This can't go on - James Hird on Terry Wallace
James Hird | May 20, 2009 09:54pm
TERRY Wallace is gone, he has been gone since Round 1, but he is now officially not the coach of the Richmond Football Club.
No, hang on a minute, he still is the coach, and those of us in the media have fallen for the rumour and innuendo that follows every bit of gossip around football.
What a load of rubbish.
Something is fishy, because Victoria's senior football journalists don't get this excited over a mere rumour.
If we are to believe Richmond, Wallace was not sacked yesterday and his job as coach has never been in question.
Most of the time I believe what football clubs say. But on this occasion there is a little too much noise to totally discount what we all thought was happening yesterday morning.
This latest incident has made Terry's position untenable. Whatever happened yesterday and whatever speculation is ahead does not matter now. There is only one clear path ahead: Wallace can no longer coach Richmond and must either resign or be removed.
This goes against everything I have been taught and believed in, and my comments will disappoint my old coach Kevin Sheedy, who is all for coaches' rights.
I believe people should honour contracts, complete the task at hand and work towards the best outcome for both parties.
But what yesterday showed me is that the Richmond players are no longer in a position to concentrate on playing football.
As a player your most important obligation is to play at your best and win a game of football. When the environment is such that this cannot happen, changes need to be made.
Normally the players get a rocket, are dropped or sacked. But whatever happened in the 48 hours after the loss to Port Adelaide has put the spotlight back on to Terry.
Unfortunately, a leak of sensitive information, or a lack of clear direction that enabled the media to think Terry was gone or close to it, has changed the landscape.
No longer are we talking about a group that has won one game from eight and is focusing on the Dreamtime game. Instead we are talking about an issue that has the potential to destabilise and fracture the group.
Players, staff, coaches and board members have an obligation to keep sensitive information inside the club. When that does not happen, the damage caused can be huge.
Up until this incident I respected Richmond and Terry Wallace for sticking to their guns and doing the best by all parties. Unfortunately, should Wallace keep coaching Richmond, it will be in nobody's best interest.
Nobody doubts that Terry has a very good football brain. He has won a lot of respect as a coach and loves the game and his role in it.
This must be a shocking time, but one that he will work through and emerge from stronger.
For Richmond it is time to start the planning for 2010.
The Tigers have a lot of work to do and need to get started as soon as possible.
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,25509588-19742,00.html
