saintsRrising wrote:I am not sure where the "stiff and contrived Richo" was appearing, as I have in the main found his appearances open, honest and frank. This incuded the interviews he gave when he first accepted the job. Like any Head Coach he has to also wear a marketing hat as make no mistake that any head coach now would have marketing KPIs as part of their job description.
This has included at club functions including the "closed shop" members briefings held at Linen House where he reflected on some of his coaching philophosies including in part some of the differences he would bring in compared to former St Kilda Coaches. as well as various radio interviews and the like.
He has also been upfront when it was an area that he did not have sole/prime call on. ie such as player trades and draft selections.
It is never easy bringing in new game plans, and moreso when you mainly have a young list palying at the bottom of the ladder. Made harder still when you sign on knowing that some of your best players will be traded away, in the hope of long-term building a better list. This was effectively tieing one hand behind his back for a while.
When we hired Peta Searle I personally thought that he spoke well and in depth on a number of occassions.
As a new match day coach I think he has also at time struggled. I also think that this part of the learning process for a coach, who like players need to learn through the experience of actual doing. However I also recognise that his match day coaching has probably been affected by longer term objectives.
Says it all for me sR... you IMO are spot on in all your comments.
I've never found him stiff or contrived. Those member videos that sent to us members are done a few minutes after the games have ended....even before he goes to the media
de-brief on the game. He is having to think on his feet very quickly, possibly before he has had time to come down from the adrenalin of coaching a short time earlier, whilst also being cognisant that he can't say anything that may be taken the wrong way. I'd say he's a possibly more relaxed man speaking to individuals/ smaller groups, doesn't matter how much media training one does, it is very difficult learning how to speak to a camera and not appear stilted at times.
As for his media talks after the matches, I've always considered him polite and straightforward where tries to answer questions, doesn't avoid them or resort to endless footy clichés. Hopefully he never becomes media savvy.
Remember Ross Lyon when he started coaching the Saints? Lyon was abysmal. Full of speech non-fluencies (um, err, you know), monosyllabic, resorted to clichés, shifty eyes. After a season, the more he developed into the head coach role, the more media adept he became. He eventually morphed into quite a funny fellow with the media...he turned it onto them. He held their gaze if he was annoyed, he got a twinkle in his eyes when he was playing with them. Ro$$ since he has been at Freo is now a media tart, the media darlin'.......... he learn't to play the game. The media AND Freo members only get what Ro$$ is prepared to give, no more( like he was at the Saints) I hope AR doesn't go full circle and do a Ro$$y.
To see the warmth of the man............. go over to the official Saints.afl.com site, trawl back through the vidoes that were done on the training camp in NZ. There is one interview he conducts with his two young sons who he took over there to be with him as he doesn't get the time he wants to spend with them when the footy season starts. AR is a typical relaxed Dad, obviously proud of his 2 kids and in good humour takes the stick/mickey his kids give to him, plus he gives some of it back to them. A glimpse of a loving Dad, and I'm sure he is a loved Uncle Alan too.
