Dean Bailey reveals stress of sacking

[M_9 2,011]

Link

A short fluff piece. My feeling is that the club handled it poorly, and there was little gained by sacking DB rather than waiting until his contract expired.

But we'll probably never know the whole truth.

[jumbo returns 6,703]

Link

A short fluff piece. My feeling is that the club handled it poorly, and there was little gained by sacking DB rather than waiting until his contract expired.

But we'll probably never know the whole truth.

186 ring a bell? 31 goal loss in the AFL.....31 goals....in the AFL!

He had to go. Typical HUN piece, full of emotive analogies. Rubbish.

[Chook 15,001]

186 ring a bell? 31 goal loss in the AFL.....31 goals....in the AFL!

He had to go. Typical HUN piece, full of emotive analogies. Rubbish.

Agree. Dean Bailey sacked the club by causing his players to play with such a lack of spirit or (to use a phrase from his parlance) competitiveness.

In that interview, he talked about the 'influence' he had on his players. Surely he would realize after a loss like we had that his influence was not as positive as it could have been. I really feel he caused by his total unflappability and lack of emotion, an air of 'whatever, it's just a game.' I read that in Jack Watts' response to a similar question earlier in the year.

While it's an admirable trait to have in daily life, not being extremely disappointed when you lose is a pathway to complacency. If even one of his players felt that way (as Jack Watts admitted he did), then IMO Dean Bailey failed to influence his players in the right way.

Edited November 5, 2011 by Chook

[Yoda 33]

"You can influence the players by how you walk, how you talk, your body language when you walk into meetings and out of meetings."

I think that last line about sums why Dean wasn't the man for the job.

Good bloke. Knowledgeable. Tidy CV. But absolutely no presence.

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

Notwithstanding that Bailey would not have been coaching us in 2012, the Club handled his sacking very poorly.

Particularly when he sacrificed his record for draft picks and blooding youngster.

He deserved better treatment. I am glad he has obtained another role. Good on him.

[The Third Eye 254]

What about the stress he put us under?

[iv'a worn smith 1,979]

The club had to make a statement after such a loss. That statement may not have been palatable for all at the time, but it needed to be made nevertheless. We and DB are now in a better place. Perhaps the Hun should look at what is best for the future for both parties and not dwell on woulda, coulda, shoulda. It's done and dusted. Let's move on.

[Dee1987 277]

How Rinho Richards did the club handle the sacking badly?? The club did both the right thing and what it had to do. You may believe they should have let him coach out the year, but not just the 186 point smashing, numerous smashings meant he had to go! Let him coach out the year would been both a waste of time and negativity. There is no easier way of telling someone you are sacked, you are better off letting them asap. Bailey still got his contract payed out and, he went on a holiday with his family and now has a job with the Crows. The club had to be ruthless with the decision, it was. We are not here to put up with garbage anymore!!!!!

[rpfc 28,070]

What was the club supposed to do when the team loses by 31 goals and the coach has zero chance of getting his contract renewed?

When you make a decision - you re-new or you cut ties.

Having a 'Danny Frawley' situation - with a coach being in charge past is position as coach ending - is worse than having a messy Sunday night board meeting and Monday morning presser.

These things never look good.

And that article was fine, I wouldn't read too much into that in terms of trying to analyse the man.

[timD 994]

I don't understand coroporate behavioiur or decision making processes. 31 goals is 31 goals. You cannot ritually [censored] the players but christ knows they deserved it. So you ritually [censored] one bloke. Immagine week after week the joke we would ahve been made out to be in the media: Melbourne, the only team to tolerate 31-goal losses. Imagine the atmosphere at training with the dead coach walking.

Cauterise the wound.

[Sir Why You Little 36,735]

As I don't know all the reasons for how 186 happened, who does. The club made the correct call. I feel a lot of empathy for Dean but the job could go no further. A 31 goal loss is what it is.

[Whispering_Jack 29,324]

It wasn't so much the sacking but rather, they way in which it was done that was problematic.

Bailey should have been told to his face that the club had no confidence in his ability to continue as coach. It should have been relayed to him personally and there should have been scope for discussion on the proper way to handle the announcement. I got the impression that the situation was almost forced by the presence and pressure of the baying media. Whatever the case, it didn't look good that Bailey wasn't told by someone face to face.

Other than that, he would have been a lame duck coach had he carried on after 186, a position that was untenable for all concerned.

[Redleg 40,357]

It wasn't so much the sacking but rather, they way in which it was done that was problematic.

Bailey should have been told to his face that the club had no confidence in his ability to continue as coach. It should have been relayed to him personally and there should have been scope for discussion on the proper way to handle the announcement. I got the impression that the situation was almost forced by the presence and pressure of the baying media. Whatever the case, it didn't look good that Bailey wasn't told by someone face to face.

Other than that, he would have been a lame duck coach had he carried on after 186, a position that was untenable for all concerned.

Agree. Not discussing it face to face was weak by the club.

[Sir Why You Little 36,735]

Agree. Not discussing it face to face was weak by the club.

Was that only because jimmy was recovering at the time? It was he who told Dean.

[RalphiusMaximus 6,012]

Honestly, I don't have a problem with the handling. DB had to know he was in trouble after that loss, and the club had to be seen to be doing something. It was the obvious move to show the world that we wouldn't be accepting that kind of performance. I thought at the time that DB should have left at 3/4 time and taped a note to the changeroom door saying "gone to look for a new job" because it was blindingly obvious that he wouldn't be coaching the next game.

[1858 285]

The Bailey sacking was clinical and swift and perhaps he should have been told face to face but I think on the flipside it wasn't turned into a circus like some other sackings have been in the past. I think of images of coaches being called into the club monday morning for a "meeting" with a media frenzy as the get there and then coming out afterwards without a job and it isn't a good look.

Yes Bailey fronted the media after his sacking but I think a bit of the sting had gone out of it by then and the process was not as humiliating or drawn out as it could have been (on camera at least).

[Redleg 40,357]

Was that only because jimmy was recovering at the time? It was he who told Dean.

Jimmy could have phoned him after, but Vice President, CEO or Footy Manager should have gone and told him in person. Should have said his contract would not be renewed and given him the opportunity to stand aside, be paid out and let him and us begin to prepare for the future. There was probably no point in him going on, as others have said, he would have been a dead man walking and that would involve a total loss of respect from the football public and probably an insipid attitude from the players, much like his last game as coach.

[Jesse Christ 2,884]

What about the stress he put us under?

Where is that "dislike" button?

[praha 11,217]

I don't think any amount of poor handling on the club's behalf could blanket the fact he coached the second worst loss in league history, and easily the most embarrassing lost the football club has ever endured.

He was a horrible coach. Putting a team of school boy all-stars doesn't mean anything if you don't have a gameplan. Bailey is a great assistant coach. Nothing more.

[jumbo returns 6,703]

Jimmy could have phoned him after, but Vice President, CEO or Footy Manager should have gone and told him in person. Should have said his contract would not be renewed and given him the opportunity to stand aside, be paid out and let him and us begin to prepare for the future. There was probably no point in him going on, as others have said, he would have been a dead man walking and that would involve a total loss of respect from the football public and probably an insipid attitude from the players, much like his last game as coach.

I suppose one of the casualties through all this will always be the truth - how do you know that he wasn't given 'the tap' earlier?

Sackings are not great things - personal or professional. Never easy to handle.

Dean is healing by chatting to the media, but now it's time for all parties to move on.

[Mazer Rackham 14,971]

there was little gained by sacking DB rather than waiting until his contract expired.

There was something to be gained: a jump start on getting Neeld.

[Sir Why You Little 36,735]

There was something to be gained: a jump start on getting Neeld.

Correct.

[Jesse Christ 2,884]

Yes, Neeld the messiah. How many AFL games has he coached again?

[rpfc 28,070]

Yes, Neeld the messiah. How many AFL games has he coached again?

I think he coached a NAB game last year.

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

Agree. Not discussing it face to face was weak by the club.

Indeed

Jimmy could have phoned him after, but Vice President, CEO or Footy Manager should have gone and told him in person. Should have said his contract would not be renewed and given him the opportunity to stand aside, be paid out and let him and us begin to prepare for the future. There was probably no point in him going on, as others have said, he would have been a dead man walking and that would involve a total loss of respect from the football public and probably an insipid attitude from the players, much like his last game as coach.

Good summary.

I don't think any amount of poor handling on the club's behalf could blanket the fact he coached the second worst loss in league history, and easily the most embarrassing lost the football club has ever endured.

He was a horrible coach. Putting a team of school boy all-stars doesn't mean anything if you don't have a gameplan. Bailey is a great assistant coach. Nothing more.

Your regard for him as a Coach does mitigate the need to do things properly especially when the behaviour of Board members in the lead up to the game help disstabilise the side. Bailey had to go either post 186 or at season's end. He deserved better than a phone call.