On July 23, 2007, Denis Pagan was sacked as the senior coach of the Carlton Football Club. The Blues' Board met on the morning after the round 16 loss to Brisbane and decided the club would not continue, as contracted, with Pagan in charge of the team in 2008. Carlton CEO Greg Swann informed Denis of this fact, and it was decided that in the best interests of all concerned, Pagan's tenure as coach would be concluded immediately.
The news was announced to the football world in the mid-afternoon at Princes Park, where Pagan, flanked by Greg Swann, carried himself with great dignity as he took questions from the floor. Included in his sound bites for the hungry media throng was this quote which summed up his dignified exit, "It’s been my privilege to coach the Carlton Football Club, one of the great sporting clubs in the country. I gave it my best shot and tried as hard as I possibly could." The club also carried itself well by acting swiftly and decisively, ensuring that the gathering speculation about Pagan's tenure did not get out of control. As a sacking goes, this was clinical, dignified and as good an outcome as possible.
In the end, the results spoke for themselves -- 25 wins from 104 games, including losing the last five games lost by a cumulative total of 379 points - obviously, the board had no option but to bring Pagan's Carlton to an early conclusion.
The day after Pagan's sacking the club announced that Brett Ratten would assume a caretaker's role as senior coach for the remainder of the season, but after four close losses, Ratten was confirmed as Pagan's replacement and coach of the Carlton Football Club for a further 2 years.
The news was announced to the football world in the mid-afternoon at Princes Park, where Pagan, flanked by Greg Swann, carried himself with great dignity as he took questions from the floor. Included in his sound bites for the hungry media throng was this quote which summed up his dignified exit, "It’s been my privilege to coach the Carlton Football Club, one of the great sporting clubs in the country. I gave it my best shot and tried as hard as I possibly could." The club also carried itself well by acting swiftly and decisively, ensuring that the gathering speculation about Pagan's tenure did not get out of control. As a sacking goes, this was clinical, dignified and as good an outcome as possible.
In the end, the results spoke for themselves -- 25 wins from 104 games, including losing the last five games lost by a cumulative total of 379 points - obviously, the board had no option but to bring Pagan's Carlton to an early conclusion.
The day after Pagan's sacking the club announced that Brett Ratten would assume a caretaker's role as senior coach for the remainder of the season, but after four close losses, Ratten was confirmed as Pagan's replacement and coach of the Carlton Football Club for a further 2 years.