March and Wallace rift ....... no more [merged]

[DallasCrane]

This is like 70's VFL stuff, it's just pathetic, Presidents need to be better than that these days, if they are going to entertain the media it is their responsibility to not give anything to the media to feed on. And yes I'm pointing the finger at you March. Like the players and TW himself he has a unique opportunity to stamp himself on the history of this club, but I haven't liked the way he's gone about it in the last few weeks and I give him a 2/10 for the year because he was very soft and compliant on our crap draw this year, he should've rallied Tiger fans and lobbied the AFL for a better slice of the action. He is under more pressure in 2009 than TW I reckon.

Having said that, the media have blown this out of proportion, they are gilding the lily a bit on the 5/10 thing. 

[Infamy]

Doesn't that mean we should expect an article the next day saying Wallace has been sacked

Isn't that the way it works in the footy industry?

[one-eyed]

Gary March denies reports of rift with Terry Wallace
Mark Robinson | September 02, 2008

CONFUSION reigns at Richmond over coach Terry Wallace's power within the crucial list management committee.

President Gary March last night said Wallace was among the group headed by recruiting and list bosses Craig Cameron and Francis Jackson.

Just 48 hours earlier, however, when asked about Wallace's role, March said: "It's really important the list management stays with Craig and that group".

It's understood Wallace has told confidantes he's not part of the main group, which, along with being shut out of considerations for the appointment of the next head of football operations, has him at loggerheads with the president.

Asked last night if Wallace was part of the list management team, March said: "Of course he is."

"There's no board members on it, certainly not me, I've no intention of being on it.

"Craig Cameron, Francis Jackson are list management/recruiting, and Terry Wallace, the senior coach, is on the list management sub-committee with Steven Wright (chief executive) and I think Paul Armstrong (football manager) might be on it."

Reports of a rift between coach and president continue at Punt Rd, although March last night denied he was feuding with Wallace.

"There's no need to talk about it because there is no story there," March said.

Wallace did not return calls last night.

Sources, however, told the Herald Sun the pair had been opposed on several issues.

They include Wallace's lack of support for the club over football director Greg Miller's sacking and the pointed praise Wallace gave to his assistants - and none for the board - after the club's best win of the season, the Hawthorn victory in Round 20.

It's also understood March is keen to reduce player salaries next year, while Wallace says the team is "locked and loaded" and wants to chase a top-end performer, thought to be Daniel Kerr.

The key issue is that Wallace's strong belief in the club's list and development staff and programs is not matched by March.

There are also strong suggestions morale in the match committee is very low.

The list management issue comes after March, on Saturday, assessed Richmond's season as five out of 10, a mark Wallace later judged as "harsh".

March did not back down yesterday, although he separated Wallace's performance from the team's.

"Probably on reflection, he (Wallace) did feel it was probably a bit harsh, maybe it was, but I thought it was an honest assessment for Richmond people," March said.

"We finished outside the eight so on any measure that's five out of 10. I'm looking at it unemotionally from a football perspective. "I thought it was good five."

Of Wallace, he said: "I'd give him more than a five."

March reiterated his stance that the coach didn't need to be involved in the appointment of Miller's replacement.

"Terry has spoken to a couple of people about being involved... but we just didn't think that was right and he understands that," he said.

"He will know about it before we make an appointment but he doesn't need to be involved in the process because he reports to that person."

Asked if his relationship with Wallace was as strong as it had been, March said: "I'm telling you we still have a good relationship. Do we disagree on things? We do. Do I disagree with Steven Wright? Yes, I do. We don't always see eye to eye, of course we can't."

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,24279157-19742,00.html

[one-eyed]

Wallace and Tigers' president head for a showdown
Caroline Wilson | September 2, 2008

RICHMOND coach Terry Wallace and his president, Gary March, appear to be on a collision course from which there can only be one survivor, and yet close observers with the best interests of the Tigers at heart believe the rift can be healed when the two men sit down today to discuss the club's immediate future.

Wallace, one of the game's best politicians, has been reading the play over recent months and not enjoying the script. He was right to have been unimpressed with the handling of the Greg Miller sacking; he was also right to have leapt to the defence of his coaching group when it became clear that fledgling board member Tony Free was talking out of school about them to potential replacements.

Wallace comes out of contract next season and while he has never said as much, perhaps is searching for some love at the end of this, his fourth season, in the form of an extended deal. Maybe this is why he has stated he will never coach anywhere else.

Or at the very least he remains offended that the club does not plan to consult him regarding Miller's replacement as head of the football department. The club, on the other hand, has no intention of canvassing the coach regarding the man who will in effect, be his boss just as the Western Bulldogs employed James Fantasia without including coach Rodney Eade in the process. Ditto Neil Balme at Geelong.

March's decision to rate the Tigers' season as a five out of 10 seems mean in terms of the club's improvement from the 2007 wooden spoon, but not in the context of where it finished — ninth.

The strong impression from March is that Wallace might be an astute politician but he is also a very good coach and an even better one when he leaves the politics aside and concentrates on coaching. Clearly, though, there was politics from both sides on Sunday before and after the Melbourne game and now both men have agreed to say nothing. There was talk yesterday that the impending crisis had brought forward today's scheduled meeting so that Wallace and his coaching team could deliver an angry message to the president, but that reportedly did not happen.

Wallace has been offended by suggestions he was told to devote himself more passionately to his football commitments over the past season-and-a-half at the expense of outside work such as media and public-speaking engagements but clearly there was an issue there.

We can only take March at face value when he continues to insist that Wallace is safe, but surely the board would have done better to pinpoint its preferred replacement for Miller — and suggestions are it was respected player agent Daniel Richardson, son of Barry — and grabbed him back in early August, ending all the speculation.

Instead at Richmond, there is a president seen to be interfering in football matters because the designated football director has a credibility problem and the chief executive, Steven Wright, has no authority when it comes to football matters.

Rarely has an appointment been more crucial for Richmond's future than that of Miller's successor. Unfortunately, the job is not looking that attractive at a time when the Tigers' on-field prospects finally look promising.

http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/showdown-looms-at-richmond/2008/09/02/1220121142942.html

[WilliamPowell]

Asked if his relationship with Wallace was as strong as it had been, March said: "I'm telling you we still have a good relationship. Do we disagree on things? We do. Do I disagree with Steven Wright? Yes, I do. We don't always see eye to eye, of course we can't."

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,24279157-19742,00.html

A bit like OER 

As I said yesterday if it wasn't Richmond this would be comical

President Gary March last night said Wallace was among the group headed by recruiting and list bosses Craig Cameron and Francis Jackson.

Just 48 hours earlier, however, when asked about Wallace's role, March said: "It's really important the list management stays with Craig and that group".

It's understood Wallace has told confidantes he's not part of the main group, which, along with being shut out of considerations for the appointment of the next head of football operations, has him at loggerheads with the president.

Asked last night if Wallace was part of the list management team, March said: "Of course he is."

"There's no board members on it, certainly not me, I've no intention of being on it.

"Craig Cameron, Francis Jackson are list management/recruiting, and Terry Wallace, the senior coach, is on the list management sub-committee with Steven Wright (chief executive) and I think Paul Armstrong (football manager) might be on it."

All very interesting.....  with a bit of this  thrown in

Question:

Doesn't part of this depend on how the other people who've now been dragged into this (Cameron and now Jackson) deal with it?

 

[one-eyed]

SEN now saying this perceived rift has died down today. No news is good news?

[moose]

march is on the ball, he wont allow terry to ever feel too comfortable. this brings out te best in ppl. its when ppl become too comfortable that things go wrong and are taken to easily

if terry cant handle the heat, he knows he can walk

[Ramps]

The board mustn't allow wallace to cough up our early picks for Kerr or Warnock. We are not ready yet to do this, Richmond needs atleast the next draft to find 3 good players from the junior ranks to add to the group. A ruckman, A key forward and a midfielder. 

[one-eyed]

Caro said the situation between March and Wallace has been blown out of proportion. Really just Terry feeling a bit nervous given some of the things that have happened (Miller sacking and how it was handled, Tony Free upseting people, the 5/10 remark by March, etc) and dealing with an inexperienced Board.  She hopes they just sit down and sort it all out between themselves. Hopefully they sat down today and did that.

Caro said March's 5/10 is reasonable mark for the year given Richmond finished 9th.

Healy said that's a laughable mark given the side has gone from 16th to 9th. That's rising up the ladder like a rocket.

Caro rebutted saying oh so you're asking for an improvement mark instead.

Healy said the club is surrounded by negativity as shown by March's 5/10 ranking. Compare that to Carlton and it's fans who are positive about the future and talking about a premiership next year. A Blues fan rang in saying they'll be happy with finals next year.

Caro said we're not negative and she'd give Carlton's year a 4/10.

Healy and Russell laughed at her saying it's one of best 4/10 years they've seen. They then asked Caro why Carlton fans as so positive and she replied they've got Judd.

[Moi]

It might be blown out of proportion but the club aren't coming out in support of Wallace, so the speculation continues.  And even if they did, after all the crap that's happened who'd believe them anyway.
Only way to stop the speculation is to extend his contract now by a year, so we don't have the media saying "will they or won't they sack him" all next year.
Don't need that and he's done enough for at least a one year extension.

[blaisee]

no poo,

march is a freaken genius

[Moi]

The board mustn't allow wallace to cough up our early picks for Kerr or Warnock. We are not ready yet to do this, Richmond needs atleast the next draft to find 3 good players from the junior ranks to add to the group. A ruckman, A key forward and a midfielder. 

I agree Ramps, but can someone tell me where and when Wallace said this?  Is there a quote in the newspapers I can refer to?

[one-eyed]

Caro also said the Club wants to hold onto Terry as they believe he's a good coach and if we're good enough to make the Eight next year she believes Terry is the right coach to do it.

A Tiger supporter rang in accusing the Herald-Sun off typical gutter journalism hoping we'll implode. They've been hanging on Wallace being sacked all year like gutter sharks.

Another Tiger "supporter" said he rang up last night too and said how do Tiger supporters expect Wallace to get us in the finals next year when he hasn't done it in his 4 years so far. It's been a long time since Richmond has made the finals. Healy quipped because Richmond has always sacked the coach before they achieve any success. Caro jumped in and said oh come off it Gerard, Frawley was given 5 years.

[Ox]

Caro jumped in and said oh come off it Gerard, Frawley was given 5 years.

It took Terry 4 years to repair the list and build a worthy team...let's not forget that.

[tigerfan1961]

Caro jumped in and said oh come off it Gerard, Frawley was given 5 years.

It took Terry 4 years to repair the list and build a worthy team...let's not forget that.

Exactly, the list he took over was an absolute disaster and we have come a long long way since. Granted, we still need a ruck, KPF and a few more mids, but geez, anyone who cannot see the huge improvement in the list over the last 4 years must be blind. I do agree, however, that we do not need to trade the entire '08 draft for Kerr or Warnock. Stick to what has helped build the better list, and if a good deal is offered for us to acquire a good young player for a draft pick, then look at it.