by Andrew Gigacz
So, Bailey’s been bumped as Demon coach.
I can see the headlines now:
“BAILS FAILS”
“DEMON EXORCISED”
“HUMILIATING DEFEAT NAILS BAILS”
The call has already gone out on the Twitterverse for the Demons to pursue Malthouse at all costs.
But I’m still focussing on this year. Melbourne are still only a game and half out of the eight. Just think, whoever takes the job as caretaker could in theory be a premiership coach in just 9 weeks.
I might put my hand up for the job myself!
Any other thoughts about the goings on at Demon-land?
About Andrew Gigacz
Well, here we are. The Bulldogs have won a flag. What do I do now?
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No thoughts from me, but here’s some exclusive footage of Dean Bailey following the announcement – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNyDjkPO8l0
When I am woken at some ungodly hour 19,000km from home by the news that the Dees have lost by 30 goals then I am not surprised he was sacked. Expectations runs high at Junction Oval. A loss like that cannot happen with the list they have.
Regardless of his performances as a coach – and I am neither knowledgable enough about the game nor passionate enough about the Dees to comment either way – I have to pay Bailey a healthy degree of respect for the courage and honesty he showed at the post match presser.
I thought at the time that he could see the inevitable arc of the proverbial axe, but he stood there unflinching and totally dignified & went with his head held high and his principles uncompromised. I can only wish he and his family as short a period of darkness as possible, and hope that his career has changed trajectory rather than totally crashed and burned.
Bye, Bye, Bye, Bye, Bye, Bye Bailey Bye Bye.
It sounds very much like Bailey will have company.
All this when Freo is there for the taking…
But then, the performance on Saturday suggested the players didn’t rate themselves.
I feel sorry for Jimmy Stynes.
It is no surprise that Bailey has been sacked mid-season. Melbourne have form. They have sacked their last three coaches. It is always bemusing that dud administrations always need a scape goat for their maladministration. Bailey has failed as a coach because he was not provided with sufficient resources.
Melbourne are a garbage club who will continue to struggle until they improve their administration and can budget for and sustain a level of income of at least $45-50 million per year.
The question I have for the betting types is, given that Melbourne can still make the 8, will their flag odds increase or decrease with Bailey’s dismissal?
Is he actually sacked?
JTH – he’s G.O.R.N
Actually, he’s technically not yet. Press conference at noon. I suppose it’s possible they’ll be announcing an extension of his contract or that Scully has signed up for three more years…
Not only the senior coach is responsible for Saturday’s debacle.
What a reactionary, heat-of-the-moment decision by the administration.
What must really annoy Demon supporters is that the Dees went through all the pain of tanking for early draft picks and winning the wooden spoon and despite picking up some top recruits from these early picks they are losing by record amounts. I know that Scully may have been poached but that leaves Trengrove, Gysberts, Watts, Frawley and Morton from early picks and Tapscott, Jurrah, Pettard, Grimes, Maric and Blease are also well regarded players that were acquired partly because Melbourne was well placed in several drafts.
The Demons should have a better list of players 23 and under than rising clubs like North Melbourne, Essendon and Fremantle who have not been bottom finishers in the last few years. They should have better young players but the evidence is beginning to emerge that they do not.
Maybe Bailey and Schwab are to blame for this but I doubt it. To quote the Coodabeens – Melbourne needs to take a good hard look at themselves. As a supporter of another club, and one who doesn’t particularly sympathise with Melbourne it would be impertanent for me to give them advise but the knee jerk action of sacking the coach and the CEO is a good example of what is wrong with the Dees.
Todd Viney could be a premiership coach on October the 1st.
I really believe that this business with Scully is a major factor in the derailing of morale and focus at this club. How a kid who was a priority draft pick just 18 months prior can be available for poaching by GWS is appalling. The only fair compensaton if Scully does go to the land of the fibro is the No.1 pick at this or next years draft. I’m tipping Mark Neeld for what it’s worth.
Gigs
I’d be prepared to wager that he isn’t. And I’m not usually a betting man.
Skip, it would b interesting to know how much the Scully situation and events around it have played in all the surrounding rumblings about Connolly and Schwab.
I believe the Scully situation has had no affect on the current Melbourne predicament. Media speculation of Melbourne needing an experienced senior AFL coach such as Mick Malthouse, Rodney Eade or Alistair Clarkson is ridiculous. Melbourne should focus on experienced assistant AFL coaches at successful clubs – blokes such as Brendan McCartney, Ken Hinkley, Alan Richardson, Gavin Brown, Mark Neeld and Brenton Sanderson. However, the most important issue for Melbourne is to provide adequate resources and a football department budget of $18-20 million for whoever is the senior coach.
I believe it unlikely that Melbourne is capable of providing the required level of football department funding and therefore should consider foregoing their AFL licence and playing in the VFL competition. This is a win/win situation and maintains their history and tradition.
@Gigs – Bailey’s on Ice
You know the AFL ladder is sponsored by Bailey ladders.
Whatever happened to the ‘kinder but gentler’ Almanac?? 3 Madam Defarge’s with their missives from the Catland guillotine. Stick to the knitting lads, and leave the purring to when you are playing competitive sides.
Stynes as figurehead coach (a la Hird) with a smart, hard man to do the grunt work (Malthouse, Roos, Matthews – whoever they can buy). No player could look Stynes in the eye and not give their all. It couldn’t be any more taxing for the poor bugger than coping with the aftermath of the weekend.
Fair suck of the sav Peter.
If any other club had had a win like that (especially one of those mysteriously muscularly enhanced ones from the land without swallows) there would be headlines and chest beating galore. The Cats are just preparing for the next game. No big hype down at sleepy hollow.
This week is all about Melbourne while the Cats have taken a back seat.
Having been west on a few occasions and noted the excitement generated by local mediums for something as insignificant as a ‘Derby’ it is a bit rich to infer the Cats weren’t playing a competitive team. Melbourne were until they turned up and are still a chance to make the eight. (They will need a percentage boost though)
I will have to remember to peruse some WA waffle next time one of those Indian Ocean teams win by 186 points. They do win by 186 points don’t they.
But then again we probably have the Weagles to thank. The Cats probablly were so upset by losing to a tanking struggler that the next time they got one they flexed the muscles.
PB
Those Cats folk were only pretending to be nice when they couldn’t win.
Now they’ve tasted a few kills over recent years they’ve decided they like the taste. :)
Gigs says:
August 1, 2011 at 12:19 pm
Todd Viney could be a premiership coach on October the 1st.
Gigs: I appreciate that nothing in life, love & footy is truly impossible, but what you have suggested will only happen when I start at full forward for the Cats in the Grand Final.
(And my dreams only have room for one of those seriously hard core improbabilities.)
Gigs
We should all look on the bright side.
If what I hear is true Eddie has re-written the Trade Practices Act and made Restraint of Trade legal in order to keep those hounds at Melbourne away from the bloke he doesnt want as coach.
The working class club abusing a workers rigjht to work where and when he wants.
Pete, this site has always been a Cat lovefest
Crio: and the bad bit about that is, what?
…a bloke once told me that Geelong only exists to prove Tasmanians can swim.
Catters – you have made my year.
The most infuriating thing about the Magpies this year has been poking sticks at them – Eddie, Mick, Figjam, Heath, Nick, punters not players,fitness not footballers, Arizona jungle juice, the lot – and their supercilious arrogant supporters give me the silent, superior treatment. No matter how much I have tried to get a rise out of Phil D etal – no response – they know they are as good as they think they are. The unspoken message is “you’ll get yours in September – upstart – in the unlikely event that you get so far as to meet us”.
One poke and Chappy Phantom lashes out – the unspoken message is “we hope we’re still as good as we used to be”. Every week against the best under real pressure – or spectacular when the mood strikes us against the flakes? Gives the rest of us hope and restores my faith in human nature.
PeterB,
I’d just like to remind you that the GF is scheduled for 1 October, so that all of us who belong to the ABC (anyone…) union, can still hope that there will be one team alive to confound their “you’ll get yours in September…” . While it’s hard to see it at the moment, we can still hope for a fitting denouement.
Amen to that, ALS. I live in hope, just not belief.
Sorry Peter I made a mistake in my response. That is the land without ‘sparrows’.
And that nine goal win in round 6 was really impressive considering the spoon and all the year before.