Malcolm Blight

[RoosterLad]

this ^^^

Not sure how many people have seen this yet:

http://robranbiog.weebly.com/index.html

Barrie Robran biography. It won't be released in book shops so get your name down if you want a copy. Released 10/10/10

 

[Alex99]

Blighty was awesome, got the job done and then ****ed off.

 

[Crow-mo]

not sure what sort of logic says matthews is a lesser player because he was a thug. and 2 people have taken this line??

i saw the end of matthews career and he was hard as nails. like peter vardy x 1000

david rhys jones was a thug and the most skillful player i've ever seen. his skills aren't diminished by his use of elbows

 

[RocknRoll]

incidentally one of the biggest kudos to blight the player is that he is the only player to have won AA as FF, FB & ruck rover.

thats an all time versatility that even guys like pav, chad cornes, or Hird can match.

I am sure Chad Cornes would agree that he is one of the greatest and most versatile players to have ever played the game, second in rank only to Malcolm Blight (but he may not agree with that last bit).

 

[jenny61_99]

not sure what sort of logic says matthews is a lesser player because he was a thug. and 2 people have taken this line??

i saw the end of matthews career and he was hard as nails. like peter vardy x 1000

david rhys jones was a thug and the most skillful player i've ever seen. his skills aren't diminished by his use of elbows

He used to let his skills by hand or foot and his footy nouse do the talking. Then he became a thug. In my subjective eyes, that lessened his greatness to me. And let's face it, deciding who is the best player ever IS very subjective. We each have our own criteria for judging. In my book, being a fair player enhanced someones' brilliance.

 

[BACCS]

Something that I'm curious about after reading this thread, what happened with Connell and Blighty in 1999?

 

[robboaustralia]

Just having funny thoughts thinking how Blighty would go coaching the current AFC squad in 2011 and 2012. Give Craigy a couple of years off? ha ha. I think there might be riots. Alot of unhappy anitblighters out there. I still feel Blighty is fond of the Crows, you can hear it in his voice when he does our games. He likes us to do well.

 

[Crow-mo]

jenny,

that makes as much sense as counting the number of vowells in someone's name and holding the answer against them.

i.e. got SFA to do with their ability

 

[jenny61_99]

jenny,

that makes as much sense as counting the number of vowells in someone's name and holding the answer against them.

i.e. got SFA to do with their ability

When asked to quantify ones decision, one advises that one has made a very SUBJECTIVE call. I clearly said, I found it hard to draw a line between the two as players, but found myself leaning towards Blight "because Matthews was a thug". You call Blight the better coach - based on what? It is your subjective opinion, and that's fine. We are each allowed an opinion you know.

 

[The Karma Bus]

Something that I'm curious about after reading this thread, what happened with Connell and Blighty in 1999?

The main story i know of is the one where Blighty had them all in a circle and was walking around the outside talking of how a certain player (or few maybe) had let them down terribly, broken team rules, had been half hearted etc along them lines.. He was behind Connell and pushed him into the middle of the circle.. Something like that is what i heard back years ago now.. Someone will correct it if it's not totally right..

Blighty lol played Lucas Herbert on the bench the whole game once to teach him a lesson..

Remember when he left the coachs box part way through the last quarter vs Richmond at aami cos we were playing so bad.. Just walked around the boundary past everyone and went to the rooms to show how disgusted he was..

 

[feenix67]

not sure what sort of logic says matthews is a lesser player because he was a thug. and 2 people have taken this line??

i saw the end of matthews career and he was hard as nails. like peter vardy x 1000

david rhys jones was a thug and the most skillful player i've ever seen. his skills aren't diminished by his use of elbows

Yes, Fabulous Phil was a player of the same ilk.

The main story i know of is the one where Blighty had them all in a circle and was walking around the outside talking of how a certain player (or few maybe) had let them down terribly, broken team rules, had been half hearted etc along them lines.. He was behind Connell and pushed him into the middle of the circle.. Something like that is what i heard back years ago now.. Someone will correct it if it's not totally right.

Blighty's version of Leading Teams 360 degree peer review - see, he WAS ahead of his time

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

The main story i know of is the one where Blighty had them all in a circle and was walking around the outside talking of how a certain player (or few maybe) had let them down terribly, broken team rules, had been half hearted etc along them lines.. He was behind Connell and pushed him into the middle of the circle.. Something like that is what i heard back years ago now.. Someone will correct it if it's not totally right..

Blighty lol played Lucas Herbert on the bench the whole game once to teach him a lesson..

Remember when he left the coachs box part way through the last quarter vs Richmond at aami cos we were playing so bad.. Just walked around the boundary past everyone and went to the rooms to show how disgusted he was..

The circle one I think he asked the players to step in to the circle if they had broken team rules etc. No one did so he shoved Connell and one other player (I forget who) into the circle. How's that for feedback?!

Also at one break he told the players "don't pass it to Koster or (Mark) Stevens fellas, they'll only **** it up."

God I loved him

Could you imagine his reaction now when Scott Stevens did a floating hospital ball to a team mate that cost a goal? It would be frightening. But, you could absolutely guarantee that Stevens would never do it again.

 

[Crow-mo]

When asked to quantify ones decision, one advises that one has made a very SUBJECTIVE call. I clearly said, I found it hard to draw a line between the two as players, but found myself leaning towards Blight "because Matthews was a thug". You call Blight the better coach - based on what? It is your subjective opinion, and that's fine. We are each allowed an opinion you know.

this is just another flavour of your an opinion can't be wrong misconception.

not everything is subjective, an example of something that is objective is this:

that in forming an opinion on someone's playing abilities, the only things that matter are those that pertain to their actual playing abilities.

anything else is invalid.

 

[Crow-mo]

The circle one I think he asked the players to step in to the circle if they had broken team rules etc. No one did so he shoved Connell and one other player (I forget who) into the circle. How's that for feedback?!

Also at one break he told the players "don't pass it to Koster or (Mark) Stevens fellas, they'll only **** it up."

God I loved him

Could you imagine his reaction now when Scott Stevens did a floating hospital ball to a team mate that cost a goal? It would be frightening. But, you could absolutely guarantee that Stevens would never do it again.

You can be absolutely sure Blight wouldn't have said "he'll learn from that".

 

[cmndstab]

this is just another flavour of your an opinion can't be wrong misconception.

not everything is subjective, an example of something that is objective is this:

that in forming an opinion on someone's playing abilities, the only things that matter are those that pertain to their actual playing abilities.

anything else is invalid.

I guess the difference is that some people take the term "greatness" to encompass more than just ability and influence. I can understand it - I'd like to think that if there were two players of equal ability, but one of them was a fairer player, I'd think the fairer player was "greater", even though they both had equal ability.

That's what jenny means by it being subjective. She's not trying to rate him solely on ability, she's rating him based on her own definition of greatness.

My own opinion is that I respect fair players more, all else being equal, but being a mean, intimidating bastard often adds to the aura of a player and can create doubt, or even fear, in the mind of your opponent. If said player is talented enough, that added intimidation factor can allow them to post even better performances. I respect fair players, but I also respect a "win at all costs" mentality, and often the two paths don't go together.

 

[jenny61_99]

this is just another flavour of your an opinion can't be wrong misconception.

not everything is subjective, an example of something that is objective is this:

that in forming an opinion on someone's playing abilities, the only things that matter are those that pertain to their actual playing abilities.

anything else is invalid.

When all else is equal, you sometimes have to make a subjective judgement. I can't separate the two, therefore I choose the player I admire and respect more. That is Blight.

If you, on the other hand, have a preference for tough, uncompromising and often dirty players, you'd have Matthews on top.

In this case neither of us can possibly be wrong, because it is who we see as the better player, each coming from our own set of criteria and standards.

 

[BACCS]

The main story i know of is the one where Blighty had them all in a circle and was walking around the outside talking of how a certain player (or few maybe) had let them down terribly, broken team rules, had been half hearted etc along them lines.. He was behind Connell and pushed him into the middle of the circle.. Something like that is what i heard back years ago now.. Someone will correct it if it's not totally right..

Blighty lol played Lucas Herbert on the bench the whole game once to teach him a lesson..

Remember when he left the coachs box part way through the last quarter vs Richmond at aami cos we were playing so bad.. Just walked around the boundary past everyone and went to the rooms to show how disgusted he was..

The circle one I think he asked the players to step in to the circle if they had broken team rules etc. No one did so he shoved Connell and one other player (I forget who) into the circle. How's that for feedback?!

Also at one break he told the players "don't pass it to Koster or (Mark) Stevens fellas, they'll only **** it up."

God I loved him

Could you imagine his reaction now when Scott Stevens did a floating hospital ball to a team mate that cost a goal? It would be frightening. But, you could absolutely guarantee that Stevens would never do it again.

Haha, so was this at the end or during the season? Pretty harsh though!

 

[jenny61_99]

What about the standing above them on a ladder and speaking down to them (literally and figuratively) or making Rehn or Pitman (can't remember now) go out and wash his (and Reidy's) car because of something they did/didn't do in a game or at training? This was a side of Malcolm I didn't like.

 

[rayven]

I think there was a better player than Blight,Robran,Carey and Mathews.It didn't work out for him quite as it should, he encountered outside influences on and off the field that none of them did to the extent he recieved.
At full flight he was better at everything each one individualy mentioned in here is commended for apart from his versitilty!
If his club was able to absorb,cope,recognise and support as a result of the pressures placed on him, if he didnt go threw periods where umpires felt it was open season on him, Anthony Modra would be the "pele' of the australian game!

 

[The Karma Bus]

Haha, so was this at the end or during the season? Pretty harsh though!

During, i'm certain unless my memory fails me now..

What about the standing above them on a ladder and speaking down to them (literally and figuratively) or making Rehn or Pitman (can't remember now) go out and wash his (and Reidy's) car because of something they did/didn't do in a game or at training? This was a side of Malcolm I didn't like.

Blighty was from the old school, it's what they were all like pretty much.. Robert Walls, Barassi etc.. People would be shocked if they knew half the stuff these guys from this, or a previous era, did or said.. The only way to get a reaction or deal with the team playing rubbish was to make the paint peel from the walls with the yelling.. They'd try obscure stuff to get into peoples heads too.. That's why they joke about how they'd all go if coaching in todays world.. I remember as a kid going around the back of some rooms in the old sanfl days, or being lucky enough to be in a close by part and hearing the coach scream the suburb down

 

[The Karma Bus]

This has to be one of the funniest Blight stories though:

When the Cats played vs Adelaide at Football Park he was coaching Geelong. He made the Cats team run out onto the ground and run over to make a Guard Of Honour for the Crows to run out onto the ground just to blow the Crows players minds, distract their focus and make them think "what the f?"

Another Blight Classic:

When he was coaching Geelong, he made the team sit around before a game and pass around a peace pipe..

Against West Coast in Perth once he stood on a metal box to watch the game (strange yeah?)

I love this one on the Fifth Quarter responding to Saints CEO Rod Butters questioning Blights time and commitment at the Saints:

"I couldn't give a rat's tossbag whether he thought I could coach or whether anyone thinks I can coach or can play. I'm happy with what I did. So an Adelaide or a Geelong, two very young teams, came from nowhere to play in grand finals? Come on, that's a wank!"

The Saints had a party boy attitude at the time and naturally they didn't like Blight's discipline etc.. Knuckle down, stick it out and i bet they'd have premiership medals now..

It's also no surprise Blight went to Woodville in 1986 and took them to a Prelim final, which they had never dreamed of.. Wooden spoon every year pretty much is all Woodville knew..

 

[Crow-mo]

I guess the difference is that some people take the term "greatness" to encompass more than just ability and influence. I can understand it - I'd like to think that if there were two players of equal ability, but one of them was a fairer player, I'd think the fairer player was "greater", even though they both had equal ability.

That's what jenny means by it being subjective. She's not trying to rate him solely on ability, she's rating him based on her own definition of greatness.

My own opinion is that I respect fair players more, all else being equal, but being a mean, intimidating bastard often adds to the aura of a player and can create doubt, or even fear, in the mind of your opponent. If said player is talented enough, that added intimidation factor can allow them to post even better performances. I respect fair players, but I also respect a "win at all costs" mentality, and often the two paths don't go together.

oh c'mon.

any opinion on who is the better player, has to solely relate to matters of playing ability.

 

[jenny61_99]

oh c'mon.

any opinion on who is the better player, has to solely relate to matters of playing ability.

Are you that blind that you can't see that subjectiveness MUST make a part in your decision making process when you find it hard to split the two based on matters of playing ability?

 

[jenny61_99]

During, i'm certain unless my memory fails me now..



Blighty was from the old school, it's what they were all like pretty much.. Robert Walls, Barassi etc.. People would be shocked if they knew half the stuff these guys from this, or a previous era, did or said.. The only way to get a reaction or deal with the team playing rubbish was to make the paint peel from the walls with the yelling.. They'd try obscure stuff to get into peoples heads too.. That's why they joke about how they'd all go if coaching in todays world.. I remember as a kid going around the back of some rooms in the old sanfl days, or being lucky enough to be in a close by part and hearing the coach scream the suburb down

Yeah I get that. I guess though, much of what they did when trying to gee up their boys could be akin to bullying.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

What about the standing above them on a ladder and speaking down to them (literally and figuratively) or making Rehn or Pitman (can't remember now) go out and wash his (and Reidy's) car because of something they did/didn't do in a game or at training? This was a side of Malcolm I didn't like.

That was Ayers. Made Rehn wash his car because he was late to training or something.

Another Blighty beauty was when he was at Geelong he wouldn't let one of the players stand in the huddle at 1/4 time because he was so angry at him. Made him stand by himself about 20m away. I can't remember who the player was.