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2006 Post Season Articles - Page 2

Grant Thomas Sacking - Replacement Coaches Discussed - Supporters Shocked

Unconventional coach the victim of his own spin
. . . Thomas did not claim to be a brilliant matchday coach. Nor, though, was he regularly and obviously outflanked. But perhaps that was not enough. Robert Walls estimated this week that Rodney Eade's powers of invention were worth three goals a week to the Bulldogs. Three goals would have put the Saints into the grand final at least in 2004, and into a semi-final this week. Instead, they are back at the drawing board, a well-worn device at Moorabbin. Evidently, some at the Saints have been roughing out a sketch for a couple of weeks, and Thomas was not in it. That is not so surprising. Football clubs are forever scheming - ask Carlton. Transparency is a noble idea, but the trouble is everyone gets to see what you are doing. Thomas knew that. Thomas was always going to be judged by a more exacting standard than other coaches. His credentials, the way he came to the job and the playing wealth he was bequeathed guaranteed that. Simply, he needed to win a premiership. He didn't.
The Article Greg Baum/TheAge RealFooty/13Sept06

Cresswell facing sex assault allegations
A frontrunner to replace sacked St Kilda AFL coach Grant Thomas is reportedly being investigated by Queensland police for the alleged sexual assault of a woman in Brisbane on the weekend. Former Sydney Swans midfielder Daryn Cresswell, who last week resigned from his post as assistant coach of the Brisbane Lions, was questioned by police on Monday over the incident, the ABC said. It's alleged Mr Cresswell, 35, met the woman at the Storey Bridge Hotel at Kangaroo Point before going with her to the Carlton Crest hotel in Brisbane's CBD where the alleged sexual assault occurred early on Sunday.
The Article AAP/TheAge/13Sept06
Cresswell in sex assault claim Jordan Chong/TheAge/13Sept06

Cresswell denies sex assault
Cresswell, former assistant coach of the Brisbane Lions, voluntarily provided his clothing he was wearing at the time of the alleged assault to detectives who interviewed him yesterday at the city station. He has denied sexually assaulting the woman in his room at the Carlton Crest hotel early Sunday morning. Police have seized footage from the hotel as well as the Story Bridge where he first met the woman on Saturday night. Police said they are investigating an alleged sexual assault but would not comment on whether Mr Cresswell was involved.
The Article HeraldSun/13Sept06

Thomas didn't see it coming
Or someone linked to so many football sackings, it was surprising Grant Thomas didn't see his own coming yesterday. While the St Kilda board's decision to axe him was incredibly swift, there had been murmurings in the previous 72 hours that his largely unaccountable control of the club was under threat. The talk was the Saints were going to challenge Thomas's authority with the appointment of a football department manager, to whom Thomas would have reported. Perhaps this was what Thomas expected to be told when he attended a Saints board meeting yesterday. And he probably had intentions of fighting the concept.
The Article Damian Barrett/HeraldSun/13Septo6
Disturbing comments from the Herald-Sun today 'meher baba' saintsational.com
The footballing life of Grant Thomas Chloe Saltau/TheAge/13Septo6

Axing coach was wrong, says Watson
. . . "My initial reaction was shock, I just didn't see it coming at all," Watson said. "I don't think it is the right decision, I think there are things that have conspired against them this year to be successful. I think it is a club that needed to stick strong with a coach, a single coach, and he clearly has these players playing for him. I have not spoken to anyone behind the scenes about what might have taken place but from the outside it just doesn't look like the correct decision".
The Article Michael Gleeson/TheAge RealFooty/13Sept06

Longmire favourite for Saints job
Sydney Swans assistant John Longmire is the standout candidate to replace sacked Saints coach Grant Thomas. But St Kilda might have to fight Geelong for his services, with the Cats also believed to be considering Longmire to take over from Mark Thompson, should Thompson not survive the club review. Longmire, known as Horse in footy circles, is unlikely to accept interviews for either job until the Swans finish their finals campaign. The Saints last week contacted Longmire's 1999 premiership teammate Anthony Stevens as part of a coach head-hunting committee to sound out potential replacements for Thomas. It is understood Stevens, acting with Ian Foote -- a long-time friend of Saints president Rod Butterss and a business partner of Stevens -- was told to approach candidates without telling them which club was interested.
The Article Damian Barrett/HeraldSun/13Septo6
Swans' Longmire in line for Saints job Richard Hinds/SydneyMorningHerald/13Septo6

Saints sack Thomas
St Kilda have sacked long-serving coach Grant Thomas less than a week after the club's exit from the AFL finals series. Thomas took charge of the Saints in round 16 in 2001 and led the club to the finals in the past three seasons. They lost by three goals to Melbourne in last Friday night's elimination final at the MCG. Thomas said he was upset by the decision, as he felt he had unfinished business with St Kilda's talented playing list. "I'm very disappointed, obviously because you don't sort of put your heart and soul into something and not be disappointed," he said. St Kilda's defeat to Melbourne was the club's earliest exit in their three straight finals campaigns. They made the preliminary final in 2004 and 2005.
The Article ABCSport/12Sept06

Thomas, Saints part company
Grant Thomas has coached his last game with the St Kilda Football Club. Thomas and the Saints have parted company by mutual agreement. The second-longest serving coach in St Kilda history has been at the helm of the Saints since 2001 when he was a shock mid-season replacement for Malcolm Blight, but club president Rod Butterss and Thomas broke the news at a media conference at Moorabbin on Tuesday that he was leaving the club. Thomas said that when he went to attend a board meeting at the club on Tuesday afternoon it had never occurred to him that he would not be in charge by day's end. "I had a fair inkling that I would be coach, but things change . . . we have to move on pretty quickly," he said. "The board firmly believes the club is heading in a different direction and I will have to live with it. I still think I am the right bloke for the club but the club has made the decision to head in another direction."
The Article Ben Wise/Sportal/AFL/saints.com.au/12Sept06

Thomas Sacked
Any man to have coached St Kilda to three straight AFL finals series and achieve a winning strike rate of better than 50 per cent may be entitled to wear a halo. But St Kilda, the club with a shameful 26 wooden spoons in its drawer and the title of the biggest under-achiever in league history, showed how satisfied it was with Grant Thomas's recent performances.
The Article Adam Cooper/CourierMail/13Sept06

Saints coach Thomas sacked
. . . Thomas said he was disappointed in the decision and said that before the board meeting, he had expected to hold onto his position for next season. "The guys (board) think firmly that the club needs to move in a different direction," Thomas told reporters. "It's not necessarily a mutual agreement." "It came from left-field, I wasn't expecting it - maybe I am a bit dumb - but I was not expecting it," he said. "But I'm not the first to go through this situation." Thomas later said he did not agree with the board's decision, that he did not see his axing coming and that he was "gutted" to be leaving. Butterss said Thomas' departure would allow the club the time it needed to find a new coach. He highlighted strategy as one of the things the club had disagreed with Thomas on. "We had our differences in terms of strategy and that helped our decision," he said.
The Article Peter Litras/TheAge RealFooty/12Sept06

Grant Thomas axed by Saints
A board meeting today decided to give Thomas his marching orders, with a falling out with close mate and club president Rod Butterss at the heart of the decision. In an awkward press conference at Moorabbin this afternoon, the pair sat side by side before a huge media throng. Butterss said the club had accepted Thomas' resignation. But Thomas saw it differently, citing the move as a "mutual agreement". "I don't have to agree with it but I'm going to have to live with it," he said. "I'm very disappointed, obviously, because you don't put your heart and soul into something and not be disappointed."
The Article HeraldSun/12Sept06
Google list - Thomas sacking (61 Articles) news.google.com.au

Thomas axed by Saints
Grant Thomas has been sacked by StKilda. The club made the announcement a few minutes ago. Thomas leaves Moorabbin after five frustrating years in which his richly-talented team promised far more than it was able to deliver. A clearly disappointed Thomas said he had hoped to coach the club in 2007 . . . Assistant coaches John Longmire (Sydney), Mark Harvey (Fremantle) and current Saints assistant Matt Rendell are the early candidates to take over from Thomas.
The Article HeraldSun/12Sept06

Freo assistant coach in running
A "GUTTED" Grant Thomas has been sacked as coach of St Kilda - just four days after the Saints' season ended with Friday night's elimination final loss to Melbourne. It leaves the Fremantle Dockers facing the loss of pivotal assistant coach Mark Harvey, who has had a huge impact on the club's defensive structure since his move to WA early this year and is strongly tipped to be in the running as a replacement for Thomas.
The Article SundayTimes(WA)/12Sept06

St Kilda sacks coach Grant Thomas
St Kilda has sacked Grant Thomas as coach of the AFL club. The club made the announcement four days after the Saints' season ended with the Friday night elimination final loss to Melbourne. Thomas took over from Malcolm Blight as coach during the 2001 season and guided the Saints to the 2004 and 2005 preliminary finals.
The Article AAP/TheAge Breaking News/12Sept06

A promising coach who couldn't deliver
St Kilda coach Grant Thomas was appointed coach of the Saints late in 2001, taking over from Malcolm Blight who was sacked seven games before the end of the home-and-away competition. This year was Thomas' fifth full season at the head of the team. According to the club's website, Thomas encouraged an "attacking, fast-flowing football". However he failed to achieve better than third place in 2004. He was tipped as possible coach material for the Saints as early as 1989, after taking Warrnambool to four premierships between 1986-89. But he was overlooked in favour of Ken Sheldon in 1989 and Stan Alves in 1993, although was briefly Alves' assistant soon afterward. He joined the St Kilda board in 1999 as football director, before working closely with then struggling coach Tim Watson from early 2000 in Watson's second season.
The Article HeraldSun/12Sept06

Move years too late
Finally, the penny has dropped. Finally, my beloved Saints have realised they cannot be a force in AFL while Grant Thomas remains at the helm. Today, they took a decision which should have been made four or five years ago and sacked Mr Thomas. St Kilda, a team I started following while living in the South-East too many years ago to mention, have been perennial underachievers. Only one premiership in their long history attests to that. Even then, that was won by a solitary point. They have struggled over the years even when they had history's greatest full forward in Tony Lockett at the goalfront. Coaches have come and gone greats such as Alex Jesaulenko, Mike Patterson and Darrell Baldock but could do little to lift the red, white and black back into premiership contention.
The Article Greg kelton, Saints supporter and SA Political Editor/AdealideAdvertiser/12Sept06

Thomas gone
. . . Thomas said that when he went to attend a board meeting at the club on Tuesday afternoon it had never occurred to him that he would not be in charge by day's end. "I had a fair inkling that I would be coach, but things change - we have to move on pretty quickly," he said. "The board firmly believes the club is heading in a different direction and I will have to live with it. I still think I am the right bloke for the club but the club has made the decision to head in another direction." Thomas also expressed that he was disappointed at having to leave a post that he has "put his heart and soul into". "It is not necessarily a resignation, it is a mutual agreement. We are after the same things, to achieve the ultimate success. I don't think we are totally congruent with the direction the club is heading." Butterss said the club wished to thank Thomas for his achievements at the helm of the Saints. "The board discussed that it was in the best interests of the football club that Grant should stand aside. He has always preached the need to be selfless," Butterss said. Regarding the issue of Thomas' successor, Butterss said: "With Thomo's decision today, we now have the time to put in place a detailed selection process that will allow us to secure the very best candidate for the position of senior coach. "The St Kilda Football Club Board and its management will use every resource available to them to secure the best person possible to fulfil the potential of the St Kilda Football Club." St Kilda was knocked out of the AFL finals race by Melbourne at the MCG last Friday night.
The Article Sportal/12Sept06

Doubting Thomas
Is St Kilda a victim of the devil for another year, or has the injury alibi expired? Have the Saints done enough by finishing in the eight three years running, or do they continue to fumble a gift-wrapped opportunity to win a rare flag? . . . Questions, questions, questions. Collingwood is out of the premiership race because too many players don't stand up to finals intensity, because it is painfully slow and has a flaky forward division. St Kilda, though, is out for more obscure reasons. Some beyond its control, some self-inflicted.
The Article Mike Sheahan/HeraldSun/12Sept06

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