SCRUTINY has never been higher than what it is on coaches in 2011.

Everyone in the AFL landscape knew that it was going to be a tough year with so many coaches out of contract and the aura and mystique of two premiership coaches, Paul Roos and Mick Malthouse, looming large.

The pressure is now on everyone, including club boards, which are challenged by members and coteries to make a difference and bring in available big names.

The two coaches under the most pressure during the pre-season, Brett Ratten and John Worsfold, are now travelling well, but as the pair know, the football industry is fickle and the coaching blowtorch has now been applied to four different names.

With their teams outside the top eight, Dean Bailey, Michael Voss, Neil Craig and Rodney Eade desperately need better performances in the run home to end speculation over their future.

Having been under pressure as a coach myself I can attest that it is not pleasant knowing every decision you make is being scrutinised and analysed, sometimes unfairly. But when you take on a head coaching role, you understand that is the nature of the position.

The clubs who need to make decisions on their coaches must put a lot of time and thought into exactly where they are at and what coach they need to take them forward.

The past two premiership coaches were both in precarious positions at stages throughout their coaching reign.

Prior to the 2007 season, Geelong held a review where it was believed Mark Thompson’s coaching career was questioned. At the time he had been senior coach for seven years and had lost more games than he had won. The club decided to back their man and instead of looking only to the top they chose to bolster their football division with stunning success. Despite the departure of Thompson, the Cats are still in the midst of one of the most successful eras in their history. 

Similar circumstances surrounded Malthouse at Collingwood in 2005. Mick had been with the Pies for six years and was well down in his win-loss ratio but had a president and board that held firm. Their patience was rewarded with the 2010 premiership cup.

There are two questions now challenging Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and the Western Bulldogs.

Are they on the right path towards the ultimate success? And can their current coach deliver what is necessary for them to get there?

The fascinating twist in this coaching scenario is that two of the coaches are senior in AFL ranks while the other two are hoping they are only starting their coaching journey.

Both Neil Craig (55yo) and Rodney Eade (53yo) have had long and distinguished careers as players, administrators and coaches. Eade has had relative success at Sydney and the Western Bulldogs but has been unable to secure elusive premiership glory for either club. He has been innovative and an extremely passionate football identity all his life.

Craig cut his teeth as a champion in the SANFL but it was his work and sheer professionalism behind the scenes at the Crows that got him his senior coaching opportunity. Craig has showed that he is a class act as an individual but has also been at the cutting edge of elite coaching over his journey.

Both Eade and Craig have been in the chair at their club for more than seven years but throughout this time have been regular finals performers.

The two more inexperienced coaches are in a different bracket to their senior counterparts.

Dean Bailey (44yo) was brought into his role at Melbourne with a similar plan as Thompson had at Geelong. The blueprint was to draft and develop a team from scratch. This obviously meant early pain from a win-loss point of view. As the stakes have risen so has the pressure, which makes it interesting to see if he will last the journey.

Michael Voss (35yo) returned to the Lions as the 'messiah' and champion of the club. He immediately had an impact and his team played finals in the first year under his leadership. Some big trading decisions saw a huge fall from grace for both he and the club but I think both are young enough to overcome this hiccup.

Having watched and coached against most of these men I admire their journeys and can only hope that it all works out for them in the end.

For the club boards making these decisions I realise they are never made lightly and they always have the best interests of the club in their heart.

My only suggestion for readers is to ensure you have a clear understanding of your club's current position and ask yourself - are they challenging or rebuilding?

If you can answer this, your decision will become obvious one way or the other.

The views in this article of those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL