It is a complicated issue these days, Blitz.Blitz wrote: I don't completely agree with you WCJ but I understand where you are coming from and feel your passion.
Even in war, sometimes a soldier should choose not to do what his leader wants.
Magic Johnson had such talent, success and influence he got his coach fired. Not saying that is right, but times change. Heck Joe Kapp pretty much ran the Lions after 1964, I gather. I recall him sending the FG team back off the field when the coach sent them in. And those teams floundered of course.
Wally uses the media to send messages to players. It is part of the culture he has created. After a number of episodes some players are going to speak out. In the case of Harris, it seems he wanted changes to the offence. Selfish? Sure. Was he right about the offence? I agreed that the offence needed changing. Ever coach a difficult player? Many of us have. Some of those difficult ones are the best players, and some become long time friends after. A lot of communication is needed to work together in such situations. And if the culture of an organization is somewhat sick, stuff gets said. And most players would just suck it up, keep quiet, and suffer in silence. Better career prospects that way.
Chaos. And that is part of the culture that exists in some dysfunctional outfits.In a general sense I would not normally agree with you WCJ on this type of issue. In most situations, I would not support a player making the types of comments that Andrew Harris has made. Imagine every player on every team speaking out to the media about their role in the offence or defense or the strategies of the team? It would be anything but good.
Yes, I see it that way, too.Essentially he has been called unprofessional as well as detriment to the locker room. Not good stuff or wise stuff to say publically, no matter if they truly are Wallys' views or Wally is just doing a trash job in response to Harris comments. Harris comments are mild in comparison, were not personalized, nor did they disaparage any individual.
The culture starts at the top. The first time I heard that word used with a team was from Igor Larionov, when he was with the Canucks. He said the team had to build a culture. I believe it is true, for teams and for any organization. A bit of "do as I do," not so much "do as I say."
Hufnagel has built a good culture in Calgary. Cornish has had his moments of "misbehaviour" or difficulty. But he is not a bad guy. I would say Harris is not a bad guy, and has been even less of a problem than Cornish. The culture starts at the top. Hufnagel and his organization were able to reel Cornish in, so to speak. Communication is part of what makes a good culture. Fair values. Good treatment. Bad culture? Stuff happens.