Coach Comparisons

[maccas_no1]

I would like to get fellow AFC BF member's opinions on a couple of 'what if's'

Now I know many were like me (I was driving at the time) and were not impressed that the AFC decided make Neil Craig the Head Coach of the AFC, I nearly drove my car off the road when I heard the news and something came out of my mouth along the lines of 'WTF Neil Craig'

Anyway the coach is a gun and has proved us all wrong and has lead this club in the right direction and has all the players and supporter's behind him

Had of the AFC gone with Eade or Wallace would the AFC be in the position we are in now??? further ahead???? or behind the eight ball??????

Wallace has had a few issues at Richmond while Eade seems to have the young Dogs despite a few injuries heading in the right direction.

Thoughts???

 

[Stiffy_18]

I don't think Wallace would have been a good get. I raised my concerns at the time especially about his love of running players and inability to replenish Doggies KPP stock over the years he has been there.

Eade was one that I was initially against but then came around. I would have been happy if we got Eade but I don'tthink we would be as well off as we are now.

I remember Eade saying on KG and Cornesy show that he didn't believe we needed a complete rebuild but we needed some refurbishing. He stated his plan was (if he got the job) to aim for the 8 this year (2006) and push for the premiership the following year. He thought that we might be a middle of the road team in 2005. Who knows if we would have made the finals last year under Eade but I very much doubt we would have won 17 games. Eade is a great coach but is he as good at other things as Craig is. Craig prepares this team exceptionally well and he happens to be a pretty good coach himself.

I am stoked we got Craig though

 

[RoosterLad]

Why did you have a problem with Craigy?
He helped us win two flags in the past and hes a local.

I never wanted Eade or Wallace.

 

[Crow-mo]

He helped us win two flags in the past and hes a local.

so did Mark Mickan, and who gives a monkey's whether he's local.

 

[raikkonen]

I just wanted someone loacl, because both our Victorian coaches have been f***wits

 

[- PC -]

I just wanted someone loacl, because both our Victorian coaches have been f***wits

I was thinking similar thoughts in trying to compose a thread about '' we need a Victorian coach'' . It was triggered by the thought that the Cornes boys could have been F/S selections if GC had been given one more year.

Yet here in WA and in SA there was always this call '' you need a Victorian coach to win'' . Robert Shaw was chosen and the Crows went backwards. Blight came and conquered then his disciple at Geelong was chosen and while it started out well ended badly.

Mick Malthouse came West and some say under acheived while some say he over achieved

I am glad now that this perception has all but disappeared from the thinking of administrators and that the best person is selected whether they be Victorian or Martian

 

[jc67]

It wasn't unanimous, there were a couple of us at least.

 

[macca23]

It wasn't unanimous, there were a couple of us at least.

Yes, I remember - you were a Craig man.

Me - I was up sh itter's ditch with my choice!!

 

[drakeyv2]

I thought it was a bad move. What could he offer as senior coach, he couldn't offer as assistant.

The answer seems to have been everything.

It could still all end in tears, BUT I reckon he has already had more impact on the club than Blight (not taking into account the flag off course).

Blight shook up the the playing list & the assistants & turned us from a joke to a proud club. I don't think that he had a massive impact om the club stucture as a whole & we must be honest & say we were in some disaray when he left.

Craig has turned us into the uber professional club of the comp. He seems to have had a hand in everything from marketing the club to changing management structures, youth development & management.

On top of that he has been able to turn ordinary players into VERY valuable members of a team.

I doubt any of the other coaches available at the time could have done what he has done, as well as he has done it, in the time it has taken. I'm not convinced any of them actutualy had his breadth of vision.

He does all this with a level of modesty about his own role that is so admirable.

To me he has set our club up with structures & a way of approaching the game that will hold us in stead for 10 + years.

 

[noddy]

Always been on the Craig choo-choo train as far back as i can remember.

 

[RoosterLad]

so did Mark Mickan, and who gives a monkey's whether he's local.

Personally, I think Craig played a slightly bigger role.

Secondly, Mickan is doing very well with Glenelg at the moment.

 

[marvin]

Why did you have a problem with Craigy?
He helped us win two flags in the past and hes a local.

So did Darel Hart.

 

[tribey]

Robert Shaw was chosen and the Crows went backwards.

Did we?

I'd say we went severely backwards under Cornes (1993 -> 1994) and in his two years at the club Shaw did a tremendous job of filling our list with players who would become our Premiership players and future stars under Blight and beyond.

There is absolutely no doubt Shaw left the list in a better state than when he found it - and for a limited matchday coach that's all we could've hoped for under the circumstances.

The other question is, with 9 wins in 1995 and 8 wins in 1996 how would Shaw have gone with the luxury of a fit Shaun Rehn?

 

[drakeyv2]

Did we?

I'd say we went severely backwards under Cornes (1993 -> 1994) and in his two years at the club Shaw did a tremendous job of filling our list with players who would become our Premiership players and future stars under Blight and beyond.

There is absolutely no doubt Shaw left the list in a better state than when he found it - and for a limited matchday coach that's all we could've hoped for under the circumstances.

The other question is, with 9 wins in 1995 and 8 wins in 1996 how would Shaw have gone with the luxury of a fit Shaun Rehn?

I don't think you could say we went backwards with Cornes in 93. As much as I dislike him, a prelim in your 3rd year is a big effort. I think the problem for 94-96 was ego from coaches & players alike.

I agree about Shaw's recruiting.

 

[tribey]

I don't think you could say we went backwards with Cornes in 93. As much as I dislike him, a prelim in your 3rd year is a big effort. I think the problem for 94-96 was ego from coaches & players alike.

I agree about Shaw's recruiting.

Sorry, I meant backwards in season 1994 from where we were in 1993 - the "(1993 -> 1994)" equation was supposed to signify that but wasn't that clear.

 

[Bugz]

I have never been a fan of "What if's"....

But, what if Neil Craig coached St. Kilda or Geelong, how much better or worse would they be?

 

[- PC -]

I have never been a fan of "What if's"....

But, what if Neil Craig coached St. Kilda or Geelong, how much better or worse would they be?

What if Worsfold took the Fremantle job and Connolly the West Coast job?

 

[tribey]

What if Worsfold took the Fremantle job and Connolly the West Coast job?

One of the better ones of that ilk is,

"What if Damien Drum hadn't turned down Collingwood to coach Fremantle?"

He must still be kicking himself.

 

[JohnK]

What if Craig had taken the West Coast job?

 

[macca23]

What if Craig had taken the West Coast job?

What if someone else had picked Angwin before we could, or Carey had never bonked his mate's missus??

Sliding Doors!!

 

[NikkiNoo]

On last nights White Line Fever they had Nathan Bassett on and at he made the statement that they (the plyaing group) expect to win every game. Shaw made reference to this about the 'arrogance' of the club or he thought it could just be Bassett at the end of the interview.

He didn't mean it, I think, in a negative way but Eade qualified it by talking about when he went for his interview with the afc. He said that the main point the club made to him was the expectation of success at the club. They expect to win everything and is the culture that the club was 'spruiking' to him during the interview process. Interesting.

 

[rayven]

On last nights White Line Fever they had Nathan Bassett on and at he made the statement that they (the plyaing group) expect to win every game. Shaw made reference to this about the 'arrogance' of the club or he thought it could just be Bassett at the end of the interview.

He didn't mean it, I think, in a negative way but Eade qualified it by talking about when he went for his interview with the afc. He said that the main point the club made to him was the expectation of success at the club. They expect to win everything and is the culture that the club was 'spruiking' to him during the interview process. Interesting.

I saw that,Mr Eade was quiet during the interview.I got the feeling Nathan did not want to be there.
In the interview Clinton "Crows for wooden spoon 05" Grybas asked about our forward line and the players injured and Nathan said as long as the players know the forward line system it dosnt matter who plays there. Well Grybas asked what is the System and got the reply "I aint going to tell you"

 

[-VC-]

I was thinking similar thoughts in trying to compose a thread about '' we need a Victorian coach'' . It was triggered by the thought that the Cornes boys could have been F/S selections if GC had been given one more year.

Yet here in WA and in SA there was always this call '' you need a Victorian coach to win'' . Robert Shaw was chosen and the Crows went backwards. Blight came and conquered then his disciple at Geelong was chosen and while it started out well ended badly.

Mick Malthouse came West and some say under acheived while some say he over achieved

I am glad now that this perception has all but disappeared from the thinking of administrators and that the best person is selected whether they be Victorian or Martian

The guy widely regarded as the greatest coach in VFL history - Tom Hafey - is from NSW of all places.

 

[arrowman]

I didn't Wallace, I thought he was not as hot a coach as people (Cornesy) made out and in any case his style and personality was a bad fit for our club and what we needed. We certainly shouldn't have gone on bended knee to him the way Cornesy thinks we should have.

I preferred Eade over Craig but I don't pretend to have any special insight there, just an opinion at the time. Not a strong preference though. I did have, and still do, a problem with the way the club handled the appointment process. Not that they necessarily were biased, but because things happened (like Wayne Jackson not being at Eade's presentation) that didn't look good and I think the club should have managed that better.

But - in hindsight - think about this - knowing what we know now about Craig's coaching philosophy and methods, can you imagine how impressive his presentation to the club must have been? I think we should acknowledge that the club saw and knew a lot of stuff at the time, that we, the supporters, had no idea about.

 

[macca23]

But - in hindsight - think about this - knowing what we know now about Craig's coaching philosophy and methods, can you imagine how impressive his presentation to the club must have been? I think we should acknowledge that the club saw and knew a lot of stuff at the time, that we, the supporters, had no idea about.

As someone who didn't want Craig at the time - you're exactly right with that. They obviously knew a heap that we mere mortals had no knowledge of at all. I do think that from a perception point of view, the club did handle the whole appointment thing poorly, and as we know, perception becomes reality.

I've gladly eaten huge slices of humble pie ever since his appointment though.

We now have the best coach in the AFL - by the length of the proverbial straight IMO.