Grant Thomas

[satchmo]

Demetriou would roll in his grave!

s***. Wasn't aware he had died.

No, it's just that the sun was up.

[David-Lee]

He is no where near the actual radar of the club. We want a seasoned GF winner. If we cant get them I reckon we will go back to the stupid panel of doom and interview the top assistants.

But if it were possible, I reckon if was coach in 2018 we would have 8-9 wins right now, same team.

[lefty]

yes

[HitTheBoundary]

"Sam, Mike & Thomo " podcast.

Saints discussion at 48 minute mark.

[Whiskey]

Spot on thommo

[spert]

"Sam, Mike & Thomo " podcast.

Saints discussion at 48 minute mark.

Pretty much just adds ammunition to what I feel- the club is being run by a pack of weak "dic*heads

[devil saint]

I think it is harsh and inaccurate to claim our small forwards are egotistical. I think it is the exact opposite. They play on because they are devoid of confidence, not because they have a surplus of it.

[SaintPav]

"Sam, Mike & Thomo " podcast.

Saints discussion at 48 minute mark.

Thomo makes a few very good points and I agree with everything that he said.

What does Thomo mean when he says that he’s watching the situation at St Kilda very closely?

Interesting.

[ace]

GT. Lol. No way Jiggers.

Its like taking a Sherman tank into WW3. It was good in the day, but its now well past it and obsolete.

But tanking can provide numerous No1 draft picks and priority picks.

PS
The Sherman tank was called a "Tommy Cooker" by the German tank crews because the Sherman's were fuelled with petrol instead of diesel and dangerous storage of ammunition.
That meant the Sherman caught fire easily and the allied crews were burnt to death.
The Shermans were NOT good but they were numerous because they were quick to build.

[parkeysainter]

GT. Lol. No way Jiggers.

Its like taking a Sherman tank into WW3. It was good in the day, but its now well past it and obsolete.

But tanking can provide numerous No1 draft picks and priority picks.

PS
The Sherman tank was called a "Tommy Cooker" by the German tank crews because the Sherman's were fuelled with petrol instead of diesel and dangerous storage of ammunition.
That meant the Sherman caught fire easily and the allied crews were burnt to death.
The Shermans were NOT good but they were numerous because they were quick to build.

The Sherman Tank is GT then. What an analogy.

[thejiggingsaint]

Demetriou would roll in his grave!

s***. Wasn't aware he had died.

No, it's just that the sun was up.

HaHaHaHaHa!GOLD! Absolute GOLD! HaHaHaHAHA (pauses to find incontinence knickers) Ha HaHaHa Ha!!!!!!!!!!

[Ghost Like]

Is this the same Grant Thomas who, along with his great mate Rod, cost the club a million dollars getting Blight? Then sacked him and became coach, a position Old Xavs had sacked him from and not trusted by any other AFL club to hold any position? Then had Rendell copy the Lions game plan? Thank god Blight attracted Gehrig, Hamill, Voss, Lawrence and Penny & Watson attracted high & priority draft picks. 2004 was our best opportunity for a flag IMO. Unfortunately our coach was not the right man or deserving of the opportunity. Subsequently suing the club "he loves and will do anything for" - a bit like compensating Trump for going bankrupt on each of his four occasions.
Address the problems and weak links that are now, do not go back in history, learn from it, do not repeat it. We do not need egos addressing our problems.
My answer is NO to Grant Thomas.

[Scollop]

We've currently got 2 dozen or so specialist and assistant coaches. Sack most of 'em and GT takes over and saves the club $5m a year. Even if he brings with him his own crew of 2-3 that'll still save us a few $million

[rodgerfox]

Is this the same Grant Thomas who, along with his great mate Rod, cost the club a million dollars getting Blight? Then sacked him and became coach, a position Old Xavs had sacked him from and not trusted by any other AFL club to hold any position? Then had Rendell copy the Lions game plan? Thank god Blight attracted Gehrig, Hamill, Voss, Lawrence and Penny & Watson attracted high & priority draft picks. 2004 was our best opportunity for a flag IMO. Unfortunately our coach was not the right man or deserving of the opportunity. Subsequently suing the club "he loves and will do anything for" - a bit like compensating Trump for going bankrupt on each of his four occasions.
Address the problems and weak links that are now, do not go back in history, learn from it, do not repeat it. We do not need egos addressing our problems.
My answer is NO to Grant Thomas.

Blight coast $1m, but our coaching panel was in the bottom 3 in the comp for overall cost.

So it was pretty shrewd really.

[Teflon]

Is this the same Grant Thomas who, along with his great mate Rod, cost the club a million dollars getting Blight? Then sacked him and became coach, a position Old Xavs had sacked him from and not trusted by any other AFL club to hold any position? Then had Rendell copy the Lions game plan? Thank god Blight attracted Gehrig, Hamill, Voss, Lawrence and Penny & Watson attracted high & priority draft picks. 2004 was our best opportunity for a flag IMO. Unfortunately our coach was not the right man or deserving of the opportunity. Subsequently suing the club "he loves and will do anything for" - a bit like compensating Trump for going bankrupt on each of his four occasions.
Address the problems and weak links that are now, do not go back in history, learn from it, do not repeat it. We do not need egos addressing our problems.
My answer is NO to Grant Thomas.

Well said
As one of his assistants said directly to me
“Grant Thomas farked your club by trying to control everything”
Meglamaniac, egotistical trumped up know nothing know it all. NOT what we need
How many other clubs banged down “GTs” door when he left?????
None cause they know.

[Ghost Like]

[quote=rodgerfox post_id=1750173 time=1534305751

Blight coast $1m, but our coaching panel was in the bottom 3 in the comp for overall cost.

So it was pretty shrewd really.
[/quote]

I know it was shrewd Roger but ultimately for whose benefit?

[Mr Magic]

[quote=rodgerfox post_id=1750173 time=1534305751

Blight coast $1m, but our coaching panel was in the bottom 3 in the comp for overall cost.

So it was pretty shrewd really.

I know it was shrewd Roger but ultimately for whose benefit?
[/quote]

From what I heard it actually didn't cost the club anything. Butters and another paid Blight's contract out personally.

[SaintPav]

[quote=rodgerfox post_id=1750173 time=1534305751

Blight coast $1m, but our coaching panel was in the bottom 3 in the comp for overall cost.

So it was pretty shrewd really.

I know it was shrewd Roger but ultimately for whose benefit?

From what I heard it actually didn't cost the club anything. Butters and another paid Blight's contract out personally.
[/quote]

Then he had the audacity to bag Butters when he knew his heart wasn't in it.

Blight is a first-class f***wit!!!

[sunsaint]

Is this the same Grant Thomas who, along with his great mate Rod, cost the club a million dollars getting Blight? Then sacked him and became coach, a position Old Xavs had sacked him from and not trusted by any other AFL club to hold any position? Then had Rendell copy the Lions game plan? Thank god Blight attracted Gehrig, Hamill, Voss, Lawrence and Penny & Watson attracted high & priority draft picks. 2004 was our best opportunity for a flag IMO. Unfortunately our coach was not the right man or deserving of the opportunity. Subsequently suing the club "he loves and will do anything for" - a bit like compensating Trump for going bankrupt on each of his four occasions.
Address the problems and weak links that are now, do not go back in history, learn from it, do not repeat it. We do not need egos addressing our problems.
My answer is NO to Grant Thomas.

Well said
As one of his assistants said directly to me
“Grant Thomas farked your club by trying to control everything”
Meglamaniac, egotistical trumped up know nothing know it all. NOT what we need
How many other clubs banged down “GTs” door when he left?????
None cause they know.

pretty unfair representation of history in both counts
GT stood in as an interim coach before attracting a proven finals campaign coach in Blight to the club
(Something that most here are crying out that we try to scalp in our next coach)
What the StK FC could not envisage was that despite throwing bucket loads of money at him - it did not buy loyalty or even a skerrick of application to the job at hand. So called ITK's and people who know people of the time will claim a myriad of reasons for the failure - but the fact is the "Jump on board Blight" experiment simply did not work and exploded VERY VERY VERY quickly. At the very least, give the powers that be of the time kudos for acting quickly.
And to quash a few points raised -
Suing the club ? GT was well within his rights trying to reclaim the money he was owed.
And post Stkilda coaching jobs - no club went near Blight either

The simple truth with GT and Butterss (with all their flaws) is those two saved our club

End
of
Story

[spert]

[quote=rodgerfox post_id=1750173 time=1534305751

Blight coast $1m, but our coaching panel was in the bottom 3 in the comp for overall cost.

So it was pretty shrewd really.

I know it was shrewd Roger but ultimately for whose benefit?

From what I heard it actually didn't cost the club anything. Butters and another paid Blight's contract out personally.

Then he had the audacity to bag Butters when he knew his heart wasn't in it.

Blight is a first-class f***wit!!!
[/quote]

Yeah, but was a champion player and has two premiership trophys on his shelf at home...

[Joffa Burns]

Is this the same Grant Thomas who, along with his great mate Rod, cost the club a million dollars getting Blight? Then sacked him and became coach, a position Old Xavs had sacked him from and not trusted by any other AFL club to hold any position? Then had Rendell copy the Lions game plan? Thank god Blight attracted Gehrig, Hamill, Voss, Lawrence and Penny & Watson attracted high & priority draft picks. 2004 was our best opportunity for a flag IMO. Unfortunately our coach was not the right man or deserving of the opportunity. Subsequently suing the club "he loves and will do anything for" - a bit like compensating Trump for going bankrupt on each of his four occasions.
Address the problems and weak links that are now, do not go back in history, learn from it, do not repeat it. We do not need egos addressing our problems.
My answer is NO to Grant Thomas.

Well said
As one of his assistants said directly to me
“Grant Thomas farked your club by trying to control everything”
Meglamaniac, egotistical trumped up know nothing know it all. NOT what we need
How many other clubs banged down “GTs” door when he left?????
None cause they know.

Makes me chuckle when all the desperate souls on here want Grant Thomas back.
What has Grant Thomas done that warrants the hero worship?

The saints under Grant was an exciting time and he nurtured a great young group of players, but the popular view on this forum that he got us to a prelim with a bunch of 18YO & 19YO kids is pure fantasy, it is totally inaccurate.

Grant had the best list assembled at the club in my time of watching the game.
He had a beautiful balance of gun senior recruits, gun senior players, leaders, mid age senior guns, young superstars and hard nosed grunt role players. He had two of the most feared components of the hip and shoulder in that era in Guerra & Powell.

He also benefited as those young guns played a couple of seasons with Burke & Loewe and were able to benefit from their experience and leadership.

2004 list

Young established guns
Budding superstar Reiwoldt & rising star Kossi

Young future stars making their mark
gun kids coming through in Ball, Maguire, Dal Santo, X Clarke, Montagna, Goddard, Sam Fisher, Gram

Aging superstar
evergreen Harvs & Andrew Thompson

mature senior older players
Aussie Jones, Justin Peckett

mature younger senior players
Stephen Milne, Lenny Hayes, Max Hudghton, Steven Baker, Jason Blake

Mid age players including superstar recruits
Gehrig, Hamill, Callaghan, Powell, Black, Penny, Voss, Guerra

Depth
Schwarze, Leigh Fisher,

That's 29 players with barely a weak link.

The only thing he lacked was a quality ruck with knobel the number one man and Blake as back up.

I'll back Roo when he says Grant was great at giving the young players belief and building confidence but Ross Lyon brought a whole new level of professionalism and strategy to the club.

Grant had the keys to a Ferrari but didn't know how to drive it and its a shame as that team could have been anything. If Grant was such a great coach why didn't he end up coaching at another club?

What has Grant achieved as a coach or in business that would suggest he is the messiah or hold the panacea to our ills? If he was such a great businessman why did he end up in legal proceedings with his mate and president RB over a $1M loan/gift?

I really enjoyed the GT era as it gave excitement & hope, I think we all thought hey we are gunna win one or two or three here, but in the end it was the same old saints as we imploded.

[Scollop]

People bang on about what GT 'cost' us. Leaders in any sport or any industry set up the structures and empower their staff so that they have the best opportunity for success long after they are gone. That's what happened with GT. The rotating captaincy and the belief that he created within our footy club gave his predecessor a walk up start.

How about comparing the legacy of GT versus that of our other coaches over the last 30-40 years. Right now...if we could get a leader ( and I'm talking about a head coach first and foremost ) that is 100% focused on sustainable long term success at our football club...and he is backed by a competent, skillful, and ruthless administration that is on the same wavelength...how much would you reckon that coach would be worth as an annual salary?

I'm sure there are people as passionate and as competent as Grant who are hungry for a challenge. A young 40ish bloke with perhaps a person such as GT providing some mentorship. Not sure what GT's plans are or if he wants to be involved, but if the people with an axe to grind are going to be closed minded about everything GT, there's no surprises there.

[SaintPav]

[quote=rodgerfox post_id=1750173 time=1534305751

Blight coast $1m, but our coaching panel was in the bottom 3 in the comp for overall cost.

So it was pretty shrewd really.

I know it was shrewd Roger but ultimately for whose benefit?

From what I heard it actually didn't cost the club anything. Butters and another paid Blight's contract out personally.

Then he had the audacity to bag Butters when he knew his heart wasn't in it.

Blight is a first-class f***wit!!!

Yeah, but was a champion player and has two premiership trophys on his shelf at home...
[/quote]

My comment was related to his time at St Kilda.

He blamed everyone bar himself but he was cooked.

[sunsaint]

If Grant was such a great coach why didn't he end up coaching at another club?

What has Grant achieved as a coach or in business that would suggest he is the messiah or hold the panacea to our ills? If he was such a great businessman why did he end up in legal proceedings with his mate and president RB over a $1M loan/gift?

I said it above - but it needs repeating

Who went near Blight after Saints?
And if GT was entitled to the money why shouldnt he try to reclaim it?

[Joffa Burns]

If Grant was such a great coach why didn't he end up coaching at another club?

What has Grant achieved as a coach or in business that would suggest he is the messiah or hold the panacea to our ills? If he was such a great businessman why did he end up in legal proceedings with his mate and president RB over a $1M loan/gift?

I said it above - but it needs repeating

Who went near Blight after Saints?
And if GT was entitled to the money why shouldnt he try to reclaim it?

Blight 2 times premiership coach & both Geelong and Adelaide into GF.

Blight was cooked when he came to us, he was reluctantly lured by the cash and it was a mistake by both parties, he should have stayed retired in Palm Cove.

MB - AFL legend.
To mention GT in the same paragraph as Blight is laughable.

RB was reclaiming the money/loan form GT, not the other way around, but don’t let the truth get in the way of your story.

Oh and GT got us into a prelim with a team full of 18 & 19 year olds