We all know that Terry Wallace is under threat of keeping his job and I have to agree with the club leadership when they ask if Richmond is good enough to win 11.5 games last season including Hawthorn (2008 premiers) why do they suck so much now in 2009?
Wallace must be wondering what he is doing wrong? Or is it just his fault?
Personally yes coaches are important but I think it has more to do with the players and too a lesser extent the culture and board of the club. I do not want to pick too much on Richmond as we all know they suck at the moment but in looking at Wallace’s coach record I am lead to believe it is not totally his fault.
Brief look at Wallace as a coach
It needs to be remembered that Wallace (who was a handy footballer) took the Bulldogs from 15th (1996) to 3rd (1997-98) and also was the only team that could defeat Essendon in their breakout year of 2000. So obviously Wallave is no deuce as a coach. Even in looking at his tenure for Richmond, its obvious he can coach.
- 2005 spent most of the year in the top four,
- 2006 won 5 out of 7 including the basketball game against top side Adelaide.
- Lost 5 games by less than 25 points
- Just missed out with a fast end to the season
So whats the problem now?
Good Players make Coaches Successful
Lets look at some coaches who have been both successful and unsuccessful at times and hopefully it will show what I am getting at. If you have other examples, please let me know via the comments section below.
- Joyce & Jeans were successful as coaches in the 80′s but even they had failures in being sacked both from the Bulldogs & Richmond.
- Malthouse had one of the best squads ever at the Eagles during the early to mid 90′s yet struggled to get the Bulldogs far in the 80s and also many suggest he should have done more with the Magpies.
- Neil Craig is regarded as the most tactful coach yet due to his aging list has struggled to win finals. If they won finals, his stance as a coach would be more highly regarded.
- Leigh Mathews took Brisbane to 4 grand finals and Collingwood to a drought breaking premiership in 1990, however after both premierships, his sides struggled as players retired and got older.
- Geelongs current coach Thompson is highly regarded however surely its the players that make him look good.
So what do you think? Do the level of the playing list determine the value and importance of a coach? Would Wallace be untouchable if he was coaching Geelong’s current list and Thompson was coaching down at Richmond?
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April 22nd, 2009 at 9:15 am
Re: Malthouse – “many suggest he should have done more with the Magpies”.
Are you kidding?
How on earth he got Collingwood as far as he did last year is beyond me. And you cannot tell me that the list he got to within a few points of knocking of the Lions in the GF had anything like the quality of their opposition. I don’t like him, I think he’s an arrogant so and so, but to question his results seems to be completely off base to me.
April 22nd, 2009 at 10:34 am
I did say “many suggest”, yes he got lucky in the GF but the year(s) after they went downhill and struggled for a few years. Think it was something like 2nd to 13th or something with a similar squad.
Geoff, I have a post that is being written now (by Deano, published later) that I would love your opinion on in regards to the Richmond/ Wallace situation..
April 24th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
The answer to the question is an emphatic “Yes”. I reckon even I could probably have coached the 2000 Bombers (or the 1987 Blues) to a flag!!
Nevertheless, one of the coach’s tasks is to improve and develop players and the list generally. It’s not that many years since Bomber Thompson was virtually sacked according to the media, yet we can now see that he was developing a group that could not just win a single flag, but perhaps emulate Brisbane of the early noughties. The same might eventually be said of Clarkson.
The coach can’t get out there and get the ball, kick the goals, or tackle the opposition, but if his players can’t — or won’t — do those things, the buck stops with the coach.
On the other hand, as good as the young players were at the time, I reckon the 1993 flag belongs as much to Sheedy as the players. They were lucky during that final series and played plenty of finals in subsequent years, but no-one at the time would have said they were the best team going ’round.
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April 24th, 2009 at 3:53 pm
Thanks for your comment on this AussieRulesBlog.
Personally I would not say it was Bomber Thompson’s coaching ability that developed and brought the Geelong boys together where they are currently the best team. Think it was more the culture change that the coach, board and present/ past players made that sees Geelong financially and performance secure.
Personally my coach who got the best out of me in my past glory days was not the best at tactics or even skills but he was great at personal development and he inspired his players to greater things.
April 24th, 2009 at 6:29 pm
Much of the comment from knowledgeable sources discusses Thompson as a teaching coach. Yes, there was a review and changes were made, but Bomber developed that list from well before that review.
aussierulesblogs last blog post..Of Emperors and clothes . . .
April 27th, 2009 at 10:49 am
True that Thompson developed the list before the review but I think it was the review that changed Geelong from a talented list but over rated (as they where since the mid 90s) team into a club that has a better winning culture along with being financially secure.
Even Wallace could have have coached Geelong to success with the right culture, backing of a stable board and togetherness of past/ current players.