Wallace safe next year, says Tigers boss
The Age
August 17, 2008 - 12:56PM
Richmond president Gary March has guaranteed coach Terry Wallace will serve out the final year of his contract next season and lashed out at media depictions of the Tigers as a club in crisis.
March said there had been an "hysterical" level of speculation since Tigers football director Greg Miller was sacked three weeks ago that more jobs were set to roll.
"There's been major speculation about our senior coach and it's started to get beyond a joke in recent times," March said at the club's pre-match function ahead of Sunday's MCG clash with Hawthorn.
"I went on the record earlier this year to say that Terry Wallace would coach the Richmond Football Club for his full term.
"I said it when Greg Miller was sacked, I don't know how many other times I've got to say it.
"Richmond has not interviewed any other coaches, no one from the board has approached any other coaches from any other clubs and nor do we intend to approach any other people from any other clubs this year.
"Terry Wallace will coach the Richmond Football Club next year, unless he tells me something different."
March said the Tigers' image as a club that made knee-jerk sackings in response to poor performance had not been applicable for a long time.
"There's been speculation from a few media people that Richmond's in crisis, that we're an instable club," he said.
"We've had one termination in the last five years at the Richmond Football Club, that was Greg Miller in the last couple of weeks, only one.
"Our chief executive has been with the club for nearly five years now, the last Richmond coach to be sacked was 12 years ago.
"But the media seems to think that every time something goes on at Richmond we sack a coach, our last two coaches (Danny Frawley and Wallace) will have served at least five years.
"There have been no other major Richmond departures, the only board change in the last four years was Greg Miller stepping off the board earlier this year, I don't see where the (perception of) instability is coming from."
March also said the Tigers had been criticised both for being too intent on appointing "Richmond people" or for not having enough Richmond people, but said their only aim was to recruit the best available.
He also noted the 11th-placed Tigers had been widely tipped for their second consecutive wooden spoon this season.
"... We've improved immeasurably as a club this year, we're on the cusp of making the finals," he said.
"But we know where we're at, (big losses to Geelong and Adelaide in) the last couple of weeks have shown that, we're not at the top end of the scale.
"We've got a lot of work to do as a football club and we will continue to do that and we'll continue to bring top quality people that will ensure the Richmond Football Club gets back to the top of the ladder."
http://news.smh.com.au/sport/wallace-safe-next-year-says-tigers-boss-20080817-3wxl.html
