Is Laidley the man?

[Devil Fish]

We now are playing our youngest side in nearly 20 years & with Laidley's poor record re developing young players, is he really the man to take us beyond this season? He has not been able to develop one potential match-winner in his 7 years at NM - & that says something about his coaching style I would've thought.

 

[Chadwiko]

Short answer; No


Long Answer; Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

 

[viccles]

Short answer; No


Long Answer; Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

I agree with you. I think the bloke has had long enough in the saddle to do something with the team, times up

 

[snapperbowler]

We now are playing our youngest side in nearly 20 years & with Laidley's poor record re developing young players, is he really the man to take us beyond this season? He has not been able to develop one potential match-winner in his 7 years at NM - & that says something about his coaching style I would've thought.

How many more threads are you going to start on Laidley.

What evidence do you have that Laidley has a poor record of developing young players?

Match winners don't grow on trees.

What about getting behind the team that you support instead of writing crap.

It's easy to sit in the cheap seats and throw rocks.

 

[mako_roo]

well said snapper, just support this club

 

[Urmoe]

I dont think debating whether the current coach is the coach to take us ahead with virtually a new team is not supporting the club. I havent seen all these other posts of DF on Laidley but no reason why we cant comment on whether a new guy should take the helm. The contract is up at the end of the year so its not likle we are flicking him immediately. Although this may happen if we dont renew. But thats beside the point.

The problem I have with Laidley is that there have been many times this year that players have come out and said after a shocking loss, that the coach didnt want us to play that way. While this can be seen as a tick against the coach, Im not so sure. Its happening all too often for my liking.

If senior experienced players (100+ games), the 50-100 game group, and young kids (<50games) are all coming out and saying thats not the way he wanted us to play, then why are we playing that way. There is a major disconnect somewhere. I dont think he isnt such a good developer of young players, I think somewhere between his play book, and communicating the playbook to the players, and the players understanding his playbook, there is a message that is getting lost on the players.

Maybe the game plan is too complex for the players. Maybe the gameplan doesnt suit the current crop of players. Maybe his gameplan will work at a team like StKilda but wont work for Melbourne. Maybe he is such a braniac that no player is able to decipher it. Maybe he has a crap game plan. I dont know what it is. All I know is that if my team worked the way the NMFC is currently working, someone would be asking serious questions about me as their leader. We either need a few years to work out whether deans gameplan can work with a group of players he has chosen for the job, or we need to get a new bloke in. At this stage and seeing as though dean has had 7 years, its easier to turnover the coach than wait another 4 years to see whether the team can come good or whether that was a waste of another 4 years.

Please note this isnt a reaction from yesterdays game. There are many examples this year where players have come out in support of the caoch witht he 'he didnt want us to play that way' line. I thought all things considered yesterday wasnt our worst effort this year, definitely no pass mark but not the 100+ point shellacking I was expecting.

 

[DJ Dupree]

McIntosh, Swallow, Pratt, Spud, Gibson are quality, and have developed under Laidley.

Hansen looked good, JWS looked good, Ziebell is good.

Tough one. He had to hold ground, not bottom out during the first few years, and so far we've made the finals 3 times and finished top 4 once.

So he hasn't completely redeveloped the team in his time. I think he's done a good job of balancing between topping up and adding some good youth to the list.

Is he capable of developing youth? I think so. Is he capable of taking a developed team to a flag? I don't think so.

 

[Yianni]

It's a difficult question considering that he may have had his hands tied with an uncooperative administration/salary cap restrictions/no rookies/all the other North related bullshit in his first 5 years.

HOWEVER there is an essence of Laidley, something quintessentially his own that has always been part of his teams over the last 7 years, the battling, the hard work gameplan, the falling outs with players, etc which is what I think most of the anti-Laidley crew on this board want out of the club.

Go on the main board and read THIS POST regarding Malthouse. It could just as easily have come from our board regarding Laids.

IMHO, we've had some good times Laids. But I think a split might be best for both parties.

 

[Rooboy 96]

yes... that is my short and long answer...

 

[Devil Fish]

How many more threads are you going to start on Laidley.

What evidence do you have that Laidley has a poor record of developing young players?

Match winners don't grow on trees.

What about getting behind the team that you support instead of writing crap.

It's easy to sit in the cheap seats and throw rocks.

Because I fear the club will renew his contract `as a show of support'. We will continue to play negative, boring football. Struggle to get people to turn up to our games as a consequence. See our club become totally uncompetitive on & off the field & die. Then I'll have no team to support. That's my reason. Hope you approve.

 

[FLYING KANGA]

What a silly thread this is!!!! Give the coach go a break, I admit its going to be a hard long season, and with the injuries we have, you cant expect miracles..If Laidley is not the man.....Who is then? YOU. Give him a chance.. GO KANGAS

 

[FLYING KANGA]

How many more threads are you going to start on Laidley.

What evidence do you have that Laidley has a poor record of developing young players?

Match winners don't grow on trees.

What about getting behind the team that you support instead of writing crap.

It's easy to sit in the cheap seats and throw rocks.

Well said Snapperbowler

 

[Devil Fish]

What a silly thread this is!!!! Give the coach go a break, I admit its going to be a hard long season, and with the injuries we have, you cant expect miracles..If Laidley is not the man.....Who is then? YOU. Give him a chance.. GO KANGAS

Who's asking for miracles? If we hadn't have wasted spots on our list & games on S Harvey, Picioane, S Power, Watt, Green, Davies etc. we might not be so reliant on so few players & the injuries would not be having such a devastating effect.
S Thompson, Riggio, Urqhart, Ross etc. should have an extra 20-odd games under their belts by now if they were played ahead of the `safe' options of the aforementioned list-cloggers.

 

[KingyOrTheKing]

Nope. Firstly, he is incredibly reactive. Reactive coaches and teams aren't usually the ones that win premierships. Look back as far as the Lions reign. Laidley was talking about how we should mould our team around the way they are and the way they play. When that didnt look like the direction the game was going, he went for a more West Coast style, with a high numer of midfielders. This is all well and good because he is at least heading in the direction the gale is going, but with this method he will always be one or two years behind the times. You need to make your own team dammit! Not try to make it something it isn't!

Last year he started for the first time to play a few youngsters, and now that Hawthorn has won the premiership, he now suddenly realises that you can win a premiership bottoming out. Injuries or not, Laidley would have played many more youngsters this year than last, just given what Hawthorn have done. Don't get me wrong, the direction he is taking now in terms of the list I think is the correct one. Its just too bad he is 4 years too late. If he had made the correct decisions at the selection table all those years ago, we would be in better shape than now.

And the day that Laidley takes responsibility for anything, is the day that I eat my hat. How many people have taken the fall for him and been 'let go' by the club?

I know that Laidley loves the club and thats all well and good, but his style isn' one that will bring us a premiership. I don't think his match day performance is bad. Its just that he sucks at any other time.

 

[chubbspeterson]

Hmm probably not for a premiership. He's kept us reasonably competitive over the years, but we've only just turned the list over and the players will take 2-3 years to develop, much like Hawks. I don't know if there's anybody else that could do a better job. Is there any point gettin and untried coach? I don't think so. At least we have been more direct of late and you can see guys like Urqy, Warren, Ziebell, Ross, Lower and Wright will be good players when they're at 100 odd games experience and physically and mentally mature.

 

[roylandroos]

We have had him for seven years now, he brought us close to the top but didn't get there.
Now he wants to just restart and pretend nothing happened.
New coach I say, but at the end of the season.

 

[roosmad]

I don`t think we would be any better with another coach......this year or next...
maybe a new line of assistants, or something more radical like a game day only coach,we are the club that has changed the game over the years...

i would also look at our playing group, we are very average end of story...
our young blokes loved here, would not be first selection at other clubs....some yes most not..

our skills are realisticly bottom four, that area seems to have fallen away quite severly in 2009

 

[r_boy]

It's a difficult question considering that he may have had his hands tied with an uncooperative administration/salary cap restrictions/no rookies/all the other North related bullshit in his first 5 years.

HOWEVER there is an essence of Laidley, something quintessentially his own that has always been part of his teams over the last 7 years, the battling, the hard work gameplan, the falling outs with players, etc which is what I think most of the anti-Laidley crew on this board want out of the club.

Go on the main board and read THIS POST regarding Malthouse. It could just as easily have come from our board regarding Laids.

IMHO, we've had some good times Laids. But I think a split might be best for both parties.

Well said.

 

[Chadwiko]

IMHO, we've had some good times Laids. But I think a split might be best for both parties.

Wouldn't be suprised if he came up to me on a street in London and said "excuse me, help me, i've just been hurt, can you help me?"



</inside joke>

 

[rooloc]

IMHO No

Very poor finals record
Not attacking enough
In the last 7 years we would have one less than 5 games by ten goals. We have lost the ability to bury a side.
Laidley appears to be to reactive.
Poor communication with players.
Poor trading history.
Development of players has been poor.
Team selection is mystifying on a regular basis.

In the seven years that have passed there is nothing to suggest that he can take us to a flag.

But if our list is as bad as some say then has he done a good job?

For mine 7 years is enough - Time to move on.

Go Roos

 

[NICK_ROOBOY83]

No, no i don't think he is.

Just too many things don't seem right and haven't done so for most of Deans time as coach.

 

[street_fighter]

How many times during Laidley's time have we heard someone from North talking about winning back respect?

Well, if we re-appoint Laidley we will be the laughing stock of the AFL. How can any organisation wanting to be successful reward 7 years of mediocrity with another contract? I have friends that don't know anything about AFL come and watch North play, and even they laugh at our "game plan".

Laidley has little idea what he is doing and it has shown this year. We work on a game plan all summer, but then throw it out after a couple of rounds. One minute we are pumping games into Watt and Power and keeping Ben Ross on the sidelines, the next we are in a huge re-building phase with a focus on the future. People talk about Laidley being a great tactician, but Paul Roos wouldn't have been able to wipe the smile off his face after last years elimination final.

Without trying, I don't see how we could do much worse than Laidley...

 

[NMFC ALWAYS]

The thing about Laidley is - when he played we all loved him , he was a runt that gave his all , went in hard and never backed down !

As a coach he has enjoyed some really good times at our club under constraints that probably no other coach in history has had to deal with .

If he gets another contract , i feel it is the wrong way to go sadly , because we all know he loves the club with every breath that he takes , but that is just not enough these days .

So the answer to the OP's question is a big no !

 

[NMFC ALWAYS]

How many times during Laidley's time have we heard someone from North talking about winning back respect?

Well, if we re-appoint Laidley we will be the laughing stock of the AFL. How can any organisation wanting to be successful reward 7 years of mediocrity with another contract? I have friends that don't know anything about AFL come and watch North play, and even they laugh at our "game plan".

Laidley has little idea what he is doing and it has shown this year. We work on a game plan all summer, but then throw it out after a couple of rounds. One minute we are pumping games into Watt and Power and keeping Ben Ross on the sidelines, the next we are in a huge re-building phase with a focus on the future. People talk about Laidley being a great tactician, but Paul Roos wouldn't have been able to wipe the smile off his face after last years elimination final.

Without trying, I don't see how we could do much worse than Laidley...

Only people outside of the club will fall for the rebuilding line , no one knows like WE do of what is happening at the selection table .

A team with a bunch of bonafide stars could carry the likes of Power and Watt , we don't have that luxury of stars so those duds stand out like dogs balls .

 

[ozzyoslo]

Who's asking for miracles? If we hadn't have wasted spots on our list & games on S Harvey, Picioane, S Power, Watt, Green, Davies etc. we might not be so reliant on so few players & the injuries would not be having such a devastating effect.
S Thompson, Riggio, Urqhart, Ross etc. should have an extra 20-odd games under their belts by now if they were played ahead of the `safe' options of the aforementioned list-cloggers.

We all the know story to this player, and who's call that was and this was definately not Dean Laidley's call. and I'm not wrong in saying the bloke with the sore elbow had anything to do with it.