Coaching Staff Former Coach Ben "Truck" Rutten - Sacked for real this time - 21/8

[Lore]

Who’s dumb idea was it to play Jones in the ruck?

Before or after Draper got injured?

 

[RearNaked]

Before or after Draper got injured?

Doesn’t matter put hooker in there

 

[westking]

Before or after Draper got injured?

It was after.

 

[Don35]

Hooker above playing back now. Ruck?? Lol

 

[MiguelM]

Looked absolutely defeated at the presser.

Needs to get back in the box to see the big picture of our shortcomings & try and react quicker. Running out of cattle.

 

[ghostdog]

Looked absolutely defeated at the presser.

Needs to get back in the box to see the big picture of our shortcomings & try and react quicker. Running out of cattle.

I agree with this, and pondered last week too. Surely if you're trying to implement a full-ground system, to identify issues and close gaps, you need a full-ground view. I think he should be in the box. Interested to know why he prefers the bench.

 

[JT_the_Man]

Job got a lot tougher after yesterday.

Our lack of depth is about to get exposed big time.

 

[DERO]

Job got a lot tougher after yesterday.

Our lack of depth is about to get exposed big time.

Only two rounds in and things are already starting to look pretty grim.

 

[Matthew_Lloyd]

We need to back him in regardless of the results this year (and most likely, next year). I was never a supporter of Knights, but looking back, we never gave him a proper chance to succeed. Hope we don't overreact with Truck and replace him when our supporters start to melt

 

[eth-dog]

Matthew Knights

Matthew Knights

Age

53

Ht

178cm

Wt

79kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

21.3

5star

K

12.0

4star

HB

9.3

5star

M

3.0

3star

T

2.2

4star

No current season stats available

D

18.4

5star

K

10.8

4star

HB

7.6

5star

M

4.4

4star

T

1.6

4star

never showed a hint of developing a defensive gameplan. He was a poor coach.

 

[Matthew_Lloyd]

Matthew Knights never showed a hint of developing a defensive gameplan. He was a poor coach.

He was surrounded by rubbish assistants, senior players who didn't like him, and horrible training facilities. Knights had his deficiencies, but we sure as s**t never gave him the proper chance to succeed (I myself am guilty of this).

 

[TheGreatBarryB]

He was surrounded by rubbish assistants, senior players who didn't like him, and horrible training facilities. Knights had his deficiencies, but we sure as sh*t never gave him the proper chance to succeed (I myself am guilty of this).

He had enough time, even Fletch had enough of him

 

[Matthew_Lloyd]

He had enough time, even Fletch had enough of him

Three seasons is not enough time. He was handed a mess at the end of Sheedy's era, and was rejuvenating the list with youth. He achieved in his three years in charge as much as Dimma did in his first three years.

My point is, we can't make the same mistake with Truck. Unless we end up Mark Neeld levels of bad, we need to back him in. This doesn't mean we don't ask hard questions of Truck and the club should we continue serving up half-hearted rubbish, but we need to give him the time to rebuild the list, and try to fix a horrible culture. Whether the supporters like it or not, this process is going to take years

 

[brutus76]

I'd prefer he play the kids and seeing what we got even if they're undersized and inexperienced.

Hooker back. Play Perks, Brand, Eyre, Cox, Reid as much as possible. They'll learn quicker in the 1s

 

[TheGreatBarryB]

Three seasons is not enough time. He was handed a mess at the end of Sheedy's era, and was rejuvenating the list with youth. He achieved in his three years in charge as much as Dimma did in his first three years.

I don’t think he achieved a thing. Defensively we were rubbish and he didn’t have a clue how to fix it. He just wanted to be known as an attacking coach. As for development for some weird reason never gave Houli a go he though he showed enough promise in few times he was given a go. If he was so good he’d have had other opportunities

 

[Bombermania]

I'm surprisingly relaxed about how Rutten is going because this is an opportunity for a group of young players to show us that they deserve to become 200+ game players for this club.

 

[EnolaGay]

I don’t think he achieved a thing. Defensively we were rubbish and he didn’t have a clue how to fix it. He just wanted to be known as an attacking coach. As for development for some weird reason never gave Houli a go he though he showed enough promise in few times he was given a go. If he was so good he’d have had other opportunities

Quite ironic that Houli didn't get a decent go as an unaccountable, attacking HBF in Knight's game-style.

 

[Nuggs Bunny]

The issue with Knights vs. Hardwick is not that Knights was a s**t coach, it's that if we took Dimma instead of Knights there is no way that the club would have had the patience to endure a "5 year plan" and emerge out the other side with a premiership. We didn't have the patience to even give Knights 3 years and the sentiment at Richmond in 2015 and 2016 was not dissimilar to how Essendon felt in 2010 when we rolled him for Hird. And we all know how going full BIG CLUB ENERGY turned out.

 

[bomberlegend2007]

A lot of differences between the Knights era and now. For one, I feel Knights didn't get support as we were waiting for Bomber to come across.

I honestly feel that Rutten has the full support of the board. It seems like he is Paul Brasher's boy. The coaches surrounding him are excellent, the facilities are the best in the league. So much so that I honestly believe he will be the coach that guides us to a finals win and maybe even further. However, the club, right now, is in the "reset, not rebuild" message to the fans, but everything else that is coming out from the club screams rebuild.

I have a strong feeling that mid year, the messaging out of the club will be, Woosha was a transitional coach from the saga. We got things right and things wrong and Rutten will be given at least three more years to get it right. We are rebuilding.

What else can the club do? Who else can we turn too? Lyon? He is not going to come to us, plus I don't see him coaching again. Clarkson, same thing.

The fact we have no other choice is a good thing, it means that we have to take our time and build. Something our club hasn't done for 20 years.

I hate that we are s**t and will be for another two years. But we have a great chance to build a team that could lead us to success. Being an Essendon supporter means that you have a lot of lean years, but when it rains, it pours. I don't buy into "engrained culture" like others do. St Kilda have been a basket case, Richmond have been, but even those clubs have had success.

 

[ant555]

Matthew Knights never showed a hint of developing a defensive gameplan. He was a poor coach.

Never really had a chance. He was hamstrung by a limited budget and very little coaching experience around him. The next bloke got 3 times the budget and got us no further.

 

[ant555]

I'd prefer he play the kids and seeing what we got even if they're undersized and inexperienced.

Hooker back. Play Perks, Brand, Eyre, Cox, Reid as much as possible. They'll learn quicker in the 1s

So will the defenders by having to stand on their own by leaving Hooker forward.
Brand is a long way from being ready.

 

[CBombers17]

This guy will be on a very very short leash. Anyone thinking he's.going to get years to build the list is absolutely kidding themselves. It's not in our DNA for starters and then there's his lack of experience making consistent poor performance even harder for the club to defend.

If he goes before his contract is up so should those who appointed him (new CEO , new president and board). Thats where i think we will see true rock bottom and an actual fresh start for the club.

 

[bomberlegend2007]

This guy will be on a very very short leash. Anyone thinking he's.going to get years to build the list is absolutely kidding themselves. It's not in our DNA for starters and then there's his lack of experience making consistent poor performance even harder for the club to defend.

If he goes before his contract is up so should those who appointed him (new CEO , new president and board). Thats where i think we will see true rock bottom and an actual fresh start for the club.

Ok, so say we get rid of him, who do we go after? What's out there?

 

[CBombers17]

Ok, so say we get rid of him, who do we go after? What's out there?

When the time comes we do a proper process for the first time in 50 years and find out.

It can bookmark the new Essendon.

 

[bomberlegend2007]

When the time comes we do a proper process for the first time in 50 years and find out.

It can bookmark the new Essendon.

So lets sack a coach because we are too impatient, so we can hire another coach to start our new rebuild?