Coach Adam Simpson Megathread est. 2017 - Staying for 2024, Lyon’s Cryin’

[Forward Press]

It's pre-season folks. Note the word 'pre'.

We got belted by 70 points in the 2018 pre-season derby and everyone said the Dockers were 'closer to a flag'. Obviously it ain't ideal but you're an idiot if you think a pre-season loss (or win) points to a greater or lesser likelihood of actual season success.

 

[Nuffington Post]

I tend to disagree with anyone who speculates that Simmo will be sacked mid-season. Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't believe we've ever turfed a coach like that....not even Ken Judge.

If however, we serve up another steaming pile of s**t this year, he's gone at the end of the season.

I've always sat in the "give Simmo a chance to rebuild" camp but yesterdays hitout did not fill me with confidence that he's the man to do it. Hope to be proven wrong.

Here's a question though...who gets his job?

Cox, Hansen, J Graham or Schofield as potential replacements?


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[Miguel Sanchez]

It's pre-season folks. Note the word 'pre'.

We got belted by 70 points in the 2018 pre-season derby and everyone said the Dockers were 'closer to a flag'. Obviously it ain't ideal but you're an idiot if you think a pre-season loss (or win) points to a greater or lesser likelihood of actual season success.

It’s more the manner of the loss and the fact that it looked exactly like it looked every week last season. We got pinned in our back half, turned the ball over and conceded goals. Over and over again.

 

[Dylan82]

It's pre-season folks. Note the word 'pre'.

We got belted by 70 points in the 2018 pre-season derby and everyone said the Dockers were 'closer to a flag'. Obviously it ain't ideal but you're an idiot if you think a pre-season loss (or win) points to a greater or lesser likelihood of actual season success.

Difference is, in 2018 the match a week earlier was a very impressive win against the then-favourites for the premiership who had brought over a full-strength side and were taking things very seriously as they wanted revenge for the 2017 Elimination Final. That win also demonstrated for the first time radical changes including the approach of using marks to diffuse forward pressing and Jetta to defence as a creative launchpad.

Yes, the result against against Fremantle was terrible and nobody enjoyed that - but at least from the week earlier we had seen evidence that the club was genuinely trying to do something new to turn around its fortunes; and when executed well, that new plan was capable of matching it with the best teams in the competition.

Let's also not forget that the club finished 2017 with a win over the minor premiers followed by a win in an away final.

At the conclusion of 2017, West Coast had only lost 7 matches in WA from the past three years.


The win last week was only similar to that of 2018 by virtue that the opponent had the same name. It was a sloppy, mistake-ridden match, with neither team demonstrating any real intent for expansive play. Both looked like cannon-fodder in the making compared to the rest of the competition.

From the two matches in preseason, we have seen nothing that suggests any divergence from the approach that lead to the worst finish in the club's history.

The following paints a bleak picture:

• Coming into 2023 the club has won just 2 from its last 26 matches.
• 10 losses were by 50+ points in 2022, 6 of those were at home.
• Last season West Coast lost at home by 100+ points twice - in all of the seasons combined before that it had only ever happened once.
• The Eagles have now lost 13 of their last 14 home matches.

The reason why there is such concern is the parts look the same as last year, are being used in the same way and are indicating similar outcomes.

 

[Bender_]

Wake up needs Adam Simpson to.

 

[KERRPOW]

Your your telling me adam's season is on the line this week?

 

[Dark Sharks]

Any media putting the blow torch on Simpson at all?

Put a line through Rhino, he's the clubs pet these days. Duffield might start dropping some truth bombs after 5 rounds in if it looks grim.

 

[WCErevival]

They will put it on mid season if we are struggling.

 

[Barrybran]

Wins and losses don't matter this season. What matters is our style of play and the personnel chosen to execute it. Play like we did in the first quarter of each of the preseason games and its curtains for Simmo. Play like we did from the second quarter onwards and I think he earns himself some room to grow as it will take time for the players to execute properly. I think Gaff needs to be watching from the stands round 1. The irony is that if we win the ball from stoppages he's still good value in moving the ball forward but if we lose a stoppage and we have to chase, we're a man down with Gaff.

 

[squashface]

Death, taxes and the Simpson thread being bumped before round 1.

 

[Goroyals22]

Wake up needs Adam Simpson to.

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[Mop]

Ehhhh.

I'm on the fence. To fall back into the trap of bad football with no pressure and, to the eye, no pressure is worrying.
It is also preseason.

No one expects us to make finals, we just want to win a few games at home, blood the young blokes and be competitive.

If we can't do that, conventional wisdom tells you we need a new king at the head of the chess board.

 

[Miguel Sanchez]

Death, taxes and the Simpson thread being bumped after every loss.

FTFY

 

[DanWCE]

FTFY

Peak 2022 was the anticipation bump pre-game. Simmo getting dragged over coals for our performance while the boys were still lacing their boots and doing warm up stretches.

 

[RookiePick]

Peak 2022 was the anticipation bump pre-game. Simmo getting dragged over coals for our performance while the boys were still lacing their boots and doing warm up stretches.

correct 20/22 rounds isn't a bad strike rate for the doomsayers though!

I have real concerns about what the boys have shown in these pre-season matches though. Continual switching to cough up 30m of territory with no one up the ground working hard enough to give us an option to move forward. It a death sentence for our backs.

 

[Mudguts12]

I don't care if we only win 2 games this season, I just need to see some positive change to show the team is headed in the right direction, i.e;

- Play or drop players based on form, not the size of their contract or what they did 5 years ago;

- Recognise the strengths of the newer guys and strategize around that.

- Stop having the opposition being able to move the ball with ease through and out of congestion. Nothing deflates a team faster than this.

- Get more running power in the midfield so we can actually move the ball forward. Use our forward flanks if we need, get Ryan or JJ in there just try something when things aren't going well.

- Stop playing scared, ie switching and then going back time and time again . We need to play more decisive than this, and it comes from effort and good leadership.

It was a wake up call seeing how fit and strong Adelaide looked against WC. All powerful units with great evasiveness and ability to run through our tackles, they ran like freight trains and swamped our weak noodle arm mids like men against boys.

The likes of Shuey, Gaff, Cripps and Hurn are finished this year and are not going to impact games in any meaningful way, we need to start seeing them getting transitioned out, and find young leaders in the club to set the standard for effort and intent.

It'll be these young leaders that'll give our remaining seniors a second wind in the careers. But so far the only likely candidates I can see for 2023 will be Chesser, JJ, Culley, Hough, or Bazzo. All the others are either in their first season or not up to scratch enough.

 

[Deplorable trumpster]

Simpson has some tough choices to make regarding game plan. He might have a clear idea in his own head how he wants the team to play but maybe he just doesn't have the players at the moment to execute that plan.

Does he continue on trying to get them to play to his new plan (whatever it is, and i assume it involves being more fast, direct, attacking and risk taking with ball movement), even if they can't execute it with any degree of competency at the moment and it might lead to blow out losses, on the basis that he needs to start drilling it into them to get it to be second nature to them in a couple of years time?

Or does he come up with something less sexy and more defensive that might not be the way he wants them playing in a couple of years time but requires less skill to execute and might stem the bleeding and lead to fewer blow outs?

It does seem to me that we are just not capable of executing the modern game plan of fast and direct with this group of players. We don't have the pace to break lines, we don't have the disposal skill to hit moving targets and we don't have the endurance and gut running to have players moving enough to be able to create options for the ball carrier and spread the defence.

 

[Dark Sharks]

Hehe, Gaff really making Simpson look like a malaka after his comments talking him up a few days ago...

Running as good as when he was 18 gayz, he's fit.

 

[The wily weagle]

There is no way known, irrespective of how we play, that Simpson will be sacked before the end of the year

He will see out his contract

 

[Miguel Sanchez]

Someone do an account bet.

 

[Mudguts12]

Simpson has some tough choices to make regarding game plan. He might have a clear idea in his own head how he wants the team to play but maybe he just doesn't have the players at the moment to execute that plan.

Does he continue on trying to get them to play to his new plan (whatever it is, and i assume it involves being more fast, direct, attacking and risk taking with ball movement), even if they can't execute it with any degree of competency at the moment and it might lead to blow out losses, on the basis that he needs to start drilling it into them to get it to be second nature to them in a couple of years time?

Or does he come up with something less sexy and more defensive that might not be the way he wants them playing in a couple of years time but requires less skill to execute and might stem the bleeding and lead to fewer blow outs?

It does seem to me that we are just not capable of executing the modern game plan of fast and direct with this group of players. We don't have the pace to break lines, we don't have the disposal skill to hit moving targets and we don't have the endurance and gut running to have players moving enough to be able to create options for the ball carrier and spread the defence.

Probably a hybrid of both? Unless NN is involved in the tapwork around the ground then WC mids are better off just conceding and setting up purely defensively for the opposition clearance to at least create a rushed kick, which can then hopefully be intercepted by the backline, and drive the attack thru the corridor from there.

In the instance they do win a clearance then work it to the sweeper and/or flanker sitting off the back and running through. Gaff can't play this role like we saw against Adelaide.

 

[FKASC]

Sack Simmo Thread

 

[Yeo_Check_Out_ma_Flow]

Cox, Hansen, J Graham or Schofield as potential replacements?


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Probably the only names that came to mind for me as well, except I'd add Pyke to the shortlist.

 

[Farang83150]

Cox would be an interesting one.

 

[Truly Lazuli]

Hird? Would make games against Essington a whole lot more interesting