A high profile sports team here in Canberra recently sacked their coach only three games into the season. This really seems like a recipe for disaster. What really worried me was that ‘inside information’ would have us believe that he was sacked, for some part, as the result of a player revolt. What is going on here? What has happened to the almost godlike persona of professional coaches and the amount of respect afforded to them? My personal belief is that the big salaries on offer have made some players think that they should decide how they are coached. Wrong, wrong, wrong. As a player you have every right to talk to your coach about his/her methods but in the end they are the coach for a reason. I’m quite disgusted that the organization of this particular team didn’t tell the players to do their jobs or find another but it isn’t the first time for this lot. And it isn’t like they are winning any games as a result.
Players should play, coaches should coach. That’s the natural order of things. I can imagine the response if I turned up to training and said, “actually Coach, I don’t want to do this set of 100m reps in the pool, I think that is a waste of my time”. I’d be looking for a new Coach within minutes!! But then no-one is paying me a LOT of money to train and compete. Should it matter, I don’t think so. The old grumpy man that dwells in the dark recesses of my being sees this kind of thing becoming more and more common and anarchy being the end result!!
But then, apparently anarchy has been coming for a while… at least from 1976!
Sex Pistols – Anarchy In The UK – a manufactured group but an important tune in the history of music.
There’s a CD out of songs that were banned by the BBC. I must remember to track down a copy and report back.
Culture is a funny thing. In the early 1980s my family, with me in tow, moved to Australia and to country Victoria. Having come from Scotland via New Zealand I was a big fan of Rugby Union and Soccer. But in the 80s, in country Victoria, these sports simply did not exist. Australian Rules Football dominated the landscape. I remember turning up to school in Australia and being asked on the first day who I supported. Apparently Dundee United wasn’t an acceptable answer and I was given strict instructions by a group of girls and boys to choose a team over the weekend or get a bashing. Well I went home and did just that. I saw Collingwood win a match which must have been a fluke at that time so I chose them.
The fashion at the time was to have a duffel coat that had your favourite players number and name on the back as well as a whole swag of badges. I remember being told that duffel coats were “not waterproof” and “not practical”. Didn’t matter, I was never a cool kid anyway. But I would’ve given my eye teeth for a jacket with “Daicos 35” on the back.
Australian Rules Football quickly became the kind of football that I liked the best. It is fast, skillful and there isn’t a lot of stopping and starting. My opinion is that it is the best kind of football for spectators as there is always something going on. But don’t take my word for it. I was looking for a music clip the other night by this group and I stumbled across the song being used as a promo for Channel 7 Football in Melbourne. Check out some of these characters who were all around in the 80s. Top song too.
Little River Band – Playing To Win (Ch 7 Promo)
Little River Band were a great band. I was listening to a few tunes last night and, sure they are Australia’s answer to The Eagles but they did it well. This song may have made an appearance before but not this clip. Really it is the intro that impressed me. I like a band that can sing. Just check out the first 30 seconds.
Little River Band – Lonesome Loser
Now, on a totally unrelated note: my friend, DJ Raktakular aka Craig, won Triathlete of the Year in his age group recently. Pretty good considering he only trains when he can get a tan or will be seen by the right people. Surely international press coverage will follow, but here’s a song just for him.
Alison gave me Paul Kelly’s book, “How To Make Gravy” recently. It’s the companion to his current concert tour and is a collection of stories and anecdotes about his songs and life. It is great to dip in and out of. What I discovered is that he wrote the hit single “Treaty” along with Mandawuy Yunupingu along with input from Peter Garrett! While the original version was remixed before it went Top 10 it is a great song and well worth searching out. What hadn’t clicked with me is that the young blind guitarist I saw in Yothu Yindi is Gurrumul Yunupingu who has been critically acclaimed recently. I must be slow. This is a truly beautiful voice and song.
Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu – History (I Was Born Blind)
That’s all for now folks,
DJ Rob
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