It feels from the outside looking in that coaches walk into the disaster zone in that club and are expected to be the miracle cure. Although, he is certainly to blame for some loss of morale and definitely for the lack of defensive structure, you also need to look at other parts of the club and whether that strive for excellence is evident.
The attack of the club speaks volumes.. It looks like when Parra do win, they have a spirit in the team where they all bond together and everyone puts in the hard work. Then when they get a couple of wins on the trot it lifts morale and starts that cycle again. Likewise when they lose, you can see the structure of attack too much on one or two playmakers - hence the dropping when one player doesn't perform (Sandow) or if one gets injured (Hayne).
So the problems as I see it:
1. Coach.
Either he's oblivious to what's wrong, or his message isn't getting through to the players. You could argue he's had enough time now to change the team around, but then so have other coaches that have come in. But it's clear that the players don't respect him and hence they don't trust his coaching so that's the obvious problem that needs fixing.
But as a club, you can't just run out and get a new coach every 5 minutes. This happens more often than not in the NBA - teams will win straight after a new coach is appointed, and it will last for about two weeks (about 5-10 games). Surely that indicates the problem with the players or organization? Though it remains to be seen what Kearney can do with the Kiwis, and a LOT of his decisions have been questionable with Parra.
2. The Players.
It's obvious the players have a lack of professional attitude. Some of that is on the coach, but really, a large number of the team need to pull their finger out and be held accountable. The problem with Kearney dropping Sandow just simply showed that they have nobody to replace him. No depth in the ranks means players can get by being average, and still get paid. That change comes with older players providing leadership, but if you're one of the older players on the team that is used to losing, there's only so much you can say before the guys would tune out (Hindy?).
They also need a decent forward pack to lay the platform and a decent Hooker, who they've not had for a long time. I'm not aware of how their feeder clubs are going, but they really need a big injection in the forwards. Part of why Sandow was effective (at times) for Souths, was on go forward from their pack when they'd get a roll on. Being a small creative ball player around tired forwards is where he and Hayne could run riot.
3. The Club.
Needs a big clean out. Paid way too much for Sandow, and had poore recruitment over the years. Simply can't go on. Obviously need to bring in a better defensive coach and maybe a few ex club players who can play roles around the club - who still have some pride for The Eels organization - that can bring a fresh perspective to the club, and help with building the youth they have.
My two cents... (Go The Dogs!)
