Balanced article on the Saints... Balance needed here

[theoracle]

Good article in today's Age by a decent football writer, Jake Niall, that is very balanced in its view on where the club is at and what it needs to do to get back up the ladder - regain a bit of the flair it's always been renowned for. He highlights the importance of players like Jade Gresham in embodying that A-grade flair and the role of incoming President Bassatt in possibly providing that type of spark to the place. It references, but does not recommend a return to, the Butterss era in bringing that flair, at least, and in helping StK become a destination club.

I'm a long time reader of this forum and its predecessor, don't post much as you can see on the left of the screen, but I have to also say that the article shows more restraint, respect and balance than some of the vitriol on here of so-called 'supporters' (think about the dictionary definition of that word). The absolute rage and hate directed at Alan Richardson by some posters on here is particularly appalling and embarrassing (and don't tell me to p!ss off if I don't like it, that's not how you debate respectfully). Posts titled how much they hate him, polls to get rid of him - that absolutely beggars belief to me; those people, hang your heads. The man is the club coach trying 100% to get the club where it needs to be, I note until this season there were no such posts. The sage folks who now see him as not the man for the club had no such foresight when we toweled up the Hawks and Tigers last year.

What am I saying? Let me state: I don't know if Richo is the man to take us forward, I do not know, he may not be. But he is contracted, he is our club coach. I can't see why you'd hate the man - he is not trying to push the club down the ladder. Express your disappointment (I am disappointed where we're at, intensely so), debate vigorously, but a bit of respect, people. A bit more balance and restraint in the debate.

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/sea ... 5017u.html

[Saintmatt]

I certainly don’t hate Richo. I’ve met him a few times and I get the distinct feeling that he’s a decent man who you’d like coaching your Son.

However, I can’t stand his boring, bland, monotone, cliche-ridden public musings. They’re embarrassing. Beyond embarrassing. If I had to listen to that twaddle all day - like the players - then I’d probably want a change too as the ever increasing rumors seem to be suggesting.

Like every organization - it’s built and operates in the image of its leaders.

Richo is boring and bland and so too is our playing list and game style.

On that basis - I wouldn’t be upset if we had a change. If only for the change of voice and different views on the game. I for one am sick and tired of being embarrassed by our leaders (include Geary in that too for the record)

[MC Gusto]

Richo is gone

[Whiskey]

How do u know for sure m8? Hope ur right

[chico2001]

Good article in today's Age by a decent football writer, Jake Niall, that is very balanced in its view on where the club is at and what it needs to do to get back up the ladder - regain a bit of the flair it's always been renowned for. He highlights the importance of players like Jade Gresham in embodying that A-grade flair and the role of incoming President Bassatt in possibly providing that type of spark to the place. It references, but does not recommend a return to, the Butterss era in bringing that flair, at least, and in helping StK become a destination club.

I'm a long time reader of this forum and its predecessor, don't post much as you can see on the left of the screen, but I have to also say that the article shows more restraint, respect and balance than some of the vitriol on here of so-called 'supporters' (think about the dictionary definition of that word). The absolute rage and hate directed at Alan Richardson by some posters on here is particularly appalling and embarrassing (and don't tell me to p!ss off if I don't like it, that's not how you debate respectfully). Posts titled how much they hate him, polls to get rid of him - that absolutely beggars belief to me; those people, hang your heads. The man is the club coach trying 100% to get the club where it needs to be, I note until this season there were no such posts. The sage folks who now see him as not the man for the club had no such foresight when we toweled up the Hawks and Tigers last year.

What am I saying? Let me state: I don't know if Richo is the man to take us forward, I do not know, he may not be. But he is contracted, he is our club coach. I can't see why you'd hate the man - he is not trying to push the club down the ladder. Express your disappointment (I am disappointed where we're at, intensely so), debate vigorously, but a bit of respect, people. A bit more balance and restraint in the debate.

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/sea ... 5017u.html

Would not rate that article at all, all saints supporters are aware of the clubs recent history. The writer only indicates one saints player worth mentioning and that is Gresham and he mentions 2 as trade bait. Nearly every poster on this forum has stated a sentence or two similar to what Niall wrote, so whats new? Richardson has to go.

[saintsRrising]

Good article in today's Age by a decent football writer, Jake Niall, that is very balanced in its view on where the club is at and what it needs to do to get back up the ladder - regain a bit of the flair it's always been renowned for. He highlights the importance of players like Jade Gresham in embodying that A-grade flair and the role of incoming President Bassatt in possibly providing that type of spark to the place. It references, but does not recommend a return to, the Butterss era in bringing that flair, at least, and in helping StK become a destination club.

I thought good, I am always up for a good read, but on reading it I found a short lightweight articler rather than an in-depth analysis.

I'm a long time reader of this forum and its predecessor, don't post much as you can see on the left of the screen, but I have to also say that the article shows more restraint, respect and balance than some of the vitriol on here of so-called 'supporters' (think about the dictionary definition of that word). The absolute rage and hate directed at Alan Richardson by some posters on here is particularly appalling and embarrassing (and don't tell me to p!ss off if I don't like it, that's not how you debate respectfully). Posts titled how much they hate him, polls to get rid of him - that absolutely beggars belief to me; those people, hang your heads.

I don't hate Richo. From all reports he is a nice bloke. But what does he do well?

I see little to suggest any pros as a head coach.

From watching the game I see a flawed and poor old fashioned gameplan.

I see poorly developed players.

The man is the club coach trying 100% to get the club where it needs to be,

Freeman was trying 100%, is a nice bloke, has an exceptional attitude. BUT the club decided that he is not up to it and so he is gone.

The head coach is in a lot more critical position that any one player, and so if he is simply not up to it, why should he stay? Trying is not enough. I want the Freeman Yardstick used. Like Freeman he has had many years to strut his stuff. Is he good enough?

I note until this season there were no such posts.

There were posts on our poor gameplan including on not our "bombing" to our keyt forwards etc.

The sage folks who now see him as not the man for the club had no such foresight when we toweled up the Hawks and Tigers last year.

You mean the Maddies Match game where the Tigers clearly did not turn up to play in the first half, and applied NO PRESSURE?

You obviously do not mean the Tiges game where they turned up to play, applied pressure, and Richos' gameplan wilted and we were terrible.

YES we go ok if other teams play on our terms. But if they do not we struggle.

What am I saying? Let me state: I don't know if Richo is the man to take us forward, I do not know, he may not be. But he is contracted, he is our club coach.

So restating that. The only reason that he stays as head coach is that he is contracted, and that he is in the seat.

Whether he can do the job or not does not matter?

I can't see why you'd hate the man - he is not trying to push the club down the ladder. Express your disappointment (I am disappointed where we're at, intensely so), debate vigorously, but a bit of respect, people. A bit more balance and restraint in the debate.

My posts are based on logic, yes opinion too and not hate.
Yes I sometimes wear my heart on my sleave and so some passion comes out too.

But I look at Richo's performances and I see:
- mainly poor match day coaching
- an outmoded out gameplan that does not work when other coaches counter it
- poorly developed players

From what I have hear he has lost many of the players, and most of the talented ones.

That we should keep Richo because the CEO and Board blundered by extending his contract when they had no sound reason too is a deeply flawed argument.

That is keeping our coach because of a mistake and not due to it being the right decision, is not sound thinking. And that is no way to become a successful club again.

As it stands the club is striving to fix many things, but it is still skirting around two critical success factors:

- The Head Coach
- Recruiting Staff ( Bring in a salesman as List Manager does not equate as an improvement)

If we go into 2019 with a great bunch of new assistant coaches (but with the same head coach) and a mid tier group propped up with players like Hanners, Menzell and Lycett we may well have a better season than this year. But that is hardly the foundation of a team that can win finals. Morseo if we lose Steven and Billings in the process.

And if we do only this, to answer the question asked in the article you refer to, of "Search for panache: Can the Saints bring sexy back?" is a resounding no!


Simply put.

The reason to keep Richo needs to be that he is the best person for the job, and not just simply that he already has the job.

[Yorkeys]

You chaps have nailed it. Richo is so bog boring everyone associated with the club is losing interest and angry he is diluting our trade mark flair - or lovable bumbling. I think an actor like Ali G should be put on in the role of coach and then just let Ratten and Lade get on with the actual coaching. The pressers would be a sell out. Rich can play the comic relief straight guy (he won't even notice).

[SaintWodonga]

Richo is gone

I hope you are right.. a guess? Or you know something?

[spert]

I would suggest that in five seasons, if a coach had something to bring to a club, it would have been apparent by now, though probably earlier- few coaches, players or anyone in an organisation get the luxury of five years to prove if they can get things right.

[Teflon]

No players are bigger than the club....
It stands to reason then....that neither is any coach...
The review debacle (omitting him from it) just signifies how dumb and personally, ass-covering motivated that decision was...
Cho to go

[dragit]

The only reason we are still talking about this bloke is because of massive contracting blunder by the board…

No one hates Richo, but he is a terrible coach, a shocking communicator and appears to have no idea how to cultivate young talent.

I would have a bit more respect if he'd actually stood up in April and said, "we are going terribly, it's time we went really hard on the youth to try and uncover our next generation."

Instead he's selfishly defaulted back to the same spuds week after week, and now it has backfired big time as now no-one wants him at the club any more. Players, fans, club staff, media.

It's over. All the best Richo.

[rodgerfox]

I would suggest that in five seasons, if a coach had something to bring to a club, it would have been apparent by now, though probably earlier- few coaches, players or anyone in an organisation get the luxury of five years to prove if they can get things right.

And I think that's the biggest issue really.

I still don't know what sort of football we're actually trying to play.

I reckon in 5 years I've seen probably 3 good games from us. And dozens of a absolutely terrible ones.

After 5 years, you can't keep pointing to those 3 games as evidence that we're doing well - you simply have to acknowledge that they're outliers and clearly exceptions to the rule.


As I said, aside from manic pressure, there is no evidence that we have any other strategy, and if we do, there's absolutely zero evidence to suggest that it works.

[Sanctorum]

Let me state: I don't know if Richo is the man to take us forward, I do not know, he may not be. But he is contracted, he is our club coach. I can't see why you'd hate the man - he is not trying to push the club down the ladder. Express your disappointment (I am disappointed where we're at, intensely so), debate vigorously, but a bit of respect, people. A bit more balance and restraint in the debate.

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/sea ... 5017u.html

I'm with you Oracle, I can't see any sense in all the vitriol being directed at Richo, the club has made it clear on numerous occasions that he will remain as senior coach at the start of season 2019, and I feel sure that if the team fails to improve significantly in the first 6 weeks that he will be replaced, which the man himself will probably understand. My beef, as I have stated ad nauseam on this forum for months, is the Director of Coaching Danny Sexton who has been at the club in various coaching/development roles since 2006, and who surely should take notice of the comments by Adam Kingsley who said that after 8 years it was time for him to "find another home". If Sexton does not go, then it raises serious questions about the thoroughness of the Lethlean review.

One of Richo's obvious drawbacks is that he is being judged as a "poor communicator", "boring" etc on the basis of his appearance with Chris Scott on AFL 360, and I agree that at times he can be quite cringe-worthy and does not possess the relaxed aplomb to answer tough questions from Whately and Robinson. But I don't know that this necessarily means he is not a good communicator with his players - let's face it, he is not the only leading personality to feel intimidated in the glare of the public spotlight, especially when under the pressure of poor team performance. I certainly hope that he does not continue in this role next year.

[parkeysainter]

Good post.

At least the article is balanced compared to parts of this forum...lol.

[rodgerfox]

Not sure what's balanced about the article?

It actually just comes across as some random dude thinking out loud and simply stating some largely irrelevant and uninteresting facts.

Besides that, Keeping Richardson completely contradicts any possibility of the Saints 'bringing sexy back'. The dude is almost the exact opposite of 'panache'.

The way we recruit, the way we select the team, and subsequently the way we play is just utterly devoid of character and flair.



But this is the very concerning part...

"Richardson has been heavily involved in the discussions with incoming coaches, led by ex-Carlton senior coach Brett Ratten, and in the player trade talks. The Saints are proceeding on the basis that he will coach next year."

[takeaway]

Not sure what's balanced about the article?

It actually just comes across as some random dude thinking out loud and simply stating some largely irrelevant and uninteresting facts.

Besides that, Keeping Richardson completely contradicts any possibility of the Saints 'bringing sexy back'. The dude is almost the exact opposite of 'panache'.

The way we recruit, the way we select the team, and subsequently the way we play is just utterly devoid of character and flair.



But this is the very concerning part...

"Richardson has been heavily involved in the discussions with incoming coaches, led by ex-Carlton senior coach Brett Ratten, and in the player trade talks. The Saints are proceeding on the basis that he will coach next year."

I would assume Richo is heavily involved in the discussions because he is currently the Head Coach.

[skeptic]

For me personally, the biggest drawback is Richo’s approach to team selection...

particular players seemed to have near limitless opportunities whilst others were starved of opportunity or dropped after one average performance.

As a coach... I just found Richo to be conservative, stubborn bordering on delusional and preferring to try things he knew would fail as opposed to trying something different.

So for me, I simply don’t trust his judgement

[Ghost Like]

I'm with you Oracle, I can't see any sense in all the vitriol being directed at Richo...

One of Richo's obvious drawbacks is that he is being judged as a "poor communicator", "boring" etc on the basis of his appearance with Chris Scott on AFL 360, and I agree that at times he can be quite cringe-worthy and does not possess the relaxed aplomb to answer tough questions from Whately and Robinson. But I don't know that this necessarily means he is not a good communicator with his players - let's face it, he is not the only leading personality to feel intimidated in the glare of the public spotlight, especially when under the pressure of poor team performance. I certainly hope that he does not continue in this role next year.

I certainly agree with your bottom line but in terms of holding up to the "spotlight" of 360 I do disagree. I want someine with a strong belief, a conviction of their own opinions, not someone waiting and hanging on or looking for the endorsement of Scott. I imagine the players sense the same & he speaks to them individually (if at all) & collectively the same. No doubt a very good assistant because he can be given small roles without a "spotlight" and do very well. Sadly it appears & has been proven to fall apart when bringing all those parts together.
I want someone who doesn't give a fat rat's arse about the media but only cares about ALL of the 40 players he's charged with & ultimately the club & their brand.

[chico2001]

Not sure what's balanced about the article?

It actually just comes across as some random dude thinking out loud and simply stating some largely irrelevant and uninteresting facts.

Besides that, Keeping Richardson completely contradicts any possibility of the Saints 'bringing sexy back'. The dude is almost the exact opposite of 'panache'.

The way we recruit, the way we select the team, and subsequently the way we play is just utterly devoid of character and flair.



But this is the very concerning part...

"Richardson has been heavily involved in the discussions with incoming coaches, led by ex-Carlton senior coach Brett Ratten, and in the player trade talks. The Saints are proceeding on the basis that he will coach next year."

I would assume Richo is heavily involved in the discussions because he is currently the Head Coach.

Concerning indeed. So based on that then, he would have been heavily involved in the appointment of the previous 12 coachs- except Kingsley & hammil and 4 of whom have been replaced in the last month and we are unsure on what the others do and how good they are. Also based on that statement , Richardson would have been heavily involved in player recruiting and trading over his tenure. Do you see any connection here? I hope the key figures who run the club do.

[saintsRrising]

If Richo stays on he will become our second longest serving coach.

Think about that. A coach with a very poor record will be be our second longest coach.

Longevity should not be a reason for tenure.

[Yorkeys]

Surely he will not get renewed on AFL360, he adds nothing other than showing the viewers how dumb the Saints CEO was (is?). Now good players want out because of him the Board has to find a way to let AR go and try to preserve his and Finnes' dignity. I think he can be made special envoy for mothballing Seaford or replace D. Sexton, overseas talent scout, anything. Having him coach in 2019 is lose lose. If the team performs badly early we lose AR but cant make finals. If the new assistants get good results AR falsely looks good. He has to go in the next couple of months or it will mean at least another three years of bottom dwelling.

[Jacks Back]

You chaps have nailed it. Richo is so bog boring everyone associated with the club is losing interest and angry he is diluting our trade mark flair - or lovable bumbling. I think an actor like Ali G should be put on in the role of coach and then just let Ratten and Lade get on with the actual coaching. The pressers would be a sell out. Rich can play the comic relief straight guy (he won't even notice).