Sheedy attacks Walls' credibility

[sharpie]

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,21359741%5E19742,00.html

THE simmering four-decade feud between Kevin Sheedy and Robert Walls has erupted again, with the Essendon coach yesterday lashing his former opponent and rival over his constant criticism of AFL coaches.


Sheedy said yesterday Walls lacked credibility after two of the clubs he coached went "out of existence" and claimed his two-year stretch at Richmond was a "waste" of time.

The Essendon coach's explosive outburst came after Walls spent a week casting a withering eye over the supposed failings of a raft of AFL coaches.

Walls questioned whether Essendon had a game plan under Sheedy, said Mark Thompson and Chris Connolly would likely be sacked if their sides did not finish in the top four, and accused Dean Laidley of lacking the tactical nous to coach the Kangaroos.

He also labelled Denis Pagan selfish for recruiting experienced players to win games and said Mick Malthouse should have achieved more given Collingwood's riches.

But it was his claim that Sheedy spent too much time playing an ambassadorial role and not enough coaching that saw the veteran coach hit him with both barrels.

"Clearly, in the end, two of his clubs (Fitzroy and Brisbane Bears) have gone broke and are out of existence," he writes in an open letter to Walls in today's Sunday Herald Sun.

"Possibly one of his weaknesses was that he only wanted to coach the team, not build the organisation. I don't think he sees that when he writes about other organisations.

"It's amazing that you can win a premiership and get into another Grand Final like he did at Carlton, and still be sacked two years after winning the flag. What does that say about him? What happened there?

"Robert's two years at Richmond were just a waste. I don't know whether he left Richmond with a future. So he has to be very careful when he starts telling coaches what and how and when they are going to coach.

"In the end, maybe Carlton and that one premiership saved him. Robert has become a big negative and I think people are getting sick of it."

Two of the game's dominant figures, Sheedy and Walls have been at loggerheads since they started playing for arch-rivals Richmond and Carlton, respectively, in 1967.

They also started as senior coaches in the same year, 1981, and their on-field battles turned into coaching box rivalry, with several heated incidents fanning the flames.

When Walls – just as rugged as Sheedy on the field – said in 2001 that Bulldog Tony Liberatore should retire amid allegations he punched Matthew Knights, Sheedy accused him of gross hypocrisy.

It started a public feud that continues today despite Walls once barracking for Essendon.

"Robert coached 39 games of football for Richmond, but someone like Kevin Morris or Tom Hafey would have been a better coach of the Tigers than him," Sheedy said.

"I have never done a drill like he did with Shane Strempel (at Brisbane) where the team belted the crap out of him with boxing gloves.

"I have never left a note on my president's car (Brisbane's Noel Gordon) telling him to get stuffed for parking in my car park."

Since his last club job Walls has been on several coaching sub-committees and was inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame last year.

Sheedy said Walls needed to be more constructive in his criticism.

"He won his first premiership after seven seasons, and then was sacked. Twenty years later he is still bitter about it," Sheedy said.

"At least Tim Watson sugar-coats his hand-grenades from the cubby house.

"Robert doesn't pull his punches. And when you do that, sooner or later people will start punching back. Kick-to-kick can be off the field too, Robert."

In summation Sheeds thinks Walls is a twat!

I can't agree enough - Walls is the epitome of the hindsight expert - waits until the game is over and the says what he thought would happen

 

[OB1]

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,21359741%5E19742,00.html

What a load of crap!

Walls achieved something Sheedy never did in coaching a struggling club in the Brisbane Bears in a Rugby state to a near upset of Carlton in the 1995 Finals.

This is all you've got? Walls nearly coached a side to an upset win. Now I can acknowledge that Walls was a great player & a good coach but your above statement clearly shows that you simply have nothing to compare him up against Sheedy.

The only club Sheedy has coached is an established power of the like of Essendon, Collingwood and Carlton where there has never been a shortage of talent and money.

Are you trying to re-write history? Essendon were one of the worst sides during the 70's. Yes we had been a power in the 60's & prior but Sheedy hardly just stepped in to a great side & stole the glory (unlike Walls did with Carlton). Do you think it should be easier to coach Richmond to a flag because the club already has so many flags? Is Pagan really the worst coach ever because he hasn't won a flag with a team who has 16 flags?

Michael Voss acknowledged that Walls help set up the Bears and put them on the path to becoming the Brisbane Lions.

And he should rightly be proud of that achievement just as Sheesy is rightly proud of his achievements.

I think Sheedy is still bitter that Carlton kicked a record score against Richmond and Walls kicked six goals.

Maybe he is, but he's not the one sitting on the sidelines thowing dirt. Sheedy is out there putting himself on the line every week & actually coaching where as Walls is confined to the media where his bitterness mearly festers as the realisation grows stronger & stronger that he simply wasn't, isn't & will never be as good as Sheedy.

No, you just dropped a better footballer in Derek Kickett to select a thug in Wallis and that thug knocked out one of Carlton's best players in the 1993 Grand Final.

And how did that move work out for the Essendon footy club? Thats right Wallis kicked a few goals & also fairly took out a Carlton player (one of your best is a stretch). Derek was out of form & 3 years later was retired. Wallis on the other hand played on & was part of the 2000 side. How exactly does this compare to ordering your own players to beat up a teamate? Surely you've got more retort that this?

 

[M29]

No, you just dropped a better footballer in Derek Kickett to select a thug in Wallis and that thug knocked out one of Carlton's best players in the 1993 Grand Final.

Knocked out with a perfectly legal bump. Have a cry.

 

[RoyalBlue]

The only club Sheedy has coached is an established power of the like of Essendon,

This says everything you don't know about what Sheedy has acheived at Essendon.

 

[CattyBossDog]

Knocked out with a perfectly legal bump. Have a cry.

As legal as their player payments for the year.

 

[M29]

Hang on! You obviously weren't around in the 70's when Essendon was a rabble. When Sheedy took over in 1981, Essendon had not won a flag since 1965 and hadn't made the finals since 1973.

We were so ****e that Sheedy was also willing to line up as a player coach for us. The board wouldn't let him.

 

[M29]

As legal as their player payments for the year.

To bad we weren't over the cap in 93. But don't let that stop you having a sook.

 

[PieGal]

I love Sheedy Always have, and this certainly helps!

When will Wall's employers wake up and realise he offers nothing in expert commentary???

 

[red+black]

Is the BigFooty Server on the wrong time?

Anyway, 3AW talking about the issue right now.

 

[SydneyBomber]

Form is temporary.

silverware is not

 

[JeffDunne]

Is the BigFooty Server on the wrong time?

Anyway, 3AW talking about the issue right now.

I think I'm going to be sick.


Now he's on about Worsfold not being a good tactician.


Fair dinkum, someone needs to "Strempel" this bloke.

 

[mediumsizered]

Sheedy took over the coaching at a time Essendon was going through a Pathetic stage. He never had it handed to him on a silver platter.

It should not be forgotten that Barry Davis had coached the Bombers into the finals in 1979, just 2 years before Sheeds took over. The playing list Sheedy took over included some young players with names like S Madden, Watson, T Daniher, Merrett, Hawker, Neagle. Some Essendon people seem to underrate what Barry Davis set in place in his 2 years as Essendon coach. Sheedy did a great job in those early years at Essendon, but a lot of the hard work had been done by Davis & to a certain extent Bill Stephen in the 4 seasons prior to Sheedy taking over.

 

[Smokin_Joe]

Well derr. Carlton are shaping up for the NAB premiership, and are looking forward to finals action later this year. Essendon were a bag of crap.

HAHAHA....finals.....

 

[CattyBossDog]

To bad we weren't over the cap in 93.

As we weren't in '95.

silverware is not

Doncha just love all them cups.

How many did you guys win in GFs again?

 

[Smokin_Joe]

As we weren't in '95.

Doncha just love all them cups.

How many did you guys win in GFs again?

We've missed 3 years during the wars

So we have a better ratio

 

[The Old Dark Navy's]

Walls has tried to play the hard hitting journalist role and in doing so has compromised his own knowledge of football in doing so. Over simplistic tabloid stuff replaces expert analysis in order to maintain his job. So many footy journos out there, some feel they have to be controversial and inspire hatred in order to gain an edge.

Sheeds is half right in this article when calling into question Walls' credibility on some issues. The Richmond and Brisbane question marks were pretty simplistic and he was guilty of the same lack of analysis he accuses Walls of.

Just put them both in a celebrity death match!!

 

[Ari]

HAHAHA....finals.....

Oh come on! They're in the NAB cup grand final ya know!

I mean, teams like Kangaroos, Brisbane, Geelong and Carlton fought out the semi's! Real quality there.

I find it so amusing that 3 of the teams said to finish in the bottom 4 played off in the NAB semi's. Shows what a joke it is.

Advantage of not playing through the NAB cup and going into the 'losers' draw is that teams can actually started playing kids and experimenting. When you're still in the competition the spotlight is on. Watching Brissy v Geelong was a joke. Worst game of footy this year by far... no quality whatsoever.

 

[Fabulous]

Sheeds I hate your guts





































................But sometimes I luvs ya.........This is one

 

[pmad87]

Yeah, if only there was something we could all do to get rid of Walls.

 

[AndSmithMustScore]

Sheedy in contract year and with a team that's far from a world beater.

Starting to throw out smoke screens already.

 

[Mero]

I get the impression Walls' stuff is more about Walls being controversial than about what even he believes to be true.

He'd prefer to be wrong and in the papers daily, than right and no-one listen to him.

 

[pmad87]

I get the impression Walls' stuff is more about Walls being controversial than about what even he believes to be true.

He'd prefer to be wrong and in the papers daily, than right and no-one listen to him.

You really think he's that intelligent?

 

[whirl]

So how fit was Wallis again?

Oh, that's right.

Sheedy doesn't regret dropping Kickett. There's nothing to regret as we'd been carrying him for quite a while and we won the premiership. He definately regrets how Kickett found out and how he handled it.

 

[sen entertainment bloke]

It should not be forgotten that Barry Davis had coached the Bombers into the finals in 1979, just 2 years before Sheeds took over. The playing list Sheedy took over included some young players with names like S Madden, Watson, T Daniher, Merrett, Hawker, Neagle. Some Essendon people seem to underrate what Barry Davis set in place in his 2 years as Essendon coach. Sheedy did a great job in those early years at Essendon, but a lot of the hard work had been done by Davis & to a certain extent Bill Stephen in the 4 seasons prior to Sheedy taking over.

Black days: former Essendon coach Bill Stephen (front right) was criticised because his team didn't win enough games, but he is now regarded as the father of the "Baby Bombers."

 

[Silvagnis]

Sheedy took over the coaching at a time Essendon was going through a Pathetic stage. He never had it handed to him on a silver platter.

Is that a hard a gig as coaching Fitzroy and the Bears at Carrara?

No one could argue that and only a fool like Sheedy would suggest he was responsible for the death of two clubs. Walls didn't deserve to be sacked but I think he had worn out his welcome with the players and I think he changed his style when he went to Brisbane.

Walls was a very good coach of Victoria in State of Origin and he did alot to promote that when the AFL wanted to dump it.

Did Robert coach Australia against Ireland?

The selection of Wallis was a move to rough up Carlton in Richmond fashion and our only two key forwards were Kernahan and Spalding. Maybe we should remember the way the Australia attacked the man and not the ball when Sheedy coached Australia in the international series.

You can take the backpocket out of Richmond, but you can't take the Richmond out of the backpocket.