rpfc

Well, if he is on the radar let's make sure we talk to him personally and not his management...

Yes. Lyon was obviously approached without his management being aware of it, with a year left on his contract. And the MFC is to blame for going to his management and asking what was happening? If ESP didn't know what was happening, how are we supposed to know? ESP? lol Couldn't resist.

Yes, and how were we to go about this? Talk directly to Lyon the way that Freo did? They did that because their own coach (Harvey) was with ESP - the management agency that Lyon was with. To talk to ESP would be essentially telling Harvey they were looking behind his back. We went to his agent and were told that Ross wished to stay and we are working through contract talks. So how were we to affect the situation? Your black and white statement may be a 'fact' but the truth is always grey. Lyon could have possibly been 'tapped up' (to borrow an English term) by Freo before we were even on the market.

My problem with 'insiders' is that there is little chance for a person to be across enough 'platforms' to be an insider. Am I an insider because I know the details of Cam Bruce's last contract with Melbourne? Hardly. This bloke might have the ear of a Freo board member, or the local Officeworks in Seaford where Lyon faxed through his signature... It doesn't mean he is an insider across any other topic, player, coach, etc.

Yes, it doesn't paint him in the greatest light... One saving grace is a point that Demon17 made in another thread and that is that both Lyon and Harvey had the same management - ESP - for them to handle negotiations with Freo would be an issue to say the least as they would be negotiating the position that another client of theirs is in... Anyway, it doesn't look great. Best thing to do would be for Lyon to have quit the monday after the game and then Freo to have done the deed a week later. But it is still dastardly, behind-the-back stuff...

Excuse me, but we went to his management and asked them the status of Ross. They said - don't bother at this stage "we are negotiating with St Kilda." That tells you two things - Ross told his agent to "continue doing what you're doing" and all the while was talking to people at Fremantle. I struggle to see how we could have affected the situation to our benefit. Harvey was obviously 'gone' for weeks. And well done to Freo - brutal stuff, coldblooded but well done.

The Sound of Silence? I understand, I don't comprehend.

Whatever the the coaching outcome, I hope Todd will be ok with going back to his development role... Because if we get an untried coach I like the idea of having Craig alongside as his 'senior assistant' with IP from Coll, StK (this should be easy enough), and Haw. Still waiting for Malthouse.

I see you are trying to conflate the sponsor search with the coach search. I don't know if they can be mirrored they way you have mirrored them. On the coach front - I would wait to see what MM does unencumbered by coaching responsibilities. On the sponsor front - I would push out the message that EW has come to the party to the tune that they have because they realise that the extra $500k they put in gives us a better chance to succeed and give a better platform for the sponsor. They should be nearing the $2m EW offer. But I wouldn't wait until March. But you shouldn't undervalue your brand because it is for 3 years...

Yes and Mark Harvey was happily humming the "I have a secure job with good pay" song only yesterday morning over his cornflakes... It's an Adele song... It isn't a real song. If you googled that song, you have issues. If you bought that song on iTunes, I stand corrected...

Ummm, this situation says more about the Saints, Ross Lyon, and Freo than us... Freo are getting their big boy pants! Coldblooded and efficient. They talked directly to Lyon. Unbelievable. Lyon has not trusted his own management with this which tells me he didn't want this out in the open and wanted to keep those at the Saints with which he holds in such great regard (pffft) in the dark. And the poor old Saints. You dither and you disrespect and you shouldn't do that. Have an idea of what you want to do and do it. But they should be better off getting a young coach in. They need to rebuild, I am sure they will try to get MM but whether Malthouse wants to rebuild Seaford is a hard sell... As for the Demons - we look impotent but if we get who I want us to wait and get then we are Casanova with a bag of blue pills... But I am concerned that this Burns/Craig notion is gathering legs. It's not a bad option in the slightest, but it isn't Malthouse. We will see...

lol WTF? NFI.

lol WTF? NFI.

Yeah, I am keen to do a poll soon to establish who we see as that core group. And the 'time on ground' stat isn't as readily accessible as one might think...

Hankook got a ridiculouly good deal. I thank Laurie for stepping up but he got his money's worth. Kaspersky paid $1m for what EW is paying $2m for. I would expect a similar deal for the front of the jumper. Hope it comes soon.

The NBA revenue share is around 58% of money going to the players. And it is destroying nearly all clubs as their owners pump up the debt and chase the dream. Thank god we don't have 'owners' as such in the AFL.

I'm 98% sure monoccular was having a lend...

More than welcome to belive that, BB. I don't but it's moot city isn't it? He's gone, and we move on. Knee's probably stuffed though...

Champion of what? Never won anything other than a personal honour. I just don't think the universe believes he deserves it.

Mid October is not late enough to make it impossible to poach assistants.

There is a 'rule' that you cannot trade a plyer you just re-signed - the Chris Heffernan rule. But it is a rule that the player can 'waive.' However, why they would want to go after signing that is not clear, and the club would also be silly to gamble that they could 'force' a player to leave so soon after comitting to said player.

Who knows who is the best assitant out there? If we don't get MM - the answer is simple. Get the most fearsome assistant as head coach and surround him with IP from Collingwood, StKilda, WCE, Hawthorn and/or Geelong. Neeld may be great, or he might be 2011's Dean Bailey.

Yeah, maybe. That would be disappointing. But we are trying to tie up a great coach and while this trade week is important - we can risk it to get that great coach and do what we want in the next trade week.

I am less convined of the subterfuge than BB, though. My mail is that Garry spoke to Neeld yesterday - not sure whether that is a 'formal interview' or whatever but I am concerned that there is the worry that the next post of have quoted has... I couldn't care less if we looked to be dithering and I have no idea wha you are implying with your Wallace reference. I see little harm in waiting, even past trade week to try and get the best - because 'the rest' aren't going anywhere and can wait. Let's pressure Malthouse in October and if that doesn't work move from there.

All clubs 'retire' players before they want to go. We screwed ours up in two ways: we suprised Junior with it late in the year, and (this is my personal view) we didn't reverse the decision when Bruce [censored] off. Sh!t happens.