SAM MITCHELL!

[Joffa Burns]

I think the club should go to the nuclear option.

Get Lyon.

[Saintmatt]

Why is he best for the club?

Well may you ask.

The main factors in favour of Sam Mitchell coning into contention to be the next St Kilda coach are:

1. We are arguably in an era of new generation coaches, 2 of the last 3 premiers were coached by relatively inexperienced coaches, Luke Beveridge and Adam Simpson. Both Carlton and North Melbourne have promoted previous assistant coaches to senior coach for 2020, a trend that signifies a changing of the guard.

2. Sam Mitchell's pedigree is elite, he played 302 games for Hawthorn which included 4 premierships, captained the team for many years. Following retirement at end of 2017 was assistant coach at WCE when they won a premiership (2018), then spent 2019 as assistant coach back at Hawtorn under Alastair Clarkson, by far the most successful coach of the modern era.

3. At age 36 he has the experience and maturity to be a senior AFL coach - if he applies the same hard-edged determination to win and make the team successful that he displayed as a player, he will most assuredly become a successful coach - it is his destiny.

4. St Kilda needs to break the shackles of poor coaching for the past 9 seasons and that suggests to me that they need to take a completely different approach - as much as I admire Brett Ratten and Brad Scott as potential coaches, they represent the past, whereas Sam Mitchell provides a break with tradition, a promise of a far more exciting future for the club and its supporters!

Ratten played 250 games, captained a flag - was an assistant under Clarkson for multiple premierships.


In my mind, he represents the future. Grabbing a guy that clearly knows his stuff, that is still young, highly respected by his coaching peers, and has the unique advantage of having already experienced coaching an AFL club (in Ratten's case it included winning finals) - is without doubt the most logical appointment.

That's the future.

A Board with no clue about footy appointing a random young bloke who has never coached before because they've heard he might be a good coach is borderline idiotic.

Point of order. Ratten was not captain in 1995; that was Kernahan. Ratten did however, win the B & F in that Premiership season

[barks4eva]

Did anyone just hear Crawford speaking of Sam Mitchell and enthusiastically endorsing him as a coach READY TO GO.

According to Crawford it’s all about timing, and if the right approach was made right now, he’d jump at it.

This is our moment St Kilda, if we want to set a new course for this club, MITCHELL IS THE GUY.

GET IT DONE SAINTS, GET IT DONE!!!

I agree.

I think Sam Mitchell would be a stellar appointment.

Robert Harvey or Sam Mitchell would be excellent choices imho.

Brett Ratten would be a mistake and I don't think he is as good as most on here seem to think he is.

I thought this before he took over as caretaker coach and now I'm even more convinced he is not the way to go.

[Yorkeys]

Not in the betting with Sportsbet. Ratten $1.25.

[BarryGrogan]

Did anyone just hear Crawford speaking of Sam Mitchell and enthusiastically endorsing him as a coach READY TO GO.

According to Crawford it’s all about timing, and if the right approach was made right now, he’d jump at it.

This is our moment St Kilda, if we want to set a new course for this club, MITCHELL IS THE GUY.

GET IT DONE SAINTS, GET IT DONE!!!

I agree.

I think Sam Mitchell would be a stellar appointment.

Robert Harvey or Sam Mitchell would be excellent choices imho.

Brett Ratten would be a mistake and I don't think he is as good as most on here seem to think he is.

I thought this before he took over as caretaker coach and now I'm even more convinced he is not the way to go.

Ok, given we're destined for 5 years of your monotonous and repetive s*** regarding how much Ratten sucks - can you please elaborate on WTF leads you to believe that two people you have never played under, nor played with, nor ever spoken to should be appointed Head Coach of an AFL football club?

[Sanctorum]

It is quite true that the question of whether or not Sam Mitchell will be a successful senior AFL coach is debatable, and yes, it is more than likely that St Kilda will opt for and experienced senior coach such as Brett Ratten or Brad Scott. Both have had success in the past with Carlton and North Melbourne respectively.

On the other hand, we can look at the choice by the Brisbane Lions at the end of 2016 to appoint someone completely unheralded in Chris Fagan, someone who has never played in the AFL, has a winning record of just 39.4% (26 from 66), yet has the Lions finishing top 4 in 2019.

What Chris Fagan and Sam Mitchell have in common is that they have both spent many years at Hawthorn - a club that has similar status as the Bart Cummings stable in horse racing. OK, that gives a distinctive plus to Brett Ratten too, but somehow I am drawn to generational change, like has been decided at Carlton and North Melbourne in recent times.

According to media reports the other club looking for a new coach, Fremantle, are considering a coach "on training wheels" in Justin Longmuir and Peter Sumich.

As we have seen so many times in the past, there are absolutely no guarantees when clubs select a new senior coach, experienced or novice. It's a terrible dilemma for the St Kilda coaching selection panel: safe hands in Ratten or Scott, or gamble on an untried assistant - I'll support the club irrespective of who they choose, but for reasons I have outlined previously, if it's Sam Mitchell i'll be delighted all the more!!

[SaintPav]

Hawks probably have a fairly well developed transition plan in place and I’m guessing Mitchell probably isn’t even interested in coaching the Saints.

I think the club has to go for Ratten. It’s a low risk appointment. Apart from M. Blight, all our coaching appointments in the noughties have been untried coaches so this is different territory for us.

The key appointments IMO are a gun senior assistant and a Director of coaching to help Ratts out.

[desertsaint]

[SaintPav]

[asiu]