I'm with ya Smithy

[AlexTheEel]

As some of you may already know I am a Brian Smith supporter. Whether I have agreed with certain decsions he may have made I still respected them because I knew Brian would have good mertis for making it.

Over the last few weeks I must admit I have had my doubts about whether he is the right man for the job. Spending too much time at a club can have side effcts and it is one of the greatest challenges facing a coach. Its easy to come into a club, make your mark and enjoy instant success but maintaining that over a long period of time is a challenge.

Brian strikes me as a man who is not affraid of a challenge. Despite what people have being saying about him I honeslty belive he has a passion and love for the Parramatta Eels and an equally high passion and love for success. I often ask myself what I (being passionate and die hard Eels fan) would do in the same sitaution if I were coach at the club. Would I walk away, leaving the club I love in a mess or would I grit my teeth , absorb the crticism and work hard to fix things up. I like anyone else who honestly loves the club what not be able to live with myslef if I picked the first option. Abandoning anything I love in a time of need would kill me.

Some say that if Brian had any self pride he would step aside. Thats bullshit. Anyone with self pride would not walk away. Thats the easy thing to do. If it meant working 5 times harder, maybe having to experience further lows and criticism, I would do it soley for the love of the club.

Brian is a smart man. He knows the game inside out. Anyone that has heard him speak about the game would not dispute this. Fair enough he has let alot of players go but how many of these players would have been what they are without Smith's guidance.

I often read papers proving an entire team of players that have left the club. The fact is that team would be millions over the salary cap. I think some people forget that the NRL is not like European soccer. You can't just buy whoever you want for any amount. A perfect example is Brett Hodgson. Last year Brett hardley played for us. He had injury problem after injury problem and when he did play his form was bad. Brett had recived an offer from the Tigers that really would have been suitable after Stage or Origin 1 2002. Smithy/Parra had to make a decision wheher to match the offer or use the money elsewhere. They decided with promising players like Ash Grham and Luke Burt already at the club and a few younsters coming through, as well as being able to get Wade McKinnon for a small sum they would be better off spending the money elsewhere.

Its very easy to look back in hindisght and say that Hodgo's form so far this season probably deserves that salary but at the time I think the decision was right.

As for our current sqaud, if I was to lay a finger on our biggest problem last season it would have been go forward. Our forward apck was being domianted week after week. Brian attempted to do this by signing some good forwards. Fair enough it hasn't worked how he would have liked but at least he tried. Again its easy to look back in hindsight.

Tim Sheens was on radio today and he said the key to success is having all players avialable. Already this year Brian has had to deal with losing 2 international centres, his captain, his main go forward man in Aaron cannings, as well as other minor injuries and suspensons.Having a full team is something he has not had since 2001. Add to that the disruption of the Jamie Lyon sage as well as certain sections in the media unfairly attacking him, its been a hard time.

After considering all this there is only one man i want and think that can dig us out of this hole.

BRIAN SMITH.

 

[WA Eel]

I don't agree with some of you're points, but commend you on a very well written post.

 

[strider]

I think it was well written and very well thought out....and I agree with jus about all of it.

 

[Y2Eel]

well written alex couldnt agree more..

 

[GoParra]

Agree with you on most points Alex, and although you will most likely get plenty of flak for writing what is basically the truth, well done for sticking your neck out and saying it how you see it.
TOP POST

 

[MystikEel]

*agrees with Alex* well written, buddy

 

[CrazyEel]

Yes it does read nice but I don't agree with it. I have no doubt about Smith's passion, integrity or his desire for success, all very comendable and I also think he is indeed a very hard worker. However I absolutely do not agreee with you that he is a smart man and knows a lot about the game. Leaving aside his coaching techniques his recruitment and retention policy alone over the last 4 years suggests anything but smart and is totally lacking in long term vision.

Instead of building on that 2001 team with selective additions to strengthen it he appears to have taken out his frustration of losing the GF by totally decimating it. Maybe not conciously but subconciously at best. My main problem with Smith is that he appears to have no long term plan for building the team. He has been at the club for 8 years now and yet EVERY year he has made mass changes in personell. The team has less structure, spirit and culture today than when he first arrived in 97.

I acknowledge the fact that he has had limited success but I do not believe he has taken this club forward one iota. The success we achieved in his first 4 years was, IMO, a direct result of the players he inherited when he came here such as Pay, Dymock, J Smith etc. They did more to instill a winning culture and bring along youngsters in Hindy and Cayless etc than Smith did. Since their departure we have been on a constant downhill spiral, both in on field performances and team culture and structure, and nothing Smith has said or done indicates he has any idea how to arrest that trend.

What is his long term plan for the team, what style will they play, what defensive pattern will they use. Does he selectively buy players to suit these aims? Have you ever heard him speak of such things? How do the yearly clear out sales and bargain shopping sprees fit into these long term goals? Build a team, long term plan for the club, PFFFT, 8 years down the track and where are we? How does he expect a team culture to exist in a transit lounge, it's just a temporary place in between where you've come from and where your going.

No, I don't believe he is smart. Personally I believe Smith rates himself far too highly as a coach and honestly believes he doesn't need good players to get a result. He believes he only needs good tacticts and that he can make a silk purse out of a sows ear, how else can you explain his penchant for persisting with players like Kusto, McFadden, Dykes, Crouch and Peterson. Why else would he persist in rebuilding with other teams rejects year after year and constantly selecting players out of position. If they don't fit his long term plan then why buy them in the first place. It's as if he wants to prove a point by showing he is capable of achieving greatness without the need of quality players. Eeither that or he resents players recieving more credit than himself.

Either way he has had ample opportunity to slowly and surely build on what he inherited but I can't find any evidence whatsoever of him having moved the club forward. He used what he inherited which got him through the first 4 years but has not even been able to maintain it let alone improve upon it over the last 3. Enough is enough, rebuilding starts at the top with a plan for the future.

 

[ParraMatt]

Crazy Shut up Man, Alex, That was an outstanding post and I thoroughly agree. go Smithy, go Parra.

 

[AlexTheEel]

Crazy Eel: A contradiction of your post is Smithy's use of Michael Witt and other juniors. Many have been cursing Smith for his non use of these players as they want results in the present. Smith knows that you can't rush younsters no matter how talented they may be. Smith realised that Witt although already doing a good job had areas for improvement. He gave Witt time to work on this. To quote Smith he wants Witt to learn how to guide a team around the paddock and belives he can build a side around Witt in the future.

Greg Alexander today said he agreed with the areas in Michael Witt's game that needed improvement.

 

[Unreal V]

AlexTheEel,

You could argue that he has the courage of his convictions or his stubborn pride will not allow him to quit. The fact of the matter is poor decisions were made; yes it is easy to judge with the benefit of hinsight but that is how all decisions of a subjective nature are judged.

Injuries are a problem but every team has these problems and even Smith would not use this as an excuse.

Player retention has been a problem and this is his sole area of responsibility, Jason Cayless, Willie Tonga were not salary cap motivated. Fitz has even admitted that we were under our salary cap.

The team has low moral, whether as a direct result of the Lyon saga, Smiths attitude, whatever the reason the coach has to deal with it, and after 6 weeks, 5 losses this has not been addressed.

I think Smith is a person of good character, he does have a good footy brain but that dosen't mean he should be rewarded for our poor form by having the privellage of coaching our team. The decision should not be Smiths to make in the first place. If the board was to ask for his resignation he should consider the club and not be motivated by pride or love of the club; the club should come first.

He may be the coach, a good bloke and he might even have the support of the players but please don't tell me he is the best man for the job, he is merely the person with the job.

Having said all this I also appreciate that you can't get rid of him this year he is owed the chance to make things right, but he should be put on notice that if we do not make the finals (fat chance) then he will not have the support of the board.

 

[stuke]

smith is a good coach......you don't just lose that. and you can see that it is hurting him, no-one wants to fail in their job.

i feel though that he has over stayed his term at parra. it wasn't so long ago that a coach moved on within a few years of appointment. his ideas appear stale, the team is continually being outplayed in tactics and his recruitment raises many eyebrows. players, for whatever reasons, are not responding and playing to their potential.

while he once was an innovator he is now a follower, and unfortunately that is not going to get the club back on track to where we want them to be.

 

[CrazyEel]

A contradiction of your post is Smithy's use of Michael Witt and other juniors. Many have been cursing Smith for his non use of these players as they want results in the present. Smith knows that you can't rush younsters no matter how talented they may be. Smith realised that Witt although already doing a good job had areas for improvement. He gave Witt time to work on this. To quote Smith he wants Witt to learn how to guide a team around the paddock and belives he can build a side around Witt in the future.

Greg Alexander today said he agreed with the areas in Michael Witt's game that needed improvement.

I do not see Witt as a contradiction. In fact a a contradiction to your point is that Smith has also stated he sees Tim Smith filling that role. Or was that his plan last week, hang on he also said that about Thorman, wasn't that the main reason he brought him over, to provide direction and leadership? Now that I think about it he also said the same about Dykes just 8 weeks ago didn't he? No, you must be right, last week it was Witt, that's why he selected him at 5/8 #-o

Regardless of the above if Wittt is the only argument you can put forward then lets leave it at that. Alex you have your opinion I have mine, end of story.

Crazy Shut up Man, Alex, That was an outstanding post and I thoroughly agree. go Smithy, go Parra.

LOL, you'd have a little more credibility if you didn't chop and change your stance even more than Smithy does :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[eelandia]

An article in the Tele on sunday had a picture of all 2001 squad and what has happened to them. My memeory isn't the best, but I do remember thinking the following in their last years at the club:

Andrew Ryan - kept dropping the ball and probably lost us the semi against Brisbane in 02
Ian Hindmarsh - bad loss but at the time didn't seem worth the money that the Raiders were offering
Alex Chan - his judiciary record makes him a liability and is no great loss (used to drop the ball more than his fair share)
Jason Cayless - Nathan seemed the better of the two at the time and perhaps still is with the form Nathan was showing this year
Danny Sullivan - chronic injuries for an unproven entity
Michael Buettner - 01 saw the last of his best form
Jamie Lyon - bad loss but he denies Smith is the reason (Rugby League Week or Big League mag quoted this last week but can't remember which one)
Scott Donald - let through a few tries on the weekend for Manly against the Raiders but has the pace we lack
PJ Marsh - one that didn't want to get away in the end (remember he tried to get out of the Warriors contract) but we had Drew at the time
Brett Hodgson - thought he had run his race after last year's effort but is going great this year. Still think a major injury is not far away for him this year.
Chad Robinson - rooster poachee who would have got more than at Parra. Hard to justify paying him with the depth we 'had' in the backrow.
Daniel Irvine - never got to that next level despite many chances.
Jason Moodie - genuinely wanted to retire but didn't get into the firies. Quoted today as saying Smith is the best coach he has ever had.

In regards to Dymock, Smith, Pay, McCracken, etc they did bring a winning culture to the club, but they weren't around in our most successful year, 2001. Crazy Eel mentions a downhill slide when they left, but forgot about 2001.

Others such as Mogg, Hodgson (Canberra), Shifcoske, Denis Moran, etc would not be classified as top-liners except for Shifcoske.

Who have I missed..?? Like to hear your honest opinions of the ones we let go.

 

[CrazyEel]

Crazy Eel mentions a downhill slide when they left, but forgot about 2001..

No I didn't. I attribute 2001 to the legacy of the Dogs 4 and what they built along with the development of D Anderson of the youngsters that came through under him the year before.

I am not bitching about who left the club, I am however disgusted with who we bought to replace them.

 

[Eelementary]

After watching the players in recent weeks publicly announce their support of Brian;

After watching the players admit Brian has and is doing everything he can to change things;

After seeing the players admit it is a player issue;

After seeing how all this criticism is affecting them;

Well, it's quite simple really - I couldn't give a stuff who coaches or who plays.

We're the damned Eels and I'll be there in two weeks' time front row centre cheering my arse off even if we are down 50 points to nil!

 

[AlexTheEel]

A contradiction of your post is Smithy's use of Michael Witt and other juniors. Many have been cursing Smith for his non use of these players as they want results in the present. Smith knows that you can't rush younsters no matter how talented they may be. Smith realised that Witt although already doing a good job had areas for improvement. He gave Witt time to work on this. To quote Smith he wants Witt to learn how to guide a team around the paddock and belives he can build a side around Witt in the future.

Greg Alexander today said he agreed with the areas in Michael Witt's game that needed improvement.

I do not see Witt as a contradiction. In fact a a contradiction to your point is that Smith has also stated he sees Tim Smith filling that role. Or was that his plan last week, hang on he also said that about Thorman, wasn't that the main reason he brought him over, to provide direction and leadership? Now that I think about it he also said the same about Dykes just 8 weeks ago didn't he? No, you must be right, last week it was Witt, that's why he selected him at 5/8 #-o

Regardless of the above if Wittt is the only argument you can put forward then lets leave it at that. Alex you have your opinion I have mine, end of story.

Crazy Shut up Man, Alex, That was an outstanding post and I thoroughly agree. go Smithy, go Parra.

LOL, you'd have a little more credibility if you didn't chop and change your stance even more than Smithy does :lol: :lol: :lol:

I dont think Brian Smith has actually ever publicly spoken about Tim Smith. I know there has been guys like JakeThe Snake singing his praises and saying how he can control a game but I dont think Brian has ever mentioned him publicly.

As for Thorman, when he was signed Smith said he had no expectations of Thorman and took a risk in signing him as he knew it might come off but then again may not. He defiantely did not say he wanted him to proivde leadership.

I know you have your opinion but theres nothing wrong with friendly conversation.

 

[CrazyEel]

I know you have your opinion but theres nothing wrong with friendly conversation.

Ver true Alex, in fact it's quite enjoyable to exhange thoughts in a friendly manner.

I dont think Brian Smith has actually ever publicly spoken about Tim Smith. I know there has been guys like JakeThe Snake singing his praises and saying how he can control a game but I dont think Brian has ever mentioned him publicly.

As for Thorman, when he was signed Smith said he had no expectations of Thorman and took a risk in signing him as he knew it might come off but then again may not. He defiantely did not say he wanted him to proivde leadership..

I don't know how public it was meant to be or how widely it was reported but Smithy did indeed give his thoughts on Tim. Of course that was before he moved him to 5/8.

I agree on Thorman that Smith did say he was taking a risk but he also said that the risk was worth taking as he had the potential to provide direction around the park. Wasn't that the very reason he gave for buying him?

In any case Alex we could argue back and forth regarding Witt, Tim and Thorman etc all night but they are all related to only this year.

The main point I was making in my original post is that after so many years at the helm what evidence, based on recruitment policy of the last 4 years, do we have that Smith was buying those players with a long term goal in mind. That he chose them because they fitted his vision of our style of play or structure of defense. I contend there is no such evidence nor no such recognisable style or defense which carries over from year to year. It's all forever constantly changing and that his recruitment policy is very reactive and not proactive at all.

I don't believe that Smith believes he needs good players, he prides himself on making "decent" players out of rejects. In some cases he is justified in believing this but his pre-occupation with this concept has not served us well at all. At best he gets one mabye 1 and 1/2 years out of them and then we fall over again.

I simply do not believe we have the "cattle" and after so many years he should have built a far stronger herd than the one we now have. He's had full say in the matter of breeding stock and there is no one but he that is responsible for the quality of stock we have available today. And I simply don't think it's good enough as performances demonstrate.

 

[Jake the snake]

Excellent Post Alex, Some really good points mentioned.

The Bottom line is why Brian Smith is in Trouble is because where Parra are on the table its as simple as that. I'd love for him to be able to turn it around for us and prove most of us knockers wrong especially Hadley who has taken things overboard, and I Must say that its not personal as I think Brian Smith is a very good person. But results are results and thats what concerns us most.

All I want Smith to now is Prepare for the future by Bringing on the young stars which will prepare them for next year.

 

[Parraren]

Excellent Post Alex, Some really good points mentioned.

The Bottom line is why Brian Smith is in Trouble is because where Parra are on the table its as simple as that. I'd love for him to be able to turn it around for us and prove most of us knockers wrong especially Hadley who has taken things overboard, and I Must say that its not personal as I think Brian Smith is a very good person. But results are results and thats what concerns us most.

All I want Smith to now is Prepare for the future by Bringing on the young stars which will prepare them for next year.

Well said Jake, my sentiments exactly.