Geelong's 3 worst coaches in the last 50 years

[BotsMaster]

I started supporting Geelong when Ayres was coach.

I hated him then and I still hate him now.

 

[Sttew]

1. Polly Farmer - possibly our greatest player but a bad coach. Word is he spent more time focused on gambling...with the players.

2. John Devine - had been out of the game too long when he became coach.

3. Tom Hafey - this will surprise some, but he had a talented team and took it nowhere. Couldn't make the five with players such as Ablett, Williams, Turner, Bruns, Jackson...

 

[CF]

1. Polly Farmer - possibly our greatest player but a bad coach. Word is he spent more time focused on gambling...with the players.

2. John Devine - had been out of the game too long when he became coach.

3. Tom Hafey - this will surprise some, but he had a talented team and took it nowhere. Couldn't make the five with players such as Ablett, Williams, Turner, Bruns, Jackson...

I think that is a reasonable list.

But Gary Ayres was huge dud of massive proportions

 

[Sttew]

I think that is a reasonable list.

But Gary Ayres was huge dud of massive proportions

Yeah, I hated Ayres, but I think the problem was that he was a bad selection coming off Blight. You couldn't get greater extremes in coaching styles, and the players didn't warm to Ayres' style.

 

[STC]

I'll do it in reverse order to change things up a bit:

3. Gary Ayers
2. Gary Ayers
...and finally...
1. Gary Ayers

 

[AM]

Blighty. All those years and not one bloody Premiership.

 

[DanA]

I've only got three coaches that I remember.

You'd have to be in your40's to have been able to judge anyone prior to Blight.

 

[alfy!]

did you guys mention ayres yet?

 

[geelongfan]

1) Gary Ayres

2) Gary Ayres

3) Gary Ayres

Total Rubbish, and caused heaps of damage, lost us the greatest player to ever play VFL/AFL

No other coach comes close to Ayres as the worst.

100 per cent correct.
Ayres = WOEFUL COACH

 

[Russcats]

It always seemed funny to me that Malcolm Blight passed 2 clubs onto Ayres as well as gave him a job as an assistant at Geelong. Blighty has a unique football brain that most people don't get but he must have seen something in Ayres. Perhaps it was his way of paying back Geelong and Adelaide for working for both clubs much the same way as you sometimes like to see someone inferior take over your old job once you have moved on. Either way, I don't give a "Rats Tosser".

Ayres was a complete dill and he knows just how much he is thought of in both Adelaide and Geelong and listening to that guy talking is like going to church. I can't wait for it to end.

 

[Partridge]

I've only got three coaches that I remember.

You'd have to be in your40's to have been able to judge anyone prior to Blight.

Don't think so, Blight only took over in 1989 - that's 21 years ago. Pretty sure I can remember stuff before I was 19.

I'm 37 and can clearly remember Hafey being in charge, that's going back to 1983.

 

[Partridge]

It always seemed funny to me that Malcolm Blight passed 2 clubs onto Ayres as well as gave him a job as an assistant at Geelong. Blighty has a unique football brain that most people don't get but he must have seen something in Ayres. Perhaps it was his way of paying back Geelong and Adelaide for working for both clubs much the same way as you sometimes like to see someone inferior take over your old job once you have moved on. Either way, I don't give a "Rats Tosser".

Ayres was a complete dill and he knows just how much he is thought of in both Adelaide and Geelong and listening to that guy talking is like going to church. I can't wait for it to end.

There's a lot of mythology about Blight. He did some things fantastically well; but he also made some horrendous blunders. He's far from the perfect coach or leader of men. As a coach he's not within a mile of Thompson in my opinion.

And yes, Gary Ayres will be at the top of this tree of mediocrity for a long time to come. At least we didn't get Danny Frawley.

 

[Pollywaffle]

Other Awards

Thickest coach Ayres
Least people skills Ayres
Worst media performing coach Ayres
Most selfish coach Ayres
Coach with the worst Hairdo Ayres
Most annoying voice Ayers
Most destructive Ayres

 

[KevinCat07]

Gary Ayres.

Not only a dud, but too pompous as our coach, and Adelaides.

Even these day he thinks he's top stuff coaching a VFL side.

It's ok to be confident, but he just comes across as an American type coach.

 

[Partridge]

Other Awards

Thickest coach Ayres
Least people skills Ayres
Worst media performing coach Ayres
Most selfish coach Ayres
Coach with the worst Hairdo Ayres
Most annoying voice Ayres
Most destructive Ayres

I'm trying to think of other areas where he's clearly the worst but that's pretty comprehensive...

Least charismatic Ayres
Tactically *ed Ayres
Worst recruiting Ayres
Worst recruiting Ayres
Worst recruiting Ayres

Any more?

 

[footy4ever]

Can't say I liked Ayers much at Adelaide...but guys, guys, ****ing SHAW!!?? Crows cocked up more with that dropkick than both Geelong and Adelaide put together did in appointing Ayers.

 

[Macjoe]

Sorry, F4E, bad as RS was -

Worst coach EVER at Adelaide:

1. Ayres
2. Ayres
3. Ayres

 

[James23]

Other Awards

Thickest coach Ayres
Least people skills Ayres
Worst media performing coach Ayres
Most selfish coach Ayres
Coach with the worst Hairdo Ayres
Most annoying voice Ayers
Most destructive Ayres

this.

if it wasnt for neil craigs genuis, our club would have gone the way of carltons, after the mess that this **** left us in

 

[David the Cat]

How about an "Ayers for Hawks" campaign? Now there's a good idea. Back to his roots.., family club, welcome back a legend and all that.

What a replacement for "King-hit" Clarkson he would be......

Sounds good to me....

 

[MC Extra Dollop]

Gary Ayres by the width of the Pacific Ocean.

As said before, he inherited a good side from Malcolm Blight, and ran it into the ground.

During his tenure, he shafted loyal GFC servants like Ablett, Brownless, Hinkley and Couch, and replaced them with duds like Brett Spinks, Leigh Brockman, Gerrard Bennett, Joel McKay, Tim Finocchiaro, Peter Street, Brady Anderson and Stuart Lamond.

I don't think heading back to Kardinia Park is top of Bairstow's things to do list after his treatment at the hands of Ayres, either.

 

[Copernicus]

How about an "Ayers for Hawks" campaign? Now there's a good idea. Back to his roots.., family club, welcome back a legend and all that.

What a replacement for "King-hit" Clarkson he would be......

Sounds good to me....

I'm all for it!

 

[And_ROOS]

Gary Ayres by the width of the Pacific Ocean.

As said before, he inherited a good side from Malcolm Blight, and ran it into the ground.

During his tenure, he shafted loyal GFC servants like Ablett, Brownless, Hinkley and Couch, and replaced them with duds like Brett Spinks, Leigh Brockman, Gerrard Bennett, Joel McKay, Tim Finocchiaro, Peter Street, Brady Anderson and Stuart Lamond.

Not happy with filling up our list with spuds, he waited until Geelong was on their knees financially, then decided to show his true character and **** off to Adelaide.

So he replaced them with my awesome starting line up from that old AFL 99 game?

 

[Partridge]

I don't think heading back to Kardinia Park is top of Bairstow's things to do list after his treatment at the hands of Ayres, either.

After his performance (or lack of it) in the 1994 Grand Final he deserved it. He was finished and brutally exposed when it mattered most. No sympathy.

 

[David the Cat]

After his performance (or lack of it) in the 1994 Grand Final he deserved it. He was finished and brutally exposed when it mattered most. No sympathy.

Pretty harsh Partridge. Bairstow gave many games of good service to the club.......and if he was finished and exposed, isnt it the job of the coach ( Ayres ) to tell him and therefore play others before exposing him to humiliation in the hardest arena of all?

Only confirms the opinion of everyone that Ayres was hopeless at best, and plain incompetent and cynical at worst.

 

[Partridge]

Pretty harsh Partridge. Bairstow gave many games of good service to the club.......and if he was finished and exposed, isnt it the job of the coach ( Ayres ) to tell him and therefore play others before exposing him to humiliation in the hardest arena of all?

Only confirms the opinion of everyone that Ayres was hopeless at best, and plain incompetent and cynical at worst.

Bairstow was a fine player, until he had his nose broken by Craig Kelly in Round 22, 1991 at Geelong. He was never the same again, and decidedly gunshy.

Don't disagree about Ayres though, there wasn't one aspect of coaching I think he was competent in.