Kevin Sheedy... marketing tool, long term coach or both?

[Tas]

Such ringing endorsements by Bomber fans, I didn't see these comments when Sheedy expired his use-by date at Windy Hill.

 

[ManWithNoName]

Sheedy was a great coach and I'm respectful and grateful of everything he did for the Essendon Football Club and the AFL as a whole.

Key word in that sentence is "was". He set Essendon back 4-5 years. Wasting the 2005-2007 seasons, and leaving us another 2 years spent having to clean up his mistakes.

Zantuck, Murphy, Alvey, Cole. Not to mention ridiculous drafting choices and incredibly stupid coaching choices; ie getting Kepler Bradley, a tall bloke renowned for his mobility, to bulk up to play at CHB. He was finished. Done. No more.

 

[PieNSauce]

How about all the old badger's in this thread rounding up the grey vote against anyone who criticizes Sheedy's current usefulness in the game. Probably the same crew that remembered Hey Hey it's Saturday to be comedic gold, get it back and realize again how shite it was and and how even worse it is now.

No doubting Sheedy's previous record has been impressive but his coaching/management/motivation/tactics/recruitment in his final years at Essendon were substandard and I struggle to see how any of this will have improved with the length of time out of the game he has had.

The era of Sheedy/Pagan/Northey/Hafey/Jeans etc making comebacks as senior coaches is over I'm sorry.

I totally agree but I'm not quite sure what makes you think those opinions are age related. I watched Sheedy play in his heyday (not hey hey) and I can't see why anybody would want him as a coach. What's more, I doubt I'm going to feel too lonely in that opinion from my own age group. I'm more inclined to think it's younger fans who wouldn't have a clue that reckon he's worth a try.

 

[tigerfan12]

Both Sheedy and Williams are well past their used by dates, emplloyed primarily for publicity. You've got one chance to set this club up and the fool Sheedy is talking about drafting Laycock

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/wester...ders-recruiting-dons-pair-20101122-184aj.html

sorry but laycock is signed to play for the burnie dockers in tassie

 

[Belnakor]

ie getting Kepler Bradley, a tall bloke renowned for his mobility, to bulk up to play at CHB. He was finished. Done. No more.

That truly was a dumb move. It would be like telling Dean Cox he needs to bulk up like Sandliands.

 

[Mr Mojo Risin]

EDIT: And just as 33 year olds can fail; I'd put it to you to find an example of a 63 y.o. making a successful comeback.

I would call Ron Barassi's comeback to coach the Swans a successful comeback. They were an absolute rabble before he came on board and he set them well and truly on the right path for Eade.

Sheedy stayed too long at Essendon and he had too much power over all areas in the football department.

Doesn't change the fact he could and still can coach.

It's amazing how many coaches now coach from the boundary line. Sheedy started doing that (admittedly at first because of his hip - but he continued after it healed) in the 2005-2007 period.

People seem to think he is senile now, but his craziness hasn't changed at all in 30 years. The only thing that has changed is people's sensibility in the football media. Everyone else is so vanilla that it makes him look crazier by comparison.

I am happy for everything he did for Essendon but grateful he left. However I do not believe he lost his ability to coach. He just got too comfortable.

 

[Slattery_20]

I would call Ron Barassi's comeback to coach the Swans a successful comeback. They were an absolute rabble before he came on board and he set them well and truly on the right path for Eade.

Fair call, altho he was only 57-58 when he started @ Swans.

 

[Snorter]

I vote for the tool option

 

[Sttew]

You mad??? He's won as many premierships as your club, the blokes a legend.

But he is past it. Well and truly past it. He will be used as a marketing gimmick for as long as it takes to get GWS up and running.

 

[King Corey]

Seems a few suggesting he's too old and past it. Fair enough.

Kevin John Sheedy AM (born 24 December 1947)

Here's 2 blokes not much younger who seem to go ok:

Neil P. Craig (born 11 January 1956)
Rodney "Rocket" Eade (born 4 April 1958)

Oh and this other guy who's only 7 years younger, think he's done ok in recent times?

Michael "Mick" Malthouse (born 17 August 1953)

 

[Sttew]

Seems a few suggesting he's too old and past it. Fair enough.

Too old and past it - 2 different concepts.

The game had moved beyond Sheedy's reach some time before he left Essendon.