Priesty wrote:

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GAMEOVER wrote:

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Nix wrote:

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Anne Keothevong saying Jeremy Bates being partially responsible for Sonay's recent success. Really?

Sorry I'm so not a fan so find it hard to give him any credit for anything...

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 I thought Julie Pullin was coaching Sonay.

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 I never knew until listening to the commentary on this match that Julie Pullin was one of Sonay's coaches but it makes sense with them both being from the Brighton area. I remember Julie from her playing days as being something of a female Alex Bogdanovic - left handed and benefitting from numerous Wimbledon MDWCs but without a single win to show for it.

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 Julie did qualify by winning 3 matches  at the 2000 Australian Open and won a first round match, Julie and the Reeves family are mentioned as coaches of Sonay on Wikipedia  but there is no mention of Jeremy Bates. 

JonH comes home wrote:

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Nix wrote:

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JonH comes home wrote:

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As a coach, I dont know Bates at all - my knowledge of him stems back to playing Forget at Wimbledon and a great match with Thierry Champion - and I liked his game and style as a player. But I read a lot of the comments on here and so his coaching style must be very different to his playing style; surely, though, if he had nothing to offer, the LTA would have dispensed with him well before now? He must bring something to the table?

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 My negativity stems from when he was Katie Boulter's coach at Wimbledon. Katie was coming back from injury and hadn't had many matches and Bates spent a large part of the match scowling about not getting a seat where he wanted to and complaining to all of the officials at great length (they had quickly found him a seat but he continued to complain about it). When he did say anything to Katie it didn't sound positive and Katie looked strained. 

Other coaches I've seen close up have a much more positive demeanour and communicate this to their players. 

 

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 Yeah, I have seen these thoughts and also ones from the likes of CD etc. They are obviously correct observations as so many have made them! But it seems at odds with his old playing style, which I remember was quite classy and attacking and he always struck me as a decent - if dour - chap back in those days!  

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 I'm guessing you can be more self-absorbed as a player in the way you can't be as a coach. We had Mark Hughes as our QPR manager - great player, terrible manager (for us anyway). Just didn't have the empathy to know how to motivate different characters and build a team spirit.