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Ayres versus Thompson

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1980GFVideo

1980GFVideo

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Hi Guys, hope you dont have a - he barracks for another team piss off - policy since I wanted to put a question to the guys who would know.

How does Thompson stack up against Ayres. (I think Thompson has been there a little longer.)

You guys dont seem to rate Ayres too highly and yet you hold Thompson in the highest of regard.

I know Ayres had some real bad patches but when you think about it luck didnt go with him when it counted.

The Colbert decision had all of us shaking our head that year and Carlton 1995may have been one of the best sides to play a year of football.

I know the same could be said about Thompson given close losses but in retrospect is Ayres really that bad and Thompson that good? or is the gap not so large.
 
They are similar in many respects. Both concentrate on a one-on-one style of game with focus on controlled aggression at the ball and the man with the ball. Neither has strong tactical skills, is creative or has developed innovative game plans. Both the clubs Ayres coached he left in a worse state than when he arrived. Added to which, he is never mentioned as a serious candidate for the Essendon senior coaching role. Thompson has a lot to prove this year and has no excuses as he has a better back-up crew. Ayres can't coach! Thompson?????????
 
Ayres always struck me as a ********er. He rates himself (and his mullet) too highly. I was glad in a way to see him leave Geelong, and him walking out on the club before his contract had finished was indicative of his character. He has had finals success, and finals failures, but has typically struggled with some of the best lists of their time - both at Geelong and at Adelaide. The one thing I can say about Thompson is that at this stage it seems he has some degree of loyalty and is not just money hungry. Time will tell though, I guess.
 

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That 1995 geelong team was awesome...anyone could have took them to a grand Final...Thompson has dveloped a good core group of players and i really think that we will genuinely challenge for the flag this year
 
The only team that could have challenged Carlton for the flag. Unfortunately, it wasn't to be. Jeez, I was absolutely shattered that year. I remember I'd organised a big party with my grade 6 school friends, and bragged about how good Geelong were and how they were going to give it to Carlton. In fact I think I'd even said Ablett would kick a bag.... In the end, I had a sook, went to my room and kicked all of my friends out of my house.
 
Give ayres a few years and he will leave a team worse off than when he got it, both geelong and adelaide. At least bomber was able to build the base of the team some what even if he hasn't managed to get them over the line. So in my opinion bomber is an average coach and ayres is below par.
 
At the end of 2005 I would have said Bomber was a good coach, but after this last year where Bomber clearly at times had no idea what was happening with his players I had to question his ability. He was supposed to have great relationships with the players, yet here he was completely on the outer. This was meant to be the cornerstone of his success in 2004 and 2005. He inspired our players. In 2006 something was clearly changed with reports of factions and cliques in the side. The rumors were rife that the relationship with bomber and the players had turned. I can only hope this will improve in 2007.

Ayres is a hack who thinks he is a great coach. Yes he coached our side to the GF, but anyone could have taken that list to the GF. That success was purely built on blights success, not Ayres. Ayres left our club in shambles. One of our own stars and Captains asked to be traded during this period such was the feeling of hopelessness at the time.

The one thing I do give Bomber is that I think he has truelly tried to introduce a winning mindset into the club. But he has found the Geelong culture difficlut to overcome. I also think Bomber has put together a decent list of players that could be successful. So that makes Bomber a far better coach than Ayres IMO.
 
CatmanForever said:
The one thing I do give Bomber is that I think he has truelly tried to introduce a winning mindset into the club. But he has found the Geelong culture difficlut to overcome.
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Has he? I think he's become a big part of the problem.
 
Catman said:
Has he? I think he's become a big part of the problem.
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He become part of the problem in 2006, I agree. But prior to that I think he was trying hard to get some toughness into our group. 2006 was a very bad year as if I need to remind you.

In 2004 and to a lessor extent 2005, Bomber had the guys playing as a team. They played for each other, they played for him and last year they threw that out the window. I can remember games in 2004 when the side was beginning to lose its way all it took was a quarter time talk from Bomber to get them back onto their game plan. They'd come out fired up and would often go on and win games. Now I know the opposition have a better handle on us now so that makes it tougher to do that. But how often have we seen last year players arguing on the field or not trusting their comrades up the field and kicking the ball sideways and even not putting in a second effort to shepherd for the players with the ball. This to me is a sign of how far Bomber has fallen. 2004 a tight knit team that played with almost ANZAC spirit, to 2006 a group of individuals playing like a rabble.
 
I'd be interested to see a list of the players we recruited and delisted in both Ayres and Thompson's tenures as coach. I know the list of delistings during Ayres' reign will include some of the greatest players the club has produced, but I'd be interested to see which players he recruited to fill the void these players left, and similarly how Thompson covered the likes of Stoneham, Hocking, Graham, Riccardi, etc.

To me another disparancy between Ayres and Thompson was how they handled the retiring greats. I can't remember too many retiring greats having a farewell lap of honour when Ayres was at the helm, but I can vividly recall the likes of Benny, Stoneham, Pickering and Buddha receiving a fitting send off. Seems to me that Thompson has tried to instill that sort of culture into the club, as well as luring past players back to the club in coaching or other roles.
 

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SriLankanCat said:
That 1995 geelong team was awesome...anyone could have took them to a grand Final...Thompson has dveloped a good core group of players and i really think that we will genuinely challenge for the flag this year
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Exactly, Blight built an awesome team and Ayres got the reigns, but Ayres is a rubbish coach and the end result speaks for itself. Ayres also didnt really keep an eye on the future and left the club in a terrible way. Thompson had to rebuid a team, and has tried to do it around locals.
 
It will be interesting to see how Cresswell goes with the Devils. He has already done one thing right and that is to set up three training camps (North, South, North West Coast) instead of making players drive to Hobart for training to be eligible for selection which is just not logistically possible for most semi professionals. It should see some of the better NTFL players get a chance in the side and make the devils stronger - the NTFL used to flog the SFL so badly in the intrastate games they now play the northern regional league (NTFA) instead!
 

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Ayres inherited a ready made team, and systematically went on to turn a naturally attacking team into a military defensive unit. He was intense and probably had 1/3 of the team off-side.
Bomber was the right man to take over from Ayres, but now that the team is all but established, he has run out of ideas and hasn't got too much to say.
 
How I rate them:

Gary Ayres
(Out of 10)
Tactically - 5
Youth Development - 3
Defence - 7
Offence - 6
Player Management - 3
Discipline - 7
31/60

Bomber Thompson
(Out of 10)
Tactically - 3
Youth Development - 9
Defence - 7
Offence - 4
Player management- 8
Discipline - 2
= 33/60

both pretty average really
 
I think it is too early to tell with Thompson. If (and it is a big if obviously) he delivers a Premiership or takes our current list to a GF then a lot of supporters will have very positive things to say about him. It might not be likely but until he leaves the club the jury is out IMO.
 
DanA said:
How I rate them:

Gary Ayres
(Out of 10)
Tactically - 5
Youth Development - 3
Defence - 7
Offence - 6
Player Management - 3
Discipline - 7
31/60

Bomber Thompson
(Out of 10)
Tactically - 3
Youth Development - 9
Defence - 7
Offence - 4
Player management- 8
Discipline - 2
= 33/60

both pretty average really
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I found the highlighted categories pretty interesting, especially since Ayres inherited one of the most damaging forward lines in recent memory, with God, Brownless, Stoneham etc. I guess Bomber built his own backline in some respects with Harley, Scarlo, Egan etc but on a player to player basis, the forward line Ayres inherited was miles ahead of the forward line Thompson has had at his disposal. So for Bomber to get the team into 3 finals series with the forward line at his disposal he must be doing something right.
 

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