(---)
But seriously: Merrick looks to be the goods now. Most of us regard the day after tomorrow as belonging to the dim and distant future. Remember "Long season beckons"? Remember the angst after the WSW loss or the two home draws? A 4th place finish, even making the semis don't impress me much, because Ricki got us there with the help of some good signings. If I were in control, I would have given him a 1-year extension with options for renewal to see whether he can really get us in silverware contention.
I can't agree with that, Doloras. The 4th place finish under Ricki was in different times and it would be much harder, if not impossible, for Ricki to do it today. And thank god that Gareth in his wisdom asked for a more entertaining style of play, because now we have a coach that can do it, regardless of whether we win the league, or just get to the 4th place, or whatever.
What you are saying - unless I misunderstood - is that if Ernie does not win us the silverware after one extra year then we should let him go. IMe, I actually enjoy watching the Nix under Ernie. I do not mind if they lose the grand final, as long as they play well in the GF and do not get thrashed by 5 to 0. At least I know that with Ernie (and Welnix) we will probably now get more good seasons than bad ones, whether we play in the GF or not.