Geelong haven't sacked a head coach since 1988

[Selfield]

I heard this yesterday and thought it couldn't possibly be true given how often clubs sack coaches. I looked it up and saw we've only had four coaches since we sacked John Devine in 1988.

Malcolm Blight, Gary Ayres and Mark Thompson all resigned as coach. None of them were sacked and given how successful Chris Scott

Chris Scott

Age

47

Ht

182cm

Wt

89kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

16.6

4star

K

11.2

4star

HB

5.4

4star

M

5.1

5star

T

1.6

4star

G

0.4

3star

No current season stats available

D

13.2

4star

K

10.2

4star

HB

3.0

3star

M

2.2

3star

T

2.8

5star

G

0.4

3star

's coaching tenure has been, there is zero chance of him being sacked as once his time at Geelong is done, he'll leave the club on his own terms.

To put this in perspective, Carlton have had 10 senior coaches over the last 35 years. Out of those only Jesaulenko and Parkin resigned and left the club on their own terms.

Walls, Brittain, Pagan, Ratten, Malthouse, Bolton and Teague were all sacked by Carlton, with Carlton having sacked their last six consecutive coaches. If Voss gets sacked it'll mean Carlton have sacked their last seven coaches in a row.

Another example of a club known to sack their coach is Richmond who have had eight senior coaches in the last 35 years. Soon to be nine now that Hardwick has resigned.

Bartlett, Jeans, Northey, Walls and Gieschen were all sacked by Richmond in the space of a decade, but Richmond haven't sacked their coach since 1999 which is testament to how much more stable and well run their club is now compared to back then. Frawley, Wallace and Hardwick all resigned and left on their own terms.

Port Adelaide have only had four coaches since entering the AFL and are another example of a stable/well run club. Mark Williams is the only coach they've sacked given both Cahill and Primus resigned on their own terms, and it's hard to see Ken Hinkley being sacked given he has a good record having never coached Port a minimum of 10 wins every year during his tenure.

With Geelong having not sacked a head coach since 1988, Richmond since 1999 and Port Adelaide since 2010, it's amazing to think Carlton have sacked four coaches since any of these clubs last sacked their coach. I believe St Kilda have sacked three coaches since 2010.

 

[Gameova_]

Geelong mostly been successful tho so that helps. Even when not winning flags they will making grand finals.

Helps they play games at they s**t box down in Geelong. No offence....

 

[Selfield]

Geelong mostly been successful tho so that helps. Even when not winning flags they will making grand finals.

Helps they play games at they s**t box down in Geelong. No offence....

We don't get to play finals at Kardinia Park though, yet we've made 10 grand finals in the last 35 years and won four flags.

You only have to look at recent years when we've been an average team (2012, 2015, 2018) to see our home ground advantage alone doesn't help us finish top 4. During those years I mentioned, we won most of our home games but had an average away record so we finished mid table in those years as a result.

The reason why we've finished top 4 in 13 of the last 16 years has nothing to do with Kardinia Park and everything to do with how well we've played away from home, with our away record alone being better than everyone else's overall record both home and away during that time. This year we've been ordinary away from home hence why it feels like another 2012/2015/2018 type season.

 

[Gameova_]

We don't get to play finals at Kardinia Park though, yet we've made 10 grand finals in the last 35 years and won four flags.

You only have to look at recent years when we've been an average team (2012, 2015, 2018) to see our home ground advantage alone doesn't help us finish top 4. During those years I mentioned, we won most of our home games but had an average away record so we finished mid table in those years as a result.

The reason why we've finished top 4 in 13 of the last 16 years has nothing to do with Kardinia Park and everything to do with how well we've played away from home, with our away record alone being better than everyone else's overall record both home and away during that time. This year we've been ordinary away from home hence why it feels like another 2012/2015/2018 type season.

Is this true Taylor

 

[Chief]

To put this in perspective, Carlton

Once again Carlton are the yardstick other clubs measure themselves by.

You're welcome!

 

[StonesThrow]

What losers

 

[RedmanWasHere]

Gary Ayres

I thought Conan switched to Adelaide.

He didn't quit.

 

[Underarm]

Ayres and Terry Wallace at richmond jumped before he was pushed. You can't really say thats the same as Dimma or Bomber Thompson.

 

[Bianconeri]

I heard this yesterday and thought it couldn't possibly be true given how often clubs sack coaches

Do coaches get sacked often? I feel like most coaches hang around for a while even if they’re underwhelming.

 

[Meteoric Rise]

OK so Geelong FC have been sacked by 100% of their former coaches since 1988? Must be an even worse place than I thought.

 

[Tiger2709]

Once again Carlton are the yardstick other clubs measure themselves by.

You're welcome!

Unfortunately the clubs are using Carlton as an example for lack of success.

 

[Sttew]

OK so Geelong FC have been sacked by 100% of their former coaches since 1988? Must be an even worse place than I thought.

Coach getting in first? At least when a coach leaves as opposed to the club sacking him it doesn't cost the club an arm and a leg.

 

[Simche]

I am struggling to see a point outside of the fact Geelong have tolerated underperformance for longer than what other sides have. Yes Blight led you to three grand finals, but the Cats should have gone much further in 90, 91 and 93 and I consider Blight extremely lucky to have remained in the job after the latter. Thompson coached ten years for 2 flags and arguably should have gotten more out of that list in that period. Scott I can't fault and think has done a great job to take two flags and keep Geelong in contention.

Hawthorn, the most successful team since 88, have won 7 flags and sacked 5 coaches with only Jeans surviving (I am including Clarkson because of the whole Sam is taking over thing which is constructively sacking him).

I don't think the number of coaches sacked really matters to be honest. The important thing is trying to create a stable platform as a club and getting the list in a position where a coach can then implement a game plan in a manner which wins flags, as that's all it is about. Reckon club presidents might tell a better story in terms of correlating to success.

 

[Rowan18]

I heard this yesterday and thought it couldn't possibly be true given how often clubs sack coaches. I looked it up and saw we've only had four coaches since we sacked John Devine in 1988.

Malcolm Blight, Gary Ayres and Mark Thompson all resigned as coach. None of them were sacked and given how successful Chris Scott's coaching tenure has been, there is zero chance of him being sacked as once his time at Geelong is done, he'll leave the club on his own terms.

To put this in perspective, Carlton have had 10 senior coaches over the last 35 years. Out of those only Jesaulenko and Parkin resigned and left the club on their own terms.

Walls, Brittain, Pagan, Ratten, Malthouse, Bolton and Teague were all sacked by Carlton, with Carlton having sacked their last six consecutive coaches. If Voss gets sacked it'll mean Carlton have sacked their last seven coaches in a row.

Another example of a club known to sack their coach is Richmond who have had eight senior coaches in the last 35 years. Soon to be nine now that Hardwick has resigned.

Bartlett, Jeans, Northey, Walls and Gieschen were all sacked by Richmond in the space of a decade, but Richmond haven't sacked their coach since 1999 which is testament to how much more stable and well run their club is now compared to back then. Frawley, Wallace and Hardwick all resigned and left on their own terms.

Port Adelaide have only had four coaches since entering the AFL and are another example of a stable/well run club. Mark Williams is the only coach they've sacked given both Cahill and Primus resigned on their own terms, and it's hard to see Ken Hinkley being sacked given he has a good record having never coached Port a minimum of 10 wins every year during his tenure.

With Geelong having not sacked a head coach since 1988, Richmond since 1999 and Port Adelaide since 2010, it's amazing to think Carlton have sacked four coaches since any of these clubs last sacked their coach. I believe St Kilda have sacked three coaches since 2010.

West Coast has also mostly hung onto their coaches. They cycled through a few in the VFL days but Malthouse stayed from 1990-1999 until he chose to leave for Collingwood. The next coach, Ken Judge, was the outlier. He did a terrible job and got the arse at the end of 2001. Woosha came in from 2002-2013 and chose not to seek a contract extension. Simmo has been there from 2013.

The club has never had a caretaker coach, but both Jaymie Graham and Matthew Knights coached one game each when Simmo was unavailable (daughter was sick and then he had COVID).

Does stability of coaches lead to success, or does success mean coaches are less likely to be fired?

 

[Belnakor]

Does stability of coaches lead to success, or does success mean coaches are less likely to be fired?

well obviously the latter. Unless you were coaching Richmond in the 90s.

 

[gungho]

Having a guy with as much nous as Brian Cook behind the scenes would have been invaluable to the cats.

 

[Rod Stroker]

Having a guy with as much nous as Brian Cook behind the scenes would have been invaluable to the cats.

Looks like his magic has waned at Carlton, trouble on and off the field.

 

[Seeds]

Geelong also haven't had a crack-smoking coach in 13 years. Which is amazing because if I lived in Geelong...

You would be hanging at the beach most of the time?

basking in the glory of the most successful afl team of the past 30 years?

 

[Wavvey]

Congratulations

 

[CrazyJoeFevola]

Unfortunately the clubs are using Carlton as an example for lack of success.

 

[Taper]

OK so Geelong FC have been sacked by 100% of their former coaches since 1988? Must be an even worse place than I thought.

Richmond were sacked by Hardwick.

 

[Sttew]

Helps they play games at they s**t box down in Geelong. No offence....

One of the best stadiums outside of the majors, now with the 40,000 capacity and Chin Chin restaurant at the ground. Posters like you complain its a skinny ground, which it is, but it ALWAYS has been, and yet the complaints have only emerged in recent years. Besides the best football is corridor football and there is no better ground to do that than GMHBA

 

[Thuggee_Cult]

Not too similar to Collingwood, they've only had 4 coaches since Leigh Matthews who started in the mid 80s.

You could argue that Tony Shaw was probably the only coach who was outright given the arse, but the lesson here is that if you pick and stick with the coach and have a good football department you will win more games than you lose. These two clubs get it.

 

[btdg]

Carlton had 6 coaches (3 sacked) from 1978-1982 and won 3 premierships. We then sacked Parkin for Walls after 1985 and made back to back grand finals, and then sacked Walls and replaced Jesaulenko for Parkin and went on to make 2 grand finals in 3 years

if anything, we don't sack nearly enough coaches these days. Pagan had 5 years and a winning % of 24%. Bolton 4 years and 20% wins. Even Teague had 2.5 years at 44%. They are still the only coaches in the history of the club to coach 50 games with a winning % under 50%, and only 1 other (Ken Hands) lasted that long under 60%. Going on too long with the wrong coach is just as bad as firing too early. For Carlton, inertia has hurt just as much as instability.

 

[WillHayward]

So how many coaches have quit before they were pushed in the modern (AFL) era?

Blight
Matthews (? )
Roos
Thompson
Hardwick

Any others?