Ricky Stuart will walk out on the Parramatta Eels after just one season in charge of the club. He leaves the club in a worse position than when he took over.
I have already written about the fact that if Stuart leagues to coach the Canberra Raiders it will be a dog act. Many people have said that the situation at the Eels is so bad that they can’t blame Stuart for leaving.
Ricky Stuart knew exactly what he was getting into. That is why he demanded top dollar to coach the Eels. It is why he demanded his entire coaching staff be hand picked and all previous staff that he didn’t want be paid out.
Eels fans have every right to be filthy at Ricky Stuart walking out on the club. In the long run I think it will be a good thing for the Eels though.
The Eels will be able to sign up a younger coach that will be nowhere near as expensive as Stuart was. Let’s face it, no one is going to coach the Eels to a worse result than Stuart got out of them this season.
When you look at Stuarts coaching record, it never ends well. There is every possibility that the Parramatta Eels have dodged a bullet thanks to Stuarts greed and ego.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Jason Taylor ended up coaching the Parramatta Eels next season. They need someone to come in who has nothing to lose.
Taylor has a bit of previous experience under his belt coaching at first grade level. He has even coached the Eels for a few games! While his time at Souths wasn’t great, there were some positive signs. He was coaching a fairly average side at the time and it’s not like the coach that replaced him, John Lang, did any better.
Eels fans can take nothing positive away from this season. It’s one of those tough years that you just hope won’t be repeated next year.
At least Eels fans will have a coach that really will be committed to the club next year. One that won’t preach about long term plans while looking for a deal elsewhere.
Don’t let the door hit you in the arse on the way out Ricky…
