New Coach

[Snickers]

Who should we get?
I would say an out-sider, a new face.... like what Rodney Eade has done with the bulldogs

 

[_Ron_]

I will get bagged heavily for suggesting this but without a shadow of a doubt i'd go after Robert Walls.

He took the blues to a flag. Made Fitzroy quite competetive AND made Brisbane a powerful outfit before he resigned because he wanted to head back to Melbourne.

I don't know if it's just cool to bag Walls or people really do hate his commentating. However his coaching ability is what should be questioned and for mine it's as good as anyone elses resume if not better.

If Walls was to be overlooked which would be a mistake then i'd go probably go the Garry Lyon route. Risky because he is untried but seems to have good football knowledge, experience, leadersship etc.

Outside these two it's slim pickings.

Would be unimpressed with anyone else, it'd just be another GT with a DIFFERENT NAME.

 

[Fred]

You would have been highly displeased if you were around when Jeans got the job - a mediocre player with no coaching experience - yet it turned out to be an excellent appointment.
Selecting a coach is like the draft in that it's largely pot luck how it turns out.

I've got no problems with GT. Even if the perception of his tactical nous is true, there are enough other people in the box to see and do things.

He's done a lot for the club overall.

 

[Kildonan]

Will you still be calling for a new coach after the Saints' are up on the dias, displaying the Cup with red white and black streamers flying from everywhere and peals of "Oh when the Saints Go marching in..." issuing from all directions.

Grant Thomas lets the boys celebrate for a while, then Lukey Ball takes the cup from being passed around and wanders over to GT, both hold it high and the cheers and applause grow thunderous. Photographic flashes syncopate with the applause. The Saints in the crowd, an orgy of smiles and satisfied grins. Everyone is happy.

Then, up near the back, two lone St Kilda supporters look forlorn.
The camera zooms, it's Snickers and _Ron_, both seem unhappy.
If a special effects mike could have been set up, it might have registered _Ron_ saying to Snickers; "I still think Walls would have done a better job"

 

[sainter]

I will get bagged heavily for suggesting this but without a shadow of a doubt i'd go after Robert Walls.

I'm too busy laughing at that suggestion to worry about bagging you.

 

[panthers]

LMFAO at you RON I thought u were pretty stupid butyou have really shown the st kilda ppl in here that you definitely are off your rocker..
Can you give me and others 3 reasons why we need a new coach...
What has GT not done that you need to remove/replace with the 2 ppl? you suggested

LOL Robert Walls hahahahahhahahhaaahaaha

 

[_Ron_]

The jokes on you guys. Very few people have what it takes in life to succeed at anything meaningful.

Robert Walls is an excellent candidate and his coaching record speaks for itself.

If you lot agreed with me then that would be a worry because then that would mean you guys are on a level similar to my way of thinking which is definately NOT the case.

I'm a winner and i write on things that i believe need to be done to you guessed it, win.

Look at the Murray inclusion this week for example. Noone will really care, he'll probably rack up 5-10 possies and may even fluke a goal but if we as supporters were even remotely serious and passionate we'd lynch the board for being so unprofessional.

Blah blah blah, i could rant for pages, the simple fact is, you guys are simpletons, i'm on a higher intellectual level and yes i am being condecending towards everyone of you. Walls is an excellent coach and thats all i have to say on that.

Have a nice day.

 

[Kildonan]

It's spelled "condescending", actually, and the context in which you used it suggests incorrect usage. Condescending means that you are lowering yourself to our level, the manner in which you used it, suggests you meant "arrogant" or obnoxious (if you ask me).

OK - so we're all simpletons for having a contrary view to yours?

What if Murray only racks up 5 - 10 possessions? Does that make it a failure?
What if next week he gets another run and gets 10-15 then the next week, 15 -20. Is still a failure? What if all Murray needs is enough time to adapt to the pace of AFL - has the move to give him that time been a failure?
If Murray doesn't perform this year, he will probably not be signed next year. He needs to be given his chance to prove himself. The club has been patient and it must be remembered that to keep players on the list has a significant cost. We have carried a few players with injury and others who are not performing to required levels and are looking for output now. Jason Gram has taken his chance. Schwarze is another fringe player who is making his play for retention. Leigh Fisher would be another one. McGough and Ferguson might be as well. Some people might have Fiora and Montagna in that same category. Brooks is definitely in that category. He has recently returned from injury, so he may have been adjudged to not be quite ready yet, but I expect his time will come.

_Ron_, I expect that you would be the last to complain, when we have injuries and the replacement players aren't up to scratch.
How do the fringe players get match fit?
They must be played, and to be competent, they need to play at AFL level. They need to know the demands on their bodies, they need to know about the speed of the game, the work rate, the intensity.

Coaching isn't all about here and now. It is also about the future. We pick the best team to play our style game, and we also develop players - so they improve. It's not just the fringe players that improve, all players do. Youth and fringe players may show the greatest improvement, though.
St Kilda FC has gone to a reasonable effort in order to keep this squad together. Essentially these players have been playing together now for some time. It is the model which has proven successful with WCE when they rose to power soon after entry into the AFL. Brisbane also connived to reproduce the same conditions. Some hard questions will need answering over the next 2 years and some youth injected in order to sustain the team quality. In the meantime, playing fringe players is necessary. It allows them to adapt to AFL levels, it allows the club to assess their progress and development as players and it develops them into better players.

As for coaches, well you seem to have made your mind up. I have too. I believe GT to be the right coach to take us to the premiership. You disagree. Neither of us can be said to be right or wrong until adjudged by history, after the fact.

 

[panthers]

Good Post StKildonan.

And Ron to quote you:
"I'm a winner , you guys are simpletons, i'm on a higher intellectual level"
good for you

 

[_Ron_]

It's spelled "condescending", actually, and the context in which you used it suggests incorrect usage. Condescending means that you are lowering yourself to our level, the manner in which you used it, suggests you meant "arrogant" or obnoxious (if you ask me).

OK - so we're all simpletons for having a contrary view to yours?

What if Murray only racks up 5 - 10 possessions? Does that make it a failure?
What if next week he gets another run and gets 10-15 then the next week, 15 -20. Is still a failure? What if all Murray needs is enough time to adapt to the pace of AFL - has the move to give him that time been a failure?
If Murray doesn't perform this year, he will probably not be signed next year. He needs to be given his chance to prove himself. The club has been patient and it must be remembered that to keep players on the list has a significant cost. We have carried a few players with injury and others who are not performing to required levels and are looking for output now. Jason Gram has taken his chance. Schwarze is another fringe player who is making his play for retention. Leigh Fisher would be another one. McGough and Ferguson might be as well. Some people might have Fiora and Montagna in that same category. Brooks is definitely in that category. He has recently returned from injury, so he may have been adjudged to not be quite ready yet, but I expect his time will come.

_Ron_, I expect that you would be the last to complain, when we have injuries and the replacement players aren't up to scratch.
How do the fringe players get match fit?
They must be played, and to be competent, they need to play at AFL level. They need to know the demands on their bodies, they need to know about the speed of the game, the work rate, the intensity.

Coaching isn't all about here and now. It is also about the future. We pick the best team to play our style game, and we also develop players - so they improve. It's not just the fringe players that improve, all players do. Youth and fringe players may show the greatest improvement, though.
St Kilda FC has gone to a reasonable effort in order to keep this squad together. Essentially these players have been playing together now for some time. It is the model which has proven successful with WCE when they rose to power soon after entry into the AFL. Brisbane also connived to reproduce the same conditions. Some hard questions will need answering over the next 2 years and some youth injected in order to sustain the team quality. In the meantime, playing fringe players is necessary. It allows them to adapt to AFL levels, it allows the club to assess their progress and development as players and it develops them into better players.

As for coaches, well you seem to have made your mind up. I have too. I believe GT to be the right coach to take us to the premiership. You disagree. Neither of us can be said to be right or wrong until adjudged by history, after the fact.

Well written and i respect your point of view however i'm going purely based on my gut instinct when it comes to the Murray inclusion and i'm dead set positive that he is not up to AFL standard.

Do you remember why Fiora was even included in the first place?

The saints are one of the, if not slowest team in the AFL. We need pace desperately and the sacking of Fiora back to the reserves stiffles our run.

Did you see the problems last week against Port when their quicker players starting getting into the game??

We had noone to run with them, nor did we have anyone who could break through their lines.

We don't need another forward, Shwarze, Gehrig, Riewoldt, Milne and Hamill is by far and away enough, if not to many.

What the saints need is more pace or someone who has the height to ruck efficiently, so as you can see i'm strongly against the Murray inclusion for what i believe very valid reasons.

As far as our coach is concerned and Rendell because let's face it, they are partners in crime go, i also believe they are not capable of doing a professional job. The saints need somebody with a proven track record who can not only do the match ups correctly on match day but has the forsight to see what needs to be done now to make the future a success.

Many will argue GT is doing just that but i feel we are set up for another year of failure and by the time the supporters finally want him hoisted, the bird may have well and truely flown with our current list.

 

[MrAaron]

Who should we get?
I would say an out-sider, a new face.... like what Rodney Eade has done with the bulldogs

Before Grant Thomas who was your previous coach to take you to 2 prelim. finals ?

I know it wil be quite hard to answer mind you. Why not take Terry Wallace ? I mean the tiger fans want him to get sacked aswell.

Give the guy a chance, he has done great things with the club. without him they wouldn't be in the top 4 anyway let alone finals contenders

 

[mad-saint-guy]

Ron, surely someone on such a high intellectual level, and just so much better than everyone else, would be able to spell Schwarze and too.

 

[birdmanptr]

Will you still be calling for a new coach after the Saints' are up on the dias, displaying the Cup with red white and black streamers flying from everywhere and peals of "Oh when the Saints Go marching in..." issuing from all directions.

Grant Thomas lets the boys celebrate for a while, then Lukey Ball takes the cup from being passed around and wanders over to GT, both hold it high and the cheers and applause grow thunderous. Photographic flashes syncopate with the applause. The Saints in the crowd, an orgy of smiles and satisfied grins. Everyone is happy.

Then, up near the back, two lone St Kilda supporters look forlorn.
The camera zooms, it's Snickers and _Ron_, both seem unhappy.
If a special effects mike could have been set up, it might have registered _Ron_ saying to Snickers; "I still think Walls would have done a better job"

and then we woke up

 

[Diego]

Will you still be calling for a new coach after the Saints' are up on the dias, displaying the Cup with red white and black streamers flying from everywhere and peals of "Oh when the Saints Go marching in..." issuing from all directions.

Grant Thomas lets the boys celebrate for a while, then Lukey Ball takes the cup from being passed around and wanders over to GT, both hold it high and the cheers and applause grow thunderous. Photographic flashes syncopate with the applause. The Saints in the crowd, an orgy of smiles and satisfied grins. Everyone is happy.

Then, up near the back, two lone St Kilda supporters look forlorn.
The camera zooms, it's Snickers and _Ron_, both seem unhappy.
If a special effects mike could have been set up, it might have registered _Ron_ saying to Snickers; "I still think Walls would have done a better job"

ahahahah ahh how much pleasure it was too see St Kilda fans organising tickets for the grand final at 3/4 during last years final..for only us swans to come back and own you all.

The pleasure at seeing st kilda fans smug faces turn into frowns half way through that thrid qrt.

Anyway you guys are a coach away from a flag. Everyone in the AFL can see this bar st kilda fans.

 

[_Ron_]

ahahahah ahh how much pleasure it was too see St Kilda fans organising tickets for the grand final at 3/4 during last years final..for only us swans to come back and own you all.

The pleasure at seeing st kilda fans smug faces turn into frowns half way through that thrid qrt.

Anyway you guys are a coach away from a flag. Everyone in the AFL can see this bar st kilda fans.

So true.

How easy is it for opposition teams to just get numbers behind the ball then flood forward or back.

Freo did it today and didn't even do it that well and should of won easily. How hard is it for Thomas to take men from our forward line to open it up for the big guns and move them into defense to help out?

I know what Thomas wants. He wants the saints to be like the Hawks of the 80s but what he fails to see is that game plan has expired and the game has evolved past that.

Only reason we even got so close today was because Freo were even worse then us in the second half which is quite an acomplishment.

 

[_Ron_]

Ron, surely someone on such a high intellectual level, and just so much better than everyone else, would be able to spell Schwarze and too.

I spell Shwarze the way the vast majority spell it and i will continue to because it's correct english.

 

[Kildonan]

Schwarze is German isn't it?

 

[Terry Tan]

Schwarze is German isn't it?

forget about this clown Schwarze...what we want to all know is when GT should be sacked??? It was always obvious he wasn't up to it, and now he's lost the majority of the players.

He can probably thank the magnificent efforts of Lenny Hayes that he wasn't sacked after today's game.

 

[Kildonan]

I think that GT had a decent day today (match day decision making).

Our running players made stupid decisions, which got us in trouble time and time again. Jason Gram is a prime example, he ran too far and found himself under pressure from opposition players, he stopped and was forced to dispose backwards or sideways to contested situations.

Jason Blake was set a challenge and he stood up to it...
GT would have copped a hiding from the press and supporters, if Blake had failed. It was a brave move and it worked. We won the clearances, Blake picked up tons of the footy, and used it well.

In the third term, he dragged Gehrig after his brainfart and went with a smaller forward line which worked. Riewoldt came off under an injury cloud, Voss was moved to half forward, Milne to forwards and he put Roo out on a wing. All dominated in those posies.

GT is often criticised for not having a plan B. He did today and it was almost enough to get us up from a dire position.

 

[chas]

GT is often criticised for not having a plan B. He did today and it was almost enough to get us up from a dire position.

You have got to be kidding me right??? The guy doesnt even have plan A !!!!! All his moves are out of desperation He needs to keep blake in the ruck, schwarze in the forward line and hamill at CHB to give Macguire some confidence. unbelieveable how baddly macquire has played

 

[mad-saint-guy]

You have got to be kidding me right??? The guy doesnt even have plan A !!!!! All his moves are out of desperation He needs to keep blake in the ruck, schwarze in the forward line and hamill at CHB to give Macguire some confidence. unbelieveable how baddly macquire has played

Hamill is not a defender, and he's not a KPP.

Plus, we don't have anyone on the list called macguire. There's Matt Maguire, but I've never heard of this macquire fellow.

I spell Shwarze the way the vast majority spell it and i will continue to because it's correct english.

His name is spelt Schwarze FFS. Can't believe how many variations there are...Swarts, Shwarts, Swarz, Swarze, Schwarts, Shwarze etc...

BTW, you are the only person I've seen that always spells it Shwarze.

 

[chas]

thank you Grant the Man.....if you worry less about semantics, you might win more football games

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

Matthews

 

[Terry Tan]

Blight was the man...and GT fired him.

 

[footylover18]

ahahahah ahh how much pleasure it was too see St Kilda fans organising tickets for the grand final at 3/4 during last years final..for only us swans to come back and own you all.

The pleasure at seeing st kilda fans smug faces turn into frowns half way through that thrid qrt.

Anyway you guys are a coach away from a flag. Everyone in the AFL can see this bar st kilda fans.

I don't agree. St Kilda are a healthy Koschitzke away from a flag. I've said it before and i'll say it again, form at this time of the year is so overrated. If Kosi returns to full fitness watch the Saints dominate the second half of te season.