News Phil Walsh - New AFC Coach and Art Critic

[Big Gazoongas]

I'm excited again.

We needed a clean out after Tippett/Trigg, and Sando clearly wasn't the man for us - I just didn't think we'd have the balls to pull the trigger on him.

With Fagan, Roo and now Walsh, for the first time in a couple of years, I'm excited about the Crows again.

I was thinking how I was going to get through the next two years watching the same garbage with the same results with Sando at the helm.

I'm with you, absolutely excited about what is ahead.

Cant wait for the 2015 season to begin.

 

[TexFactor]

Interesting Fagan interview on SEN.

They showed Walsh 30 mins of game vision from this season and asked him what he'd do in the different situations. Fagan said Roo loved it and that's when they had their man.

I can just imagine Walsh saying "well for a start, that bloke wouldn't even be on the field in my team! And where the **** is matt crouch?"

 

[Deaneus!]

I like the positivity on this board, but don't fully understand it. At the end of the day, he's a former assistant coach, untried at senior level, just like Sanderson was.

Yeah, I'm going to have to go with yourself and NSWCROW on this.

I can't recall - were we promised a premiership coach?

All things considered, the appointment doesn't get a tick, but it doesn't get a black mark either. It's not what I expected, but at least it's an assistant with a bunch of experience, as opposed to an L-plate assistant who needs a senior coach.

Good Things:
- forced out Trigg (? can this be attributed ? if it can, it's already been a success)
- sacked Sando
- got a CEO who i think will smash it
- AFAIK, ran a clean process to find a coach
- re-energised the supporter base
- kept a tight ship

Bad Things:
- sacked Sando without a superstar coach waiting in the wings
- didn't actually get a superstar coach a la "coup of the century"

Unknown Things:
- hired Walsh

So far, the Roovolution has a slight pass mark, but nothing nearing deserving the adulation they're receiving.

If as we all expect, a number of our 'assistants' are turfed and replaced with fresh blood, that'll be a tick.
Attracting some quality players during trade week that fulfill our list deficiencies, that'll be another tick (at least one will do)
Danger putting his name on a piece of paper, that'll be another tick (although I don't blame him holding out to see, like we should)

Then I'll admit we've done well. It's a lot to ask for in a short time frame, and I don't expect it can all get done, but like the Roo I don't stand for mediocrity.

As for Walsh... I'm concerned that our new coach admits he isn't good at communication, but he's worked on it. To counter my own argument, that's better than a coach who isn't good and doesn't recognise it . We've been crying out for a coach who can make moves on match day since before Craig, AFAIK that's been addressed if the rumours are true. And, the new coach certainly makes the noises we want to hear... after we all got sick of the noises we got from Sando (who started off making the noises we wanted to hear ). As i said many posts ago (yesterday) it's nice to see an AFC press conference where I don't want to punch the attendees in the face.

I'll give Walsh the benefit of the doubt for now. But, the job's only half done, and even then we'll see if the boys are on board next year in March.

 

[little graham]

He did say few things that raised my eyebrows. At the time I put it down to nerves (he looked VERY nervous to me), and he said a lot of the same things through other interviews throughout the day yesterday. I might go back and listen to the presser to pick up any of these things again.

He's walked in and thrown all the furniture around the room and then spat on it. Complete opposition to sanderson.

 

[Mattrox]

Had a listen to Cornes on SEN. Worth a listen.

 

[TooFar]

They've invested in a product, now they must sell it.They'll tell us what ever they think we need to hear.

No they haven't, they have invested in a man who can lead the clubs football program and help develop a new culture of success. He will sell his vision to the players, not to us. There is only one thing most supporters want, and that is the winning in September. Everything else will fall into place if this happens.

Now, whether he is the right man, only time will tell.

You talk a lot of shit because you are not nearly as cleaver as you think you are.

 

[Smoooothy]

He's walked in and thrown all the furniture around the room and then spat on it. Complete opposition to sanderson.

exactly what we needed IMO

too many of our boys rest on their ordinary laurels..

 

[Crowfoot]

Had a listen to Cornes on SEN. Worth a listen.

Link: http://www.sen.com.au/audio

Also clips on there from Walsh and Fagan.

 

[OzSparrow]

What angst?

The unheralded and unsolicited and unorthodox and (arguably) undeserved summary removal of a coach after 2 years who still had 2 years to run on his contract who had not received the benefit of a full post-season review and who was unable to provide his own terms around his exit.

When anyone is fired (as Sando was) there is more than slight "angst" in my book (on both sides of the equation)!

 

[Vikingblood]

Yep sounds like we're getting away from the bloated corporation/grandma and grandpa image

I know the three old ducks who sit next to me will miss Sando and have their concerns about "this fella from Port"

Well to win the big one we gotta get past Port, Sydney, Hawthorn and everyone else who's improving year by year

Only way to do that is every year to examine every position and say "Are we good enough? How could we be better?"

Long way to go but all you can do is make a good start

With Fagan and Walsh, so far Roo is 2/2 for mine

Not one person will even listen to the old folks if we start winning, in fact they themselves will shut up. Momentum is a strange thing in that it tends to take the whole club and its supporters with it regardless. The cracks only appear when you are underperforming, no different at any club.

 

[Macca Pakka]

Yeah, I'm going to have to go with yourself and NSWCROW on this.

I can't recall - were we promised a premiership coach?

All things considered, the appointment doesn't get a tick, but it doesn't get a black mark either. It's not what I expected, but at least it's an assistant with a bunch of experience, as opposed to an L-plate assistant who needs a senior coach.

Good Things:
- forced out Trigg (? can this be attributed ? if it can, it's already been a success)
- sacked Sando
- got a CEO who i think will smash it
- AFAIK, ran a clean process to find a coach
- re-energised the supporter base
- kept a tight ship

Bad Things:
- sacked Sando without a superstar coach waiting in the wings
- didn't actually get a superstar coach a la "coup of the century"

Unknown Things:
- hired Walsh

So far, the Roovolution has a slight pass mark, but nothing nearing deserving the adulation they're receiving.

If as we all expect, a number of our 'assistants' are turfed and replaced with fresh blood, that'll be a tick.
Attracting some quality players during trade week that fulfill our list deficiencies, that'll be another tick (at least one will do)
Danger putting his name on a piece of paper, that'll be another tick (although I don't blame him holding out to see, like we should)

Then I'll admit we've done well. It's a lot to ask for in a short time frame, and I don't expect it can all get done, but like the Roo I don't stand for mediocrity.

As for Walsh... I'm concerned that our new coach admits he isn't good at communication, but he's worked on it. To counter my own argument, that's better than a coach who isn't good and doesn't recognise it . We've been crying out for a coach who can make moves on match day since before Craig, AFAIK that's been addressed if the rumours are true. And, the new coach certainly makes the noises we want to hear... after we all got sick of the noises we got from Sando (who started off making the noises we wanted to hear ). As i said many posts ago (yesterday) it's nice to see an AFC press conference where I don't want to punch the attendees in the face.

I'll give Walsh the benefit of the doubt for now. But, the job's only half done, and even then we'll see if the boys are on board next year in March.

Yep tend to agree with most of this.

While I believe it was the correct decision to sack Sando, I really would have no idea as to whether Walsh was the best replacement. Yes he is saying the right things, but so was Sando at the start.

Yes I am excited that changes are being made, but only time will tell whether these changes have been good ones. Let's hope so!!!

 

[OzSparrow]

Please don't tell me you thought Sando was doing a good job and we should have kept him.

That's not my point! I believe that Sando didn't have enough time in the job for me to form that opinion.

After his honeymoon period of 2012 was over and the (relative) failures of 2013 and 2014 he was always going to be under pressure. Personally, I would have liked to have seen him get another year to prove himself but hey I don't run the club.

In any event, it is not as if Walsh was going anywhere was he? He was sitting down the road and was not being courted by anyone else (given that there were no other vacancies until GC sacked Bluey)

My point is that you don't orchestrate what the club did and in the manner which it did it without a bigger plan in reserve.

I personally do not see the "star power" with Walsh yet. Actions (both on and off field) will dictate my feelings in this regard.

The jury is out on this appointment IMO.

 

[GROTTO]

Had a listen to Cornes on SEN. Worth a listen.

I really respect as an AFL media expert, he is knowledgeable, articulate and presents well. Then again if you looked at the clowns in this state like cRowie, Boneless, Roochi that isnt hard to achieve in being peerless in this state.

 

[cmndstab]

Judging Sanderson's sacking based on his replacement is pointless.

If our board decided he wasn't the guy, then he needed to go. No point waiting until you have a superstar to replace him. Replace him now with the best available. If the best available still isn't good enough then replace them later, but don't stick with someone you've already decided isn't going to work out. If we're going to do that, what's the point of even having the board conduct a review? We may as well just have a "superstar coup of the century" scout instead.

Sando's sacking is justified purely by the board's review. If the board are shit and their review was unfounded then they should go, but while they're there they have to be backed in.


Then, in terms of Walsh's appointment, I really like it. New senior coach but an experienced man and possessing of many of the qualities we have sorely lacked. Next step is to get some great assistant coaches.

 

[Macca Pakka]

That's not my point! I believe that Sando didn't have enough time in the job for me to form that opinion.

After his honeymoon period of 2012 was over and the (relative) failures of 2013 and 2014 he was always going to be under pressure. Personally, I would have liked to have seen him get another year to prove himself but hey I don't run the club.

In any event, it is not as if Walsh was going anywhere was he? He was sitting down the road and was not being courted by anyone else (given that there were no other vacancies until GC sacked Bluey)

My point is that you don't orchestrate what the club did and in the manner which it did it without a bigger plan in reserve.

I personally do not see the "star power" with Walsh yet. Actions (both on and off field) will dictate my feelings in this regard.

The jury is out on this appointment IMO.

I agree entirely that the jury is still out on the Walsh appointment.

However I think the decision to remove Sando was the right one especially if there was a irreparable disconnect with the players as has been reported. Which means that once the decision to remove Sando was made, a coach needed to be found regardless of having a bigger plan in reserve.

 

[Smoooothy]

i'm still of the belief there is more to the sando sacking than has been mentioned officially so far. it just doesn't add up

 

[intheknowcrow]

He did say few things that raised my eyebrows. At the time I put it down to nerves (he looked VERY nervous to me), and he said a lot of the same things through other interviews throughout the day yesterday. I might go back and listen to the presser to pick up any of these things again.

So he speaks to radio outlets all around the country and gets asked the same questions, if he answered them any differently, I think we'd all be majorly concern. He's not here to talk crap, let marketing do that. He's come to be the best coach he can & to create a successful playing group. I'm worried about what you're wanting from him. Sando was talking about heat, 6 day breaks and us being courageous when we won over 100pts (NOW THAT WAS RIDICULOUS)

please give him a chance !!!!!!!!

 

[cmndstab]

My point is that you don't orchestrate what the club did and in the manner which it did it without a bigger plan in reserve.

Rubbish. In fact "orchestrating" what the club did in the manner they did is the ONLY way it can be done.

There are only two scenarios whereby you move a coach on. One is that an absolute can't-miss prospect becomes available, in which case you knife your guy in the back and take the superstar, Mark Harvey style. This is exceedingly rare.

In every (yes, every) other situation you decide your guy isn't going to work out and you move him on. Then you start the search for a new guy. Sure, you might have been keeping tabs on who's available and so forth throughout the season but you don't start the process of looking for the new guy until you move the old guy on. It would be incredibly disrespectful to do that, and if the story broke it would do enormous damage to the club - and what if you don't find a replacement you're happy with? Then the coach you choose to keep - who you're stuck with for the next 12 months - finds out you were shopping around for his replacement. Not exactly a great situation.

Sanderson was determined by the board to be the wrong fit for the club. You can have an intelligent debate as to whether that finding was reasonable, but at the end of the day we have to back in the findings of the board, or else there's no point even conducting a review at all. Once you accept that finding then he had to be sacked. No point waiting for another year or two in the hopes that a superstar coach falls into our laps. You sack him and then find the best available replacement.

 

[OnThePyne]

That's not my point! I believe that Sando didn't have enough time in the job for me to form that opinion.

I think he had more than enough time. By the end of 2013 something wasn't quite right and by then end of 2014, things didn't look any better. It was a mistake to give him a contract extension, but it was done to remove one of the distractions.

No one knows if Walsh will be any better, but from the little I heard form him yesterday, he appears to be just what the doctor ordered. Someone who demands 100% commitment and is a bit hard nosed. Sando came across as someone who was too friendly with the players and the times he got angry, it didn't look like something he was comfortable with.

 

[cmndstab]

i'm still of the belief there is more to the sando sacking than has been mentioned officially so far. it just doesn't add up

What doesn't add up about it?

He wasn't achieving the results (presumably not just in terms of win/loss but other aspects as well) that the board were looking for. So they sacked him.

About as cut and dry as it gets, for mine.

 

[Stone Sour]

I just liked the part of Roo's tweet where he said Walsh doesn't tolerate fools.

I reckon this will be a long build up and we need to be patient. And believe in the message/vision. It takes time to build sustained success. But for the first time in a long time, I believe we have direction.

Talia's speech at the B&F convinced me that the players didn't believe in the vision/the direction of Sanderson. And that we weren't pushed as hard as they should of. If players believe the coach hasn't set high enough standards how can he continue?

 

[Danoz]

So he speaks to radio outlets all around the country and gets asked the same questions, if he answered them any differently, I think we'd all be majorly concern. He's not here to talk crap, let marketing do that. He's come to be the best coach he can & to create a successful playing group. I'm worried about what you're wanting from him. Sando was talking about heat, 6 day breaks and us being courageous when we won over 100pts (NOW THAT WAS RIDICULOUS)

please give him a chance !!!!!!!!

What I meant was that a lot of what he said he had scripted (either by himself or with help, doesn't really matter) due to his nerves. I think a lot of the eyebrow raising things he said were entirely due to those nerves. Not having had to say things publicly previously just caused him to muddle a few things.

 

[SmegHead]

The jury is out on this appointment IMO.

The jury is still out on Ken Hinkley too. The jury is also still out on Ross Lyon, Brad Scott, Leon Cameron, Brendan McCartney and Alan Richardson. Until a coach leads their team to a flag there is every chance that they will fail and lose the support of the team, board and supporters.

There is no evidence to suggest that if we did have some coup up our sleeves and landed Clarkson or Thompson that they would do any better than Sando or Craig did, but that doesn't mean you can be excited about what a new coach brings to the table. Yes the proof will be in the pudding and I will eagerly await round 1 to see the boys in action but I wont write off Walsh before that happens.

 

[GROTTO]

I think we all need to move on now that Walsh is the appointed coach. Sando belongs to the old regime, his contribution is valued and appreciated but we need to begin a new era.

No point in wondering if Walsh is better or worse than Sando, only 12 months from now can we make an informed opinion.

While I am happy about Walsh, no one can say he is better than Sando. Proof is in the results we make over the next 12 months and beyond that. At the very least next year, we must beat all bottom 8 teams consistently and not lose to especially shitty clubs like Melbourne and Carlton.

 

[Smoooothy]

What doesn't add up about it?

He wasn't achieving the results (presumably not just in terms of win/loss but other aspects as well) that the board were looking for. So they sacked him.

About as cut and dry as it gets, for mine.

i can't quite put my finger on it. its just a very unlike adelaide thing to do