Drugs Are Bad Mackay?
Moderator
- May 24, 2006
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- 156,473
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- Moderator
- #1
Present: Steven Trigg (CEO), Phil Harper (Football Operations), David Burtenshaw (Communications Manager) and Neil Craig (Senior Coach)
Steven Trigg: How did 5AA go, Neil?
Neil Craig: Aced it. Piece of cake.
Phil Harper: It all sounded pretty cushy. Good idea to email through all those phony fan questions, David. That was ingenious.
Steven Trigg: Well, glad it’s out of the way. Shall we get started? Boy… what a week! I don’t need to tell you this is crisis time, gentlemen. We’re under fire from every direction.
Phil Harper: It’s all getting a bit familiar, isn’t it?
Steven Trigg: Absolutely. Twelve months ago we were in the same position having almost the same conversations.
David Burtenshaw: The criticism has gone up a notch though this time.
Steven Trigg: Neil, you want to kick off? Where are we at?
Neil Craig: Look, I know the last two weeks haven’t been good but it’s not all doom and gloom. You’ve got to remember that we’ve lost a lot of experience… we’re fielding a very young team… we just have to tweak the contested ball and continue to be very demanding in that area… if we can just regain our fierce competitiveness and finals like intensity things can turn around… at the same time we have to continue be patient and keep persevering… the clearances obviously need some work but we’re aware of it and there’ll be no backing off-
David Burtenshaw: BINGO!
Phil Harper: (throws pen down) Damn it!
Steven Trigg: What’s going on?
David Burtenshaw: Just a little game of Neil Bingo. Phil and I had to guess five words or phrases Neil would use. I won! “No backing off” clinched it.
Phil Harper: I just needed “not a hardened team yet” – c’mon Neil, you say that one all the time.
Steven Trigg: Guys, please. Let’s concentrate here. David – we’re getting creamed in the media. What can we do about it?
David Burtenshaw: What today is about is coming up with a club message. We need something that speaks to our fans, that reassures them that things will improve, that soothes their fears, that ensures they are optimistic about the future…
Steven Trigg: Basically buys us some time?
David Burtenshaw: Yeah… buys us some time and sells a message. We’re not expecting an instant turnaround but we just want to turn the heat down a notch or two.
Neil Craig: So are we going to announce a rebuilding plan or something?
David Burtenshaw: Err… no. We can’t use the rebuilding word.
Neil Craig: Why not? We’ve got 12 players under 50 games, we’ve lost 1200 games of experience -
David Burtenshaw: Neil-
Neil Craig: Actually it’s more games than that. Those guys would have played SANFL games, junior games, school games… basically every weekend since they were 8 or 9 years old. We’re probably talking five thousand games of experience there. Ten thousand even. You can’t replace that overnight.
David Burtenshaw: Neil, a rebuilding plan has to be pre-emptive. We would have had to announce the rebuild before the season if it was going to have any currency.
Neil Craig: But we didn’t know before the season that we needed to rebuild.
David Burtenshaw: Exactly. People will pick up on that and say we misjudged the list, that we over-rated our players, that we didn’t prepare for the retirement of our legends well enough… the bottom line is that we can’t lose a few matches, give the season away and then try to whack a rebuilding tag onto it. It just won’t fly.
Steven Trigg: David’s right, Neil. If we say we are rebuilding now, people are going to ask why it’s taken us until Round 11 to start.
David Burtenshaw: Basically we’d be admitting that Plan A had gone up in smoke and we were changing tack.
Neil Craig: I thought people wanted to see a Plan B?
David Burtenshaw: Neil – policy on the run is policy underdone.
Phil Harper: But we do need to rebuild, don’t we?
Steven Trigg: Yes.
David Burtenshaw: That’s fine… we just can’t say we are rebuilding. There are a few words and phrases you just don’t go near in football. ‘Rebuilding’ is one… ‘potential’ is another… there are just too many negative connotations attached to them.
Phil Harper: Five year plan?
David Burtenshaw: Yep, that’s another one. It’s like saying we need five years to fix the mess we’ve made.
Neil Craig: Full support of the Board?
David Burtenshaw: Nah, that’s ok. People actually like hearing that one.
Steven Trigg: Mathematically possible?
David Burtenshaw: (nodding) Good one. That’s traditionally the season death-knell.
Phil Harper: Bulldozed by a powerful team?
Neil Craig: Shut up, Phil.
Steven Trigg: So what’s this club message that we’re selling then? Rebuilding is out. So what are we going to call it?
Phil Harper: Rejuvenating?
David Burtenshaw: Refreshing?
Neil Craig: Regenerating?
Steven Trigg: Does it have to start with an “R”?
David Burtenshaw: No, but they usually do for some reason.
Phil Harper: Resuscitating?
David Burtenshaw: Revolution?
Steven Trigg: Aren’t people going to see through this? They’re going to know that we are just trying to come up with a different word for rebuilding.
David Burtenshaw: How about calling it an investment year?
Neil Craig: It’s not an R word though.
David Burtenshaw: Well, investment is all about generating a return… so there it is.
Steven Trigg: And the injuries mean that we have been able to invest even more than we thought.
David Burtenshaw: So the return will be greater.
Steven Trigg: An investment year… I love it. A return on our investment… a return to finals… this is brilliant. What do you think, Neil?
Neil Craig: A return to finals? When?
Steven Trigg: Soon.
Neil Craig: 2012? That’s going to be pushing it.
David Burtenshaw: I don’t think we need to put a timeline on it.
Steven Trigg: That’s right. We’ll say that the payoff will be soon but don’t specify 2012, just in case.
Neil Craig: So 2013? What if we don’t make finals that year either?
David Burtenshaw: Hopefully by then everyone will have forgotten about it.
Steven Trigg: That’s right. Remember when we said we won’t keep any B Graders after they turn 30? People have forgotten that one. They’ll forget this too. There will be a new crisis by then anyway. Walker might be spotted eating a hamburger or something. Investment year… lock it in, David. Now, what else have we got?
David Burtenshaw: Our leaders are really coming under fire, particularly Neil and VB. I think we need to re-establish that respect. Once people lose faith in the leaders things degenerate very quickly. Neil… we need you to be the calm, in-control club leader in your press conferences. Lately you’ve be making some… odd comments that people are scratching their heads over.
Neil Craig: Like what?
David Burtenshaw: Well, all this super-positive stuff. I know you’re trying to appear upbeat but comments like “most exciting list” and “loving coaching more than ever” just come across as forced and fake.
Neil Craig: I mean them though.
Phil Harper: So you love losing?
David Burtenshaw: See what I mean? It just sounds strange. And what about this video tape thing? You get asked a question about the game in a press conference and you say “I’ll need to have a look at the video.” How does that work? Aren’t you watching the game?
Neil Craig: Yes, but you need to spend time analysing the video as well to really make an educated, informed comment.
David Burtenshaw: You have to be very careful though. It sounds like you can’t recognize patterns or trends in the heat of the contest… people will dredge up all that ‘match day moves’ stuff again. Also, why did you come down so hard on the physical stuff? The St Kilda game was fantastic. There was passion, there was fire… people loved it. But you hosed it all down.
Neil Craig: Getting suspended helps no one, David. It’s not what we’re about. People have criticized me for it but the facts are that no one’s been suspended since.
David Burtenshaw: Yeah, but we haven’t won a game either.
Neil Craig: …we beat the Suns.
(brief pause)
David Burtenshaw: Ahem… and what was going on with that DVD you showed in the press conference? I didn’t understand it. Wasn’t it meant to be tough, courageous acts? I saw one regulation spoil, one pick up and one ball paddled out of the centre square towards goal. No tackles, bumps, intimidation, eye-on-the-ball courage... Everyone who saw it was confused.
Neil Craig: Ok… the acts I showed were the types of… discipline… and umm… hardness that we want to see from our players.
David Burtenshaw: What about when VB put his body on the line with a broken collar bone? Or when Davis ran back into Sandilands with his eye on the ball? Or when Ivan flies the flag after a team mate gets injured? Any of those would have been heaps better.
Neil Craig: The point was that hard football and toughness doesn’t necessarily mean getting yourself suspended. I thought it was pretty clear.
Phil Harper: You showed the wrong DVD didn’t you?
Neil Craig: …no.
(brief pause)
Neil Craig: I didn’t.
David Burtenshaw: Ok… it’s not just you that’s under fire, either. VB is copping some stick. Did you guys read that Sheedy worst captain article?
Phil Harper: Yeah, I saw it. Thommo made photo copies for everyone.
David Burtenshaw: What did you think, Neil?
Neil Craig: Disgraceful article. Really made my blood boil. Sheedy (rolls eyes)… there’s nothing worse than when someone hangs around the game too long. It doesn’t matter how much you’ve done throughout your career, everyone has a use-by-date. Sometimes you have to accept that the game has gone past you and it’s time to move on.
Phil Harper: Spot on, Neil.
Neil Craig: As soon as you lose relevance and the respect of the football community you need to say goodbye. Anyway… terrible article. VB’s an excellent skipper.
Phil Harper: He’s got a new nickname around the club too… it’s Richie!
Neil Craig: Why Richie?
Phil Harper: After Richie Vandenberg!
Neil Craig: Yeah, I can see that… good footballer, hard worker, disciplined, reliable… that’s a bit of a pat on the back for Nathan. Good stuff.
Steven Trigg: David, VB’s been copping criticism for not doing enough press conferences, especially after the bad losses. Why do we keep parading guys like Rory Sloane in front of the cameras to face the music?
David Burtenshaw: Well it’s a fine line. If we get you or Neil or VB up there we’re basically admitting that the loss is a really big deal. People see that and think that we’re in crisis mode. Putting a young player up there shows that it’s business as usual and nothing out of the ordinary. It’s all about keeping up appearances.
Steven Trigg: Is it working?
David Burtenshaw: Umm… sort of. We’re certainly giving off the impression that we’re not in crisis mode…
Steven Trigg: But the consensus out there is that we should be. So we’re possibly coming off as being oblivious or indifferent to it all?
David Burtenshaw: Maybe.
Steven Trigg: I think we should really be getting VB and Neil up there to answer the tough questions.
Neil Craig: To be honest I’m sick of doing press conferences. Every second question is why isn’t Taylor Walker playing, and the rest of them are asking whether he’ll go to GWS. I’ve had enough.
David Burtenshaw: How is Walker going anyway? I saw he got dropped again?
Neil Craig: He’s still letting his man get boundary side.
Phil Harper: I thought he was meant to keep his man boundary side?
Neil Craig: What did I say…? I can’t remember which one it is actually. Whatever it is he’s not doing it.
David Burtenshaw: Guys, the last one we have to deal with is the question mark over Neil’s future. If we keep losing it is going to come up on a weekly basis. And this ‘no contract’ thing is only heightening the tension.
Steven Trigg: Yeah, putting you on staff has completely backfired on us. In hindsight at the start of the season we should have announced that we were going to cop some short term pain with a young list and that we were giving you a three year time frame to build us up again. Would have taken the pressure off.
Neil Craig: Can’t we do that now?
Steven Trigg: No. We’d look ridiculous if went back to a contract situation, especially sitting 3-7.
David Burtenshaw: We have to be really careful here. When we are losing matches, people want to see changes. If they see no change then it is hard for them to believe that the results are going to change. That’s why your “as far as the eye can see” comment was received so badly, Steven.
Neil Craig: You want change? I coached from the box on Sunday. What more do people want?
David Burtenshaw: That’s not enough, Neil.
Neil Craig: How about we offload Doc Clarke then?
David Burtenshaw: I don’t think that would really-
Neil Craig: I mean it. Let’s do it. Right now! Consider it done, David. I’ll call him and give him the bad news-
David Burtenshaw: Neil – that wouldn’t help. It would just be a superficial, minor change done for the sole purpose of identifying a scapegoat. And the public would see through it in a flash.
Neil Craig: Camporeale too then! Let’s get rid of both of them.
David Burtenshaw: No, no. We’ve lost too many games and people are asking too many questions for a cosmetic change to solve our problems. If we aren’t going to make a major change, I think the key is to get people thinking more favourably about you as the long term coach of the club.
Steven Trigg: How do we do that?
David Burtenshaw: Simple. We paint the picture that the possible successor is worse than the incumbent. When the fans think ‘new coach’ in their mind they are picturing Mick Malthouse, Leigh Matthews or Paul Roos. Of course a change of coach is going to look rosy. We need to shatter this illusion and remove that ‘grass is greener’ thinking.
Steven Trigg: I see… makes sense. How do we go about it?
David Burtenshaw: Steven, can you drop some comments about our next coach coming from within?
Steven Trigg: Coming from within?
David Burtenshaw: If we give the impression that our next coach is likely to come from within, people will be able to put two and two together. They’ll realize that if Neil goes, Bicks is likely to be our next coach.
Phil Harper: Is he?
Steven Trigg: God, no. We just pay him to carry Neil’s laptop and laugh at his jokes.
David Burtenshaw: The fans find Bicks to be basically Neil-Lite. They hate the thought of him coaching the club. Once they realize that Bicks is the alternative coaching option, suddenly keeping Neil on as head coach won’t seem as bad.
Steven Trigg: Consider it done.
Steven Trigg: How did 5AA go, Neil?
Neil Craig: Aced it. Piece of cake.
Phil Harper: It all sounded pretty cushy. Good idea to email through all those phony fan questions, David. That was ingenious.
Steven Trigg: Well, glad it’s out of the way. Shall we get started? Boy… what a week! I don’t need to tell you this is crisis time, gentlemen. We’re under fire from every direction.
Phil Harper: It’s all getting a bit familiar, isn’t it?
Steven Trigg: Absolutely. Twelve months ago we were in the same position having almost the same conversations.
David Burtenshaw: The criticism has gone up a notch though this time.
Steven Trigg: Neil, you want to kick off? Where are we at?
Neil Craig: Look, I know the last two weeks haven’t been good but it’s not all doom and gloom. You’ve got to remember that we’ve lost a lot of experience… we’re fielding a very young team… we just have to tweak the contested ball and continue to be very demanding in that area… if we can just regain our fierce competitiveness and finals like intensity things can turn around… at the same time we have to continue be patient and keep persevering… the clearances obviously need some work but we’re aware of it and there’ll be no backing off-
David Burtenshaw: BINGO!
Phil Harper: (throws pen down) Damn it!
Steven Trigg: What’s going on?
David Burtenshaw: Just a little game of Neil Bingo. Phil and I had to guess five words or phrases Neil would use. I won! “No backing off” clinched it.
Phil Harper: I just needed “not a hardened team yet” – c’mon Neil, you say that one all the time.
Steven Trigg: Guys, please. Let’s concentrate here. David – we’re getting creamed in the media. What can we do about it?
David Burtenshaw: What today is about is coming up with a club message. We need something that speaks to our fans, that reassures them that things will improve, that soothes their fears, that ensures they are optimistic about the future…
Steven Trigg: Basically buys us some time?
David Burtenshaw: Yeah… buys us some time and sells a message. We’re not expecting an instant turnaround but we just want to turn the heat down a notch or two.
Neil Craig: So are we going to announce a rebuilding plan or something?
David Burtenshaw: Err… no. We can’t use the rebuilding word.
Neil Craig: Why not? We’ve got 12 players under 50 games, we’ve lost 1200 games of experience -
David Burtenshaw: Neil-
Neil Craig: Actually it’s more games than that. Those guys would have played SANFL games, junior games, school games… basically every weekend since they were 8 or 9 years old. We’re probably talking five thousand games of experience there. Ten thousand even. You can’t replace that overnight.
David Burtenshaw: Neil, a rebuilding plan has to be pre-emptive. We would have had to announce the rebuild before the season if it was going to have any currency.
Neil Craig: But we didn’t know before the season that we needed to rebuild.
David Burtenshaw: Exactly. People will pick up on that and say we misjudged the list, that we over-rated our players, that we didn’t prepare for the retirement of our legends well enough… the bottom line is that we can’t lose a few matches, give the season away and then try to whack a rebuilding tag onto it. It just won’t fly.
Steven Trigg: David’s right, Neil. If we say we are rebuilding now, people are going to ask why it’s taken us until Round 11 to start.
David Burtenshaw: Basically we’d be admitting that Plan A had gone up in smoke and we were changing tack.
Neil Craig: I thought people wanted to see a Plan B?
David Burtenshaw: Neil – policy on the run is policy underdone.
Phil Harper: But we do need to rebuild, don’t we?
Steven Trigg: Yes.
David Burtenshaw: That’s fine… we just can’t say we are rebuilding. There are a few words and phrases you just don’t go near in football. ‘Rebuilding’ is one… ‘potential’ is another… there are just too many negative connotations attached to them.
Phil Harper: Five year plan?
David Burtenshaw: Yep, that’s another one. It’s like saying we need five years to fix the mess we’ve made.
Neil Craig: Full support of the Board?
David Burtenshaw: Nah, that’s ok. People actually like hearing that one.
Steven Trigg: Mathematically possible?
David Burtenshaw: (nodding) Good one. That’s traditionally the season death-knell.
Phil Harper: Bulldozed by a powerful team?
Neil Craig: Shut up, Phil.
Steven Trigg: So what’s this club message that we’re selling then? Rebuilding is out. So what are we going to call it?
Phil Harper: Rejuvenating?
David Burtenshaw: Refreshing?
Neil Craig: Regenerating?
Steven Trigg: Does it have to start with an “R”?
David Burtenshaw: No, but they usually do for some reason.
Phil Harper: Resuscitating?
David Burtenshaw: Revolution?
Steven Trigg: Aren’t people going to see through this? They’re going to know that we are just trying to come up with a different word for rebuilding.
David Burtenshaw: How about calling it an investment year?
Neil Craig: It’s not an R word though.
David Burtenshaw: Well, investment is all about generating a return… so there it is.
Steven Trigg: And the injuries mean that we have been able to invest even more than we thought.
David Burtenshaw: So the return will be greater.
Steven Trigg: An investment year… I love it. A return on our investment… a return to finals… this is brilliant. What do you think, Neil?
Neil Craig: A return to finals? When?
Steven Trigg: Soon.
Neil Craig: 2012? That’s going to be pushing it.
David Burtenshaw: I don’t think we need to put a timeline on it.
Steven Trigg: That’s right. We’ll say that the payoff will be soon but don’t specify 2012, just in case.
Neil Craig: So 2013? What if we don’t make finals that year either?
David Burtenshaw: Hopefully by then everyone will have forgotten about it.
Steven Trigg: That’s right. Remember when we said we won’t keep any B Graders after they turn 30? People have forgotten that one. They’ll forget this too. There will be a new crisis by then anyway. Walker might be spotted eating a hamburger or something. Investment year… lock it in, David. Now, what else have we got?
David Burtenshaw: Our leaders are really coming under fire, particularly Neil and VB. I think we need to re-establish that respect. Once people lose faith in the leaders things degenerate very quickly. Neil… we need you to be the calm, in-control club leader in your press conferences. Lately you’ve be making some… odd comments that people are scratching their heads over.
Neil Craig: Like what?
David Burtenshaw: Well, all this super-positive stuff. I know you’re trying to appear upbeat but comments like “most exciting list” and “loving coaching more than ever” just come across as forced and fake.
Neil Craig: I mean them though.
Phil Harper: So you love losing?
David Burtenshaw: See what I mean? It just sounds strange. And what about this video tape thing? You get asked a question about the game in a press conference and you say “I’ll need to have a look at the video.” How does that work? Aren’t you watching the game?
Neil Craig: Yes, but you need to spend time analysing the video as well to really make an educated, informed comment.
David Burtenshaw: You have to be very careful though. It sounds like you can’t recognize patterns or trends in the heat of the contest… people will dredge up all that ‘match day moves’ stuff again. Also, why did you come down so hard on the physical stuff? The St Kilda game was fantastic. There was passion, there was fire… people loved it. But you hosed it all down.
Neil Craig: Getting suspended helps no one, David. It’s not what we’re about. People have criticized me for it but the facts are that no one’s been suspended since.
David Burtenshaw: Yeah, but we haven’t won a game either.
Neil Craig: …we beat the Suns.
(brief pause)
David Burtenshaw: Ahem… and what was going on with that DVD you showed in the press conference? I didn’t understand it. Wasn’t it meant to be tough, courageous acts? I saw one regulation spoil, one pick up and one ball paddled out of the centre square towards goal. No tackles, bumps, intimidation, eye-on-the-ball courage... Everyone who saw it was confused.
Neil Craig: Ok… the acts I showed were the types of… discipline… and umm… hardness that we want to see from our players.
David Burtenshaw: What about when VB put his body on the line with a broken collar bone? Or when Davis ran back into Sandilands with his eye on the ball? Or when Ivan flies the flag after a team mate gets injured? Any of those would have been heaps better.
Neil Craig: The point was that hard football and toughness doesn’t necessarily mean getting yourself suspended. I thought it was pretty clear.
Phil Harper: You showed the wrong DVD didn’t you?
Neil Craig: …no.
(brief pause)
Neil Craig: I didn’t.
David Burtenshaw: Ok… it’s not just you that’s under fire, either. VB is copping some stick. Did you guys read that Sheedy worst captain article?
Phil Harper: Yeah, I saw it. Thommo made photo copies for everyone.
David Burtenshaw: What did you think, Neil?
Neil Craig: Disgraceful article. Really made my blood boil. Sheedy (rolls eyes)… there’s nothing worse than when someone hangs around the game too long. It doesn’t matter how much you’ve done throughout your career, everyone has a use-by-date. Sometimes you have to accept that the game has gone past you and it’s time to move on.
Phil Harper: Spot on, Neil.
Neil Craig: As soon as you lose relevance and the respect of the football community you need to say goodbye. Anyway… terrible article. VB’s an excellent skipper.
Phil Harper: He’s got a new nickname around the club too… it’s Richie!
Neil Craig: Why Richie?
Phil Harper: After Richie Vandenberg!
Neil Craig: Yeah, I can see that… good footballer, hard worker, disciplined, reliable… that’s a bit of a pat on the back for Nathan. Good stuff.
Steven Trigg: David, VB’s been copping criticism for not doing enough press conferences, especially after the bad losses. Why do we keep parading guys like Rory Sloane in front of the cameras to face the music?
David Burtenshaw: Well it’s a fine line. If we get you or Neil or VB up there we’re basically admitting that the loss is a really big deal. People see that and think that we’re in crisis mode. Putting a young player up there shows that it’s business as usual and nothing out of the ordinary. It’s all about keeping up appearances.
Steven Trigg: Is it working?
David Burtenshaw: Umm… sort of. We’re certainly giving off the impression that we’re not in crisis mode…
Steven Trigg: But the consensus out there is that we should be. So we’re possibly coming off as being oblivious or indifferent to it all?
David Burtenshaw: Maybe.
Steven Trigg: I think we should really be getting VB and Neil up there to answer the tough questions.
Neil Craig: To be honest I’m sick of doing press conferences. Every second question is why isn’t Taylor Walker playing, and the rest of them are asking whether he’ll go to GWS. I’ve had enough.
David Burtenshaw: How is Walker going anyway? I saw he got dropped again?
Neil Craig: He’s still letting his man get boundary side.
Phil Harper: I thought he was meant to keep his man boundary side?
Neil Craig: What did I say…? I can’t remember which one it is actually. Whatever it is he’s not doing it.
David Burtenshaw: Guys, the last one we have to deal with is the question mark over Neil’s future. If we keep losing it is going to come up on a weekly basis. And this ‘no contract’ thing is only heightening the tension.
Steven Trigg: Yeah, putting you on staff has completely backfired on us. In hindsight at the start of the season we should have announced that we were going to cop some short term pain with a young list and that we were giving you a three year time frame to build us up again. Would have taken the pressure off.
Neil Craig: Can’t we do that now?
Steven Trigg: No. We’d look ridiculous if went back to a contract situation, especially sitting 3-7.
David Burtenshaw: We have to be really careful here. When we are losing matches, people want to see changes. If they see no change then it is hard for them to believe that the results are going to change. That’s why your “as far as the eye can see” comment was received so badly, Steven.
Neil Craig: You want change? I coached from the box on Sunday. What more do people want?
David Burtenshaw: That’s not enough, Neil.
Neil Craig: How about we offload Doc Clarke then?
David Burtenshaw: I don’t think that would really-
Neil Craig: I mean it. Let’s do it. Right now! Consider it done, David. I’ll call him and give him the bad news-
David Burtenshaw: Neil – that wouldn’t help. It would just be a superficial, minor change done for the sole purpose of identifying a scapegoat. And the public would see through it in a flash.
Neil Craig: Camporeale too then! Let’s get rid of both of them.
David Burtenshaw: No, no. We’ve lost too many games and people are asking too many questions for a cosmetic change to solve our problems. If we aren’t going to make a major change, I think the key is to get people thinking more favourably about you as the long term coach of the club.
Steven Trigg: How do we do that?
David Burtenshaw: Simple. We paint the picture that the possible successor is worse than the incumbent. When the fans think ‘new coach’ in their mind they are picturing Mick Malthouse, Leigh Matthews or Paul Roos. Of course a change of coach is going to look rosy. We need to shatter this illusion and remove that ‘grass is greener’ thinking.
Steven Trigg: I see… makes sense. How do we go about it?
David Burtenshaw: Steven, can you drop some comments about our next coach coming from within?
Steven Trigg: Coming from within?
David Burtenshaw: If we give the impression that our next coach is likely to come from within, people will be able to put two and two together. They’ll realize that if Neil goes, Bicks is likely to be our next coach.
Phil Harper: Is he?
Steven Trigg: God, no. We just pay him to carry Neil’s laptop and laugh at his jokes.
David Burtenshaw: The fans find Bicks to be basically Neil-Lite. They hate the thought of him coaching the club. Once they realize that Bicks is the alternative coaching option, suddenly keeping Neil on as head coach won’t seem as bad.
Steven Trigg: Consider it done.
