My take on the process is that the board set out to hire someone to coach during a rebuild. They asked questions such as "what would you do with Travis Johnston" to find the right person who believed in the same plan as they did. Geelong had just won a premiership after a total rebuild, and that is the model that the board wanted to follow. I believe that the board hired Bailey because he fitted in with their idea, not that the idea was his.

I think you are flossing things to suit your argument.

The process did not specifically focus on individual players.

Bailey was announced as MFC coach on 31 August 2007.

http://www.afl.com.a...08&newsId=50195

Clearly the interview process had commenced from when Daniher was sacked at the end of Rd 13.

Clearly there needed to be long term recovery of the side but it was Bailey's presentation and plan that was voted by the Board.

Bailey was there to implement the plan. In addition to that, Bailey took action on TJ and Carroll re culture and jettisoned McLean at first opportunity when his contract was up. He deserves the credit for the staged retirement of a number of senior players who thought they could give more but were not part of the future.

If you want an answer, I would have developed a game plan that actually has a remote chance of working. I would have come up with more than one option for kick outs. I would have taught players to defend from the front half, not the back. I would have got the players much fitter. If all this was done when the list manager and recruiters were doing their jobs, Melbourne would have been in a much better position to challenge the top teams now than they currently are. Instead you seem to congratulate Bailey on doing nothing more than list management, which others are paid to do.

What game plan would have worked successfully with ageing players who could not compete offensively and defensively and when you have kids. Could you come up with a plan to make the players older and more experienced as well as fitter? We were never reaistically going to be seriously challenging in 2011. And given the injury list we had during the season all the best laid plans would have gone to waste. Rpfc is not congratulated but reasonably evaluating the contributions of Bailey.

Kevin Sheedy is doing the exact opposite of what you claim he would have done at GWS. He has targeted players who are young and will bring long term success. He is not chasing short term victories to stroke his ego, he is building a team for the future, exactly what the MFC board wanted.

I do not think Sheedy was the right person for Melbourne, I actually think his coaching record is extremely overrated, but he is a brilliant marketer, and some of the criticism on here is just plain wrong.

Sheedy is doing the exact opposite to what he did in his final 5 -6 years at Essendon. So he does have a track record and it is pertinent to an assessment of what he would bring to MFC if he were to be coach from 2007 onwards. GWS is a completely different situation to MFC. Its not a rebuild. Its a start up with generous early draft picks. Its obvious what needs to be done. Its a blind Freddy situation. Sheedy at MFC would not have had the patience or time to have rebuilt to where we needed to be. His history of swapping picks for stop gaps would have compromised the pool.

But you are right he is a good marketeer. But he should not be so easily discounted as a Coach

Kevin Sheedy is doing in Sydney exactly what he was hired to do, and the AFL would be very happy with his performance. He has the AFL public hanging on his every word, he is making news, and with the manufactured rivalries will get people to the games next year. Allen, Silvagni and Williams will take care of the list and the development, Sheedy will get the headlines.

I think with the list that they are building and the football department funding from the AFL, GWS are a much greater chance of winning a premiership in the next decade than Melbourne.

Possibly but there start to date has been poor. And they have an ordinary and expensive list of AFL seasoned footballers. If anything their window will be later than MFCs

May want to fix that Bailey as coach announcement/appointment date RR.

May want to fix that Bailey as coach announcement/appointment date RR.

Corrected, the years blur after a while.....

Corrected, the years blur after a while.....

I can understand those 3 years being a blur. In particular.

Thomo i have read all the above. You make some fair points, but miss some main ones which was rhe crux of my question to you. An ageing injury restricted group of players who were held onto for too long. A group of light weight kids with almost no games under them. A debt that was growing daily with interest, & we were still based at that shitehole junction. From this you wanted Bailey to have a fit side ready to beat the better teams of the comp. he got them closer to the filth than anybody else in 2010 twice. Getting the side to be consistent was his biggest hurdle i admit. But the junction oval should have beem bombed during the 90's. It was a total disgrace as a training facility.

Kevin Sheedy is doing the exact opposite of what you claim he would have done at GWS. He has targeted players who are young and will bring long term success. He is not chasing short term victories to stroke his ego, he is building a team for the future, exactly what the MFC board wanted.

I do not think Sheedy was the right person for Melbourne, I actually think his coaching record is extremely overrated, but he is a brilliant marketer, and some of the criticism on here is just plain wrong.

Kevin Sheedy is doing in Sydney exactly what he was hired to do, and the AFL would be very happy with his performance. He has the AFL public hanging on his every word, he is making news, and with the manufactured rivalries will get people to the games next year. Allen, Silvagni and Williams will take care of the list and the development, Sheedy will get the headlines.

I think with the list that they are building and the football department funding from the AFL, GWS are a much greater chance of winning a premiership in the next decade than Melbourne.

From what I have heard - Sheedy had nothing to do with Gubby's antics and the list of players they have put together.

From what I have heard - Sheedy had nothing to do with Gubby's antics and the list of players they have put together.

That is exactly why i will be fascinated to see what Kevin actually does as a "senior coach" next year. Seems like he has done bugger all so far!

How long will the AFL put up with this embarrassment of a man?

I agree, but it beggars belief that the AFL even considers this to be a good strategic move .

Stand by for absolute years of embarrassment - low crowds, irrelevancy in the Sydney market and media, just a general 'who cares factor'

What was Andrew thinking (or smoking)

I just find the whole "us and them" routine he's pushing kind of transparent and rediculous. We all know that as soon as his current contract is up as coach he'll be out of there quick smart unless they concoct yet another bogus position to keep him on board (which was probably pre-conceived in the planning stage).