo what are you up to?

Bevo : Feelin cute. Might drop Macrae and give Harmes a few CBAs. Whatcha gonna do about it?

[jeemak]

I've been thinking about the ridiculousness of this entire situation due to the realisation journalists and media personalities who are ex-players or otherwise, have actually created an environment for themselves where they think they're relevant and are stars.

What triggered it was today seeing on Fox/ Kayo promotional videos for their Tuesday and Wednesday night show where their "star journalists" break down the week just gone and the week ahead.

Having just come out of consulting with a reputable organisation (depends who you ask I guess) within the field after five years, and gone into industry/ client side I couldn't believe how out of touch I'd become during that period. And I was supposed to be an industry expert - and for all intents and purposes that's what the industry landscape painted me to be.

The repeat business rolled in, after all we did a good job. The reason it did was because expertise on the client side was lacking, or the expertise didn't have bandwidth (not an issue within the AFL post COVID rebalance). But the big ideas didn't land that often, and mostly I couldn't believe what was obvious to me wasn't obvious to my clients.

But then I got a dose of reality. I went client side and actually lived the environment I was consulting to, one that one way or another I had been out of for a number of years. It was humbling, I'm having to re-jig the way I think about things, how I deal with people, how I break down problems and how I execute stuff (I did mean stuff, not staff).

The point of this is the ex-players who are the apparent experts, if they've been away from the industry coal face for a couple of years, are just like good consultants. They're smart enough, but things have moved by them, so they don't go into organisations and attempt to slam them with big ideas without knowing what it takes to plan and execute them. The career journalists who go straight to TV, are like the career consultants with no relevant industry experience (ex-grads). They trade in the churn of ideas in case one sticks, and if one does they can dine out on the win for months.

Our media landscape is filling up with both types of the above, without any accountability for what it takes to actually understand an evolving industry. The likes of David King apparently has cred because he goes to a couple of training nights and a practice match here and there. And that's actually good by today's standards, but what the actual **** does he really know? To get a good feel for a specific function within an organisation usually takes a month of day to day in depth contact, if you're serious.

As for the Tom Morris or Barrett types, they have no contact and they should be treated with the contempt our club is currently treating them with.

I don't have an issue with the sheer amount of media people covering the AFL. Pluralism is a good thing. What I have an issue with is the promotion of charlatans parading themselves as experts and the air time given to them. They are the worst.

Being an industry expert and consulting is really difficult, and if you get it wrong you're usually on the chopping block either through being fired or not winning work. These rent seekers get to **** things up all the time without any accountability at all. How so many people get riled up over what they say is beyond me.

The AFL needs to be accountable for the misery these pricks cause people. I'm seeing way too many usually sane people losing their minds over the stuff that's pumped out in the media. Behind gambling I would suggest the biggest harm caused by the AFL to its consumers is the media landscape it promotes.

[Happy Days]

Not reading that essay

[jeemak]

Not reading that essay

You are a hard working lawyer and I don't blame you. I just want you to keep doing god's work.

[Happy Days]

You’re completely right about the people in the AFL media. They’re there to not be too obtrusive while also being content mines so it’s a function that could be served by anyone who’s willing to be enough of a prick. It’s not a real job and should not be treated as one. Unlike my job which I’m sure the whole world would fall down around if it stopped existing.

[jeemak]

You’re completely right about the people in the AFL media. They’re there to not be too obtrusive while also being content mines so it’s a function that could be served by anyone who’s willing to be enough of a prick. It’s not a real job and should not be treated as one. Unlike my job which I’m sure the whole world would fall down around if it stopped existing.

I feel it's gone up a notch, and I also feel it's because they know people are vulnerable or susceptible to the shit they peddle, mainly because it's like Mad Max out there in the suburbs/ real life (cost of living, wars, whatever). People are already miserable, and misery breeds more misery.

These arseholes are cashing in.

[Uninformed]

Having just come out of consulting with a reputable organisation (depends who you ask I guess) within the field after five years, and gone into industry/ client side I couldn't believe how out of touch I'd become during that period. And I was supposed to be an industry expert - and for all intents and purposes that's what the industry landscape painted me to be.

Some great points that you make. But on this one issue I have seen so many examples of large corporations calling in the 'leading' management consultants of the time to review everything. Time and again the only useful recommendations they come up with are from their discussions with the people at the coalface - those actually getting it done. They always know how to make it better, but no one listens to them.

The IT consultant version is 'you are too centralised, you need to de-centralise.' Next lot in, 'you are too distributed, you need to consolidate.) And so it goes on forever because no one listens to the ones at the coal face. Everyone prefers a theory, a good narrative over realism.

When you abstract to theories and memories you lose the reality of what is happening now. Journalists and ex-players are stuck in the abstract and the past. They have no idea what is going on at the coalface with the coaches and players. A lot of what they get is from player managers who are also one step removed.

The only thing you can be certain of is that if you read it or hear of it in the media it will certainly be a misrepresentation, at least to a degree.

[jeemak]

That's kind of my point. Whoever is on the outside is useful if they're there to dig into what's happening, talk to people and help get to the truth, but in order to do that they have to spend a LOT of time at it. Or they could just be humble and give high level insights.

Media observers looking at a game here or there, watching a training session here or there as experts or journos, don't have the depth of understanding to really pick things apart because they haven't put in the work, but pretend they do. And the syndicated platforms across all media gives them a license.

[MrMahatma]

Saw that promo for their “expert journos” and thought the same thing. Who the fk are they to be ripping into players and coaches as if their opinion is more valid than a random down the pub.

[jeemak]

Saw that promo for their “expert journos” and thought the same thing. Who the fk are they to be ripping into players and coaches as if their opinion is more valid than a random down the pub.

It's not bad enough that they think they're smarter than a person at the pub, they parade themselves as on a level with people who live the industry at the coal face day by day.

[angelopetraglia]

It's not bad enough that they think they're smarter than a person at the pub, they parade themselves as on a level with people who live the industry at the coal face day by day.

Charlatans.

The analogy with consultants is close. But foot journos are a few runs below below in my opinion and I'm a cynic of almost all consultants. "A consultant is someone who borrows your watch to tell you the time." When most companies turn to consultants, especially for something like strategy, then you know immediately that the senior team don't know what they are doing. That it happens everywhere across big business is scary, but not suprising. So many charlatans in big business acrosss Australia. Not so much in medium and small businesses, because in those environments you actually need to do things. In big businesses with large competitive moats, most school children would get a similar result. Most of the senior team don't know what is really happening across the coalface of the business and spend their time doing presentations to each other or playing politics to survive in their high paying roles.

[Topdog]

The IT consultant version is 'you are too centralised, you need to de-centralise.' Next lot in, 'you are too distributed, you need to consolidate.) And so it goes on forever because no one listens to the ones at the coal face. Everyone prefers a theory, a good narrative over realism.

haha those at the coal face even know what the IT consultants will say the minute they are hired. "You need to automate more" "You need to centralise/de-centralise"

[bornadog]

Completely wrong about all consultants. Consultants bring their own expertise into an organisation, usually expertise that is either not available internally or as a independent for a review of operations and many other reasons.

The club brought in a consultant, and the restructure happened.

I run a consultancy that operates in the cost reduction area and usually organisations that need my expertise are those that don't have the internal skills or, they don't have the time to complete a review.

As for so called media experts, as has been mentioned already, they don't know the inner workings of a club, the game plan, the players situation eg injury or not, and seem to all just spout the same thing. Yesterday I was flipping the stations in the car and heard Malthouse carrying on about Naughton to the backline. The other commentator said, is it because Bevo is stubborn? Malthouse backed in Bevo and mentioned various things on why he hasn't moved Naughton.

To me, it is pathetic the way the media carryon when a team is losing - very tiresome.

[jeemak]

You talking to me Willis?