If Walters and Sidebottom are considered ‘champion players’ then we’ve had a few more than Rohan is letting on.
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I’d put it to you that there is a far larger group of ‘strong coaches’ that have not had that kind of success at all. The right coach is important. What position they played as a player, how tough they talk or what they look like really has no historical effect on the success of a team. You mention Fagan - a nurturing, caring coach. Brad Scott - hard-■■■■ tough-talking. Malthouse - tough - both successful and failure.
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Yes that’s fair enough. I think the coteries are more “annoyance” to the club than real power brokers. Although they certainly feel they had a big say in the removal of Knights but blind Freddy could have told you that was happening. That might be slightly condescending to the coteries as they offer significant financial value to the club and Ive been a part of one for a short time but I don’t think they have any real power over the clubs decision making.
Agree. By ‘strong’ I mean one that is respected by the players and goes into bat for them when needed/tough love at other times when needed … not necessarily a Pagan fire and brimstone type leader. Also, one who does what is best for the club as opposed to being driven by self interest (here’s looking at you Woosha)
Takeaway from Rohan’s piece…
- Poor player development
- Team selection - long term acceptance of mediocrity
- Institutionalised cultural problems stemming from deep rooted internal politics which have a negative flow-on effect on footy operations.
- Need for people who understand true footy culture
- Need for club to connect with supporters
- Need to recapture the essence of the EFC, values they stood for during their dominant reign under Sheed’s.
Supporters know there’s truth in Rohan’s words. There’s a level of satisfaction in the push for cultural change being championed by influential types in the media. Just hope this movement has the desired effect? Supporters probably have the strongest voice though and @Aceman and others’ suggestion of pulling financial support is a powerful way of forcing change. But that approach is not for everyone.
I agree with the ‘respect’ part. I think that a very large part of that is actually success. Most coaches are positively reacted to when they start. If the team has success, it brings confidence and is lauded across the media. Whatever they are doing, must be the right way. It’s important to remember though, that just about all coaches get sacked.
It depends on how you look at it.
My original comment is to highlight just how bad and unprofessional we’ve been. Highlighting other unsuccessful clubs isn’t necessarily being arrogant. It’s demanding better by comparing those clubs to ours.
Melbourne for example came from way behind to surpass us. I think they’ve only had one final appearance since 2006. Saying “we’re in trouble because they’re getting it right” is in jest, but it does have some truth to it.
Reason being is that the likes of Melbourne, Richmond and even Carlton have had a bigger loser culture than we have had. All these clubs were battling for spoons for a long time while we were middling. If these teams are getting their act together and we’re incapable of doing the same, then it confirms we have a deeper issue than these clubs have despite being in a better position.
It means that we’re literally the worst club in the league, which isn’t how people view modern day Essendon. It’s a “realisation” moment for all supporters and the club.
There has always been a club worse than us over the last 16 years. First it was Richmond and Carlton for so long. Then Melbourne and the expansion sides. Then Brisbane, Gold Coast and Carlton again. With Carlton and Gold Coast’s imminent rise, we’re going to be literally the worst club in the league.
Teams on the bottom now in Adelaide, Sydney, Hawthorn, Fremantle and North have all achieved something at least significant in the last 7 years. The first four made a grand final and all of them made multiple prelims. We can’t compare ourselves to them.
In the past, we had Richmond, Carlton, Gold Coast, Brisbane and Melbourne to look back at. All of them appear to be in a better position than us going forward, which is a sobering reality. I’m not saying we looked down on them, but they have been worse than us for an extended period of time. Not anymore.
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The word you’re looking for is trusted. Trust is built through bond and connection. Through vulnerability and openness. And time.
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Yep.
The players need to be united behind a single, trusted plan for success- there are just too many influential individuals at this club and likely, not a lot of trust that the club as a whole, knows what its doing. Can’t blame players for going through the motions if they think this way
I’m always reminded of that Carlisle spray and why a player getting picked regularly in his preferred position, and playing for a wealthy club with great facilities, would say what he did
He is spot on with everything he said. You don’t think he has multiple sources at the club and knows a lot about the behind the scenes workings.
Just Because some of you don’t like what he has said, doesn’t make him wrong
Too many people behind the scenes are making decisions for their own egos and not for the betterment of the club
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agree on Walters, but Sidebottom has been an A-grade gun and is only shaded by Pendlebury over the past decade.
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Then so has Hurley.
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Hurley a rung below still I reckon.
Sidebum has premiership, AA, 2 BnFs, a 2nd in brownlow, Gary Ayres medalist for best in a final series. Thats more than a pretty fair career.
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One might imagine one of two things might happen - the more this opens up in the public arena, the more the club will try to hide it or keep it covered or, they won’t try to hide it and they will loosen their grip on covering it up and acknowledge what has happened. Let’s see which way they slide??? One thing is for certain, when you slowly let go of something that’s been claiming a secret for years there is relief which comes with acknowledgement and taking ownership. Claiming something can open up Pandora’s Box but it can also have a welcoming presence.
“I can feel the buzz which has surrounded it for much of that time fading into a bland nothingness.”
This doesn’t feel like a footy club anymore because the club has no rivalries, we hardly ever win a milestone game and if we happen to play a final we show up with an apologetic whimper.
It feels like only fans truly care about rivalries, milestones and winning premierships at the moment.
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Hurley has 2 x AA’s, and he can’t win premierships if the team doesn’t.
I’d still take Hurley over Sidebottom if that draft happened today.
While his late career drop off is an issue, Mick Hurley was an absolute friggin beast for a while there.
And again, not downplaying Sidebottom at all, but I think we’re underrating Hurley
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Not sure that puts us in an entirely better position. We’ve tried to stay afloat with tweaks thinking finals were always within reach. There’s a different mentality to how you approach recruitment and game plan to when you see your club bottom out and require a massive shift, plus bringing in a core group of top young players to grow together.
Though I loved it at the time and was all for moving him forward because we had fark all other options i wish he never kicked a last quarter bag against the Hawks in 2009.
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Sidebottom for mine is a lot more consistent and a big game performer.
Hurley was an absolute beast but didn’t do it for long enough, only really did it for 2-3 years
Would take Sidebottom over Hurley every time
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That goal from outside 50 on his left foot looked like we had a once in a generation KPF, but ended up part of a sequence of events that foiked his wrists.
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