Questions mounting at Whitten Oval

[Mantis]

Rodney Eade knows the questions are mounting at Whitten Oval, and most of them so far are unanswerable.

On Saturday night he was asked who might kick the goals in Barry Hall's absence next year, a large enough question in itself.

He couldn't answer because he doesn't know if he will be there, but that is only the first on a list of unknowns.

The Dogs face considerable list management decisions in the coming months, ahead of what shapes as a period of unprecedented change.

Barry Hall will not be at the club next year, and Callan Ward is increasingly likely to depart for Greater Western Sydney.

Ben Hudson, 32 continues to be a warrior for this club but he has been dropped this year at times and is no certainty to play on.

Read on here.

[LostDoggy]

Not a lot to disagree with here

[azabob]

Well summed up by Jon Ralph.

We all know things are going to get worse before they get better, but it reading it all one block like that makes you wonder how hard is it going to be.

Does Eade have the temperament and know how in rebuilding a young list?

Will Eade be able to tap the older blokes on the shoulder and tell them their time is over?

Can Eade cope with the pressures from front office once the members start and perhaps sponsor ship dollar drops away as we are a middle of the road club for a few years?

Having said all that does a younger coach have the all the tools needed to do the above?

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

Well summed up by Jon Ralph.

We all know things are going to get worse before they get better, but it reading it all one block like that makes you wonder how hard is it going to be.

Does Eade have the temperament and know how in rebuilding a young list?

Will Eade be able to tap the older blokes on the shoulder and tell them their time is over?

Can Eade cope with the pressures from front office once the members start and perhaps sponsor ship dollar drops away as we are a middle of the road club for a few years?

Having said all that does a younger coach have the all the tools needed to do the above?

I think Eade has demonstrated his abilities to do this previously when he first took on the job. For me the question is does the Bulldog Coach Review Panel think that Eade has the ability to do it again?

[OLD SCRAGGer]

I STILL think Rocket IS the man for the job!!!!!

I'm REALLY scared If we go for an UNTRIED coach & fail ( like we did with Rhode) our membership numbers will fall. We had 8000 members fail to join this year for what ever reason and we played in the Prelim last year, how many will drop off if we drop furher in 2012.

I still believe injuries have been the major reason for our bad season!!!!

[Desipura]

Are we close to a premiership? Is Rocket the man to do it?
If we are not close, do we save the money that Rocket would command and choose a young coach with reputable Assistants?
Plenty of questions...............

[LostDoggy]

If we are not close, do we save the money that Rocket would command and choose a young coach with reputable Assistants?
Plenty of questions...............

You get what you pay for though. Skimping on the most important job in the club is penny wise pound foolish for mine.

[bornadog]

You get what you pay for though. Skimping on the most important job in the club is penny wise pound foolish for mine.

That was the reason why we chose Rhode.

[Desipura]

You get what you pay for though. Skimping on the most important job in the club is penny wise pound foolish for mine.

Skimping on Assistants is penny wise and foolish as well.
Assistants play a key role more so these days.

[LostDoggy]

ps. I'm not saying that an untried coach will not be better than Eade, but there's a reason untried coach's are paid less than a proven coach -- it's basically a risk discount. Are we the type of club that can take the risk of another debacle like Rohde? Would we survive an untried coach turning out to be shite? Of course he may turn out to be great, but it's a gamble and I'm not sure we're the right kind of club to be trying that kind of gamble.

[Greystache]

ps. I'm not saying that an untried coach will not be better than Eade, but there's a reason untried coach's are paid less than a proven coach -- it's basically a risk discount. Are we the type of club that can take the risk of another debacle like Rohde? Would we survive an untried coach turning out to be shite? Of course he may turn out to be great, but it's a gamble and I'm not sure we're the right kind of club to be trying that kind of gamble.

That's an all together different discussion. The Rhode debacle can't be blamed on anyone but the club itself, he wasn't an unknown gamble, he was already at the club, if we couldnt tell he was inept already then that's our fault. I don't think the club thought he'd be a good coach, it was simply about hiring the cheapest option. Rose was on a mission to cut costs, Rhode just happened to be there, he also realised after 2 years if you can't win a game then it's going to cost the club more than just a higher footy department wage bill.

We're a club that takes the conservative option, always have, and most likely always will. We've had 6 coaches in the past 27 years, only one was an untried coach from outside the club (Malthouse), 2 have been experienced coaches sacked by other clubs (Joyce and Eade), and 3 have been untried coaches promoted internally. Never do we chase a well credentialed outsider who could be the next big name, nor do we headhunt a coach in demand.

Eade's a decent coach, he's got teams into finals pretty regularly, but he's coached 13 seasons for one Grand Final (in his first season) and a finals record of 1 win from 11 games against top four teams. He is certainly not a great coach.

[the banker]

ps. I'm not saying that an untried coach will not be better than Eade, but there's a reason untried coach's are paid less than a proven coach -- it's basically a risk discount. Are we the type of club that can take the risk of another debacle like Rohde? Would we survive an untried coach turning out to be shite? Of course he may turn out to be great, but it's a gamble and I'm not sure we're the right kind of club to be trying that kind of gamble.

Why keep quoting Rhode. We also gave Mick Malthouse his start. Lets not get into a defensive frame of mind. We should be bold. I think Smorgon has the wits to assess the character of the man, are Garlick, Fantasia up to a sharp assessment of coaching credentials or should we have Leigh Matthews on the selection panel if Rocket is not reappointed?

[LostDoggy]

Why keep quoting Rhode. We also gave Mick Malthouse his start. Lets not get into a defensive frame of mind. We should be bold. I think Smorgon has the wits to assess the character of the man, are Garlick, Fantasia up to a sharp assessment of coaching credentials or should we have Leigh Matthews on the selection panel if Rocket is not reappointed?

And how did the Malthouse reign at the Dogs end? Not exactly an unqualified success was it? It's like we have such short memories, and those of us who don't learn from our mistakes are doomed to repeat them. Also, Malthouse happened back in the '80s when it was the VFL and the world (nevermind footy) was a completely different place. It was also in an era that nearly took us to the wall and needed a tin rattling fundraiser that I hope I never see again.

Rohde is the most recent example of what could happen to the Dogs if we take a cheap punt and lose -- we essentially wasted three prime years of one of the best groups of top end players we've ever had (Granty, West, Darcy, Johnno, Smith et al. -- a better coach would have extracted what Lyon has been able to extract from his top 6 at St. Kilda over the last couple of years). Primus is another example, albeit from a different club.

I'm not saying that we shouldn't go for an 'untried' coach (most aspiring first-time coaches have impressive assistant coach CVs, and I mentioned Lyon above), but there is a way to go about this, and being last in line and paying peanuts isn't it. Boldness is one thing, being slow and cheap another thing altogether.

[LostDoggy]

The key question is this: Are we getting rid of Rocket to improve some specific, measurable aspect of the team, or just for the sake of getting rid of him because it's an easy fix.

Much of the debate I've heard so far, even here on WOOF, consists of people mostly trying to convince themselves and anybody who'll listen that he needs to go because we've had a shit year and he's at the end of his contract.

The facts are, he has great experience, proven ability (albeit unfortunately no flags YET) and his record with us over the entire journey is superb. He's taken a club well-known as perennial underdogs and transformed them into a professional force worthy of respect. Twice. Once at Sydney, and now with the Dogs. Perseverance is needed. For once in our history we need to give a bloke the time needed. Mick “The Greatest Coach In The World” Malthouse took 10 years to get the Pies there.

I firmly believe Rocket will win a flag before he retires from senior coaching. The question is, will he win it with the Bulldogs?

[Ghost Dog]

Is it a case of boys mentality here? Can we make the right choices without external assistance? If Leigh Mat is able to be on hand, we would be mad not to ask for his advice.