Worst coach sacking in VFL/AFL history

[Randall Stevens]

At the Cats, I'd say Tom Hafey. He was an excellent coach, but the Geelong Board was full of pig-ignorant infighting morons, all trying to stick their noses in where it wasn't needed for the sake of ego and bombast. All trying to big-note themselves as important people around Geelong. To make matters worse, Hafey took Greg Williams with him to Sydney, who left because the same stupid board refused to give Williams a $5000 pay rise. Greg Williams became one of the best midfielders ever to play the game. In Hafey's place, they appointed ex-player John Devine (a Geelong man), who just brought mediocrity back to the club.

Many years ago I heard Hafey speak at a function (he was fantastic), and afterwards had the chance to talk to him.

While he still spoke very fondly of his time at Richmond and Collingwood, he had nothing good to say about the administrations he had to work with at Geelong or Sydney.

 

[BigVic]

Brett Ratten

Brett Ratten

Age

53

Ht

184cm

Wt

88kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

22.4

5star

K

12.1

4star

HB

10.3

5star

M

2.9

3star

T

3.0

5star

No current season stats available

D

26.4

5star

K

13.8

5star

HB

12.6

5star

M

3.4

4star

T

1.6

4star

in 2012. Took Carlton to their first finals win in 10 years the previous year and came within 3 points of a Prelim against the previous year's wooden spooners.

 

[uranium_death]

Anyone replacing Jeans waa going to fall short. Despite how much success Joyce had.

True to an extent, but given that Jeans resigned and wasn't sacked, the players had no reason to resent the next coach.
Joyce had a very caustic style. As a communicator, I thought he was terrible in, "Year of the Dogs". He had nothing constructive to say, and just stated frustration and questioned efforts. He gave nothing positive.

As I said, few look back on Alan Joyce with any fondness. He was lucky he had the list he had at Hawthorn - like SCott at Geelong in 2011.

Compare that to Wallace in the, 'spew up' game against Collingwood, and although everything went to hell, he still gave his players a goal for the second quarter. Very achievable, all done to increase belief.
After the game, even after chewing them out he still made sure to remind them of their positive abilities and that the standard set in the last 3 quarters was the expectation moving forward.

Harsh, but very fair.

All these things can be cropped to purposely show a crafted image I know, but I still think it's indicative of ones style.

 

[blues4flag]

Definitely Ratten. Don't think he'd have led us to a premiership with that list, but we were cruelled by injury in 2012. Made even worse by his replacement in Malthouse.

Teague was justified. Stark contrast between him and Voss when under adversity. Teague was breaking under the pressure, Voss held firm with a consistent message.

 

[rapidfire7]

Damien Drum finding out he'd been sacked when he was door stopped by Hutchy

Yes that was horrific. Fremantle seem to often sack coaches in a poor manner. Harvey's was even worse. Even how they sacked Ross in the end was very disrespectful. None of this has helped their culture. Should always treat those who have served your club with the respect they deserve.

 

[rapidfire7]

Voss being sacked by the Lions just as he was turning it around because the board were desperate to try and get Paul Roos at the time and he's said on TV "I won't speak to any club that currently has a coach", within the next couple of years the whole board would be gone themselves, Leigh Matthews joined the board not long after.

Yeah, I remember at the time that the sacking came literally out of nowhere (or so it felt). I think they had just won a few games and looked to be turning it around as you say. Then they were left with egg on their face and approached poor Leppa.

 

[CarterS]

Yeah, I remember at the time that the sacking came literally out of nowhere (or so it felt). I think they had just won a few games and looked to be turning it around as you say. Then they were left with egg on their face and approached poor Leppa.

To treat anyone like that would be disgraceful let alone the man who captained us to 3 premierships.

 

[OxfordCambridge]

Stan Alves.

Got the perennial losers - the Saints to a Grand Final and got sacked!

Copped a red-hot Crows and Blight coaching out of his skin. Very, very hard done man, and seemed a lovely guy.

 

[JackFlash]

I still don't understand the Rod Olsson sacking at Geelong!

 

[BigFrizz36]

Ok, so tell me why the sackings of Tim Watson, Malcolm Blight, Scott Watters and Alan Richardson were bad - apart from the concession that they should have happened a lot earlier.

Ratten's sacking was only bad because his contract had just been extended - that was the error, the sacking was the necessary correction.

So you are actually saying that the Saints board have been continually incompetent in making the appointments? That's even more diabolical than a board handling a sacking incorrectly.

 

[Shane Heard]

The sacking of Norm Smith at MFC will be forever known as the biggest dumbfounding news story in the history of the game. I doubt any other incidents can beat it.

Barassi’s “ defection” to Carlton…Wayne and Stevo’s hot missus bbq Rendezvous ..Bob Pratt getting hit by a brick truck …or Coleman’s suspension in 51’ on the eve of finals and copping a 4 week holiday.

If you know the story of Norm Smith at MFC as coach then you’d understand how incredibly ridiculous it was of the Demon board to crack the shits and sack their supreme overlord coach who had just led Melbourne through the greatest era of success a club has ever produced.

 

[Shane Heard]

I still don't understand the Rod Olsson sacking at Geelong!

Poor old Rod.

A victim of circumstances unfortunately.

 

[Shane Heard]

Ratts at Carlton was tough. He probably was never taking us to the promised land but was a genuine Carlton man who always gave his all.

Replaced by malthouse who only took the job on to spite the pies and then couldn't start pre season on time because he was doing a book sale promotion tour. That was a fairly good indication of his level of commitment to the job.

It was another example of being seduced by an interim coach. Has happened a few times where half decent coaches get a bit of a look for a couple of months., do nothing wrong and get handed the keys full time despite them not being up to it. We did it with Ratts and Teague. Kangas did it with Shaw. Tigers might be about to do it with McQualter.

Yeah but that’s just a another sordid part of Carlton’s pathetic coaching history ( apart from Parkin) that’s quite frankly..extremely boring.

 

[BigFrizz36]

Yeah but that’s just a another sordid part of Carlton’s pathetic coaching history ( apart from Parkin) that’s quite frankly..extremely boring.

Not sure that the Bombers post Sheedy reads much better. Correct me if I'm wrong but it reads Knights, Hird, Bomber, Hird, Worsfold, Rutten, Scott. That's a fairly sordid list for not 1 finals win between them. At least Ratten and Malthouse coached finals wins at Carlton.

We have been far from perfect in that sphere but I'm pretty sure that the Bombers would only be calling the kettle black inn their criticism.

 

[Shane Heard]

Not sure that the Bombers post Sheedy reads much better. Correct me if I'm wrong but it reads Knights, Hird, Bomber, Hird, Worsfold, Rutten, Scott. That's a fairly sordid list for not 1 finals win between them. At least Ratten and Malthouse coached finals wins at Carlton.

We have been far from perfect in that sphere but I'm pretty sure that the Bombers would only be calling the kettle black inn their criticism.

Carlton supporters. Always forgetting the infamous, disgraceful 20 year era of Elliot that nearly bankrupted your club.

Always the 4th biggest club and constantly and desperately crying out for validation by bagging the other three super powers above you.

I feel
Sorry for you pet.

 

[Occidental]

Norm Smith as coach of Melbourne
54 Runners Up
55 Premiers
56 Premiers
57 Premiers
58 Runners Up
59 Premiers
60 Premiers
61 Prelim
62 Semi Final
63 Prelim
64 Premiers
65 Reigning Premier, starts the year 8-0, then mini slump to be 9-4 and sacked. A week later the committee reverses the decision, but the damage is done and the slump begins.
The club then failed to make finals for 23 years.

 

[Atomboy]

Stan Alves.

Got the perennial losers - the Saints to a Grand Final and got sacked!

Copped a red-hot Crows and Blight coaching out of his skin. Very, very hard done man, and seemed a lovely guy.

Allegedly pushing Robert Harvey down a set of stairs probably didn’t help….

 

[Shane Heard]

Norm Smith as coach of Melbourne
54 Runners Up
55 Premiers
56 Premiers
57 Premiers
58 Runners Up
59 Premiers
60 Premiers
61 Prelim
62 Semi Final
63 Prelim
64 Premiers
65 Reigning Premier, starts the year 8-0, then mini slump to be 9-4 and sacked. A week later the committee reverses the decision, but the damage is done and the slump begins.
The club then failed to make finals for 23 years.

All because a few stuck-up toffs with sticks up their arses didn’t like the bluntness and single minded genius of Smith’s personality.

Idiots.

 

[Shane Heard]

Allegedly pushing Robert Harvey down a set of stairs probably didn’t help….

Was he on crutches at the time?

 

[JackFlash]

Poor old Rod.

A victim of circumstances unfortunately.

He was a good coach and made the finals two times, i know Geelong got the prodigal son back in Billy Goggin, but i was surprised Olsson was never picked up by anybody else?

 

[GoldbergsGold]

Definitely Ratten. Don't think he'd have led us to a premiership with that list, but we were cruelled by injury in 2012. Made even worse by his replacement in Malthouse.

Teague was justified. Stark contrast between him and Voss when under adversity. Teague was breaking under the pressure, Voss held firm with a consistent message.

I thought Malthouse was stiff at both Collingwood and Carlton, Carlton's list was inexperienced and he was only given 1 season and a few matches of chances, after his finals appearance with Carlton. Whereas Ratten had no history of success, went on to St Kilda to be just as forgettable.

 

[Percel]

Was he on crutches at the time?

Was also in a wheelchair suffering from Covid

 

[BigFrizz36]

Carlton supporters. Always forgetting the infamous, disgraceful 20 year era of Elliot that nearly bankrupted your club.

Always the 4th biggest club and constantly and desperately crying out for validation by bagging the other three super powers above you.

I feel
Sorry for you pet.

Yep. You got us pet. You and your 75,000 ish other Essendon members are the envy of our 100,000+ members. We are so hoping that we can be in the discussion to join you club as a superpower.

Our plan is to shed 25,000 members, inject all our players off site and destroy all records and then to ensure that we don't win a final for the next 20 years or so in an attempt to emulate your superpower of a club.

 

[Greasyrhys]

We all know who the worst coach non-sacking belongs too, hint I support said club…

 

[Rod Stroker]

Definitely Malthouse at Collingwood.

Also while not technically a sacking North apparently lowballing Pagan to the point he walked away was pretty poor. 2 flags in 3 years and 7 straight prelims, should have paid him what he wanted but I guess we were pretty strapped at the time. He's on record as saying he would have preferred to stay.

He's also on record as saying he went to Carlton for less money. Which I'd find hard to believe, although he did say he was a Carlton fan as a kid so he may have gone for sentimental reasons