SACKED Gold Coast coach Guy McKenna said he was given no specific reason for his dismissal but was not surprised with the outcome.
Following a two-week internal club review of his coaching, McKenna was released by the Suns on Wednesday.
While chairman John Witheriff went to great lengths to hide reasons why he was sacked, McKenna was happy to elaborate.
The club's founding coach said it had more to do than simple wins and losses and was based around the club's future direction.
"We didn't go into any great detail on the review," McKenna said.
"It was more around the club going forward and was I the right type of person to take the club forward, and in the board and the chairman's view I'm not that person."
Gold Coast was in the top eight for much of the season but lost 10 of its last 13 games – and six of the last seven without injured skipper Gary Ablett – to miss the finals.
McKenna said once the review was called following a board meeting on September 18, he thought he was in trouble.
"I'm certainly disappointed with that result because I think I am (the man to take the club forward) and I don't get an opportunity to prove the board wrong," he said.
"As a senior coach, as an assistant coach, as a player, no-one's bigger than the club so I respect John's findings, I respect his decision, because he makes those decisions on the greatest interest of the football club and I respect that.
"There was no real specifics outlined. My reading, my understanding of it is they think who I am as a person is not the right person to take us forward.
"Do they want a coach with premiership history, success? If they do, I can't answer that, because I haven't taken a group of players into finals.
"I would have thought we were close this season, had a few hiccups late in the season and I think next year we'd be well and truly on target, but I can't argue that because I haven't taken a group into that situation."
McKenna got emotional when asked if he'd been contacted by his players since the news became official.
Some of them he has had since the age of 17 when Gold Coast entered a team in the TAC Cup in 2009.
He struggled to hold back tears.
"I started to read one text and that didn't go down too well," he said.
"I'm not saying I've done it perfectly, I'm not saying I'm perfect, but I think where the playing group and the club is positioned right now, they're certainly ready to explode on to the AFL scene right now, which I'm very proud of."
McKenna said he was keen to continue his coaching career but would let the dust first before making any further decisions.
