One-Eyed Richmond Forum

Football => Richmond Rant => Topic started by: one-eyed on November 25, 2007, 05:49:29 AM

Title: Knights: How I fell out with Frawley
Post by: one-eyed on November 25, 2007, 05:49:29 AM
Knights: How I fell out with Frawley
25 November 2007   Sunday Herald Sun
Jon Ralph

THE ugly rift between new Essendon coach Matthew Knights and former coach Danny Frawley during the former Tiger captain's last days at Richmond has been laid bare in a new book.

Knights was closing on his 100th consecutive game when he was dropped in 2002 and was encouraged to retire by Frawley later that year.

Knights had been stripped of the captaincy for the 2001 season and forcefully retired as many as two years earlier than he had hoped.

In The Tigers - A Century of League Football, compiled by Kevin Bartlett's son, Rhett, Knights speaks of his untenable relationship with Frawley.

"The only time I lacked confidence was in my last year," he said.

"That's possibly due to the relationship between myself and Danny fragmenting. Maybe the last year of that relationship wasn't great because Danny was thinking it was time I moved on.

"We had a tough year and I think the decision had been made that this was going to be my last year from the coach's point of view.

"The week I had been left out was going to be my 100th game for the second time around. It wasn't a scenario I looked heavily into, but for supporters of Richmond, who had followed my career from day dot, maybe they thought that that was a terrific achievement. Danny and I didn't agree on the decision."

Knights returned to the senior team the following week, but was soon told by Frawley he should retire that year, before eventually pulling the pin in Round 17.

"Danny and I had lunch at a cafe and he basically said, 'We think you should retire at the end of the year. It's not only my decision, it's a match committee decision'.

"I said to Danny, 'I disagree with you. I think I have another year or two left in me'. In my press conference I can still remember saying I am retiring, but it wasn't my decision."

Kevin Bartlett returned to Punt Rd this week to launch his son's book, but speaks candidly for the first time about why he shunned the club for almost two decades following his sacking as coach in 1991.

Bartlett said he believed the Richmond board was aware he was coaching with no money for players or support staff, but was mistaken.

"I was expecting to remain coach of the club because I honestly believed those close to the club knew the difficulties that the Richmond Football Club was facing," he said.

"The first time I knew I wasn't coach was when Neville Crowe and Cameron Schwab, the general manager, turned up at my home and told me.

"I felt disappointed someone could be involved for so long yet the club couldn't find the time to speak to its coach and talk about, one, his future; and two, the club's future."

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,22814759%255E20322,00.html
Title: Re: Knights: How I fell out with Frawley
Post by: richmondrules on November 25, 2007, 08:05:28 AM
Frawley really did his best to destroy our club.

Not entirely a bad thing in the long run though since it has forced a lot of soul searching and ensured a huge rebuild from the foundations up. Without him we may have cruised along in mediocrity indefinitely. Perhaps we should thank him.
Title: Re: Knights: How I fell out with Frawley
Post by: Hellenic Tiger on November 25, 2007, 10:32:10 AM
Frawley really did his best to destroy our club.

Not entirely a bad thing in the long run though since it has forced a lot of soul searching and ensured a huge rebuild from the foundations up. Without him we may have cruised along in mediocrity indefinitely. Perhaps we should thank him.

Yeah Nah RROFO you may be right
Hopefully we will be cherry ripe one day
and every tiger has their day.
I am sure he won't openly show the same jubilation we show
if we ever get 100% cherry ripe. Set the club back 10 years the Dud Spud.
Title: Re: Knights: How I fell out with Frawley
Post by: Francois Jackson on November 25, 2007, 10:44:27 AM
every coach we have ever had seems to set us back 10 years. frawley got us to a prelim remember something wallace is far from doing

no more excuses richmond. wallace has 2 more years to do something, in fact probably one.
Title: Re: Knights: How I fell out with Frawley
Post by: Ox on November 25, 2007, 12:19:48 PM
That inbred SON OF A BIATCH.

He is the only coach that

1- Other supporters despise for being a buffoon,unknowledgable tool

2-has an IQ of 46

3-I hate with passion and will always hate
Title: Re: Knights: How I fell out with Frawley
Post by: Passionfruit on November 25, 2007, 12:27:14 PM
every coach we have ever had seems to set us back 10 years. frawley got us to a prelim remember something wallace is far from doing

no more excuses richmond. wallace has 2 more years to do something, in fact probably one.

Despites all his issues, Spud did take us to a Prelim Final.
Title: Re: Knights: How I fell out with Frawley
Post by: Fishfinger on November 25, 2007, 12:37:52 PM
Unfortunate decision to drop Knights for his 100th consecutive game.
Correct decision to ask him to hang up the boots, to me.
Title: Re: Knights: How I fell out with Frawley
Post by: Ox on November 25, 2007, 12:44:52 PM
every coach we have ever had seems to set us back 10 years. frawley got us to a prelim remember something wallace is far from doing

no more excuses richmond. wallace has 2 more years to do something, in fact probably one.

Despites all his issues, Spud did take us to a Prelim Final.

Pisz off Jack,
He is a loser of the highest degree and rode our balls into the prelim.


HTF can u even chase good points about this idiot.

U must be taking the pisz.

Title: Re: Knights: How I fell out with Frawley
Post by: Passionfruit on November 25, 2007, 12:57:28 PM
every coach we have ever had seems to set us back 10 years. frawley got us to a prelim remember something wallace is far from doing

no more excuses richmond. wallace has 2 more years to do something, in fact probably one.

Despites all his issues, Spud did take us to a Prelim Final.

Pisz off Jack,
He is a loser of the highest degree and rode our balls into the prelim.


HTF can u even chase good points about this idiot.

U must be taking the pisz.


Put it this way 0())(
In that prelim we played the best team of this decade  on its own turf.
We got within 5 goals at three quarter time, we werent good enough.Got blown out of the water in the last quarter
You judge people by the ability to perform , especially in elite sports like AFL.. record book say we made the prelim in 2001., fact
Lets see how we go this year as our current coach mighten be any good at all, lets just see.
Title: Re: Knights: How I fell out with Frawley
Post by: Ox on November 25, 2007, 01:33:40 PM
The team was what they were and got there without him.

The team now is/was 5 years behind any momentum that was achieved by the players of that era,because of Frawley
and as such was demolished as a result of his natural stupidity.
Title: Re: Knights: How I fell out with Frawley
Post by: JohnF on November 25, 2007, 04:18:56 PM
Knowing what we know now (that we continued to be schit after Knights' departure) I would have liked Knights to stay on and crawl over the 300 game milestone. However, at the time the decision was made, I actually agreed with Frawley that Knights' time was up. Fact is Frawley found no players better than a past his prime Knights and merely snubbed a club favourite. Looking at it now in hindsight, it was the wrong decision.
Title: Re: Knights: How I fell out with Frawley
Post by: Moi on November 25, 2007, 04:33:22 PM
He treated a great player of our club obscenely!
While he was wearing his Saints socks to every game  :wallywink
He should have made the hard decisions at the end of the season, not in the middle!
Title: Re: Knights: How I fell out with Frawley
Post by: Francois Jackson on November 25, 2007, 04:49:17 PM
was frawley a puppet. yes!!
but i tell u what, wallace in my book is not that far off. his coaching methods are as bad as spud's.
pathetic to be honest. lets hope he has learnt some hard truths from winning his first spoon.

come round 10 id say we will know if he another spud or can actually coach
Title: Re: Knights: How I fell out with Frawley
Post by: JohnF on November 25, 2007, 04:52:03 PM
Wallace, like Pagan, walked into a bombsite imo. Doesn't matter who we had these last years, nothing was going to immediately stop the rot that Frawley produced.
Title: Re: Knights: How I fell out with Frawley
Post by: cub on November 25, 2007, 04:57:00 PM
With others in that at the time, even tho not a great move there was reason. In hindsight well.

As far as Wallace goes I have supported so far, but has something to work with and better show something next year.
Title: Re: Knights: How I fell out with Frawley
Post by: 2JD on November 25, 2007, 05:17:26 PM
That inbred SON OF A BIATCH.

He is the only coach that

1- Other supporters despise for being a buffoon,unknowledgable tool

2-has an IQ of 46

3-I hate with passion and will always hate
He treated a great player of our club obscenely!
While he was wearing his Saints socks to every game  :wallywink
He should have made the hard decisions at the end of the season, not in the middle!

100% agree with the both of you, cant listen to any football commentary with him giving "expert" comments, because he is full  of crap >:(
Title: Re: Knights: How I fell out with Frawley
Post by: mightytiges on November 25, 2007, 06:14:06 PM
Knighter's time was up as he was just a shadow of his former self but to cut him first ahead of so many others on our list at that time and during the season was poor.

As for Spud, his disasterous recruiting and topping up will take almost a decade to fix as we needed to rebuild our list from scratch >:(
Title: Re: Knights: How I fell out with Frawley
Post by: Passionfruit on November 25, 2007, 07:14:59 PM
was frawley a puppet. yes!!
but i tell u what, wallace in my book is not that far off. his coaching methods are as bad as spud's.
pathetic to be honest. lets hope he has learnt some hard truths from winning his first spoon.

come round 10 id say we will know if he another spud or can actually coach

Whats even my obsurb was the Wallet getting Frawley to address the players this year before a game, FACT!
Title: Re: Knights: How I fell out with Frawley
Post by: mightytiges on November 25, 2007, 07:17:24 PM
was frawley a puppet. yes!!
but i tell u what, wallace in my book is not that far off. his coaching methods are as bad as spud's.
pathetic to be honest. lets hope he has learnt some hard truths from winning his first spoon.

come round 10 id say we will know if he another spud or can actually coach

Whats even my obsurb was the Wallet getting Frawley to address the players this year before a game, FACT!
Wasn't that for Krak's 100th.
Title: Re: Knights: How I fell out with Frawley
Post by: Passionfruit on November 25, 2007, 07:31:42 PM
was frawley a puppet. yes!!
but i tell u what, wallace in my book is not that far off. his coaching methods are as bad as spud's.
pathetic to be honest. lets hope he has learnt some hard truths from winning his first spoon.

come round 10 id say we will know if he another spud or can actually coach

Whats even my obsurb was the Wallet getting Frawley to address the players this year before a game, FACT!
Wasn't that for Krak's 100th.

Yeah whatever, Wallet asked him. Both as bad as each other.
Actually, Frawley is a better bloke :thumbsup cant coach though
Title: Re: Knights: How I fell out with Frawley
Post by: wayne on November 25, 2007, 08:50:29 PM
every coach we have ever had seems to set us back 10 years. frawley got us to a prelim remember something wallace is far from doing

no more excuses richmond. wallace has 2 more years to do something, in fact probably one.

Despites all his issues, Spud did take us to a Prelim Final.

He was in the right place at the right time.
Title: Re: Knights: How I fell out with Frawley
Post by: Ox on November 25, 2007, 11:45:03 PM
Actually, Frawley is a better bloke :thumbsup cant coach though

All mentally challenged men are usually good blokes. :P
Title: Re: Knights: How I fell out with Frawley
Post by: DallasCrane on November 26, 2007, 04:31:40 PM
What Frawley did to that little champion still disgusts me.
I've never seen a bloke more proud to lead his club out on to the field than Matty Knights.
I think history will judge the Frawley era very harshly, despite the wallpaper that went over the cracks in 2001
Title: Re: Knights: How I fell out with Frawley
Post by: Francois Jackson on November 26, 2007, 04:43:45 PM
him and campo. best leaders u culd ask for which is why it hurts me so much watching our current captain.

if there was one guy who deserved 300 games its campbell
Title: Re: Knights: How I fell out with Frawley
Post by: Mr Magic on November 27, 2007, 02:04:07 PM
Knighter's time was up as he was just a shadow of his former self but to cut him first ahead of so many others on our list at that time and during the season was poor.

Agree. Short memories some have.
Most coaches would have tapped Knighter on the shoulder.
Father Time comes for all champs and Knights was at the end or very near to it.

It was only the way it was handled that is questionable but the decision was the correct one IMO.