BMac statement

[Sedat]

http://www.westernbulldogs.com.au/news/2014-10-10/mccartneys-parting-message

Very classy resignation send-off letter by BMac.

[mjp]

Pretty impressive.

[chef]

Classy stuff.

[bornadog]

Shame it ended like this, I hate when things don't work out for people in their careers. No matter what you think, Macca is a genuinely committed person and as he said a senior coach is a tough job, especially at a place like ours where we haven't been very successful.

[SonofScray]

The man is all class. I am very disappointed in how this has played out. The Club is weaker, for the moment, in his absence. Time and support will help us recover a position, but right now it is hard to feel good about things.

I'm also hurt on account of the memory of his Uncle Doc who was thrilled to bits when Brendan got the nod for this gig. There is no doubt in my mind he understood what it is like to be one of us through that connection.

[Eastdog]

Agree. Great letter by Macca. I once again wish him all the best in whatever he does next.

[Murphy'sLore]

Classy is the only word for it.

We are the poorer today.

[Remi Moses]

Great speech. Pretty classy bloke

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Classy.

I hope he unleashes his side of the story at some point though.

[Scorlibo]

I read that and realise just how great a loss this is for the club. He's professional and considered to a tee. Contrary to what others have said, a great people person.

[LostDoggy]

Outstanding, the man has a passion that perhaps some couldn't understand

[BulldogBelle]

He had so much passion. Impressive from the Heart letter.
Thank You BMac

[westdog54]

Class personified.

There is absolutely no way he is done in football.

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

Whatever some may think of his coaching ability we all would agree as a club we should hope that our next coach has as much integrity as Macca.

[Jeanette54]

Thanks so much for all your past work Brendan.

I particularly like your post game press conferences. No show-boating, histrionics or petulance (like some I could mention), just good frank common sense.

We were proud to call you our coach.

[Hotdog60]

A true gentleman of the game and class personified.

The last couple of days have been sad and disappointing from many angles. I wish this had come to a head earlier so that some mediation could have prevented this escalating to the point it has.

[HOSE B ROMERO]

Nothing in his statement has altered the way I saw Brendan when he first came into the club. Champion human being.

[GVGjr]

Feel very sorry for him but instead of sulking or making it personal like many others would have he walks out with his reputation as a good football person enhanced. Wish you well Brendan.

[F'scary]

I think he did a reasonable job and found himself in an untenable position. Probably best for the club that he has done what he did today so graciously. It is best for the club too that Griffen goes as well even though his nemesis has fallen on his sword. There is no coming back from what he has done. The die is cast.

[The bulldog tragician]

I didn't think I could feel any sadder, but this has achieved it.

[GVGjr]

I think he did a reasonable job and found himself in an untenable position.

He arrived when we were such poor shape from a list management perspective and shook the tree hard. I think he did a bit better than reasonable.

[jeemak]

All class.

I'm still to all over the place to post anything further.

[F'scary]

He arrived when we were such poor shape from a list management perspective and shook the tree hard. I think he did a bit better than reasonable.

I would have preferred he stayed. I think he perceived his relationship with the players and the club has become too complex to be functional.

[G-Mo77]

If you thought he did a good job or didn't do one most would agree that the guy is all class. I don't think he's cut out for the head coaching role but I do believe he'll find a secure position very quickly. I truly hope he lands on his feet and everything works out for him.

[westdog54]

I would have preferred he stayed. I think he perceived his relationship with the players and the club has become too complex to be functional.

I know you've been very vocal on your position on where the coach stood, so I've nothing but respect for you that you've written this. And I mean that with all sincerity.

[Twodogs]

Nice sentiment.

[LostDoggy]

We didn't deserve him, in the end. That's the hard truth I'm trying to deal with.

[ratsmac]

I am hurting tonight. I truly believed he was going to direct us to become a strong football club. Hopefully he has set the foundations and we are ready for the next phase of the build. A brilliant man with integrity to the very end.

Thank you Brendan McCartney.

[LostDoggy]

Just a quality individual. He still says 'we'. If he was offered 100k by some dirt rag to tell all he'd hang up the phone after politely saying no thankyou. I would have loved to have met him.

It feels like a death in the family.

[LostDoggy]

We didn't deserve him, in the end. That's the hard truth I'm trying to deal with.

Is he the coach we deserved but not the one we needed right now?

[LostDoggy]

Is he the coach we deserved but not the one we needed right now?

He knew the value of a long term plan. Of character. Integrity. Hard work. No short cuts. Doing things the right way because it's the right thing to do, even if it doesn't work out for you (which it didn't for him). That's where honour lives and he knew that. I'm heartbroken not because he's gone: there are more coaches out there.

I'm heartbroken because the Dogs didn't measure up against that list.

[FrediKanoute]

Echo the many sentiments already on here. The club is a poorer place for not being able to work this out.

I am so annoyed by all this.

[LostDoggy]

Not happy at all, yes Macca hasn't been that successfull, but the Hawks stuck with Clarkson, look where they are now. I really think Macca would have steered the ship the right way, but now who do we get? also go to love the man for the way he has presented himself now and throughout his time with us.


All the best Macca

[soupman]

This is bullshit.

I concede BMac had limitations, but I don't think they were limitations that concerned us for this stage of our development. I thought he was the right man to take us through the next few years, and tbh still think that.

Very rarely do you feel so strongly that a coach should stay. I was disappointed when Rocket was sacked, but could understand the thinking and was ok with the decision. This however, is bullshit, and my greatest disappointment in the club.

[azabob]

This is bullshit.

I concede BMac had limitations, but I don't think they were limitations that concerned us for this stage of our development. I thought he was the right man to take us through the next few years, and tbh still think that.

Very rarely do you feel so strongly that a coach should stay. I was disappointed when Rocket was sacked, but could understand the thinking and was ok with the decision. This however, is bullshit, and my greatest disappointment in the club.

Agree one hundred percent.

[bulldogtragic]

This is bullshit.

I concede BMac had limitations, but I don't think they were limitations that concerned us for this stage of our development. I thought he was the right man to take us through the next few years, and tbh still think that.

Very rarely do you feel so strongly that a coach should stay. I was disappointed when Rocket was sacked, but could understand the thinking and was ok with the decision. This however, is bullshit, and my greatest disappointment in the club.

Many have called me critical of Macca but I was never, ever in the sack him camp rather help him camp. The call today has made me more closer to a Macca lover than before. Standing by him yesterday, including our strategy our vision to cut and run is as low a point I can remember by a decision of our making.

[always right]

Very classy departure.

[Greystache]

Classy response.

If he'd have let the senior players continue to be unaccountable he'd still be coach. We wouldn't be any better off, but he'd still be coach.

I guess he never learnt what it means to be a Bulldog until today.

[Go_Dogs]

Great statement, thanks Macca.

[Topdog]

I've actually wanted him gone from the club until about a week ago. Seeing players want to leave because the coach was too honest with them really made me warm to him. Then the review said he was safe, then Griff wanted out and it all seemed to be coming together from a cultural POV - a huge shift for the Dogs, I was excited.....and then we sacked him and he agreed to resign. Hugely disappointing last 24 hours.

Possibly the classiest resignation speech/letter ever.

[LostDoggy]

Very classy departure.

I would expect nothing less!

[LostDoggy]

Stayed classy to the end. Didn't deserve the way it all ended and I feel we will take a hit from this and it will take time to recover.

[LostDoggy]

This is bullshit.

I concede BMac had limitations, but I don't think they were limitations that concerned us for this stage of our development. I thought he was the right man to take us through the next few years, and tbh still think that.

Very rarely do you feel so strongly that a coach should stay. I was disappointed when Rocket was sacked, but could understand the thinking and was ok with the decision. This however, is bullshit, and my greatest disappointment in the club.

Agree with this a lot. So disappointed in the club at the moment, time will heal wounds, but at the moment I am disgusted with how it has all been handled.

[F'scary]

I know you've been very vocal on your position on where the coach stood, so I've nothing but respect for you that you've written this. And I mean that with all sincerity.

And I have since learned that Macca felt he could continue with the playing group but not without the full confidence of the Board and that was not there - they felt he was too compromised.

Like others I have indulged in knocking him for perceived game day deficiencies, for over emphasising numbers round the ball, but I am on the record at WOOF for appreciating his general coaching of the playing group, his fostering of talent, the strong hand he has had in some pretty good recruitment and the professional way in which he engaged the media and the public.

I have never been in the remove-him camp...except for a few times immediately after a really bad loss. That's normal, isn't it?

[cinder]

About a month a go, my dad won an inner sanctum experience at Whitten Oval which is basically a tour of the facilities and getting to pick a couple of players to meet & get a photo with, as well as with Macca. The history with my family is that my grandfather is a past player. What Macca did, was look up my grandfather's playing history, put two and two together enough to realise there is a massive picture of him up in the Bulldogs' board room with another player, as the Victorian representatives for the Bulldogs that year (like, 1940-something). So he took us in there, and my dad was proud as punch to see the pic. Macca spent time with us and seemed really genuine and a nice bloke.

Another interesting thing was that my dad chose Murph and Griff to meet. Only Murph turned up. But I wanted this post to be about Macca, and not be negative ...

523

Trying to work out how to embed the image.

Anyway my point was I am also disappointed to see him go in this fashion, it's a real shame.

[josie]

Pretty much agree with all that's been posted here.

Macaa is an absolute gentleman, who appears to have put the club first, including being prepared to be honest, tough and set the example with work ethic. If others, including some of the senior players, had bought into his passion I feel this distressing end may not have come to pass and that this year we'd have won more of those close games.

His "I'm not sure" answer in response to whether he thought he had the confidence of the playing group was his downfall. Others may not have been so honest and therefore may have survived to fight another day.

I found this sentence in his statement quite poignant and a little illuminating "Contrary to public perception, there are also experienced players who love their Club and provide outstanding leadership and direction for their team mates."

I think WOOFers should generate an e-letter thanking Macca for his efforts and send it to the AFL Coaches Association, perhaps with a link to this thread.

He probably does know there are quite a few members who want to thank him, including a significant number who would like to have seen him continue as Coach. However not so sure many would bother to put it in writing.

[Hotdog60]

"BRENDAN McCartney remains steadfast in his belief that he could have pieced the Western Bulldogs' fractured playing group back together, if it wasn't for captain Ryan Griffen's walkout." LINK (http://www.afl.com.au/news/2014-10-11/theres-a-lesson-for-every-club)

If only the captain could have persevered for another year things may have been different.