Time for change

[Redgum]

I think that after 3 3/4 years ( 2008 - 2011 )as senior coach and 2 years prior as assistant coach ( 2006 - 2007 ) that Mark should move on after nearly 6 years at Freo with only a 42.4% strike rate. Chris Connolly was coach from 2002 - 2007 and despite everyone knocking him,had a strike rate of 51.94% which by todays standards is reasonable for an AFl coach. Unfortunately whether we like it or not,Mark hasn't got it and will not improve our team. We need a change again and should try and get a coach who has had success and won a premiership. Everyone keeps saying we have a good list,someone needs to mould them into a better unit then Mark has,a better game plan.

Games Wins Losses Draws Win%
1 Chris Scott 18 16 2 0 88.9%
2 Ross Lyon 115 73 38 4 63.5%
3 Mick Malthouse 587 341 240 6 58.1%
4 Neil Craig 166 92 74 0 55.4%
5 Rodney Eade 313 169 140 4 54.0%
6 John Longmire 17 9 7 1 52.9%
7 Alastair Clarkson 155 82 72 1 52.9%
8 John Worsfold 227 118 107 2 52.0%
9 Brett Ratten 92 46 45 1 50.0%
10 Brad Scott 40 19 21 0 47.5%
11 James Hird 18 8 9 1 44.4%
12 Mark Harvey 92 39 53 0 42.4%
13 Michael Voss 63 24 38 1 38.1%
14 Matthew Primus 23 7 16 0 30.4%
15 Damien Hardwick 39 11 27 1 28.2%
16 Dean Bailey 83 22 59 2 26.5%
17 Guy McKenna 17 3 14 0 17.6%

 

[Billy Hunt]

Neil Craig is looking for a job

 

[djcolbung]

I'm not a fan of other supporters jumping on other team's boards, but I flat out have to disagree here. Have a look at the amount of injuries you have had. I think you've overachieved this season with the available playing list you've had this season. Harvey brings a toughness and structure to the team not seen with previous Freo coaches and I reckon the young kids really respond well to him.

Stick with him.

 

[Scootyb]

Remember 2 years he rebuilt the club which will set us up with (arguably) our best list of players ever to attack the premiership. This heavily slants his win / loss. The question remains though is he a good enough game day and match committee coach to lead us to the premiership.

I am not sure either way

 

[freoextra]

If we had a reasonable list available then I would have to agree with you. But as we have battled through to some impressive wins without many of our better players at the moment he gets a pass mark.

 

[tacopavlich]

mick malthouse would also have a poor win rate going only 3 - 4 years with a nightmare list of old spuds that connoly left us. that is a poor reason to sack him.

 

[Clay Davis]

mick malthouse would also have a poor win rate going only 3 - 4 years with a nightmare list of old spuds that connoly left us. that is a poor reason to sack him.

I doubt it - Malthouse took a sack of spuds + Buckley to be nine points from a premiership. Sandilands + Pavlich alone are around the equivalent of Buckley.

Such coaches are rare, so I think we should stick with Harvey, but he needs the absolute very best assistant coaches around him.

 

[Kickett Punches Read]

nope, harves needs another year, with a healthy list, And if we are lucky enough to recruit in say a nathan basset or the like as another assistant then sweet as..... last night was horrible, but with a healthy list we could have easily won another 4 games and had us top 4.....

plus who would we get in thats better? honestly? nobody is the answer

 

[freocuz]

I doubt it - Malthouse took a sack of spuds + Buckley to be nine points from a premiership. Sandilands + Pavlich alone are around the equivalent of Buckley.

Such coaches are rare, so I think we should stick with Harvey, but he needs the absolute very best assistant coaches around him.

This.

The fact that top quality players are prepared to commit long term to this club indicates to me that they believe there is something there. Sure the money helps, but guys like Sandi, Pav, Mundy, Hill, Fyfe, etc could have got the same money if not more elsewhere.

While he has the players commitment, he has mine. He does deperately need some real good quality assistants though. And not necessarily old bomber mates. The club needs to find a couple who have learnt from Roos/Malthouse/Matthews.

 

[apuchar]

unfortuanately because of the number of injuries we have had this season we cannot make an informed decision on Harvey, so we will have to wait one more year. I do think we have seen enough to know we have to improve in the coaching area in general though.

 

[Bradesmaen]

I see the sky is falling in again.

 

[Lord Rod]

Been thinking about this today. Harves has been very good for Freo and probably deserves another season in charge with [ hopefully] a better run with injuries.Maybe with a bit of heat on him he will stop playing games and pick players who deserve a spot and not just his favorites ie MJ.
Geelong persevered with Bomber Thompson when many wanted him gone and it paid off nicely.
Having said that though, it seems that players are taking matters into their own hands these days as Craig and Bailey have found out..

 

[apuchar]

I see the sky is falling in again.

Yawn!!

 

[apuchar]

Been thinking about this today. Harves has been very good for Freo and probably deserves another season in charge with [ hopefully] a better run with injuries.Maybe with a bit of heat on him he will stop playing games and pick players who deserve a spot and not just his favorites ie MJ.
Geelong persevered with Bomber Thompson when many wanted him gone and it paid off nicely.
Having said that though, it seems that players are taking matters into their own hands these days as Craig and Bailey have found out..

yes but it can go both ways. We perserved with connolly and it didn't work out. Wallace at Richmond etc. Who knows

 

[Bradesmaen]

Yawn!!

Last year everyone was on the Harvey bandwagon, now they are jumping off it with some bad losses on the back of a horror injury run. Hence my comment.

 

[peppy la pew]

I'm as disappointed as anyone this year, but Harvey stays.

He built this list, and must be given time to mould them. Have said it before, next year the heat will be on.

To include his days here as an assistant is silly, cuddles was still coach.

 

[malpaso]

Last year everyone was on the Harvey bandwagon, now they are jumping off it with some bad losses on the back of a horror injury run. Hence my comment.

I agree Brades.

There are some who just cannot seem to take the good with the bad or the bad with the good. Sport is not all good and happy faces.

I think there is something to the 'better assistant coaches' argument however due to limited player selection this year any game plan no matter how sound would have suffered.

We are not nor have we been a 32 player deep team so even without our current injury crisis I don't think we have the complete squad and depth Harvey wants. We are still building our playing list to a large degree and putting games into young players. Two of our top ten draft picks have had serious knee injuries for starters, we know it's curtailed the development of one player hope it doesn't happen to the other.

 

[IAMJUNGLEMUFFIN]

Jesus our supporters are emotional.

 

[Lord Nicholson]

If Freo gets the rough equivalent of West Coast's 2011 injury list, they can tilt at the flag next year.

Mad call.

 

[malpaso]

Anyone calling for Harvey's head must have punted their life savings on the Hawks game, only explanation I can come up with for it.

 

[sportsmaniac89]

Terrible call

Name any coach in the AFL that could achieve success with the sort of injury run that Mark Harvey and Freo have endured in 2011. The fact that we've sat in the 8 all season despite this horrendous run is I think a testament to the belief that Harves has installed in the players. Yes we've suffered some horrendous losses but at the same time, we've pulled out some gutsy wins.

He gets extra years to develop the depth he wants and the chance with a clean injury list to give Freo a tilt at the premiership

 

[apuchar]

Last year everyone was on the Harvey bandwagon, now they are jumping off it with some bad losses on the back of a horror injury run. Hence my comment.

I haven't asked for his sacking. We couldn't possibly make that decison after what happened last year and the injuries this year. However, personally I thought his game plan last year was pretty basic and was going to be difficult to sustain and it has turned out to be pretty easy to counter this year.

 

[Bradesmaen]

I haven't asked for his sacking. We couldn't possibly make that decison after what happened last year and the injuries this year. However, personally I thought his game plan last year was pretty basic and was going to be difficult to sustain and it has turned out to be pretty easy to counter this year.

When did I say you said that? I was referring to the OP.

 

[Nickos66]

Has he signed back on yet?? He should get another 2 years.

 

[apuchar]

When did I say you said that? I was referring to the OP.

sorry I thought everyone must be hanging off my every word I don't know what you stand for. But you seem to have the view that unless you agree with everything Freo is doing than you must be against the club. If coaches were never wrong, they would have a job for life. We are just talking.