Thanks Ross and all the best

[Sainternist]

Good riddance you money grubbing opportunist.

May your journey with Fremantle go absolutely no where, as their dreaded anchor holds you down and drowns away your caoching career.

Harsh words, I know. But you obviously didn't think much of us in the end.

[Verdun66]

He's gone. No one is indispensable. He did his his best for us, but we all move on. Think a new coach for a tilt next year is good. The players will have had a good pre-season, will be hungry, and a new boss and some new players will be refreshing for all.

Move on...nothing to see here.....

[Scollop]

The bloke was a dud and our players and the assistant coaches and Saints footy department made him look good...Our team had great talent and he simply couldn't inspire and lead them to greatness...

But stuff it, I'll reserve my final judgement for a few years...lets just wait and see if he can prove himself..or if he just fades into obscurity like so many other duds before him

FFS Ross was a very good coach. He wasnt a dud coach. Amazing how peoples opinions change of someone so quickly. Stop being so bias and realise we lost a very good coach that took us so close to the ultimate.

Sorry to disappoint you but I haven't changed my opinion. I've always thought he was an average coach. He's a dud because the team went backwards when he arrived and we had two s*** years for this bloke to learn the caper.

I thought we had a brilliant team that took us so close. I thought we had a team full of great players and was wrapped that there were coaches of the calibre of Terry Daniher to teach these guys early in their careers. Leigh Tudor was also a huge influence in us 'getting so close' and the brilliant leaders of our playing group are the ones that should get the credit not the dud.

[kosifantutti23]

I don't understand all the hatred of Ross. He was an employee who left for a better offer. No different to whoever ends up coaching us. Unless it's Harvey. If you look at the Riewoldt story in the Hun today, the players have all
moved on. Some people here should take a leaf out of their book.

[Thomas]

The bloke was a dud and our players and the assistant coaches and Saints footy department made him look good...Our team had great talent and he simply couldn't inspire and lead them to greatness...

But stuff it, I'll reserve my final judgement for a few years...lets just wait and see if he can prove himself..or if he just fades into obscurity like so many other duds before him

FFS Ross was a very good coach. He wasnt a dud coach. Amazing how peoples opinions change of someone so quickly. Stop being so bias and realise we lost a very good coach that took us so close to the ultimate.

Sorry to disappoint you but I haven't changed my opinion. I've always thought he was an average coach. He's a dud because the team went backwards when he arrived and we had two s*** years for this bloke to learn the caper.

I thought we had a brilliant team that took us so close. I thought we had a team full of great players and was wrapped that there were coaches of the calibre of Terry Daniher to teach these guys early in their careers. Leigh Tudor was also a huge influence in us 'getting so close' and the brilliant leaders of our playing group are the ones that should get the credit not the dud.

+1

[starsign]

Yep I'll say thanks for the ride Ross
... Where have I heard that before??
Anyway closure for me is "Thanks and see ya"
.... But definitely not with the usual "good luck" attached....
Not for this bloke!
Got too much black & white flowing in my blood to come at that (And nothin to do with the filth by the way!)

[meher baba]

Lyon was a good coach. Not perfect by any means, but smart and cunning and was better than most at working out ways to neutralize the main threats of opposing teams.

I still believe he shouldn't have gotten the job in the first place. Shifting coaches is disruptive and can set your premiership prospects back for a year or two. Which is why we shouldn't have sacked a coach in GT who was doing pretty well.

But, after he and the players had time to adjust, Lyon did a great job. It wasn't his fault that we didn't end up with at least one premiership.

However, his preferred style of footy was as boring as batshit to watch, and I hope we'll get something a bit different in 2012.

[Dr Spaceman]

Knowing everything we know now about Ross I am just so glad he didn't see out his last year and then jump ship.

Goodness knows what position we would be in if that had've happened. Maybe the ambos got to Seaford just in time.

I'm glad we've got Pelchen and Bains working the paddles

[spert]

Inability to win any premiership in three consecutive GF appearances as coach, letting Ball go elsewhere to play in a premiership, the Lovett mess, then a horrible first half of a season, means you don't have much contract bargaining power in my book, and time to move on. No doubt Lyon will be raised on the forum for a few years, similar to all the crap about Thomas in his time as coach. I'm just keen to look forward.

[SaintPav]

Lyon was a good coach. Not perfect by any means, but smart and cunning and was better than most at working out ways to neutralize the main threats of opposing teams.

I still believe he shouldn't have gotten the job in the first place. Shifting coaches is disruptive and can set your premiership prospects back for a year or two. Which is why we shouldn't have sacked a coach in GT who was doing pretty well.

But, after he and the players had time to adjust, Lyon did a great job. It wasn't his fault that we didn't end up with at least one premiership.

However, his preferred style of footy was as boring as batshit to watch, and I hope we'll get something a bit different in 2012.

Can't agree with that. You could probably argue the other way that GT should have gone earlier. The way the game was going, GT wasn't up to it and we were pretty behind in systems and tactics. He admits himself RL was much stronger regarding tactics and systems. From what I remember, GT used to struggle against the flood. RL also put way much more time in stoppages and set ups than GT who focused more on talent, effort and "above the shoulders" stuff. The Swans were way ahead of St Kilda in this regard and this showed in the 05 Prelim when we got smashed in this area. It was probably a big factor in RL getting the job in the firts place.

[samoht]

re: game plan
It could be argued that Longmire is a much better coach than RL ..even at this early stage of his career with the same game plan - the way the Swans toyed with us at Etihad !

I also hope the next coach inspires Ray back up towards 25 possessions per game .. and arrests his decline, he has gone progressively backwards under Lyon.

Our forward pressure was almost non existent under Lyon - what a great coach !!!
any success we had - he'd love to be credited for - but we need to be more critical than that - he had a great team why couldn't he get the players to apply more F50 tackles ? - a simple basic thing like that !
Plus his love for the recycled players ! .. Gamble when we needed pace ??

A C minus at best - far from a great coach or even a good coach !

[Hurricane]

Sorry to many hard feelings to say thanks and good luck just yet.

I might thank him for leaving when we are on top playing exciting footy and they are last with dwindling crowds and having games cancelled due to lack of intrest

BANG BANG

[Moccha]

Take your money and don't come back

[SainterK]

Hope Melbourne forces you to give up pick 16 and a player for Clark.

[Scollop]

Lyon was a good coach. Not perfect by any means, but smart and cunning and was better than most at working out ways to neutralize the main threats of opposing teams.

I still believe he shouldn't have gotten the job in the first place. Shifting coaches is disruptive and can set your premiership prospects back for a year or two. Which is why we shouldn't have sacked a coach in GT who was doing pretty well.

But, after he and the players had time to adjust, Lyon did a great job. It wasn't his fault that we didn't end up with at least one premiership.

However, his preferred style of footy was as boring as batshit to watch, and I hope we'll get something a bit different in 2012.

Can't agree with that. You could probably argue the other way that GT should have gone earlier. The way the game was going, GT wasn't up to it and we were pretty behind in systems and tactics. He admits himself RL was much stronger regarding tactics and systems. From what I remember, GT used to struggle against the flood. RL also put way much more time in stoppages and set ups than GT who focused more on talent, effort and "above the shoulders" stuff. The Swans were way ahead of St Kilda in this regard and this showed in the 05 Prelim when we got smashed in this area. It was probably a big factor in RL getting the job in the firts place.

Another big factor in GT losing the job imo, was the former president filing a writ in the courts around 6 months after the event of GT's sacking. Butters could not possibly have been contemplating suing his former coach before he actually sacked him could he? Only us conspiracy theorists would think that wouldn't we!! Would it have been possible for Butters to stand down himself, and then sue GT, while GT was still coaching? Just imagine the situation... Buters would have had the whole of the Saints supporter base and the players and everyone at the club thinking he was a selfish arsehole and he was jeopardising our club. I reckon GT and the club would've found ways to improve things...but we'll never know...

Getting back to the strengths and weaknesses of our last two coaches, I think you are both spot on that both had weaknesses, but I think Lyon had the best opportunity and he managed to fail due to lack of planning and lack of courage. We were in a stronger position in 2009 and 2010 than the '04 and '05 years. Lyon stuffed it up because of his stubbornness to stick with his favoured bunch of role players, with his stubbornness not to challenge players positions in the side and not to develop other forward options, and his lack of list and player management to ease the burden during the latter stages of both of those years...

[meher baba]

Lyon was a good coach. Not perfect by any means, but smart and cunning and was better than most at working out ways to neutralize the main threats of opposing teams.

I still believe he shouldn't have gotten the job in the first place. Shifting coaches is disruptive and can set your premiership prospects back for a year or two. Which is why we shouldn't have sacked a coach in GT who was doing pretty well.

But, after he and the players had time to adjust, Lyon did a great job. It wasn't his fault that we didn't end up with at least one premiership.

However, his preferred style of footy was as boring as batshit to watch, and I hope we'll get something a bit different in 2012.

Can't agree with that. You could probably argue the other way that GT should have gone earlier. The way the game was going, GT wasn't up to it and we were pretty behind in systems and tactics. He admits himself RL was much stronger regarding tactics and systems. From what I remember, GT used to struggle against the flood. RL also put way much more time in stoppages and set ups than GT who focused more on talent, effort and "above the shoulders" stuff. The Swans were way ahead of St Kilda in this regard and this showed in the 05 Prelim when we got smashed in this area. It was probably a big factor in RL getting the job in the firts place.

SaintPav, I know you are a cut above the fools on here who have endlessly trumpeted on about how "GT ruined our list" and "GT was to blame for all the injuries because he once said something about 'Training Services'" and blah blah bloody blah. So I will give your comment a serious response.

Yes, Lyon brought a great deal of expertise in a particular type of tactic to the club and in the end that served us pretty well. However, we did have to tread water for a couple of years while the players learnt it.

I don't agree that GT was a lousy tactician. I don't reckon that John Worsfold was any attuned to the Paul Roos/Ross Lyon style of coaching than was GT, yet the Eagles beat the Swans in the 2006 GF all the same. And two weeks before the 2005 PF GT coached our team to victory away from home over the minor premiers Adelaide, coached by supposedly one of the great tactical flooding geniuses of the time, Neil Craig. And the following year we beat the Swans at the SCG in the home and away. And, IMO, what really beat us in the 2005 PF was not superior tactics on the part of the Swans coaching staff. but the long list of injured players we were missing and walking wounded who we had no choice but to take into the game, while the Swans had 21 of their 22 best players available.

The coach is only part of the story: an overrated part, IMO. I would agree with GT that Lyon had a deeper understanding of a far more complex game plan: but, then, that would apply to Lyon in comparison with just about anybody.

GT was a pretty good coach: better than you and many other on here have given him credit for being. His record - after the first season and a half when he was presumably tanking - was impressive enough. We will never know how he would have done if he had been allowed to stay after 2006. I think we would have done at least as well in 2007 and 2008, perhaps a bit better (because the team would have been more comfortable playing under GT).

And then who knows? Under Lyon's complex defensive strategy and with the bunch of role players he brought to the club we made GFs in 2009 and 2010, even though important talents like Hamill, Harvey and Gehrig were now absent. Perhaps GT wouldn't have had the nous to develop tactics to compensate for this player turnover. Perhaps he would have gone in a different direction to Lyon which would have been equally effective.

Or, as you have suggested, perhaps the best thing that could have happened was if GT had gone at the end of 2003 or 2004 and had been replaced by a "career coach" like Lyon or someone else who could have taken our list at its prime and developed it into something formidable by about 2006-07 (although, in retrospect, those were the years we were really struggling because Lenny was injured and Hamill and Gehrig were on the decline).

If you look at the last decade as a whole, we went really close to winning premierships in 2 years under Lyon and at least one under GT (I'm pretty sure that, in 2005, injured as we were, we would have beaten the Eagles if we had managed to get the Swans.). In the end what stopped us from snaring one of these chances, wasn't much to do with coaching, and more to do with the bounce of the ball and our ability to convert our chances.

[stinger]

I would like to send out a genuine thank you to Ross Lyon.

Ross has copped alot of criticism and maybe he deserves it but as a saints supporter who has witnessed alot of hard times i thank you Ross for getting us into 2 consecutive grand finals.

2009 was ever so close and will always burn in my heart as the 1 that got away yes Ross was defensive yes Ross didn't play the kids but to reach consecutive grand finals he must of known a little about what he was doing.

Yes i hated the chip chip chip boring footy and i am so excited for 2012 and the new coach and hopefully some attacking flair but i will not bag Ross for what he did for our club.

Thank you Ross you was ever so close and all the best.

Bring on 2012 and the new boss

yeah, thanks for f****** nothing ross...sorry the door didn't bruise that fat arse of yours on the way out though you prick......

[clarky449]

I would like to send out a genuine thank you to Ross Lyon.

Ross has copped alot of criticism and maybe he deserves it but as a saints supporter who has witnessed alot of hard times i thank you Ross for getting us into 2 consecutive grand finals.

2009 was ever so close and will always burn in my heart as the 1 that got away yes Ross was defensive yes Ross didn't play the kids but to reach consecutive grand finals he must of known a little about what he was doing.

Yes i hated the chip chip chip boring footy and i am so excited for 2012 and the new coach and hopefully some attacking flair but i will not bag Ross for what he did for our club.

Thank you Ross you was ever so close and all the best.

Bring on 2012 and the new boss

yeah, thanks for f****** nothing ross...sorry the door didn't bruise that fat arse of yours on the way out though you prick......

You seem like an angry man?