Carlton chief executive Cain Liddle has defended the decision to dismiss list boss and club great Stephen Silvagni.

Silvagni's departure was a hot talking point among disgruntled Blues members in an online forum on Monday night, questioning Mark LoGiudice, Liddle and football boss Brad Lloyd.

Liddle commended Silvagni's contributions but pointed out the challenges with him not being involved in his sons', Jack and Ben, list management and match committee discussions.

"No one is questioning the role that Stephen played in rebuilding the list," Liddle told AFL Media.

"I and others at the club have noted on many occasions the improvements that have been made.

"The much tougher decision is to bring someone else in who can play a part in all relevant decisions and discussions that take place within the football department."

Another matter of discontent among fans was Liddle's involvement in recruiting players to the club, namely premiership Tiger Brandon Ellis.

Ellis eventually signed with Gold Coast as a free agent after the Blues reportedly pulled out of the race despite him touring the club's Ikon Park facilities.

"I want to be clear on this: all players who were approached from other clubs as part of our 2019 list management strategy were discussed and rigorously debated over the course of many months at list management," Liddle said.

"Brandon was one of a number of players who our list management sub-committee identified very early in the season. I was involved in Brandon’s tour of Ikon.

"Everyone on list management was very clear of the role I was playing with Brandon … I was one of Brandon's coaches, both at the Calder Cannons and Vic Metro in the National Championships, and I obviously spent a number of years with him at Richmond.

"So it was agreed that we would leverage that relationship in our discussions with Brandon, who was set to become a free agent."