View Full Version : Matty Knights - Report Card
The_Young_Gun
1 Jul 2008, 03:02
How would you rate Matty Knights's performance up to this point in the season as coach of the Essendon Footy Club, do you feel he's done a fantastic Job and that he's heading our Club in the right direction, or do you feel he's been the worst thing that has happened to Essendon up to this point in time.
Comment, Quote, Post..... Do whatever you want to prove your point if needed.
I voted B. I think he has done a good enough job so far especially after the dismal last years. Next year looks better and the year after that.
TheDon35
1 Jul 2008, 08:12
Still very early in his time and with a very young side so i'm loath to do this but here goes
Tactically - Been found wanting on plenty of occasions. Players out of position too often though over the past 4 weeks I think this has improved dramatically.
Direction - Fantastic. Great to see his committment to playing the kids. Question is, how many coaches would have gone the other way with our list. Seems like a no brainer but good work.
Still think he's missing another experienced right hand man from outside the club and was a mistake to bring in 3 inexperienced AFL assistant coaches.
A little worried about his ability long term to provide a game plan / team structure that will win us a flag. Still too early to tell though.
I would have taken 5 wins to this point given some nasty injuries early on in the year.
Seems to be getting the most out of most players now that we've crossed the half way point of the season. Welsh has played some of his best footy for the club as a hard tagger, Reimers, Myers, NLM, Monfries, Jetta, Neagle, Hille, Mcphee, Watson, Mcveigh, Lonergan all other players that are in top form.
B-
B-Bomber
1 Jul 2008, 08:33
Solid B. He's certainly got a way to go to achieve A+ status but you can see something oh so very delightful -- Progress.
Voted B but he is probably a b-.
Gets an A for how he has continued to use the young players when they have been fit to play.
What brings his mark down is the fact that he has made a few tacticle errors and had one game where they got selection wrong.
Match day efforts have been improving but they needed to.
CarlosHernandez
1 Jul 2008, 09:24
Grade B.
Positives - Even though we have less wins than at the same point last year, it seems we are moving forward, and it is exciting to watch many of the young guys carry the team.
The faith shown in the young players, which has led to the development of Lonergan, Reimers, Houli, Myers, Neagle, Pears... and hopefully Gumby, Hislop, Hocking and Daniher when they get back on the track. They are given 2,3 or 4 game stints at AFL level, where as under Sheedy it was common for a youngster to yo-yo between Bendigo and Essendon each week.
He has been great in the media, and even during the 7 game losing streak he didn't waver from his pre-season statements.
Negatives - Complete lack of defensive structure, although he has said this will come next year, I would have liked to have seen something in place. (How hard can an effective zone defense at kick-ins be to implement? Man on man doesn't work, and we get smashed from kick-ins every time.)
Doesn't seem to adapt the game plan mid-game when we are being smashed, hence a couple of big defeats.
Phat Toni
1 Jul 2008, 09:38
I gave the 'Slow Blinker' a B
I think he has done the right thing and played the kids and stuck to it when it could have been easy to plug in JJ, Pev, Mal etc and stop some of the bleeding during that bad stretch.
However I think he still has some ways to go when it comes to game day tactics, as we all know all the planning in the world can come unraveled in the first five minutes of a game. The Slow Blinker just hasn't been adjusting all that well, saying that though the last couple of weeks have been a little better but all in all still barley a pass. Kick in's and defense of kick in's are two basic functions that we cant seem to execute, which is very frustrating.
I watched in full the media conference after the Freo game, the first time I have done that this year and he presents well, speaks well and is a good front for the club, just needs a little bit more personality and to f8#*en BLINK PROPERLEY!!
Giggidy Giggidy
1 Jul 2008, 11:00
I watched in full the media conference after the Freo game, the first time I have done that this year and he presents well, speaks well and is a good front for the club, just needs a little bit more personality and to f8#*en BLINK PROPERLEY!!
LMAO
First time I got to see it too. Thank god for Foxtel coverage.:D
Was watching with a few mates and we all noticed the slow blinking too. Very off-putting and distracted us from what he was actually saying. Looked like he was falling asleep some times, his eyes were closed for so long!
WindyHillWatcher
1 Jul 2008, 11:06
I gave him a B. Obviously I would like to have won more games and be in the 8... but I think the faith he is showing in the youth and the rapport he is building with players is imperative to our long term success. I'm happy with the way he talks about the club, the newfound sense of spirit and dignity he has instilled in the players (rather than revert to tanking) and the way he speaks about individual players such as Matty Lloyd and Leroy Jetta when they are under media criticism. He stands by them and there seems to be a good feeling amongst the playing group, that they want to win, they want to be a power, just as McVeigh said after the Freo game "the team wants to be back to where they wanna be."
Unforeseen injuries crippled the season - lucas, dempsey, gumby, winderlich, mcveigh, blah blah blah key players who were critical to the game plan, so you can't blame him for that. As for the lack of defense... I don't mind at the moment. I'd rather see them attacking and kicking goals in exciting games and learning how to win and dominate the game with their own style rather than playing the other teams game plan, flooding, getting defensive and well.... boring! and probably learning nothing!
lemon chicken
1 Jul 2008, 11:23
I dont really know what to vote theres been times where i could give him an F and last month he is been close to an A. The fact that he has turned around the careers in 2 senior players, Lloyd and Welsh is a massive credit to him. I like coaches who get the most out of their list rather than draft guns and say look how good I am (Clarkson). He has realised some thing werent working and changed them like the gameplan and tactics so overall i'm happy with him so far but its too early to judge fairly.
gloryandfame
1 Jul 2008, 11:49
A Solid B
Sorry boys, you can't lose 8 games in a row and get a B. It's a C for mine. I know there are excuses with injuries and the fact that he has run kids all year. But, ultimately, we're just outside the bottom four and while the upside looks fantastic you would need to sit in the top8 for a B and top4 for an A.
B. I know we haven't been playing that well this season, but atleast he isn't changing his gameplan based on results. He's sticking with it, and it's starting to work for our boys.
I voted an A.
Put into perspective what he's had to deal with and what he's been able to achieve.
Firstly he came in and made the chops. Also put the older players in JJ and Pev on notice saying this was it for them.
He's put a bunch of young players with little experience onto the park each week allowing them to gain confidence in their own abilities.
He's copped a barrage of crticism from the media, and also scum supporters about the game plan he is trying to implement, and stuck to his guns through the toughest times.
He has reinvented Andrew Welsh as a tagger, and brought new life into Matthew Lloyds career.
He has a plan, and is sticking to it, the defensive side of the game starting to be seen.
He's copped bad luck from game 1 where Scotty went down, lost Davey, Gumby and Now winders for the rest of the season and he still pushes on.
He has done a fantastic job, and based on the expectations of the side this season and the fact that the 22 which has been reasonably settled over the past month, has just grabbed 3 wins on the trot, it's worth an A for mine.
If you want to judge him by where we are on the ladder, then he'd be a D, but that's hardly fair.
Bomber57
1 Jul 2008, 16:23
Gees mum I had a test with 14 questions, got 5 right then was given a "B" how good am I, C at the best, lets do this again in 8 weeks, not after a few wins against lower and worst teams than ours and while everyone is on a high, hopeing I can give him a B or B+ then. :D
MadBomberfan
1 Jul 2008, 16:39
C for me, which is still a pretty good effort for a newbie. :)
The game plan has been found wanting against the top sides, but for the past month they seem to be playing with more defensive pressure, thank God, and the results have comewith the recent wins, the Adelaide game and Whorethorn for a half.
Also Kudos for holding his nerve and persisting with the kids, which is a nice change from the Sheedy reign where they would rotate in and out without a chance to find their feet. It is already paying dividends. :thumbsu:
bombersno1
1 Jul 2008, 18:12
solid C+, possible B-. It is a work in progress and I am happy with the improvements in our list. Very happy with the injection of youth into the 22. Very unhappy with the persisance with Ricky Dyson so that brings the mark down a bit.
The Donners
1 Jul 2008, 19:42
Gees mum I had a test with 14 questions, got 5 right then was given a "B" how good am I, C at the best, lets do this again in 8 weeks, not after a few wins against lower and worst teams than ours and while everyone is on a high, hopeing I can give him a B or B+ then. :D
Number of wins or number of developing youngsters... err... developing?
I gave him an A. I gave him an A because like the youngsters... he's improving right before our very eyes every week! :thumbsu:
The_Young_Gun
2 Jul 2008, 02:09
I gave a C.
Started the Pre-season off pretty well, had a good start with the NAB Cup Comp. Up until round 3 we were looking like finals contenders. But the 8 losses in a row just seemed pethetic and if the streak had lived on up until this round, my C right now would be looking like an F.
Appart from some pathetic team performances over the year, Id' say Knights has done a really good job, his work with the young players just gives excitment to the fans just by watching these 18, 19, 20 year olds make their mark in the AFL... Kyle Reimers is a HUGE standout when making discussion about our young talent.
solid C+, possible B-. It is a work in progress and I am happy with the improvements in our list. Very happy with the injection of youth into the 22. Very unhappy with the persisance with Ricky Dyson so that brings the mark down a bit.
Every club in the league has players on it that end up being huge disapointments. I thought they made the wrong decision with Dyson as well .
At the end of the day the facts and figure say if a club gets 70% of its list right it has done an outstanding job so there are always going to be a certain percentage of players with big question marks on them.
Daytripper
2 Jul 2008, 12:58
Can I just ask why everyone thinks Dyson is a disappointment ?
He was drafted at pick 44 in the weak 03 draft. He was never ever meant to be a superstar.
I think some supporters expectations of him became too grandiose and when he failed to live up to them, instead of asking themselves why their predictions were so bad they chose to blame the player instead.
Can I just ask why everyone thinks Dyson is a disappointment ?
He was drafted at pick 44 in the weak 03 draft. He was never ever meant to be a superstar.
I think some supporters expectations of him became too grandiose and when he failed to live up to them, instead of asking themselves why their predictions were so bad they chose to blame the player instead.
Good pont. It was not like he was an early DP.
The Donners
2 Jul 2008, 14:24
Can I just ask why everyone thinks Dyson is a disappointment ?
He was drafted at pick 44 in the weak 03 draft. He was never ever meant to be a superstar.
I think some supporters expectations of him became too grandiose and when he failed to live up to them, instead of asking themselves why their predictions were so bad they chose to blame the player instead.
I never rated Dyson, no one who kicks like he does couple with his lack of desperation can make it at this level but I think you're underrating the draft of '03 a little there. Next in line was Aman Buchanan and further down the list we have Sam Fischer, Pettigrew, Hudson, Rischitelli and Shane Tuck. I'd take all of them above Dyson... in fact I'd take all of them except Hudson above Stanton, our 2nd top draft pick of that year.
bombersno1
2 Jul 2008, 14:47
Can I just ask why everyone thinks Dyson is a disappointment ?
He was drafted at pick 44 in the weak 03 draft. He was never ever meant to be a superstar.
I think some supporters expectations of him became too grandiose and when he failed to live up to them, instead of asking themselves why their predictions were so bad they chose to blame the player instead.
It is more the fact he was given a 2 year deal last year! That came from no other but Knights!
Giggidy Giggidy
2 Jul 2008, 16:34
I never rated Dyson, no one who kicks like he does couple with his lack of desperation can make it at this level but I think you're underrating the draft of '03 a little there. Next in line was Aman Buchanan and further down the list we have Sam Fischer, Pettigrew, Hudson, Rischitelli and Shane Tuck. I'd take all of them above Dyson... in fact I'd take all of them except Hudson above Stanton, our 2nd top draft pick of that year.
I would not take any of those mentioned over Stanton
bomba4eva
2 Jul 2008, 17:16
The more I think about it, C is the grade that Knights deserves. If I was to have missed the first 14 rounds of football and been told we were 5-9 I would be bitterly disappointed. Injuries have been cruel this season and I whole-heartedly believe that we could have made 6-8th if it hadn't been for the mass injuries.
Pre season was great and very exciting to watch and after the first few weeks it seemed like we were destined to fight for finals positions. Then the injuries started to mount, we were forced to blood even more youngsters and the attacking gameplan made us experience some crushing and embarrassing losses. That first quarter against Richmond sticks in my mind....disgraceful....
Knights has set a good direction and youth is the key. Off the top of my head, Reimers, Lonergan and Houli have cemented positions in the best 22. He is developing the kids fairly well and in the back half of this season I expect to see Hislop, Dempsey and Hocking get some games in the seniors. Promising start to Knights' coaching career.
Ben the Gooner
2 Jul 2008, 17:20
I would not take any of those mentioned over Stanton
I'd consider Rischitelli, but in reality Stanton is going to look like a steal at 13.
Knights is doing well, in fact the Old Fox would be proud of him. I don't believe Sheedy would have done any better this year, and the players back him. He may even get another contract.
lemon chicken
2 Jul 2008, 23:50
Can I just ask why everyone thinks Dyson is a disappointment ?
He was drafted at pick 44 in the weak 03 draft. He was never ever meant to be a superstar.
I think some supporters expectations of him became too grandiose and when he failed to live up to them, instead of asking themselves why their predictions were so bad they chose to blame the player instead.
Houli, Reimers, Lonergan, Davey, Welsh, all 3rd round draft picks like Dyson. I dont think anyone in the world would have thought Dyson could be a superstar but he was talked up all pre-season by the coach, captain and other club staff as having a breakout season and yet its July and we are still waiting. I'd class that as a disappointment.
smcateer
3 Jul 2008, 00:47
I gave him a B.
As for the 5/14 in a school test analogy; nice analogy, but this is elite sports, not a grammar test. As a club, with our list and our injuries this year (not making excuses BTW), we've been boxing above our weight.
We have to mark on subtler points. Things which will indicate how his coaching career will pan out. TSB has many outstanding qualities in my mind. He strikes me as a great leader of men.
For example, his assay of Lloyd, psychologically was perfect. How do you get a champ to stand up? Do you say "it's not good enough, we expect more", or "he's a star, he'll come good"? No, you suggest publicly that we have seen the best from him and that we should not hold him to such a high standard. This would have bombed if applied to the wrong personality type, but worked exceptionally in this case. I am led to ponder what other deft touches he is applying behind the scenes, but have no doubt that he knew that this statement, at this time would have exactly the desired effect.
Tactically, I concede that he has issues, particularly at stoppages, even more particularly inside defensive 50. But I take it on faith that he is genuinely trying to develop a style of play - he has the big picture in mind. These types of global thinkers will often miss the finer details, but that's what assistants are for; he needs to make sure he is surrounded by people who are capable of nailing the fine details. I'm not sure that he has done this, we can but wait and see.
The question is at the end of the day is this: can we see this man leading out club to greatness? I may be seeing things a bit rosy-coloured, but I can't see TSB leaving the job without giving it an almighty crack. That said, he has to this point in his career achieved very little - as a player, he was a poor-man's Sheedy; let's hope that's not the case for his coaching career.
Oh yeah, and Dyson's a steaming pile of siht - I don't care which round of the draft he was picked in, he's supposed to be an AFL footballer, and I see no evidence of that.
The Dustbin
3 Jul 2008, 10:04
Can I just ask why everyone thinks Dyson is a disappointment ?
He was drafted at pick 44 in the weak 03 draft. He was never ever meant to be a superstar.
I think some supporters expectations of him became too grandiose and when he failed to live up to them, instead of asking themselves why their predictions were so bad they chose to blame the player instead.
Dyson has had his fair share of chances over the last couple of years and has failed to deliver.
Maybe he did himself more damage then good (Reputation) when he played his second game against Carlton in 2004 when he had 20 odd quality disposals (In the wet) and kicked 2 goals.
In his second game Ricky Dyson continued to impress. The 18-year-old kicked a long goal on a tight angle on the three quarter-time siren to give his side a handy 40-point lead at the final change and then backed up his good work with another goal in the final term.
The following year he again had a good game against Carlton, kicked 3 goals in that demolition win.
Dyson is a Carlton specialist. Dyson has had more chances then anyone and his game against Freo only confirmed something we already knew.
I heard an interpretation of Knights coaching strategy which sounded like a terrific concept. It went like this;
When kids especially in the Korea & Japan start playing golf, they are instructed to hit the ball as hard as they can. You go about doing this for amount of time of when you feel they have reached a capacity to play golf to a level that is acceptable. The next part of the teaching process is now to iron out their flaws... In a football sense, this would explain the attack formula used by Knights, once they have the confidence or skill level to play out to instructions on a consistent basis then he will go about ironing our the teams flaws as they go which is obviously the defensive side of the game.
Crimson King
8 Jul 2008, 17:10
A-:thumbsu:
He is going to create an excellent Essendon side. I like the guy, he has got guts to change things around and has already got a solid midfield in the making. Add a good draft this time around and Essendon will be a side to watch.
I suspect the Eagles and the Bombers will be re-newing their rivalry for the premiership at the same time. But we all know, Eagles will win.;)
Ben the Gooner
9 Jul 2008, 09:36
A-:thumbsu:
He is going to create an excellent Essendon side. I like the guy, he has got guts to change things around and has already got a solid midfield in the making. Add a good draft this time around and Essendon will be a side to watch.
I suspect the Eagles and the Bombers will be re-newing their rivalry for the premiership at the same time. But we all know, Eagles will win.;)
Wrong. You're our bitches.:D
FandangoDingo
9 Jul 2008, 11:06
Can I just ask why everyone thinks Dyson is a disappointment ?
He was drafted at pick 44 in the weak 03 draft. He was never ever meant to be a superstar.
I think some supporters expectations of him became too grandiose and when he failed to live up to them, instead of asking themselves why their predictions were so bad they chose to blame the player instead.
Well, in that case, he's excelling!! No danger there! :o