Ewen McKenzie Resignation

[couldabeen]

Pulver should go as well. He's overseen one of the worst periods of Australian rugby where fans are leaving in droves and rugby is in deep trouble as a fourth tier football code. The powers to be May make a move..

This sort of "next head on the block please" strategy didn't work so well in the last two weeks did it? A little more calm and consideration, options being weighed and then agreement on a plan of action usually works better in a crisis. Not trying to be a know it all - just know from experience that when the shit hits the fan - it is best to slow down, breathe and think. "Stay Calm and Carry On" would not describe our most recent experience.

 

[brokendown]

wonder when this thread will be locked?

poor old umpire dicky bird is still hopping on one leg,unable to get Beale off a Nelson!

 

[couldabeen]

Let me say this to you in simple terms. If you mention once more "I just heard" or "I am just sharing this." Or "my mail is." Or any variation of these, and I 'll have your permanent ban processed in a heartbeat . Are we clear?

Do it.

 

[galumay]

Pulverisor rightly getting stuck into media, again.

Personally the blaming off the media (and to a lesser extent, the public), is just ridiculous. If Link really resigned because he didnt like the media speculation and innuendo then he was in the wrong game anyway.

I think there is not much need for conspiracy theories, as Link said, he had lost the support of part of the playing group, thats what made his position untenable and caused him to resign.

Doesnt matter whether you are in politics, sport or the entertainment business, you need the media to succeed and you rely on them for publicity and coverage, but the price you pay for that is scrutiny of all your public and private actions. Sometimes thats nasty, ill informed, inaccurate and plain incorrect, but its part of the game and you need to be able to let it go and get on with the job at hand.

I believe Link knew that, either there is some truth in the allegations, to the extent that roles were unclear, lack of team manager, interpersonal clashes unresolved over time, poor relationship with some players, and he realised it was time to go or it was even simpler - the other stuff was irrelevant and incorrect, but he simply lost the support of a significant number of players.

The timing of the resignation seems to me to suggest it was simply the loss of support of the players, otherwise why do it right now, days before flying out on tour?

As to a replacement, well I really dont know. Jake is not the right choice IMO, Chieka doesnt seem to want it, there is no one that jumps out as a likely candidate at such short notice.

 

[Chauncey]

I believe Nick Mallett is available.

Loads of experience
Well respected
Coached at international level
And...... most importantly is not tied to any groups in Australian rugby and has been around long enough to NOT take any crap from the self important players.

Taking Larkham or Cheika out of their Super 15 roles only weakens our local set ups. We would be robbing Peter to pay Paul - especially as they prepare their Super sides for 2015.

....worth considering

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Pulver said he would spend the next few days trying to find one and at this stage doesn't know "who could even get on a plane" when the Wallabies depart on Friday for their spring tour of Europe.

Was @Pfitzy's tilt for CEO of the Tahs stalled by "insiders" with knowledge that there was a chance of a bigger prize coming up.

Is the passport current @Pfitzy? #G&GRtakeover.

 

[galumay]

..worth considering

very true.

 

[Lorenzo]

I agree that someone entirely separate from the Aussie scene should get the gig. Give him the tapes from the last 40 tests and the last 3 super seasons and this years NRC and tell him to put a team together. He can play whatever style he wants, but needs to consult with Pulver on non-player hires. Win all tests on tour - get the gig though rwc15. Win RWC15 - get the gig through 2017.

 

[Lorenzo]

The press have been unhelpful to say the least, but Pulver's focus on them is whitenoise to distract from a signal we haven't received yet.

Plenty of pro sports coaches deal with much shittier press much more often - just look at American markets where their NFL teams are much bigger players in the market than the wallabies are here.

Link didn't quit because Grob and Rupert G were mean to him. It may not have helped but there's more to this than that.

 

[GTPIH]

We're all missing the most important issue here - Did the players get their cabcharges after the game?

 

[Ruggo]

Nick Mallet is a bloody good suggestion. He would have good experience in dealing with a shit rotten office setup.

Do not reward Jake White with the job. Sing his praises all you want but don't forget he walked on the Brumbies in a waterworks of crocodile tears half way through his contract. Now he has left the Sharks after only a year. Alarm bells should be ringing over the bloke. Tell him no and Australian rugby has no interest in feeding his over sized ego.

I think the systems are at fault and not the cattle. Link was given a mandate to do this and that but how was he resourced to fulfil the mandate he was given?

I also don't think Pulver needs to be employing media spin doctors. What he needs is professional sports administration advice. Just to get the ship on the right course. The ARU should be badly offering Ross Oakley a short term contract to put the ARU on track to run a professional sporting code in a manner that has worked for other codes in the Australian sporting market. This is the man that took the VFL and turned it into the AFL.

Somebody badly needs to take Rugby away from the niche market mentality.

 

[Quick Hands]

He can recognise these things privately,and can devise action plans to address it,without scaring the horses by admitting things publicly.

Pulver is a rugby nerd who loves being around the star players - he isn't going to take the players on. He wants to be the good cop - therefore he needs the coach to be the bad cop.

 

[Kenny Powers]

In all this the last 24 hours and last two weeks, has Michael Hawker said anything, has he provide any leadership or comment?

Must have missed it, the Chairman goes missing in the biggest crisis, I can't recall either any comments from him on the Financial Crisis in Australian rugby.

Any Press conferences by Michael Hawker?

 

[kiap]

I hate Eddie Jones.. But jesus this presser shows what should have happened in Argentina
Post Match Press Conference v French Barbarians M…:

They don't wanna win they don't care and if they can't get better I'll pick someone else.

It's not funny..

Reminds me of this:

Soff! I am dissapoint.

 

[Biffo]

As someone said on another site: Hooper was caught on camera telling Messam to fuck-off. Then Joubert told Hooper to lead by example. There are a bunch of seriously spoilt-brats in the setup.

can someone please direct me to where i can see an account of that incident?
i was wondering what it was about.
thanks in advance

 

[Ulrich]

I was looking through some old rugby videos and just came across this. A lot of what is discussed here is applicable to Wallaby rugby as well I believe. The just of it is surprisingly relevant to Australia's current position.

Listen to the interview and you may learn a thing or two:

 

[Biffo]

Reminds me of this:

Soff! I am dissapoint.

thanks for posting that.
may i point out how much Japan has improved since that press conference?
a huge amount.

 

[Blue]

It can't be White. It just can't.

He will start from a negative base.

There is already SOOOOO much negativity it has to be someone who does not have to sit in a press conference (and another and another) getting asked inane questions like "why did you backstab the Brumbies blah blah." Can you IMAGINE the first ten pressers with Jake????!!!!!

Give Georgie and her media cronies nothing to start with because at the moment they are like fucking dogs howling at the moon in that non-sensical trance like fashion: howling just because it's there. We don't really know why, but we're fucking howling baby.

I think it will be Cheika but he may not want it. Just hope the ARU are not fluffybunnys and tell him take it now or you never get it. I think he should get your lot AFTER a World Cup. Start new.

So maybe think post world cup it's Cheika and get a total neutral now. Mallet is perfect. Tough guy, smart, and he will not tinker too much with the game plan. For one thing he will put a cracker right up anyone's arese who don't put team first. Requires discipline and handles the media well (as long as he doesn't joke about ticket prices).

I have NO idea if he would even take it but he is the best candidate in my mind right now.

Get him two Aussie assistants just to keep the bleeding hearts quiet.

Larkham etc? No. How anyone can think you need a rookie coach months out from a World Cup is totally beyond me.

Get a grizzly veteran with ZERO history so we can just get the fuck on with the job.

Graham Henry? No way he'd do it. They'd slit his throat in his sleep across the dutch.

Unless there is someone in the NRC at the moment who can make the step up?

 

[Biffo]

E. Jones & S. Johnson are the only 2 names that come to mind.

aren't they, like, high priests of player power?

 

[wamberal]

I wonder who would be brave enough to take the job on.