Ogopogo
All Australian
I always liked McKenna and I wish him the best in the future. Interesting chat.
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He spoke very well for how he was treated!! Hold him in high regard...
Lets remember the context in which he was sacked and not get too nostalgic. Everyone was baying for his blood last season when flaws in his coaching style emerged.
Not nostalgic at all tiger. Was of the opinion at the time that the club had an opportunity to stand strong and at least honor the contract.
The review of the review only stood to make us look weak - as Bluey said if we had Walsh, Balme or Nisbett in Admin this would not have occurred.
No feedback along the way - just some negativity from a few players etc who were given a platform to preach - blown up by media and then the club responds to the beat up.
In any case the playing group are exposed now and the blame game is over. Think the club could do with bolstering the leadership off field.
He showed he had no control over the group once Ablett was gone. He proved he didn't have the phycology skills to get the players to perform for him in the absence of Ablett....AND, people in various areas of the club didn't like the way he dealt with people. These are areas of coaching that are critical, and obviously a call was made he didn't have the skills.
You can mention all sorts of names who might have sat on their hands as an easy way out. But a strong decision was made (right or wrong) and no one can say it was the easy way out. Easy, would have been to honour the rest of his contract.
I doubt he will get another coaching gig in the AFL again..
Eade has inherited the results of Blueys coaching. They stopped performing after Ablett got hurt last season, and in the 2 games this season have proven their heads still aren't right. Eade now has the challenge to do what Bluey couldn't; encourage the kids psychologically to have a bloody go. Im sure he has identified they are still subconsciously lazy and he needs to find the trigger to get them playing like they did the day GAJ got hurt.Well on that basis we are in trouble because Eade cant get us to perform even with Ablett injured or not.
And it was the easy way out as so many clubs have operated in the past. I was more concerned at the lack of processes and the fact that these areas of improvement Bluey needed were seemingly never addressed. If you talk to people around Bomber Thompson, Blight, Sheedy, Malthouse - they had issues with communication with players and staff as well. Strong management and regular feedback helps to address and change things.
again my point is not to rally around Bluey but rather understand the issues and rectify going forward. Its not fair for Eade either or anyone they appoint or draft into the future.
While I agree that he should have been interviewed and given a chance at least and told exactly wherehe stood, I doubt we have been told everything of why the decision was made. By all reports the bloke that sacked him liked Bluey..It's not fair on Bluey that he was given no feedback, then given no option but to accept the decision to sack him. It sounds as if it was all done behind his back, with everything he was hearing being through the media or elsewhere and not from the club. Pretty disappointing, regardless of his faults.