Thought this deserved its own topic. I would have posted it in the assistant coaches thread but I feel it's an isolated issue.

With the signing of Alan Richardson as Senior Assistant, signed up on a three year deal, and Ratten with less on his contract, do you think the club are moving towards making Richardson the new coach when Ratten's contract expires?

Alan was going for the Essendon* job and got knocked back. He seems like he wants to become a senior coach. Considering this context and the recent clean-out in the coaches box, are the club moving down this path?

This is not another sakc Ratts thread by the way. I'm pro Ratts.

Thoughts?

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"GIBBS."

Maybe.
This gives us a chance to assess Richardson and see how he performs. Like Ratten, he's an excellent development coach (better I suspect) but that doesn't neccesarily make him a good match coach.
We'll know better in a few months.

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Looking forward to seeing our potential realised.

Let's just hope that internal politics and alignments don't cloud those assessments.

It will be really interesting to see how Ratten reacts to the appointment, and if he had any input into the decision.

On the surface Richardson is a potentially great addition, however there is also potential for competing interests within the coaching box.

Just another reason to hope the time between now and Rd1 2011 goes quickly!

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Lets be clear about this- this was definately NOT a Ratten endorsed appointment. It came directly from Swann and the board. A bit of a power play going on which isnt necessarily healthy.. Is Ratten a lame duck coach? Methinks Richo has positioned himself perfectly.

question about contract length was asked during interview last night. ie his 3 years vs BR's 1 year left

AR handled it very well.
1) his role is also "strategic"
2) spelt out that he absolutley there to work with and support BR

time will tell. Nontheless, a very smart decision and Brett no doubt will manage it with the appropriate level of emotional intelligence!!!!!!

Happy with the appointment but as I said in another thread, Richardson clearly wants to be a senior coach.

What happens in 12 months (or less) time when a vacancy elsewhere arises. I’m sure the club has gone through it but it just seems we have put a bloke on with greater immediate ambitions than the role we have for him.

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#DonTheStash

"Hey Ratts, so you flicked Monty without consulting me? Fine, meet Alan Richardson, higher profile than Monty and he'll be a "senior" assistant. He's been close to getting senior gigs so, yeah, enjoy."

OK or maybe he is our coach in waiting.

Just hand us the cup now, I reckon

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#DonTheStash

I reckon when Richardson needs to apply for the next vacant Senior coaching position, he won't need to make a phone call. He'll just need to walk down the hallway.

West Coast might beat us to it, but we'd have to have an amazing year in 2011 for Ratts to get another contract (imo). Even winning a final or two might not be enough (remember the Saints getting rid of Thomas after he got them into successive Preliminary finals?)

Not if Ratts can prove himself and get the team firing this year. That is his only hope. He will love this situation.

Ratts was informed who the club was looking at and that a senior assistant coaching position would be the first appointment. What it does is take some of the pressure off Ratts, Riley and Darren Harris. An appointment that is very smart. Had nothing to do with Montgomery and Lappin's contracts not being renewed which was a mutual decision by both parties and a story that's gained way too many legs.

I don't know AR from a bar of soap, but his record suggests that he has built his reputation on being a loyal and hard working deputy.

It also shows that he is more concerned with building and being part of a succesful team.

If he says he's there 100% to support Brett, then it's likely to be true.

He certainly has aspirations of being a senior coach, but if he can't get that he wants a position where he can "make a difference" i.e. have some input into team direction and strategy, you won't get that working for say Woosha or Vossy or Neil Craig, but he might get it with Ratts.

From what I understand Ratts was involved in the interview process and may well have asked for this kind of support himself. We know that at different times this season Ratts called on Walls and Parkin for advice, Richardson may well be good strategic thinker and help Ratts develop planning or Richardson might just say given a certain situation " well we had a very similar problem at the 'pies and we did such and such and it worked or it didn't" .

Not all appointments are part of a conspiracy and not everyone has a hidden agenda.

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I hope Essendon* folds.

But it's a fun story

After he had got them into the 1st week of finals and beaten by the Dees.

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T E A M

Agreed, and don't put it beyond Ratts to say at season's end 'Ok...I think I've done all I can with this group, it's time for someone else to have a crack.' He has a job to walk into after coaching. He loves Carlton, has been there since he was 15. He knows that place and footy better than most. A bad first half start could still see him sacked, but I reckon one thing we'd all agree on is that Nicholls, Hands, Francis, Jesaulenko, Walls, Parkin and Jones can all count themselves lucky that potshot internet assassins weren't present in their day.

For most of those guys, professionalism and the big money that goes with it wasn't present in their day either. I suspect if you asked Jezza whether he'd like to earn $500k to coach with a few fan forums saying nasty things about him, or $50k with only friendly newspapermen to contend with, he'd probably take the former.

Crikey wasn't around once either, but now CEO's cop a bit of internet grief to go along with their 8-figure salaries. I reckon they're fine with that too.

Why would Ratten or Worsfold or any of these guys give a shit about what some anonymous poster said about them?

Maybe that anonymous poster is an influential backroom club powerbroker?

Can anyone confirm whether there was a crisis meeting at the club last night regarding the appointment of Richardson??

Subscription only e-news a little different don't you think? As a subscriber myself, Crikey hasn't been the same since Stephen Mayne handed over the reigns re: CEO criticism.



They don't care about the poster, but they do care that the likes of Damian Barrett, Craig Hutchinson, Greg Denham and Caroline Wilson peruse these boards looking for a 'story'.