Right time ... As shocking as it is, St Kilda has made the right decision to sack Scott Watters. Source: Getty Images
SCOTT Watters walked out of a meeting with St Kilda powerbrokers on October 10 still hopeful he might secure a contract extension in January.
By the time the Herald Sun reported the following Tuesday that the extension would not be forthcoming, Watters was doomed.
In truth it was a decision that had been building for the last six weeks of the season, influenced by poor relationships with players, assistant coaches and the board.
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But as soon St Kilda's board - including review panel boss Andrew Thompson - decided against that extension his fate was sealed.
If he received it, he could have changed his ways, healed his relationship with footy boss Chris Pelchen, and bunked down for a 2014 season with a young eager bunch of kids.
But as St Kilda's faith in him slipped away, even Watters knew he was on shaky ground.
The decision taken today is costly, and sudden.
But it is also the right one.
Right or wrong, St Kilda has lost all faith in Watters.
So if it costs the club a one-year pay out - and Watters is believed to be on $400,000-$450,000 - so be it.
No point having the Saints losing their first two games against Melbourne and GWS, then sacking him two games into the season.
Watters was summoned to St Kilda and told of his fate at 11am today, shocked at the fate that has befallen him.
So what went wrong for this coach, who gave a presentation two years ago that blew away St Kilda's selection panel?
Many things, but in attempting to take control of this club he put too many noses out of joint.
Assistant coaches said he began taking every facet of training, effectively selecting the team by himself, and all but abandoning match committee at times.
Players who wondered if he had the match-day nous were enraged when he smashed them with a tirade about culture after they lit a dwarf on fire during Mad Monday.
They deserved condemnation and honest truths, but there is no doubt he lost players there and then.
Could he have got them back?
When those who had doubts came from Nick Riewoldt down, probably not.
St Kilda players who had achieved plenty under Ross Lyon felt he gave them no credit for their achievements in that time, as he attempted to rid the club of Lyon's tactics and legacy.
The whispering campaign became stronger as assistants, football managers and development coaches left the club.
Sources within St Kilda were telling the Herald Sun that they held Watters responsible for that exodus.
As the review board assessed Watters' hopes of staying on, they began asking pointed questions about Watters to key officials around the club.
Yes, he has issues, they conceded.
But can he get better?
Too many believed he did not have an upside as a coach.
His mixed messages also hurt him, as one day he said St Kilda was a juggernaut, then the next said they were in rebuilding mode.
If he did not get official warnings about his conduct and relationship with Chris Pelchen, he was warned in strong terms about his need to play nice.
As the Herald Sun examined their relationships in a series of stories, it seemed one of Pelchen and Watters was gone.
But the review deemed in mid-Octover that both should stay.
It allowed St Kilda to make the correct decisions for the club over the trade period, refreshing the list and trading out Nick Dal Santo.
Watters has barely been in the club in the past three weeks, allowing Pelchen and list manager Ameet Baines to do exceptional work over the trade period.
But the review continued, and yesterday St Kilda acted.
Two names have been mentioned as replacements - Port Adelaide premiership coach Mark Williams and club legend and senior Collingwood assistant Robert Harvey.
Williams would seem the short-priced favourite, but nothing would surprise in this environment.
Both Mark Harvey and Michael Voss are available, so as much as this was a sudden decision there are at least four quality candidates.
This decision will only add to the financial issues facing St Kilda, who continues to deny a huge loss is about to be announced.
But you back your coach, or you sack him.
No point doing neither.
Now St Kilda can move on with a new coach, a list in transition, and total unity.
Tough game, football, but St Kilda has done what it needed to.
01 Nov, 2013
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Source: http://www.news.com.au/national/analysis-st-kildas-decision-to-sack-scott-watters-will-be-costly-but-its-the-right-one/story-e6frfkp9-1226751264918?from=public_rss
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