Coach Clarkson has left the building

[Blackhawk42]

I worry for Mitchell - the list is not ready and the club is not stable. There is every chance he is gone in 2-3 years.

Very negative approach here. Mitchell was never taking over a completed list anyway.

This way he gets to start entirely from scratch, despite how poorly this has all been handled in hindsight.

 

[Nuggets73]

Kennett should be going with him - really disappointed with the way this has been handled, Clarkson deserved better than this

 

[blackheart]

So long as they take the decision makers with them. Laughing stock of incompetence, arrogance and disrespect. This fiasco is so far beneath the Hawthorn footy club. Kennett must go and must go immediately.

Agree, he's messed this up.

 

[danielG]

Agree, he's messed this up.

I would not be against a member boycott from games until Jeff Kennett walks out the door.

 

[WWSD]

You have a club President who likes to stick the boots into others, but can’t even own up to his own faults.

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

Who the fu** are the board to decide to get rid of our greatest ever coach? A dictator who knows nothing about football, one serviceable player and a bunch of no names. Well done guys

President, Board, football dept and leadership group.

That is in essence the “club”, and the club is bigger than one individual.

This is a poorly timed situation, and one that makes you feel sad that we’ve moved on a legend of the club, but all the same, this is for the best.

 

[Bardo State]

yep
i don't get it

when has Clarko EVER not been true to his word? When has Mitch EVER not been true to his word?

it doesn't make sense. cant have been their decision

I think posters are being a bit naive. I don't actually see this as rock bottom, atomic bomb kind of stuff.

LP laid it out well recently. I'm going to paraphrase with some of my own spin.

1 The board and football dept was near unanimous in thinking that Clarkson should no longer coach HFC

2 The board and football dept was also near unanimous in thinking that Mitchell is the best option to coach the club after Clarko

3 If Hawthorn didn't publicly secure Mitchell as guaranteed future coach of HFC, he would've walked into another club's senior coaching role

4 Clarko had 18 months on a big juicy salary to run, that no one would give up for free, having been extended following a top 4 finish and one of the best periods of success the game has ever seen, with a (now failed) vision for rebuilding the club

5 Covid and soft caps make contract payouts a massive pain, and they now cut directly into the club's ability to hire other football staff

6 The pain to HFC has to be minimised by negotiating with Clarko and letting him see other offers over a period of time

7 Publicly acknowledging that Clarko is coasting in caretaker mode while the parties negotiate to have their financial interests protected before Clarko officially leaves is absolutely not possible

8 While forces play out to negotiate Clarko's exit, all involved have to present a united front to the media, as if all contracts will be honoured, to protect the club, coaches and players as much as possible

9 Eventually, the curtain has to drop, and it has dropped today.

The only potential mistakes along the way were the original 4 year extension back in 2018, or the belief that Mitchell will be a clearly better coaching option than what would be available at the end of next year.

 

[palmomagpie]

What a crap day for me to finally get back into BigFooty after 6 months. Log in and see this. No words, cannot believe this has happened. Even worse we’ve heard nothing from the club

 

[Simon Crawshay]

Basket case.

A lot of posters here should be extremely embarrassed for their ridiculous defence of the club's incompetence, abuse of other posters, Caroline Wilson and the media in general.

I called it right from the start.

This transition plan was a fantasy and never a workable option.

Two Alpha males like Clarko and Mitchell sharing a coaching role, who here honestly thought that was going to work?

 

[Walshawk]

Every person on here needs to email Jeff and the club saying that they will not renew their membership until Jeff resigns.

 

[Pipe Hitter]

Really disappointing I was hoping for the fairy tale finish. If Clarko is finishing up early then Jeff has to go. Poorly handled and to be honest he has past his use by date. We do need an honest explanation of how things went from a few teething problems to finishing up at the end of the season or sooner. Perhaps we need an independent review of our board chaired by Dunstall.

As for the media regardless of whether they got this right I won't be apologising for doubting them nor will I be patting them on the back. They are a pack jackals who have had it in for us for years. It's time to circle the wagons as they are going to throw alot of sh*t at us.

 

[Smithdogmaddog]

I'm torn

My number one priority has always been to get Jeff the hell out because he's a cancer to the club and society in general .

What Clarko has been allowed to do the list in my view is inexcusable and for that I wanted him gone and Sam to come in and do a massive clear out like Clarko did when he first started.

The way it has all been handled has been shambolic but if we end up with the outcome i was keen on i wont be too disappointed.

The whole place needs to be blown up and start again, properly! and not trying to subvert the equalization systems in place.

 

[JR33]

I would not be against a member boycott from games until Jeff Kennett walks out the door.

So you want to stop supporting the club because of one idiot? Lol

 

[Sturty]

Jeff Kennett can F off.
What an absolute disgrace this has turned into

 

[CHUBBSS]

Whos got the shovel? We are burying Jeff

 

[Hodgey 15]

Clutching man. Unless you’re a source at the club, i wouldn’t be trusting the club narrative on this at all.

This isn't club narrative. This is coming from Wilson/Maclure article.

 

[Simon Crawshay]

It is sad and embarrassing but this is for the best. Once the decision was made to appoint Sam, he had to be installed as senior coach.

Yes, once they made the announcement it was all or nothing.

The situation they were proposing was a kind of "half pregnant" kind of deal.

 

[Roddy]

Having a feeling of deja vu here. 5 years after our last flag and period of absolute glory and success, we've sunk to rock bottom. We truly are an 'all or nothing' club.

Someone said Kennet is a cancer. So so true. Was for Victoria, now is for Hawthorn. Must go, never to be heard from again.

 

[bungholes_premiers]

I would not be against a member boycott from games until Jeff Kennett walks out the door.

cant go anyway mate .. even when its back

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

History will judge Kennett quite poorly, but I don’t think we need to lose a president right now too.

Time for the club and supporters to recognize what a goliath Clarkson has been, and get behind Sam and the rest of the footy dept.

 

[ImissFrosty]

How does this effect Frosty?

 

[HairyO]

**** Kennett and **** Mitchell.

I wont be a member while either are at Hawthorn.

Their lies didnt even last 2 weeks.

And now the campaigners are blaming the players for forcing the issue.

Get.
****ed.

 

[Gaborone]

President, Board, football dept and leadership group.

That is in essence the “club”, and the club is bigger than one individual.

This is a poorly timed situation, and one that makes you feel sad that we’ve moved on a legend of the club, but all the same, this is for the best.

For the best? For the best would be to get rid of Kennett. What a disgrace this has all turned out to be when the ego of one man can undermine a great club and a great coach!

Anger doesn't describe my feelings on this.

 

[killerspud]

Very negative approach here. Mitchell was never taking over a completed list anyway.

This way he gets to start entirely from scratch, despite how poorly this has all been handled in hindsight.

He gets to start from scratch but with no money for coaching staff as we are paying out a 4 time premiership coach. Absolute shambles.

 

[Back Pocket Rocket]

Someone put Kennett on a one way flight to China