Rumour Future of the club (Bevo, board, assistant coaches, football department)

[threenewpadlocks]

I admire your optimism. Yes, I got excited for the patch of good footy we played in the second half of the year.

My optimism is by the simple fact that we should be far closer to a future flag on the basis of good most recent performances

But there is still something fundamentally wrong.

No more than the 16 other teams that don't win the flag (and less than those 16 teams).

We are now notorious as the tipsters' nightmare (and bookie's dream team).

We covered the pre-match handicap 13 out of 24 games this season. Betting even stakes on us on the H2H every game this season would have profitable for the punter and a loss for the bookies.

There is a fragility and unreliability to Bevo's Bulldogs.

To a level that's beyond a typical AFL team?

The acid needs to be on the club leadership.

If we rerun the 2024 season a million times, half a million with Bevo as coach and half a million with different club leadership, which do you think would have had ultimately more premierships in that group?

 

[Proffessor]

What a load of waffle.

Geelong would’ve beaten us regardless of location on that day.

Should we erect a statue of Rodney Eade considering he achieved what you consider to be an unattainable feat of consecutive top 4 appearances.

On the contrary, his inability to convert such positions into a single GF appearance let alone a premiership, shows that top 4 finishes aren't everything they are cracked up to be.

 

[yebach]

On the contrary, his inability to convert such positions into a single GF appearance let alone a premiership, shows that top 4 finishes aren't everything they are cracked up to be.

Rocket would have loved to have had this list.

 

[Proffessor]

Rocket would have loved to have had this list.

Arguably he had list's just as good if not better.

He was so well endowed with talent he was happy to push people players like Aker and Chris Grant out the door before they were ready to retire.

 

[Struggle]

Arguably he had list's just as good if not better.

He was so well endowed with talent he was happy to push people players like Aker and Chris Grant out the door before they were ready to retire.

Aker wanted to retire at the end of 2009 and we pushed him to stay on for one last crack

 

[mitch hahn premium light]

Any ITK’s have anything concrete / useful to add regarding Bevo future / how happy the club is with this season?

Can anyone elaborate on what Bulldog Muscle had to say regarding discontent after the finals loss?

Staff pissed off at Bevo for selections, tactics after elimination final loss?

It’s been quiet from the club- no after match footage on their socials, no Bevo’s brief.

 

[cleveland]

Bevo is under some pressure. Doubt anything comes of it though

 

[Proffessor]

Aker wanted to retire at the end of 2009 and we pushed him to stay on for one last crack

What are you talking about?
He was sacked mid-season in one of the most shameful episodes in the club's history.

 

[Dog 36]

What are you talking about?
He was sacked mid-season in one of the most shameful episodes in the club's history.

I cannot recall why was he sacked?

 

[MrChristo]

Weird post. They looked cooked in Cameron’s last season or two, Kingsley has taken them to within a kick of a GF berth and then a top 4 H&A in his two years in charge. Comfortably outperformed us in that time

Alternatively...

Won just 1 more game than us in 2023 and had a worse %. Conceded 120 more points on the year.

Won as many finals as us this year and were completely outplayed and out-coached in Rd. 23 when they absolutely needed a win to not finish 4th (to not play Swans at SCG).

 

[geoffjennings79]

Arguably he had list's just as good if not better.

He was so well endowed with talent he was happy to push people players like Aker and Chris Grant out the door before they were ready to retire.

Grant was nearly 35, and pulled the pin willingly, not sure what you're on about.

What are you talking about?
He was sacked mid-season in one of the most shameful episodes in the club's history.

Akermanis made his intention to retire at the end of 2009 very public. The club convinced him to play on in 2010. It's fairly common knowledge.

 

[GetDimmaBack]

What are you talking about?
He was sacked mid-season in one of the most shameful episodes in the club's history.

He's talking about Aker planning to retire at the end of 2009, the final year of his contract.
Rocket apparently convinced him to play one more year in the hope of winning a flag with Barry Hall coming in.
Didn't work out too well.

 

[Proffessor]

Grant wanted to keep playing for another season but was reportedly convinced to hang up the boots to clear space for younger players to come through.

Regarding Aker, he was sacked during a season. Don't know how you paint that as anything other than a choice by the hierarchy, because it certainly wasn't Aker's

Not smart choices by Eade, but choices, nonetheless.

And choices made by someone who obviously thought he had sufficient talent at his disposal to be able to show two all-time greats the door.

 

[geoffjennings79]

Grant wanted to keep playing for another season but was reportedly convinced to hang up the boots to clear space for younger players to come through.

Regarding Aker, he was sacked during a season. Don't know how you paint that as anything other than a choice by the hierarchy, because it certainly wasn't Aker's

Not smart choices by Eade, but choices, nonetheless.

And choices made by someone who obviously thought he had sufficient talent at his disposal to be able to show two all-time greats the door.

Grant himself states in his Open Mike interview:
"You retire for one of 3 reasons. You're physically gone, mentally gone, or both. I was probably both."

 

[Prince Imperial]

Grant played only played 5 matches in his last season in 2007 and was suffering regular shoulder injuries. He turned 35 at the end of that year. He was cooked.

 

[Anja_Nees]

Grant wanted to keep playing for another season but was reportedly convinced to hang up the boots to clear space for younger players to come through.

Regarding Aker, he was sacked during a season. Don't know how you paint that as anything other than a choice by the hierarchy, because it certainly wasn't Aker's

Not smart choices by Eade, but choices, nonetheless.

And choices made by someone who obviously thought he had sufficient talent at his disposal to be able to show two all-time greats the door.

My memory of the reporting at the time was Grant proposed playing on and being rested periodically so that he might play about 15 games, but it didn’t fit with the plans.

 

[Proffessor]

Grant himself states in his Open Mike interview:
"You retire for one of 3 reasons. You're physically gone, mentally gone, or both. I was probably both."

You don’t say probably if it’s your choice.

 

[yebach]

Arguably he had list's just as good if not better.

He was so well endowed with talent he was happy to push people players like Aker and Chris Grant out the door before they were ready to retire.

This is what you argued.
A 35 year old Grant and a cooked Aker.

 

[VitalDread]

Grant contract was up at the end of this season

So make sense we look for a fresh appointment

 

[ArNcHiSe]

What are you talking about?
He was sacked mid-season in one of the most shameful episodes in the club's history.

I would say the pedophile working at the Bulldogs and molesting kids is much more shameful than sacking a player who was disliked by everyone at the club and was writing homophobic articles but that’s just me.

 

[Ash1337]

Hoping a new forward coach is bought in this season. As for Lade I doubt he re-signs with the club. Probably after he tries the eagles position he might be poached elsewhere.

 

[grassman75]

Alternatively...

Won just 1 more game than us in 2023 and had a worse %. Conceded 120 more points on the year.

Won as many finals as us this year and were completely outplayed and out-coached in Rd. 23 when they absolutely needed a win to not finish 4th (to not play Swans at SCG).

This screams Sack Bevo to me….how can we go on with him in charge

 

[Dogs_R_Us]

I would say the pedophile working at the Bulldogs and molesting kids is much more shameful than sacking a player who was disliked by everyone at the club and was writing homophobic articles but that’s just me.

Two completely different eras so let’s not compare them. As I remember it, Aker was talked into, or decided on, one more season, after having said he was retiring. He put the club (and everyone) offside by writing columns for the HS (?) without getting permission. The one where he wrote that gay players shouldn’t “come out” tipped the outrage meter into red and he got the flick not long after.

Oddly, while at the club, he formed a strong friendship with Dale Morris, which continued after he left.

 

[Unorth]

Pratt is the only assistant coach we’ve hired in recent times that has had an obvious impact. Which makes sense as he was experienced, regarded and had past success.

If Bevo is to stay it’s clear by now he needs a lot of tactical support. That aspect of coaching isn’t his go.

That final was a disaster. Imagine before the game if you were told Bont (supposedly healthy) would spend 1/2 the game in the forward line and Sicily would be playing essentially unaccounted for. While West, who had some level of success tagging Sicily previously, was watching from the stands. Even Schache had managed to cause a Sicily meltdown before. Insane how little attention we gave him considering past encounters. And that’s just a couple of blunders from one game, let’s not forget how else he’s tried and failed to revolutionise the game, eg the Tim English experiment, the classic manning the mark outside 5 etc. In reality Bevo has been carried by very good or better midfields basically all of his time here.

Bevo needs a Pratt equivalent in all areas and he can manage the motivational stuff and player relationships. I’m not sure if he is willing to let go of his control and if we are willing to pay up (as more successful clubs do) for better assistants. I see both as pretty unlikely. This is also something people have been saying for a number of years.

I know we were a game away from top 4. We aren’t the only side lamenting that though. It’s just how the comp is now. We can only really judge from the results in front of us.

We would be better placed if we had stronger starts to the year but outside of the first six rounds of 2021, in which our side was insanely stacked (and Tim wasn’t our main ruck ) it’s something we always seem to struggle with. Lots of ****ing around early while the more consistent sides start strong. Sustained winning footy + consistency have never been a feature of Bevo’s tenure and it’s why he’s never finished top 4.

But if we are deadset on making Bevo a lifetime God-Emperor of the Bulldogs at least fork out for the best possible coaching box around him.

 

[Wocka]

Alternatively...

Won just 1 more game than us in 2023 and had a worse %. Conceded 120 more points on the year.

Won as many finals as us this year and were completely outplayed and out-coached in Rd. 23 when they absolutely needed a win to not finish 4th (to not play Swans at SCG).

Sorry, is this pure nonsense.

GWS had as much interest in beating us in the last round as we did in beating Freo in the last round in 2016.

Losing to us guaranteed a final at the SCG, I highly doubt it was something they wanted to avoid.

They needed to beat us, a Port loss and approximately 4% swing to get to second place, if the latter two didn’t happen they finish third and play Port in Adelaide. I’m positive I know what they would have preferred.