Sacking of Tony Jewell ('84) and App't of Gellie: History Lessons?

[shanegrambeau]

Watched us beat Footscray at Moorabbin in 1984 on YT last night. (See 13:50 btw) The exasperated looks on Tony Jewell's face in the box in one of our rare wins for the year got me curious. Especially when I learned he was sacked during the season. I tried to research and found little to nothing about it. Can anyone explain the circumstances were surrounding the sacking of Jewell (Lindsay Fox?) ..the choice for Gellie to take over and whether they can see any of this as relevant to the way we are thinking about Richo and the list right now?

[saynta]

Watched us beat Footscray at Moorabbin in 1984 on YT last night. (See 13:50 btw) The exasperated looks on Tony Jewell's face in the box in one of our rare wins for the year got me curious. Especially when I learned he was sacked during the season. I tried to research and found little to nothing about it. Can anyone explain the circumstances were surrounding the sacking of Jewell (Lindsay Fox?) ..the choice for Gellie to take over and whether they can see any of this as relevant to the way we are thinking about Richo and the list right now?

From memory Fox got the s***s over two players running into each other and immediately sacked the coach at games end.

Said the players skill levels were appalling.

[shanegrambeau]

A snap reaction/judgment? from Fox? Wow! Well, we know how well that ended. We were even worse in 1985. So resentment must have been brewing in order for Fox to have the balls to push that button. No? And then, so why Gellie? And why did he, Gellie, then fail so miserably and maybe Jewell wasn't so bad?

[takeaway]

Watched us beat Footscray at Moorabbin in 1984 on YT last night. (See 13:50 btw) The exasperated looks on Tony Jewell's face in the box in one of our rare wins for the year got me curious. Especially when I learned he was sacked during the season. I tried to research and found little to nothing about it. Can anyone explain the circumstances were surrounding the sacking of Jewell (Lindsay Fox?) ..the choice for Gellie to take over and whether they can see any of this as relevant to the way we are thinking about Richo and the list right now?

From memory Fox got the s***s over two players running into each other and immediately sacked the coach at games end.

Said the players skill levels were appalling.

I think that was Mike Patterson that Fox sacked - Jezza took over.

[saynta]

Watched us beat Footscray at Moorabbin in 1984 on YT last night. (See 13:50 btw) The exasperated looks on Tony Jewell's face in the box in one of our rare wins for the year got me curious. Especially when I learned he was sacked during the season. I tried to research and found little to nothing about it. Can anyone explain the circumstances were surrounding the sacking of Jewell (Lindsay Fox?) ..the choice for Gellie to take over and whether they can see any of this as relevant to the way we are thinking about Richo and the list right now?

From memory Fox got the s***s over two players running into each other and immediately sacked the coach at games end.

Said the players skill levels were appalling.

I think that was Mike Patterson that Fox sacked - Jezza took over.

You could be right.

[Linton Lodger]

Watched us beat Footscray at Moorabbin in 1984 on YT last night. (See 13:50 btw) The exasperated looks on Tony Jewell's face in the box in one of our rare wins for the year got me curious. Especially when I learned he was sacked during the season. I tried to research and found little to nothing about it. Can anyone explain the circumstances were surrounding the sacking of Jewell (Lindsay Fox?) ..the choice for Gellie to take over and whether they can see any of this as relevant to the way we are thinking about Richo and the list right now?

From memory Fox got the s***s over two players running into each other and immediately sacked the coach at games end.

Said the players skill levels were appalling.

I think that was Mike Patterson that Fox sacked - Jezza took over.

You could be right.

Yes Fox sacked Patterson and appointed Jezza over the 2 players colliding. Would like to hear what happened with Jewell.

[Enrico_Misso]

Lucky for Richo that Fox isn't our current President!

[samuraisaint]

From memory I think Tony Jewell announced his resignation a few games out before the end of the season. The board said no, you can leave right now thanks, and then Gellie (I think) took over straight away and we beat Richmond by 7 points in his first game as coach. It's a very long time ago and my memory might be playing tricks but that's the way it went down I think.

[kosifantutti]

Watched us beat Footscray at Moorabbin in 1984 on YT last night. (See 13:50 btw) The exasperated looks on Tony Jewell's face in the box in one of our rare wins for the year got me curious. Especially when I learned he was sacked during the season. I tried to research and found little to nothing about it. Can anyone explain the circumstances were surrounding the sacking of Jewell (Lindsay Fox?) ..the choice for Gellie to take over and whether they can see any of this as relevant to the way we are thinking about Richo and the list right now?

From memory Fox got the s***s over two players running into each other and immediately sacked the coach at games end.

Said the players skill levels were appalling.

I think that was Mike Patterson that Fox sacked - Jezza took over.

You could be right.

Yes Fox sacked Patterson and appointed Jezza over the 2 players colliding. Would like to hear what happened with Jewell.

I think Jim O’Dea was one of them. Was the other one Cox or Colling or someone else?

[Bowey Boy]

My memory is this match was 1980. Jezza had come over as a player and Patterson was coach. Early in the season, Round 2 I think, Chris Stone and another player collided - it could be argued they were both going hard at the ball.
So Patterson left and Jezza the messiah became coach. He was the reigning premiership coach.

Next week we drew with Richmond at the MCG where Russell Greene saved the day. The week after was the famous Head Butt game with Carmen and we beat Essendon at Moorabbin by less than a goal.

Cue Round 5 - and we played Carlscum at Moorabbin in the biggest game since the 1913 Grand Final. Match of the day as Jezza took on his old team. Needless to say we were absolutely spanked and s*** for another decade. We also offloaded Russell Greene to Hawthorn around this time forcing him to play in three winning grand finals against his will. We got Mark Scott and Tony King in exchange - sigh.

Note this is all from memory so may not be 100 percent factual.

[bigred]

Spanked and s*** for another decade.

Aint that the truth.

[shanegrambeau]

For the reason that we are in straights perhaps, I’m curious about those years from ‘83-‘86 right now, and how, despite coach changes and personnel changes, we couldn’t get off the bottom. Perhaps there are some lessons there? This doesn’t mean I think we should keep Richo or not. I notice that when Gellie came on board there was a little spike and then we started 1985 atrociously, losing multiple games by 100+ points early in the season. It’s a long time ago obviously, so it could be a dose of late-middle aged homesickness. (In Japan) anyway, thx for the comments.

[bigred]

1985 what a year.
Average losing margin of 53 points.

Some of the losses were just horrendous. 110 points, 140 points, 113 points, 126 points, 93 points.

Beat Fitzroy twice, dogs once with our biggest win of the year by 18 points.

Gave up scores of 176, 169, 211, 183, 159, 139 & 184.

Just got pumped. All year. Pumped.

The first three weeks of the year are just the stuff of nightmares. 110 & 140 points at Moorabbin. I remember them well. Richmond kicked 211 points in round three at the G'.

Lockett kicked 79 goals. Only one other player kicked more than 20.

The whole place was a shambles.

[shanegrambeau]

1985 what a year....
..Just got pumped....
....The whole place was a shambles.

Perhaps this is when Elliot from Carlton called the place “a rabble” and proceeded to trade us any number of ex-Carlton players.

Imagine the internet and this forum existed in 1985 -, the things would be said about Graham Gellie and co... lol

Anyway, there was a ruckman, Number 50, that played his only VFL game ever for us. One game, and gone!

I suppose the times were so different then, it almost looks like kick to kick sometimes, but it obviously wasn’t random, because we were so, so bad. I guess I’m getting at the players and their motivation. Commentators still say the team played hard for Richo, at least until mid late 2017. I wonder what happened.

[chico2001]

1985 what a year....
..Just got pumped....
....The whole place was a shambles.

Perhaps this is when Elliot from Carlton called the place “a rabble” and proceeded to trade us any number of ex-Carlton players.

Imagine the internet and this forum existed in 1985 -, the things would be said about Graham Gellie and co... lol

Anyway, there was a ruckman, Number 50, that played his only VFL game ever for us. One game, and gone!

I suppose the times were so different then, it almost looks like kick to kick sometimes, but it obviously wasn’t random, because we were so, so bad. I guess I’m getting at the players and their motivation. Commentators still say the team played hard for Richo, at least until mid late 2017. I wonder what happened.

Dead right, differnt days and still pulled a crowd and people got their kicks somehow from those big Losses. We did get some handy players from carlton who were strong at the time. Loved beating those arseholes once every 10 years. Tore the M/card up every 2nd year in those days.

[sunsaint]

Imagine the internet and this forum existed in 1985 -, the things would be said about Graham Gellie and co... lol

Yeah I dont know if SS would have given it to GGellie
he was just the poor dumb bunny stuck in the lights of the freight train (wreck) coming down the track

But if you want to - you could easily mount an argument of similarities between the SSC (Stkilda Social Club) and SS
Cant remember the number of times watching the SC members lauding and applauding players coming in and getting some player of the day award and all he would have to say is "we will do better next week" and the crowd would be in raptures.
I spose anything under 100 was a good day (and all they wanted to do was get back up to the disco - good times/bad times)
Supporting the club "positively" is one thing but it has to be balanced with a healthy dose of reality

Ex Stkilda people - credentialed people from other clubs - well meaning benefactors - reject retirement club - the 80s had it all Yep we were a rabble
My one hope was we would get Mick Malthouse back to the club after his apprenticeship at the dogs - we didnt

[chico2001]

He would have been great, but I think he knew the inner workings and that may have played a part in his decision, only a guess there. I think he was in demand as a coach in those days ...and after...

[darylcowie]

Does anyone else remember a bizarre "Coach's Corner" segment on World of Sport with Graeme Gellie for the Saints and Jacko filling in for the coach of one of his myriad of teams (including us). It was incredibly cringeworthy, with Jacko mercilessly taking the piss out of Gellie, who looked just as out of his depth in front of the camera as he was in the coach's box! He was a terrific player for us before he did his knee, bu as for coaching?????

[chico2001]

Does anyone else remember a bizarre "Coach's Corner" segment on World of Sport with Graeme Gellie for the Saints and Jacko filling in for the coach of one of his myriad of teams (including us). It was incredibly cringeworthy, with Jacko mercilessly taking the piss out of Gellie, who looked just as out of his depth in front of the camera as he was in the coach's box! He was a terrific player for us before he did his knee, bu as for coaching?????

He got thrown under the bus, both in the coaching aspect and tv/papers. I think most people were aware of that. Don't think they would have paid him much either. Fantastic handballer and just shows what you can if you are deficient in one area, you can make it up in another area. He didn't play much though but did win a B&F.

[SaintPav]

1985 what a year.
Average losing margin of 53 points.

Some of the losses were just horrendous. 110 points, 140 points, 113 points, 126 points, 93 points.

Beat Fitzroy twice, dogs once with our biggest win of the year by 18 points.

Gave up scores of 176, 169, 211, 183, 159, 139 & 184.

Just got pumped. All year. Pumped.

The first three weeks of the year are just the stuff of nightmares. 110 & 140 points at Moorabbin. I remember them well. Richmond kicked 211 points in round three at the G'.

Lockett kicked 79 goals. Only one other player kicked more than 20.

The whole place was a shambles.

The good old days....

[shanegrambeau]

So who chose Gellie? If it is true he was a pup thrown under the wheels of a Mac truck, so to speak. (With a drunk driver?)

Something must have happened - or not happened - pre-season In 1985, for us to get so smashed up straight outta the blocks.

And how did we respond? There were some competitive games. Remember we had players like Barker, Morewood, Max Crow, Plugger, Spud, Burns, Joffa etc..

Now that Richo is getting it, we don’t wanna make the same reactive mistakes and by the looks of the recruiting, according to the press (highly suspect, but what else ?) , we have no choice but to pay overs, take gambles etc. in other words, we cannot afford to use rationality.

[shanegrambeau]

You know, perhaps it was a Paul Roos type choice. Respected ex-player fills in for displaced coach and then, unforeseen at the time, he gets chosen as a full-timer. Perhaps that was why poor old Harves didn’t get a look in when he filled in?

[iwantmeseats]

I remember those years as a 12-14 year old.
Yeah, it was s***.
BUT, we had MOORABBIN !
That place...it stood for something, we made it a fortress, no matter how crap the team was.
Now we have.....yeah you get the picture. Massive difference.

[chico2001]

You know, perhaps it was a Paul Roos type choice. Respected ex-player fills in for displaced coach and then, unforeseen at the time, he gets chosen as a full-timer. Perhaps that was why poor old Harves didn’t get a look in when he filled in?

That about sum's it up. There was no silver lining. Had some good players but it was not enough.

[Trev from the Bush]

Graeme Gellie, 32 senior games and a B&F in his first season, his last game at Junction Oval against Fitzroy when his knee gave way for the last time for no apparent reason.

He was appointed after Tony Jewell said he would resign. Lindsay Fox famously rejected his resignation sacking him instead. A premiership coach a few short years earlier Tony, like Jezza before him, learnt that you cannot polish a turd.

Gellie's fist game as coach saw us defeat Richmond at Moorabbin in what was to be Brian Taylor's last game for the Tigers. The boof headed, bad tempered sook was thrashed all day by Saints' teenaged full back Danny Frawley. The bloated ego was dragged from the ground kicking and screaming after manhandling and lashing out at Frawley, never to be seen in "yella and black" again. Fat wimp.

That win came from nowhere, other than Jewell's departure. I remember many years later the late, great Trevor Barker saying Gellie made an art form out of training drills involving witches hats,. To the point that no player understood them.

One thing nobody has touched on was the Club was basically broke. Throughout the late 70s and into the 80s any player with value was considered an asset that could be sold. Val Perovic a case in point; wouldn't move from Ballarat to Melbourne as ordered by Chairman Lindsay and went to Carlton at the end of 1979 for a reported $100,000 transfer fee.

Carlton got a champion defender and dual premiership payment, StKilda got some more moolah to keep the payments on its grandstands up to date. Here endeth the lesson.