Hurrah for FREO

[The O 39]

Freo may look Bad or Good depends on whether you are of the opinion it was unproffesional or a means to ends person, but to me the person who has damaged their reputation the most would be Ross Lyon. Even his management sacked him as a client within the first few hours of this occuring. A statement to that affect was read on the Footy Show last night. For a man who was touted with being a man of Integrity he will have lost a lot of trust from the football community. If $7.5m is what it cost for his integrity then he may have come out ahead in the end anyway.

I like alot of you hope that our Lyon is as ferocious and single minded about getting the right Coach for our team.

I'm not going to comment on Lyon and the behind closed doors discussions or even whether he is the right person for Freo or Melb. Rather, what is plain to see is how poorly regarded Mark Harvey is by Freo. To be given the chop with one year to go on a contract, at a club with so many injuries (15+) for the better part of the year suggests that they were aware of major flaws in his coaching ability.

I am not surprised at all that Freo decided to get rid of him. I've had numerous discussions with a former assistant coach at Freo who worked with Harvey and said whilst he's certainly got the enthusiasm, the toughness and personality for coaching - there's way too many flaws in his character and his inability to adapt to the modern game. Anyway you look at it, Freo obviously knew something was wrong and decided to do something out of the media/spotlight. Whether Lyon is the man to help them succeed is another matter.

[Dee Fan 3,247]

Lyon exercised an option under his contract to get out. Shame on him. Arranges a great deal with a better premiership window than he has at St Kilda - What was he thinking?

Freo sacks a coach early. A common occurrence in the AFL over the years. It has not harmed other clubs positions.

Guess what AFL footy is tough gig.

Perhaps my ethics are a little different to yours?

No we can forget the "perhaps" part of the above.

Edited September 16, 2011 by RobbieF

[Little Goffy 13,101]

Is Freo's Steve Harris the same Steve Harris we had as CEO some 5 years ago?

Just curious?

[Guest oldman emubitter]

i think, with an outsiders perspective, that all the club seems to be guilty of is ethical business practise.

[rpfc 27,695]

Is Freo's Steve Harris the same Steve Harris we had as CEO some 5 years ago?

Just curious?

Nope.

[Ned 156]

Whatever excuse is made, Lyon was available, Freo got him and Melbourne did not.

I understand that some of you like to always paint Melbourne in the best light, as RPFC you did in your unwavering support of Scully and Bailey, but clearly Freo has done a better job than Melbourne in this instance. It is not even a debate, it is a fact.

Too right. RPFC is clueless and should be reminded of the dross he wrote about Scully repeatedly.

Having said that, I think we might've done ok on the coaching front.

[rpfc 27,695]

Too right. RPFC is clueless and should be reminded of the dross he wrote about Scully repeatedly.

Having said that, I think we might've done ok on the coaching front.

Which 'dross' was that?

Thought the kid didn't lie. Still don't think he did. Think he is a lost [censored] for making such an awful decision.

The end.

And I really don't think we can be blamed for missing out on a coach when his own reps didn't know what he was doing.

[Guest Jack Donaghy]

Interesting that some of the news outlets have us deciding on Neeld over Lyon while Lyon was still available, so not MISSING out on him, rather choosing what we saw as a better alternative.

Lyon might have torn strips off a journo over the use of the word "loyalty", but I wonder what his reply would have been if the journo had've used the word "integrity"?

[1858 274]

They exercised an option that was not available to us.

This is the essence of the debate.

Freo already had a coach and put in almost a clandestine operation to seek out 1 man.

Melbourne (like Adelaide and Western Bulldogs) on the other hand was in a fully transparent situation - it needed a new coach. Not only were we obligated to perform due dilligence on screening multiple candidates but we had a duty to do it ethically. If Melbourne went through improper chanels with 1 or more of those candidates whilst putting on a charade with the other candidates our name as a club would be mud.

Yes, some candidates will be favoured over others in the screening process but the process itself has to be above board when dealing with the industy as a whole. Freo wasn't dealing with the industy, just 1 man behind his managers back.

Had either Adelaide or the Dogs pulled a "Freo" then perhaps there would be an arguement of some sort but they didn't for the same reason Melbourne didn't.

Edited September 17, 2011 by 1858