Neesham

[linga_is_no1]

What is you the dockers fans, view on G\Neesham?

 

[Rob]

As a game day coach, I think he was underrated. His last 2 years were racked with injuries, which probably meant his seasons of 10 and 7 wins will be looked at in a poorer light.

But his recruiting was first class garbage, he wasted his time by filling the list with Claremont hacks, trading away decent players and blowing top draft picks (Ben Edwards has to be one of the all time great howlers).

 

[error404]

Entering the AFL, we had the opportunity to draft 12 uncontracted players. The job of recruiting these 12 players was given to none other than Cameron Schwab and he failed dismally. Neesham had no option but to recruit players that knew his style of play.

For a team that all the critics had pencilled in for going the entire season with out a win, 8 wins in 1995 with mainly rejects, was an incredible feat. 1998 started with Neesham on a 1 year contract and the WCE propaganda paper (The West Australian) attacked the Dockers and Neesham at every opportunity. In a injury riddled season, ( at times, it was who ever was fit got a game) we still had 7 wins, Neeshams worst year.

Membership
1995 18,456 - 8 wins
1996 19,622 - 7 wins
1997 19,949 - 10 wins
1998 22,186 - 7 wins
1999 24,896 - 5 wins
2000 24,925 - 8 wins
2001 23,898 - 2 wins
2002 23,775 - 9 wins
2003 26,742 - 14 wins
2004 32,615 - 11 wins

 

[error404]

If any one wants to look at recruiting stuff ups, look at who Cameron Schwab and CC has recuited and moved on.
Remember recruits Trent Croad and Fabian Francis. Moved on Adam McPhee and Leigh Brown.

 

[Dr Ralph Dagg]

If any one wants to look at recruiting stuff ups, look at who Cameron Schwab and CC has recuited and moved on.
Remember recruits Trent Croad and Fabian Francis. Moved on Adam McPhee and Leigh Brown.

Ah, selective perception. Hands up all those that think our list is weaker now than in season 2002?

Managing anything is a game of percentages. Hands up all those that never made a mistake. You can out your hand down now 404.

Have a look at how well other clubs have fared, and you get to see that we are one of the best in recruitment.

 

[LongBombFromOutside50]

Lets not get off track here.

I have to agree with Rob. In my opinion Neesham was good in the coach's box but his list management skills were poor.

 

[Ripper]

Ah, selective perception.

I suffer from that from time to time Dr. Ralph. Is there a cure?

 

[raffrox]

If any one wants to look at recruiting stuff ups, look at who Cameron Schwab and CC has recuited and moved on.
Remember recruits Trent Croad and Fabian Francis. Moved on Adam McPhee and Leigh Brown.

Get your hand off it. Farmer, Bell, White, the famous incident with McLeod, trading for Chris Bond and a short term fix in Adrian Fletcher (as good as he was for us) instead of drafting Luke Power or Brad Ottens... I could go on.

The great Claremont lovefest the early freo teams were. Just because you won some WAFL premierships with those boys Mr Neesham doesn't mean they were ever going to be anything but an average AFL team.

For the last 100 years tough accountable footy with strong KPP's has won premierships (see the Lions threepeat of late). Why was Freo playing anything but that from the beginning.

Neesham was/is a side show and a bit of a giggle but he set our team back years. His initial stamp on our club is the reason why we are seen as a quirky little entity and not a real footy club.

*rant over*

 

[Dutchey]

If Neesham was to coach this present list, you'd know the Premiership would be a gimmie. The bloke at the helm now will struggle to make the 8 !


Neesham was always on a hiding to nothing, given the enormous task he had with so few concessions, he not only exeeded expectations but changed the game and along the way created some of the most exciting football that's ever been played.

 

[The_Ruffneck]

did good considering how poor the list was

 

[error404]

Ah, selective perception. Hands up all those that think our list is weaker now than in season 2002?

Our list this year, IMO is by far the best we have assembled and I'm expecting big things this year Doc.
One wonders how Gerard would go with this list.

 

[error404]

Neesham made mistakes but most coaches have minimum input into recruiting, 1994 the recruiting was left entirely to Neesham and Phil Smart, with Cameron Schwab responsible for recruiting uncontracted players in the east. We didn't have the network of recruiting staff that we have now. We also had the WAFC sticking their nose in telling us what type of players we needed, who we could and couldn't recruit. The WAFC blocked us recruiting Harvey and Lowe, saying it would put to much pressure on the salary cap. The WAFC was consulting Mick Sh*thouse on a variety things concerning Freo including recruiting. Remember all the weagle hacks that was palmed off to us. Mick Sh*thouse even recommended Damien Drum as a replacement coach.

To lay the blame on Neesham is wrong.

 

[Freo Hitman]

If any one wants to look at recruiting stuff ups, look at who Cameron Schwab and CC has recuited and moved on.
Remember recruits Trent Croad and Fabian Francis. Moved on Adam McPhee and Leigh Brown.

error 404 you are a disgrace.
Gerard Neesham is a disgrace. I love the Freo footy Club as much as my family & I will say something . Mr G Neesham like you was a hack ( & in you case still "is" "
The guy had talent land on his lap & he would disregard it cause they werent in a Claremont jumper. Now the names you have mentioned 2 I knew personally. Trent Croad had to go , a person like him Perth a small city !!
Fabian Francis I dont care if you argue numbnut2000 till the cows come home the AFL ended his career cause the got to hasty on our salary cap. Leigh Brown is too slow, I love the guy but he is too slow . & Adam McPhee , the guy wanted to go home . He loved Freo , Freo loved him just get the facts right .

 

[Moo]

Neesham stabbed Ken Judge in the back to get the job...is this a positive or a negative?

Barra's been sacked and Howard Sattler is taking his place?...is this a positive or a negative

Drum replaced Neesham...is this a positive or a negative?

My current post...is this a positive or a negative?

The pointy end of a battery .......ahhhh something I can answer positively.

 

[Freo Hitman]

, ( at times, it was who ever was fit got a game) we still had 7 wins, Neeshams worst year.

I'll tell you somethign about that year .
I was ecstatic at every negative result we got cause I hated the guy he was mud . Damian Drum did more good for the FFC then the Claremont reject ever did. Ken Sheldon shouldve been our 1st coach. He was a guy who didnt have his eyes fixated on Ernie Dingo in a Claremont jumper . He had his contacts in Melbourne , he had an AFL record to speak of.

 

[Kenny_01]

If any one wants to look at recruiting stuff ups, look at who Cameron Schwab and CC has recuited and moved on.
Remember recruits Trent Croad and Fabian Francis. Moved on Adam McPhee and Leigh Brown.

Um... CC hadn't been appointed as our coach when we recruited Trent Croad; please get your facts right. I think Francis was in the same boat as well.

And oh, Schammer > Brown.

McPhee hurts, but you get that every now and then- every club does.

 

[Freo Hitman]

Neesham stabbed Ken Judge in the back to get the job...is this a positive or a negative?

Barra's been sacked and Howard Sattler is taking his place?...is this a positive or a negative

Drum replaced Neesham...is this a positive or a negative?

My current post...is this a positive or a negative?

The pointy end of a battery .......ahhhh something I can answer positively.

1- Ken Judge has a better grip on reality ( and a better perception on talent and discipline )

2- Barra is a better guy than the Dockerlanders portray him to be. Sure he is an EAGLE , but having said that he dont back away that in his dealings & he is fair on his calls . Should he sugar coat things for the guys at Dockerland ??? Those guys are spineless and would get suspicous if there oldies slipped them a 100 in their Xmas cards. I respect his views , not all the time I agree with them , but ghe not there to please everyone. Sattler is a joke. Former hard hitter to someone who eases a pensioner through there ricebubbles & fruit juice further clarifies the situation.

3- This is a public forum & Iam sure you wouldve been muzzled at DL Unless the purple circle liked what you said.

4- You may be right it may be well positive.

 

[Dr Ralph Dagg]

Ahh, batteries.... electricity. That's the cure for selective perception.

I reckon Dutchey and Error404 have a fair point -- that Neesham was playing against a very stacked deck. The management of the club in that period was a lot more woeful than the coaching.

But Neesham also didn't do himself any favours. He was the coach when they recruited some real duds. He preferred trading to drafting. He took a flyer using the no. 1. draft pick on Waterhouse. He cut Peter Bell who went to North Melbourne and got snapped up -- by one of Dutchey's favourite coaches. Pagan saw something Neesham couldn't see. He implemented the water-polo game plan with players who didn't have the skill to pull it off.

But what I can't follow is the conceptual leap to use some rosy view of the past to hang sh*t on the current administration and coaches. Its gormless in that it robs Schwab and Connolly of any credit. Connolly has taken a team that finished a dead-set last to a winning ratio of over 50%. In three seasons supporters have gone from elation at any win to upset over not making the finals. Schwab took over a club making huge losses and turned it to making decent profits. To continually snipe at them for the inevitable blunders along the way when the big picture has shifted so dramatically is stingy.

 

[Borry]

Ahh, batteries.... electricity. That's the cure for selective perception.

I reckon Dutchey and Error404 have a fair point -- that Neesham was playing against a very stacked deck. The management of the club in that period was a lot more woeful than the coaching.

But Neesham also didn't do himself any favours. He was the coach when they recruited some real duds. He preferred trading to drafting. He took a flyer using the no. 1. draft pick on Waterhouse. He cut Peter Bell who went to North Melbourne and got snapped up -- by one of Dutchey's favourite coaches. Pagan saw something Neesham couldn't see. He implemented the water-polo game plan with players who didn't have the skill to pull it off.

But what I can't follow is the conceptual leap to use some rosy view of the past to hang sh*t on the current administration and coaches. Its gormless in that it robs Schwab and Connolly of any credit. Connolly has taken a team that finished a dead-set last to a winning ratio of over 50%. In three seasons supporters have gone from elation at any win to upset over not making the finals. Schwab took over a club making huge losses and turned it to making decent profits. To continually snipe at them for the inevitable blunders along the way when the big picture has shifted so dramatically is stingy.

Well, I will say that that is a great post, well said.

 

[Ripper]

But what I can't follow is the conceptual leap to use some rosy view of the past to hang sh*t on the current administration and coaches. Its gormless in that it robs Schwab and Connolly of any credit. Connolly has taken a team that finished a dead-set last to a winning ratio of over 50%. In three seasons supporters have gone from elation at any win to upset over not making the finals. Schwab took over a club making huge losses and turned it to making decent profits. To continually snipe at them for the inevitable blunders along the way when the big picture has shifted so dramatically is stingy.

That is the bit that has me baffled. Does anybody want to go back to the bad old days good though some of them were?

It is a bit like a painful relationship breakup . You only pine for the good times and somehow block out the unpleasant bits.

 

[theGav56]

I reckon some posters can't remember what it was actually like to win only two games. We were poo. The runny type.

You can't go from where we were to where we are without an aweful lot going right. And the step from where we are now to winnibng a premiership i suspect is about the same size. The best way to do that is to be SUPPORTers. Not midless supporters, but supporters with a little perspective and a few less chips on the shoulders.

Geez!

As for recruits such as Croad, Brown, MacPhee etc. We're not doing too bad. Okay you managed to create a little hero worship with Browny. Well he has a carreer where he is and he wouldn't have had with us. And people seem to forget that MacPhee set fire to the bush after going to the toilet. I mean, it might win you a game from a surprise element point of view, but it wouldn't work on a consistant basis.

 

[dominguez]

If any one wants to look at recruiting stuff ups, look at who Cameron Schwab and CC has recuited and moved on.
Remember recruits Trent Croad and Fabian Francis. Moved on Adam McPhee and Leigh Brown.

Leigh Brown for the pick that netted Schammer will prove to be a win for Freo. Though Brown in the 2005 Freo squad would give us a bit of grunt in a key position, he was on close to $400,000 p.a. which is way over the odds when he left and was a factor in him being traded. Headland for pick 3 and McPhee looked a good deal at the time. Des had a superb second half of 2002, finished 6th in the brownlow, and after struggling to break into a strong Brisbane side looked to be on the verge of becoming a superstar. He actually started the 2003 wizard cup as brownlow favourite after his form in 02 and dominating for the indigenous allstars against carlton. McPhee was a dime a dozen half back flanker. Since switching clubs Des has struggled for consistent form and Smokey McPhee has developed into an AA. Trent Croad would have been a handy player if on $200,000 a year. Kicked 42 goals for us in 2002, a handy return for a guy playing his first full season as a forward. But because he was on big money he struggled to meet expectations as a CHF in 2003, the west Australian put the pressure on at any oppurtunity and Croad went back to the hawks. If our salary cap was in order Francis would have been a handy player who would have cost us nothing (trade wise) in the PSD.

 

[error404]

If any one wants to look at recruiting stuff ups, look at who Cameron Schwab and CC has recuited and moved on.
Remember recruits Trent Croad and Fabian Francis. Moved on Adam McPhee and Leigh Brown.

Every one has jumped on this quote but I was only highlighting that Neesham wasn’t the only one to make mistakes.

Now that all the little b*tches want to sack the coach in February after one fizz wiz game, I wonder how Neesham would go with this list.

 

[Freo Hitman]

Every one has jumped on this quote but I was only highlighting that Neesham wasn’t the only one to make mistakes.

Now that all the little b*tches want to sack the coach in February after one fizz wiz game, I wonder how Neesham would go with this list.

Neesham would not go well at all. History tell us decent players did not want to come to a Fremantle side with Neesham at the helm unless you had Claremont contacts - May I add Peter Bell is our captain , would Gerard Neesham delist him ????

 

[error404]

Ooooh your such a tart hitman