Some Golden Soft Sombrero Moments with Lou Sticca Sticca on leaving Carlton… Diegos: "You have, since Carlton's inception, proved to be a pugnacious character, willing to dish it out and cop it sweet. Many are surprised by your decision to resign from the club, offering a myriad of theories as to why - Was Lou pushed? Was it family? Has he had a few too many at the Carlton Beer Garden and made a rash decision? Let's put a stop to the speculation, why did you part from Carlton?" Sticca: "It's because I've become boring, I haven't been able to say anything outrageous lately. Really, those that know me would know that it was always meant to be a three to four year venture to get the club up and running. It has been very intense four years in my life. I have a young family who has made tremendous sacrifices so that I could take on this role. Consequently, I began thinking that the end of this season would be the finale, so to speak. I encountered a stage where I felt that, for both my sake and the club's sake; it would be a perfect time for me to move on. Although the season is in progress, now is probably the quietest time of the year, as far as my role as an administrator is concerned. It's only when the season ends that the role of the administration becomes inundated with sponsorship and player recruitment so, to avoid creating to much pressure at the end of the season, I felt that now was the right time.' Diegos: "It seems that you've almost enjoyed getting under the skin of your adversaries with combative comments, challenging statements and bold predictions mostly about how Carlton is going to kick everybody's butt.
Have you walked away from the job with any regrets or are you proudly singing Frank Sinatra's 'I Did It My Way'?" Sticca: " There is no doubt that I am the sort of person who runs at a 100 miles an hour. Of course, you are bound to make some mistakes along the way, as I have. Given the difficulty in getting a new franchise up and running with limited experience such as mine, I feel quite satisfied that we did the best we could with the Carlton Soccer Club. I feel that I have left the Club in a position where the next person will have some key elements in place, these being a sound soccer structure, both at senior and youth level; great coaches, a fantastic player roster at senior level and sound sponsorship. The key elements of the club are in order. Certainly, the person who follows me will have the challenge of lifting our performance in other areas that I have not entirely been able to reach. Sure, I have made mistakes. It was very hard parting company with people such as Eddie Krncevic, who was the first person to wish me all the best when I announced my resignation. The friendships I have made from this experience will always be appreciated.' Diegos: "As soccer players the Diegos knew that it was time to retire once we looked up into the stands one day and saw our wives and kids booing us. Was there any one defining moment where you knew that your time had come and that you didn't want to do the job anymore?" Sticca: "There was no one defining moment. It was a strategy that I had in the back of my mind that, once I felt that I had given 100% and couldn't give anymore, then I would re-examine my own needs and the needs of my family. From a financial standpoint, I put my family on hold when I sold a business to get this particular bug out of my system and take the job with Carlton. I feel that the club is in a very strong position to absorb my departure without any hiccups and, at the end of the day; I believe that a club is bigger than any one individual. An administrator is just that. I am not a coach; I am not a player. As far as the fans are concerned, that is what matters. I have always put the club before anything else and I feel it is in a position to move on. I will certainly be in the background; I will not be walking away from it. It is my club, my baby. I may not own it on paper but, emotionally, I consider myself very close to the club and I will continue to be there in whatever capacity the club needs me.' Soft Sombrero Moment 2000
Diegos: "No one can deny that Carlton, this season have tried everything to get more bums on seats. Unfortunately crowds are still disappointing and the profile and image of the sport in Melbourne is poor. Are you leaving the position convinced that soccer will never flourish in this AFL saturated state?" Sticca: " I don't think the AFL saturation is the problem. Part of the reason for my departure is that the Carlton Soccer Club cannot progress when it operates in a (soccer) environment, which has severe problems. People bring up the crowd issue with Carlton but, if you look at the crowd issue across the entire competition, it seems to be equally disappointing. Clubs such as Northern Spirit and Perth Glory, who have pulled in crowds of up to 18,000 in the past, have now dipped below the 10,000 mark. It may be fair to say that even this number is more than what Carlton has been drawing but their owners will tell you that losing 50 -60% of their crowds is a major worry. Newer clubs such as Parramatta and Auckland, who have only come into the competition this year, are barely pulling in more than what we are. Traditional clubs such as South Melbourne, who has experienced tremendous achievements of back-to-back titles and then going to the World Club championships, apart from having money in the bank, have not prospered in this regard either. This is not any one club's fault. The sport itself brings limitations with it. This has been a severe point of frustration with me. I do not see what I can do or what any individual can do in the short-term future. We really need a macro approach to address the problem.' Soft Sombrero Moment 2000
Diegos: "The club was your brainchild and has over the years been an enormous source of pride for yourself. Can you nominate your proudest moment at the club?" Sticca: "There are probably two or three that I would rate on the same level as my proudest moments. No doubt Marco Bresciano scoring the goal that put us in the Grand Final was great. The Grand Final night and the celebrations afterwards, although we lost, were hugely memorable. The first goal that David Cervinski scored for the club against Perth Glory in our first game and also, our first practice match, watching the team run out as the Carlton Soccer Club was a great joy. Watching the careers of young men like Grella and Bresciano developing overseas has really made me proud. There have been a huge number of fantastic achievements but, I suppose from the public perspective, making the Grand Final would have to be the big one.' Soft Sombrero Moment 2000
Diegos: "We love the way Andrew 'Stabber' Marth re-enacts the 'Shower Scene from Psycho' week in week out on the pitch for the Blues. How did he perform in the melees on the China tour?" Sticca: "Very well - he got sent off. He was certainly true to form." Diegos: " Do you think that the various all in 'Have a go you mug' oriental martial art dust ups the boys were involved in on tour has helped bond the players?" Sticca: "Yes it was fantastic in that regard. You never condone violence but to see the boys defend one of their own in the heat of battle is very encouraging." Soft Sombrero Moment 1999
Diegos: "The rumour is that there is the strong smell of boiling haggis emanating from the Carlton change-rooms nowadays, since the arrival of new Scottish coach, Stuart Munro and star recruit, Scottish international, Dave McPherson. There is a distinct British feel to the squad for the coming season. Has that been a deliberate recruiting ploy and will Carlton be known as the 'Braveheart' Blues this season?" Sticca: " Why not - we've been called plenty of other things. Obviously early on in the club's life, we were very successful on the park. We played a good fast attacking style of soccer. I suppose from a marketing point of view, we didn't lend ourselves to the city as a whole though. If you look at Northern Spirit, they've got people like Robbie Slater and Graham Arnold, whilst our names were slanted too much towards the multicultural aspect. From a marketing point of view, to have a couple of names like Douglas, McPherson, Conroy, Packer, mixed in with the long standing Dean Anastasiadis' of this world, I think gives us much more of a Melbourne feel. People who mightn't go to the soccer as regularly as others will find it easy to get their tongues around the names. I suppose that there has been a deliberate push to 'anglo-saxonise' the squad. At the end of the day, I think from a team perspective, what the British will add is tremendous experience and team spirit. We are not hiding from the fact that we have lacked a little bit of British steel in the past. This year we will have a very good blend." Diegos: "What were the contract negotiations like? Did you have to employ 'Taggart' as an interpreter?" Sticca: "I just finished a three year course with Jack Reilly, so I'm pretty adept at the strong accent. Stuart's been in the country now for over 12 months and he has lost some of his Scottish accent. They are all good lads and very good fun. I'm certain that they will be real crowd favorites." Soft Sombrero Moment 1999
Diegos: "During the recent Manchester United tour, yourself and the club came out very strongly over the Andy Cole tackle on Simon Colosimo. South Melbourne may have to play Manchester United on the field in the World Club Championships later in the year, but it seems that Carlton may be meeting the 'Red Devils' in the courts over the reckless challenge. Is the club still pursuing the issue legally?" Sticca: "We still are talking to our legal representation. At this stage we haven't determined whether we will pursue it further. The most encouraging news that we have received is that Simon's recovery is moving along very well. He has given himself a target of being back on the park in February of next year.
Diegos: "Do you ever feel like doing that Elvis Presley thing, and shoot the TV every time Manchester United comes on the screen?" Sticca: " No, I've got nothing but respect for them. On the other hand what did happen to Simon was very unfortunate and I feel for the kid and the club." Soft Sombrero Moment 1999
Diegos: "Using your own words, 18 months ago the door to John Markovski's future at Carlton was padlocked shut. We're not sure whether he has picked the lock, climbed through a window or slid down the chimney, but he's back. Did it take much for both parties to reconcile and how is he looking at the moment? Is he the 'Jonsey' of old?" Sticca: "Well I think we've all lost our keys from time to time, only to find them a few months later. I just want to declare that I have found the key to the padlock. Having said that, it is no secret that John and I had a falling out. I'd like to think that we are both big men. My attitude is very simple, if he can help the Carlton SC improve its on-field performances that can only be good for the club. When we heard that he was available we snapped him up. John and I have put aside our differences for the betterment of the club."
Diegos: "Since the inception of the club, the biggest downer has been its inability to consistently draw big crowds. Is it a concern and what's the grand plan to get fans flocking to Olympic Park this season?" Sticca: "First of all we are going to have to spent some serious money marketing. That's an area where we have not spent money on in the past. Having said that, playing on a Friday night under lights at Olympic Park, given our new recruiting drive, I think will send a very clear message that we are serious and building a team to be reckoned with. All this, we anticipate, will result in a dramatic improvement in the crowds. It's also up to the sports public of Melbourne. If they want a soccer team, now is the time to come out and support us." Soft Sombrero Moment 1999 |