Michael Voss - What has he done to Brisbane?

[GVGjr]

I'll be the first to say I didn't rate his work in the media and I was a little surprised that he was given such a free ride into the senior coaching position at the Lions without doing an apprenticeship.

That being said though he did better than I thought last year and after a big trade period started off well this year however, the wheels have falling right off.

Looking at his list I can see some huge problems for him and the Lions. The better players are still the older guys and both Black and Power aren't the same footballers they once were.
Brown is a gun but battles injuries and who knows what will happen with Fev.

There is a bunch of good players like Rich and they have a good ruck combination but despite that I can't see how they can improve over the next couple of years unless Brown and Fev carry them. Their trades just simply haven't worked.

Given they will have some competition up in the Sunshine state I wonder how the supporters will handle it if they have to bottom out over the next two years?
I'm equally intrigued how Voss will handle the side being one of the poorer ones in the competition as well.

Does anyone see some glimmer of hope for them over the next few seasons?

[boydogs]

Re: Michael Voss - What has he done to Brisbane?

He has a tendency to play his players whilst injured, thinking they can tough it out which ultimately makes it longer until they are back at full health. They have a bad year with injury and he hasn't coped well with it at all

I think they can bounce back next year with Brown, Fev, Adcock, Drummond etc. back to full health

[Hotdog60]

Re: Michael Voss - What has he done to Brisbane?

Brisbane may have a worry with the Suns coming in, if they can't perform some supporters will jump ship especially if the Sons are having success.

[Twodogs]

Re: Michael Voss - What has he done to Brisbane?

I cant understand what Brisbane hope to acheive by having a review into the football department conducted by the head coach.

What's he supposed to say? "After speaking to Vossy, Vossy thinks that Vossy did a top job! In fact Vossy told Vossy that Vossy has done so well that Vossy should get a three year contract extension, a 50% pay rise and a pony"


Fer ****s sake!

[Remi Moses]

Re: Michael Voss - What has he done to Brisbane?

I cant understand what Brisbane hope to acheive by having a review into the football department conducted by the head coach.

What's he supposed to say? "After speaking to Vossy, Vossy thinks that Vossy did a top job! In fact Vossy told Vossy that Vossy has done so well that Vossy should get a three year contract extension, a 50% pay rise and a pony"


Fer ****s sake!

Funny. Thought the same thing they've gone the scatter gun approach and have picked up the same quality bar Fevola. Let's face it Fevola is a soap opera in itself

[soupman]

Re: Michael Voss - What has he done to Brisbane?

Honestly I'm disappointed they aren't a Victorian club. I hated the big love in in the media prior to his appointment and how he was going to be coach of the century. I thought he wasn't very impressive and was waiting for the inevitable moment where the likes of Sheahan and any other footy "expert" had to finally admit they were wrong to talk him up so much and that he wasn't much chop with no prior experience. Unfortunately as an interstate club he's escaped this somewhat.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Michael Voss - What has he done to Brisbane?

Tim Watson Mk II.

No good, doesn't have close to the depth of understanding of the game required to take on the likes of Eade, Lyon and Malthouse, or even seasoned former assistants like Clarkson, Scott etc. week in week out.

If the Lions wanted a personality coach for profile and to get some members through the gate, they should have surrounded him with the best tactical, fitness and technical coaches they could afford (and insist that he accept them rather than a bunch of his own hand-picked yes men), to give him some real support.

Will slink back to media and talk it up as an 'expert' commentator.

[Mantis]

Re: Michael Voss - What has he done to Brisbane?

If the Lions wanted a personality coach for profile and to get some members through the gate, they should have surrounded him with the best tactical, fitness and technical coaches they could afford (and insist that he accept them rather than a bunch of his own hand-picked yes men), to give him some real support.

He had Wayne Brittain last year as his right hand man, but the relationship fell apart quickly due Vossy's ego getting in the way.

[Murphy'sLore]

Re: Michael Voss - What has he done to Brisbane?

Why this assumption that a great player will automatically become a great coach? Totally different set of skills, in fact being gifted with a lot of talent could get in the way of understanding what it takes to help the less-talented perform to their best.

[Sockeye Salmon]

Re: Michael Voss - What has he done to Brisbane?

Why this assumption that a great player will automatically become a great coach? Totally different set of skills, in fact being gifted with a lot of talent could get in the way of understanding what it takes to help the less-talented perform to their best.

Essendon will make the same mistake when the sack Knights and appoint Hird.

At least Collingwood have enough sense to give Buckley some work experience first.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Michael Voss - What has he done to Brisbane?

He had Wayne Brittain last year as his right hand man, but the relationship fell apart quickly due Vossy's ego getting in the way.

Yep, I knew this, that's what I meant when I said the board had to insist that he accept their assistant appointments.

I'm sorry I keep using soccer examples, but national teams do this a lot -- Germany being the prime example. They would often get a big-name personality coach to do the media stuff, get the respect of the playing group and the fans, but his FA-appointed assistant would be a gun tactician/technician with very deep coaching credentials. Joachim Low was Klinsmann's assistant at the '06 World Cup, but did such a good job, and wanting to keep the continuity in the team, the FA decided they didn't need a personality coach in 2010 and just apppointed him to the top job. Our new Socceroos coach Oesieck was Franz Beckenbauer's assistant at the '90 World Cup (that they won). Beckenbauer and Klinsmann (and Rudi Voeller at the '02 WC) have next to no coaching experience, and the real hands-on day to day coaching and tactical stuff is done by their support staff (which is why Oesieck -- with strong links to the best sports science university in the world in Cologne, a long list of technical credentials, and lots of youth development experience -- is a good long-term appointment for Australia, not that the celebrity hungry media/fans will see it that way). But I digress.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Michael Voss - What has he done to Brisbane?

Why this assumption that a great player will automatically become a great coach? Totally different set of skills, in fact being gifted with a lot of talent could get in the way of understanding what it takes to help the less-talented perform to their best.

And it's not even just an understanding of people issue -- coaching is so much broader than that these days, especially head coaching. It's really closer to a COO role these days, having to manage staff, oversee budgets, recruitment departments etc., not to mention a whole bunch of long-term list management issues which include things like gamestyle, development, sports science, medical/physio/rehab department.. and that's before even getting into the tactical depth of a sport, needing to have the ability to switch between being detail oriented and managing a range of analysts/assistants, to balancing the minutae of the data with having a big-picture understanding of the history and trends of the game and where it is heading, keeping up with best-practice, and then having the maverick ability to think outside the box and be an industry leader. Then of course there is the media stuff, dealing with fans/press, and the ability to manage your communication up and down the chain of command so that you are equally effective dealing with the board as you are with Sockeye from online forum WOOF (if you so choose). All this before even getting to game day!

Just because you can split a pack doesn't mean that you can do even a fraction of the above competently, and the fact that anyone thinks they can do that without any preparation or support is just ridiculous. For a board to just dump people into that role is unconscionable and setting them up to fail.

[GVGjr]

Re: Michael Voss - What has he done to Brisbane?

Essendon will make the same mistake when the sack Knights and appoint Hird.

At least Collingwood have enough sense to give Buckley some work experience first.

Spot on. I suppose Voss was going to take the assistant job at the Eagles until Lethal decided to step aside earlier than expected.

I don't think he was ready for it and his efforts at the trade table highlights to me that at the very least he needs a senior assistant coach in his team just to keep questioning him.

[Picken Knows]

Re: Michael Voss - What has he done to Brisbane?

Voss and board split over Lions' internal review Caroline Wilson
August 17, 2010


The Age understands that a Brisbane board meeting broke up late yesterday with key elements of the review panel yet-to-be-resolved after Voss and chief executive Michael Bowers recommended an external consultancy firm to oversee the review of the club's football operation following this year's dismal on-field performance.

However, club president Tony Kelly and his board remain determined that an independent football figure also become involved, something Voss is believed to have initially resisted.

Although Kelly and his team did not reject the consultants put forward by Voss and Bowers - the firm is believed to be Brisbane-based - the prevailing view remained that some first-hand football expertise was required to help analyse any perceived deficiencies within the Lions structure should they emerge.

Respected former club chief executives Peter Jackson (Essendon) and Bill Sanders (who also served as president of his club, Adelaide) were two of several names being considered by the Lions to take part in the review process or, at the very least, work with the nominated consultancy firm to provide an independent sounding board.

Several names, including the above, were being discussed at board level yesterday. Kelly and the Lions' directors are expected to recommend a key football figure step in as an independent representative of the board.

Although the club remains firmly behind Voss as its senior coach - he is contracted for one more season and remains secure in the job - the Lions decided some time ago that the football department required some restructuring and potentially a more significant overhaul.

Having lost seasoned football boss Graeme Allan to Greater Western Sydney, the Lions' former high performance manager Daniel Collins was promoted and has been the subject of criticism from some of the club's assistant coaches. Having undergone an assistant-coaching overhaul last season, the Lions are facing another exodus of key football staff this year.

Also under scrutiny is the club's fitness and conditioning team. It was reported earlier this month that head fitness manager Lachlan Penfold could be leaving Brisbane and the view among senior board and administrative figures is that the club required an experienced football mentor to step in to support Voss next season.

In a candid interview with The Age several weeks ago Voss said that while he preferred to remain the key decision-maker at Brisbane on football matters he had no desire to run the football department. The process-driven methods implemented by Voss and Collins, while strongly praised by president Kelly, have not been unanimously embraced by the football staff. They were strongly criticised recently by former assistant Wayne Brittain.

Confusion initially surrounded the review with Kelly initially reported as indicating that Voss would be helping conduct the review, something he later denied. However, uncertainty remains with just two rounds remaining for Voss and his team. The Lions sit 14th on the ladder with just six wins after reaching the second week of the finals last season - Voss's first as an untried coach.

Kelly, who is up for re-election later this year but is considering stepping down for family reasons after five years at the helm and the previous five as deputy chairman, was not available for comment last night. It is understood the external consultancy firm recommended by Voss and his chief executive, who have been working together for some weeks regarding the nature of the review, is likely to be engaged, although the board has asked for further details of its expertise.

The Lions remain confident that Voss, a club hero and three-time premiership captain and Brownlow medallist, will ultimately achieve success as a coach but are looking to surround him with more experience. The view remains that he was handed too much responsibility early in his career. Voss has admitted he has made errors of judgment this season with the football world in general critical of the club's recruiting strategy at the end of 2009 that saw an unusual number of recycled players drafted and traded into the senior list without significant success.

Geelong's controversial and lengthy review at the end of 2006 caused the restructuring of Mark Thompson's football department with a view to allowing him more time to concentrate on coaching.

Experienced football boss and former coach Neil Balme was appointed to shoulder much of that load and serve as a mentor and supporter for Thompson. Hawthorn, the 2008 premier, appointed Chris Fagan as a coaching mentor to Alastair Clarkson.

Bowers told The Age last week that the club would not be publicly discussing its review process. He is expected to continue handling the make-up of the review personnel in the coming days.

[Go_Dogs]

Re: Michael Voss - What has he done to Brisbane?

Essendon will make the same mistake when the sack Knights and appoint Hird.

At least Collingwood have enough sense to give Buckley some work experience first.

Rumor floating Mark Williams could potentially be involved at Essedon with Hird in a set up similar to Collingwood's current arrangement.