Piddick on his axing ordeal
GOLD COAST FOOTBALL HAS BEEN STUNNED BY THE SACKING OF NPL QUEENSLAND-WINNING COACH GRAE PIDDICK. THE FORMER GOLD COAST KNIGHTS MENTOR REVEALS THE SITUATION HAS NOT DULLED HIS LOVE OF THE GAME.
FIRSTLY I would like to put on record my sincere thanks and gratitude for the overwhelming numbers of phone calls and messages of support that I have received since Sunday evening, from club supporters and members, players past and present, opposition coaches and players, as well as the wider football fraternity.
It truly is an amazing response that I am humbled by, and I hope that I have been good enough to reply and acknowledge that support.
If I have missed anyone with my replies please accept my heartfelt thanks now.
My personal thanks goes to everyone at the club who has provided their support and assistance to myself and the sen
ior team over the last 2½ seasons. Together we have achieved unprecedented success for the club with many happy memories along the way, including undefeated seasons, premierships, exposure on the national stage in the FFA Cup, and multiple grand final victories.
The view I had from the bench, of the fantastic fans cre
ating a wall of red, white and blue drowning out the opposition in last year’s grand final, will be forever etched into my memory.
Everyone at the club should be proud of their efforts to help achieve these amazing successes, and I am certain there will be more.
Of particular satisfaction to myself and my family is the
involvement of my eldest son who has been able to don the famous Knights jersey this year in the under-9s SAP team, representing the same club that his father was coaching at.
I want to reassure everyone I will continue to fulfil my role coaching and looking after the under-9s teams on match days, supporting them and encouraging their love for the game.
They are a fantastic group of young kids and it is really enjoyable and gratifying to assist in their development.
To the players, you have my sincere gratitude for all your dedication to representing the club to the best of your abilities.
You are an amazing group of young men, some of whom have played your hearts out for many years, both at Knights and under me at previous clubs. I know we have a fantastic bond and it gives me great pleasure to see how you have grown as footballers and as people over the years.
As a group, I have full faith in your abilities and I trust that as many of you return from injuries, into full fitness, and as the new players settle into the group, you will continue to be a formidable opponent for any team.
I expect that as you recover and work through this minor hiccup that you will continue to do what you do best, win football matches and win trophies, as you are still in a very good position to achieve this.
I will continue to support you from afar and wish you all the very best for the rest of the season and beyond.
I would love to see you all lifting another trophy come the season’s end and I am sure we will cross paths again, even if it is not on the football pitch.
As many people have asked, I want to clarify that I still have a great love for all things football and for coaching in particular and I will continue to pursue this love in the future, if and when appropriate to do so.
These things happen in football; however, it will not dent my desire to continue to be involved and do what I love to do.