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Jacko backs former team-mate

By Mr Dandalooa

“John Worsfold is a proud man but he’s a smart man too. And a realistic one at that.”

That’s according to former West Coast Eagles premiership player Glen Jakovich who says despite the pressure encroaching on Woosha these days, the coach will know when its time to go.

Writing for a blog on http://www.wangle.com.au, Jakovich said the John he knows wouldn’t be naive in saying ‘Oh, we’re going to turn it around, we’re going to come back, you’ve just got to be patient,’ even though he’s a man who thrives on pressure.

He said he would know when enough’s enough.

But the mounting pressure on Worsfold forced the club to publicly back the premiership captain and coach in a straight statement on its website.

In a seemingly glowing endorsement of the coach, who signed a 2-year deal in late 2009,
Eagles CEO Trevor Nisbett said speculation over Worsfold’s future was nonsense.

“If the Eagles continue to lose games this year and next, it’s inevitable that John will go to the board and say ‘Look, I thought we were going down a certain path but maybe that’s not the best track at the minute’,” Jakovich wrote.

“In football, you’ve actually got to give an explanation of your vision.  John has tried to do this.”

Jacko said the fact that Woosha has talked about a three-year vision is commendable, although frustrating for the club.

He said it is now up to the coach to demonstrate this vision by 2012.

“If his vision isn’t working, he’ll be the first to recognise it,” Jacko went on to say.

“If it’s not the best fit for him to move forward with the club, then they’ll have that discussion.

“For now though, John Worsfold is the best person to lead the club.  I feel his pain and frustration.  For his sake, I hope he can turn things around very quickly.

“For now, he’s the right man for the job.  He’s been the right man in the past.  He’s got a proven record and I think he should be coach of that football club.”

Jacko said this time last year “everyone was starting to call for Mark Harvey’s head” yet less than 12 months later the Fremantle Football Club were sitting second on the ladder.

Leigh Matthews has been one of the most vocal to oust Woosha from the Eagles.

He sparked a torrent of criticism that he reckons Worsfold was “dreaming” to believe 2012 was a realistic target for another Eagles flag.

But Nisbett was having none of it.

“We have faith in our coaching structure, have confidence in the direction we are taking and are looking forward to watching the development of our list in coming seasons,” he said.

“We understand that a number of our supporters are frustrated that we are not winning games and may have some doubts about the direction we are taking with our club.

“We would all like our improvement to be more rapid. But to build anything of substance takes time.

“The West Coast Eagles board backed John and his coaching staff last year when we extended his contract and we maintain our confidence in John and his team.”

Jakco agrees and said it is possible to turn things around in a relatively short period of time. 

“In my view a lot of players need to take more responsibility as far as their own performances are concerned,” he said. 

“If you look at some of the games it’s been very, very patchy.  It’s that patchiness that’s really hurting the team and the club.

“Injuries to key players haven’t helped but they are the dynamics that happen within any club.

“As for the recent criticisms of John, well it’s easy to take pot-shots on win-loss ratios. 

“You’ve got to look at some of the people who are now criticising… they’ve all been sacked at various times.  I guess they know what the pressure of performing is all about.

“My message to Eagles supporters is this: Make sure you go to all the games. 

“Make sure you buy your memberships and make sure you keep supporting them because when it does turn around, you’ll hopefully enjoy a period like you did between 2004 and 2007.”

Nisbett conceded that the club would be looking to bring in more seasoned players in next year’s draft to add to the youth already acquired over the past two seasons.

“Given the youth of our squad - and the next couple of drafts which will be compromised with two additional teams entering the competition - we might need to look at recruiting experienced players from other clubs,” Nisbett was reported as saying.