From the Ballarat Courier
Reported by Melanie Whelan
Full article - Click here
LEGENDARY VFL coach Gerard FitzGerald will not be reappointed at the Roosters’ helm.
North Ballarat Roosters tonight released a statement via social media that the board would not extend FitzGerald’s contract, which ends this season.
“This decision sends a message of change within the club for its next stage of development as it enters the VFL as a standalone team in 2016,” the statement read.
“The board continues to review the organisation's football structure to ensure that the club is well positioned for sustained success in the VFL. The board believes that these changes will be necessary to ensure that the club can be competitive in the ever evolving VFL landscape.”
Fitzgerald has agreed to coach out the season.
Digs has been and will be at north Ballarat rain hail or shine doesn't matter where the roosters finish. Heart and soul. As for fitzy his record and contribution has been outstanding he deserves better. Jimbob and due north will you be there if things go bad for the roosters or bail out ? I know digs will always be there helping out. Don't be surprised if the roosters finish the season well playing for fitzy and the roosters on a high.
I have no problem with the club examining the coaching situation heading into their second stint as stand alone, and I don't have any problem with them replacing Fitzgerald with someone better.
Problem is the board hasn't actually been through a thorough process to examine the coaching position, have rejected the recommendation of the football department who have been through such a process, and have not given Fitzgerald the opportunity to reapply for the position and make a presentation that can be compared with other candidates.
Given Fitzgerald led an understrength team to the finals last season, that seems like an incredible situation, and certainly gives credence to talk this decision is based on personalities and not what's best for the club.
This is like Norm Smith getting the arse from Melbourne in 1964, have never recovered
In reply to Paul, you have asked those by Wally from Wil…
Wally from Williamstown wrote
Obviously joined at the hip Wal !!!
In reply to Digs, what is it that you are by Jimbob
Jimbob,
If you are going to post on this site make sure you get your facts right. Don't bullshit.
If you had attended the meeting last monday night you would be well aware that there were many past players & the complete 2015 list to a man in attendance to fully support Fitzy.
Digs, do you honestly think a current player would admit, especially on Monday night, that he wasn't a fan of and happy to see Him go? After this media shit storm that you have created there is no way they would feel comfortable coming out and saying that. and yes, there are plenty of past players who were not supporters of him. That is all fact.
Still no answers to all the important questions relating to the North Ballarat FC? Or is it all just personal Jimbob?
Paul - I have disregarded the questions as I am not a member of the board nor am I the spokes person for them, so I will not comment on questions I have no right in answering. I am pro change, feel as though the club has become stagnate and there are a few members of the club that need to get off their high horses and allow progress.
It is well known that North has been dictated to by the old boys club for a long time and at the end of the day it is not how a FC should been ran.
Progress? A new board coming in and deciding to remove a proven coach without doing the necessary investigation to know if he is the best candidate is not progress.
If they are serious about progressing the football club the board should establish a panel with a rep from the board, some people familiar with stand alone VFL (Baird? Curry? Lovett?), someone who was involved with the Roosters from the Nth Melbourne side of things and someone very familiar with footy in the wider Ballarat region.
Then advertise the coaching position, allow Fitzgerald to apply along with any other interested party, and make the panel's decision binding, only to be rubber stamped by the board. Then you'll get a good result free from personality, politics and ignorance.
Jimbob you need only to have a look at where Frankston is at right now to realise the danger of not doing these things the right way.