KANGAROOS coach Dean Laidley held crisis talks with senior club management about his tenure at Arden Street on Thursday night after Wayne Carey's extraordinary call for him to be replaced.

Having been reassured of his position, the Kangaroos coach yesterday delivered a stinging attack on the former club legend, declaring he had torn the heart out of the club by his affair with the wife of former teammate and vice-captain Anthony Stevens.

Laidley condemned Carey's call for him to be replaced by another former premiership teammate John Longmire as Carey again being self-absorbed.

"As for Wayne Carey, he wants to come and help the football club. Things like that don't help the football club, him putting himself first," Laidley said.

"I suppose he has a bit of a history of doing that over the last few years as we have seen. He is one person who ripped the heart out of the footy club.

"That is Wayne's view and my views and the club's view is completely different to that and I have had wonderful support over the last 24 hours from the president right through to the CEO (Rick Aylett) and (football manager) Donald (McDonald).

"Wayne has always done things like that and he will continue to do things like that and it is water off a duck's back, so to speak."

While dismissive of the attack, the coach was more troubled on Thursday evening when Aylett and McDonald met him at his house.

With three new directors at the club, Laidley was likely suspicious the former club captain was acting with the board's imprimatur.

Even if they fancied a change of coach before the season proper had begun it is doubtful the financially parlous Kangaroos could afford the payout.

Kangaroos chairman Graham Duff condemned Carey's comments as dreadful and unhelpful.

"They did not help. Wayne does not represent the Kangaroos Football Club so he can say what he likes.

"I don't know if it helps him as a media person but as far as the club was concerned they were not helpful, I thought they were dreadful," Duff said.

Board member James Brayshaw said on The Footy Show that Laidley was safe in his position.

"I don't have any problem with Wayne speaking his mind but he does not speak for the Kangaroos Football Club … Dean Laidley is the coach until the end of 2007," he said.

Laidley robustly declared after yesterday's practice-match loss to St Kilda that he was the right person to coach the club.

"I have got news for him: I am certainly the man for the job," he said. "Look, my first couple of years we won over 50 per cent of our games and we were pretty ordinary last year and we have made a real focus to thrive rather than survive. Hence we have cut our list pretty deep, we have got Gold Coast opportunities, we have got the redevelopment and you know what, it is going to take a bit of time."

Carey had called for Laidley to be replaced by former premiership full-forward Longmire. He said that with a clutch of coaches coming out of contract at the end of the year, the Roos needed to get a jump on the rest by chasing Longmire — who is considered at the head of the list of prospective coaches — and sign him now.

"Nothing against Dean but I think it's time we got John Longmire back to the club as senior coach," Carey said on 3AW.

"There are huge raps on him in Sydney — he has been under one of the best coaches in the league … I think it's time we got John Longmire back as senior coach and if that means Dean Laidley is an assistant under John Longmire so be it. I think it would be a great mix.

"We are assuming that more than likely it (a vacancy) will arise at the end of the year and I think they have to chase John Longmire and chase him hard and you watch the Kangaroos supporters jump back on when one of their favourite sons like Longers comes back to coach this great club."