News Leppa and ZOB - Clash of the Titans

[Grizzly86]

Fire and brimstone is not illegal. Passion is not illegal. Good work Leppa, send a message to the players that they are to respect those at the top. They then might cotton on to follow the game plan and catch that passion.

ZOB is a mature head in the reserves side, no excuses for his behaviour.

 

[Lace Out]

At last,some bloody emotion !

 

[Quigley]

Regardless of how frustrated a player is about not getting games, can't allow for this kind of rubbish behaviour and attitude. Look at how we're going now. You can't manage, run and implement anything if your players start showing this attitude and behaviour. This week its one player. Next week another player sees nothing was done and that they might be able to get away with it. Can become a slippery slope. Is probably part of the reason Leppa did it within earshot of the other players.

Club has denied the allegations about the throat against the wall. Grabbing him by the jumper and pulling him down is not ideal. I'm assuming this happened a few hours after the GC game, so probably caught Leppa at a bad time. Provides some explanation as to why he reacted the way he did.

EDIT: 3 weeks without seniors consideration is sufficient.

So its unacceptable for a frustrated player to mouth off but its essentially okay for frustrated coach to physically assault the player.

Neither is acceptable. And I am disappointed the club has not made that clear in its communications.

 

[Figjam17]

I dont think this is bad news at all, there should be a little bit of fear around what Leppa can do, the family first focus is one thing but you shouldnt see the senior coach as your mate... Standing up for another one of his coaches as well, I think the other players will see it as Leppa doesnt take s**t from anyone or allow it! good on him!

 

[Quigley]

Fire and brimstone is not illegal. Passion is not illegal. Good work Leppa, send a message to the players that they are to respect those at the top. They then might cotton on to follow the game plan and catch that passion.

ZOB is a mature head in the reserves side, no excuses for his behaviour.

Assault is illegal.

See how long you last if you go and grab someone in your work and start abusing them.

 

[Bucking Beads]

ZOB was upset that he didn't get invited to Woeys Leonard's night in...

 

[Elixuh]

So its unacceptable for a frustrated player to mouth off but its essentially okay for frustrated coach to physically assault the player.

Neither is acceptable. And I am disappointed the club has not made that clear in its communications.

They denied the first claim which is basically what has propelled this article, RE: the hand around the throat up against the wall. I said the jumper pulling was not ideal. Pulling him down by the jumper and then yelling at him? Again not ideal but not outrageous to the extent this article implies.

 

[Lionheart182]

They denied the first claim which is basically what has propelled this article, RE: the hand around the throat up against the wall. I said the jumper pulling was not ideal. Pulling him down by the jumper and then yelling at him? Again not ideal but not outrageous to the extent this article implies.

Yeah it depends how true the reported story is but I am a little surprised at the reaction to be honest. If Leppa put his hand on the throat of a player I reckon that's pretty poor stuff, regardless of circumstance. However I am willing to wait for the full story before making assumptions.

 

[Quigley]

They denied the first claim which is basically what has propelled this article, RE: the hand around the throat up against the wall. I said the jumper pulling was not ideal. Pulling him down by the jumper and then yelling at him? Again not ideal but not outrageous to the extent this article implies.

Okay lets look at it another way I could easily say that telling a coach to eff off in the heat of the moment when you have every right to be frustrated is not ideal. Understandable though and something which would need to be dealt with and probably best done so when tempers have cooled.

Engaging in a physical altercation though is completely unacceptable especially if you are supposed to be an authority figure and the person's boss.

 

[LionKing]

Hope Zob learns from that and really knuckles down but I wouldnt be suprised if he requests a transfer at seasons end

 

[Ironmonger]

Geez is this getting blown out of proportion. I could guarantee this sort of stuff would happen way more often than is lead on. You have young men pumped up with adrenaline, giving attitude and being disrespectful.
When I played, mind you not anywhere near afl level, this kind of stuff would happen all the time. It's a heat of the moment occurrence and would be forgotten about as soon as the game is over. It's nothing.

I tend to agree with this. It doesn't reflect well on any of the people involved, so god knows who leaked it and why, but if it's the worst thing that's happening behind closed doors then it's not all that concerning.

If it's happening more than once then that's a problem.

All that said, I don't see anything positive coming out of this.

 

[Skoob]

There would be a lot of healthy egos in any football team, and if Woey was being even slightly dickish in admonishing ZOB, they won't have gained the tiniest respect for Leppa in his actions.
I think there are too many ifs, buts and maybes in incidents like this that prevent us from knowing what was fair.
Whatever the story, it's not a good look. It shows a weakness in Leppa to blow up like that. Whether it is a weakness, that's how it will be perceived by many and that may include senior players. Gotta be careful about where these things are done, and who sees it.

I don't know who might be allowed into the change rooms at half time, but someone saw it as bad enough to blab to the media. That's the bigger concern. Hopefully a parent or hanger oner and not a player.

 

[WhiteLionFeva]

I can imagine a few blokes by the name of Matthews Malthouse Clarkson Pagan who would have done exactly the same thing as Leppa. If we had won 3 games this year the story doesn't even make the print.

Matthews and Pagan are from another era when that sort of behaviour might have been accepted (if not acceptable). Malthouse is really of a similar era and his performances as a coach of late probably reflect it. Clarkson has repeatedly shown an inability to control his temper. Not sure any of them are exemplars of good or appropriate behaviour in this context.

 

[davemc_lions]

at least there was some emotion.. I have not been able to watch a full game this year. Somethings going on.
after the bye we will again win 5-6 games and finish off the season well and then wash and repeat again.

 

[Elixuh]

Okay lets look at it another way I could easily say that telling a coach to eff off in the heat of the moment when you have every right to be frustrated is not ideal. Understandable though and something which would need to be dealt with and probably best done so when tempers have cooled.

Engaging in a physical altercation though is completely unacceptable especially if you are supposed to be an authority figure and the person's boss.

Ok well I can agree with unacceptable insofar as you can distinguish the unacceptable conduct of grabbing someone by the throat and pushing them up against a wall and unacceptable in terms of pulling him down off a step by the jumper.

My personal view is that the former is unacceptable and the latter is regrettable and not ideal.

I don't think it's black and white either drawing unequivocal parallels between office 'abuse', be it physical or verbal, and that within the football environment. You can make comparisons but it's not as black and white as it can be pointed out to be.

 

[Tassie4ever]

Couple of observations:

1] the "story" leaked, and this is the story

2] if true, then not only does Leppa's reputation suffer, so does Wowoedin's.

 

[Ironmonger]

Ok well I can agree with unacceptable insofar as you can distinguish the unacceptable conduct of grabbing someone by the throat and pushing them up against a wall and unacceptable in terms of pulling him down off a step by the jumper.

My personal view is that the former is unacceptable and the latter is regrettable and not ideal.

I don't think it's black and white either drawing unequivocal parallels between office 'abuse', be it physical or verbal, and that within the football environment. You can make comparisons but it's not as black and white as it can be pointed out to be.

I think that's a very good summation, Elixuh.

2] if true, then not only does Leppa's reputation suffer, so does Wowoedin's.

I'm not convinced about that. If there's widespread disrespect for Woewoedin then that would be a problem, but as it stands it looks like one player getting frustrated one time.

 

[LeppaMessiah]

The people who seem to jump straight on their moral high horse and cry assault n whatever else I highly doubt have played football. I saw worse stuff than this in the dressing room by the age of 16 and when you see a leader show that passion and demand respect, it definitely ignites that fire in the belly. I am backing Leppa for making a stand, like others have said if he did nothing n gave him a quiet talking to then maybe others would have thought it was okay to do similar. Remember this is a mans game and a physical battle on the field, if the worst they get for undermining the levels of leadership within the team is a tug on the jumper and a reminder of where they stand, so be it. We need some toughening up to say the least.

 

[jackess]

The people who seem to jump straight on their moral high horse and cry assault n whatever else I highly doubt have played football. I saw worse stuff than this in the dressing room by the age of 16 and when you see a leader show that passion and demand respect, it definitely ignites that fire in the belly. I am backing Leppa for making a stand, like others have said if he did nothing n gave him a quiet talking to then maybe others would have thought it was okay to do similar. Remember this is a mans game and a physical battle on the field, if the worst they get for undermining the levels of leadership within the team is a tug on the jumper and a reminder of where they stand, so be it. We need some toughening up to say the least.

The problem is that it is not effective. Threatening violence to a 25 year old will have the opposite effect. If someone at my workplace did this I know I wouldn't react well to it.

Maybe Leppa should bring out the cane if players don't play well.

 

[Nuggets73]

And this is news???? .. Cause some smart-ass, 2nd tier player thinks he can dictate terms to the coaching staff?
... Speak to players from 2001-2004 sides ... they would have copped a lot worse from Matthews for this sort of behaviour, I can assure you.

 

[LeppaMessiah]

The problem is that it is not effective. Threatening violence to a 25 year old will have the opposite effect. If someone at my workplace did this I know I wouldn't react well to it.

Maybe Leppa should bring out the cane if players don't play well.

I'm going on the assumption that he tugged his jumper and told him to not stand over him, that doesn't sound like violence, more like a "pull your bloody head in" kind of moment. Where is your workplace? In an office? I too would not tolerate someone threatening violence in an environment like that, but this is a football field; a naturally physical environment. If Leppa punched him we would be asking for him to be sacked but it allegedly was a little more tame than that. More so a reminder to respect people in positions of power. Also, everyone thought it was great when green n close exchanged blows at training, sounds a little more violent than what we are hearing about this.

 

[Tassie4ever]

And this is news???? .. Cause some smart-ass, 2nd tier player thinks he can dictate terms to the coaching staff?
... Speak to players from 2001-2004 sides ... they would have copped a lot worse from Matthews for this sort of behaviour, I can assure you.

Never heard anything like this from the LM era, including even from Aker.

The worst anyone apparently ever copped was an invitation for coffee with the coach.

 

[Elixuh]

The claim that this is football anything goes cannot stand. Nor can the claim that this is a normal workplace office type environment. It sits somewhere in between.

 

[Viceregal]

There are workplaces where it is unacceptable to hand out physically challenging punishments, yell at your employees, use peer pressure to enforce higher than normal group standards and where chain of command is a velvet glove such as the office where I work...
There are other places where none of this is the case .. for example being in the army.

Even in the second case there is a line (far to right of where it is where I work) where intimidation and moulding/harassment cross over from developmental to bullying.

I don't work with drill sergeants and my workplace does not produce effective fighting machines.

To apply our workplace rules to a football club (which I suspect is far closer to army than office) is always going to be counter productive and lead to negative judgements due to our 'civilian' sensibilities.

Not sure that I am happy that this is all being played out in the media ...

 

[3KZ is Football]

Football clubs are workplaces. It is unacceptable to assault an employee. Lepptisch would be sacked in my workplace.