This is not a dumb thread.
I am in camp “let’s give Barrett time”, but from a fan’s perspective it’s easy to ask these questions and make comparisons. That’s what passionate fans do. They demand accountability and ask questions, with the club’s long term future in mind.
Barrett, by and large, is an unsuccessful coach. His record as head coach is pretty lacklustre. This information was well known to the club prior to signing him. This is interesting, given that there were other coaches on the market at the time with far better resumes and records. I know Holbrook is not available, but a quick look at his record shows that success has followed the guy around - he can coach and has an awesome track record, albeit with little NRL experience. I think many Dogs fans wanted a candidate like Holbrook...when Barrett was being sounded out, I must admit, I cocked my head like a confused puppy (no pun intended)...
Either Barrett was the only one who showed interest or club executives know more than we do about his potential. I am hoping the latter! I think we have to take the whole Penrith attacking coach role with a grain of salt - a different role, different context and he wasn’t the main man. Check out all the assistant coaches who have not had things go their way as head coaches, the list is long....it’s no guarantee - see Jason Taylor.
Overall, I think there are many fans who are not sure why Barrett is the coach. Why did the club pursue him so aggressively? Particularly given that if this doesn’t work out, it could set the club back years.
People want to see an improvement from the Pay years. That was the whole reason for shifting to Barrett.
Let’s see what happens this weekend, I think fans are looking improvement, semi competitive would be great. This is what we’ve been asking for since round one.