Misty Bee said:
Good point. Therefore, please explain 2002, 2003 and 2004?
It's true that Parra's 2002-04 weren't the best. We had built a side that performed a lot better in 00 and 01 than many had expected, and the salary cap, combined with the rule changes to the policing of the ruck and ten metres, put us in trouble. They actually changed the rules because of Brian Smith!!
Then Ricky's boys took over and Brian - depending on who you talked to - either a) made a mistake in his buying policy, or b) was unfairly treated by the rulemakers and was left with a side not fit to take advantage of the rules. I'm happy for him to not be given the benefit of the doubt here, but some will argue that he was unfairly punished by sudden changes in interpretations.
2005 was better, but halfway through that seaon Parra were struggling big time. Remember the fan miscontent and all the media speculation on Smith's future?
At that time Smith was making rediculous selections - sticking with a woeful Daniel Wagon week after week, because it was good fiscalpolicy to keep higher paid players in first grade, rather than wasting that money by playing them in reserve grade, or not at all.
That was also the time Smith blooded Ben and Tim Smith. They won the minor premiership, and pissed it up against the wall v the Cowboys.
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C'mon Misty Bee, you can do better than Ron Jeremy, surely.
So, Brian Smith took his side to the Minor Premiership in a year that there was speculation that he would be sacked? Surely you can see that this might actually help the arguments of those who are sticking by Smith at the moment?
And the people that were calling for Wagon's sacking have about as much idea as the people who were calling for his sacking again at the start of this year. In fact, this year it's more warranted because we have a player like Feleti who adds something different to the pack, and one of either Ian H, Wags, or Robbo might go. Your assertion that he left Wagon on for economic reason is complete speculation.
And, winning the Minor Premiership isn't exactly a failure.
Then Fitzgerald announced that Smith wasn't going to be resigned. Smith then spent 6 months carrying on like a pork chop, before resigning. He failed to psychologically prepare the side for the 06 season. When JT took over, the place was in a mess.
This has some weight. It's quite possible that Smith did this. Though speculation again, the things that he has said, and the way he responded publicly, make this quite possible.
Whether he found it difficult to deal with, whether the players gave him less respect, who knows? It wasn't an ideal situtation, and though he must take plenty of blame for the way things went, the board aren't totally innocent here either.
And the place wasn't in a mess. Our first grade team may have been 'in a mess', but the 'place' wasn't. There's a difference. Souths were in a mess - it has taken two years for them to get back to anywhere near a decent side and operation. It's kinda like Fittler and the Roosters - Fittler hasn't turned the Roosters club around, he's turned the first grade team around. The club is still being operated in a professional manner by its leaders, and always was. Just as Parra's structure (set up by Smith) was still operating properly.
Smith last 'rebuilt' a club back in the better days of 97-99.
Wrong.
Smith rebuilt the 'club' once.
He has rebuilt the first grade team at least three times. First - when he arrived. Second, after the Canterbury Four left. Third, for 2005.
We won't see a repeat of Smith's classic 12 man practice for a possible GF sin bin in a semi
There was nothing wrong with that tactic - it's called preparation. It was innovative and a good idea. If we had made the GF and gone a man down he would have been labelled a genius.
The negative about it was that he said he was partially motivated to do it because he didn't want to risk Cayless for those last few minutes. That showed that he was worried, not excited. That
was bad. He should never have said that.
- because he's not confident his players can handle it. In Kris Inu I already see the confidence that no eel got under Smith in a decade.
While I believe that Kris Inu and Hayne's confidence is very much inbuilt, I agree. I think Hagan is excited by the idea of Finals footy and that that will be passed on to the troops.
Please note Misty - in case you attack me as a Smith-lover and Hagan-hate like Ron Jeremy did, I just want to say that all I am doing is giving the other side to the Smith argument, as I think some of the things that happened at the club have soured some people's attitude towards him to the point that they are not thinking clearly on the issue. Therefore, I intentionally cut out your comments comparing the two coaches records over the last few years only because I think it means nothing, and their records are impossible to compare.
