butters was spot on for once

[stinger]

no matter what that tosspot blight says.....


"Out of left-field, Blight's passion burns furiously

Martin Blake | July 22, 2009

"I COULDN'T give a rat's tossbag whether he thought I could coach or whether anyone thinks I can coach or can play. But when he talked about commitment for St Kilda, for the time I was there, it was absolute garbage made by a very naive person."Malcolm Blight's return to football as a board member with the new Gold Coast team will surprise a few people in the game. But upon reflection, it ought not to.

That explosive interview, given last year after former St Kilda president Rod Butterss said in an interview that Blight had not been fair dinkum in his time at Moorabbin, was the hint that Blight has not lost his zeal.

There is a perception that Blight, who moved to Queensland a decade ago, and who turns 60 next year, has lost his relevance and his passion for footy. According to colleagues and friends, it does not equal the reality.

"I think he went and had a bit of a rest (after St Kilda), but in the last three years he's back on top of it," said David Barham, head of Channel Ten's football coverage. "He's watching more football than he's ever watched and reading more than he's ever read. I think he's been sharpening up. He's ready to go, I think. And he's still got an extremely smart football brain."

Tim Lane, who sits alongside Blight in the commentary box, concurs. Lane watched that "rat's tossbag" interview wide-eyed, like many others. "He was angry. There's some unfinished business there, and that should make him quite formidable. He was stung by that. It's lived with him."

Blight, twice a premiership coach at Adelaide, was last involved in the AFL in 2001, when Butterss and his offsider Grant Thomas hired him to coach St Kilda on $1 million a season for two years. Four months into his reign they sacked him, citing lack of commitment.

It left a stain on Blight that has not quite been removed. When he returned as a commentator, Blight was back living at Palm Cove, playing a lot of golf (to a handicap hovering around 10) and thought to be off the pace, perhaps overly casual for a serious commentator.

But as Lane points out, he was always a bit like that, even as a player. "I think he's misunderstood. I mean, his name wouldn't be taken seriously as a senior coach, yet he's coached two premierships since Mick Malthouse coached his last."

Does he have the fire? "Absolutely. He still enjoys it, he's absorbed by it, he's challenged by it. I wondered whether he was casual about it even back when he was involved. He was always a bit left-field. He came from a very different mould from all the other coaches.

"It's just 'Blighty'. He is different from the rest. He loves it, no doubt. He loves the game passionately. He's not going through the motions. He hasn't lost his emotional attachment to the game."

This is evident in Blight's commentary. Calling 15 games a season, he is prone to rants about random football matters. But at least he exudes independent thought, rather than following the pack.

"He gets fired up about what he sees as bad coaching, bad umpiring, bad football philosophy in a broad sense," said Lane. "He has a view of the game that's served him well for a long time and just because he's living at Palm Beach doesn't make his view less valid as what it was when he was coaching and playing in premierships."

Barham senses that in the fledgling Gold Coast club, Blight sees a challenge. "That appeals to Malcolm. He loves challenges and he loves start-up things, and he'll be invaluable to that club."

[degruch]

Lots of luck GC.

I wonder if Malcolm's put forward his favoured club nickname yet; the 'Gold Coast Blights'?

[joffaboy]

Blight has had lots of clubs - North - Geelong - Adelaide - St.Kilda.

However his favourite clubs are his woods and irons. Too bad he didn't give the ST.Kilda Football Club the same attention he gave his golf club when he swindled us out of $1 mill.

Was happy we ruined his reputation.

Such s.hit you fraud.

[jonesy]

The blokes a weirdo,an eccentric weirdo. Many say because of this he's a genius.

I can't see it. His comments on channel 10 are a joke to the special comments role. They're equivalent to some weirdo in the pub coming up to you and making random calls about the game on tv that actually has zero relevance to the game at all.

He had a great Geelong side that couldn't win a flag and choked several occasions. His Adelaide premierships is where his fans may have a point. It was either brilliant timing and planning, or just pure luck,or maybe a bit of both. Helps when you have freaks like Jarman turning it up tenfold in September.

I'm sick of people saying "Aw he's good Blighty isn't he,always left of field". No!!! He's terrible!!!!!!!! Get him off the air and give him to the Gold Coast permanently. Let them smoke a fake peace pipe around his swimming pool before a game like he did with Geelong once in the 80's....

[To the top]

Came from Woodville, where he won a Magary Medal before being recruited by North Melbourne.

After being sacked mid-season as North Melbourne playing coach continued as a player then returning to Woodville as playing-coach.

Then to Geelong, to Adelaide and finally to St Kilda.

[Teflon]

complete overblown flog. absolutely pumps up his own tyres with his "watch me be left field" rubbish which serves only to demonstrate his irrelevance to the game in 2009.

stick to golf Malcolm you rats tossbag.

ps - GC are gonna pay for some long lunches which this turkey will write off as "strategy planning"........leech.

[aussiejones]

Obviously needs to top up his super ......

Gold Coast youre welcome to him

[meher baba]

I must have a death wish, but I would like to put the case for the opposition here.

Blight had his own, unique, "hands off" approach to coaching a football team. Perhaps I'm not much of a judge, but it seemed to me to work ok in 1997 and 1998.

I know people who know him, and they tell me that he is still adamant that he brought exactly the same approach to St Kilda that he had used at Geelong and the Crows. Nobody could say that he was given a fair chance to show whether it would work for us or not.

The process by which Blight was removed and replaced was disgraceful. As I have often said on here in the past, the fact that GT turned out to be a good coach who took us to considerable success was a pure accident of history: he should never have gotten the job.

All that said, Blight has subsequently evolved into a bit of a joke. Most of what he says makes little sense and he is filled with whirling emotions rather than considered opinions.

We hear all the time about how much golf the man plays, but is it also possible that he is something of a devotee of the sauce bottle? It would explain a bit.

[degruch]

Blight had his own, unique, "hands off" approach to coaching a football team. Perhaps I'm not much of a judge, but it seemed to me to work ok in 1997 and 1998.

I think the general concensus over here in regard to '97/'98, is that he benefitted enormously from (a) some very unique talents within his playing group, (b) a strong will from the playing group itself to prove a point and succeed, and (c) some excellent support staff. On the way he ended a few career, noteable David Pittman, whom he publicly derided at every opportunity. IMO, he was lucky to be in the right place at the right time, although you'd be a fool to think the show ran itself.

I lived with a mate at the time, who was a mad Crows supporter. He was disappointed when Blight quite the Crows, absolutely furious when he signed up with the Saints. His opinion was that Blight was a mercenary, looking for the best list to get him another premiership. I told him it would either work, or (more likely) crack Blighty's brain...I reckon I got it right.

IMO, a totally insane headline grabbing appointment by the GC. Time will tell.

[plugger66]

I'm pretty sure luck has very little to do with winning 2 flags in a row. Blight was a great coach with a proven record unfortunately he took our job for the wrong reasons. And unfortunately we got sucked for the wrong reasons. He was terrible at the Saints and got what he deserved but it is our clubs fault for picking him as it was Tim Watson. No coach is forced on a club and ultimately it is our clubs choice who coaches.

[degruch]

No coach is forced on a club and ultimately it is our clubs choice who coaches.

Seems like he forced himself...after a titanic spray over the sacking of Stan Alves during which he said the club had a terrible culture and should be would up, he suddenly changed his mind when we waived a million in front of him. Very poor judgement on Buttass' part to even consider him for the job.

Lucky? Well, we wasn't too lucky at North, Geelong or St Kilda. Arguably, we had the best list of all 4 clubs he coached in the AFL.

[plugger66]

No coach is forced on a club and ultimately it is our clubs choice who coaches.

Seems like he forced himself...after a titanic spray over the sacking of Stan Alves during which he said the club had a terrible culture and should be would up, he suddenly changed his mind when we waived a million in front of him. Very poor judgement on Buttass' part to even consider him for the job.

Lucky? Well, we wasn't too lucky at North, Geelong or St Kilda. Arguably, we had the best list of all 4 clubs he coached in the AFL.

Couldnt not have been to good. Didnt we finish near the bottom the next year as well. Anyway it didnt cost the club any money. He paid for himself.

[markp]

I wonder if he'll try and sell them his 'no training with footballs till they're fit' stroke of genius.

[degruch]

Couldnt not have been to good. Didnt we finish near the bottom the next year as well. Anyway it didnt cost the club any money. He paid for himself.

How different was it from the club that made the finals a few years later. If you had an idiot for a coach, would you feel like playing? Further to that, if you'd had two crap coaches in a row and two years on the bottom, what would you draw inspiration from? A good list can perform badly, have a look at Geelong '06 v Geelong '07.

Where the money came from ultimately wasn't an issue...that fact is that he was offered money to coach a club he publically despised, therefore, he was a mercenary.

[plugger66]

Couldnt not have been to good. Didnt we finish near the bottom the next year as well. Anyway it didnt cost the club any money. He paid for himself.

How different was it from the club that made the finals a few years later. If you had an idiot for a coach, would you feel like playing? Further to that, if you'd had two crap coaches in a row and two years on the bottom, what would you draw inspiration from? A good list can perform badly, have a look at Geelong '06 v Geelong '07.

Where the money came from ultimately wasn't an issue...that fact is that he was offered money to coach a club he publically despised, therefore, he was a mercenary.

As I said he did it for the wrong reasons but it was our clubs fault for getting sucked in by him. Anyway my point is he could coach as his record suggests.

[degruch]

Couldnt not have been to good. Didnt we finish near the bottom the next year as well. Anyway it didnt cost the club any money. He paid for himself.

How different was it from the club that made the finals a few years later. If you had an idiot for a coach, would you feel like playing? Further to that, if you'd had two crap coaches in a row and two years on the bottom, what would you draw inspiration from? A good list can perform badly, have a look at Geelong '06 v Geelong '07.

Where the money came from ultimately wasn't an issue...that fact is that he was offered money to coach a club he publically despised, therefore, he was a mercenary.

As I said he did it for the wrong reasons but it was our clubs fault for getting sucked in by him. Anyway my point is he could coach as his record suggests.

Well, all I can say is...lucky for CG he's not their coach!

[plugger66]

Couldnt not have been to good. Didnt we finish near the bottom the next year as well. Anyway it didnt cost the club any money. He paid for himself.

How different was it from the club that made the finals a few years later. If you had an idiot for a coach, would you feel like playing? Further to that, if you'd had two crap coaches in a row and two years on the bottom, what would you draw inspiration from? A good list can perform badly, have a look at Geelong '06 v Geelong '07.

Where the money came from ultimately wasn't an issue...that fact is that he was offered money to coach a club he publically despised, therefore, he was a mercenary.

As I said he did it for the wrong reasons but it was our clubs fault for getting sucked in by him. Anyway my point is he could coach as his record suggests.

Well, all I can say is...lucky for CG he's not their coach!

Agreed. His days of coaching should have finished after Adelaide. Anyway i think he would be good on a board because he has out there ideas but isnt in control of decisions.

[degruch]

Agreed. His days of coaching should have finished after Adelaide. Anyway i think he would be good on a board because he has out there ideas but isnt in control of decisions.

Very true. I am also not their coach, and they'd be pretty happy about that too!

I guess they're experimenting from top to bottom as a club, so there may not be any harm for the GC...at least some of their meetings would be 'entertaining'. Most spectators and club officials are over Blight's entertainment factor by now, but it was as much a media move as anything IMO anyway.

[Winmar7Fan]

I know we're a bit bitter but how can his coaching ability be questioned? I can remember when he first took on Adelaide and they were nowhere on the condition he did it his way.

The very first thing he did which caused mahem was tell Andrew Jarman and Tony McGuinness who were two of their best players but trouble makers to pack their bags and leave.

In his first 2 years they won two flags and even though he didn't get Geelong over the line he didn't do too bad a job with them either.

[degruch]

I know we're a bit bitter but how can his coaching ability be questioned?

You're right, but his coaching days we over by 1999, quite obviously. Andrew Jarman was a clown and disruptive to the club, MacGuiness was on his way out, those moves never surprised me. You can't fluke 2 premierships, but with good people around you, who knows what transpired really at Adelaide? Many people there aren't glowing about him as a personality either.

As for St Kilda, it was wrong for us to offer him a position (effectively inflating his ego to Hindenburg proportions), as it had clearly had little desire to continue coaching However, it was also wrong for him to take on a job he didn't really want, under the belief he was so good he would make a difference. He used St Kilda to stroke his ego (as did RB)...who could help but feel bitter? Sport's an emotional thing.

[Enrico_Misso]

Bet they won't be silly enough to pay him a million.

[ace]

Bet they won't be silly enough to pay him a million.

He isn't going to be their coach just an interfering board member.

He will put forward his differnet ideas to undermnie the coach but not prepared to do the work to be the coach.

[saintspremiers]

Hang on a minute all you Blightbashers!

Remember, he helped deliver us some top draft picks together with Timmy!

[White Winmar]

Malcolm Blight was a "hands off" coach alright. One day I hope the true story of his disgraceful, lazy and incompetent behaviour is exposed. It may not be du to the stringent libel and slander laws in this country, but "Blighty" stories are legendary amongst those who had the misfortune to work around for the few times he actually showed up. Good riddance, hope he applies his "magic" to the Gold Coast.

[stinger]

I know we're a bit bitter but how can his coaching ability be questioned? I can remember when he first took on Adelaide and they were nowhere on the condition he did it his way.

The very first thing he did which caused mahem was tell Andrew Jarman and Tony McGuinness who were two of their best players but trouble makers to pack their bags and leave.

In his first 2 years they won two flags and even though he didn't get Geelong over the line he didn't do too bad a job with them either.

he didn't do us any favours...told the club to get rid of the twins before he even started in the job..reckoned they were party boys too...they weren't......both went on to dominate backlines at their new clubs....the guy was a goose...still is.....