What's new
The Front Row Forums

Register a free account today to become a member of the world's largest Rugby League discussion forum! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Is Ivan Cleary the new Brian Smith?

10$ Ferret

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
1,094
Ivan wishes he was the next Brian Smith.
I think he is more the next Flannagan, more a whinger with a dodgy team culture
 

Someguy

First Grade
Messages
6,699
A pretty crushing end to the year for his son. Maybe we should be asking if Nathan is the new Pearce

First Losing the grand final with his poor kicking and decision making against a bumbling and fumbling storm team that was never made to pay for mistakes or having Lee and Vunivalu defending together. Then leading nsw to a loss against the worst QLD team ever

I worry this might be a big enough hit on his confidence that he will shit the bed again if he plays in some big games this season or beyond
 
Last edited:

The_Frog

First Grade
Messages
6,390
I worry this might be a big enough hit on his confidence that he will shit the bed again if he plays in some big games this season or beyond
I think what you are trying to say is you hope that happens. Trouble is, he's made of much sterner stuff.
 

peter file

Juniors
Messages
230
Ivan can only dream of making it to Brian Smith level by having players on his team who would steal his car and crash it.
 

Reflector

Juniors
Messages
2,264
He ain’t no Brian smith

Smithy may have his critics as to the way he communicated but as a tactician he was brilliant. His skills into communicating his ideas and how to well may be they were a bit to deal with for a rugby league player.
He got those dragons sides to a few GF where they had no right to be.
Tallis always says although he has a dislike for him he rated him the best coach he has had. His only other coach was Bennet.


I suspect Smith is on the autism spectrum to some degree. It would explain his problems with player relations and also his lack of eye contact during interviews. But he was definitely one of the most resourceful coaches the game has seen:

As you mention, he took Dragons sides with no right to be there, to consecutive GF's

While they were a mentally fragile side when it counted, he took a Parramatta squad with no stand-out players to the Minor Premiership at a canter in 2001

Despite being crucified in the media, he turned a struggling Knights team into a solid squad. While not having the playing roster or the skill of sides like Manly and Melbourne, they were a tough and well-organised team who might've gone all the way to the GF in 2009 if Smith hadn't been signed by Easts and left with a month to go of the regular season.

He then took the Roosters from spooners to a GF in the space of 12 months and (arguably) laid the platform for Robbo
 

ChocOConnor

Juniors
Messages
441
For those who think Robbo is a great coach. He was a student of smith at both his stints at Newcastle and I think roosters. He has a lot of smith in him but a better man manager.

I have spoken to robbo when he first took over the roosters and he has nothing but respect and glowing praise for smithy. I absolutely loved him at the dragons
 

Todd Hoffman

Juniors
Messages
478
Ivan panicked before the PF and got away with it with May, who played quite well, even though he is not a centre at this level. But the Storm targeted him in the big one. Naden might have been targeted as well, but he has attacking abilities while May is more the ball player. It is a fair point that Ivan showed his weakness by doing this in the PF. You've got to have these things worked out by the end of the regular season. Trouble with not facing a strong opponent for so long.

Not facing a strong opponent before finals didn't help.
The thing is he went away with what worked for the majority of the year.
By playing May in the centres you lost his impact off the bench. Which, had been quite handy around the middle of the game.
 

davi

Juniors
Messages
1,932
What you forgot to mention about Ivan is he had to clean up messes left behind by master coaches Bluey McClennan, Matt Elliott and Jason “Kung Fool” Taylor

Ummmmmm yeah what you forget to mention that Ivan Cleary has left the Tigers in a salary cap mess after he left with his signings of Russell Packer, Ben Matulino, Josh Reynolds and Moses Mbye. I'm not sure where the 'cleaning up' that Cleary did after he took over from Jason Taylor at the Tigers your referring too.
 

Smug Panther

First Grade
Messages
7,004
Ummmmmm yeah what you forget to mention that Ivan Cleary has left the Tigers in a salary cap mess after he left with his signings of Russell Packer, Ben Matulino, Josh Reynolds and Moses Mbye. I'm not sure where the 'cleaning up' that Cleary did after he took over from Jason Taylor at the Tigers your referring too.
Most of that blame rests with the incompetent Tigpies CEO
 

davi

Juniors
Messages
1,932
Ivan wishes he was the next Brian Smith.
I think he is more the next Flannagan, more a whinger with a dodgy team culture

Shane Flanagan did win a comp though unlike Brian Smith. He will eventually get a head coaching job somewhere when he serves out his suspension. It would have been the Dragons, but the Dragons really couldn't afford to wait any longer with Paul Macgregor floundering and the whole situation in limbo.
 

davi

Juniors
Messages
1,932
Most of that blame rests with the incompetent Tigpies CEO

Yeah nice try, you are grasping at straws. Show me where's your evidence is for that assertion. It been well documented Ivan Cleary was responsible for those signings.

Wests Tigers chief executive Justin Pascoe has revealed he has still not spoken to Ivan Cleary since he "disrespected" the club by walking out to coach his son at Penrith.

It has been more than 18 months since Cleary departed the Tigers for the Panthers, but there is still plenty of emotion existing between the western Sydney clubs as they plan to lock horns again on Saturday night.

There was no shortage of bad blood between the two sides when they last met in round eight, which included a triumphant Cleary blowing a kiss to a Tigers fan after full-time.

Cleary's big-money signings of Josh Reynolds, Moses Mbye and Russell Packer continue to impact on the Tigers' ability to spend up on the open market for 2021, but the way the coach departed so swiftly remains a sore point for the Tigers chief.


'Disrespectful': Tigers boss has not kissed and made up with Cleary (smh.com.au)
 

MugaB

Coach
Messages
11,807
Yeah nice try, you are grasping at straws. Show me where's your evidence is for that assertion. It been well documented Ivan Cleary was responsible for those signings.

Wests Tigers chief executive Justin Pascoe has revealed he has still not spoken to Ivan Cleary since he "disrespected" the club by walking out to coach his son at Penrith.

It has been more than 18 months since Cleary departed the Tigers for the Panthers, but there is still plenty of emotion existing between the western Sydney clubs as they plan to lock horns again on Saturday night.

There was no shortage of bad blood between the two sides when they last met in round eight, which included a triumphant Cleary blowing a kiss to a Tigers fan after full-time.

Cleary's big-money signings of Josh Reynolds, Moses Mbye and Russell Packer continue to impact on the Tigers' ability to spend up on the open market for 2021, but the way the coach departed so swiftly remains a sore point for the Tigers chief.


'Disrespectful': Tigers boss has not kissed and made up with Cleary (smh.com.au)
Yep, incompetence is either letting this happen, or signing off on it, either way pascoe is an imbecile

Plus coming from a broncos fans, im sure you can relate regarding incompetence at boardroom level after the wooden spoon your club were left with, of which the broncos loving fans most definitely didn't deserve,
So as far as flinging blame on Ivan, im sure leaving complete blame for all the tigpies issues over the past decade of mediocrity, should maybe be a bit more focused on how their business at board level has been handled, even des hasler got a ton of blame over his buys before getting the ugly old ass. But in hindsight ralene and the rest of that board did the club no favors, just have look at dean pay who they begged to help them, and hill just last week getting turffed too.
Those clubs and the boards who love to buy long contracts and "marquee" players
 
Last edited:

davi

Juniors
Messages
1,932
Yep, incompetence is either letting this happen, or signing off on it, either way pascoe is an imbecile

That's ridiculous. If the CEO wasn't allowing Ivan Cleary to choose the players he wanted to sign then Cleary wouldn't have taken the job. And would have been accused of meddling. You can't run away from Cleary's bad decisions by suggesting Pascoe 'letting this happen'.

By your rationale no coach in the NRL has to take any responsibility for the players he chooses to sign because the CEO allowed it to happen.
 

MugaB

Coach
Messages
11,807
That's ridiculous. If the CEO wasn't allowing Ivan Cleary to choose the players he wanted to sign then Cleary wouldn't have taken the job. And would have been accused of meddling. You can't run away from Cleary's bad decisions by suggesting Pascoe 'letting this happen'.

By your rationale no coach in the NRL has to take any responsibility for the players he chooses to sign because the CEO allowed it to happen.
There's a whole board, not just Pascoe,
But he too left panthers, to take on his role at the tigers, no one is saying only he was the sole reason, but it surely can't only be Ivans either..
Your following a narrative that the papers love to print, tigers weren't crying foul with packer or matalino when they were winning games against the likes of storm and roosters, only started this garbage after Ivan decided that coaching his son in a few years would be a great idea, the following "untenable" crap wasn't going to affect their next few seasons that he commited to. Im not sure why i bother to explain this, because its just gonna incite more newspaper quotes from benny elias, james hooper, justin pascoe, etc basically the agenda driven "we've been dudded again" line..
And if you think ivan would have taken the tigers "best players" with him on his way out guess again, coz besides benji, there was basically none there to take.
The whole nathan cleary going to the tigers ploy failed and they got the shits, same as this current Crichton ploy will blow up in their face too
 
Last edited:

Latest posts

Top