- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Ernie Merrick has come out swinging at the treatment of sacked St Kilda coach Brett Ratten, calling it “one of the worst I’ve seen.”
The two-time A-League championship winner had a part-time role at the Saints as a mentor for Ratten, and spoke on SEN’s Whateley on Thursday morning about last week’s sacking – just three months after signing a two-year extension.
“Sometimes I think board members consider that (Ratten’s style) as being soft. I consider it modern coaching – and his results really prove that. And despite what‘s been said, which amazes me, I think his results have been on track,” said Merrick on the show.
He agreed when asked if it was an inappropriate way by St Kilda to treat an employee, adding, “It‘s quite disgraceful, really. It’s demeaning, it’s not called for.
“The difference is Geelong had Frank Costa in support of Bomber Thompson and Richmond had Peggy O’Neal in support of Damien Hardwick – and to me, the board‘s got a lot to answer for at St Kilda.”
Merrick added he was “one of the best coaches I’ve ever worked with”, and that he “observed a very, very good coach” who had “excellent relationship skills, who led through gaining respect through his leadership and his personality without instilling fear of failure and fear through being an authoritarian”.
Ernie Merrick (Photo by Tony Feder/Getty Images)
“I was shocked because his (Ratten’s) new contract had been signed roughly three months earlier. The chairman spoke very highly of him – and that all changes in half a season. I can‘t understand how you can judge a person in half a season, especially with the injuries that he had … and yet he still managed to have 11 wins, 10 wins and 11 wins in his three seasons. And that last season, he was so close to getting in the finals
“So with an average of 11 wins a season for the first three years and the building of players and up and coming youngsters … he was doing everything right. I just don‘t think he had enough experience in his squad to go much further.
“The difference is in soccer when you‘re sacked from the English Premier League, you walk away with $20 million and six months of salary.”
“I’ve been in coaching for a while since the ‘70s. You win a game, you go in the changeroom, everybody‘s happy, everyone’s supporting you. As soon as you lose a couple of games, no one wants to know you. You don’t get the same characters in support of you – and they’re the ones that you can soon tell are ready to jump ship quickly.
“I have to say I was initially very impressed by the board, but the board made the decision. It‘s not the CEO that made the decision, so it all comes down to the board.
“The whole behaviour and the way things were handled and who handled them is, is really very, very disappointing.”
Merrick admitted chief executive Simon Lethlean and president Andrew Bassat had interviewed him the day before Ratten was dismissed from his position. He said he felt the decision had already been made before that meeting.
“The CEO, I thought, was very fair and honest … but I‘m afraid from Andrew Bassat, I felt as though the decision was already made. And I was so disappointed,” Merrick said. “Whatever argument was presented to me for removing the coach, I countered.
“This is a results-driven business that we‘re in and these team sports in particular, you have to co-ordinate a group of players to perform and win games and improve week-in, week-out. But it’s really not performance-related. It’s usually someone makes a fairly tough call, often without the expertise and knowledge behind them, I would say.”
CLICK HERE for a seven-day free trial to watch the AFL on KAYO
“I‘d like to know who made the decision to play a game in Cairns, which they lost by a point. I mean, that 12th win would probably have guaranteed a finals position, but it’s out of the hands of the coach. List management is out of the hands of the coach. You can pass on advice, but you can’t go out and get the players yourself, you’ve got different departments doing that.
“In my opinion, St Kilda aren’t going to have success until they stabilise the whole club from top to bottom. To me they were stable, they’ve stuffed it around and I don’t know what’ll happen now.”
Who’s in your ultimate team? Pick the best team and compete with other fans for daily prizes on Draftstars. For the best odds on the game try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Think. Is this a bet you really want to place? Set a deposit limit.