I've read a bit about the next coach needing to be someone who understands Eels culture and style.
My question is what is Eels culture?
4 premierships in 77 years the last being almost 40 years ago.
14 wooden spoons the 2nd most of all time western suburbs with 18 can't possibly get another one university in 3rd with 10 so that makes us most by any team still in existence.
It's no wonder that just making the 8 is enough for most fans because success and Parramatta don't go together.
People say get the legends in to coach or pump up the players I say why? None of these players were born when those legends played our lack of recent success means we can't bring in players this lot grew up idolising it's a similar problem NSW face no legends the current generation grew up idolising.
So back to Eels culture and what does it have to do with the next coach for me it means nothing we need a big change in identity and culture and become ruthless in our ambition 4 premierships in 77 years for me means only 4 successful seasons. Just making the 8 or even a grand final appearance can't be seeing as a successful season. we need to be ruthless in our expectations and a coach and board that reflect that.
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To me it's always been a club that has a period of success (say 5-6 years) but then has a downturn and can't sustain the success. As for coach and culture maybe it is best to start with a fresh coach like a ryles or Hannay who haven't been through all the stress of coaching yet.
Yeah I agree but I wouldn't say success its 5-6 years of competitiveness but not success and that's part of the problem
Yeah true, good competitive period of top 4ish footy and finals but then a big drop off. They can't sustain it like a Melbourne Storm type club.
The worst team in the comp put 40 on us. Gets hard they give up. That's all you need to know about our culture. The sad thing is they probably haven't even processed not having a NRL career after this season. They just think that their actions can go accounted for. If they keep going the way they are going this is exactly what will happen. They have to draw a line in the sand today not tomorrow.
11 of those wooden spoons were before 1972 though. I've often said that the club was not ready to be admitted when they did in 1947, they didn't have a good squad or foundations back then and they really struggled in the early days. I think if we would have come in, say 1967 then I think things would have been better.
It is weird in terms of a fanbase as even though we had a decade of dominance out of 8, we have developed a massive fanbase from it. We are, next to Souths and Canterbury, the biggest club in Sydney. You have Parramatta in a big game and it will pack out, no doubt about it. We are a valueable team to the NRL in terms of bringning money in. However, unlike say Canterbury with dogs of war, we haven't got that type of mantra where you say "Parramatta are this".
I think the direction we need to head towards, as boring as it sounds, is defence. Plain and simple. Jack Gibson cherished that ideology of defend and the points will come, it is even more relevant today. It just seems in most sports they move towards attack and everything is attack, plus fans want it too for entertainment point of view. To me, i find Parra winning and being dominant in defence more entertaining than have us score 30 points and still lose. Defence is the direction of our identity. We are a club that is a nightmare to attack against. It is no coincidence that in the majority of teams that win comps are top 2 in defence.
Sam Burgess would have our culture sorted in no time. He is "culture " personified, leads by example. You're either in or you're out and I reckon there would be a few looking for new gigs.
It's a difficult thing to define the Eels culture. For the fans going about their daily business, culture is changing rapidly in the area. It is no longer just another a suburb of Sydney where people struggle and feel rather hard done by. Wealth is increasing and people have a vast range of interests to spend their money on.
So what is driving fans to support the Eels? Is it based on the success of the 1980s? I doubt it - a big number of fans weren't even born then but still fully support the Eels. Is it because the Eels represent an area that the fans call home - one which is very diverse and offers lot of opportunities for families? I think this might be closer to the mark, even if some fans don't actually live in the area.
So the Eels are not a club that believes the world is against them, we are not driven to success by any means possible but need this to be fair and equitable. We also value family and friends. How do you capture that in a culture for the team? Local juniors will know this but imports may not. In any event, Parra needs to find that culture that will ensure on-field success and be something that the people will continue to invest in emotionally and financially.
Well said, always enjoy your insights.
Good blog. Culture for me is being bonded to the club to be part of its soul. If if doesn't have one all you have is what's in it for me. Not a good culture to have.
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