Coaching Staff Past Coach: Matthew Knights - Finally gets his second shot - 5/5

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I think that Essendon supporters are a victim of their own success. You don't seem to have to patience to wait for the young team to come together.

You have played some brilliant football this year, beating top four sides and now, like a lot of young teams, you are having a slump. The coach can't get out there and play the game, the players have to do that, and improve.

Sacking coaches only destabilizes the club - and will put you back further.
 
Re: Sorry, Knighter its time to go!

Godzke said:
Typical BF Essendon mentality. Always thinking about the present and never the future.

Give Knights time. It may not be the best time to rebuild but face up to the fact that some teams have to fill the bottom 4 void, and that may very well be us. Whatever you change now won't have any short-term effect, so why bother getting rid of Knighter?
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After nearly 3 years we still don't have a game plan or any kind of structure.
If we had both of these I would support Knights but it is time to go.

Look at Hardwick he has implemented a game plan and structure in less than 12 months and Richmond have a crack, they want to play for him.

Is it the same at the EFC?? I think not.......Dead man walking
 
Turbo5 said:
Not a troll so hear me out.
Over here everyone has been gunning for Woosha over the last few weeks, but the coach has a plan and the players, board and supporters have to put trust in the coach. We have had plenty of supporters bag out the coach and the team but that gets you nowhere.

I reckon the Bombers players need to get over the fact that Lloyd and Lucas have gone and follow the coach. If they can't do that then they should go and play in the twos. This is the time for all of the bombers (players, coach, supporters etc) to pull together.
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Supporters can handle losing but its they way we lose that is the biggest issue. Main example from tonight every kick in that W.C took when to a guy about 40m out right on the boundary every time, Knights answer to this is go to his old chestnut man on man. W.C. just huddle and have 50m of free space to lead into. We have to put up with crap like this week after week because they has NFI on how stem the flow of a game or make moves to stop opposition fwds. As far as a coaching goes Knights is at about the U/12 level.
 

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A new coach wouldn't have allowed 15 of our players to all be in and around the ball, yet chasing the same man or position; when we won the ball, we either passed it backwards or kicked it over the heads of one of the 3 forwards, all of whom were not KPP.

An absolute coaching blunder.

The players were hopeless, but they clearly don't know what they're supposed to be doing. With a starting structure of Davey, Monfries and Winderlich as key forwards, you're always going to be asking for trouble.

Each time I see a player do an unforgivable action, I watch to see if the runner comes out; 9/10 it doesn't.

The coach is the problem. **** him off.
 
Dogs_r_barking said:
Sacking coaches only destabilizes the club - and will put you back further.
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I dont believe this and i didnt buy the interview on TFS on thursday night either. Think there was less than 26k at the ground tonight for a match we were favourites for after the calls for everyone to come and wave their scarves. North home match next week same time and reckon the crowd could be sameabouts again. Something has to be done.
 
Whomb said:
A new coach wouldn't have allowed 15 of our players to all be in and around the ball, yet chasing the same man or position; when we won the ball, we either passed it backwards or kicked it over the heads of one of the 3 forwards, all of whom were not KPP.
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Yep this. Get sucked into the zone too easy and have lost all of our attcking game. Teaching the players defence, what a joke.
 
Whomb said:
A new coach wouldn't have allowed 15 of our players to all be in and around the ball, yet chasing the same man or position; when we won the ball, we either passed it backwards or kicked it over the heads of one of the 3 forwards, all of whom were not KPP.

An absolute coaching blunder.

The players were hopeless, but they clearly don't know what they're supposed to be doing. With a starting structure of Davey, Monfries and Winderlich as key forwards, you're always going to be asking for trouble.

Each time I see a player do an unforgivable action, I watch to see if the runner comes out; 9/10 it doesn't.

The coach is the problem. **** him off.
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/thread
 
http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/98414/default.aspx
“I’ve just got to be able to absorb that and be resilient,” Knights said.

“[It’s] similar to last week. Front up, do what I need to do, work with the players. It’s not about me - it’s about the Essendon Football Club and the players.”
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http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/98414/default.aspx

Brilliant.

It is about you, you absolute muppet. Take some responsibility for your own pathetic coaching ability. There were 10 year-old boys sitting near me tonight that could see the problems with our game plan. Surely you can.

Piss off back to Richmond.
 
I don't know about you guys, but I don't buy this whole "playing for the coach" bull$hit.

If you are a professional footy player, earning 6 figures, and love your club, you should be going out playing for your supporters. If you think the coach is $hit, you should be going out there with the attitude of sticking it up the coach and playing your natural game.

FWIW I honestly thought all of the rumours about the players being unhappy with Knighter were BS but after tonight I'm not so sure.

If it is true the players should be ashamed of tonight's performance because the result of the game is as much in their hands as it is in Knighter's.
 
For what it's worth I don't believe sacking Knights at this stage of the season is going to achieve anything positive.

When Knights first came to the club he took the list he inherited from Sheedy and began developing a game plan that would utilise the teams strength - speed. Sure we were lacking a defensive aspect but Knights admitted as much and said that would come, and slowly over the course of the next few seasons it did, although not yet at the standard required at this level.

In his second season at the club we beat both Hawthorn and Carlton twice and had a great win over St Kilda and managed to win enough games to squeeze into the finals. This year we had a 6 weeks period where we played good competitive footy and were unlucky not to have won 6 in a row.

His record over the last three seasons is not one you would attribute to a bad coach.

There are other teams with lists more advanced than ours in terms of experience and development, who are in similar or worse positions than us, whose coaches are not getting anywhere near the scrutiny that Knights is.

Sure there is a problem with the team at the moment, maybe it's just a severe form slump, which happens with young teams, or maybe it's something else. We just need to see how the seasons plays out and give the team and the coach a chance to work through this. If they do, they can only become stronger as a result.

The last thing the club needs right now is added pressure from supporters who have never given the coach a chance.
 
it's not about playing for the coach, exactly.

if they respect the coach, and understand the pressure he is under because of their underperformance, you would think they would do everything in their power to show that they are behind him and his message 100%.

this isn't happening. and i think we all agree the side is underperforming, rather than performing to their expected level.

another question though. assuming some players aren't playing for the coach, does that say more about the players, or the coach?

i for one feel that there are a number of players in our side who might have an inflated opinion of themselves.

anyway, it's always easier to change the coach than to change 38 players. hird was right though, the player definitely need to have a good hard look at themselves, because the performance tonight was pitiful and gutless.
 
Re: Sorry, Knighter its time to go!

redandblackbomba said:
After nearly 3 years we still don't have a game plan or any kind of structure.
If we had both of these I would support Knights but it is time to go.

Look at Hardwick he has implemented a game plan and structure in less than 12 months and Richmond have a crack, they want to play for him.

Is it the same at the EFC?? I think not.......Dead man walking
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Game Plan. I believe that Essendon players are instructed not to kick to 50-50 contests under any circumstances. We try to bring the ball in through the corridor. When a player has to go back over the mark, probably 9 times out of 10 they will play on by hand and try to move the ball on foot. Fair call?

The issue I have with this:

1) When moving the ball into the corridor, when we turn it over, the opposition find themselves with the footy in a dangerous position on the ground. Our players are caught out of position due to our running in numbers style, and we leak goals like no other team in the AFL. Think it's 60% of goals come from turnovers across the AFL.

2) We move the ball too slow. Running with the football is not the most effective way to move the football. Kicking the football is.

Now, the most annoying thing for me watching football are the supporters who yell out "Kick it! Just Kick it!", when there are no options forward of the play, (these same supporters then proceed to groan when the ball is indeed kicked and turned over), however the fact that our primary aim seems to be to run the football leads to slow ball movement.

Also, the guys running with the ball, due opposition players putting frontal pressure on, are much slower than the opposition players on the far side of the ground who simply sprint back and across the ground to flood our space. Its a snowball effect.

Now, take a look at Collingwood's game style: They are not scared to spread the ball wide. They kick to contests, however, they kick to contests on the boundary; the ball usually goes to their teammate or is spoiled out of bounds, to a throw in situation rather than a turnover. Again, 60% of goal scoring comes from turnovers.

Collingwood back the likes of Jolly, Ball, Pendlebury, Swan etc. to win the majority of clearances, thus not turning the ball over and allowing the opposition the opportunity to score a goal.

I realise its not a pretty suggestion. But would it suit our side? We have talls like Gumbleton, Ryder, Hille (when available), Neagle who can crash a pack. We have good clearance players in Watson, Hocking, NLM, Welsh, Ryder etc. (and hopefully Melksham, Myers)...

Instead, trying to play a Geelong style take the game on, don't kick to a contest, but moving the ball by running it more so than kicking it (which as I mentioned earlier is not moving the ball quick like them), does it suit a team full of plodding midfielders and with questionable skill level across the board?
 

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[Sorry for the long post, need a vent.]
To my mind, our short-term predicament is almost entirely between the ears. It is honestly the only reason I can come up with when comparing the Bulldogs game to this horror tonight. When the players work hard for each other, tackling and running hard to create space, we have confidence. Our kicks come off. Now, after 6 successive losses, our performances and skills are decreasing at an alarming rate as our confidence plummets. God knows what kind of demoralising effect this might have on the younger guys on our list...that is my primary concern, tbh.

What went wrong? Firstly, coaching/selection:
*Gameplan. Not suited to a young, developing list. Requires a lot of energy, focus, fitness, hard running. The policy of 'attack first, defend later' has backfired. We've seen it with Hardwick's Tigers: he has done a supreme job of instilling confidence and defensive mentality in those guys. They work for each other. They work for the jumper.
*Coaching style. Some have suggested that what initially seemed to be a positive (his rapport with many of the younger players, having coached Bendigo) is actually working against him: he lacks the authoritative leadership of, say, Malthouse or Leigh Matthews to 'successfully implement structures' etc etc
*Selection [not 100% Knights]: while some omissions have been warranted, the merry-go-round is sure to demoralise certain players. Is there a fear among the players of being harshly omitted?

Then, the players:
*An alarming lack of effort. Has Knights 'lost' the players? Are they just mentally weak? Do they 'feel' anything for the club (this concerns me, actually)? Perhaps just a general apathy due to lack of confidence in themselves, the team, the Coach, whatever.
*The inability to transfer preparation on the field. Not sure why this is: lack of experience? Miscommunication?
*Skills, even under very little pressure. Again, a gulf between our skills during our winning streak and our skills now. It's confidence, it's lack of effort to present an option.
*Lack of on-field leadership. Hille is severely missed in this department. Do we have some kind of young leadership program? Perhaps some of our younger players would excel if explicitly given some form of role, however minimal.

And those are just the 'mental' issues. When we're up and about, 'mentally', other deficiencies seem nullified (midfield quality, forward setup, for example). Ultimately, I think it's the reason that Knights has to go. I have backed him until this point, mainly due to the list he has to work with. However, I now fear for the mentality of our young list, the future of our club. Yes, there is a distinct lack of effort, but- as mentioned before- confidence levels seem extremely low. This is a different side to the one that beat Hawthon, St Kilda and the Doggies, and it's far more than just youthful inconsistency that has seen us lose 6 in a row. Unfortunately for our 'starless' list, we require almost 100% commitment from the 22 out there. It's all 'between the ears.' Gameplan, selections and coaching style have primarily contributed to the vicious cycle that has left us spiritless, apathetic and demoralised, imo.
 
Nah, yah wrong. This year has been a write off for yonks. Next year we'll be the bomb. We alraeady showed the game plan works. It's on like Kong.,
 
I think Knights may need to look at changing his plan.

When Knights came in he said the current list could get us a premiership. Hardwick disagreed and suggested an overhaul. But it appears that Knights may have had too much hope in our current stock.

Our defense has some great players in it, as does our forward line. Although many of the prospects are quite young they are showing promise. The problem lies in the midfield IMO.

To get back to my changing the plan point, I think Knights may want to look at overhauling the mids (so not a complete overhaul of the team). Put the older players out to pasture and flood the mids with potential stars. The players to go would be Spike, Stanton and perhaps Welsh. I dont dislike these players but it is obviously not working. The players that we should target should be around around 22 years old, are showing great signs of being an inside mid that has a good disposal on them. Throw everything we have at Dangerfield for example and perhaps another hard at it inside mid or a quaterback type player with pace.

Get some hard at it mids and it takes the pressure off the backline. Get ones that also have effective disposal and our forwards will find it easier.

Should have happened a a while ago but there is still time to get a good midfield that can grow with our young KPP's. With the whole group of players approaching 26 - 27 at the same time (along with the new recruits we play along the way) we could potentially have a deadly team.

Cheers guys
 
His coaching history is interesting, little success...so how did he get the job?!!

But as for the OP's theory on Knight's motives, lmao!! It's like saying Damien Hardwick wants to succeed to rub salt in the wounds of Essendon.

I doubt he gives a shit! He just wants to make history and become a great premiership coach, which is what Knights would want to do too!
 
As my sig says, I was in the camp that supported Knights from the beginning and even until last week. I wasn't overly thrilled he was chosen as our coach but I wanted Sheedy gone and I decided that all I could do was support Knights and give him a chance. That was then, this is now.

One reason he was chosen as coach was because he was optimistic about our short to medium term future. Hardwick was more realistic and the club didn't want a bar of it. Hardwick is a former son who has experienced success at our club and at Port Adelaide. Knights played for a joke of a club whose notion of success was making finals once a decade at best.

Success as a player does not guarantee success as a coach, but it's probably good to have on your résumé. Personally, I am not in favour of coaches that have been accustomed to a losing culture during their career (eg. Frawley). As such, former Richmond players do not fill me with confidence. Kevin Sheedy may have come from Richmond, but he knew success. Matthew Knights experience of success was inspiring his club to a rare finals win (against us) 15 years ago. That's it. He played 279 games for 2 finals wins by 13 points and 11 points.

However, I hope he stays for now. Our squad is not great and our skills are poor, and I would hate someone like James Hird to come in and have his good name tarnished by our continual poor performances. Hopefully Essendon can pick up some good draft picks, our youngsters continue to improve and Knights can hand over the team when we're in a better position than we are today.

But the facts are evident. Knights assessment of our team was wrong and that's a badge he has to wear. And the board was shortsighted to extend his career when they did. You could possibly justify a 12 month extension, but 2 years was an error.
 
HyperAgressiveDonk said:
As much as the fans dislike him, I think he will end up seeing out his contract.

Essendon are in a rebuilding phase and I don't think that Matthew Knights is purely to blame for these results. If Essendon get rid of Knights early it will achieve nothing because the list just isn't up to it right now. If you get a new coach they will probably have the same issues until the younger guys develop and the players who aren't up to it retire or get moved on
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How embarrassing that a Hawthorn supporter can identify our issues - Below average mid age players being carried by young players.
 
Let me start by stating that I feel Knight's position is now untenable.

I do however feel a little bit sorry for him. He is clearly a hard worker and truly believed/believes in his ability as a coach. You can not knock that. But the truth of the matter is he really is out of his depth. While I am not a great fan of his game plan, I can live with it. What i can't live with is his stubborness. His unwillingness to hold his hand up and say 'i got that wrong but we have addressed it and worked on a way of rectifying the problem'. Craig did this last season with Adelaide and it really change their football. There is one thing believing in your 'vision', 'sticking to the course' and every other cliche he can come up with but it takes a great leader to be able to realise they are on te wrong track - access, tweak things and go again. All the great coaches had this ability. Sheedy, Malthouse. They had times that their game plan wasn't working but they were forever changing things up and revolutionising the way the game was played.

He will be sacked in the week and GOD will take over until the end of the year. In the off season we will try to get Mark Thompson. Even though he has publicly stated he wants to pursue business interests away from football, I believe the carrot will be dangled by the Essendon board.

While i would like to think they may consider offering the job to an Ex Bomber like Hardwick, Harvey or Bailey, I feel this will vindicate the rumblings that Knights should not have got the job in the first place and by doing this the board will be shooting themselves in the foot. I personal would think it shows they are not too stubborn to learn from previous mistakes.
 

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Coaching Staff Past Coach: Matthew Knights - Finally gets his second shot - 5/5

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