Force players, staff issue vote of no confidence in coach

[Cowboy]

From the wording of the article I supect the player vote is what triggered the call in the QC and also start mediation. I personally suspect the dosier John Welbourne took to the board with player concerns contained the signatures from the player vote and that was a while ago now.

[waratahjesus]

cos rugbywa is giving out press releases not writing the articles!

just cos they have a schedule doesnt mean nothing is wrong! it means they have a schedule!

plus, mitchells manager obviously doesnt want to give back the percentage he earned from the coachs large contract so is doing everything in his power to make the problems go away!

[mudskipper]

Well it looks like there are 2 choices, keep Mitch or get a new sqaud...It looks unworkable, if nobody believes in a 3 season head coach he is stuffed no matter who he is or where he has came from. It could cost a great deal to pay him out of his contract....tough times for CEO Harris...perhaps they should have let Gits go and the vote may never have happened, who knows. A total of 40 squad/staff have had enough? Ouch...thats big...

[travelling_gerry]

Yup. This stuff would never have happened under O'Meara's watch.

[waratahjesus]

this might be harsh, but why did they sign john mitchell for four years?

you cant market a coach, the players sell tickets!

[Thequeerone]

When Harris arrived he said the best thing about the was the Coach

[KenyaQuin]

I'm a paid up member..the internal politics of the side is not something I want to see..results is what I clamour for. What needs to be done is get the shit sorted out (Mitchell or no Mitchell..Gits or no Gits) and lets get on with the business of winning more games in 2009 than previously achieved and God forbid, make it to the finals.

[Cowboy]

I'm a paid up member..the internal politics of the side is not something I want to see..results is what I clamour for. What needs to be done is get the shit sorted out (Mitchell or no Mitchell..Gits or no Gits) and lets get on with the business of winning more games in 2009 than previously achieved and God forbid, make it to the finals.

I agree KQ, but I also want to know that the team I am supporting is group that is worth supporting. I'd rather support a Force team that is struggling but stands for something than support a winning team that I can't respect.

[oxleymoron]

you cant market a coach, the players sell tickets!

This might be the case for Phil Mooney and Chris Hickey, however John Mitchell as the inaugural coach had to sell his plan to attract players and members to a new franchise. I for one, was stoked to hear that Mitchell got the gong as the first coach.

Surely the players would have an inkling into the coaching and management style of Mitch prior to them signing. How many job interviews to you go to where you don't meet the boss to get an understanding of what it will be like to work for them?

[KenyaQuin]

I agree KQ, but I also want to know that the team I am supporting is group that is worth supporting. I'd rather support a Force team that is struggling but stands for something than support a winning team that I can't respect.

And right you are too Cowboy however the dynamics of a team cannot be underestimated. Simply because we think Mitchell is taking the team in right direction (based on performance and/or results) does not mean we ignore what may or may not be happening behind closed doors. To have a significant number (90%+) of the playing group and even coaching staff dissatisfied rarely happens even in teams with poorer winning records and bigger egos.

My point is that its the rugby I'm most interested in and if it means that some of our more prolific heads need rolling to get some sort of unity, cohesiveness and heart into the team then so be it. I'm proud of where Mitchell has taken us and I'm sure that should he stay, he'll take us where we want to be however I don't believe it should be at the expense of greater team harmony (again, in this case we are not talking about one or two disgruntal elements but rather a sizeable majority).

Bottom line is its the players that play on the day that win or lose games. If the Coach fails to get their support and/or respect then his position becomes untenable.

[waratahjesus]

This might be the case for Phil Mooney and Chris Hickey, however John Mitchell as the inaugural coach had to sell his plan to attract players and members to a new franchise. I for one, was stoked to hear that Mitchell got the gong as the first coach.

Surely the players would have an inkling into the coaching and management style of Mitch prior to them signing. How many job interviews to you go to where you don't meet the boss to get an understanding of what it will be like to work for them?

m going to say it again, the first group of players you attracted went for money and opportunity, the notion that john mitchell is the reason any of these players came west is a bit laughable, there is a long list of coaches that could have done the same job.

the second group of players were attracted by corporate support third party sponsors. this belief in the west that John mitchell is some sort of super coach is becoming a bit of a joke, just because rugbywa says so doesnt make it true.

he has had three years to "build" a team, maybe he isnt good enough to mould that team into a winning one. maybe they need fresh ideas. maybe if he was a supercoach, he would have stepped in earlier and instead of using recruiting dollars to sign marketers dreams would have bolstered his front row a bit!

[Cowboy]

Bottom line is its the players that play on the day that win or lose games. If the Coach fails to get their support and/or respect then his position becomes untenable.

I suppose the whole issue may come down to a simple question of "is the relationship between the coach and the players and other staff so damaged that it is beyond repair?" If it is beyond repair then it may no longer matter how they ended up where they are. Either way the club need to make a decision so they can get on with the job, the longer it takes to decide what they are going to do the worse the team will do in 2009.

[blueandblack]

m going to say it again, the first group of players you attracted went for money and opportunity, the notion that john mitchell is the reason any of these players came west is a bit laughable, there is a long list of coaches that could have done the same job.

the second group of players were attracted by corporate support third party sponsors. this belief in the west that John mitchell is some sort of super coach is becoming a bit of a joke, just because rugbywa says so doesnt make it true.

he has had three years to "build" a team, maybe he isnt good enough to mould that team into a winning one. maybe they need fresh ideas. maybe if he was a supercoach, he would have stepped in earlier and instead of using recruiting dollars to sign marketers dreams would have bolstered his front row a bit!

Not all the players signed on "in isolation". A number of players, including Sharpie, came across after having a chat with those who signed on before them. In Sharpie's case, that would be Brendan Cannon.

[waratahjesus]

i will think you will find brendon cannon was on the way out in sydney so went west, with sharpe, if you look closely i think you will find that perth had alot more to add in his pay packet than qld did at the time (the fact qld rugby was a shambles probably helped to though!)

[travelling_gerry]

I am speculating that players and staff were given a survey somewhat like this below.

Then the "consultant", not wishing to report that a team was in good shape and them requiring more dollars, reported back that Coach Mitchell was a problem. The somehow the results got leaked and thats where we are today.


Purpose
Do members of your team share a sense of why the team exists and are invested in accomplishing the mission?

Priorities
Do members know what needs to be done next, by whom, and by when to achieve team goals?

Roles
Do members know their roles in getting tasks done and when to allow a more skilful member to do a contain task?

Decisions
Are authority and decision-making lines clearly understood?

Conflict
Is conflict dealt with openly and considered important to decision-making and personal growth?


Personal Traits
Do team members feel their unique personalities are appreciated and well utilized?

Norms
Are group norms set for working together and are they seen as standards for everyone in the group?.

Effectiveness
Do members find team meetings efficient and productive and look forward to this time together?.


The old story of the consultant bought in, he borrows your watch and tells you the time.

CahChing....your invoice!!