http://sportal.com.au/AFL-news-display/tigers-backflip-70689Tigers' backflip on Wallace
19/05/2009 10:20 AM
Paul Gough
SportalRichmond is in turmoil yet again after coach Terry Wallace was reportedly sacked and then reinstated as coach of the embattled club on Tuesday.
Tigers captain Chris Newman has confirmed that reports of Wallace's demise were 'not true' and said the club would explain the situation at a press conference shortly.
Earlier, it had been reported that Wallace had been dumped as coach following the Tigers' disastrous start to the 2009 AFL season.
- Sorry - updated this report for the latest from down at Punt Road - Mutes
But it is believed the lack of a suitable candidate to take over in the interim has caused the Tigers board - led by president Gary March - to back-flip on their earlier decision.
Reports on Tuesday morning suggested that the players went to the club's board on Monday night and informed the club that they wanted a change in coach.
Wallace began this season desperately needing to guide the Tigers into the finals for the first time in his five seasons in charge, in order to win a new contract, with his original five-year deal due to expire at the end of this season.
The Tigers might have played in the finals just twice since their last grand final appearance in 1982 but there were increased expectations amongst the club's long-suffering supporter base this season.
The rise from 16th to ninth last season, winning eight of their last 11 games, had built the expectations which were then further boosted when former West Coast captain and 2005 Brownlow Medallist Ben Cousins was secured in the pre-season draft.
But it all fell apart for Richmond when it copped an 83-point hammering from Carlton in the opening round, with its only win so far coming in Round 5 against North Melbourne.
Since then the Tigers have suffered narrow losses to Sydney and Port Adelaide, as well as a humiliating home loss to Brisbane when they let an early lead slip at the MCG, to end their slim finals hopes.
Wallace was appointed Richmond coach at the start of 2005 amid much fanfare after his six-and-a-half year stint as coach of the Bulldogs when he led that club to the 1997 and 1998 preliminary finals.
But the best Wallace has done at Richmond is two ninth-placed finishes and from 96 games in charge so far he has led the club to just 36 victories for a winning percentage of only 37.5.
That gives Wallace a worse record than his much-criticised predecessor Danny Frawley, who at least guided the Tigers into the finals once during his five years in charge, when they reached the 2001 preliminary final.
- Sorry - updated this article for the latest from down at Punt Road - Mutes
