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

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Knight Ryders said:
So does that mean he was pushed or jumping a sinking ship? What about Richo? Still doesn't answer why you never see any conversation in the box.
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Possibly Campo being midfield coach for the worst performing midfield in the league realised he would be first to get the chop come end of season review.

You never see much conversation in any box and unless your watching the box for the whole game then it would be hard to know.
 
Knight Ryders said:
Something I noticed was I didn't see Campo or Richo murmur one word to Knights. Has Knights lost these two as well? Do they think their opinions are not valued?
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Alan Richardson is believed to be aleading contender for the Port head coaching job and Camporeale seems to be headed back home to Adelaide, rumour having it that there is an assistants job for him at the Crows.
 

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Darealrath said:
Today was one of the most pathetic performances I can remember witnessing. I think he's done.
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Today wasn't so bad. There were 15 players that had played less than 50 games probably the youngest/most inexperienced side we have fielded for about 10 years or more.

When tough guy/fool/clown Reimers gave that second goal away we were going well, another couple of goals may have had us within 4 or so goals. He needs to go to anger management classes or something, he is too carried away with the other crap. It might be alright if he gets more than 5 possessions a game but he doesn't thus shouldn't talk the talk bc he cant walk the walk.

Re Knights - I think leaving Hurley on Brown for so long today was more a learning thing than bad coaching. Clarkson used to do it all the time.

It was mentioned on the radio station i listened to many times today how woeful our backline is in zoning, working together etc. Who is our backline coach O'Donnell.

On a brighter note Dustin Fletchers son won the norm smith in his under 10 grand final today so it looks like he can play a bit so 2018 looks good.
 
Hi, sorry to intrude.

but I think Knights has to go.

the players do not seem to have the confidence in themselves, him or the gameplan. They seem "lost" out there, not quite sure where they should be or what they should be doing, or how to do it. I think that manifests itself when teams go on those huge runs against you. There is either no plan (if this is true he should have been be fired some time ago) to stop the game running away, or the players cannot or don't have the belief to implement the plan.

I suspect last yr, Lloyd and Fletcher were sort of running the show out on the ground and covering some of the "evils" and giving the side some structure and confidence, possibly against the coach's instruction (there were those rumblings of senior player discontent and friction). But this year, Fletcher is the only one left and it's not working any more, he can't do it all.

Look across the border, Port looked shot with Williams at the helm, he had "lost" the group. Primus comes in, they at least look competitive (4 - 1 - 0 in their last 5).

The other thing is, if it costs 800k to get rid of him, i'd pay that. you're likely to bleed at least that much in memberships and stadium returns if he continues.

personally, i can't see how he has improved or even maintained the status quo in his 3 years so far, and that's long enough. I'm not even sure how he got the job. It's not like he was a massively rated guy before that.

If you're not going to take a known quantity (Laidley, Williams etc), a really highly rated assistant like Leigh Tudor would have to be the go, not a guy who comes out of left field.

once again, thanks and all imho.
 
Get out Knights.

Shame on the board for giving him a piece of paper that allows him to hold on for grim death.

This is going to cost us near a million dollars because this pig headed man won't leave on his own accord. Can you blame him? If some one was going to pay me $800k to get fired i'd make sure I stayed till the end as well.

Get out.

GET OUT.
 
Ryder Is God said:
Anyone else getting tired of people stating that this "anti-Knights" agenda all the supporters have is because of him replacing Sheedy?

FFS, I wanted Sheedy gone. I'm disgusted at the performances!
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I was anti-Sheedy and pro Knights.

However I am anti-Kinights now. Very simplistic but when you lose direction and purpose, you must go. Knights is showing all the trademarks of Sheedy in his final days.
 
from what all the main jurnos say knights has one week left.

personally ive been a supporter from the start and wouldn't bother me at all if he stayed

but if its inevitable i think that mark williams would be a good short term fit, but i dont think that would help the problem, alan richardson could be a show at least he has a lot of assistant experiance if that counts for anything but there really is no standout.

williams is very much in the sheedy mould he's excentricness passion all those traits would please many of the hatters and those still bleeding about sheeds.

i think we deffinatly either way need to get either some ex bombers or decent ex players in the box

hickmont dud carl/gee player
campo had a decent career carl/ess
richo coll just an old school half back
gary odd was a great player for us but not a superstar
grant syd/kang the best ex player of the bunch
knights richmond never rated him that high as a player but still did play over 250 games and was a captain

the thing is i think we need to put more work into our assistants

dean wallis, sean wellman, darren bewick would like to see these guys in the mix
throw in laidley somewhere and theres a lot more exp than our current group
 
bombersaway said:
from what all the main jurnos say knights has one week left.

personally ive been a supporter from the start and wouldn't bother me at all if he stayed
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I had previously posted that things could be interesting if we lost to the Lions - well we did. In all honesty, as much as I love the Bombers and have since 1968, I cannot see us going out there next week and come off winners against the Bulldogs. And if that happened, then Knights's position will be under a little more pressure because from what I see here and what I read, most of the club members are disappointed at this year's results and they lay the blame at Mathew Knights's feet.

One must remember that when Sheeds found out that he was going to be sacked in 2007, we were well on the way to play finals games that year. Then things have gone south from that moment in time, and we don't look anything like championship aspirants of the near or even distant future at the moment. The thought of our club drifting off into the wilderness for years and years is just too great a cross to bear.

The only way we can become successful again is if we had a coach with the footy cunning and strength like Bomber Thompson or Mick Malthouse. How many such coaches are available and who are they? That is the question. Mathews doesn't want to coach again, Choc is a flag winner, Paul Roos is a question mark in availability, and Dean Laidley strikes me as quite a good coach. Don't know who else is available/suitable.

This is what Mathew Knights said "It supported a coach for 27 years and had a lot of success." Can somebody please tell him that this was the guy they fired. Thanks!
 
Ryder Is God said:
Anyone else getting tired of people stating that this "anti-Knights" agenda all the supporters have is because of him replacing Sheedy?

FFS, I wanted Sheedy gone. I'm disgusted at the performances!
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I use the phrase to discredit those who are unable to given any balanced assessment of what has happened in the last 3 years.

I am willing to bet that it is the same people who wouldn't accept Knights at the start of his tenure because he came from an unsuccessful club or any other meaningless reason. They are the same people that rang up SEN after the Dogs game earlier this year and said that Knights just couldn't coach. They are probably the same people who insist that the problem with our game plan is the handball off half back (rather than the spectacular failure of our half forward line to be a presence all year).

My views are a few pages earlier in this thread. Ultimately the biggest problem with 2010 has been the oversell, that we probably had to have, at the start of the year.

With the benefit of hindsight we could look at this year as a 2007-2010 for Melbourne and Richmond. We have fielded chronically inexperienced sides most of the year and then get shocked when we are exposed by good, and sometimes bad, sides.

I have been a supporter of Knights but have lost faith in his ability to guid developing players. Too much pannicking after losses has been a huge issue.

If the board conducts a review at seasons end, after the disgusting undermining of our own head coach, and decides that Knights is the best person to coach us in 2011 it won't be the case of honouring a contract because there is no one else available that everyone will say it is.

2010 has been horrible and, while it was unfolding, totally unacceptable. It isn't a lost year and that should not be forgotten.
 
FFS get rid of him... he is ransoming his contract now and doing the same old hard sell with no basis which is making it even worse... He lost me 2008 Anzac day with absolutely no defence or proactive response and nothing has changed.

Many times the same senario has been relived now...

A dim witted approach to game planning, player selection, on field restructuring, rookie development and an undying rather arrogant rehash of the same tripe we as members/supporters are supposed to swallow without a glimpse of improvement ... here here to the faithful saying give him a go etc etc... but a go he has had....

He has had all the chances he should have as a professional coach and the saddest thing in this whole thing is we have been paying him to learn on the job and it would seem he hasn't learnt a dam thing...

All knights has shown is that he is good at buerocratic spin... PowerPoint presentation anyone?
 

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I watched his press conference earlier and he sucks me in everytime. He's a great speaker who knows just what to say.

One thing that's been annoying me about him is he doesn't care enough about discipline. He continually rewards Reimers with game time even though he's constantly fighting, even when the ball is 10 meters away and missed an incredibly easy goal the other week by pointlessly kicking it over his shoulder. Dempsey gets away with running off his man every week and he still gets played in defence. Even the gameplan lacks discipline shown with the lack of defensive structure and the license to just rush the ball up to the forward line without players staying back incase of a turnover.
 
the PILL said:
FFS get rid of him... he is ransoming his contract now and doing the same old hard sell with no basis which is making it even worse... He lost me 2008 Anzac day with absolutely no defence or proactive response and nothing has changed.

Many times the same senario has been relived now...

A dim witted approach to game planning, player selection, on field restructuring, rookie development and an undying rather arrogant rehash of the same tripe we as members/supporters are supposed to swallow without a glimpse of improvement ... here here to the faithful saying give him a go etc etc... but a go he has had....

He has had all the chances he should have as a professional coach and the saddest thing in this whole thing is we have been paying him to learn on the job and it would seem he hasn't learnt a dam thing...

All knights has shown is that he is good at buerocratic spin... PowerPoint presentation anyone?
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This is the type of rot I am talking about.
 
The fundamental problem with Knights has been the same from start to finish. He is on a 'journey' while the rest of us are trying to win a premiership. He has a 'vision' while the rest of us see the results. He is 'guiding a process' while the rest of us want him to coach.

So much spin it makes Rabbit and Goolia look like straight shooters!

Key Questions:
1. IS the list in a SIGNIFICANTLY better position than when Knights started? If yes, then which players do you base this on and how has Knights helped/promoted that growth? If no, why not and which players haven't kicked on?

2. IS the club moving in a positive direction?

3. Has Knights game day coaching improved?

4. Do they players still have faith in this program?

5. Has Knights, and his assistance, make fundamental list/position or other errors that have damaged the club?

6. Has Knights made a significant, positive, impact on the commercial side of the EFC?
 
i cannot recall losing in one year at home to freo/wce/port adelaide and brisbane they were always games essendon just won at home not matter who was playing

to add to that getting pumped by arch rivals collingwood (twice) and carlton...just doesnt happen

just un essendon like and it appears to me mathew knights just doesn't get, to now play the card i have a "legally binding contract" at a press conference does not give me great confidence his heart his in it, it appears he is just positioing himself when the axe falls he can collect his money

the fans who used to pack out the members areas at the dome and mcg have walked away, now only a quarter full at best

there was nothing better to see the pocket in the great southern stand rise as one we bombed a goal from 50, or the lloyd end at the dome go banannas as we storm home over the top of the opponent

knights has damaged the brand and the club and the impact off the field will come hard over summer with a lot of members questioning whether to renew
 
Our draft selections since Knights has been at the club have improved significantly. The future of our younger players is bright. It is the 24-29 year old age bracket that is letting us down.
 
rines said:
The Key Answers for me:
1. IS the list in a SIGNIFICANTLY better position than when Knights started?
Not really, yes he cut some dead wood, but Sheedy had already announced his intention to do the same and I think any new coach would have pruned. Most of the delists were the names bandied around everywhere. His recruitment has been poor. Noteable this year was the M Williams debacle, and the barlow decision, both HEAVILY guided by Knights himself. Our midfield is still lacking, young players haven't kicked on. Guys like prismall, houli, myers, jetta have all gone backwards.

2. IS the club moving in a positive direction?

Again an easy no for me. Membership is down, tv audiences are down, attendance is down, respect is down. We are quickly losing "marquee" status in the comp with more and more sunday games etc etc.. which melbourne and north will tell you are not a good sign of you attractiveness to sponsors etc etc. Lose of respect in the footy world, we are no longer feared at all on the field. No marketing spin, no new initiaves like anzac day/dreamtime etc. All news is generally negative. Supporters deeply divided.

3. Has Knights game day coaching improved?

Not one bit.

4. Do they players still have faith in this program?

No one can really answer this but the players. I like to think on field performance gives us an idea though. Can anyone really see Sydney putting forward a performance like our last 3 weeks with Roosy on the bench? On again/Off again rumours of player revolts, urgent meetings/ re-commitment sessions are not a good indicator in this area. Recent retiree's in Lucas and Lloyd came out VERY disillusioned with the club and Knights and spoken openly about this.

5. Has Knights, and his assistants, make fundamental list/position or other errors that have damaged the club?

Yes. First half of the season hurley was a ping pong and it showed in his form. Houli is a huge mistake. M Williams. Barlow. Playing dempsey as a back man. Player Zaka forward for the first half. Not playing myers in the middle. Retiring Lloyd too early. making 5 changes every week. Giving Quinn a game ahead of others. Not playing T Slattery. Not giving Rig a chance until this week. List goes on.

6. Has Knights made a significant, positive, impact on the commercial side of the EFC?

None. He is good at spin to protect his job but our media profile is almost dead. Most news is negative. No hype before games. No sheedy "showmanship". Attendance down. Membership down. Sponsorship down. No energy off field for the club at all.
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So to me that is a clear and decisive picture of why he must go. I am always happy to hear other views.
 
rines said:
The fundamental problem with Knights has been the same from start to finish. He is on a 'journey' while the rest of us are trying to win a premiership. He has a 'vision' while the rest of us see the results. He is 'guiding a process' while the rest of us want him to coach.

So much spin it makes Rabbit and Goolia look like straight shooters!

Key Questions:
1. IS the list in a SIGNIFICANTLY better position than when Knights started? If yes, then which players do you base this on and how has Knights helped/promoted that growth? If no, why not and which players haven't kicked on?

2. IS the club moving in a positive direction?

3. Has Knights game day coaching improved?

4. Do they players still have faith in this program?

5. Has Knights, and his assistance, make fundamental list/position or other errors that have damaged the club?

6. Has Knights made a significant, positive, impact on the commercial side of the EFC?
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And there's so many more questions to be asked...
 
LeeARM said:
One thing that's been annoying me about him is he doesn't care enough about discipline. He continually rewards Reimers with game time even though he's constantly fighting, even when the ball is 10 meters away and missed an incredibly easy goal the other week by pointlessly kicking it over his shoulder. Dempsey gets away with running off his man every week and he still gets played in defence. Even the gameplan lacks discipline shown with the lack of defensive structure and the license to just rush the ball up to the forward line without players staying back incase of a turnover.
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Well said.

I was genuinely surprised to see Reimers dragged and spoken to on the weekend.
 
AS9 said:
Our draft selections since Knights has been at the club have improved significantly. The future of our younger players is bright. It is the 24-29 year old age bracket that is letting us down.
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Please dont say that.

It was this group of players who lost us the game yesterday - But no acknowledgement on this board.
 

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

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