Mild Rover wrote:I think that is something you often see with successful people, especially at the top of a hierarchy when they're no longer obliged to listen to alternative views. Just as unsuccessful people tend to overestimate the role luck has played in their lives, the successful (naturally) tend to downplay it in their personal narrative. And the idea of a superman is more appealing or easier to accept for a lot of other people than the idea that there's a big slice of arbitrary serendipity running through events - it's the same thing that fuels conspiracy theories.
On reading your post, three examples sprang to mind - thatcher and the poll tax, Blair and WMD, and Allam and 'look at my record'. Trust in their own judgement, which they see as having been thoroughly in the past, blinds them to evidence pointing in the other direction.
I don't for one second think Pearson has 'lost it' like that. But looking back at the thread somebody dragged up from 2011, that sort of stuff isn't going to help ground a fella. And really somebody close to him needs to point out the flaws in his 'Gentle's fault' story, as they're obvious even to people who want to think the best of AP.
The other side of the coin, of course, is that with just one more good performance, you'd have won the cup within 2 years of his arrival and I'm sure he'd still be 'the man'. He just needed a bit more luck at a key moment.
Good post, agree with all of it.
I suspect AP had observed at reasonably close quarters the success we had in 04-08; the large crowds, strong merchandise, profitability and highish profile. He probably also thought that he could outwit the dour band of identikit Cox and Evans chairmen round the table at the RFL, and invest relatively little for reasonable returns. What he's found out is
a) this group of middle-aged+ Northern nylon-suited paunchy self-made men with 70s terrace heritage are pretty difficult to break down when they're of one voice
b) their knowledge of the game is actually worth something, along with their genuine club love
c) You get diminishing returns from claiming imminent success and not delivering, so savings become necessary.
What appears not yet to have realised is:
a) Compelling leadership requires taking responsibility and showing some humility, not blaming everyone else and sticking to the wrong path regardless.
b) In a club that's chronically underperformed for a decade, seismic culture change is unlikely to be delivered by a group that's known little else.
c) Independent expert advice would go a long long way - that goes for recruitment, coaching and any RL-specific aspect of running the club. Self-interested "advisers" may have let the club down, but either be a dedicated student of all aspects of the game inc NRL for example, or get someone who really is.
Interesting and thought-provoking thread.
