aristeas
True Blue since '76
Dear Kevin,
I've been a Blues fan for thirty-three years, and always will be. But I've also been a Sheedy fan for at least the last twenty. In a game full of big egos and tiny minds you have stood out as a real thinker, a true lover of the game, and in the latter years as a genuinely wise man. And goodness knows there's precious little wisdom in most of the people running football clubs of any code. The number of people who’ve played under you and gone on to careers in coaching is testament to that. Watching ‘Bomber’ Thompson handle the media frenzy from week to week with quiet thoughtfulness shows a lot of your influence on his development.
No-one has contributed more to the game in the last quarter century than yourself. I remember watching the Dons play the Blues at Windy Hill in the '80s and being thrilled (and dismayed) by the way you managed your team, the brilliant set-plays performed on cue, the insightful moves that swung a quarter. I knew I was understanding the game better when I could work out what was happening, ie: what you were up to in the coaches box and how it was being played out on the field.
The finest example of your ability to make the crucial difference is probably impossible to pick out of so many years and so many games, but the record-breaking turn-around against Richmond a few years back is one of my favourites. I also remember being absolutely amazed and dismayed when Carlton beat Essendon in the last few minutes of that Preliminary Final a few years back. We had no chance of winning the Grand Final, while Essendon were pretty much guaranteed to do so. My Bombers supporting mate and I were both disgusted!
As a management consultant I've tried to impress on people that self-development is the single most important thing a person can do. In the long run organisations don’t learn, only people do. You embody that. Consistently displaying grace under pressure, the benefits of being a long-term thinker (such as being able to ride out the ups-and-downs with equanimity), and the sense of humour that comes from seeing yourself and your own career in perspective. I’m still tickled by your describing Terry Wallace as “thinking like a half-forward flanker”. His annoyance and inability to work out what that meant only added to the fun.
I hope that Carlton bids for you as coach, but I doubt the administration has the brains to do so. Whoever does have the luck and judgement to hire you will be getting a bargain at any price; someone who can solve today’s problems while building for the future. A brilliant match day tactician who can put in place strategies for a clubs long-term success. Essendon will be reaping the benefits of your work for many years to come.
Whatever the future holds for you after Essendon I hope, for selfish reasons, that you continue to be a hot property in the media. I look forward to hearing your insights on the game, and on the ups-and-downs of life.
Cheers and Good Luck,
Blue-black-and-Red
I've been a Blues fan for thirty-three years, and always will be. But I've also been a Sheedy fan for at least the last twenty. In a game full of big egos and tiny minds you have stood out as a real thinker, a true lover of the game, and in the latter years as a genuinely wise man. And goodness knows there's precious little wisdom in most of the people running football clubs of any code. The number of people who’ve played under you and gone on to careers in coaching is testament to that. Watching ‘Bomber’ Thompson handle the media frenzy from week to week with quiet thoughtfulness shows a lot of your influence on his development.
No-one has contributed more to the game in the last quarter century than yourself. I remember watching the Dons play the Blues at Windy Hill in the '80s and being thrilled (and dismayed) by the way you managed your team, the brilliant set-plays performed on cue, the insightful moves that swung a quarter. I knew I was understanding the game better when I could work out what was happening, ie: what you were up to in the coaches box and how it was being played out on the field.
The finest example of your ability to make the crucial difference is probably impossible to pick out of so many years and so many games, but the record-breaking turn-around against Richmond a few years back is one of my favourites. I also remember being absolutely amazed and dismayed when Carlton beat Essendon in the last few minutes of that Preliminary Final a few years back. We had no chance of winning the Grand Final, while Essendon were pretty much guaranteed to do so. My Bombers supporting mate and I were both disgusted!
As a management consultant I've tried to impress on people that self-development is the single most important thing a person can do. In the long run organisations don’t learn, only people do. You embody that. Consistently displaying grace under pressure, the benefits of being a long-term thinker (such as being able to ride out the ups-and-downs with equanimity), and the sense of humour that comes from seeing yourself and your own career in perspective. I’m still tickled by your describing Terry Wallace as “thinking like a half-forward flanker”. His annoyance and inability to work out what that meant only added to the fun.
I hope that Carlton bids for you as coach, but I doubt the administration has the brains to do so. Whoever does have the luck and judgement to hire you will be getting a bargain at any price; someone who can solve today’s problems while building for the future. A brilliant match day tactician who can put in place strategies for a clubs long-term success. Essendon will be reaping the benefits of your work for many years to come.
Whatever the future holds for you after Essendon I hope, for selfish reasons, that you continue to be a hot property in the media. I look forward to hearing your insights on the game, and on the ups-and-downs of life.
Cheers and Good Luck,
Blue-black-and-Red
