St Kilda great Nick Riewoldt says the situation at the Saints is ‘dire’ as rebuild fails to go to plan
ST KILDA great Nick Riewoldt admits coach Alan Richardson is under pressure after the Saints’ failed rebuild, as the great spoke on his reservations about taking on a role at the club.
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ST KILDA great Nick Riewoldt admits coach Alan Richardson is under pressure after the Saints’ rebuild failed to go to plan.
The Saints currently sit in 15th ahead of only Carlton, Gold Coast and Brisbane with four wins in a season where finals were an expectation.
Riewoldt believes patience was wearing thin in the fan base after falling from ninth in 2016 to 11th in 2017 and a bottom-four finish this season.
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“It is a dire situation at St Kilda at the moment,” he told Fox Footy.
“Because (it’s been) a really transparent rebuild which hasn’t gone to plan.
“The club and the administration asked for a lot of patience from the supporters and you just feel that that is starting to wear really thin.”
Richardson has come under fire after a season of poor results and Riewoldt conceded there was pressure on the club but backed Simon Lethlean’s review.
“The results so far this year would suggest he’s under pressure and I think he understands that and the football club are aware of that,” he said.
“That is what the review really has been about.
“Whether the landscape will change over the next two weeks only the club can answer that.
“Simon Lethlean has been pretty resolute that Richo is the right man and he’s going to be safe, so until we hear otherwise we have to assume that’s the case.
As revealed in Wednesday’s Herald Sun, the 336-game great said had been approached to take on a role at the club but was content in his media role.
“I’ve had some conversations about what that might look like,” he said.
“It’s not something I would jump into without having a really deep understanding of what it involved.
“Yeah, I don’t have any desires to coach or have a role in the football department. At this stage, it’s not something I’m entertaining.”
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