"Greg Chappell's a fantastic individual skills and batting coach but he was a poor coach when it came to looking after a group of people," Wilson said, pointing out that a lot of players fell by the wayside when Chappell was coach of the South Australian side. If Chappell believed that his group was not responding, he looked the other way, Wilson said. "Greg didn't seem to worry himself with a lot of the guys and they really didn't feel led. No real batting talent came through and I don't think he looked hard enough within his own squad or within the state for the players that could have improved."
Former Australian Test batsman Darren Lehmann, who has known Chappell as his coach for five years at South Australia, says he is a very strong personality. "If he has an opinion on something he will stick with it. He is always trying to better the side, so if he thinks something is a good move, he will do what he can to make it happen. If he thinks a change should be made, then more than likely he is right," Lehmann told a website.
To be sure, making friends with the players was never a priority with Chappell. "There are going to be times when I am going to have to make tough calls," he said in an interview during the Sri Lanka tour. "A professional relationship will be more important than token friendships. So, I am more interested in building a relationship with the players at that level rather than necessarily trying to make friends. Now, I may make some friendships but that will be a secondary exercise."
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