Coach Alastair Clarkson - NMFC Senior Coach - Coaching & Football Discussion

[Event Horizon]

I wish King would have a role in our footy department. Has a lot to offer. I know he has a full on media career, but even a part time strategy role or something like that would be good IMO

 

[Hearts to hearts]

Very nicely put, Kingy.

 

[Horace]

100% this. I truly think deep down the whole thing just broke him as a person, and from the outside it just completely and irreparably decimated the mastermind aura he once had. I would say no doubt he has addressed the whole saga with his playing group, but I'm sure no matter what they tell him, or tell other people at the club, the entire playing list are Gen Z kids and they live their entire lives in the vacuum sealed unreality of the online world and it would be extremely difficult to separate the Clarko they are being coached by from the Clarko involved in the stories that have come out about him. There is also not a single person on the entire playing list that would have the gumption to tell him about any reservations they have to his face, particularly given the intimidating, old-school hyper-masculine presence he has. It was delusional to think a guy in such a bad frame of mind that he needed 3 months off to get his head together could come back to coach and everything would be hunky dory.

I got smashed for saying this early last year, understandably so, but I think the club should have parted ways with him then and there when the racism allegations first broke, it was wishful thinking to believe he could go on and do the job with that hanging over him. I've recalibrated that opinion, and right now I think he should never have tried to take the job on, and now should step down, because he obviously won't be sacked.

He doesn't need the money, doesn't need to achieve anything else in football, it is clearly not working and he could bring the club to the brink of extinction if he stays.

Goodness me, that's an extraordinary statement, six games into what is, after last years shenanigans, really just his first proper year in the job.

It is possible that we will not win a game this year, but let's just stick with him until the end of this year and see what small steps have been achieved over that period. And while he is the head coach - why would you ever want the head job? - there are allegedly some very good experienced assistants supporting him. Let's just wait and see.

 

[Johnny99]

We have the youngest list in the competition and on top of that the hardest start to the year playing against seasoned bodies.

Surely they manipulate the fixture to ensure the big 4 are ALWAYS taken care off.

Surely, they can manipulate it a little in our favour, to ensure the worst performed side in the last 3 years gets a little easier draw to start its 2024 campaign?

 

[Black Diamond]

He's about 3-4 weeks off losing the players completely with these sorts of performances. There's already signs of complete lack of effort and an appearance of confusion and apprehension.

At which point you will get an exodus of senior players heading for the hills during trade week (LDU, Zurhaar..) as theres ANOTHER coaching change.

That would be two coaches in a row who the players have claimed then. And perhaps them leaving would not be the worst. I take your other points about the board, but they also cannot let the tail wag the dog.

I don't think there's any danger of Clarko not coaching us in 2025 (and FWIW I think he absolutely should be our coach), but you just know if players like LDU & Zurhaar do start to leave we will get the chorus of coping mechanisms on this forum of how we are "better off without them" because they "aren't prepared for the journey" etc. which will then turn to mockery and dismissal of those who do not share that opinion.

Already the tone in this thread has shifted back to thinly veiled swipes and derision of anyone questioning the process. Imagine suggesting to anyone on here who has sat through the last 5 (or really 25) years of this club that they lack resilience? Spare me.

Good call on coping. As with McKay last season.

But on the process, I am not seeing any derision. I would like to know the alternative though. We are not going to bring in a heap of good free agents, and brining in VFL mature recruits would see us kicked by the media and supporters just as much. Happy to be told otherwise, but I cannot see any other way for us. I am not saying we just play the kids and hope it works. They must be held accountable and must lift their standards. But you cannot put kilos on overnight or build a tank in one preseason.

We have seen it with Melbourne and with Brisbane in recent times. What is our choice but to follow the same course?

 

[justroyal]

I don’t think any sane person could even consider asking him to go. Just ****ing ask to man up and tackle in the interim would be great.
If this guy can’t get a response then what makes people think anyone else can? The buy in seems to be good by the players with high level footy iq, not so much for those with low.
Which says more about our list..

 

[Horizons_00]

All these people need to lift including our entire list

Need some harsh truths

 

[koshari]

Two dangers with the long haul approach (which I support):

1. Players getting used to losing. Melbourne and Brisbane dragged themselves out of that mindset though; and

2. The suspicion that our playing group is very soft and unable to take the heat. If so, get ready for tears.

1- true,

2- i wouldn't want to be fronting up to peers like Wardlaw for too long if i chose to walk this path, prolly no coincidence that that 9 goal run happened in his absence.

 

[koshari]

Goodness me, that's an extraordinary statement, six games into what is, after last years shenanigans, really just his first proper year in the job.

It is possible that we will not win a game this year, but let's just stick with him until the end of this year and see what small steps have been achieved over that period. And while he is the head coach - why would you ever want the head job? - there are allegedly some very good experienced assistants supporting him. Let's just wait and see.

agreed , the lack on paragraphing for one is incredible!

 

[outwecome2play]

Last year Clarko was coaching from the bench. When players were coming off he was able to talk to them.

I wonder if the loss of Ratten has made him move back to the coaches box.

 

[DrZaius]

But on the process, I am not seeing any derision. I would like to know the alternative though. We are not going to bring in a heap of good free agents, and brining in VFL mature recruits would see us kicked by the media and supporters just as much. Happy to be told otherwise, but I cannot see any other way for us. I am not saying we just play the kids and hope it works. They must be held accountable and must lift their standards. But you cannot put kilos on overnight or build a tank in one preseason.

We have seen it with Melbourne and with Brisbane in recent times. What is our choice but to follow the same course?

I'm not going to quote but on the previous page alone there are posts questioning supporters resilience, implying they should leave if they aren't prepared for the results to continue as they are, as well as the many other passive aggressive comments made over the last few weeks about the increasing number who are starting to wonder what we are doing.

Yes we don't really have an alternative and despite everything I still believe this is the right path, but we should absolutely still always be questioning if what we are seeing matches up with what we should be seeing instead of pretending Clarko is prescient and everything that happens is all part of the grand plan. Not that we can do anything individually but the club from the top down need to know there is an expectation for even minor improvement and supporters should feel comfortable expressing their disappointment. Say what you will about the Collingwoods/Richmonds of the world but their fans certainly keep them accountable (not saying we need to dump loads of manure on the doorsteps of Arden St).

Both sides of the argument do have valid points but in reality it's not as simple as saying the list is hopeless so we shouldn't expect anything for 3/4/5 years, or that because Clarko is a genius we should be pushing for finals regardless. Not that the expectations were exceptionally lofty but at least publicly the narrative from the club is shifting ever so slightly more towards the former which raises a little bit of a red flag.

That being said though there is no guarantee following the same course as Melbourne/Brisbane will yield the same or similar results so we should be checking ourselves every step of the way because frankly we are coming from an unprecedented position. Are we showing improvements in certain metrics (the Nobles special)? Are we taking steps to address the weaknesses in our game plan? Are we developing players in the right way? There are plenty of arguments made by those more eloquent than me as to why we have cause to be concerned in those areas.

We can only assess what we can see so far and I would be absolutely shocked if the internal expectation was not just to lose, but to be absolutely belted by Hawthorn. The pile on from all angles (especially Kingy's comments) suggests that it was not the case, and if we also go through this next 'easier' stretch of games without firing a shot then it will be very hard to gain anything out of this season.

Or someone can just call me an idiot for expecting the 18th placed team to compete with the 17th placed team or whatever.

 

[DrZaius]

Kingy has phrased it very well here

 

[Engimal v3]

Last year Clarko was coaching from the bench. When players were coming off he was able to talk to them.

I wonder if the loss of Ratten has made him move back to the coaches box.

Coaches should always be in a coaches box. I've always thought like it seemed to be just for show when coaches come to ground-level in the AFL. Cricket grounds are huge and play is near constant in footy; there is very little value in the head coach observing from the boundary.

 

[amaz199]

Why is it always on the coaches?

When are the leaders going to take responsibility?

They didn't take it when Scott departed, didn't take it when Shaw left, didn't take it when Noble was sacked and now Clarko is under the pump.

When are they going to stop going through the motions and doing what they think is enough? When are they going to say themselves, 'we're the ****ing leaders of this footy club and we gotta support our teammates'.

Co-captains, leadership group, donkey group, senior group just all of them can GAGF. They are killing the development of the young players by being so shit. That's not on Clarko.

 

[amaz199]

We have no one, ABSOLUTELY NO ONE in the 26 and above group that can help move this team forward.

How does Clarko work with that? Can anyone tell me?

 

[FootySmartSimpson]

It is a terrible list and we have * all talent. It’s why we lose every week.

Our list has been continuously decapitated at the 26yo+ age bracket for the last 10 years.

Generally (don’t look at North for this one) this is when you can rely on your talent to do their job week in week out.

 

[shintemaster]

1- true,

2- i wouldn't want to be fronting up to peers like Wardlaw for too long if i chose to walk this path, prolly no coincidence that that 9 goal run happened in his absence.

This attitude has been a problem for years, way back into the Brad Scott years. The idea that only certain players need to do some of the work when the going is tough - we have Gibson to run hard, we have Jacobs to apply pressure etc. There has been a trend for a long time for only some players to have to do the hard stuff that doesn't get the glory.

 

[koshari]

We have no one, ABSOLUTELY NO ONE in the 26 and above group that can help move this team forward.

How does Clarko work with that? Can anyone tell me?

How does anybody work with that?

 

[koshari]

This attitude has been a problem for years, way back into the Brad Scott years. The idea that only certain players need to do some of the work when the going is tough - we have Gibson to run hard, we have Jacobs to apply pressure etc. There has been a trend for a long time for only some players to have to do the hard stuff that doesn't get the glory.

Those of is that are fortunate (or possibly unfortunate) to have been around for a few years may recall the work barassi had to do to get the 70s list of underachieving players with potential to be a 2 premiership team might have an idea of whats required to succeed. And we havnt even got to the talented list phase yet.

Could prolly say the same thing about the list pagen inherited. Again we are miles away from that still.

 

[koshari]

I wish King would have a role in our footy department. Has a lot to offer. I know he has a full on media career, but even a part time strategy role or something like that would be good IMO

Would prefer mckernan get involved. Kings not real smart, the final minutes of the Hawthorn final pretty much proved that.

 

[danj]

I wish King would have a role in our footy department. Has a lot to offer. I know he has a full on media career, but even a part time strategy role or something like that would be good IMO

Agreed, part time coach of the Mongrel Department kingy can get some mongrel into them or send them crying, home to their mummies

 

[Orange Peanut]

- why would you ever want the head job? -

Well that sounds depressingly familiar.

 

[Spud11]

We have issues now for sure but comparing 2024 results to Laidley era results is flawed.

Laidley's senior group were all premiership players. Early draft picks were gambled for mature KPPs with mixed success. After a very youth oriented 2003 more 'quick fix' approaches were adopted after this.

A very capable group of understudies was being assembled who ultimately imo underachieved - Petrie, Harding, Spud, CJ, Hale, Wells, Hamish etc.

But most importantly Laidley was from 2004 playing for the "now". No real eye on the future, able to deploy the high quality premiership contingent to advantage. Total respect for Laidley as p especially withstanding the AFL political barrage in 2007.

But if Clarkson was tasked with winning at all costs right now I'm pretty sure he could come up with a dour game plan and mature player selections to bump up his odds considerably and probably do it better than Laidley would.

I think he’d better look at doing some form of that soon, then.

There would be nothing wrong with teaching the entire team defence and accountability and how to grind out wins with some senior bodies to help.
One thing’s for sure - if we keep going down this path of zero skills, zero grit, attack only with mostly kids and opening the floodgates for the opposition every week, our players won’t want to stay.

 

[Hazey1977]

We have no one, ABSOLUTELY NO ONE in the 26 and above group that can help move this team forward.

How does Clarko work with that? Can anyone tell me?

And I wonder wtf has happened to those guys like LMac, Jye, Corr... Like this is literally the worst they've played in their careers. They wouldn't even make it on a clubs list via the SSP if this was their U18 form.

WTAF is going on? How do you regress so badly? Surely they can see it in themselves? Or is it like when one partner is cheating and the rest of The World knows, but they just have NFI with their head in the sand?

Sent from my SM-G781B using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Danni_Benson]

Would prefer mckernan get involved. Kings not real smart, the final minutes of the Hawthorn final pretty much proved that.

Give me Luke Hodge please!