Did Essendon make a mistake by sacking Kevin Sheedy?

[WesternSydneyHawk]

It's now nearly 20 years since Essendon sacked Kevin Sheedy.

In 2007, just seven years after the Bombers won the 2000 flag in a nearly perfect season, the great coach was shown the door.

Since then, the Bombers haven't won a single final.

In fact, the last time the club won a final with someone other than Sheeds as coach since ghe '60s.

After the sacking, the club went through its infamous doping scandal, something Sheeds almost certainly would have avoided.

And 2025 looks to be another write off.

The counterargument is that footy at AFL level has evolved a huge amount tactically since 2000.

But that's arguably something a strong group of assistant coaches could've helped with.

He's the club's most successful coach in the past 50 years.

And with Brad Scott's tenure as coach now in question, it's worth asking:

In hindsight, did Essendon make a mistake by sacking Kevin Sheedy?

 

[bzparkes]

Sheedy's been one of the main reasons why the club's been shit since he returned from GWS.

 

[Tas]

They did make a mistake. They took too long and then they let him shiv people left right and center behind the scenes as Hird's fanboy.

 

[Clark G]

Both of the following can be true. Kevin Sheedy is the greatest figure in the history of the Essendon Football Club. Kevin Sheedy was allowed to stay on as coach too long and a lot of the decisions he made in his final years set the club back big time.

One issue since he left is that the club made internal appointments for coaches that for various did not turn the club back into premiership contenders. Knights was the VFL team coach, Hird the champion former player and Rutten an assistant coach.

 

[iameviljez]

Both of the following can be true. Kevin Sheedy is the greatest figure in the history of the Essendon Football Club. Kevin Sheedy was allowed to stay on as coach too long and a lot of the decisions he made in his final years set the club back big time.

Yes, exactly this. Reminds me of United trying to move on from Sir Matt Busby... while he stayed on in, basically, a Director of Football role (https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...blem-of-moving-on-from-an-all-powerful-leader)

 

[windyhill]

Four flags. Forever grateful, however floating around in the background, promoting ****ing hird, having his love child dodoro absolutely tarnished his legacy.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Kept him on as coach three years too long. Which was probably inevitable after such a long stint, so forgivable.

Bringing him back to the club in “marketing” - stupid.

Having him on the board - even more stupid.

But I’ve got a feeling they knew that - and they had to do it strategically to try and control him. Inside the tent pissing out, and all that. The reality is that he has a very strong following among powerful people and he was always going to use that to try and wield influence. That’s just who he is.

At the end of the day he ended up doing a fair bit of damage and it’s good that he’s finally out and seemingly not coming back.

 

[wallsend Shark]

Not sure if he was there for too long eg 3 seasons as you suggest. 2007 there was a upturn inform and when club was still chance of making finals, they announced he wouldn’t have his contract renewed which seem to take the air out of the last part of 2007. For me personally the club had the perfect replacement as coach. That was Neale Daniher, but club didn’t even give him a chance. I really believe Neale would have settled Essendon down with the change from Sheedy but also looked after some of our champion players. Matthew Lloyd should have kicked 1000 goals in his career if it wasn’t for the appointment of Knights and how he just seem to want to push all the older guys out. For that stupidly of wanting to go all out attack.

 

[wallsend Shark]

The mistake was more who they appointed when giving the jobs to Knights who had no runs on the board of success as a lower level coach at the time. As a player very rarely tasted finals action.
Neale Daniher should have been the appointment for the next 3-4 years. Former bomber but a coach who had plenty of runs as an assistant on the board and a decade coaching the demons under him, where he did a solid job.

 

[L_W_P]

The issue with the end of Sheedy's tenure is that the club tried to have it both ways.

They kept giving him 1 year extensions and so he felt forced to go and recruit senior players to keep the team competitive.

If they have him a 5 year deal after 2004 and asked him to rebuild then they would have been in a better spot.

If they sacked him after 04/05 then they also would have been in a better spot.

 

[Partridge]

Both of the following can be true. Kevin Sheedy is the greatest figure in the history of the Essendon Football Club. Kevin Sheedy was allowed to stay on as coach too long and a lot of the decisions he made in his final years set the club back big time.

One issue since he left is that the club made internal appointments for coaches that for various did not turn the club back into premiership contenders. Knights was the VFL team coach, Hird the champion former player and Rutten an assistant coach.

Is he?

The names Dick Reynolds and John Coleman come to mind pretty quickly. They actually played for the club as well. And both coached the club to premierships as well.

 

[5minutes_of_Dew]

Did Essendon make a mistake....

Every, single, day.

For the last 8,000 days,

 

[Clark G]

Is he?

The names Dick Reynolds and John Coleman come to mind pretty quickly. They actually played for the club as well. And both coached the club to premierships as well.

It is a matter of opinion and Bill Hutchison would also be a contender in the debate. And the next coach to coach Essendon to a winning final would also rise up in the Essendon greatest figure rankings.

 

[Blind Turn]

The sacking of Sheedy - good decision.
The hiring of Knights - WTF!!

 

[boncer34]

The issue with the end of Sheedy's tenure is that the club tried to have it both ways.

They kept giving him 1 year extensions and so he felt forced to go and recruit senior players to keep the team competitive.

If they have him a 5 year deal after 2004 and asked him to rebuild then they would have been in a better spot.

If they sacked him after 04/05 then they also would have been in a better spot.

Not even remotely true.

He was extended mid-2004 until the end of 2007, he signed under the understanding he would be transitioning the side to a new era with that contract his last.

The problem was between signing and the end of the contract he decided he wanted to keep coaching.

 

[Cam Payne]

No, they did not. And they do not deserve him and his coterie doing the backroom bulldust they've been up to since then.

 

[LeBronco]

Essendon sacking Sheedy could be seen as their version of Melbourne sacking Norm Smith.

 

[Partridge]

Essendon sacking Sheedy could be seen as their version of Melbourne sacking Norm Smith.

Not even close. Smith was the reigning premiership coach, and they'd just won 6 premierships in 10 seasons.

Sheedy was moved on a full seven years after the last premiership, and there was a seven year gap to the one before that.

 

[Altum Volantes]

Nah it was time - probably a couple of years late really but that part was never going to be easy. That was Sheedy's club from top to bottom - so no doubt it would have been akin to ousting a dictator. In reality though, the game was moving past him pretty swiftly by the mid 2000s and it was time for a change.

 

[Bjo187]

It was definitely time and a few years too late, however it really needed to be someone that was a sheedy understudy in a handover arrangement (Thompson or Hardwick) or someone like Mark Williams who was an Essendon person and in with the sheedy crowd for it to work. At the time I was just happy to see the back of sheedy, but yeah the club was basically his, so it needed to be someone the Essendon fans embraced and backed in. I always compare us and sheedy to Manchester United and Alex Ferguson and how that has gone down too.

 

[010203]

Yes, exactly this. Reminds me of United trying to move on from Sir Matt Busby... while he stayed on in, basically, a Director of Football role (https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...blem-of-moving-on-from-an-all-powerful-leader)

Have you seen the documentary 'The Shadow of Busby'? It's well worth a watch.

 

[The Chad and I]

I'm prob one of the few people who thinks the decision to appoint Hird and Thompson was a good one football decision that would have worked, if they did not embark on a systematic doping program to cheat.

 

[Daka]

I reckon Sheedy has lost his mind, he was a terrible coach at GWS despite them being a new list.

When Leon took over, they instantly improved overnight.

 

[iameviljez]

I'm prob one of the few people who thinks the decision to appoint Hird and Thompson was a good one football decision that would have worked, if they did not embark on a systematic doping program to cheat.

Hird and Thompson would have been a decent idea if you meant Thompson as head coach, and Hird as a first-year assistant. Having Hird - a complete novice - as a head coach, with Thompson the two-time flag-winning ten-year coach under him, was ludicrous.

But I am also a strong believer that junior coaches who were star players, and especially ones who played at just the one club, must start their career somewhere else, somewhere where the ground they walk on is not hero-worshipped.

 

[Pinnell]

I reckon Sheedy has lost his mind, he was a terrible coach at GWS despite them being a new list.

When Leon took over, they instantly improved overnight.

Sheedy lost his mind? EVen his premiership players didn't bother listening to him and thought he was nuts.

PS Doesn't mean they didn't love him though