Who's our Coach for 2014?

[Dylan12]

In light of Alan Richardson's appointment at St Kilda, can someone enlighten me as to why he pulled out of the race to coach the Lions. All I could find was this from September 19:

PORT Adelaide assistant coach Alan Richardson yesterday withdrew from tomorrow's scheduled formal interview with the Brisbane Lions for their vacant senior coaching position. Despite having a long-held ambition to coach his own club in the AFL, Richardson informed the Lions yesterday that he has had a change of heart and will remain Port's coaching director.

Obviously Richardson would never have known that the Saints would sack their coach six weeks or so later, but apart from being offered a crap load of money, it makes you wonder why he turned his back on the opportunity to be interviewed for the job.

If it had of been the Lions to not interview him, perhaps due to knowing that we couldn't have afforded to pay Port out as the Saints had to, I'd have understood, but I'm just curious what I'm missing here.

I don't know, but perhaps like Billy Longer, he thought there was more upside down at Seafood.

 

[luthor]

On a different note:

It's pleasing to see that (at last) Paul Roos is now being tipped by < 50% of us as our coach for 2014

Whilst the Survey says that whopping 13.4% of the public have been finally convinced that Leppa has actually got the job, he's curiously just ahead of "Other" who is still gamely fighting on with just over 10% of the primary vote.

Seems that Leppa will still be be heavily reliant on preferences from the minor candidates to secure a working majority.

Please won't somebody think of the children and maybe consider a Thread Title renovation?

 

[PattyKwasagun]

In light of Alan Richardson's appointment at St Kilda, can someone enlighten me as to why he pulled out of the race to coach the Lions.

The understanding I've come to is that he didn't want to throw his hat in the ring for a bunch of interviews with us when he was just a candidate, as he's been burnt quite a few times before in those processes and felt quite settled at Alberton I imagine. The difference between our approach and St Kilda's approach was that they didn't say they wanted to interview him, they head-hunted him - he was the one they wanted and they made that very clear to him. There was no process to go through, no other candidates to beat out, no risk of it not working out - it was a guaranteed job on the table. I think that was the difference.

 

[Haso]

Happy to see what Leppa can do with the team now. I think I can say that at this stage I'm past the manner in which Voss was sacked, I'm past the seeming procession of potential senior coaches that waned in their interest (Simpson, Richardson, etc), and I'm ready to see what Leaping Leppa can do to help our culture, revitalise our backline, develop our mids, and get the most out of our forward line for now.