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Matthew Knights during the AFL Round 03 match between the Carlton Blues and the Essendon Bombers at the MCG, Melbourne.
It’s been a week since the axe fell across Matthew Knight’s skinny shoulders. A week where most Essendon fans breathed a sigh of relief on hearing of his sacking. In fact, there may have been dancing in the streets.
Knight’s game plan was flawed. Football is a game of attack and defence, you need both and if it’s all attack then the skill level of the players has to be top notch and Knights had three years to hone those skills.
Most Essendon fans can accept a big loss from time to time. It was the way we lost on a regular basis that was unacceptable. When a team got on top of us we got belted by ten plus goals.
You need to go down fighting if you’re Essendon, leave nothing in the changerooms and everything on the field.
Sadly all too often the impression portrayed to the fans was the players lacked motivation. This is paramount to a coach’s job.
Humiliated by Collingwood and Carlton in consecutive weeks late in the season nailed Knight’s coaching tenure to the cross. If there is one thing Essendon fans won’t accept is a meek loss to either of these sides.
During the past week there has been widespread criticism in the media over why Knights was sacked. A belief that members, influential fans and coterie groups of Essendon have too much of a say.
Well, we are the stakeholders. We are the people who love the club and pay our money to support it. It was untenable for Knights to keep his job.
He failed in the football and public arena. He failed to sell his message to the fans and combined with the on field performance that cost him his job.
Now the doomsayers in the media suggest any new Essendon coach is in for a rough ride. I think the opposite, given the right appointment, fans will concede 2011 and most of 2012 as rebuilding years.
However, the Essendon board has to get the right man for the job, on and off the field. Then and only then can we dream again.
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September 4th 2010 @ 1:31am
Ian Whitchurch said | September 4th 2010 @ 1:31am | Report comment
Good luck with a culture of blaming the coach for the weaknesses of the club.
September 4th 2010 @ 3:53am
Redb said | September 4th 2010 @ 3:53am | Report comment
Yeah, two coaches in 30 years really churning through them
September 4th 2010 @ 4:02am
Ian Whitchurch said | September 4th 2010 @ 4:02am | Report comment
Redb,
The longest journey starts with a single step.
To turn the snark on, it not like you’re not saying any of it was the coach’s fault. I mean, it’s not like he lost by 58 points to Collingwood in early October.
To turn the snark off, you arent saying anything about the kind of coach you’d want … “Football is a game of attack and defence, you need both ” – what is this crap ? Everyone acknowledges that. Are you asking for Mick Malthouse with hard ball gets, or Paul Roos with “no dickheads” ? What do you want, apart from pretty football, wins and ideally premierships ?
September 4th 2010 @ 4:08am
Ian Whitchurch said | September 4th 2010 @ 4:08am | Report comment
48 points
September 4th 2010 @ 7:34am
Redb said | September 4th 2010 @ 7:34am | Report comment
Ian,
the point was Knights concentrated on developing offence to the exclusion of defence.
September 4th 2010 @ 10:06am
Darren said | September 4th 2010 @ 10:06am | Report comment
Well said Redb and what team do you follow Ian?
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September 4th 2010 @ 1:23pm
LK said | September 4th 2010 @ 1:23pm | Report comment
Do the fans have a realistic view of the team? In the off season there were plenty of Dons fans with bullish predictions for the club. I’m sure you would be aware of them: “2010 – win a final, 2011 – top four, 2012 – flag”. Last year they won ten and half games, and copped a 16 goal finals thumping. This year the draw was tough and they had lost some key players. I would have thought seven wins (or whatever it was) for the season was about right.
Why did the board extend Knights contract only last year? Why did McVeigh get re-signed for 2 more years a few days before the coach was sacked? Wouldn’t the new coach want to review the list?
I’m not sure Knights is the only problem.
September 4th 2010 @ 4:47pm
Redb said | September 4th 2010 @ 4:47pm | Report comment
Good questions LK. The EFC board is also accountable for their decisions. But the right one was to sack Knights!
September 9th 2010 @ 8:53am
Redb said | September 9th 2010 @ 8:53am | Report comment
Excellent choice to get Scott Lucas involved in the coaching selection panel at Essendon.
Mark Williams still the favourite to get the job, I’d like to see some up and coming assistants appointed no matter who gets the senior job.
September 9th 2010 @ 10:39am
Redb said | September 9th 2010 @ 10:39am | Report comment
Rumour is Matty Primus has firmed as favourite to coach Port Adelaide, meaning it’s likely existing assist coach Alan Richardson at Essendon will focus on getting the Bomber’s senior job now.