Why would anyone want to be an AFL senior coach?

[Catters 070911]

I have never understood those who aspire to be an AFL senior coach.

Why would you do it? What have you got to gain?

Reading a lot of club message boards, a lot of supporters hate their coach, and want him sacked after every loss. I think every board (other than Hawthorn) asks for this.

When the club have a win, it is the players who won it. When they lose, it is considered 100% the coach's fault.

Reading the Freo board yesterday, after Ross Lyon was sacked, many were happy to see him go.

Imagine, people actually having glee about a person losing their job, being unemployed.

Hell, even on my club's message boards (Geelong) there are supporters who want Chris Scott sacked after every loss, despite one of the best coaching records in history, and regular finals appearances.

Why would anyone want to coach, to cater to a bunch of drunken, whiny, ungrateful yobbos at their club. Knuckledraggers who couldn't coach their way out of a paper bag themselves, but sit behind a computer and say "Why doesn't the coach make this move....why doesn't he make that move"?

They get 0% credit for success, but 100% for failure, not the administration who hired him, not the medical or conditioning staff who are meant to make sure that the list is uninjured and ready to go, not the recruiter who might pick the wrong players, nor the players themselves, who don't chase, tackle, or miskick the ball.

It is never anyone else's fault. It is always the coach's fault. And fans think that simply getting a new coach will solve all the club's problems.

The media are no better. They get paid more and have more job security, and less work hours and accountability, yet they drive wanting a coach being sacked, and smell blood in the water, seeing the headlines and ratings they would get by having a coach get sacked. They are joined by ex-players in the media, especially past club greats, who want the coach sacked because he was the coach who retired them.

I am surprised that AFL senior coaches don't have mental health problems. It is a lonely job, where only 17 other people in Australia truly understand what an AFL coach is going through. The amount of vitriol, criticism, and lack of gratitude for their part in success, would drive anyone into dark places.

The bigger surprise is that there are many willing to do the job.

Why would anyone do it? The workload, the hours, the pay (they could make more money in the media), the lack of security, constantly being the scapegoat for others' incompetence, to win over a venomous media, ungrateful fans, and their players, some of who are pissed off with you for not playing them, playing them out of position, or retiring them. Who needs it?

A coach is virtually saying that they can deliver when their predecessor couldn't, and is going to turn around a club with a list so bad that they needed to sack their coach in the first place. They are on a hiding to nothing.

 

[BallaratBulldog]

I think list managers and recuriters get a free ride without taking enough responsibility for a clubs failures.

 

[halalsnackpack]

Money for one, and the same reason anyone wants to be in a higher management position. You are given the power to move the chess pieces around in order to achieve an optimal outcome.

I imagine it's immensely satisfying to have all aspects of your company (football club) operating well and achieving things together. It's also obviously immensely challenging but people who are afraid of hard work won't get into these positions regardless.

As with any leadership position you are the first to go when things go south, but it's not true that coaches get no credit. Clarkson is living proof of that.

 

[AuntyBlindEye]

I have never understood those who aspire to be an AFL senior coach.

Why would you do it? What have you got to gain?

Reading a lot of club message boards, a lot of supporters hate their coach, and want him sacked after every loss. I think every board (other than Hawthorn) asks for this.

When the club have a win, it is the players who won it. When they lose, it is considered 100% the coach's fault.

Reading the Freo board yesterday, after Ross Lyon was sacked, many were happy to see him go.

Imagine, people actually having glee about a person losing their job, being unemployed.

Hell, even on my club's message boards (Geelong) there are supporters who want Chris Scott sacked after every loss, despite one of the best coaching records in history, and regular finals appearances.

Why would anyone want to coach, to cater to a bunch of drunken, whiny, ungrateful yobbos at their club. Knuckledraggers who couldn't coach their way out of a paper bag themselves, but sit behind a computer and say "Why doesn't the coach make this move....why doesn't he make that move"?

They get 0% credit for success, but 100% for failure, not the administration who hired him, not the medical or conditioning staff who are meant to make sure that the list is uninjured and ready to go, not the recruiter who might pick the wrong players, nor the players themselves, who don't chase, tackle, or miskick the ball.

It is never anyone else's fault. It is always the coach's fault. And fans think that simply getting a new coach will solve all the club's problems.

The media are no better. They get paid more and have more job security, and less work hours and accountability, yet they drive wanting a coach being sacked, and smell blood in the water, seeing the headlines and ratings they would get by having a coach get sacked. They are joined by ex-players in the media, especially past club greats, who want the coach sacked because he was the coach who retired them.

I am surprised that AFL senior coaches don't have mental health problems. It is a lonely job, where only 17 other people in Australia truly understand what an AFL coach is going through. The amount of vitriol, criticism, and lack of gratitude for their part in success, would drive anyone into dark places.

The bigger surprise is that there are many willing to do the job.

Why would anyone do it? The workload, the hours, the pay (they could make more money in the media), the lack of security, constantly being the scapegoat for others' incompetence, to win over a venomous media, ungrateful fans, and their players, some of who are pi**ed off with you for not playing them, playing them out of position, or retiring them. Who needs it?

A coach is virtually saying that they can deliver when their predecessor couldn't, and is going to turn around a club with a list so bad that they needed to sack their coach in the first place. They are on a hiding to nothing.

Not that it is super comparable but things like manager mode in video games and coaching junior teams were a lot of fun and when things start to work together and play out as you hope it's very rewarding.

The scrutiny would be stressful, but for me personally, if ever I was on the position to be a senior coach I'd take it in a heartbeat.

 

[JimmyBeerCans]

I have a tough time feeling much sympathy for sacked millionaires who will either get another coaching gig, stay in some well paid capacity in club land or land a media role.

 

[greatwhiteshark]

They are quite a tough group of people who coach at this level. Do you really think they give a rats about what the supporters think of them? These days especially when a large number of every clubs supporters know nothing about the game, why would they care what they think?
Yes it's a tough job but it's well paid, it forms many great relationships and is part of a journey through the sport for some.

 

[Catters 070911]

Money for one, and the same reason anyone wants to be in a higher management position. You are given the power to move the chess pieces around in order to achieve an optimal outcome.

I imagine it's immensely satisfying to have all aspects of your company (football club) operating well and achieving things together. It's also obviously immensely challenging but people who are afraid of hard work won't get into these positions regardless.

As with any leadership position you are the first to go when things go south, but it's not true that coaches get no credit. Clarkson is living proof of that.

Ex-footballers in the media get paid more, and have more job security and less responsibility. They can be wrong for years, and still keep their job.

Clarkson is proof of that, but it takes winning three or four flags before the tide turns.

Longmire, Chris Scott and John Worsfold are all premiership coaches, and yet there are some fans who hate them and want them sacked regardless.

Unless a coach wins three or four flags, then some fans consider that the coach fluked it.

Winning multiple premierships like Clarko, Sheedy, Malthouse or Matthews is the only way to live up to the media and public's massively high and unrealistic expectations and "entitlement".

 

[Catters 070911]

I have a tough time feeling much sympathy for sacked millionaires who will either get another coaching gig, stay in some well paid capacity in club land or land a media role.

But do you feel sympathy for millionaires in the footy media who try to get coaches sacked at every opportunity?

Hey, with the s**t that is flung at coaches constantly by entitled fans and toxic media outlets, if I were a coach, I would have no problems taking as much as I could, and would feel I deserve it, especially from unsympathetic nobodies like yourself.

 

[Catters 070911]

They are quite a tough group of people who coach at this level. Do you really think they give a rats about what the supporters think of them? These days especially when a large number of every clubs supporters know nothing about the game, why would they care what they think?
Yes it's a tough job but it's well paid, it forms many great relationships and is part of a journey through the sport for some.

Because the media, the public and some players can form a groundswell which can lead to a coach being sacked, and losing his livelihood.

Personally, if I was an AFL senior coach, and I was sacked before the end of my contract, I would sue for unfair dismissal.

 

[caspian]

Catters it sounds like you just got your feelings hurt about a Scott argument somewhere and needed to vent. There's heaps of reasons.

- good pay
- fulfilling and challenging, mentally, emotionally, etc etc
- chance to really leave a mark on AFL
- chance to stay for longer in the game you love
- various career pathways after finishing up
- going straight into it, you already know it's a volatile, difficult market, so it's not like you're putting your feet up and going "this is my retirement job!"



Yeah fans are gonna complain but as if you're going to be reading media as a coach. I'd take up the job in a heartbeat, beats working in a processing plant that's for sure.

 

[caspian]

I mean, imagine how fun, how difficult, how daunting, how exhilarating, how frustrating etc it must be being a head coach on game day. An experience very few people get to have! Hell yeah sign me up

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

It beats earning $15 an hour picking fly poop out of the pepper at Anchor Foods.

 

[JimmyBeerCans]

But do you feel sympathy for millionaires in the footy media who try to get coaches sacked at every opportunity?

Hey, with the s**t that is flung at coaches constantly by entitled fans and toxic media outlets, if I were a coach, I would have no problems taking as much as I could, and would feel I deserve it, especially from unsympathetic nobodies like yourself.

Why would I feel sympathy for media identities?

Coaching at AFL level is a highly paid, performance demanding industry if you are a lilting petal you'd best off stay at home.. you sympathetic nobody in house pants.

 

[campbell]

The old boys In the media with their agendas, are able to potshot coaches at whim.
Disgraceful really.Not good enough to coach.


Sent from my iPad using BigFooty.com

 

[Seeds]

I have never understood those who aspire to be an AFL senior coach.

Why would you do it? What have you got to gain?

Reading a lot of club message boards, a lot of supporters hate their coach, and want him sacked after every loss. I think every board (other than Hawthorn) asks for this.

When the club have a win, it is the players who won it. When they lose, it is considered 100% the coach's fault.

Reading the Freo board yesterday, after Ross Lyon was sacked, many were happy to see him go.

Imagine, people actually having glee about a person losing their job, being unemployed.

Hell, even on my club's message boards (Geelong) there are supporters who want Chris Scott sacked after every loss, despite one of the best coaching records in history, and regular finals appearances.

Why would anyone want to coach, to cater to a bunch of drunken, whiny, ungrateful yobbos at their club. Knuckledraggers who couldn't coach their way out of a paper bag themselves, but sit behind a computer and say "Why doesn't the coach make this move....why doesn't he make that move"?

They get 0% credit for success, but 100% for failure, not the administration who hired him, not the medical or conditioning staff who are meant to make sure that the list is uninjured and ready to go, not the recruiter who might pick the wrong players, nor the players themselves, who don't chase, tackle, or miskick the ball.

It is never anyone else's fault. It is always the coach's fault. And fans think that simply getting a new coach will solve all the club's problems.

The media are no better. They get paid more and have more job security, and less work hours and accountability, yet they drive wanting a coach being sacked, and smell blood in the water, seeing the headlines and ratings they would get by having a coach get sacked. They are joined by ex-players in the media, especially past club greats, who want the coach sacked because he was the coach who retired them.

I am surprised that AFL senior coaches don't have mental health problems. It is a lonely job, where only 17 other people in Australia truly understand what an AFL coach is going through. The amount of vitriol, criticism, and lack of gratitude for their part in success, would drive anyone into dark places.

The bigger surprise is that there are many willing to do the job.

Why would anyone do it? The workload, the hours, the pay (they could make more money in the media), the lack of security, constantly being the scapegoat for others' incompetence, to win over a venomous media, ungrateful fans, and their players, some of who are pi**ed off with you for not playing them, playing them out of position, or retiring them. Who needs it?

A coach is virtually saying that they can deliver when their predecessor couldn't, and is going to turn around a club with a list so bad that they needed to sack their coach in the first place. They are on a hiding to nothing.

Its pays between 400 thousand and 1 million a year.

The job is basically an awesome hobby. People do dreamteam for free. This is like dreamteam but real.

 

[Seeds]

The old boys In the media with their agendas, are able to potshot coaches at whim.
Disgraceful really.Not good enough to coach.


Sent from my iPad using BigFooty.com

Its not disgraceful at all. I would argue attacking the media is disgraceful actually. Unless thry are making sh** up media is a valuable service to society.

 

[BIRDBRAIN]

Because they make a ridiculous amount of coin if they can pull it off.

 

[Jcpdragonx]

Well working in the sports industry is a dream for many. Plus they're probably all on 1 million a year. Sure its stressful it but some have a different perspective on what is stressful in life and what is not (e.g. dame lillard), and I'm sure plenty of them ignore critics.

 

[greatwhiteshark]

Because the media, the public and some players can form a groundswell which can lead to a coach being sacked, and losing his livelihood.

Personally, if I was an AFL senior coach, and I was sacked before the end of my contract, I would sue for unfair dismissal.

You would get no where as your contract would state that there is an out clause for either party. You would never get a coaching gig if you tried to also get a no sack clause in it.

Mate life goes on for retired coaches and footballers, don’t for a minute think the poor guys stuck with nothing to do now and can’t earn a living. They all do ok.

 

[JackFlash]

Lyon will get a 600k golden handshake and Lyon could sit out next year and comeback in 2021?

 

[threesixpio]

Ask Clarko

 

[Tas]

It pays well, especially if you are good at your job. If you suck at your job you can always get a job in the media, you could even drive the list into the ground and have the audacity to call yourself "the list manager" and day after day tell other clubs how s**t they are by not wheeling and dealing during the trade period.

 

[Benny78]

Because their employers underpay them and keep all the money for themselves. Coaching gig is a far bigger income than 45-55k pa

 

[The King!]

who wouldn't want massive amounts of money to watch footy and get a cushy media gig afterwards

 

[Catters 070911]

Its not disgraceful at all. I would argue attacking the media is disgraceful actually. Unless thry are making sh** up media is a valuable service to society.

But they lack accountability.

How often, when they get things wrong, are they ever held to account for it?

(Hi, Caro).