Walsh appointment confirmed

[st.byron]

Looks like the review has got some teeth. Good.

https://www.zerohanger.com/st-kilda-app ... ss-128542/

[magnifisaint]

Very solid appointment.

[SaintPav]

Sounds like Bassat is going to give this a real crack.

With Lade going, are we still down an assistant coach?

Any new appointments on the horizon?

[magnifisaint]

The review isn't over.

[Vortex]

“One of the things I can bring to the table is to make a hard call or to have a hard conversation,” Walsh said on SEN Breakfast.

“To not walk past something if you see it and you know it’s wrong, I’m willing to call it out.

“You’d have to ask Simon Lethlean and (President) Andrew Bassat if that appeals to them in me, I don’t know.

“This might sound abrasive and Saints fans might get upset, but one of the things that I think when asked about how do I see St Kilda, I think the competition would say there’s been a degree of irrelevance.

“That should be abrasive. That should choke down people’s throats and I hope that going forward I can contribute to a profile that gives the Saints the due respect that they crave.”

In order to do that, the club must improve its playing list after falling away badly in the second half of the 2022 season.


That's my take away, the rest is hot air that has the potential to destabilise an organisation in this touchy feely world. You have to have a critical mass of people in your organisation who are willing to take honest and robust feedback from abrasive types for that style or management to work.

So I'm now really interested to hear more about the details of HOW he plans to improve our list...actual execution, like some meat on the bone. He makes it sound easy but he has walked into one of the poorest clubs in the comp where the gap between the haves and have nots couldn't be greater.

I wish him all the luck in the world...he will need it.

[st.byron]

Hallelujah. Someone in management calling it like it is and not full of fluffy shyte. Let's seriously hope he can bring some hard headed expectations to the whole footy dept.

[magnifisaint]

“One of the things I can bring to the table is to make a hard call or to have a hard conversation,” Walsh said on SEN Breakfast.

“To not walk past something if you see it and you know it’s wrong, I’m willing to call it out.

“You’d have to ask Simon Lethlean and (President) Andrew Bassat if that appeals to them in me, I don’t know.

“This might sound abrasive and Saints fans might get upset, but one of the things that I think when asked about how do I see St Kilda, I think the competition would say there’s been a degree of irrelevance.

“That should be abrasive. That should choke down people’s throats and I hope that going forward I can contribute to a profile that gives the Saints the due respect that they crave.”

In order to do that, the club must improve its playing list after falling away badly in the second half of the 2022 season.


That's my take away, the rest is hot air that has the potential to destabilise an organisation in this touchy feely world. You have to have a critical mass of people in your organisation who are willing to take honest and robust feedback from abrasive types for that style or management to work.

So I'm now really interested to hear more about the details of HOW he plans to improve our list...actual execution, like some meat on the bone. He makes it sound easy but he has walked into one of the poorest clubs in the comp where the gap between the haves and have nots couldn't be greater.

I wish him all the luck in the world...he will need it.

Give him 12 months.

[perfectionist]

I used to work with Geoff. Interesting appointment.

[The G Train Legacy]

Hallelujah. Someone in management calling it like it is and not full of fluffy shyte. Let's seriously hope he can bring some hard headed expectations to the whole footy dept.

He certainly knows what a Premiership List looks like. Could be an inspired appointment.

[stkfc1]

About time someone came in and says it like it is. He needs to.put every person at the club on notice. Every dept and every player. Perform or you're out. Cutthroat. Sick of the mediocrity that's accepted at this club. He's right. We are irrelevant.

[SaintPav]

The review isn't over.

The review went for 6 weeks according to Noble.

There have been coaching changes during the so called review period.

[skeptic]

I used to work with Geoff. Interesting appointment.

Care to elaborate ?

[SaintPav]

About time someone came in and says it like it is. He needs to.put every person at the club on notice. Every dept and every player. Perform or you're out. Cutthroat. Sick of the mediocrity that's accepted at this club. He's right. We are irrelevant.

All stick and no carrot, hey?

That will get everyone on the same page and wanting to excel.

Didn’t Mark Neeld use this approach?

That worked out well…..not.

[Vortex]

About time someone came in and says it like it is. He needs to.put every person at the club on notice. Every dept and every player. Perform or you're out. Cutthroat. Sick of the mediocrity that's accepted at this club. He's right. We are irrelevant.

All stick and no carrot, hey?

That will get everyone on the same page and wanting to excel.

Didn’t Mark Neeld use this approach?

That worked out well…..not.

Head of nail....Bang on.

I have been saying for while now this list is mentally fragile however I don't think it is an attribute unique to just our club's list. Resilience, accountability and a willingness to welcome honest feedback seems to be on the decline in general society.

The "pay me and praise me" generation want ONLY carrot and will grab the stick out of your hands and give you a good whack at even the slightest hint of giving honest feedback.

How old is Walsh these days, he's in his 60s yeah? His management style could be at odds with most of the playing list not to mention Ratts.

Pass the popcorn .

[D.B.Cooper]

“This might sound abrasive and Saints fans might get upset, but one of the things that I think when asked about how do I see St Kilda, I think the competition would say there’s been a degree of irrelevance.

“That should be abrasive. That should choke down people’s throats and I hope that going forward I can contribute to a profile that gives the Saints the due respect that they crave.”

I like it!
Tell it honestly and he nailed it.

I don't mind coming in hard and starting with the hammer, as long as he has a full tool kit to complete the renovation.

For those referencing Neeld, I think the hammer was his only tool.

[Sanctorum]

I believe Geoff Walsh' appointment as Executive General Manager of football is the best news from the club for years, certainly the most positive decision by Bassat and the Board to give the club some real credibility in the football world. It is in fact very exciting to have someone of his experience and standing play a key role in improving the team's performance, much like Neil Balme has done at Geelong and Richmond to make the team successful and win premierships.

Comparing Walsh' style in plain talking to that of Mark Neeld is a joke, the latter has never achieved a thing in football, not a patch on Walsh' record!

Recruit of the year to me, testimony to the excellent management of Simon Lethlean that highly respected AFL personalities such as Gubby Allan and now Geoff Walsh have been brought in to get the club back on track. Wouldn't surprise me either if AFL CEO Gill McLachlan, a committed Saints supporter, has had a hand in all of this.

[Vortex]

“This might sound abrasive and Saints fans might get upset, but one of the things that I think when asked about how do I see St Kilda, I think the competition would say there’s been a degree of irrelevance.

“That should be abrasive. That should choke down people’s throats and I hope that going forward I can contribute to a profile that gives the Saints the due respect that they crave.”

I like it!
Tell it honestly and he nailed it.

I don't mind coming in hard and starting with the hammer, as long as he has a full tool kit to complete the renovation.

For those referencing Neeld, I think the hammer was his only tool.

Agree re honesty, however the point I'd make is about execution, how does one go about making the club relevant. And that's a rhetorical question for most supporters who have a glancing interest in football clubs. Very simply you win games and Premierships, how do you do that, with a critical mass of talent, how do you do that, recruitment...ok...umm...err.. now traction is an issue, better whack it into 4WD and increase the revs.

What is Geoff's magical plan, what does he know that the rest of the comp doesn't, how does he do what Richmond has just done and recruit two A grade midfielders in their prime in the same trade period, or the players Geelong has recruited one week after winning a flag.

We all know what the problem is, what's the solution, what are our options?

Meat on the bone please Mr Walsh. One small clue is his statements on SEN seems to acknowledge our options for list improvement are very limited and therefore I'm not that excited by his appointment just yet. I mean blind Freddy and most supporters understand our only option is to recruit via the draft.

But I remain open minded while he attempts to improve the list. Let's score his card in 2 to 3 years time.

[D.B.Cooper]

“This might sound abrasive and Saints fans might get upset, but one of the things that I think when asked about how do I see St Kilda, I think the competition would say there’s been a degree of irrelevance.

“That should be abrasive. That should choke down people’s throats and I hope that going forward I can contribute to a profile that gives the Saints the due respect that they crave.”

I like it!
Tell it honestly and he nailed it.

I don't mind coming in hard and starting with the hammer, as long as he has a full tool kit to complete the renovation.

For those referencing Neeld, I think the hammer was his only tool.

Agree re honesty, however the point I'd make is about execution, how does one go about making the club relevant. And that's a rhetorical question for most supporters who have a glancing interest in football clubs. Very simply you win games and Premierships, how do you do that, with a critical mass of talent, how do you do that, recruitment...ok...umm...err.. now traction is an issue, better whack it into 4WD and increase the revs.

What is Geoff's magical plan, what does he know that the rest of the comp doesn't, how does he do what Richmond has just done and recruit two A grade midfielders in their prime in the same trade period, or the players Geelong has recruited one week after winning a flag.

We all know what the problem is, what's the solution, what are our options?

Meat on the bone please Mr Walsh. One small clue is his statements on SEN seems to acknowledge our options for list improvement are very limited and therefore I'm not that excited by his appointment just yet. I mean blind Freddy and most supporters understand our only option is to recruit via the draft.

But I remain open minded while he attempts to improve the list. Let's score his card in 2 to 3 years time.

Those questions are above my pay grade and may well be above that of Walsh, but at least he isn't playing the "why not us line".

I think Pelchen set the club back a long way, and I did not agree with letting club legends leave for little compensation.
The one thing I will say for Pelchen is he had a plan and implemented it, albeit unsuccessfully.

We seem to have been drifting for so long with desperate trading (Hill, Kent, Hannebery) etc and a lack of direction that something needs to change.

Walsh may fail, but it sounds as if he will have a plan and stick the course.

[shanegrambeau]

Walsh is a journeyman..with no ties to St Kilda. That may be OK. We called him and as it happened he had been missing the game.

I liked two things I heard.

1) We need an injection of top-end talent

and much less potent but nice;

2) We need to be relevant


Let’s get number two out of the way.
Relevance

I hope that means…
St Kilda put pressure on the AFL at fixture time….NO CAIRNS, NO CHINA, Sunday twilights LESS..St Kilda has punch in all things AFL..we are not a subservient little franchise down the bay.
But as a minnow club on the AFL drip, it is easy to say, hard to do. Matter of fact..it is our destin6 for the t8me being.


BUT,,,


Number One : Injection of High End talent!!!

Ladies and gentlemen.
What do you think that means?
Rebuild?
Nope…Not on your….

I happen to be against the rebuild…so I am happy, on the surface, but..

This is exactly the state of affairs of 2018.
That led to Hanners, Hill, Crouch…

It is a conundrum….
No one wants to come to us.
So we get appalling deals.
Then the fans get upset because we pay Hill too much etc., and then expect to much of h8m, and then say rebu8ld!!
What a self-defaetin* and vicious circle.

Maybe Walsh himself lends some credence?

I don’t expect miracles from Walsh, but of course, who knows? Anything could happen, We could be 2016 Bulldogs next year. We could be North Melbourne.

I hope Walsh leads to players showing more respect to Red white and black both inside and outside the club.

Will be interesting to see those time trials , skin folds in January.

But for all you nice folks calling for ‘rebuild’ consider this..does Walsh even know where we are at? Did he make that remark oblivious to the fact that St Kilda has just washed out of that wave from 2018?

What now?

Well, Hill and Hunter will stay.
Class.

Oh..and one last remark..how horrible of Garry Lyon to remind Walsh that st Kilda fans ‘might like to know’ where he sits on the Clarko situation.
I like that Walsh hates the media.

[The_Dud]

Seems like he can see where we're at and isn't afraid to tell us to our face.

I like it.

[shanegrambeau]

Seems like he can see where we're at and isn't afraid to tell us to our face.

I like it.

So you are also against the ‘rebuild’?

Good.

[The_Dud]

Seems like he can see where we're at and isn't afraid to tell us to our face.

I like it.

So you are also against the ‘rebuild’?

Good.

Bring in talented players, develop the talent we have, get rid of the plodders, draft pure mids - I don't care what you call it!

[shanegrambeau]

Seems like he can see where we're at and isn't afraid to tell us to our face.

I like it.

So you are also against the ‘rebuild’?

Good.

Bring in talented players, develop the talent we have, get rid of the plodders, draft pure mids - I don't care what you call it!

Fair enough…Walsh said, quote, “Injection of Top end talent”

He is not talking about “willing-and-Abel’s”, he is talking about marque players.

It concerns me..

Is he in touch??

[scallopsroe]

I believe Geoff Walsh' appointment as Executive General Manager of football is the best news from the club for years, certainly the most positive decision by Bassat and the Board to give the club some real credibility in the football world. It is in fact very exciting to have someone of his experience and standing play a key role in improving the team's performance, much like Neil Balme has done at Geelong and Richmond to make the team successful and win premierships.

Comparing Walsh' style in plain talking to that of Mark Neeld is a joke, the latter has never achieved a thing in football, not a patch on Walsh' record!

Recruit of the year to me, testimony to the excellent management of Simon Lethlean that highly respected AFL personalities such as Gubby Allan and now Geoff Walsh have been brought in to get the club back on track. Wouldn't surprise me either if AFL CEO Gill McLachlan, a committed Saints supporter, has had a hand in all of this.

100% agree, no nonsense and no BS, gets the job done.

[Teflon]

“One of the things I can bring to the table is to make a hard call or to have a hard conversation,” Walsh said on SEN Breakfast.

“To not walk past something if you see it and you know it’s wrong, I’m willing to call it out.

“You’d have to ask Simon Lethlean and (President) Andrew Bassat if that appeals to them in me, I don’t know.

“This might sound abrasive and Saints fans might get upset, but one of the things that I think when asked about how do I see St Kilda, I think the competition would say there’s been a degree of irrelevance.

“That should be abrasive. That should choke down people’s throats and I hope that going forward I can contribute to a profile that gives the Saints the due respect that they crave.”

In order to do that, the club must improve its playing list after falling away badly in the second half of the 2022 season.


That's my take away, the rest is hot air that has the potential to destabilise an organisation in this touchy feely world. You have to have a critical mass of people in your organisation who are willing to take honest and robust feedback from abrasive types for that style or management to work.

So I'm now really interested to hear more about the details of HOW he plans to improve our list...actual execution, like some meat on the bone. He makes it sound easy but he has walked into one of the poorest clubs in the comp where the gap between the haves and have nots couldn't be greater.

I wish him all the luck in the world...he will need it.

I think that what is being missed here is Geoff’s obvious disdain for the culture in the place being “too nice, too cozy” and no one prepared to have a hard conversation
Saying the list needs to inject talent is like saying a fish needs water…we know that
What I think Geoff is saying is Cuddles and a few others better buckle up and prepare to be challenged.
That’s a good thing.