West throws his hat in the ring

[AndrewP6]

Scott West on the Dogs' coaching role...

http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/121534/default.aspx

[Ghost Dog]

The decision is that critical. For me, Not sure anyone's going to be comfortable with someone lacking so much coaching experience.

[boydogs]

The decision is that critical. For me, Not sure anyone's going to be comfortable with someone lacking so much coaching experience.

Yeah even West talked himself down, looking more at the experience of presenting

[mjp]

Yeah even West talked himself down, looking more at the experience of presenting

If he isn't a legit chance then why would the decision makers - whose time would be very valuable - seriously waste their time by allowing him to present?

Needs to be smarter than that.

[1eyedog]

If he isn't a legit chance then why would the decision makers - whose time would be very valuable - seriously waste their time by allowing him to present?

Needs to be smarter than that.

Because the club is strong on culture and West was an important component of that for a long time.

If he is serious he deserves nothing less than an hour of Smorgon's et al. time.

Sir, get off your high horse and have some respect for a champion of the club. We can at least give him the experience he seeks and listen to what he has to say.

He may coach this club one day.

[LostDoggy]

If he isn't a legit chance then why would the decision makers - whose time would be very valuable - seriously waste their time by allowing him to present?

Needs to be smarter than that.

I see no problem with him presenting. Scott West is worth the time, if it helps him in his coaching career then fantastic, he's earnt the help.

[azabob]

I see no problem with him presenting. Scott West is worth the time, if it helps him in his coaching career then fantastic, he's earnt the help.

Can't he get the experience at his current employer?

[1eyedog]

Can't he get the experience at his current employer?

Can't he present at both?

The return he will get will far outweigh any negative opinion on him not getting either job.

[LostDoggy]

Can't he get the experience at his current employer?


Can't he present at both?

The return he will get will far outweigh any negative opinion on him not getting either job.

Beat me to it. I'm certain he'd present for the Dees as well.

[mjp]

Sir, get off your high horse and have some respect for a champion of the club. We can at least give him the experience he seeks and listen to what he has to say.

He may coach this club one day.

Give me a break.

If he isn't a chance, we shouldn't interview him. All we are doing is helping prepare him to coach another club.

Respect for a champion of the club? I have tonnes of that - I am not sure what precisely that has to do with my comments. I always hated the 'We at least have to interview person x' culture that permeates corporate life - it was all about 'keeping people onside' and 'showing respect' and every other cliche under the sun. But what respect are you really showing if you are simply going through the motions? In a large corporate, I accept that maybe you really are preparing them for the 'next job' that comes along (in some cases) - but generally that job is also internal! In this case, we are preparing him for someone else...I simply don't see the point.

My original comments were directed towards West's approach though. Why wouldn't he say 'As a 300-game player who has been involved in full-time coaching for 2 seasons now, I believe I have all of the requisite experience NOW and the Bulldogs are the club I want to coach. Sure, maybe a couple of more years on my apprenticeship would look great on my resume - but I am ready right now and I want the job'. Why not go after the job with everything he has rather than express a couple of 'maybes' and 'hopes'.

[bornadog]

Why wouldn't he say 'As a 300-game player who has been involved in full-time coaching for 2 seasons now, I believe I have all of the requisite experience NOW and the Bulldogs are the club I want to coach. Sure, maybe a couple of more years on my apprenticeship would look great on my resume - but I am ready right now and I want the job'. Why not go after the job with everything he has rather than express a couple of 'maybes' and 'hopes'.

Agree, sounds like he is not confident with his own ability so I would discount him immediately. Williams is more confident than West.

[LostDoggy]

Give me a break.

If he isn't a chance, we shouldn't interview him. All we are doing is helping prepare him to coach another club.

Respect for a champion of the club? I have tonnes of that - I am not sure what precisely that has to do with my comments. I always hated the 'We at least have to interview person x' culture that permeates corporate life - it was all about 'keeping people onside' and 'showing respect' and every other cliche under the sun. But what respect are you really showing if you are simply going through the motions? In a large corporate, I accept that maybe you really are preparing them for the 'next job' that comes along (in some cases) - but generally that job is also internal! In this case, we are preparing him for someone else...I simply don't see the point.

My original comments were directed towards West's approach though. Why wouldn't he say 'As a 300-game player who has been involved in full-time coaching for 2 seasons now, I believe I have all of the requisite experience NOW and the Bulldogs are the club I want to coach. Sure, maybe a couple of more years on my apprenticeship would look great on my resume - but I am ready right now and I want the job'. Why not go after the job with everything he has rather than express a couple of 'maybes' and 'hopes'.

It's called loyalty.

[mjp]

It's called loyalty.

Apologies, but I don't understand what you mean.

Loyalty is interviewing someone who you aren't going to appoint? I spell that a different way: 'LIP SERVICE'.

[1eyedog]

Give me a break.

If he isn't a chance, we shouldn't interview him. All we are doing is helping prepare him to coach another club.

Respect for a champion of the club? I have tonnes of that - I am not sure what precisely that has to do with my comments. I always hated the 'We at least have to interview person x' culture that permeates corporate life - it was all about 'keeping people onside' and 'showing respect' and every other cliche under the sun. But what respect are you really showing if you are simply going through the motions? In a large corporate, I accept that maybe you really are preparing them for the 'next job' that comes along (in some cases) - but generally that job is also internal! In this case, we are preparing him for someone else...I simply don't see the point.

My original comments were directed towards West's approach though. Why wouldn't he say 'As a 300-game player who has been involved in full-time coaching for 2 seasons now, I believe I have all of the requisite experience NOW and the Bulldogs are the club I want to coach. Sure, maybe a couple of more years on my apprenticeship would look great on my resume - but I am ready right now and I want the job'. Why not go after the job with everything he has rather than express a couple of 'maybes' and 'hopes'.


Because he knows he is a very long shot for the role. We should interview West because while AFL clubs are certainly 'corporate' we are still a traditional football club that is seperate from corporate in terms of traditions, loyalty, player-supporter expectations and, in a general sense the connection between the club and past players. This ongoing relationship is generally built on respect, especially for past Champions who win seven BF. Sorry, this is not a cliche to me.

There is a huge emotional pull that AFL clubs have across their supporter bases, indeed, there is probably not another 'corporate' organisation like a sports team anywhere in Australia, so to marry the idea of the word 'corporate' soley with the word Bulldogs does not sit well. Maybe I'm just naive (I probably am) but if we do not uphold the respect between club champions and football clubs then how can we ever expect Ward to stay, or not to lose Griffen to free agency? In my opinion if this happens we are already lost.

Do you think it is just going through the motions to West? I doubt it. I fail to see what we are giving up by interviewing West, other than our process which is going to have zero backlash on match day. As stated, we should at least hear what West has to say, he may well coach this club for us one day and for all the above West deserves an hour of Smorgon et al. time. Who knows, we may put him on next year as midfield assistant, shouldn't we get across his philosophy? I don't think it necessarily needs to be a one way street here as I think he has a lot to offer in more ways than one. .

[LostDoggy]

Apologies, but I don't understand what you mean.

Loyalty is interviewing someone who you aren't going to appoint? I spell that a different way: 'LIP SERVICE'.

This.

I actually spell it 'WASTING VALUABLE TIME', or 'DISTRACTION FROM THE MAIN TASK OF LANDING A SENIOR COACH IN A COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE' or worst of all 'DOING ANOTHER CLUB'S JOB FOR THEM'.

If we want Westy in some capacity, approach him on that basis (I don't think it's a bad idea to bring him back in in some capacity) rather than compromising the already compromised process of searching for a senior coach. We're already at the back of the queue for the best available candidate, in a cut-throat environment, and we want to waste MORE time and focus by pissing around interviewing guys for the sake of it?

There are other ways to make a favourite son feel valued, and this wouldn't be it. If anything, this is PRECISELY the kind of sentimental claptrap that we as a club engage in to make up for our lack of success that more successful clubs don't bother with.

[mjp]

Cheers for that 1eyedog.

My persective remains unchanged though: If it is a legitimate interview - interview him. If it is going through the motions just because of his status at the club - don't waste everyones time. And for what it is worth, my comments about corporates were used as an example of 'lip service' interviews to 'keep people onside' whereas you seem to be saying that we should operate in the same way in a footy environment...I would like to think we would be a little bit more honest than that.

All of that said, you are saying that West is a legitimate candidate - great. I honestly have no idea - I have seen him present once (Coaches conference this year - midfield strategies) and really don't have an opinion on him either way (the fire alarm was rung half-way through his presso and we were all evacuated never to return!). Reading his comments though, HE didn't seem to think he was a realistic candidate at this stage which turned me off.

[LostDoggy]

Apologies, but I don't understand what you mean.

Loyalty is interviewing someone who you aren't going to appoint? I spell that a different way: 'LIP SERVICE'.

I believe that after all the years of faithful service Westy gave us, the least we can do is let him present. It's not lip service, it's helping out a former champion who spent well over a decade helping us.

I don't care if it means he gets a senior role elsewhere down the line as a result. Total non-issue. It's not as if in presenting we're going to be divulging heaps of IP, in fact it'll be the opposite.

[Remi Moses]

One of us could apply for thejob.
Doesn't mean we're going to get an interview!
We're behind The Crows an the Dees in the coaching process already without what would be a pointless exercise.

[Topdog]

I believe that after all the years of faithful service Westy gave us, the least we can do is let him present. It's not lip service, it's helping out a former champion who spent well over a decade helping us.

I don't care if it means he gets a senior role elsewhere down the line as a result. Total non-issue. It's not as if in presenting we're going to be divulging heaps of IP, in fact it'll be the opposite.

Doing that we will end up with 20 interviews. Massive waste of everyones time.

If he really is no chance and we genuinely want to help him we can organise a mock interview with him after we have selected a new coach and then tell him what was good about his interview process, what was bad and tell him things that other interviewees did. I don't believe we should do all that but at least it is done after the process and not wasting valuable time.

[LostDoggy]

Doing that we will end up with 20 interviews. Massive waste of everyones time.

If he really is no chance and we genuinely want to help him we can organise a mock interview with him after we have selected a new coach and then tell him what was good about his interview process, what was bad and tell him things that other interviewees did. I don't believe we should do all that but at least it is done after the process and not wasting valuable time.

Would be a good compromise, yeah.