Questions we need answered

[ManWithNoName]

Came up with these on the way home today, I've also posted it on Blitz, but here they are:

• Adrian Hickmott couldn't coach Bendigo to a single win last year, so why in the name of god is he our development coach? Something I'd rate among the most important jobs at the club.
• For years now our midfield and delivery inside 50 has been the weakest part of our team, so why is Scott Camporeale still there? He's responsible for it. Why hasn't he been held accountable?
• Why did it take Matthew Knights 3 years to introduce the defensive aspects of our team? What idiot board members signed off on that plan?
• And if we are meant to be focusing more on defence this year, how on earth does Dempsey, the least accountable defender in the AFL, get a game?
• Why do our players lead to 45-50 metres for a mark if there in no way confident about taking a shot from there? And if you aren't, then move the ball on before the opposition floods back. Don't stand there like you're going to have a shot for 20 seconds, then try and spot a free teammate. It's ****ing stupid.
• Further on that point, why is it our players don't back themselves? They're AFL footballers. Odds are most of them can dob them from 50. Why do they not believe that?
• It's been 2 and a half years. It's painfully clear to everybody that whenever we get the ball, it's like an Under 12s side with everybody running forward. Which looks great when it comes off. But when we turn the ball over it means we have nobody to stop the opposition in their forward line. Why hasn't this been addressed yet? Is this perhaps a symptom of introducing and maintain the attacking aspects of the gameplan before the defensive aspects?
• Why was Kyle Reimers, who is clearly a gun marking forward, playing in the backline today?
• Why are our tall, marking forwards (today Bellchambers and Neagle) always so far up the ground?
• Why are our deep forwards always small blokes like Davey and Lonergan? With the shitful high delivery we have at the moment, they have no chance of taking a mark.
• Why was our least accountable defender in Dempsey spending so much time on Melbournes most dangerous forward in Brad Green? Shitful matchup.
• Why after 2 and a half years have we gone nowhere?

 

[anf06]

Came up with these on the way home today, I've also posted it on Blitz, but here they are:

• For years now our midfield and delivery inside 50 has been the weakest part of our team, so why is Scott Camporeale still there? He's responsible for it. Why hasn't he been held accountable?
  

I would argue, that whilst I don't particularly like Campo, the drafting from Sheedy and co is the main reason our midfield is so weak. We have moved towards fixing all those old mistakes, but it doesn't happen over night. Melksham and Zaha are examples of this. It is clear they will become top liners, but not in their first or second years. Midfield was a mess before Knights or Campo had a chance unfortunately.

 

[yaco55]

Came up with these on the way home today, I've also posted it on Blitz, but here they are:

• Adrian Hickmott couldn't coach Bendigo to a single win last year, so why in the name of god is he our development coach? Something I'd rate among the most important jobs at the club.
• For years now our midfield and delivery inside 50 has been the weakest part of our team, so why is Scott Camporeale still there? He's responsible for it. Why hasn't he been held accountable?
• Why did it take Matthew Knights 3 years to introduce the defensive aspects of our team? What idiot board members signed off on that plan?
• And if we are meant to be focusing more on defence this year, how on earth does Dempsey, the least accountable defender in the AFL, get a game?
• Why do our players lead to 45-50 metres for a mark if there in no way confident about taking a shot from there? And if you aren't, then move the ball on before the opposition floods back. Don't stand there like you're going to have a shot for 20 seconds, then try and spot a free teammate. It's ****ing stupid.
• Further on that point, why is it our players don't back themselves? They're AFL footballers. Odds are most of them can dob them from 50. Why do they not believe that?
• It's been 2 and a half years. It's painfully clear to everybody that whenever we get the ball, it's like an Under 12s side with everybody running forward. Which looks great when it comes off. But when we turn the ball over it means we have nobody to stop the opposition in their forward line. Why hasn't this been addressed yet? Is this perhaps a symptom of introducing and maintain the attacking aspects of the gameplan before the defensive aspects?
• Why was Kyle Reimers, who is clearly a gun marking forward, playing in the backline today?
• Why are our tall, marking forwards (today Bellchambers and Neagle) always so far up the ground?
• Why are our deep forwards always small blokes like Davey and Lonergan? With the shitful high delivery we have at the moment, they have no chance of taking a mark.
• Why was our least accountable defender in Dempsey spending so much time on Melbournes most dangerous forward in Brad Green? Shitful matchup.
• Why after 2 and a half years have we gone nowhere?

- I will answer your questions point by point

1) I doubt that anyone would have coached bendigo to any wins in 2009. Hickmott forged a good reputation in the under 18's and is highly reagarded for his development work.
2) Camporeale should be accountable for the midfield but the area he should be targeted for is defensive part of the midfield set up - Not necessarily skill errors
3) Knights has been working on the defensive part of the game for three years - Obviously lots of improvement is needed but I doubt that has neglected this area
4) Agree with your argument against Dempsey
5) This is very frustrating and i suggest that a contributing factor is the lack of long kicks in the team
6) See previous point
7) Started a thread about this - How to cure a leaky defence - May have to consider dropping an extra player into defence for parts of the game
8) Agree that Reimers should play as a marking medium forward.
9 ) Interesting question - Although Neagle has been playing CHF for bendigo - Neagle is a good user of the ball into the forward 50 -But one tall forward should always start from the goal square
10) See 9
11) Because of poor team selection - T.Slattery should have played in defence and possibly because B.Green is under-rated, especially by opposition supporters
12) We are probably tracking about where i expected - considering the age and games profile of our list . As a point of reference look at fremantle - They have a core of older experienced players; Sandilands, pavlich, Tarrant, McPharlin, Mundy, Hayden, Mcphee, Hasleby - Who are our equivalents ?

 

[ManWithNoName]

Re your answer to three, it's known Knights told the board his plan was to introduce the defensive aspects of the gameplan in year three.

 

[EssendonPride]

Re your answer to three, it's known Knights told the board his plan was to introduce the defensive aspects of the gameplan in year three.

I thought it was learn attack first year, work on defence second year?

 

[yaco55]

Re your answer to three, it's known Knights told the board his plan was to introduce the defensive aspects of the gameplan in year three.

You learn to play defence from Little league.

Of course the players were taught defence, and if the players dont know defence by draft age isn't that a failure of the junior system.

 

[ManWithNoName]

You learn to play defence from Little league.

Of course the players were taught defence, and if the players dont know defence by draft age isn't that a failure of the junior system.

There's a difference between knowing defence, and the defensive aspects of a gameplan.

 

[yaco55]

There's a difference between knowing defence, and the defensive aspects of a gameplan.

Hasn't some of the criticisms of our defence been

- blocking
- shepherding
- defensive running

These should be ingrained into our players at Junior level.

Some of the technical aspects of the game plan could be applied better ( without me knowing the intricasies of the game plan ) but I doubt that we apply the foundation skills well enough.

 

[eb075]

I would argue, that whilst I don't particularly like Campo, the drafting from Sheedy and co is the main reason our midfield is so weak. We have moved towards fixing all those old mistakes, but it doesn't happen over night. Melksham and Zaha are examples of this. It is clear they will become top liners, but not in their first or second years. Midfield was a mess before Knights or Campo had a chance unfortunately.

Bullshit! Can't keep blaming Sheeds forever. This team is going nowhere and is worse than he ever had it!

 

[anf06]

Bullshit! Can't keep blaming Sheeds forever. This team is going nowhere and is worse than he ever had it!

Which players developed in the years before Knights's reign do you see as being midfielders who are able to take our team to a premiership?

Unfortunately, I don't think Sheedy ever really valued the midfield as much as he should have. The way the game was allowed lesser midfields succeed if they had good support in attack and defence. However, it is evident to see that the game has changed and that midfield is the most important part of a team now. Players have been drafted in Melksham and Zaha that will make massive ground in improving this in 2 to 3 years time. But unfortunately we have gone the last 4-5 years with one of the worst midfields in the competition, if not the worst.

 

[daffo]

• For years now our midfield and delivery inside 50 has been the weakest part of our team, so why is Scott Camporeale still there? He's responsible for it. Why hasn't he been held accountable?

Agree with your point here. Midfield delivery has been a concern for us. Yesterday though, IMO the reason for the poor delivery was the way we set up. Neagle was so far up the ground that they either had to hit up a 15 m kick or kick long to Lonergan.

• Why did it take Matthew Knights 3 years to introduce the defensive aspects of our team? What idiot board members signed off on that plan?

I agree with this point as well. Why would we give him an extension at the start of the year before we saw what he was going to do this year??

• And if we are meant to be focusing more on defence this year, how on earth does Dempsey, the least accountable defender in the AFL, get a game?

Dempsey gets games because of what he does with the ball in his hands. He has been told to rebound as much as possible, to create from the half back line.

• Further on that point, why is it our players don't back themselves? They're AFL footballers. Odds are most of them can dob them from 50. Why do they not believe that?

VERY VERY ANNOYING!!

• It's been 2 and a half years. It's painfully clear to everybody that whenever we get the ball, it's like an Under 12s side with everybody running forward. Which looks great when it comes off. But when we turn the ball over it means we have nobody to stop the opposition in their forward line. Why hasn't this been addressed yet? Is this perhaps a symptom of introducing and maintain the attacking aspects of the gameplan before the defensive aspects?

VERY VERY ANNOYING!!

Let's remember Essendon fans that in the last month we have had two very honerable losses (syd and haw) We should aim to win half of our games for the rest of the year.

Responses above.

 

[eb075]

Which players developed in the years before Knights's reign do you see as being midfielders who are able to take our team to a premiership?

Unfortunately, I don't think Sheedy ever really valued the midfield as much as he should have. The way the game was allowed lesser midfields succeed if they had good support in attack and defence. However, it is evident to see that the game has changed and that midfield is the most important part of a team now. Players have been drafted in Melksham and Zaha that will make massive ground in improving this in 2 to 3 years time. But unfortunately we have gone the last 4-5 years with one of the worst midfields in the competition, if not the worst.

Doesn't matter! Knights knew the team he was inheriting and told the board his plans. Based on this it was put to us that by 2010 we would be in the 8 and ready to move onto the top 4 and premiership in the next couple of years. Fact is, we've gone backwards WITH KNIGHTS and the team HE KNEW HE WAS GETTING..FACT! Can't blame Sheeds for that ... I know you Knights fanboys (or Sheedy haters, whichever it is) would like to say otherwise but the fact is that Knights is a dud.

 

[Slappery]

Doesn't matter! Knights knew the team he was inheriting and told the board his plans. Based on this it was put to us that by 2010 we would be in the 8 and ready to move onto the top 4 and premiership in the next couple of years. Fact is, we've gone backwards WITH KNIGHTS and the team HE KNEW HE WAS GETTING..FACT! Can't blame Sheeds for that ... I know you Knights fanboys (or Sheedy haters, whichever it is) would like to say otherwise but the fact is that Knights is a dud.

Let me get this clear...because Knights knew he was inheriting an ordinary midfield he is solely responsible for this, he is the dud...not the people who ignored the potential A grade midfielders before his time???

Knights did something every single one of us would have done, sugar-coated and stretched the truth in an interview to land the job.

I'm not a huge a fan of knights, but i'm not screaming and carrying on, threating to boycott, tear up my membership etc, but i agree with anf on this. Our poor drafting in the past, in regards to midfielders (not KPP's) is hurting us now. We need to time to groom and draft a couple more quality mids.

 

[ManWithNoName]

Let me get this clear...because Knights knew he was inheriting an ordinary midfield he is solely responsible for this, he is the dud...not the people who ignored the potential A grade midfielders before his time???

Knights did something every single one of us would have done, sugar-coated and stretched the truth in an interview to land the job.

I'm not a huge a fan of knights, but i'm not screaming and carrying on, threating to boycott, tear up my membership etc, but i agree with anf on this. Our poor drafting in the past, in regards to midfielders (not KPP's) is hurting us now. We need to time to groom and draft a couple more quality mids.

Knights said he could take the current list to a flag.

 

[Slappery]

Knights said he could take the current list to a flag.

And it landed him the job...i would have said the same thing...doesn't mean i believe it

 

[lemon chicken]

Its about time we were told what is the details of this so called 5 year plan. At least wallace gave the supporters some insight as to what he was hoping to achieve.