Chris RubickNOTE TO SELF: DON’T USE A NUMBER
June 1st 2008 03:35
During the week St Kilda Chairman Greg Westaway was quoted as saying “we’d like to see him (Coach Ross Lyon) there for 10 years because that’s how you run clubs”. He continued on in a similar vein to publicly back his coach, yet all the media heard was “10 years” and the story careered on from there.
Mark ‘Robbo’ Robinson scored the back page of Wednesday’s Herald-Sun and shared his story with radio counterparts. On the same day his Herald-Sun colleague Mike Sheahan squeezed out a last minute opinion piece suggesting that Westaway was ‘naïve’ and stated that ‘his reference to a 10-year stay was silly’.
The media circus went on as the story filled much of the airtime on SEN1116 and 3AW’s 'Sports Today' also discussed it. Patrick Smith launched a typically short sighted attack and continued the perception that Westaway would, or even had, offered a ten-year contract to Lyon. He went on to suggest that Westaway’s comments were plainly gibberish.
To me Westaway's comments were simply that of a Chairman who was trying to support his coach during a difficult time. The reference to ‘10 years’ states the obvious – if Lyon does a good job and brings the club success, then he will be there for that long. Surely this is the hope of every club’s president and supporters? But as usual the journalists simply heard what they wanted to hear. It made for easy headlines and self-important rants (just like this one!).
The only journalist who made any sense of the Westaway comments was Samantha Lane (The Age) on May 29 in her article “Soft Saints set for a fresh start”. More importantly, she included a quote from Club Captain Nick Riewoldt who whilst endorsing his Chariman’s comments, qualified it by saying:
“I’m not sure about putting a figure on it…”
Greg, take note.
Mark ‘Robbo’ Robinson scored the back page of Wednesday’s Herald-Sun and shared his story with radio counterparts. On the same day his Herald-Sun colleague Mike Sheahan squeezed out a last minute opinion piece suggesting that Westaway was ‘naïve’ and stated that ‘his reference to a 10-year stay was silly’.
The media circus went on as the story filled much of the airtime on SEN1116 and 3AW’s 'Sports Today' also discussed it. Patrick Smith launched a typically short sighted attack and continued the perception that Westaway would, or even had, offered a ten-year contract to Lyon. He went on to suggest that Westaway’s comments were plainly gibberish.
To me Westaway's comments were simply that of a Chairman who was trying to support his coach during a difficult time. The reference to ‘10 years’ states the obvious – if Lyon does a good job and brings the club success, then he will be there for that long. Surely this is the hope of every club’s president and supporters? But as usual the journalists simply heard what they wanted to hear. It made for easy headlines and self-important rants (just like this one!).
The only journalist who made any sense of the Westaway comments was Samantha Lane (The Age) on May 29 in her article “Soft Saints set for a fresh start”. More importantly, she included a quote from Club Captain Nick Riewoldt who whilst endorsing his Chariman’s comments, qualified it by saying:
“I’m not sure about putting a figure on it…”
Greg, take note.
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