Opinion Who to sack poll

[Joao]

Inspired by freo1

From the JL thread I think it is clear that there is a divide in the fanbase over whether JL should be sacked for not making finals next year.

There is also a fair amount of anti-Bell sentiment from some.

What I am interested in is how many of you (that think JL and/or Bell) should go for performance think Walls should join them.

Get in the poll!


We'll try and keep the arguments out of here too (as it has been so far), keep them to the JL or other threads. I think keeping this one as a pure vote with some justification if you want is the best way.

 

[Jezzitizle]

Still a year too early.

I mean if we have a fully fit list and have a really abysmal year maybe, but I can’t see that happening.

We will get there but the team is still in a development phase.

 

[Rob]

Depends. If we're still playing this rubbish possession game which results in us turning the ball over at the stoppages then JL needs to go.

I don't know enough about the internal workings of the club to know how good Bell and Walls are performing at their job.

 

[pK75]

Voted for Bell but only because he seems to be the driving factor behind the angst with colon Young and if we’re going to get anywhere as a club we can’t lose Chapman or Johnson. We also can’t overlook talent like Collard because of who his manager may be. If losing Bell means we can repair the rift with Young, it’s a price I’m prepared to pay.

 

[go_the_dockers]

I am more angry about our list management decisions since 2016, that anything else. The issue is, it is debatable who was in charge for that period.

 

[Jezzitizle]

Positives in the last year and a bit is getting the injury list back under control touch wood, and getting all our potential young all Australians under contract, mostly longer ones - bar Darcy, who has all but said he isn’t leaving, and may well have already signed.

Club has come under huge pressure on players leaving, and specifically Bell, Walls and JL have been directly confronted in the media - all those directly responsible. As well as Garlic iirc. They will no doubt be getting it directly when they speak to fans.

I feel like there will be massive pressure internally now, which wasn’t really anywhere near as present last year because many who left the club knew weren’t b22. Also the media pressure has really stepped up this year. They clearly didn’t rate Acres like supporters do, but the club can’t say that.

But now they know that every time a good player leaves where the fingers are being pointed

Also, it’s clear the club are saving salary cap for a big fish, potentially McDonald - who is tracking beautifully by the way.

If we don’t lose any more key players and pull a gun to the club - that will completely change the debate around player retention. So it is salvageable.

Losing Shooter is galling, he is a great player but he endeared himself by always giving everything - which supporters adore. Henry? Not even sure he would be in our best side next year.

I think we need to give due weight to the positives I mentioned above, and try to read the clubs true strategy, which they can’t really share because it can put them in a poorer bargaining position for contracts and trades.

If the side performs genuinely poorly, the coach needs to come under pressure, but the list overall is in fantastic shape.

 

[Joao]

Based on us being no worse than this year I voted nobody.

I'm prepared to give the whole build and plan 2024 as grace and then I am bringing out the pitchforks for 2025 if required. Probably only for JL as I think Walls has done a great job post 2018 and I think it's too hard to tell what parts are Bell from the outside.

 

[Nothing]

Poll needs a somebody option. Someone's head needs to roll whether that be board, Bell, Longmuir or Walls. 5 years into their tenure together failing to make finals should result in change.

 

[Joao]

Added other - you can add who in your post.

 

[blue shark]

I’d argue that we need to add staff rather than sack them. Club needs to
get in bed with WC and get the AFL to give our teams more allowance.
Teams that are competing have superior coaching depts, our teams are
Understaffed.
Even if Ross came back now it wouldn’t better that 2012-2014 era.
Once Kirk was gone, then Suma, Ross picked the assistants and played shepherd.
Club needs to address this, a GWS comparison off staff, they will win a flag before
us.
As a football state that is an embarrassment.
What WC did with Mitchell was smart, Hodge at Lions. We need leadership.
Who at Freo could put their hand up for the top job?
Jlo is closer to M Harvey, we need football royalty to bridge the gap.

 

[Kapow!!!]

The tough thing here is that as supporters we don't seem to be learning from recent history with Lyon. When arbitrary timelines are placed on developing list, no matter how desperately finals are sought, coaches and recruitment staff tend to rush the process and end up setting the list back several years inadvertently (see the desperation for Hogan, Lobb, Hill etc. over recruiting hard in the draft of Rozee or B. King).

I honestly don't know if what we have is good enough. I have my doubts over both Longmuir and Bell but I do know we have a progressively younger list profile makes it tough. It's also an indictment but on what specific part I'm not sure. I'm reluctant to burn it all down just yet but I do appreciate that despite everything they're still trying to build appropriately and with patience compared to "We must make finals to hit our arbitrary timeframe to save my job" which is the decision making from the previous administration that put us in our current desperation.

Where's the "I don't know" option?

 

[Joao]

The tough thing here is that as supporters we don't seem to be learning from recent history with Lyon. When arbitrary timelines are placed on developing list, no matter how desperately finals are sought, coaches and recruitment staff tend to rush the process and end up setting the list back several years inadvertently (see the desperation for Hogan, Lobb, Hill etc. over recruiting hard in the draft of Rozee or B. King).

I honestly don't know if what we have is good enough. I have my doubts over both Longmuir and Bell but I do know we have a progressively younger list profile makes it tough. It's also an indictment but on what specific part I'm not sure. I'm reluctant to burn it all down just yet but I do appreciate that despite everything they're still trying to build appropriately and with patience compared to "We must make finals to hit our arbitrary timeframe to save my job" which is the decision making from the previous administration that put us in our current desperation.

Where's the "I don't know" option?

I don't know = other

 

[blue shark]

If we are feeling melancholy then imagine what WC are heading for?
They had to add Shuey to their coaching list, and even Prior is still
employed there.
They have lost assistants and have only one position available. Simpson
Nisbett, talk about a boys club and living in the past.
But they have draft picks, and are young so you know give it time and it will
pay dividends

 

[The Feeder Club]

Ultimately the board has to take responsibility - they signed off on the strategic plans, they signed off on bringing Bell back into the club where he could weave his particular brand of 'magic' that got us here.
I think there is a rare window of opportunity now that Sutherland is taking over as president, when he has only been on the board for two years. He therefore has no history of being associated with the series of poor decisions that have been made since 2016.
There are three other dead ducks sitting on the board that have been there since 2016 and should have the good grace to * off with Alcock, they have a legacy of one definite and then a second almost certainly dismal strategic failures (no reason not to win a flag by 2020; then 3 prelims and a flag by 2025).
We don't need to blow the place up but we need significant board renewal with at least one other proper football person at board level to augment Clement, and if we don't make finals by 2024 Bell and the coach have definitely run their course. I think we have an opporrtunity here with Sutherland and hopefully he has the cojones to engineer change

 

[CapitalA]

I say sack them all and once we're done with that we can fold the club.

 

[Ge3ks]

Can we sack the creator of this poll?

 

[pK75]

I should add, that whoever sacked Webber and brought in Merryman had some significant credits in the bank, if that was Bell, maybe I should recant my vote.

 

[Dockeroo]

A hige amount depends on The style of footy. If I see a daring modern attacking from JL and we lose more than we win, I’d be inclined to give him another chance in 2025. But if we see the same stale method in our defeats and little to no flair or risk taking, he should go.
The AFL are in the business of entertainment and they don’t want a team trying to bore its way to a flag.

 

[dockerfemme]

I should add, that whoever sacked Webber and brought in Merryman had some significant credits in the bank, if that was Bell, maybe I should recant my vote.

I would say whoever made that decision may get to keep their job as, at least, they made one good decision. But for years we were in the bottom quartile for injury measures and we just went on and on with Webber. It is an indicator of the amateur nature of the club.
I voted Bell. I really don’t have a clue but he had no quals for the job when he got it and nothing has happened imho to suggest he is doing the job well.

 

[CapitalA]

A hige amount depends on The style of footy. If I see a daring modern attacking from JL and we lose more than we win, I’d be inclined to give him another chance in 2025. But if we see the same stale method in our defeats and little to no flair or risk taking, he should go.
The AFL are in the business of entertainment and they don’t want a team trying to bore its way to a flag.

Are you saying you would rather we played daring modern attacking style and be 15th than having the same style and finishing 5th like 2022?

 

[pK75]

A hige amount depends on The style of footy. If I see a daring modern attacking from JL and we lose more than we win, I’d be inclined to give him another chance in 2025. But if we see the same stale method in our defeats and little to no flair or risk taking, he should go.
The AFL are in the business of entertainment and they don’t want a team trying to bore its way to a flag.

What happens if we play boring defensive football but with Chapman back and a better midfield win more and get into finals?

 

[Yeti]

Can we add the Mod team to the poll?

Asking for a friend.

 

[Dockeroo]

Are you saying you would rather we played daring modern attacking style and be 15th than having the same style and finishing 5th like 2022?

We were reasonably exciting to watch in 2022. The game style was bold and much more risk taking than what we saw in the opening 7 rounds this year.

What happens if we play boring defensive football but with Chapman back and a better midfield win more and get into finals?

The afl keep tweaking the rules every year to help teams that play on the front foot and hinder teams that play it safe.
Luke Ryan getting 33 disposals and Brennan Cox taking nearly 20 marks chipping it back and over across our defensive half while we lose by 30 = the kind of brand the AFL are trying to remove from the game.

 

[pK75]

We were reasonably exciting to watch in 2022. The game style was bold and much more risk taking than what we saw in the opening 7 rounds this year.

The afl keep tweaking the rules every year to help teams that play on the front foot and hinder teams that play it safe.
Luke Ryan getting 33 disposals and Brennan Cox taking nearly 20 marks chipping it back and over across our defensive half while we lose by 30 = the kind of brand the AFL are trying to remove from the game.

So you aren’t going to answer either question then?

Edit: the last 7 games this year were pretty exciting.

 

[Nothing]

Poll creator didn't even include Joe Brierty. Poor effort.







I hadn't heard of him either