Leppa sacked

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jason pm said:
with Justin Leppitsch and Simon Black confirmed outs as well as probably Gary O'donnell and Shane Woewodin who would be doing the end of season exit interviews/assessments of the players?
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Believe G.O.D is moving to WA for family obligations...
 
CarterS said:
- Blew the board away with a whiz bang presentation. (Have heard that so many times I wish we could see a copy of it!)
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Star transitions!
 

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straighttalkin said:
I am with you. From what Sharpless said today it is not justified. "Justin gave an impressive presentation outlining .... but it is a results driven industry." Translation - we gave into the whingers and power brokers.
Definition of emotional intelligence - an ability to put up with short term abstinence/pain for long term pleasure/gain. His justification indicated they have the emotional intelligence of gnats.
The only thing that sounded logical was their perception of the lack of speed in skills development. It would be interesting to see how fast the skills development was a factor at GWS and Melbourne when they were winning hardly any games for 3 years compares.
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On the other hand who really knows what was really going on inside the walls. Sharpless said that Leppa had broad player support and it wasn't a factor in their decision. Swirling rumours. Of 'What has come out' what is actually true.
 
jason pm said:
with Justin Leppitsch and Simon Black confirmed outs as well as probably Gary O'donnell and Shane Woewodin who would be doing the end of season exit interviews/assessments of the players?
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Bigfooty
 
I want to know how the board came to the decision. If it wasn't unanimous (and our Mr Sharpless didn't know....eh what??o_O) how could they come to a decision one way or the other.

If Sharpless didn't know, how does he know the majority (and that's what a vote is for) wanted Leppa gone.....it may well have been the other way.

How the hell did they come to this decision. Something doesn't add up here. Secret ballot indeed! The pong around this is getting stronger imo.
 
BRAB said:
Bigfooty
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Yesterday was a pretty big day for us mods with all the senior player interviews, today probably a bit lighter on with the rookies. If you don't see Schache on social media for a while you can assume its his on fault that he won't sign the contract we've got sitting in front of him. the gabba really is a dungeon at the moment. Can't believe everyone bought this whole ZoBlitz on holidays thing, man is sitting in the interrogation room as we speak.
 
Caro being Caro:

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/afl...ons-tear-into-each-other-20160829-gr3opu.html

The inevitable sacking of Justin Leppitsch might have been "a horrible day" for the Brisbane Lions but rest assured there are plenty more to come.

The fact the board took the costly decision to reverse the contract extension the AFL warned it against at the start of the season and did so via secret ballot is an indication of the lack of trust which now permeates across the club.

The players, most of whom wanted the coach out, were told not in person but by email that their mentor of three years was gone - a mentor of whom many were harshly critical in a post 2015 review and which many believe was swept under the carpet. At every turn at every darkened corridor there seems to be acrimony, blame and distrust.

So much has gone wrong at Brisbane this year it is difficult to know where to start. Certainly the AFL delivered the club an horrendous fixture by any measure but it was unfortunate that club chairman Bob Sharpless saw fit to mention it on Monday among the reasons Leppitsch failed. The time for excuses has surely passed at the Gabba.

But in the end it was all the unfortunate Lepptisch could hang his hat on and while he occasionally performed admirably in public as the axe became more visible he finally went out swinging - taking potshots at the AFL, its GWS favouritsm, the media, naturally, and eventually the inconsistency of his own board.

Leigh Matthews, the club powerbroker who must carry significant responsibility for the Leppitsch appointment and contract extension, has not enjoyed his role this season and could yet follow his champion three-time premiership defender out the door. It is understood there has been a push supported by Matthews to place Alistair Lynch on the board but that Lynch has to date resisted it.

Matthews also spoke to his friend Graeme Allan regarding a return to the club but Allan refused and has now taken the role at Collingwood. Interestingly the Matthews conversation with Allan took place before his chairman or CEO had any knowledge of the plan.

Matthews reportedly became upset at last week's board meeting when a number of negative presentations regarding Leppitsch led chairman Sharpless to attempt to open a discussion - prematurely in Matthews' view - on the coach. In fairness the plan was to make the call after the Lions last game but the AFL legend appears less in love with the club than he once was and that cannot be a good thing when you have been calling the shots.

Close Leppitsch ally Craig Lambert, seen as something of a saviour when he returned to the Lions, has clashed with a number of key players at the club during this season of discontent as the heavy losses mounted. Although he remains contracted for another two years in his welfare role, his future at Brisbane remains uncertain. The emotional nature of Lambert's workplace relations have not worked at Brisbane as they did at the Giants.

Tom Rockliff remains no certainty to stay. He too has clashed with club bosses and team mates and the relationship between captain and club deteriorated to the point that his manager Tom Petroro demanded the coach speak up for Rockliff when the mean and mean-spirited stories about him threatened to spiral out of control.

Rockliff more recently described the facilities at the Gabba as the worst in the AFL and certainly they are not flash but from the bottom floor - where the long-standing physio team are preparing to depart amid more bad blood - to the top it is not the gym equipment nor the lack of sunlight nor the proximity of the oval nor the car park that pose the biggest problem. It has been the deterioration of relationships.

Football boss Matt Francis, too inexperienced to handle the issues at Brisbane, will work underneath - should he stay - the new director of football with the tantalising prospect of Neil Balme surely to gain momentum. Assistant coaching trio Simon Black, Gary O'Donnell and Shane Woewodin were already headed out the door for a variety of reasons long before Leppitsch was sacked but Black at least has not regularly enjoyed the happy and successful partnership with the coach the two did as players.

Brett Ratten's name emerges frequently as Leppitsch's replacement but that looks a long shot. Although Hawthorn would release him should he receive another senior role Ratten recently signed a new deal with the Hawks and neither Brisbane nor Ratten appear particularly interested in the prospect of each other.

Leppitsch will find a home in the AFL system but has done himself few favours in recent months. The negativity from so many key players at Brisbane - negativity that so dismayed the AFL commission late last month - has become contagious. It is worth mentioning that before Leppitsch became part of the equation three years ago Adam Simpson was at the top of Brisbane's list.

So now comes Greg Swann's biggest test. Installed by the AFL for three years to run and rebuild the club he must now do so unshackled. He will have learned from his last senior coaching appointment - the failed decision by Carlton to install Mick Malthouse - and has enough young talent, a growing academy and a strong partnership with his list manager Peter Schwab.

But pushing aside for the moment the social and geographical issues facing the AFL game in southern Queensland, Swann's divided and divisive board is a problem. That is the only conclusion which can be drawn by the strange move to enforce a secret ballot in order to sack another favourite son.
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Two big things I wasn't aware of that she's written about there - apparently 'most' of the players wanted Leppa gone, and Lambert has clashed with a bunch as well???
 

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Back2Back2Back said:
Caro being Caro:

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/afl...ons-tear-into-each-other-20160829-gr3opu.html

Two big things I wasn't aware of that she's written about there - apparently 'most' of the players wanted Leppa gone, and Lambert has clashed with a bunch as well???
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Clarifications on those two:
  • "Most" is not that ambiguous but I'm curious how this could be the case, given the re-signings. Probably some truth to it - players don't like getting flogged and a coach is an easy scapegoat.
  • Lambert has clashed with a "number". That number may be one, since we have some indication he's clashed with Rocky, but we don't know since it's not specified. If the number if higher it'd be "a lot" or "most" or some other weasel word.
And other nit picks:
  • "The players ... were told not in person but by email that their mentor of three years was gone". Well we've covered this re: Mad Monday, but I like how "most of whom" wanted him out but later in the same sentence he's a "mentor" when it comes to playing up the impact of not being told in person.
  • "The emotional nature of Lambert's workplace relations have not worked at Brisbane as they did at the Giants." I beg to differ, looking at the re-signings during a very tough time at the club.
The overall theme and most of the details are probably spot on but there's a pretty shameless over-egging of the pudding throughout.
 
Bucking Beads said:
So the Board had concerns about his Ego but hired him anyway? Wowee. Does anyone on the Board aside from Leigh Matthews have any actually AFL knowledge??
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Actually, I'd be more likely to think that's something Leigh would've glossed over. He never seemed to mind a bit of cocksuredness.

Don't need multiple football minds on the board - need football minds in football roles... Board is not a football role. Board manages the strategy of the organisation (not football strategy, or even win strategy - business/organisational/compliance/legal/financial), CEO runs the organisation day-to-day, and they'd need both football knowledge and business knowledge (overseeing coaching team, list management team, as well as marketing team, finance team, etc). Coaching and list management teams would obviously be where you want your football minds. The majority of the board aren't involved in the day-to-day running of the business (by design - that's the way with most boards), so if they start setting direction for football matters, it'd completely undermine everything done by the football manager, list manager and the coach - and they are there for the day-to-day.

We've seen this year that we have a football mind on the board, and he hasn't had the nous to sensitively deal with the board level issues... He's great in his element, but he's come across as blunt and bumbling this year to me. I think having a football representative on the board is ideal, but I don't think Leigh's the man for it. Lynchy would be my first choice (due to the fact that he also has substantial business experience).
 
Also, just a small thing I know but the players didn't get an email, it was a text message which is a bit more immediate for people who live with their phones. Whenever these reports miss the small facts I wonder about the accuracy of the bigger ones.
 
Back2Back2Back said:
Caro being Caro:

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/afl...ons-tear-into-each-other-20160829-gr3opu.html

Two big things I wasn't aware of that she's written about there - apparently 'most' of the players wanted Leppa gone, and Lambert has clashed with a bunch as well???
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I'm guessing Lambo has clashed with a couple of the senior players who have not pulled their weight. He's the reason the young blokes have signed on. Nothing to see here! No evidence yet that "most" of the players wanted Leppa out. Caro has changed direction for some reason... somebody has got up her skirt without permission
 
spotthedog1 said:
Actually, I'd be more likely to think that's something Leigh would've glossed over. He never seemed to mind a bit of cocksuredness.

Don't need multiple football minds on the board - need football minds in football roles... Board is not a football role. Board manages the strategy of the organisation (not football strategy, or even win strategy - business/organisational/compliance/legal/financial), CEO runs the organisation day-to-day, and they'd need both football knowledge and business knowledge (overseeing coaching team, list management team, as well as marketing team, finance team, etc). Coaching and list management teams would obviously be where you want your football minds. The majority of the board aren't involved in the day-to-day running of the business (by design - that's the way with most boards), so if they start setting direction for football matters, it'd completely undermine everything done by the football manager, list manager and the coach - and they are there for the day-to-day.

We've seen this year that we have a football mind on the board, and he hasn't had the nous to sensitively deal with the board level issues... He's great in his element, but he's come across as blunt and bumbling this year to me. I think having a football representative on the board is ideal, but I don't think Leigh's the man for it. Lynchy would be my first choice (due to the fact that he also has substantial business experience).
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If the Board is the one making decisions on coaches surely they need to have a decent knowledge on the game, the AFL and how it all works.
 
spotthedog1 said:
Actually, I'd be more likely to think that's something Leigh would've glossed over. He never seemed to mind a bit of cocksuredness.

Don't need multiple football minds on the board - need football minds in football roles... Board is not a football role. Board manages the strategy of the organisation (not football strategy, or even win strategy - business/organisational/compliance/legal/financial), CEO runs the organisation day-to-day, and they'd need both football knowledge and business knowledge (overseeing coaching team, list management team, as well as marketing team, finance team, etc). Coaching and list management teams would obviously be where you want your football minds. The majority of the board aren't involved in the day-to-day running of the business (by design - that's the way with most boards), so if they start setting direction for football matters, it'd completely undermine everything done by the football manager, list manager and the coach - and they are there for the day-to-day.

We've seen this year that we have a football mind on the board, and he hasn't had the nous to sensitively deal with the board level issues... He's great in his element, but he's come across as blunt and bumbling this year to me. I think having a football representative on the board is ideal, but I don't think Leigh's the man for it. Lynchy would be my first choice (due to the fact that he also has substantial business experience).
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Agree with most of this other than the Lynchy appointment. I'd rather we avoid anyone involved in the media. Listening to Leigh during games comment on our players, particularly when the comments border on the negative or are innacurate, always irks me.
 
blynd_freddie said:
Sorry James, I think they might have been out buying an outfit today, I believe their mad monday is actually a Wacky Wednesday. ;)
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Found a 30 year old copy of the book wacky Wednesday when one of my kids was young. He loved it, carried it everywhere for months. Now I think about it, it is probably how the boys will be seeing the world by the end of their fun day.
 
spotthedog1 said:
Actually, I'd be more likely to think that's something Leigh would've glossed over. He never seemed to mind a bit of cocksuredness.

Don't need multiple football minds on the board - need football minds in football roles... Board is not a football role. Board manages the strategy of the organisation (not football strategy, or even win strategy - business/organisational/compliance/legal/financial), CEO runs the organisation day-to-day, and they'd need both football knowledge and business knowledge (overseeing coaching team, list management team, as well as marketing team, finance team, etc). Coaching and list management teams would obviously be where you want your football minds. The majority of the board aren't involved in the day-to-day running of the business (by design - that's the way with most boards), so if they start setting direction for football matters, it'd completely undermine everything done by the football manager, list manager and the coach - and they are there for the day-to-day.

We've seen this year that we have a football mind on the board, and he hasn't had the nous to sensitively deal with the board level issues... He's great in his element, but he's come across as blunt and bumbling this year to me. I think having a football representative on the board is ideal, but I don't think Leigh's the man for it. Lynchy would be my first choice (due to the fact that he also has substantial business experience).
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On one of your points. You pointed out the that the board should run all aspects of the club. Including football. I agree, but would like to add that one thing the board should be most worried about is running a successful business. Ie; making money. Something they have failed to do continually. They aren't united, nor are they any good at their jobs. Get them out.
 
Bucking Beads said:
If the Board is the one making decisions on coaches surely they need to have a decent knowledge on the game, the AFL and how it all works.
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That's a completely different kettle of fish. Outside the sporting world, key posts can be decided by a board, and I suppose that applies here, but you're absolutely right - they don't really have the experience to make that decision on their own.

Which, I suppose, is why most clubs set up a steering committee to pick the new coach. They committee has relevant leadership and football experience, analyses the candidates, and makes a recommendation to the board, along with reasons why. Theoretically, the board would consider how that recommendation plays in with the organisational strategy, and accept or reject the recommendation. Generally, for an AFL team, there's no reason to reject the committee's recommendation, excepting things like finances - if the search committee recommended that the best coach for our list has stated that he won't do it for less than $3m/season, the board would probably reject it.
 
Nick Lions said:
On one of your points. You pointed out the that the board should run all aspects of the club. Including football. I agree, but would like to add that one thing the board should be most worried about is running a successful business. Ie; making money. Something they have failed to do continually. They aren't united, nor are they any good at their jobs. Get them out.
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The board should oversee all aspects of the club, including football. Excluding executive directors (CEO, CFO, etc), they should run very little, if anything.

I agree with your overall thoughts, but disagree on some of the nuance. For most businesses, the business motive is to make money. For our club, that should not be the business motive. Our business motive should be to run an organisation to support a successful AFL club. This includes making money, but not as the primary purpose.

The board don't appear very united, and I suppose that comes from the slapshod way that the AFL pasted the board together a couple of years back. That said, boards should have unity of direction, but I don't believe that boards should always agree... That's usually the sign of a passive board, and successful boards will regularly disagree on some issues.

As to whether our board is good at their jobs. Perhaps not hugely - they don't appear to be doing spectacularly... But which one/s are performing badly? It's not likely that they all are... Wiping the entire board out is usually a last resort. Who goes? Everyone? Sharpless? Lethal? Swann? The Non-Execs? I don't know. I'm not involved, so don't know what needs to be done to increase the functionality of our board. It's a complex issue and can't be dumbed down to "kill them all and let God sort them out".
 

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Leppa sacked

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