Is Buckley A Good Coach?

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The senior coach is an important club figure and a legitimate topic of discussion. It's fair to do so and everyone has a right to express their view.

The mod team observed that the thread was dominated by a few protagonists and their points were repeated i.e. 8 years of regression vs marked improvement in 17,18 etc Pretty much everyone with a strong opinion has already expressed it here.

What further degraded discussion was the simplistic "sack FIGJAM" or "he's a legend" type posts.

This thread will remain open. If your view has slightly shifted or you have new thoughts please share. In an effort to encourage quality discussion repetitive statements and circular arguments will from now on be deleted as will silly posts suggesting that we sack a coach on match-day.

FYI Gone Critical Anzacday Maggie5
 
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They’re plonking an extra in front of Coxy? Get Coxy to focus on crashing a pack with his knee out, cause some chaos.
That’s not a gameday coaching issue. He should be crashing packs every week. Instead he stands under it then jumps straight up, as defenders crash into HIM with great success.
 

Peter Sidorkiewicz

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Mick Malthouse.
Malthouse already won two flags at West Coast so he was already a proven winner.
Also he took over a side just won the wooden spoon. In that situation you need to give more time.

Buckley took over a side that played in the last 3 grand finals. And was a rookie coach, who had no previously head coaching experience. I don't count coaching the AIS U16 as head coaching experience because they dont play a full season. Its more of a camp.
 

Scritchyscroony

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1. Player groups Lack of effort, hardness and desire for the footy.
2. Player groups Not being good at or suited to wet weather footy.

That’s why we lost. Game day coaching had nothing to do with it.
 

Ingy

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It isn't his strong suit.

He chooses to keep the faith in his players to execute the game plan. He's averse to big changes in strategy during a match.

I think people need to remember how utterly dominant we were against the Dogs. I know it was only one game and it was a long time ago now. But that's what we look like when the players carry out the plans the coaches have devised. So when it isn't working, I can understand him wanting to be patient and redirecting the players to their roles, rather than abandoning it in favour of any plan B we may or may not have.

Based on last night, I'm more worried about Bucks' performance at the selection table than as a match day strategist. That's where we lost this game.
 

5_Flockhart

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I think Mark Thompson has the record for most years as coach before winning a premiership, 8 years I believe.

If Nate wins a prem he'll obviously take that record. The way I see it, let it ride. Make this pain and heartache and frustration count for something, eventually
 
Tell me one coach in world sport who still keeps there job after 9 years with no success
Andy Reid in the NFL had over 20 years. Cotton Fitzsimmons in the NBA 22 years. Only have to cast your mind back to this time last year when Ross Lyon was over 10 years coaching without ultimate success. There's a big list if you take the time to look it up.
 

Linda_Lovelace

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The coaches who are good tactically will come to the fore now that the number of assistants etc have been cut. Sadly, that ain't Bucks.

He will never lead the club to a flag. He simply does not have what it takes, he is not overly intelligent and lacks the killer instinct that flag sides need. We killed the 2010 era side with the succession plan and are watching a very talented side be held back by a coach who simply is not up to the challenge.

But that's Collingwood, its easier to blame outside forces than to look within.
 

HFF

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I am less concerned about him on gameday than I am with the big picture plan.

Our strengths are rapid ball movement and utilising our dangerous small-medium forwards. Instead we are trying to direct traffic through Cox who is 1/10th of the player that Stephenson, Elliott and De Goey are... hell even Mihocek... simply because he's tall and can occasionally take a mark on a dry day.

This is the truth.
We no longer play to our strengths and we are going backwards quickly because of it.

if the supporters can see it, it really is disappointing that the coach cannot.
 
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So the question is really veiled as 'is it time to get a new coach?'. That's the impression I get from it.

If so then you've got to ask the question, is it time for a regeneration or even rebuild? If you're gonna throw out your current head coach then you're conceding that your not in the window.

Is he a good match day coach? That's hard to answer, being a system based team it's hard to know if obvious in game structural change makes that difference. Haven't seen any move that obvious from him yet.

To be fair to him, I don't think the list is that good and by and large unless that list is up and about it usually ends in disappointment. Last night is the opposite to rd 1 and largely the same group hasn't looked likely since 2018.

Nah, it's not JUST the coach. Think overall we're overrated, we won't be winning the flag this year and our window is shut. What's worse is we won't be making major changes i:e the coach, no club will. Every club is stuck with what they've got.

So that's us until who knows when, fun being a Collingwood supporter innit? NOT!
 
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wanted him to sit Cox the entire 4th and swing Moore forward but of course Wills was already riding the pine so we'd be out on our legs

I get you but should of done it at half time.

Also imo we need to allow Moore a block of games forward to build continuity and connection with mids. I have no doubt if could play the year out hed be one of the premier kpf of the comp much like he is in defence.

Go out there to win games not save them. ATM we play a very defensive brand with too many role players or flawed types.
 
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So the question is really veiled as 'is it time to get a new coach?'. That's the impression I get from it.

If so then you've got to ask the question, is it time for a regeneration or even rebuild? If you're gonna throw out your current head coach then you're conceding that your not in the window.

Is he a good match day coach? That's hard to answer, being a system based team it's hard to know if obvious in game structural change makes that difference. Haven't seen any move that obvious from him yet.

To be fair to him, I don't think the list is that good and by and large unless that list is up and about it usually ends in disappointment. Last night is the opposite to rd 1 and largely the same group hasn't looked likely since 2018.

Nah, it's not JUST the coach. Think overall we're overrated, we won't be winning the flag this year and our window is shut. What's worse is we won't be making major changes i:e the coach, no club will. Every club is stuck with what they've got.

So that's us until who knows when, fun being a Collingwood supporter innit? NOT!

Imo we are very close to needing a rebuild or at least a mini rebuild.
 
Jun 6, 2016
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Imo we are very close to needing a rebuild or at least a mini rebuild.

And we're not gonna get it coz covid, Bucks aint leavin anytime soon. Almost pulled off the unwarranted Houdini trick in 2018, to be fair we weren't / aren't that good. It's the system which is great but the execution is difficult, the list isn't super flash and overrated by the system. It's good but not flag good.

Another half a dozen years in the middling wilderness, great.
 

bucksisbest

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Too system orientated and regimented tactically. Also is interested in controlling the ball, which too often leads to over posession, inefficiency, turnover in vulnerable field positions and a loss of structure forward of the ball.

Hasn't been good enough to balance carrot and stick approach amongst the playing group, without causing widespread friction. That is both from Malthouse takeover, to player reaction after Bulldogs win last year.

So we now have the cuddle/feelings club and a group who lack resilience.
 
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According to some strange people he is not responsible for the failures of his players or the game plan and it’s not his fault the team makes the same mistakes and hasn’t improved under his watch.

Also apparently despite 9 years in the job, isn’t responsible for the poor list.

So given he isn’t responsible for anything, he can’t be a failure!

Fact is Collingwood will never win a premiership whilst he is not responsible for anything, but some Collingwood fans would rather never see another premiership than admit Buckley can’t coach.
 
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The bloke he replaced took 10 years to get a flag so he must've been piss poor even more

The bloke he replaced was a proven premiership coach Who took a bottom side to two grand finals within his first 4 seasons. Buckley took a grand finalist to the bottom rungs of the ladder.

But I‘ve put the challenge out elsewhere, who was the last premiership coach who coached for 10+ years before winning their first flag as an AFL coach?
 
That’s not a gameday coaching issue. He should be crashing packs every week. Instead he stands under it then jumps straight up, as defenders crash into HIM with great success.

Cox is Clueless and no feel of the Game. He is an Athlete playing Footy
 

No SPIN

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Tell me one coach in world sport who still keeps there job after 9 years with no success

Given that implicit in your question that success means flags - then 99% of coaches are unsuccessful and by definition any change of coach doesn't guarantee success. So your premise that a change is the only way to get success is clearly false.

By a standard such as making a GF Buckley is way ahead of the majority of coaches.
 

AndrewShawble

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Doesn’t feel like there is much creativity when things aren’t going our way on match day.

Seem to go on these scoring droughts.

Doesn’t seem to want to deploy a run with player to the teams best player despite most top teams doing that, and doing that to us.
 
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