SMH Article - Re: Eade - May 21, 2002

[ScottH]

Fans split on whether to blame Eade, players or the club - smh.com.au

What Swans supporters were saying on Web sites www.redandwhiteonline.com.au and www.sportsonly.com:

Rodney Eade is the only thing holding this miserable lot of underachievers together. To get rid of him would be a cop-out.

---snip---

2002 will be remembered as the season we finally took the fall we have been threatening to take for the past two or three years.

Wow. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.
I've enjoyed the years of pain since then!!

[AnnieH]

It's time to face facts and get used to a few years of pain. When we get rid of our coach and a few players and stop drafting old men who are past their use-by date, things might be better. Get kids who want to play for the Bloods.

Get Roosey!!

Love it.

[Go Swannies]

The other links are interesting:
Blowtorch aimed at recruiters as Swans bosses turn up heat - smh.com.au


The consensus among other clubs is that, with the possible exception of Hall - a 24-year-old key position player whose best football may be to come - the Swans gave up too much at the draft table in exchange for Ball and Williams, who were both acquired in their late 20s at the cost of first and third-round picks.

[AnnieH]

The other links are interesting:
Blowtorch aimed at recruiters as Swans bosses turn up heat - smh.com.au


The consensus among other clubs is that, with the possible exception of Hall - a 24-year-old key position player whose best football may be to come - the Swans gave up too much at the draft table in exchange for Ball and Williams, who were both acquired in their late 20s at the cost of first and third-round picks.

Oh Fitzy ... come back!!!

I still have a massive crush on Fitzy.

The club has not had a first-round pick since 1998, when it had three choices in the top eight - Nic Fosdike, Ryan Fitzgerald and Jude Bolton.

[dimelb]

Yeah, Paul Williams and Jason Ball - complete lack of foresight to pick such a couple of really useless no-hopers.

[AnnieH]

Classic (from another linked article) ...

How life at the Sydney Swans compares with the script of David Williamson's 1978 play The Club
SWANS - "In the wash-up today, Rodney Eade can't bear sole responsibility for what was an extremely disappointing performance." Richard Colless, Swans chairman.

THE CLUB - "The Club's going through a slump but nobody blames you [the coach]". Ted, Club president.

SWANS - "As a player group we are in full support of Rocket." Stuart Maxfield, Swans vice-captain.

THE CLUB - "We'd just like the Committee to know that we're a hundred percent behind Laurie". Danny, team captain.

SWANS - "I'm not going to comment on the coaching position other than to say ... whatever we do, and whenever we do it, will be dictated by the club rather than the media." Kelvin Templeton, Swans chief executive.

THE CLUB - "The Committee thought it might be better if we tried to thrash this out privately ..." Ted, Club president.

SWANS - "[Eade] is one of many people, me included, who I think have to look at themselves in the mirror, but it is not Rodney specific." Richard Colless.

Swan under siege

[Matty10]

It is interesting looking back, particularly now that the Roos' era is over.

My feelings were split at the time. I was really frustrated with Eade by the end, some of his coaching moves bewildered me - and he had become increasingly negative, but at the same time he was our longest serving coach and we were regular finalists.

If I was at the Swans I probably would not have sacked him. History says that would have been a colossal blunder - not just for the premiership we won in 2005, but also (and particularly) for the way that Roos handled himself throughout his time as coach - what a legend - Here it is! He cemented the bridge between South Melbourne & Sydney for all time with that speech.

I loved Roos as a player, but I was fearful of having an untried coach. The memories of Buckenara's time were still too strong.

[Nico]

Clearly Buckerina took the hint and didn't coach again. At the time of his appointment it was assumed anything out of Hawthorn turned to gold. Could have been worse; Brereton.

[Nico]

Some of us thought Eade made some berwildering moves even before the 1996 Grand Final. But in the GF he left Kickett on the bench until North were well into their run on in the 2nd quarter, when Derek prior to that was tearing them up out of the centre.

The next year he recruited an over the hill ex Bulldog and Lion by the name of Shannon Corocoran and continued to recruit old blokes from there on. We got absolutley flogged by the Dogs in the finals.

Bolton and Fosdike, top 10 picks were rotated back and forth between the ones and Port Melbourne, until Roos arrived, and then they were never dropped again. IIRC Fosdike was BOG in the 2005 GF.

[mcs]

Some of us thought Eade made some berwildering moves even before the 1996 Grand Final. But in the GF he left Kickett on the bench until North were well into their run on in the 2nd quarter, when Derek prior to that was tearing them up out of the centre.

The next year he recruited an over the hill ex Bulldog and Lion by the name of Shannon Corocoran and continued to recruit old blokes from there on. We got absolutley flogged by the Dogs in the finals.

Bolton and Fosdike, top 10 picks were rotated back and forth between the ones and Port Melbourne, until Roos arrived, and then they were never dropped again. IIRC Fosdike was BOG in the 2005 GF.

Certainly agree about Fosdike in the 05 GF- he should have had a Norm Smith medal imo. LRT wasn't far behind either.

I never quite knew what to think during the Eade era- he did wonderfully well in 1996 but as you outlined Nico stuffed it up a bit on GF day. I was never fully convinced about his tactics or recruitment, and I think he has proven at the Dogs that he can make a team play very good football, but maybe struggles to make the team take those couple of final steps to win a flag.

[Primmy]

I used to think Eade was great, until late 2001 and 2002, when there was tension tension tension and I started to query what the hell was going on. Noone was going onto the ground looking happy to be there. Some good players left and had worthwhile careers elsewhere. Some good recruiting was done I do admit, b ut a lot of good players (Kirk) couldn't get a gig; you could feel the stress and it wasn't all that much fun; and then in drops Roos and if nothing else was going to flag it, then the set of the shoulders did. It felt so different, I would not have credited it. And there you go. We are all happy.

Eade still plays favourites, and has his loyal supporters, and that's fine, it works for him, kinda. But I am grateful we had this opportunity.

PS: Shannon corocoran? Who? I mean seriously, who? Is that someone I should know?

[goswannies]

PS: Shannon corocoran? Who? I mean seriously, who? Is that someone I should know?

Shannon played 23 games witrh the Dogs, 5 with Brissy and 2 with the Swans. Football aside, he is one of the nicest and most generous guys around. He also played with Glenelg in the SANFL and now runs a financial advising company in Adelaide.

[Primmy]

Ta GS; I still can't place him, even though you consider him a top bloke, and I have all games we won from 1997! I feel all left out!