If not CC then who???

[dominguez]

14 wins will just about do it this year IMO.

Funnily enough I feel more confident when We don't kick the first goal.

The Sainters are racked with injury at the moment and I reckon Montanga will be looked at by the MRP.

Does anybody know what the clearance count was today?

The Hawks appeared to smash the Saints at the stoppages.

Pies got there with 13 wins in 2002. 14 and a good percentage will probably get us in, although Fremantle and good percentage have never been mentioned in the same sentence!

I'd feel really confident if we kicked the first 5 on Friday.

Saints have had an incredibly bad run with injuries for about 3 years now. It's always close when we play them but if we lose we will struggle to make the 8. Few showers forecast for Friday.

Clearances- 34 Fremantle, 42 Geelong according to Sunday Times. 74 tackles.

 

[spitlizard]

Question regarding coaches?
Has there been a coach (recently) that has assumed the top job at a club without being an assistant first i.e. straight into it?

 

[theGav56]

Question regarding coaches?
Has there been a coach (recently) that has assumed the top job at a club without being an assistant first i.e. straight into it?

Tim Watson.

 

[spitlizard]

Tim Watson.

Mmmm ok; maybe Voss isn't such a good idea then

 

[Ripper]

Question regarding coaches?
Has there been a coach (recently) that has assumed the top job at a club without being an assistant first i.e. straight into it?

Tim Watson took over the saints after they made a GF in1997 and finished 6th in 1998.

They then finished

1999 10th (10 wins)
2000 16th (2 wins and a draw)

He was then sacked and replaced by Blight who was sacked and replaced by GT.

2001 15th (4 wins)
2002 15th (5 wins and a draw)
2003 11th (11 wins)
2004 3rd (16 wins)
2005 4th (17 wins)
2006 8th (14 wins)


Coach was again replaced and they are currently sitting:

13th (4 wins)

So in summary going the untried coach route has cost them 5 years in the wilderness.

 

[dominguez]

It didn't work out for Tim Watson, but that doesn't mean it can't work. It is definately a risk and I don't want to see us go down that path, but Voss might be a good fit at seasons end for a club like Carlton.

Voss has spent a large part of the last 3 or 4 years injured, so he would have spent considerable time in the box with Lethal. Voss also comes across as much more intelligent than Watson, and he also played the game with that tenacity that wins premierships. When Michael Voss speaks I reckon the young guys would be paying 100% attention. Listening to Watson on Friday nights makes it obvious why he failed as a coach.

 

[estibador]

Voss definitley sounds a lot more impressive on the box than Watson. Timmy sounds completely clueless and uninspiring and like Dom I can see why he failed as a coach after listening to his so-called analysis on tv.

What impresses me most about Voss is he seems to have a tendency to cut through the bull straight to the point. Comments he's made about players getting up after they've been hit no matter how much they're hurting and things like that make me think he's the sort of coach who would have his players prepared to run through brick walls for him.

I hope we make a big play for him at seasons end to at least become an assistant coach for us.

 

[Freo Blood]

In our assessment of Connolly do we have to rate the playing list. Is he fully (or nearly fully) responsible. I know some coaches have less input than others. How is Freo set up?

 

[dominguez]

In our assessment of Connolly do we have to rate the playing list. Is he fully (or nearly fully) responsible. I know some coaches have less input than others. How is Freo set up?

After 5 and a half seaon this is Connolly's list. In your opinion Freo Blood (or anyone elses), where does our list compare among the 16 clubs?

 

[estibador]

After 5 and a half seaon this is Connolly's list. In your opinion Freo Blood (or anyone elses), where does our list compare among the 16 clubs?

I honestly think we have a top 4 list. Collectively our forward and backlines are probably the best in the league. We've got one of the most dominant ruckmen in the AFL and a top 3 player in the league.

Our midfield lacks pace and that's about the only weakness I think. Other than that I think we have a very balanced side with quality all over the park.

 

[Keys]

After 5 and a half seaon this is Connolly's list. In your opinion Freo Blood (or anyone elses), where does our list compare among the 16 clubs?

At the start of this year I ranked your list as among the best in the comp, if not the best.

I based this largely on the way Freo finished off 2006, the anticipated continuing improvement of some younger players (eg Johnson, Murphy, Schammer) and the added potency Tarrant would provide up forward.

Due to injuries and suspensions you have not had your best list on the field at any stage and this has disrupted the balance of the team. Some players have coped better with this than others.

Results this year have now left me wondering which is the real Fremantle - the side that struggled for the first half of last year and is struggling now or the barnstorming side that played some of the best football of 2006 during the run home. Personally, I think it's the latter.

Despite the loss against the Pies there were some good signs which you should be able to build on against Richmond and leave you at 5-6 at the break which is still in touch with the top 8.

With players coming back (especially Farmer) you can build momentum for another final's tilt.

 

[theGav56]

If I was Voss, the last thing that I would want is to step straight into a head coaching job. He has that waiting for him on a platter, and jumping prematurely could blow it for him in the long term (I'm sure there's an analogy in here somewhere, but it's elluding me?). If I was him I would want to get the experience of being an Assistant so that when I'm head coach I know what it's like to runthe midfiled or forwards etc. Also I get to check out the way that the medical stuff gets delt with, recruiting, sacking, selection, use of technology, relating to a Board, and all from a safe distance. They are part of what would be a massive learning curve for a non-experienced coach.

In addition, imagine him coming to Freo. Harvey, who is our best and most experienced assistant would a) leave or b) be an assistant with a question mark over his support for a new coach. It takes time for any new coach to build the support base around them they require to be effective.

The reality for us is that ANY inexperienced coach is a huge risk at a time when our list has the potential to be successful.

 

[Dr Ralph Dagg]

Tim Watson took over the Saints after they made a GF in1997 and finished 6th in 1998.

They then finished

1999 10th (10 wins)
2000 16th (2 wins and a draw)

He was then sacked and replaced by Blight who was sacked and replaced by GT.

Its a bit more complicated than that. Watson politely stepped aside admitting he didn't have the ticker for the job. You'll notice he is not that critical of coaches after his very sobering experience.

Blight was continually white-anted by Grant Thomas and left in disgust saying they were a rabble and un-professional. Results would tend to prove him right.

2001 15th (4 wins)
2002 15th (5 wins and a draw)
2003 11th (11 wins)
2004 3rd (16 wins)
2005 4th (17 wins)
2006 8th (14 wins)
Coach was again replaced and they are currently sitting:
13th (4 wins)

So in summary going the untried coach route has cost them 5 years in the wilderness.

He only cost them 3 years. Club management were the real problem. You forget they have also sacked a number of assistant coaches and gone through conditioning staff. For all his faults, Larcom helped drastically reduced the injury rate but only lasted a season or two at Saints.

You'll notice they still have the same President.

 

[Dr Ralph Dagg]

What impresses me most about Voss is he seems to have a tendency to cut through the bull straight to the point. Comments he's made about players getting up after they've been hit no matter how much they're hurting and things like that make me think he's the sort of coach who would have his players prepared to run through brick walls for him.

I hope we make a big play for him at seasons end to at least become an assistant coach for us.

I hope you all watched the game on Saturday night when Blighty was teasing Voss. There were a couple of times when Blighty asked Vossy what he would do if he was coach. Vossy was completely stumped.

You could hear the gulf between Blight and his experience, and Voss and his lack of it.

 

[Dr Ralph Dagg]

I can't get Sheedy out of my head. If I was Schwabby, and I knew Connolly was going, I would move heaven and earth to get Sheedy. There would be none of this carp about untried coaches. He would bring a gravitas that would shut the critics up. You can't imagine the West running polls on whether to sack Sheedy mid-season.

The players would either knuckle down or be out the door. He would provide an authoritative voice. He doesn't come in and find his place. The players can't but respect him. And he has that ability to get players playing the way he wants them to play.

He's got fantastic support in terms of Harvey and Shaw with whom he already has working relationships.

I just think a 3 year contract would round him off nicely because he has a genuine tilt at a premiership. O'donnell could get Essendon and take their youngsters through. It's tough on Harvey but I'm not sure he's the guy.

He might have to be if we lose to Richmond.

 

[Captain Pump]

I can't get Sheedy out of my head. If I was Schwabby, and I knew Connolly was going, I would move heaven and earth to get Sheedy. There would be none of this carp about untried coaches. He would bring a gravitas that would shut the critics up. You can't imagine the West running polls on whether to sack Sheedy mid-season.

The players would either knuckle down or be out the door. He would provide an authoritative voice. He doesn't come in and find his place. The players can't but respect him. And he has that ability to get players playing the way he wants them to play.

He's got fantastic support in terms of Harvey and Shaw with whom he already has working relationships.

I just think a 3 year contract would round him off nicely because he has a genuine tilt at a premiership. O'donnell could get Essendon and take their youngsters through. It's tough on Harvey but I'm not sure he's the guy.

He might have to be if we lose to Richmond.

The more I think about it the more I like the thought of Sheedy at Freo. I think probably because we have never had an experienced coach here and the idea is seductive. Sheedy would dominate in Perth and make the stooge up the road look like the inanimate stump that he is.

 

[dominguez]

I can't get Sheedy out of my head. If I was Schwabby, and I knew Connolly was going, I would move heaven and earth to get Sheedy. There would be none of this carp about untried coaches. He would bring a gravitas that would shut the critics up. You can't imagine the West running polls on whether to sack Sheedy mid-season.

Definately.

 

[Borry]

Tim Watson.

and Leigh Matthews.

 

[estibador]

I'm definitely warming to the idea of Sheeds as Freo coach. If Voss is serious about coaching he'll want to be an assistant to one of the big guns to learn as much as he can. Who better than the old master Sheedy?

I'd love to see a coaching panel of Sheeds with Harvey and Voss assistants next year. Carey would be handy too but I don't know how his ego would handle an assistants role.

 

[pinkus maximus]

i doubt harvs would remain if sheedy took over freo

seriously though,the guys been around 11 years and noone seems to want to give him a head job

i doubt he is even freos first choice

 

[spitlizard]

I can't get Sheedy out of my head.

You'll just have to try Ralphy....I think his married

 

[Dr Ralph Dagg]

i doubt harvs would remain if sheedy took over freo

seriously though,the guys been around 11 years and noone seems to want to give him a head job

I've been around a lot longer than 11 years and no one will give me head job either.

 

[pinkus maximus]

nice ^^

sheedy would be perfect really. i rememebr when malthouse left and he was asked by journalists whether he still had a grudge against the eagles now that hes gone and he basically said it was not about malthouse,he just hated the eagles