Leppitsch strikes out at Lions supremos

Pray to any and all the gods that you don't get Swann's mate - Malthouse. Swann should take several steps away from this one. Ratten would be the ideal candidate after Bomber. Whoever gets the job, it will be on their own merits.

Bomber Would be the best choice at the moment but as you say if the AFL gets involved he want be coaching Ratten I don't think would be a bad choice, the only reason he got axe last time was MM was available and Carlton was looking for a quick fix to a problem that was not there.

The only former Lion I would like to see back coaching at the club is Jason Akermanis. At least he hates losing and doesn't believe in not putting in 100% every game. He'd improve the attitude immeasurably, but that would look desperate if we pitchforked him in there! The AFL would never allow it anyway. My personal preference remains Bomber Thompson but that's a million to one of actually happening. Someone with some experience of coaching, and some new off-field support staff. And make Zorko skipper even if it gives Rockliff the pip. I daresay we'll wind up with Ratten as coach because the AFL want us to go down that path and will fund it for us.

Paul what are you hoping for in a coach? someone experience or inexperience and are you hoping they stay away from passed players as they has not seemed to worked.

Sorry for any typos was writing in a rush. Should have stopped and edited. Only points of interest IMO are that they haven't backed Rockliff as skipper, admitted some of the younger players didn't like Leppa all that much. Emailing the playing group too - rather than getting them in? I guess it is Mad Monday, but jesus. You'd think they'd have assembled the players for this one. Anyways. Draw a line under this era, hopefully it's now done. Let's see who wants to step up next to have a great big gulp from one of the most poisoned chalices in the AFL.

Summary of the press conference. Sharpless doing most of the talking. Results driven business - not competitive at the moment. Lists how clubs win/loss record has regressed over 3 years and the manner of some defeats have been concerning. Leppa has achieved a lot, but board not convinced status quo maintained. Club needs a different direction, clubs 9 senior directors made decision to release Leppitsch from last year of contract. Leppa is legend, thanks etc. Wish Justin all the best. Club will now commence a process to appoint a senior coach. Q. What was Leppa's reaction? A. Rang Justin after meeting, disappointed. Q. Have the goalposts been moved? A. No, board has been supportive, but season has not turned out the way they expected, something is not right. We had to do something about that. Q. Was the board's decision unanimous? A. Doesn't know. Q. WIll anyone be responsible/accountable for Leppa extension A. It happens. Basically no. Q. Will senior players be held accountable? A. Review has identified number of areas - across the board improvement & work to be done. Q. Do you reckon the players let him down? A. Some players haven't had the seasons they would have wanted Q. Is the club even in a position where it can judge whether a man can coach? (Implying the club is that bad it doesn't matter who the coach is) A. Young club. We knew we were in for a tough year. Referenced Dockers as top 4 and GCS as 8 and didn't get near it so says Lions were more realistic in their assessment Q. Will it be tough to find a coach? A. No. Q. To Greg Swann - untried coach has failed twice here, do you have a criteria for the next choice? A. Swann - Ultimately we will get the best coach there is. No preconceived view of experience. Based on criteria. Q. Do the Lions have the financial capacity to make a godfather offer to a coaching superstar? A. Swann - That won't be the driver, looking at best candidate first then put the deal together. Sharpless adds they need better support staff and an experienced football manager. Q. What was reaction from players? A. Don't know as they were just notified by email, haven't heard from anyone yet. Q. What was view of players on Leppa last week? A. Some players were positive, some negative. Majority supported him, some didn't. Q. How much will the AFL be involved in the replacement? A. Swann - the decision is ours, but the AFL would like visibility. Q. Is today's decision proof Leigh Matthews isn't the one and only voice at the club? A. The decision was made, Sharpless doesn't know how the other board members voted. Secret ballot. Q. Will Rockliff's position as captain be reviewed? A. Too early to say but everything is open to discussion Q. Club is on the nose with mainstream Brisbane market, how important is this next decision? A. Very important - building blocks are there - Swann says it's an obvious question and if they get it wrong he and Sharpless won't be the ones standing there announcing the new coach? Q. Will you look for fresh eyes (someone not previously associated with Brisbane)? A. Swann - Doesn't matter. Q. Will there be a backlash from rusted on fans? A. Swann - horribly decisions to make to sack two legends, but unfortunately that's the way it goes. Q. Are the club further back 3 years ago? A. Sharpless - no I don't think we are. New talent etc. Emphasis on Queensland talent which is a plus and there is blue sky on the horizon. Q. AFL has forgotten Brisbane for last few years, do you agree and are they now calling the shots on these decisions? A. Swann - board still runs the club, obviously we are linked with AFL financially and dependent, on them for support, but board remains independent. End of conference.

Yeah, clearly he's gone. It'll probably be announced by the time you read this. Honestly, I was worried at his first team selection, when he picked three debutants in round one. I was mollified a bit when it seemed that his aggressive youth approach yielded results later in 2014, but over time it's become clear that really he just had a particularly mature group of draftees: Andrews and Cutler are the closest he's had to success in developing young players, and that's not good enough with the approach he's taken. If we're to accept that four and three wins seasons are required, there needs to be a strong indication that progress is happening in other areas.

Lions have called a press conference for 1pm to announce the results of the board meeting.

PaulD, I agree with you and particularly about his comments on the first year players. They must feel great reading that their coach thinks it is going to be hard for them to get a game next year. He should be talking them up as players the club can build success on.

It really has been a see-saw ride the last few years – my mate Stuart has been deadset against him since about 2015, he has consistently said he’s a potato and should have been sacked straight away, but he was a Voss disciple so I think he was approaching it from a bit of apprehended bias! I backed Leppa in 2015, and said, at least for the start of this year that he should be retained in the absence of any other outstanding candidate coming forward. But it’s been the vent sessions as you put it that have gradually turned me off – my thought was that he stuffed up his timing on those, if he was going to come out and whinge he should have done it after the Essendon game, rather than after the state of South Australia defeated us by 350-118 over the course of 2 weeks. Looked terrible and it has just gotten worse. I don’t know why he’s worried about his reputation, he had none to begin with and if Mark Neeld can score another assistant job then I’m sure Leppa will have no problems finding someone’s football department willing to pay him a wage. Maybe he has a right to be aggrieved, I don’t know what assurances he was given or what has happened behind the doors of the club, but the fact remains that he would be a dreadful figurehead to have at the club and while he remains they are not going to have any belief in winning, or any credibility in this city. So he has to go, surely. The board is meeting as I type, if they come out of this and announce he is retained for 2017 I will be staggered.

Although Leppitsch is certainly making it easier for them, even though it's probably not his intention.

Yep. I know you've been quicker to come to this conclusion than me, Paul, but its now clear that he's just treating media opportunities as personal vent sessions. At this point he seems more interested in his own reputation than anything else.

I'm sure it doesn't make a difference any more. The decision has already been made, even if the board is going through the motions of letting Leppa present and not announcing anything publicly.

That is what finally got Malthouse the sack at Carlton, having a shot at the board publicly. I think Leppa just signed his own death warrant at the club. Some things should be kept in-house. It sounds like he has no confidence in the team he is supposed to instill confidence in.

This is such sour grapes from Leppa. For starters, for him to come out and say that the club has somehow double-crossed him by introducing a win-loss component into his assessment is thoroughly misleading – there are losses, and then there are LOSSES and it has been the manner of some of those 19 losses this year that would have deeply concerned the board and caused them to rethink. That being said, it may well be the case that he is taking a swipe at the AFL suits who are staging the intervention – it is no secret that AFL House views Leppa as not being worth a bucket of warm piss and want him gone, so maybe he’s just getting some of his own back. But it is a bad look regardless for a coach to come out with the “woe-is-us” shtick. Personally that’s why I would sack him – I recall a coach from (I think) Port Adelaide, and it might have been Primus, who was sacked on the spot after telling the board that the club couldn’t win every year – I don’t care how realistic Leppa is being, if he’s going into games every week thinking they’re going to lose and the club is hard done by, that attitude can be cancerous and needs to be cut out. Personally, I think if he really believes Mathieson, Hipwood and Schache in particular will struggle to get a game next year regardless of who’s back in the side he should be sacked on the spot. Ridiculous comment to make about the future of the club.