But to his credit McGuire appears to have privately accepted that his own style had to change. Or to be specific the AFL's longest-serving club chairman had the good sense to recruit a change agent who continues to force the transformation of McGuire's leadership style.

Everyone you speak to at Collingwood extols the virtues of Peter Murphy, who in turn has appointed InterSearch, the Australian and international recruiting firm to seek the club's next chief executive.

That search has just started.

Former AFL football boss Simon Lethlean had aspirations for the Collingwood role and McGuire was keen on Lethlean. The two men discussed the position in August but Murphy, with the backing of the Magpies board, insisted on a thorough search process - something completely foreign to the Magpies' recruiting style. The directors and Murphy won.

McGuire reportedly also told Allan, suspended by the AFL for 12 months for his pivotal role in the Lachie Whitfield affair, that there would be a job for him at the end of his forced sabbatical. Again Murphy made it clear that whatever the truth behind any presidential undertaking from McGuire, that this was not going to happen.

McGuire has never publicly taken responsibility for the dishonesty around the Allan appointment - he was brought in allegedly to run the club's women's football and netball operation but it soon became clear his true mandate was to shake up the club, the coaching, list management and recruiting. As it happened the AFLW team did not perform to its expectations either.

Balme was seen as too stable, too supportive of Buckley's vision and not "creative enough". But even Buckley didn't see Balme's demotion and ultimate departure coming, believing that it was list manager Derek Hine who could be forced out.

In fact, the only disappointment at the club where Murphy is concerned is that he won't be staying on himself to replace Gary Pert. The 10-year CEO who was given his marching orders in July after Murphy's review of the club's administration painted a toxic picture of disunity, disharmony and widespread insecurity.

Football boss Geoff Walsh, reviewing the football department, had already unearthed an equally unhappy environment where the vast majority of staff and coaches had been handed one-year contracts under the Pert regime and were forever looking over their shoulders.

With all of that unhappiness laid bare it always seemed once Pert went that Buckley would be given another chance. Captain Scott Pendlebury spoke during the season of the distraction of the coach's contractual state and Copeland Trophy winner Steele Sidebottom backed that up.

Sidebottom pointedly said after winning his club championship: "When we lost it wasn't about us, it was about Bucks and what he was doing next ... it's a bit of less pressure for everyone."

Nick Maxwell, who was reportedly shaking his head from afar over the mess at Collingwood, has returned as leadership consultant to the entire club. The experienced Walsh is staying and has appointed the inexperienced Ned Guy to oversee list management with the assistance of recruiting veterans Hine and Matthew Rendell.

Murphy, previously a consultant to the Collingwood board, the executive chairman of the anti-poverty group Global Citizen and founder of the Pan Group, has worked with Chris Thomas - Egon Zehnder's former managing partner - to scrutinise the club's governance at board level as well.

Given the directors are McGuire appointees and given McGuire's back-room leadership style it will have been some achievement by Murphy and Thomas if it truly unfolds that the Collingwood board feel truly empowered to regularly challenge him when required.

Murphy has told the club he will not be its next CEO due to other commitments but he has made his mark and - while this is October after all - Collingwood seems a significantly happier place. The mistrust and the subterfuge has been removed.

Last season Buckley coached with one hand behind his back and a largely unhappy team of insecure assistants. He might be on a last chance but the coach will embark upon that with a markedly improved environment.