Coach Alastair Clarkson - NMFC Senior Coach - Coaching & Football Discussion

[TennisPlayerAndy]

Im not surprised.

The masochist nuffies demand instant gratification. If that is not delivered, gratification is sought by bloodletting.

It’s just how they are.

There has been no discernible improvement in this team in two years, on top of the previous three seasons of absolute dross. He’s the highest paid coach in the league.

We’re the easiest team to score against. The way we defend is laughable.

We can’t move the ball with any fluency. Our forward line set up is worse than the U9’s.

Our fitness is pitiful.

He’s not responsible for anything pre 2023, but you’d like to think that if he was still any good, after two years the team would look somewhat cohesive.

He’s got the first half of next year to show that he can get the club moving in the right direction.

 

[DrZaius]

There has been no discernible improvement in this team in two years, on top of the previous three seasons of absolute dross. He’s the highest paid coach in the league.

We’re the easiest team to score against. The way we defend is laughable.

We can’t move the ball with any fluency. Our forward line set up is worse than the U9’s.

Our fitness is pitiful.

He’s not responsible for anything pre 2023, but you’d like to think that if he was still any good, after two years the team would look somewhat cohesive.

He’s got the first half of next year to show that he can get the club moving in the right direction.

Has now coached the same amount of games for NMFC as David Noble (and 9 more than Rhyce Shaw for that matter which I will include but don't think it's fair to be used as a comparison).

Clarkson W/D/L: 6-0-32
Noble W/D/L: 5-1-32
Shaw W/D/L: 10-0-19

Before someone jumps down my throat or makes more sarcastic comments about being negative/sooking/wanting sugar hits/any other thought terminating cliche, yes looking solely at the WDL record doesn't tell the entire story, and yes there are other factors to consider.

On face value though their records are pretty comparable and I know we all like a good case of recency bias but I would say the footy we played post-bye in '21 was largely better than our little purple patch this year.

Clarko has the track record and runs on the board of course but there should be alarm bells ringing if we enter the bye in 2025 having performed similar to past seasons as he will be our longest serving coach since giving Brad Scotts the boot as of round 1.

 

[The Warlord]

Each successive regime pays for the sins of the past as the Bombers are now on their sixth coach since Sheedy’s departure.

Hahahaha, eat it Bombers!

(Since 2007 we've had how many coaches?)

 

[The Warlord]

There has been no discernible improvement in this team in two years

Yeah, that's because it was a Year Zero moment and rebuild when Clarko and Vodd started.

on top of the previous three seasons of absolute dross. He’s the highest paid coach in the league.

You do know that not only is he not responsible for those three years, he's got to fix them too?

Folks really do struggle with the intellectual proposition that another root and branch rebuild started with Clarko don't they

 

[TennisPlayerAndy]

Yeah, that's because it was a Year Zero moment and rebuild when Clarko and Vodd started.



You do know that not only is he not responsible for those three years, he's got to fix them too?

Folks really do struggle with the intellectual proposition that another root and branch rebuild started with Clarko don't they

Passing off the lack of competitive football for two years as a ‘root and branch rebuild’ is ridiculous.

As I’ve maintained, this will be his third preseason with basically the same key players.

If there isn’t noticeable improvement in performance across the first half of the year, then what the **** is he, and the club, actually focusing on?

 

[DocSholl]

Clarkson's first two years at Hawthorn weren't much better than his first two with us and they were coming from a place miles in front of where we were when he came to Arden St.

His first year won 5 games with a % of 82 and his second year won 9 games with a % of 86.

So they were a fair bit better and, crucially, improved quite a bit from year 1 to year 2.

 

[Black Diamond]

He did have a Brownlow medallist and other experienced guys like Croad, Bateman and Everitt in that team.

Plus the 2001 draft cohort had a few seasons under their belts.

 

[toepoker]

Has now coached the same amount of games for NMFC as David Noble (and 9 more than Rhyce Shaw for that matter which I will include but don't think it's fair to be used as a comparison).

Clarkson W/D/L: 6-0-32
Noble W/D/L: 5-1-32
Shaw W/D/L: 10-0-19

Before someone jumps down my throat or makes more sarcastic comments about being negative/sooking/wanting sugar hits/any other thought terminating cliche, yes looking solely at the WDL record doesn't tell the entire story, and yes there are other factors to consider.

On face value though their records are pretty comparable and I know we all like a good case of recency bias but I would say the footy we played post-bye in '21 was largely better than our little purple patch this year.

Clarko has the track record and runs on the board of course but there should be alarm bells ringing if we enter the bye in 2025 having performed similar to past seasons as he will be our longest serving coach since giving Brad Scotts the boot as of round 1.

It was also driven by experienced types like Cunners, and the backside fell out of us again late that year when he received a second cancer diagnosis. Definitely can't say that about this year

 

[Black Diamond]

At Hawthorn he also had a very inept North Melbourne who were willing to pay a fortune at the trade table for guys like Hay and Thomson in his first couple of seasons.

 

[Devington]

Clarkson took over after two more years of complete arse. Two more years of slowly losing our seniormost players who had some idea about winning games and pulling the other blokes along. Two more years of depression and getting used to a loser's mindset. Two more years of being the arse end of jokes and sneering.

Then while riding the high of securing the most successful coach of our era... Rusty jackson drops his article. Then JHF shoves a rusty fire poker up our clacker. Then Clarkosn has to take time off for a mental health break. Then TT unveils himself to be a remorseless sack of shit.

(oh and for all our on field suckage we get deprived of 80% of the potential topend draft talent for basically every reason imaginable ranging from father son, to academy, to the reincarnation to judas, to winning the last round of a season)

I dunno if clarkson is cooked. The situation certainly is though. It's grim. Questioning and critiscing clarko over some of his choices is AOK, but comparisons of situations are pretty much nonstarters. Whether that's other rebuilding clubs, our previous coach, clarko's previous coaching start etc etc. The situations are just too wildly different.

 

[giantroo]

 

[Makeshift Park]

If he really is cooked, he’s done a remarkable job of hoodwinking the entire playing group into committing to his obsolete strategy.

 

[zoomba23]

If he really is cooked, he’s done a remarkable job of hoodwinking the entire playing group into committing to his obsolete strategy.

The factors behind our struggles have been well-documented. Much harder to find things we've done well than things we haven't.

But we had periods where opponents looked lost against us. The strategy isn't obsolete and the game hasn't passed him. It's apparent that the gameplan demands skills which we don't consistently show, but there's a way to change that.

I actually don't think many of our players are fully immersed in the game for four quarters. I think they lose focus easily and look inwards too easily when things start to go south. I'm not sure if that's mindfulness or confidence or a combination of both, but I don't buy that half of our 22 will stuff up a kick half the time when pressured, or will fumble half the time when pressured. Again, distill the playing group to other clubs and I think you'd see fairly consistent contributions from most of them. Bring promising young players at other clubs to North and I think many of them would struggle.

It's reasonable for people piling shit on Clarko to demand results next year. I demand them too. But it's not reasonable to say that he's cooked. It's a damn low bar, but the last coach that would have us playing a style that sees us 54 points up against Collingwood was Rhyce Shaw in 2019.

There are so, so many hoops to jump through, and I don't know if this watered down racism-burdened version of Clarkson will guide us through all of them, but it's last chance saloon, and there've been moments, quarters, halves of hope in 2024 where they ALL looked like footballers. Let's hope that those periods become games at a regular pace last year.

If we're saying the same shit this time next year and Clarko hasn't had another breakdown to cause it, then it will probably be time to shut the door on the club

 

[RossHenshaw]

View attachment 2100439

 

[The acurate one]

Yes I recall the heady days when the Dogs managed to secure the Hawfs premiership coach Alan Joyce. Joke was on the Hawfs, then the Dogs sacked Joyces Snr. He seemed to have forgotten how to coach.
Pagan jokes on Norf he leaves for a big club, gets the arse and seemed to have forgotten how to coach.

Ronald Dale Barassi, Norths first ever premiership coach, joins Melb and seems to have forgotten how to coach.

Anyways I'm sure some on here get my point

Now.

Archer 23 games
Bergman 16 games
Comben 28 games
K Dawson 16 games
W Dawson 3 games
Drury 10 games
Duursma 13 games
Ford 40 games
Free 0 games
George 0 games
Goad 0 games
Goater 12 games
Hansen 8 games
Harvey 3 games
Hardeman 3 games
Lazzaro 33 games
Maley 0 games
McKercher 16 games
Bert Nyuon 4 games
Payne 0 games
Phillips 43
Pink 15 games
Sellars 2 games
Sheezel 44 games
Teakle 17 games
Wardlaw 26 games


There a shite load of crazy thoughts in this thread, that above is them facts, good luck getting better results without getting games under belts.

And please could someone count how many, I gave up after taking off my socks.

Crikey, but will be a good thread to revisit in a couple of seasons.

 

[chubbspeterson]

Ouch 26 with less than 50 games.

 

[The acurate one]

Count how many 23 and under, which of course in one h&a season .

A good coach gets the best out of his players and moves on those that he can’t motivate.

Sam Blardy Mitchell wouldn’t be doing any better with out squad. Probably worse.

 

[Only Forwards]

There a shite load of crazy thoughts in this thread, that above is them facts, good luck getting better results without getting games under belts.

Did you know that with the exception of 3 listed players we could have a team in the last rounds of 2027 with players we currently have, including all the ones that we want us to take us forward and they would all still be under 30.

the only players that would be older than that by the end of 2027 are McDonald, Corr and Simpkin.

Every other key player we have will still be under 30.

That's in 3 full seasons from now. 69 games time.

The stark reality is we are just so f***ing young.

 

[Spud11]

Count how many 23 and under, which of course in one h&a season .

A good coach gets the best out of his players and moves on those that he can’t motivate.

Sam Blardy Mitchell wouldn’t be doing any better with out squad. Probably worse.

Interestingly, a few had penciled in wins against Sam Mitchell’s team at the start of the year.
Our squad was rated relatively highly.

 

[tazaa]

Xerri was on a podcast recently and said Clarko basically read him the riot act last year and said do I stick with you or do I go and get Grundy?

Thankfully X convinced Clarko to back him in and he proved himself correct.

The more I listen to Clarko and the more I look at the list and acknowledge it really is a pile of dogshit.

But Clarko needs to take some responsibility for some of the selections and tactics that have us where we are.

I’d say it’s a 30-70 split over what’s wrong.

Hopefully he gets a fit and firing defence and lands a centre half forward and then let’s see what 2025 brings.

If Clarko doesn’t find his edge next year he’s not gonna be there in 12 months time. Simple as that.

 

[Dan]

The playing group needs and deserve the same senior coach for the next 6-7 years.

You can't keep replacing the coach every 2 years and expect players to stay and for the team to get better.

 

[The acurate one]

Did you know that with the exception of 3 listed players we could have a team in the last rounds of 2027 with players we currently have, including all the ones that we want us to take us forward and they would all still be under 30.

the only players that would be older than that by the end of 2027 are McDonald, Corr and Simpkin.

Every other key player we have will still be under 30.

That's in 3 full seasons from now. 69 games time.

The stark reality is we are just so f***ing young.

Young and a bit shit too, which doesn’t help us. Max I reckon 15 of the 26 I listed will have any sort of career.

15 + Xerri, LDU, Zurhaar, Logue, Scott, Curtis ,Simpkin, maybe Stephens , Powell and Fisher.

Total 25

Crikey

 

[Passmore]

Xerri was on a podcast recently and said Clarko basically read him the riot act last year and said do I stick with you or do I go and get Grundy?

Thankfully X convinced Clarko to back him in and he proved himself correct.

The more I listen to Clarko and the more I look at the list and acknowledge it really is a pile of dogshit.

But Clarko needs to take some responsibility for some of the selections and tactics that have us where we are.

I’d say it’s a 30-70 split over what’s wrong.

Hopefully he gets a fit and firing defence and lands a centre half forward and then let’s see what 2025 brings.

If Clarko doesn’t find his edge next year he’s not gonna be there in 12 months time. Simple as that.

Quit or sacked?

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[The acurate one]

Quit or sacked?

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Neither he will be fine. Just need to have a huge preseason and scrape 8 wins together . Have Logue fit , Comben fwd Goater fit and don’t **** up this years drafting and we will be fine . Then FAs will be interested

 

[Passmore]

Young and a bit shit too, which doesn’t help us. Max I reckon 15 of the 26 I listed will have any sort of career.

15 + Xerri, LDU, Zurhaar, Logue, Scott, Curtis ,Simpkin, maybe Stephens , Powell and Fisher.

Total 25

Crikey

It's a starting point.

And assuming that LDU signs, we won't be losing anyone of note (apart from Corr) for at least the next 5 years.

Archer
Logue
McKercher
Sheezel
Scott
LDU
Wardlaw
Xerri
Simpkin
Comben
Zurhaar
Curtis
Larkey
Powell
Duursma
Pick 2

Hopefully
W Dawson
Hardeman
Goater
George
Goad
Payne
Bergman
Hansen
Maley
Pick 20

Not a bad position to build from over the next 5 years I would have thought....

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