Voss decides he's not ready

[Hondo]

From ABC newsmail 01-08-07, as quoted:

Triple premiership winning captain and Brownlow medallist Michael Voss has decided not to seek an AFL coaching role in 2008. Carlton, Essendon, Fremantle and Melbourne are all looking for a new head coach for next season and Voss has had his name heavily bandied about in the media.

Voss has been in talks with the Blues but the club has confirmed the former Brisbane Lions skipper has opted against taking a head coaching role. Carlton chief executive officer Greg Swann says he appreciates Voss's decision. "We have previously advised that we are concentrating on a short list of candidates for the senior coaching role in 2008 and our focus remains on this short list," he said. "Michael's decision does not alter the club's position or the process, it means there is one less candidate for consideration."

Caretaker coach Brett Ratten will now be the favourite to assume the role permanently next season. Ratten says Voss's lack of coaching experience means he made the right decision. "You think you know all about it but I'm telling you, there's a lot more work to be done behind the scenes," he said. "The hours are just - well you think 'oh yeah, we'll do this 40, 50 hours, 60 hours', well it gets to sort of 75, 80 hours a week so it is pretty intense."

[Roylion]

He's made the right decision in my view
1) He didn't seem to have that burning desire to coach (at least at the moment)
2) In my view he needs to serve as an assistant to learn the ropes and to ascertain whether coaching is right for him. Not all champion players make champion coaches. Given his credentials as a player he can only enhance his stocks as an assistant coach at a reasonably successful team.
3) Melbourne, Essendon and Carlton have relatively poor lists. Mark Harvey looks a certainty in Fremantle. When it boils down to it in the vast majority of cases, a coach is only as good as his cattle.

[hearts on fire]

good decision, I think vossy should keep out of the game for a few years (apart from commentary) and then see what he wants to do. I think he has rushed it and the media has put pressure onto him and forced him to think about coaching.

[saintal]

Good. Personally i'm a bit sick of hearing from him. Jason Dunstall made some good points on that monday football show re: vossy. His confidence was getting on my nerves a bit

Great player, will probably be a good coach, but the media attention/speculation was over the top.

[Rik E Boy]

Voss decides that Lethal is not ready............................................to go.

regards,

REB

[ORDoubleBlues]

Good. Personally i'm a bit sick of hearing from him. Jason Dunstall made some good points on that monday football show re: vossy. His confidence was getting on my nerves a bit

Great player, will probably be a good coach, but the media attention/speculation was over the top.

Certainly agree with that and obviously it's looked upon that the better the player you were, the more likely that you are going to be a good coach. For example, who's to say that someone like Shaun Hart wouldn't make a good coach?
For Voss there's also the very real possibility that if he crashes and burns, he'll be sacked before he's 40 and won't get a head coaching gig again.

[MW]

The true test for Voss will be in a couple of years time when, if he still wants to coach, he will have to take a pay cut from the media to do it, not unlike the Gary Lyon situation.