Roast The Chronicles of Alan Richardson - Part II - Richo Resigns (16/07)

[plugger66]

Quite possible

Let’s be honest. Quite impossible. He is coach or he isn’t at the saints. Going by this year he is coach next year and so he should be. Long way to go though.

 

[jwint43]

I think what works in our favour is that there are unlikely to be any coaches sacked this year or next(maybe Brad Scott/Bolton but would Ratten go back?). Clubs are starting to really bunker down and stick by their men. I hope Ratten stays at least another year.

 

[Mikka84]

Let’s be honest. Quite impossible. He is coach or he isn’t at the saints. Going by this year he is coach next year and so he should be. Long way to go though.

Nothing will happen until end of the year regardless. Unless we were 0-11 at the bye. I’m the first to admit the surprise to our year so far. He could well be coaching again next year, or the club could move him out and say he’s done a great job getting the team back on track, but it’s time for a different set of eyes over the group for the next few years.

 

[St Kilda Death]

Possibly Ratten has no aspiration to be senior coach, after being scrutinized and shafted last time. Maybe for the right pay packet he's happy to stay as senior assistant, run things behind the scenes, let Richo front the media and cop the pressure and abuse.?

Possibly Richo is actually a good coach and just needed some good support staff to help him out?

Just speculating. As are those calling for a coup.
Personally always rated Ratten highly, would be very disappointed if he left.

 

[ScrappyDo]

As Garry Lyon said on the commentary today. Richo took all of the blame for last year, so you cannot not give him his due for how we are going now.
They did discuss the intangibles...how it was impossible to put percentages on how much was due to each of the new coaches coming in.

Basically, if as head coach, Richo takes the blame, as head coach he also has to get the kudos when things are going well.

How long is Ratt’s contract with us? Would hate to see him walking out the door after one year. One thing in our favour is that Bolton is probably the most likely to be replaced, and what’s the chance of Ratts wanting to go back to the place that shafted him for “SuperCoach” Malthouse?

Sorry but Richo didn't take any of the blame for last year. Zero.
He dodged, dived, dipped, ducked and dodged at every opportunity. It's the assistants fault, no, it's the players fault.

I'm giving kudos to the guys who Cho tried to stiff. The assistants and the players.
And Satan of course

 

[plugger66]

Sorry but Richo didn't take any of the blame for last year. Zero.
He dodged, dived, dipped, ducked and dodged at every opportunity. It's the assistants fault, no, it's the players fault.

I'm giving kudos to the guys who Cho tried to stiff. The assistants and the players.
And Satan of course

He took the blame this year for last year.

 

[ScrappyDo]

Of course time will tell, but we are doing whats needed now regardless of weather it's to Richo's credit or not.
Satan will know what to do, but I've no doubt now that Cho is safe till the seasons end. However if you look at Satan's appointments, Ratts, Lade, Gubby, Slater, Derm, Hanners, the banker and stats guy, they are all alpha dogs and winners. Cho is the odd man out amongst his own group, and it's just a matter of time still.

 

[ScrappyDo]

He took the blame this year for last year.

No he didn't. He avoided it like the plague until the heat went out of it and others copped it in the neck. Then, once the period of consequences had passed bye, he comes out and says he could have done some things better. Other coaches have the balls to shoulder the responsibility at the time shits going down, not 6 or 12 months after in retrospect when it means phark all.

 

[George]

Possibly Ratten has no aspiration to be senior coach, after being scrutinized and shafted last time. Maybe for the right pay packet he's happy to stay as senior assistant, run things behind the scenes, let Richo front the media and cop the pressure and abuse.?

Possibly Richo is actually a good coach and just needed some good support staff to help him out?

Just speculating. As are those calling for a coup.
Personally always rated Ratten highly, would be very disappointed if he left.

I've thought for a while that he isn't up to it, and the club kept banging on about him needing better help. So far it seems as though they were right. If the year keeps going how it has been so far, maybe we look back on 2016 and 2017 as a coaching masterclass by Richo, getting us to a dozen wins without much help. Surely supporters can give him kudos for what has happened so far this year, if the same supporters were also calling for his head six months ago. I am one of those. He has done a superb job so far.

 

[plugger66]

No he didn't. He avoided it like the plague until the heat went out of it and others copped it in the neck. Then, once the period of consequences had passed bye, he comes out and says he could have done some things better. Other coaches have the balls to shoulder the responsibility at the time shits going down, not 6 or 12 months after in retrospect when it means phark all.

So he did take the blame this year for last year. I thought so. Anyway you can keep knocking him and we can keep winning. I don’t see the point apart from hoping you are right about him.

 

[St Kilda Death]

I've thought for a while that he isn't up to it, and the club kept banging on about him needing better help. So far it seems as though they were right. If the year keeps going how it has been so far, maybe we look back on 2016 and 2017 as a coaching masterclass by Richo, getting us to a dozen wins without much help. Surely supporters can give him kudos for what has happened so far this year, if the same supporters were also calling for his head six months ago. I am one of those. He has done a superb job so far.

If the losses were his fault last year, the wins this year as his fault too.
If we are only winning because of Ratten and lade, it reinforces the club's claim last year that Richo was lacking decent support in the coaching box.

 

[StCicatriz]

I've thought for a while that he isn't up to it, and the club kept banging on about him needing better help. So far it seems as though they were right. If the year keeps going how it has been so far, maybe we look back on 2016 and 2017 as a coaching masterclass by Richo, getting us to a dozen wins without much help. Surely supporters can give him kudos for what has happened so far this year, if the same supporters were also calling for his head six months ago. I am one of those. He has done a superb job so far.

Spot on. Can't fault it. It's working!

 

[triggering bro]

The reason for the improvement of our team is the obvious elephant in the room.

The answer for our improvement is complicated IMO. I don’t believe it’s because of one individual, or one coaching line, or one player.

We look to have nailed every aspect to enhance our on field position. From bringing in mature rookies, to replacing assistant coaches, to bringing in people outside of the industry with elite leadership skills.

From my observations of the on field stuff, the two main changes which have brought improvement:

1. The players intent, motivation, desire, etc.
- This is something Richo can take ownership for. I’m not saying he’s the only person who has helped improve this area but as head coach his role is as important as any, actually the most important, to create an environment where players want to commit to the cause & be motivated to perform.

2. The game plan.
- It is so obvious that we are playing a simpler, more structured & balanced game style that not only suits winning but also our list. We don’t have the list to play Collingwood / Richmond type manic run & carry. We are more suited to playing a more controlled Hawthorn / West Coast type game plan that is based on limiting risk, ball retention & switching the play until something opens up. For mine this is clearly Rats’ doing, in conjunction with Playfair, Lade, the other assistants & of course Richo. But primarily Rats’ doing.

There are obviously other factors contributing to our improvement but those two are the main reasons IMO.

At the end of the day all I really care about is winning so if Richo is a limited coach however he’s very good at managing others to perform roles he cannot then I don’t care. Maybe the role of the head coach by definition has changed? If Richo has drastically improved & morphed into an extremely capable head coach then even better.

If we play finals, Richo will coach next year due to the trigger in his contract for 2020. If we totally bottom out & win single figures then I think he goes. What will be interesting is if we win say 12 & just miss out on finals.

 

[Diehard Saint]

The reason for the improvement of our team is the obvious elephant in the room.

The answer for our improvement is complicated IMO. I don’t believe it’s because of one individual, or one coaching line, or one player.

We look to have nailed every aspect to enhance our on field position. From bringing in mature rookies, to replacing assistant coaches, to bringing in people outside of the industry with elite leadership skills.

From my observations of the on field stuff, the two main changes which have brought improvement:

1. The players intent, motivation, desire, etc.
- This is something Richo can take ownership for. I’m not saying he’s the only person who has helped improve this area but as head coach his role is as important as any, actually the most important, to create an environment where players want to commit to the cause & be motivated to perform.

2. The game plan.
- It is so obvious that we are playing a simpler, more structured & balanced game style that not only suits winning but also our list. We don’t have the list to play Collingwood / Richmond type manic run & carry. We are more suited to playing a more controlled Hawthorn / West Coast type game plan that is based on limiting risk, ball retention & switching the play until something opens up. For mine this is clearly Rats’ doing, in conjunction with Playfair, Lade, the other assistants & of course Richo. But primarily Rats’ doing.

There are obviously other factors contributing to our improvement but those two are the main reasons IMO.

At the end of the day all I really care about is winning so if Richo is a limited coach however he’s very good at managing others to perform roles he cannot then I don’t care. Maybe the role of the head coach by definition has changed? If Richo has drastically improved & morphed into an extremely capable head coach then even better.

If we play finals, Richo will coach next year due to the trigger in his contract for 2020. If we totally bottom out & win single figures then I think he goes. What will be interesting is if we win say 12 & just miss out on finals.

Excellent post, Bro.

 

[George]

The reason for the improvement of our team is the obvious elephant in the room.

The answer for our improvement is complicated IMO. I don’t believe it’s because of one individual, or one coaching line, or one player.

We look to have nailed every aspect to enhance our on field position. From bringing in mature rookies, to replacing assistant coaches, to bringing in people outside of the industry with elite leadership skills.

From my observations of the on field stuff, the two main changes which have brought improvement:

1. The players intent, motivation, desire, etc.
- This is something Richo can take ownership for. I’m not saying he’s the only person who has helped improve this area but as head coach his role is as important as any, actually the most important, to create an environment where players want to commit to the cause & be motivated to perform.

2. The game plan.
- It is so obvious that we are playing a simpler, more structured & balanced game style that not only suits winning but also our list. We don’t have the list to play Collingwood / Richmond type manic run & carry. We are more suited to playing a more controlled Hawthorn / West Coast type game plan that is based on limiting risk, ball retention & switching the play until something opens up. For mine this is clearly Rats’ doing, in conjunction with Playfair, Lade, the other assistants & of course Richo. But primarily Rats’ doing.

There are obviously other factors contributing to our improvement but those two are the main reasons IMO.

At the end of the day all I really care about is winning so if Richo is a limited coach however he’s very good at managing others to perform roles he cannot then I don’t care. Maybe the role of the head coach by definition has changed? If Richo has drastically improved & morphed into an extremely capable head coach then even better.

If we play finals, Richo will coach next year due to the trigger in his contract for 2020. If we totally bottom out & win single figures then I think he goes. What will be interesting is if we win say 12 & just miss out on finals.

I am starting to question my prior belief that he was an average coach. Maybe, in actuality, he was always a good coach. And now we've set him up to succeed, his coaching nous is starting to show.

 

[Sully111]

Before he was associated with the Saints, I thought Ratten was an ex coach that deserved another shot.

It's absolutely speculation, but i believe this time next year he'll be a senior coach at an AFL club.... I hope it's St Kilda.

I realise with us playing well, making that happen would be a brave move and would take some thinking outside the box.. hence my suggestion of trying to keep Richo on board too.

 

[plugger66]

Before he was associated with the Saints, I thought Ratten was an ex coach that deserved another shot.

It's absolutely speculation, but i believe this time next year he'll be a senior coach at an AFL club.... I hope it's St Kilda.

I realise with us playing well, making that happen would be a brave move and would take some thinking outside the box.. hence my suggestion of trying to keep Richo on board too.

If Rats is coaching the saints then we haven't won at least 11 games And there is no way Richo would stay if rats was coaching. He is sacked for a start.

 

[triggering bro]

I am starting to question my prior belief that he was an average coach. Maybe, in actuality, he was always a good coach. And now we've set him up to succeed, his coaching nous is starting to show.

It’s difficult to know for sure. However it’s fairly obvious that we are playing Hawthorn type footy & it’s no coincidence that their ex senior assistant is now with us.

Tactically, I think Richo is limited but that’s only one aspect of coaching. As a motivator he may be extremely good.

If I had to choose between losing Rats or Richo I’d choose Richo. But that’s just me. Hopefully we lose neither & win a flag!

 

[Sully111]

If Rats is coaching the saints then we haven't won at least 11 games And there is no way Richo would stay if rats was coaching. He is sacked for a start.

It doesn't have to be that way.

There's no doubt the way it is now is working a treat... and i'd be fine for it to stay that way, but i don't believe it will. Unless we lock Ratten in, we''ll lose him, and that would be a huge mistake imo.

 

[George]

It’s difficult to know for sure. However it’s fairly obvious that we are playing Hawthorn type footy & it’s no coincidence that their ex senior assistant is now with us.

Tactically, I think Richo is limited but that’s only one aspect of coaching. As a motivator he may be extremely good.

If I had to choose between losing Rats or Richo I’d choose Richo. But that’s just me. Hopefully we lose neither & win a flag!

You think Richo is limited tactically which is fine but it could actually be the people he had around him at the time as well. Of course at the end of the day the blame falls with the coach but I think it definitely had some impact.

And yes we are playing much slower. Very similar to Hawthorn. But as above, I don't think it's all one mans doing. I think Richo has a big say in how we have been playing.

I think full credit needs to go to the entire coaching staff. Richo has copped a lot of s**t from people on here for a few years without really knowing what went on behind the scenes, and maybe we now can just take the club on their word that after the review they identified he was a good coach that needed better people around him. So they went and did it and after 2 months we sit a kick away from being 7-0.

 

[triggering bro]

You think Richo is limited tactically which is fine but it could actually be the people he had around him at the time as well. Of course at the end of the day the blame falls with the coach but I think it definitely had some impact.

And yes we are playing much slower. Very similar to Hawthorn. But as above, I don't think it's all one mans doing. I think Richo has a big say in how we have been playing.

I think full credit needs to go to the entire coaching staff. Richo has copped a lot of s**t from people on here for a few years without really knowing what went on behind the scenes, and maybe we now can just take the club on their word that after the review they identified he was a good coach that needed better people around him. So they went and did it and after 2 months we sit a kick away from being 7-0.

I don’t particularly want to go over the nitty gritty on why (I believe) Richo retained his position as coach because it’s been done to death. But I’ve always thought tactically he was limited & that includes the 2016-7 seasons when he did okay.

Despite Richo’s media demeanour appearing quite bland I think behind closed doors he’s a fantastic people person so I’ve got no doubt that for the main part he’s had the players buy in. That understandably disappeared during last season.

I’m not trying to deprive Richo or his long term supporters of credit for our start to the season. I’m just calling it as I see it. The team look eerily similar to Hawthorn & Rats is on board. The players have continually praised Lade & Rats about their turn around. I can only read between the lines & see what I see & hear what I hear.

If as I suspect Richo is the people person & Rats is the brains behind the operation, as long as we are successful, then I’m satisfied with the arrangement.

No issue with being called biased or whatever because I’m intelligent enough to know we all have our biases.

At the end of the day if we keep winning I couldn’t give a stuff if Malthouse was coaching us. Okay, too far, but you get my point.

 

[triggering bro]

One other point I want to make, our selection policy has drastically improved IMO. Even in the past when we were winning, our selections were so strange & seemed illogical. From r1 this year they have seemed spot on with the exception of only a few minor errors. The main one was Pierce over Marshall in r1 & perhaps Kent has been given a bit too much time - but totally justified the clubs patience this weekend. I think this is a definite tick for the coaching team & selection panel. Richo would have the last say so that positive is on him.

 

[George]

One other point I want to make, our selection policy has drastically improved IMO. Even in the past when we were winning, our selections were so strange & seemed illogical. From r1 this year they have seemed spot on with the exception of only a few minor errors. The main one was Pierce over Marshall in r1 & perhaps Kent has been given a bit too much time - but totally justified the clubs patience this weekend. I think this is a definite tick for the coaching team & selection panel. Richo would have the last say so that positive is on him.

Said the exact same thing on the podcast two weeks ago. Integrity of selection seems to be back, no more playing players injured or out of form.

I hope the positivity continues, been a while since we've seen us do so well.

 

[Diehard Saint]

At the end of the day if we keep winning I couldn’t give a stuff if Malthouse was coaching us. Okay, too far, but you get my point.

Way to go ruining a very good argument at the close

 

[Sir Skid]

I've been a big Richo critic and reality is he's had the worst coaching record and longest period of non success at the Saints in history.

However the way the group has gelled together as a TEAM so far in 2019 has been nothing other than impressive. The Saints are back!

How much is due to Richo and how much is Lade, Ratten, Slater, Lethers and others doesn't really matter now.

If we keep playing the brand of footy we are then IMO Richo is safe as houses and will coach at least next year and possibly beyond that. To let him go if we keep this up could undermine the momentum that has so obviously been building each week. The group is growing before our eyes.

So whatever your part so far Richo, hats off to you!