The club has to look at turning over 10 plus players for at least the next 3 years, then you should have built up a nucleus of half decent players. You'll have a very young side, but hopefully a very talented one at the same time. After 2 more years of development you should have a combination of talented experience and talented youth. That's when you start the climb up the ladder.
At the end of this season I'd look at offloading: Raines (may still be worth something in trade), Simmonds, Polak, Brown, Bowden, McMahon (stuff the contract, pay it out, what good is he if he's playing for Coburg anyway?), Pettifer, McGuane (tradeable), Oakley-Nicholls, Schulz, Hislop, Johnson and King. That should do it for a start, give a few players a year to prove themselves under the new coach, but let them know that they'll be out the door unless they perform. That list would include the likes of: Edwards, Polo, Putt, Pattison, Hughes and Connors. By that time Cousins and Richo would also be retiring. It's hard, but it's the only way, it's why the club need to hire a real hard bugger as the next coach, someone who doesn't really care what toes he steps on or how loudly supporters cry about certain players. 3 year contract to be reviewed at the end of it. Specify that wins are not what is being looked at, future development and consistent improvement is. Part of Wallace's problem is that he coaches for the now and always has, won't take a hit now even if it looks like paying off in the future, hence his recruiting of stop gap players like Graham and Kingsley. I'd include McMahon in that too, but Wallace seems to think he's a match winner.
At the end of this season I'd look at offloading: Raines (may still be worth something in trade), Simmonds, Polak, Brown, Bowden, McMahon (stuff the contract, pay it out, what good is he if he's playing for Coburg anyway?), Pettifer, McGuane (tradeable), Oakley-Nicholls, Schulz, Hislop, Johnson and King. That should do it for a start, give a few players a year to prove themselves under the new coach, but let them know that they'll be out the door unless they perform. That list would include the likes of: Edwards, Polo, Putt, Pattison, Hughes and Connors. By that time Cousins and Richo would also be retiring. It's hard, but it's the only way, it's why the club need to hire a real hard bugger as the next coach, someone who doesn't really care what toes he steps on or how loudly supporters cry about certain players. 3 year contract to be reviewed at the end of it. Specify that wins are not what is being looked at, future development and consistent improvement is. Part of Wallace's problem is that he coaches for the now and always has, won't take a hit now even if it looks like paying off in the future, hence his recruiting of stop gap players like Graham and Kingsley. I'd include McMahon in that too, but Wallace seems to think he's a match winner.
