- Banned
- #26
When was he sacked then? Im happy to be corrected.
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AFLW 2024 - Round 7 - Pride Round - Chat, game threads, injury lists, team lineups and more.
But yes, must be frustrating for Cats fans - that decision to extend Thompson's contract looked like pure folly at the time, looks like sheer lunacy now.
At this stage, i'd even be happy to see Ron Watt step up and take control of the seniors.
Originally posted by Shaitan
Taking the Mick Turner line, it was a political stunt to make the club appear stable and under control, especially if we had a deplorable start to the season.
Funnily enough, as you said, it has come unstuck and really bit them in the arse.
p&p - as you are Thompson's most outspoken critic on these boards, what is it about him that doesn't gel with you? Style, game-plan, presentation, whole package...?? Specifics please
Originally posted by Cat In A Hat
Mick Turner as a person is a jerk but I often think he says some intelligent things on K-Rock, 95.5, Geelong's radio station. I love K-Rock cos its so biased when commentating.
Originally posted by Shaitan
Mick Turner always gets it right - His assessment of Luke Hodge excluded
Originally posted by Ramma
p&p - as you are Thompson's most outspoken critic on these boards, what is it about him that doesn't gel with you? Style, game-plan, presentation, whole package...?? Specifics please.
Originally posted by phatandphreaky
First let me say that i've been a critic of Thompson since day one.
Four main areas about Thompson frustrate me, they being, his gameplan, his lack of emotion, his ego and his 'shrug the shoulders' routine.
I've seen the Thompson coached Geelong side play live some 65 times, i still do not know what his gameplan is. All i can ascertain is that he prefers the midfielders to drift back, rather than going forward.
I have asked many people involved with the club about his gameplan and i'm yet to get a definitive answer. No one, Thompson included, seems to know exactly what the gameplan is.
You can have the best list in the land, if you haven't got an effective gameplan, you won't do much.
Onto his lack of emotion. Mark Thompson has absolutely no emotional tie to my football club, that is shown not only by his demeanour, but also by his unwillingness to relocate to Geelong.
He approaches the role as that of a job, nothing more.
If we win, you might get a wry grin, if we lose, he doesn't seem to be angered, whilst we long suffering fans are sitting in the stands literally tearing our hair out.
We want to know that the coach is hurting, just like we are.
Onto his ego. I've yet to ever see him take some form of blame for our poor form. It's either the players fault, or he makes an excuse.
He needs to put the ego aside, accept the responsibilty that comes with being a coach and admit he has made mistakes.
As for the 'shrug the shoulders' thing. Whenever we lose badly, Thompson is at a complete loss to explain why it happened. To me, that is unacceptable.
As senior coach, he should be able to pinpoint reasons why we lost, he clearly can't do that.
Our club has gone backwards since Thompson arrived, despite the talent base improving, that alone should be enough to see him walk away.
Originally posted by phatandphreaky
Onto his lack of emotion. Mark Thompson has absolutely no emotional tie to my football club, that is shown not only by his demeanour, but also by his unwillingness to relocate to Geelong.
He approaches the role as that of a job, nothing more.
If we win, you might get a wry grin, if we lose, he doesn't seem to be angered, whilst we long suffering fans are sitting in the stands literally tearing our hair out.
We want to know that the coach is hurting, just like we are.
Time the coach took a hit - Graham Bicknell
SO it's the players fault - again.
Oh, yes, the Cats have injuries. So do other clubs, it's a collision based game. It happens.
Ok, so Geelong has a young team, perhaps as has been suggested some of them aren't up to AFL standard, but what incensed this observer when I picked up the Addy yesterday morning was that at no stage did Mark Thompson mention himself in regard to this appalling start to the season.. A season which is over before it's barely begun.
So the question has to be asked. Is Mark Thompson a good coach? Those surrounding him will tell you he is, but where's the evidence? Yes, he's a nice bloke but we know where nice blokes finish.
Its all very well to use words such as "passion" "commitment" and "standing up" but where is Mark Thompson's passion and commitment to the city by the bay?
He doesn't live in Geelong. What an indicment on the town that is.
Despite being in his fifth year he choses to live in Essendon. He drives down to Skilled Stadium, then he goes back to Melbourne. There is no commitment to the Geelong community.
Certainly Geelong doesn't get any financial benefit from the Thompson family.
His kids go to school in Melbourne, his wife shops in Melbourne, he pays his rates to the Moonee Valley City Council.
In an ambassadorial role interstate or overseas when he tells people what he does for a living, do people ask him where he lives and do they look sideways at him when he replies? They should.
Mark Thompson obviously doesn't want to be a part of the Geelong community and live among us.
What sort of signal does that send to his young charges and the diminishing band of Cats supporters?
Originally posted by Ramma
Fair enough.
Just a couple of points: his predecessor didn't live in Geelong either...did Blighty? Given Ayres' next role was in Adelaide...........not sure that shows a lack of committment, though. Hell, you probably lost a (decent) signing over summer because of the location of Geelong.
Maybe Thompson is just not an emotive person - I don't really remember him as one as a player. Nothing wrong being humble as a winner (unless it's a GF - even then there's still next year). Can't disagree when your side loses, though.
Finishing 9-13/14 is definitely a no-win situation these days. Still, players of the ilk of Scarlett, Ling, Harley, etc, tough nuts, have started, or at least prospered since Thompson took over...ditto Ablett, Kelly, etc - can't be all bad news. I do, however, think he's lost the plot with Ben Graham.
Thanks for the reply p&p - puts it a little more into perspective.
Originally posted by saintsrule
Did anyone listen to 3AW Sports Tonight last night? Dwayne Russell put down Geelong's poor list to three years of poor recruiting, I can't rememer exactly 97- 99? But there were a number of first and second round no names, no longer at the club and the list of present day players at other clubs, who were overlooked, included plenty of top notch players. Wish I had written them down, but I know that Lenny Hayes and Brendan Fevola were among them.
Originally posted by saintsrule
Did anyone listen to 3AW Sports Tonight last night? Dwayne Russell put down Geelong's poor list to three years of poor recruiting, I can't rememer exactly 97- 99? But there were a number of first and second round no names, no longer at the club and the list of present day players at other clubs, who were overlooked, included plenty of top notch players. Wish I had written them down, but I know that Lenny Hayes and Brendan Fevola were among them.
Originally posted by Barry Schneider
If I was an opposition coach I wouldn't trade with the Swans for a tried player as you can be sure he is damaged goods.