by Lisa, reporting for AFANA from Chicago
After an exhaustive two month review of the all club operations, Geelong Coach Mark Thompson will continue for at least one more year, when his contract expires. His reappointment comes after he convinced the board, some of whom had their doubts, that he was still the man for the job. CEO Brian Cook refuted recent rumors that Thompson had "lost" the players. The players themselves also indicated to Cook that they still believed in Thompson and his coaching ability.
However, there will be changes both on the field and off. Defender Tom Harley will replace Steven King as captain, with King stating he no longer wanted the role. CEO Brian Cook will fill in as temporary football operations chief while the club seeks a full-time person for the job. Coach Thompson had been involved with the off-field operations, but will now concentrate on match day coaching.
The board also agreed to replace Andy Lovell with a new midfield coach, to inject $400,000 into the football department for a new development coach and new strength and conditioning coach, a bigger say by the player leadership group on trade decisions, list management, and a rotation system on the match committee. The position of current football manager Garry Davidson will be determined after a new football chief is hired. A review of the club's recruiting is yet to be completed. President Frank Costa is confident that he and the current board can stand up to any challenge, with Costa saying he wants to remain as president for at least another 3 years.
After an exhaustive two month review of the all club operations, Geelong Coach Mark Thompson will continue for at least one more year, when his contract expires. His reappointment comes after he convinced the board, some of whom had their doubts, that he was still the man for the job. CEO Brian Cook refuted recent rumors that Thompson had "lost" the players. The players themselves also indicated to Cook that they still believed in Thompson and his coaching ability.
However, there will be changes both on the field and off. Defender Tom Harley will replace Steven King as captain, with King stating he no longer wanted the role. CEO Brian Cook will fill in as temporary football operations chief while the club seeks a full-time person for the job. Coach Thompson had been involved with the off-field operations, but will now concentrate on match day coaching.
The board also agreed to replace Andy Lovell with a new midfield coach, to inject $400,000 into the football department for a new development coach and new strength and conditioning coach, a bigger say by the player leadership group on trade decisions, list management, and a rotation system on the match committee. The position of current football manager Garry Davidson will be determined after a new football chief is hired. A review of the club's recruiting is yet to be completed. President Frank Costa is confident that he and the current board can stand up to any challenge, with Costa saying he wants to remain as president for at least another 3 years.
Article last changed on Tuesday, September 26, 2006 - 10:31 AM EDT
