Is Terry Wallace lucky to have a job?

[Yoyo]

With the coaches that have either quit (possibly nudged) or been axed... is Terry Wallace lucky to still have a job?

I know that there were "long-term" plans for Richmond, but I thought that you were still suppose to head upwards? I know that a premiership wouldn't be on the cards, but two and a half wins?

[TalkingFootball]

No ... Richmond where stupid signing him up on a 5 year deal.

[Feeble]

He saved himself at the start of the year by saying 2009 is the time, I reckon had he not have said that the media would have been all over him and so would the fans.

[Yoyo]

I'll try that with my boss... "in 2009, I will be productive, but this year - 2007, I will be so bad you'll wish you hadn't hired me. Next year I can't really promise anything either. In fact some days you'll think I haven't even shown up."

[Bird of Prey]

Originally Posted by TalkingFootball

No ... Richmond where stupid signing him up on a 5 year deal.

Exactly right. And if he still didn't have two years left, he would've been the first coach gone.

[The Optimist]

Richmond has underperformed this year of that there is no doubt. Even Terry Wallace has admitted that. Our list has improved in quality since the time that Terry took over the job at Richmond and there has been some de-listings of some (half reasonable Kellaway/Gaspar) senior key position players to allow game time for the younger (good potential Thursfield/McGuane) youngsters both of these guys have played 12/15 games each due to the above. This has also provided some holes down back for the tigers. This year the tigers expected/needed to achieve some good quality performances from its core group of senior players and unfortunately could not afford to have both Troy Simmonds and Nathan Brown only manage a handful of games as well as the other senior players have ordinary seasons (excluding Matthew Richardson).

Terry will be reliant on the kids coming on faster than he thought that would be necessary due to the senior group being of inferior quality (excluding Matthew Richardson, Troy Simmonds and Nathan Brown).

Terry Wallace will go to the draft table this year and look for probably 2 senior players with experience and reasonable quality to lift us for next season as he will commence being accountable for the perfomance.

The list is improving year on year, but it is at the young level that we are improving and not with the senior players. In fact, we have dropped off at the senior level and this has caused only 2.5 wins to date.

The cattle that Terry is working with at the top end of our list is the problem and not Terry Wallace!

5 years was a great term of appointment for a coach and Melbourne and Essendon should follow this lead.

Melbourne, if they are fair dinkum will cull their senior players as they too have performed far worse because they were expecting to finish top 4 and even a tilt at the premiership (talk about disappointing) and Essendon must invest in kids and more kids.

Both of these clubs will require more than 5 years before they are in contention for a premiership and with the problems that they will both encounter with losing senior quality (or what should be quality players in Melbourne case) would do very well to copy the tigers lead and give their coach 5 years to get their respective lists in order.

Terry Wallace is a great game day coach and he, Greg Miller and Francis Jackson are putting together a good crop of younger players that will be the pride of the tiger army for years to come. It will now just take time for them to mature. Hold on to your hats tiger fans your turn is coming!

[TalkingFootball]

Originally Posted by The Optimist

5 years was a great term of appointment for a coach and Melbourne and Essendon should follow this lead.

Melbourne, if they are fair dinkum will cull their senior players as they too have performed far worse because they were expecting to finish top 4 and even a tilt at the premiership (talk about disappointing) and Essendon must invest in kids and more kids.

As a Melbourne supporter I actually hope we dont follow the "Richmond Model" instead we follow the "Hawthorn Model".

So in essence we offer a Coach 3 years, seek multiple first round draft picks in his first year and look to renew his contract earlier if the team shows improvement.

IMHO the problem with your model is ..

1/ Next year Wallace and the Tigers are going to be under enormous pressure from focused media speculation. However, unlike this year you will have no other clubs to deflect the spot light.

2/ Your list is still too immature and lacks genuine depth ... time may be against him. I think you have problems developing a clear drafting strategy to save Wallace that does not undermine your long-term goals. Sadly for Wallace he may end up as a "lame duck" coach in 2008.

3/ Wallace and the Tigers have managed to handle "supporter expectation" beautifully. However, patience is not a virtue most Tigers supporters have ... especially if you had a past legend of the club (ie Sheedy) without a coaching job in 2008. There in lies the dilemma ... if Sheedy is available I cant see how he can do anything but undermine Wallace. Mate you are going to eat your own ... .

[Tippaz]

Is he lucky to have a job? NO.

Is he lucky to have a 5-year contract? YES.

[Yoyo]

Ok - the consensus is that he is not really lucky to have his job, but that he is lucky to have a 5 year contract.

So is the feeling then that it is only Richmond's contractual obligation that is saving his skin? If he was at the end of a 3 year would he be gone?

In which case, in the end, they really mean the same thing.

However, I can't find any conclusive evidence to suggest that the Tigers are heading upwards. I don't see any inspired draft picks and I haven't seen any inspired coaching.

Even this year, the Bombers have probably gotten some wins that they shouldn't have and some of those I would attribute directly to Sheeds in-game coaching.

Every coach will have a game plan, but I have always had a respect for coaches that are reactive to the game.

[Richmond_Lover_220]

Originally Posted by TalkingFootball

No ... Richmond where stupid signing him up on a 5 year deal.

I think Richmond were stupid signing him up for 5 years i can not see what has he done during his time signed up i think they need a new coach and some new players do u