Some really good posts in this thread.
Can I throw up a scenario.
Say you're running a business and it's losing $2 million dollars a year. What do you do ? Sack everyone and lose all your existing customers, or make sure you keep your exisiting customers and try and change your business model little by little so that you can continue to make money and trade yourself out of trouble.
This 3 later look back at TW only looks at the list and rarely if ever takes into account all the events at the time of 2004/05. We had just lost $2 million. We were nearly $5 mill in debt. Our business plan had to be approved by the AFL. I've always viewed year one and two of TW's tenure of being slightly (maybe a lot) hamstrung by that financial legacy and the board, CEO and TW knowing taht tehy needed to get the club fiscally secure. In 2005 we couldn't have done the bigger clean out for a number of reasons. We needed to play well to get the club profitable (break even in the end). Had we won the wooden spoon again in 2005 with the financial loss that would have gone with that at that time, then we would be the financial basket case club that the Dees, North etc are. I believe that the board and SW decided that we needed some interim success and get some financial stability. This in my mind has curtailed TW's long term aim.
Some of you guys call it spin. i just see TW selling the club. By helping with that, TW helsp get a profitable club that can finally get him the support staff he knows he needs. Finally at the start of year four our footy dept spend is getting close to competitive to the rest of the AFL. He's got development coaches (I rate McRae) he's got a list manager and recruiting head and recruiters. He/we didn't have those in 2004/05. On the recruiting front it was just Miller and FJ for the last few weeks of 2005 on pretty much a handshake.
I've never heard TW complain or whinge about this. Yet all of the above has definitely hindered his ability to execute to a preferred (more drastic) plan.
Given a profitable club, with the ability to invest in the areas that board and TW agree are needed, I believe that TW deserves to be judged on 2008 and 2009 alone. If, in these two years, we show improvement in playing style, commitment and results I would extend TW's contract.
When we review history I feel you must review all the elements in their context. Just my opinion.
Can tell you the number of staff in the footy dept hasnt changed since 2004/2005
they actually havent replaced Jade Rawlings who's major role is at coburg this year and after several attempts to get back Mick Mcgaune at the start of the year, which wasnt successful as Mick knocked them back
In regards to $$$$$. terry is extremely well paid to other coaches considering has hasnt really had a sucessfull coaching career and ended up leaving the bulldogs on bitter terms.
We have unfortunately paid over the odds for Wallet. the reported $600,000 a season plus other money he makes through sportman nights and other appearances makes him extremely overpaid for someone who has yet to deliver. if we continue to unsuccessful this year and dont play finals, we have basically spent $2.4million on a coach taking us no where. Terry to me isnt an inspiring person who I dont beleive cant make a group of players determined enough to ""run through walls"" I look at coaches like Brian Goorgjann who coached the Sydney kings this year in basketball, he is a genius as a coach, someone who can inspire sportspeople to perform at there best.
Whats of real interest in coaching at the elite level is the "'spike effect"" when a coach TAKES OVER MID YEAR and gets immediate impact and won games ( who could forget the year the Geisch took over-we finshed 1 game out of the finals) Why ? A different voice perhaps ? Different game plan ? Yep Geisch had that. Or do the players really fear that there career $$$ is really on the line as someone else has lost there job-the coach. Unfortuantely I dont beleive the players at our club play like every game is there last game. its no secret that i was involved for a number of years and on face value I was really surprised at the level of overall commitment that players showed to the club and the jumper.
Guys like Tim flemming did play like it was the last game and he was shown the door through lack of ability.. Its up to the coach to instill a lot of mongrel in a team of sportsman who will run through"' brick walls"" . If you look at the brisbane and West Coast models over the past decade, they do have a common theme through the entire football clubs, the coaches coached like it was there last game and on face value were tough taskmasters. The last time as a club we were successful was in a period where we as a club dedictated what happen on the ground due to the fact the club as a whole was mentality tough, instigated from the Coach with the support of senior people at the club.
if you look at Brisbane winning 3 flags in a row and playing in 4 finals, Leigh had quality hard people by his side.. They spend one or two years out of the finals and guess what, they are on there way back to playing finals , possisbly in 2008. they have some quality young players who are hard at it who LEIGH has recuited accordingly.
Would think the first 12 rounds will be make or break for wallet this year. I dont beleive he has the necessary structure around him thus I believe he is more likely to be unsucessful than successful. Reading between the lines in his recent interview that in todays paper, I reckon he might be getting a bit sick of coaching, thus if not successful he wouldnt coach anywhere else as reality is, he wouldnt get another position in the AFL.
