Brian Smith Quits as Eels Coach

Brian Smith tonight announced his resignation as Parramatta Eels coach effective immediately. The decision has come as a shock despite the poor form of the Eels. Smith has stated in a brief interview that he did not believe he was the right person to lead the Eels out of their current position (third last on the table after 10 rounds).

Despite some strange calls in terms of team selection of late, I am a firm believer that Brian Smith is one of the best coaches going around in the NRL. This was his 10th year as coach of the Eels and while he didn't deliver that elusive premiership he has still been the coach of a very successful team over that time.

Clearly the ludicrous decision by Eels chief executive Denis Fitzgerald to announce Smith's replacement before the current season kicked off, has played a major part in the teams problems, and now the loss of their coach. Right now there would be a lot of Parramatta fans preferring to see the back of their bumbling chief executive Fitzgerald, rather than Smith. I am one of those.

But lets not dwell too much on board room politics. Somehow the Eels are going to have to pick themselves out of the gutter and come out and play 80 minutes of blistering football and win Friday night's encounter against the Panthers to get their season back on track. It has been proven over and over, that teams in this type of position usually leave their best football until after the coach has left the building. So here's my tip for an Eels win on Friday night.

In the interim it is yet to be confirmed in a Board Room meeting tonight that Jason Taylor is to take over the coaching role. However lets not forget it has already been announced that Taylor is South Sydney bound next year. But then again I suppose the Eels players are used to having a coach who is heading somewhere else next season......