When did it start going wrong

[SENsei]

I agree above with the comment about the ground invasion in 2004 for Fraser's 100th.

People still to this day defend their position, but there is no doubt it changed the course of that game.

[kaos theory]

Here's the post from ThePunter in It's Butterrs Fault thread...

"It really is Butterss fault.

In 2000, Chris Connolly was almost appointed as coach of St Kilda. But RB got stars in his eyes and got Malcolm Blight for $1,000,000.

Blight didn't draft enough youngsters (only Riewoldt & Koschitzke were recruited as Under 18s), however he added Matthew Capuano, Mark Gale, Robert Powell, Craig Callaghan, Steven Lawrence, Brett Voss, Aaron Hamill & Fraser Gehrig. By 2004 only three were at the club. In 2008 only Gehrig remains, almost certainly finished.

So Blight doesn't work out and he is rightfully dismissed, as he was not willing to do the hard yards. RB hands over to his good mate Grant Thomas.

At the end of 2001, we almost hire Connolly again, but stick with Thomas. He drafts well, getting Luke Ball, Xavier Clarke, Nick Dal Santo, Matt Maguire, Leigh Montagna & Josh Houlihan into the club, as well as trading for Heath Black.

However, with this influx of young players, Thomas takes on the role of father figure, and soon becomes the messiah-like character at the club. All player interaction with the club is with him; he negotiates the contracts, rotates the captaincy, and removes deadwood. By 2003 it is obvious St Kilda are going to be a force.

Come 2004 and on-field success begins. But something happens between GT & RB, and they are no longer friends.

The pivotal night for the GT era at St Kilda comes in Round 21, 2005. The Saints are flying, having won 7 straight. Justin Koschtizke has become the form player of the competition. The right balance has been found, and the Saints have been obliterating sides.

Then, in the space of 2 1/2 hours at Subiaco, it all falls apart. By the end of the first quarter Luke Penny and Matt Maguire are injured. Penny would never play again. In the third quarter Koschitzke tears his quad muscle. Hamill is also injured.

The umpires also have a massive say. After mid-week comments by GT that umpires need to be ego-less, they pay five free kicks that result in goals. A fading St Kilda without a bench loses after the siren to the Dockers, who promptly fail to make the finals by losing to Port Adelaide the next week. St Kilda, without the injured stars, beat probably the worst Brisbane team this side of Norm Dare by 23 goals, with Milne kicking 11.

The next week a miracle, possible only because of the brilliance of Robert Harvey, and the ineptitude of Neil Craig. We have the home preliminary final we needed so badly 12 months earlier.

Two weeks later an underdone St Kilda side jumps out to a fifteen point lead in the third quarter, but fails to score another goal and is beaten by Sydney, who go on to beat West Coast in a close but dreadful Grand Final.

There are glimpses in 2006, but Hamill gets injured and is never the same, Kosi gets a fractured skull and is never the same, and after losing a final versus Melbourne with no bench after half-time, Thomas is sacked. RB looks for his complete opposite, and finds Ross Lyon.

Lyon now finds himself at a club with the wrong captain, a bunch of 22-25 year old players who aren't simply as good as they were under Grant Thomas, and an attitude right through the group that they'd rather be doing something else.

The reality is that from 2002-2006, the players played for Grant Thomas. Not the club, not the jumper, not each other. During that period, we weren't a club, we were a personality cult.

And none of that would have bothered me if we had just got one lousy premiership out of it. But looking back, the dream died in Perth in late August 2005, but the mistakes were made all the way back in 2000."

Take your pick really on where things started to go wrong...personally my vote goes to our Boards (Butterrs & Thomas) decision on the replacement for Blight. We would not have needed the 'transparent' and seemingly professional coaching appointment of Lyon had the replacement for Blight not been done by the 'Make A Wish' Foundation

Gost-Like: Great Post.

I would add that some of the key underlying factors that lead to our downfall were due to a poorly run footy department.

We had a second-rate approach to :
- injury management (therefore things like the freo game we more likely to happen)
- Recuiting. One old guy & his opinions, and a car to cover the country. Plus the recuitment of 'top up' players that were hacks.
- Player development (we had a horrible relationship with the scorps & the development of players, and we had the lowest number of rookies on the list)

Were we were first rate was payment to the head coach, and in fighting between the coach & president....