ghostdog
Norm Smith Medallist
After some thinking on this, I'm leaning to giving Heppell the benefit of the doubt. I think the coaching styles of Worsfold and Rutten were miles apart and really needed to be focusing on finding some middle-ground acceptable to both, and reflective in unified messaging to the players. If the leaders on-field don't get it because the messaging is mixed, they can't be the sole focus of blame necessarily. Add to that Heppell not being on field for a lot of the season and it renders anything he did understand useless when it mattered most.
I think Worsfold's style was too loose in the freedoms it gave the players, which made for exciting football at times and some pretty brazen stuff. You can understand Goddard's frustration though, when the players perhaps understand the run and gun type messages - that's easy enough to do, right? - but are less receptive to the structure on-field that also needs to be adhered to. He came from a Ross Lyon structural approach on-field, afterall. Heppell will need to be that structure-centred player voice, but much more authoritatively this time around, aligned with Rutten's team demands. If he can't lift his leadership style to be that voice, I'll be out again fairly quickly. Hopefully the players are challenged to find that voice and alignment with coach and message.
I think Worsfold's style was too loose in the freedoms it gave the players, which made for exciting football at times and some pretty brazen stuff. You can understand Goddard's frustration though, when the players perhaps understand the run and gun type messages - that's easy enough to do, right? - but are less receptive to the structure on-field that also needs to be adhered to. He came from a Ross Lyon structural approach on-field, afterall. Heppell will need to be that structure-centred player voice, but much more authoritatively this time around, aligned with Rutten's team demands. If he can't lift his leadership style to be that voice, I'll be out again fairly quickly. Hopefully the players are challenged to find that voice and alignment with coach and message.
