Something for the Blues fans...

[Booney]

What do you Blue-baggers think?

From the 'Tiser...

"PHIL Carman has the coaching bug and the former Sturt mentor says he is interested in making a return to Unley.

After spending the past three seasons out of the game, "Fabulous Phil" misses the camaraderie from coaching and is willing to reignite the fire in his belly with the Double Blues.
"I'd be interested but the reality is I doubt whether I would be given the opportunity," Carman, who coached Sturt from 1995-2001, said. "At least people have seen you've done it once and there's really no reason why you couldn't do it. It's a club that I know particularly well and it wouldn't be hard to walk in and say: 'Away we go, let's attack it'."

Carman, who took Sturt to the 1998 minor premiership and grand final, coached in country Victoria for two seasons after leaving Adelaide in 2001. Despite living in Bendigo, Carman has kept an eye on Sturt's progress and wouldn't shy away from starting another rebuilding job at Oxford Terrace.

"It's interesting, once you've been out of it, you realise then there are ways, if you got the opportunity, you could do it better than you did it before," Carman, 55, said. "There's always something saying to you, 'I know we did this but we should try this when you have another opportunity'."

Sturt general manager Stuart Totham said Carman was welcome to apply for the role vacated by 2002 premiership coach Brenton Phillips. "All I can say is if Phil is interested he would obviously need to apply and he would go in the mix with everyone else," Totham said. "We're really keen to go through the process thoroughly and transparently so we get the best person for the job."

Moving back to Adelaide would not pose a problem for the former star forward, who enjoys the South Australian lifestyle. "We miss Adelaide, I spent more than a third of my life in SA so it's no big deal to move back to Adelaide," Carman said. "My children love it and my wife thinks it's wonderful."

And Carman's return to the city of churches will be sooner than many think. On Saturday, he is back in the coach's box in a one-off appearance for winless division seven Amateur League team, Western Warriors.

Regular playing coach Barry Gavranich is suspended for the club's last game against Wingfield at Park 23, West Terrace. Carman, with his former Sturt pupils Chris Thredgold and Andrew Geddes lending a hand, will take the reins as a show of support for the struggling Warriors.

"I miss the camaraderie of the people more than anything else," Carman said.

"I also miss teaching guys. One of my main strengths is the ability to judge a player's ability and be able to support the ones who I think can play footy, so they play the best footy they are capable of playing."

[MightyEagles]

It gets you wondering why he left a few years ago doesn't it.

[am Bays]

Ahhhh, no.

[sturtpeter]

We all know why Fabulous Phil left Oxford Tce., 5 years ago and we sincerely thank him for the job he did when noone wanted to coach our ailing club in 1995, but...



Been there, done that....time for a NEW ERA at Unley.

[RoosterMarty]

I can't see Sturt appointing him again, that would be a backwards step even though he did lift them off the bottom.

[ORDoubleBlues]

Know Sturtpeter and MST would know far more about the situation than myself but I was always under the impression that Carman wasn't asked back after the 2001 season because Chapman (president at the time) and him didn't get along and because he'd run out of ideas as a coach.
I personally would be for the idea but if I was aware of all the facts, maybe my opinion might be different.
One advantage of having him back is that there will only be a handful of players still at the club by the beginning of '07 that were there when Carman departed.
Get the impression though that Atkinson has been a shoe in since about a month ago.

[ORDoubleBlues]

Am hearing a few names putting their hand up for the Sturt coaching gig but it would appear that the Rohde might be getting straighter and clear up ahead.

[Adelaide Hawk]

Am hearing a few names putting their hand up for the Sturt coaching gig but it would appear that the Rohde might be getting straighter and clear up ahead.

That would actually annoy me as a Norwood supporter. We've tried getting Rohde back to Norwood a couple of times since he left for the Western Bulldogs. He's a good coach, so if the Blues can get him, good luck to them.