you make some good points, but Laird would not (arguably) have that record if he arrived at the Dogs 10 years earlier.doggies4eva wrote:I'd like to make a few points here.
1. Premierships are won by strong clubs - that means a team and coach that has the support of the club. While I think that Laird is the best caoch we have ever had I think our success comes as a result of the winning culture we have developed.
2. Laird is a great coach because he unstands and complements this culture. I can think of coaches whose egos have got in the way of this and they have turned a winning culture into a disfunctioning failing one. I sure we can all think of examples. I'd rather not mention names.
3. These comments that Donald Duck or Mickey Mouse could have won with the doggies team shows little appreciate of the mamoth acheivement that Laird has accomplished. How many dead cert teams have lost GFs (even Geelong this year)? Over Laird's term there have been times when teh team has been down, undermanned, losing confidence. evry time Laird has got them up and even 06 we made 2nd - a level which probably belied our form and talent for that year. Little is known about Lairds preparation of the team through the finals and in the week leading up to teh finals because he never big-notes himself, but he used some fairly innovative and effective ways to ensure that all players came ready to play.
He lets the results speak for themselves and 5 wins and a second in 6 years is superb! By the time he retires he will be without peer I believe.
I think the pertinent point is that Centrals are a strong club.
Maybe he is a good coach, but I maintain that a lot of the hard work was already done, or/and he could be the right bloke in the right place at the right time.
