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

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stantonLEGEND said:
Bump

Big lols at doubters ATM.
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Big lols at you.. we sit 5-5 clinging on to 8th spot..

I know that is probably a good enough record for you and worthy of accolades.. maybe we should name a wing after M Knights.. but for those of us who don't believe Knights will take us to a flag.. well it still seems a long way off..

My original, and current, thought is that this game style will see as languish around the 6-12 mark.. richmond style. We will win some, lose some and maybe scrape into finals again.. this is not what I think we should accept nor be happy with.

See Freo for what we should be doing this year.. climbing UP the ladder.. And I state again.. I have LOVED watching the boys win.. I WANT us to do well.. would like nothing more than to eat the humble pie/wipe egg off my face.. but seriously lets not get over excited cause we have a 50% winning record...
 
Our current game style is practically Geelong's. Its not holding us back at all. The ability to win a flag, relies primarily on the players, the game plan is secondary and as long as it isn't fundamentally flawed the right players should be able to pull it off.
 

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Jonesy1987 said:
Our current game style is practically Geelong's. Its not holding us back at all. The ability to win a flag, relies primarily on the players, the game plan is secondary and as long as it isn't fundamentally flawed the right players should be able to pull it off.
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But what's that done for Geelong? ;)

I think the major issue with our game style atm, apart from the fact we're still just starting to get it right, is that it is the most taxing physically. We don't yet have the fitness to finish off quarters/games, but that will come us the boys develop and get fitter.
 
Right now it seems the players attitude seems to be good and they seem to be playing with some belief in what they're doing. As such results are following. If that can be attributed to Knights then good on him.

We are only a 50-50 team at present though so the jury is still out. If we can finish well in what is quite a tough draw (especially the last 5 or so rounds) then I will readily admit I will change my tune on him.

For now though, Knights is still neither here nor there. No real reason to hate him, no real reason to love him.
 
Way too re-active than pro-active.. He needs to take the bull by the horns..

We should of included at least one of, Hardingham, Silverlock or Marigliani..

They've never played senior footy and they're a great unknown to Geelong and the footy world in general.. that's a huge advantage to us...

Picking the same average players week in, week out, is safe and boring and wont take us anywhere..we'll keep treading water, going around in circles, year after year... that's not the way to the top.. that's the way to nowhere.. just taking up space..

I don't see the likes of Stanton, Dyson or Henry Slattery improving any more as players. They've reached their peak. They're not elite by any stretch, but not bad footballers either. For mine, they rate as average.

The way to propel this team forward is through the next batch of players, our kids... they have dash and fair and a burning desire to succeed..given the opportunity, they could be anything.. we should be trying to exploiting that...use it to our advantage... not starve them of opportunities..

Take Houli for example... under Sheedy this kid would of been something amazing by now.. under Knights he's cracked only two games this season and looks to be on the way out..

Fortune favours the brave. So lets be brave. Not boring.
 
The Angry Bomber said:
Way too re-active than pro-active.. He needs to take the bull by the horns..

We should of included at least one of, Hardingham, Silverlock or Marigliani..

They've never played senior footy and they're a great unknown to Geelong and the footy world in general.. that's a huge advantage to us...

Picking the same average players week in, week out, is safe and boring and wont take us anywhere..we'll keep treading water, going around in circles, year after year... that's not the way to the top.. that's the way to nowhere.. just taking up space..

I don't see the likes of Stanton, Dyson or Henry Slattery improving any more as players. They've reached their peak. They're not elite by any stretch, but not bad footballers either. For mine, they rate as average.

The way to propel this team forward is through the next batch of players, our kids... they have dash and fair and a burning desire to succeed..given the opportunity, they could be anything.. we should be trying to exploiting that...use it to our advantage... not starve them of opportunities..

Take Houli for example... under Sheedy this kid would of been something amazing by now.. under Knights he's cracked only two games this season and looks to be on the way out..

Fortune favours the brave. So lets be brave. Not boring.
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Stants still has loads of improvement and Slatts does do for that matter. I may have mentioned this in another thread but I'd really like to see Stants play that half-back role and really take the game on. As for Slatts he's a solid back pocket and does a shutdown role really well what he lacks is a tank where he can hurt the opposition going the other way similiar to what clint jones does for the saints.

I think Knights is wanting to settle the team as for the past few seasons it's been all over the shop. He's got his ideal 22 and once he gets them all on the park there may be some magic. Dyson, Lonergan ans Slattery are coach favorites as guys like Colyer, Howlett and Pris are in and out of the side. Jay and Shotgun got a chance and just didn't perform and I can't see me coming back anytime soon.

It has to be said that for a coach to show flair he needs those type of players to do so which are lacking at the moment. No creative halfback (yeah I thought hardingham/silverlock were recruited for) no elite midfielder and no absolute gun forward (Hurls and Gumby are showing great signs though)

Patience this season let the team settle and see what happens. It would be good to go a week with no changes to the side and see how many wins can be strung along.
 
The biggest problem here is that the OP has brought into the media and expectation management that AFL clubs have become excellent at in the last few years.

About 75% of our team that plays most weeks are still in development phases of ther careers having not even reached 100 games experience.

As has been pointed out above we have blodded a number of young players in the last few years. We are in the middle of building an experienced core to assume the mantle from the players that are not even on the list. We are Geelong circa 2004/2005.

How could you argue that Stanton and Dyson won't get any better when the best games have come in the last 10 they have played?

Slattery is an interesting one, but sure he has a role to play this week with all of Ablett, Chapman, Varcoe, Stokes and Byrnes rotating in the Geenlond forward line at some stage.

Dropping Atkinson and Prismall was unexpected and pretty adventerous.

The good sign is that every time selection has upset people this year we have generally gone well.
 
Myers, Jetta, Howlett, Colyer, Melksham, Zaharakis, Gumbleton, Hurley, Hooker, Pears...

Okay... lets look at that list...

Myers has just started getting a few games...
Jetta the same..
Howlett in and out of the team...
Colyer the same...
Melksham needs more game time, which he's getting, which is great.. so big tick there..
Zaka same...
Gumbleton we have to play.. who else is there??
Hurley, Hooker and Pears the same...

Seems we only play our kids out of necessity..
 
The Angry Bomber said:
Myers, Jetta, Howlett, Colyer, Melksham, Zaharakis, Gumbleton, Hurley, Hooker, Pears...

Okay... lets look at that list...

Myers has just started getting a few games...
Jetta the same..
Howlett in and out of the team...
Colyer the same...
Melksham needs more game time, which he's getting, which is great.. so big tick there..
Zaka same...
Gumbleton we have to play.. who else is there??
Hurley, Hooker and Pears the same...

Seems we only play our kids out of necessity..
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The Angry Bomber said:
Myers, Jetta, Howlett, Colyer, Melksham, Zaharakis, Gumbleton, Hurley, Hooker, Pears...

Okay... lets look at that list...

Myers has just started getting a few games...
Jetta the same..
Howlett in and out of the team...
Colyer the same...
Melksham needs more game time, which he's getting, which is great.. so big tick there..
Zaka same...
Gumbleton we have to play.. who else is there??
Hurley, Hooker and Pears the same...

Seems we only play our kids out of necessity..
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Thats just a little selective isn't it? So we're not allowed to rebuild our spine. I thouht that Knights unfairly forced Lloyd and Lucas into retirement.

Zaharakis has basically been in since day one and Dyson has been given the game time he never got under Sheedy.

Jetta and Myers have both been injured for the last two years and did nothing to warrant anymore game time when they did actually play.

Lonergan has been a permanent fixture (although thsi may be becoming an issue) and Hocking has come from nowhere to become a virtually indispensible player.

Reimers actually gets a very good run from Knights. It is the first time he is being left in the twos pople are noticing it. The bes thing for Kyle is to get somemiles under his belt, get selected when he deserves it and then to string half a season together (hopefully the second half of this year).
 
BrunoV said:
Thats just a little selective isn't it?

Zaharakis has basically been in since day one and Dyson has been given the game time he never got under Sheedy.

Jetta and Myers have bother been injured for the last two years and did nothing to warrant anymore game time when they did actually play.

Lonergan has been a permanent fixture (although he shouldn't have been) and Hocking has come from nowhere to become a virtually indispensible player.
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The point I'm trying to make is that when we don't have to play kids, we usually don't under Knights...

Last weeks selection of Welsh for example. We should of gone for youth, instead we banked on the same old same old.

And surely enough, we got the same old result.

All I'm saying is lets try something different. Shake things up a bit. Show us the future. Not the past.
 
I am as big a critic of Welsh's abilities and footballing relevance (although I'd never question his endeavor) as you will find but there is no way you can blame the loss on Welsh's selection.

Howlett had half as much of the ball and half as much of an impact. It is doubtful that Welsh should be an automatic selection but he will have his moments.

Clutching a straws?
 
If OP wants to watch the kids play, then he can watch the Bendigo Bombers or tag along with Ant and watch the TAC Cup matches (no offense Ant).

This is the SENIOR Essendon FC Team. We are in the business of winning matches.

If the 'kids' are good enough to warrant a game, then they'll get a game. If not, then so be it.
 
Daytripper said:
If OP wants to watch the kids play, then he can watch the Bendigo Bombers or tag along with Ant and watch the TAC Cup matches (no offense Ant).

This is the SENIOR Essendon FC Team. We are in the business of winning matches.

If the 'kids' are good enough to warrant a game, then they'll get a game. If not, then so be it.
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Fair call.

I just think Knights is holding us back.

That is all.
 
The Angry Bomber said:
Last weeks selection of Welsh for example. We should of gone for youth, instead we banked on the same old same old.

And surely enough, we got the same old result.
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We certainly did.

Welsh was one of our best.
 
Daytripper said:
If OP wants to watch the kids play, then he can watch the Bendigo Bombers or tag along with Ant and watch the TAC Cup matches (no offense Ant).

This is the SENIOR Essendon FC Team. We are in the business of winning matches.

If the 'kids' are good enough to warrant a game, then they'll get a game. If not, then so be it.
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Amen.

It seems the OP thinks the "suprise factor" is more important than playing the best team available. Perhaps we should've found a way to get Bock into the ruck? That would've suprised the hell out of them, they would've been screwed.

Stupid Knights, crap coach, not thinking of that Bock idea...

Sure, might not quite be what the OP was saying, but a compromise of quality for "suprise" really is about that stupid.

FWIW, I think the changes this week are all positive. Sad to see Atko go though.
 

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

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