Opinion Chris Scott's coaching - Part 1 [closed, see Part II]

[BlightysCats]

When a Coach looks down the lens of a camera and says with a straight face "I don't know what's happening in the last two weeks" then there's something seriously wrong with that.

I can't recall any coach ever saying that? It's astounding! Even surpasses 'mission accomplished' after a gut wrenching loss where we led by 6+ goals at one stage and lost.

 

[noclashjumpers]

On the whole, I like Chris Scott. I think he was a good appointment, and for a long while have thought (and possibly still think?) he's the right person for the job. So I'm finding it difficult to reconcile the doubts that have slid their way in like rising damp over the past 2 years.

I find it hard to understand that the major weaknesses in our game two years ago, are all but the same now. I've no doubt Scott is more acutely aware of them than anyone here, but the fact that he's been unable to rectify them, does not reflect well on him. He's either incapable of planning his way out if it, or incapable of motivating and communicating his plans to the players.

The thing I find most perplexing is his aversion to using 'lack of effort' as an explanation for losses. It's just odd. There's not that many explanations, and none of them are particularly complimentary.

If he genuinely believes it's never effort, and it really is the 'easy response when you don't know the real answer', then that puts him at odds with every other coach in the league, who seeming all mention 'effort' at some time or another. Does he think he knows something the other coaches don't?

Is it an attempt to shield the players from criticism? I could understand the instinct, but why continue with this protection when they don't respond to it; particularly when some players might be deserving of an external rocket. Indeed it might be good for them.

I'm not sure he realises how frustrating it is for the average fan when he refuses to acknowledge the elephant in the room.

Can he not see that taking effort off the table as an explanation, only leaves his ability to strategise/coach/motivate? Personnel is no longer the issue, and you can only push the 'waiting for the team to gel' barrow so far.

I'm not writing him off. I think he's clearly a smart, articulate guy. But as each year passes. my concern grows.

 

[BlightysCats]

Updated with the latest nuggets...

When we win

- Simon Lloyd has made a massive difference
- Dangerfield is carrying us
- Anyone could coach this team
- *crickets chirping/tumbleweeds/awkward coughs*

When we lose

- Scott shouldn't have picked Player A over Player B
- No Plan B
- Poor gameday coach
- 'Mission Accomplished'
- Smug and arrogant
- Remember when Scott didn't pick West in that Qualifying final??
- if you don't agree with me you're a "fan boy"

Really? I think most of those things about Scott regardless of if we win or lose.

 

[Art Vandelay_]

Nakia you flip more than a pancake on Shrove Tuesday.

Not long ago we were on the right track. Now we're ****ed again. Sigh.

 

[Jhye Clark 13]

When a Coach looks down the lens of a camera and says with a straight face "I don't know what's happening in the last two weeks" then there's something seriously wrong with that.

Up there with his wise words in his first ever press conference.

 

[catempire]

Really? I think most of those things about Scott regardless of if we win or lose.

Let's see you here saying them after the next win then.

 

[Biggy_Boy]

Does he think he knows something the other coaches don't?

Seems to be the case with him. He has this smug arrogance about him, like he's hiding some master plan and just waiting to roll it out, but it never comes. Like when he declared that one good quarter of football against Hawthorn was "mission accomplished", insinuating that was the real Geelong that would play in finals (it wasn't). Then there was the line he incessantly espoused in 2014 - "our best is good enough to beat anyone". He said it at every opportunity, even after a galling 110-point loss, even after Geelong had gone out in straight sets, in a guest appearance on 360 where he was supposed to be talking about the grand finalists, he made sure to mention that he thought Geelong, "at their best", were as good as the grand finalists. This was as Geelong were on a clear decline and set to embark on a season in which they would finish 10th.

This is the same guy who has repeatedly said they don't take anything from past games, which you hope is some kind of bluff he uses to get other coaches thinking he's incompetent, but then they go out and get beaten by teams in the same way by doing the same things (Fremantle was the big one here).

 

[FredLeDeux]

Let's see you here saying them after the next win then.

Please delete this toute suite.

 

[Mr Blicavs]

Up there with his wise words in his first ever press conference.

Makes sense doesn't it. If hes letting them coach themselves, then I'm not surprised he doesn't know what's going on

 

[BlightysCats]

Let's see you here saying them after the next win then.

Go and look back over this thread you'll see I've often said them regardless of a win or loss.

 

[Partridge]

Updated with the latest nuggets...

When we win

- Simon Lloyd has made a massive difference
- Dangerfield is carrying us
- Anyone could coach this team
- *crickets chirping/tumbleweeds/awkward coughs*

When we lose

- Scott shouldn't have picked Player A over Player B
- No Plan B
- Poor gameday coach
- 'Mission Accomplished'
- Smug and arrogant
- Remember when Scott didn't pick West in that Qualifying final??
- if you don't agree with me you're a "fan boy"

My responses would be in order...

When we win
- No
- No
- Definitely No
- * ... *

When we lose
- Hmm, depends on the context. As much as we all have favourites I think it would be rare for one player to make that big a difference now.
- No. None of us have the faintest idea what plans are really implemented in the coaching box. There could be Plans C-Z and we wouldn't know it.
- See above response. How would we know if we don't know the tactics to begin with?
- Yep that was idiotic.
- Wouldn't know.
- Yep that was even more idiotic.
- Not my argument.

 

[catempire]

Please delete this toute suite.

I thought you'd like that.

 

[Jhye Clark 13]

Makes sense doesn't it. If hes letting them coach themselves, then I'm not surprised he doesn't know what's going on

Not surprising then that a few players were apparently caught on the town blind drunk during the season... a lack of discipline on and off the field.

 

[catempire]

My responses would be in order...

When we win
- No
- No
- Definitely No
- * ... *

When we lose
- Hmm, depends on the context. As much as we all have favourites I think it would be rare for one player to make that big a difference now.
- No. None of us have the faintest idea what plans are really implemented in the coaching box. There could be Plans C-Z and we wouldn't know it.
- See above response. How would we know if we don't know the tactics to begin with?
- Yep that was idiotic.
- Wouldn't know.
- Yep that was even more idiotic.
- Not my argument.

You're dangerously close to being labelled a fan boy with those views Partridge.

 

[Partridge]

You're dangerously close to being labelled a fan boy with those views Partridge.

Hope so. Been called everything else!

 

[Big 0]

Nope. He's been excellent all season in wins and losses, playing as the 7th defender.

He's been good overall, very consistent and contributing all around, but we need to play him in the guts. It's where I'd like to see him

 

[AM]

Hope so. Been called everything else!

Group hug for poor Partridge.

 

[vinum coupe]

He's been good overall, very consistent and contributing all around, but we need to play him in the guts. It's where I'd like to see him

He's hardly played in the middle for 4 years.
He's not going back there now.

 

[Willo_]

.
- No. None of us have the faintest idea what plans are really implemented in the coaching box. There could be Plans C-Z and we wouldn't know it.

Quoted for being the most accurate thing that has been said on this board

I put people that cry 'No plan B' in the same class as the people that say Selwood ducks

And simply ask them to explain what plan A is... when they can't do that I question how they can say there is no plan B... and the subject is quickly changed

 

[David the Cat]

I would've thought 're-iterate Lloyd should take over' would've been under the subheading 'when we lose.' Quite happy to pot Scott right now as he's a liability holding a half decent list back from having any real success. As usual though supporters like yourself rather sadly want our club to float along in mediocrity rather than make tough decisions that might actually give us a chance to succeed. Look at the massive improvement in Beveridges Bulldogs last year and Bolton's Carlton this year, the right first year coach could turn around our soft uncontested culture and give us a realistic shot at a flag in 2017 before the GWS and Bulldogs juggernauts take over.

I do? Thanks for letting me know that....

I guess thats why I watch every game, the replay as well every week, take an international membership, make sure I see a game when I fly in from Switzerland and spend some of my time on this board....because I want the team I follow to be ordinary...

Makes sense.

I'd suggest that vacuous statements like this do nothing to support your argument.

 

[BlightysCats]

Quoted for being the most accurate thing that has been said on this board

I put people that cry 'No plan B' in the same class as the people that say Selwood ducks

And simply ask them to explain what plan A is... when they can't do that I question how they can say there is no plan B... and the subject is quickly changed

It's actually pretty easy and accurate to say Scott has no plan B because he's said it himself, someone can find the quote but it was something along the lines of - I don't change much during a game because we prepare all week to play a certain way and we have to try to execute that rather than change things on the day.

 

[BlightysCats]

I do? Thanks for letting me know that....

I guess thats why I watch every game, the replay as well every week, take an international membership, make sure I see a game when I fly in from Switzerland and spend some of my time on this board....because I want the team I follow to be ordinary...

Makes sense.

I'd suggest that vacuous statements like this do nothing to support your argument.

Don't care if those type of statements support my argument or not, it's the only rational conclusion one can come to for anybody still ardently supporting Scott and thinking he can deliver us ultimate success in 2016/17.

 

[Footy_Fan2007]

Don't care if those type of statements support my argument or not, it's the only rational conclusion one can come to for anybody still ardently supporting Scott and thinking he can deliver us ultimate success in 2016/17.

Blighty delivered us a flag...

 

[BlightysCats]

Blighty delivered us a flag...

That's relevant in 2016/17 how exactly? Just as arbitrary as me asking you if a Footy Fan delivered us a flag?

 

[Jhye Clark 13]

Don't care if those type of statements support my argument or not, it's the only rational conclusion one can come to for anybody still ardently supporting Scott and thinking he can deliver us ultimate success in 2016/17.

I'm not sure that's the case just yet, but what I'd like to know is, what happened to that swarming defence, work ethic, hardness at the ball and the rest of the qualities that made the team look unbeatable from rounds 4-8...

We've proven we can beat the best so it isn't all doom and gloom.