The coach of any AFL club has a tough job.
From the outside, it might seem like a glamorous job. You meet important people, you make important decisions and your work is everybody else's (second) favourite leisure activity.
The reality is that it is hard work.
Ross Lyon (I'm sure) didn't anticipate having the problems he has now.
I have been a big fan of Grant Thomas.
Grant was instrumental in bringing about major changes that we as a club needed made. He brought with him genuine class, integrity and accountability. It is unfortunate that there was a widely held misconception about how he ended up becoming our coach. I know he wasn't perfect, but after 5 years, Grant had ironed out most of his deficiencies as a coach and the club was benefitting from this.
I was as shocked as any Saints fan when the rug was pulled from under GT.
I felt as if the club had betrayed us, its heart and soul, the fans.
The reasoning behind the decision may have been sound, but it was a strange move to make - when the Saints, despite serious injury problems, were in the middle of the second best era of the club's existence.
The club went through a process. They selected a replacement coach from a number of candidates who might be considered the best available coaching talent in the land.
Only five or six years earlier, we had a similar search for a coach - and we ended up having second rate candidates turn us down. No-one wanted the job. We can thank GT, Butterss, and the board for the change in fortunes.
Now we have the best in the land trying for the job.
Thank you GT.
Now it is time to give the best of the best, Ross Lyon, a chance to show his stuff.
I believe that stability is one of the most important factors in our success as a club (such success as we've had), and the dismissal of GT and placement of RL has been a destabilising factor.
I know it seems as if we've had these injury problems forever, but we just need to get through this patch and do some real development in the RL way of things. We may play finals this year, we may miss out (I hope not), whatever the case I expect that we will be a real force next year.
I have always held this belief (ever since the GT sacking) that a first year coach does not offer the stability nor strength of relationship to win a premiership.
RL will win us a premiership.
Hopefully it will be in 2008.
I do foresee further developmental years ahead though, as RL and his assistants recruit personnel for need.
We need Ross to settle into the role, ideally to have success early (like in 2008) and for him to commit to a long term placement as coach. This offers us the stability that we need for success. We already have the personnel that we need and already have improved the structure of the club.
The final piece in the puzzle is longevity - to have all the right things in place long enough for premierships to happen. Sustained success.
Saint vilified as Reverend escapes blame
27 May 2007
Sunday Herald Sun
Jon Ralph
LIKE Malcolm Blight and Grant Thomas before him, Ross Lyon has found the term "honeymoon period" does not exist in the St Kilda lexicon.
The fans are coming for Lyon and his Saints, who at 4-5 are about to tackle Geelong, the Kangaroos and West Coast at Subiaco.
According to the punters, the game plan is ultra-defensive, the players aren't on board and the team is boring to watch even when it does win.
Heck, why not just lump the massive injury toll on Lyon's shoulders as well? Lyon would have known he was in trouble when even the mild-mannered Bruce McAvaney said the Saints could not play finals if they lost against Freo.
At 4-5? With 13 games remaining? Steady on, Bruce.
There might be a stage where we question Lyon's game plan or if he has what it takes, but that time is not Round 9. Here is the perspective.
Lyon walked into St Kilda and inherited a team with an ageing midfield, a lack of pace and a history of injuries.
Like Thomas, he has lost a host of prime movers, including full-back (Max Hudghton), centre half-back (Matt Maguire), running backs (Jason Gram, Xavier Clarke, Brendon Goddard), midfielders (Lenny Hayes, Robert Harvey, Leigh Montagna) and ruckmen Matthew Clarke and Michael Gardiner.
Despite this, he had broken level before Friday, only to lose a game through woefully inaccurate kicking, with his co-captain the chief offender.
Contrast the blowtorch on Lyon with the Demons and Neale Daniher who have flown under the radar, despite an injury toll no worse than St Kilda's.
While Lyon was rebuffing accusations he had flooded against Hawthorn, Daniher was sheepishly shrugging off talk his players would win against the Kangaroos just for him.
While Lyon has been in the job for nine rounds, Daniher has had a decade to build a side brimming with depth, leadership, talent and competitive fire.
At 0-8, they are lacking in three of those departments and, as much as we all love the Reverend, the buck stops with him. His players were inept against the Eagles last Sunday.
Daniher's players should stop thinking about doing it for Neale and resuscitate their careers.
With so many St Kilda fans still loyal to Thomas, it seems Lyon has been caught in the cross-fire.
There is no easier target than a first-year coach with one hand tied behind his back through injuries.
I may be loyal to Thomas - but that doesn't mean I'm disloyal to Lyon.
Ross Lyon is the St Kilda coach. It is a position of importance and honour. The holder of the position automatically earns my loyalty.
Too many forgot that re: Grant Thomas.
Ross Lyon hopefully will be our long term coach.
I will give him my unconditional loyalty. (Forteus quo fidelius)
I am sure he will earn my respect as well.
From the outside, it might seem like a glamorous job. You meet important people, you make important decisions and your work is everybody else's (second) favourite leisure activity.
The reality is that it is hard work.
Ross Lyon (I'm sure) didn't anticipate having the problems he has now.
I have been a big fan of Grant Thomas.
Grant was instrumental in bringing about major changes that we as a club needed made. He brought with him genuine class, integrity and accountability. It is unfortunate that there was a widely held misconception about how he ended up becoming our coach. I know he wasn't perfect, but after 5 years, Grant had ironed out most of his deficiencies as a coach and the club was benefitting from this.
I was as shocked as any Saints fan when the rug was pulled from under GT.
I felt as if the club had betrayed us, its heart and soul, the fans.
The reasoning behind the decision may have been sound, but it was a strange move to make - when the Saints, despite serious injury problems, were in the middle of the second best era of the club's existence.
The club went through a process. They selected a replacement coach from a number of candidates who might be considered the best available coaching talent in the land.
Only five or six years earlier, we had a similar search for a coach - and we ended up having second rate candidates turn us down. No-one wanted the job. We can thank GT, Butterss, and the board for the change in fortunes.
Now we have the best in the land trying for the job.
Thank you GT.
Now it is time to give the best of the best, Ross Lyon, a chance to show his stuff.
I believe that stability is one of the most important factors in our success as a club (such success as we've had), and the dismissal of GT and placement of RL has been a destabilising factor.
I know it seems as if we've had these injury problems forever, but we just need to get through this patch and do some real development in the RL way of things. We may play finals this year, we may miss out (I hope not), whatever the case I expect that we will be a real force next year.
I have always held this belief (ever since the GT sacking) that a first year coach does not offer the stability nor strength of relationship to win a premiership.
RL will win us a premiership.
Hopefully it will be in 2008.
I do foresee further developmental years ahead though, as RL and his assistants recruit personnel for need.
We need Ross to settle into the role, ideally to have success early (like in 2008) and for him to commit to a long term placement as coach. This offers us the stability that we need for success. We already have the personnel that we need and already have improved the structure of the club.
The final piece in the puzzle is longevity - to have all the right things in place long enough for premierships to happen. Sustained success.
Saint vilified as Reverend escapes blame
27 May 2007
Sunday Herald Sun
Jon Ralph
LIKE Malcolm Blight and Grant Thomas before him, Ross Lyon has found the term "honeymoon period" does not exist in the St Kilda lexicon.
The fans are coming for Lyon and his Saints, who at 4-5 are about to tackle Geelong, the Kangaroos and West Coast at Subiaco.
According to the punters, the game plan is ultra-defensive, the players aren't on board and the team is boring to watch even when it does win.
Heck, why not just lump the massive injury toll on Lyon's shoulders as well? Lyon would have known he was in trouble when even the mild-mannered Bruce McAvaney said the Saints could not play finals if they lost against Freo.
At 4-5? With 13 games remaining? Steady on, Bruce.
There might be a stage where we question Lyon's game plan or if he has what it takes, but that time is not Round 9. Here is the perspective.
Lyon walked into St Kilda and inherited a team with an ageing midfield, a lack of pace and a history of injuries.
Like Thomas, he has lost a host of prime movers, including full-back (Max Hudghton), centre half-back (Matt Maguire), running backs (Jason Gram, Xavier Clarke, Brendon Goddard), midfielders (Lenny Hayes, Robert Harvey, Leigh Montagna) and ruckmen Matthew Clarke and Michael Gardiner.
Despite this, he had broken level before Friday, only to lose a game through woefully inaccurate kicking, with his co-captain the chief offender.
Contrast the blowtorch on Lyon with the Demons and Neale Daniher who have flown under the radar, despite an injury toll no worse than St Kilda's.
While Lyon was rebuffing accusations he had flooded against Hawthorn, Daniher was sheepishly shrugging off talk his players would win against the Kangaroos just for him.
While Lyon has been in the job for nine rounds, Daniher has had a decade to build a side brimming with depth, leadership, talent and competitive fire.
At 0-8, they are lacking in three of those departments and, as much as we all love the Reverend, the buck stops with him. His players were inept against the Eagles last Sunday.
Daniher's players should stop thinking about doing it for Neale and resuscitate their careers.
With so many St Kilda fans still loyal to Thomas, it seems Lyon has been caught in the cross-fire.
There is no easier target than a first-year coach with one hand tied behind his back through injuries.
I may be loyal to Thomas - but that doesn't mean I'm disloyal to Lyon.
Ross Lyon is the St Kilda coach. It is a position of importance and honour. The holder of the position automatically earns my loyalty.
Too many forgot that re: Grant Thomas.
Ross Lyon hopefully will be our long term coach.
I will give him my unconditional loyalty. (Forteus quo fidelius)
I am sure he will earn my respect as well.

