Jade
Smug lives here.
Chess Club Tournament Winner
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30k Posts
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- Joined
- Jul 8, 2008
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- Essendon
Seriously, how well has this bloke performed when we really needed it?
Think of where we were six months ago. Flying about as low as Essendon ever has - an utter mess. Strong, decisive leadership was required and to be honest I was not sure if Evans was up to it.
I don't think our membership has ever been as disillusioned as we were at that point in time. Our coach was widely condemned for his selection, game plan and direction. The players looked listless and for the first time since I can remember fans started to stay away from the club.
This was make or break time people.
Making the decision to remove a coach knowing that it would cost the club significantly in the short term was a tough one to make. The path of least resistance may have been to allow Knights to continue - and perhaps slam this club into something not seen in my lifetime - rock bottom and a wooden spoon. But the day after our last game Evans and Robson acted swiftly and lopped the head off. No stuffing around. Must admit that Knights, as much as I wanted him gone, handled himself with great dignity.
So the day after our hideous season ended, Essendon had fired a coach contracted for two years, and according to many a media commentator had made a mistake by entering the coaching market a year before most of the highly regarded coaches were expected to be on the market.
The appointment of Scott Lucas to the panel to select the next coach was the first time I had an inkling that Evans was switched on.
This was clever for a couple of reasons. First, the fan base had an almost xenophobic feel to it - it craved a touch of our own back at the club which to many had started not being Essendon. Scott Lucas represented an acknowledgement of that need.
Second, if Evans and co indeed had a target in mind at that point, Lucas provides that personal link.
Think about this for a second. When Knights was in his death throes, had we been asked what our ideal coaching panel would be, the names assembled would have been a wet dream to us. James Hird and Bomber Thompson – would have been at the top of the list for the majority of fans I would have thought. He actually bloody pulled it off....
Let that sink in – our golden child and great white hope in Hird coupled with the most sought after coach in the business. That Evans managed to secure this partnership is a freakin small miracle. Add to it the list of seriously heavy hitters in support roles that has got to be the best coaching panel I have ever seen.
Hird’s appointment was absolutely critical. The one major strength Essendon has on the field is the collection of raw under developed talent. How many guys were looking for the door?
Simultaneous to the well publicised coaching saga at Essendon, the Evans lead board faced another issue. As one of the biggest, most influential and powerful clubs in the country, our facilities had become second rate.
The thought of leaving Windy Hill may have once been unthinkable. Yet this board has now announced the construction of state of the art facilities, ready by 2013 – right about the time Hurley, Gumbleton, Jetta, Melksham, Winderlich, Colyer, Zaharakis, Pears, Hooker, Heppell, Myers, Ryder et al should reach between 50 – 150 games.
Cracking coaching panel, players at their peak, state of the art facilities and a membership record looking likely.
Not a bad six months from Evans I would have thought....
Think of where we were six months ago. Flying about as low as Essendon ever has - an utter mess. Strong, decisive leadership was required and to be honest I was not sure if Evans was up to it.
I don't think our membership has ever been as disillusioned as we were at that point in time. Our coach was widely condemned for his selection, game plan and direction. The players looked listless and for the first time since I can remember fans started to stay away from the club.
This was make or break time people.
Making the decision to remove a coach knowing that it would cost the club significantly in the short term was a tough one to make. The path of least resistance may have been to allow Knights to continue - and perhaps slam this club into something not seen in my lifetime - rock bottom and a wooden spoon. But the day after our last game Evans and Robson acted swiftly and lopped the head off. No stuffing around. Must admit that Knights, as much as I wanted him gone, handled himself with great dignity.
So the day after our hideous season ended, Essendon had fired a coach contracted for two years, and according to many a media commentator had made a mistake by entering the coaching market a year before most of the highly regarded coaches were expected to be on the market.
The appointment of Scott Lucas to the panel to select the next coach was the first time I had an inkling that Evans was switched on.
This was clever for a couple of reasons. First, the fan base had an almost xenophobic feel to it - it craved a touch of our own back at the club which to many had started not being Essendon. Scott Lucas represented an acknowledgement of that need.
Second, if Evans and co indeed had a target in mind at that point, Lucas provides that personal link.
Think about this for a second. When Knights was in his death throes, had we been asked what our ideal coaching panel would be, the names assembled would have been a wet dream to us. James Hird and Bomber Thompson – would have been at the top of the list for the majority of fans I would have thought. He actually bloody pulled it off....
Let that sink in – our golden child and great white hope in Hird coupled with the most sought after coach in the business. That Evans managed to secure this partnership is a freakin small miracle. Add to it the list of seriously heavy hitters in support roles that has got to be the best coaching panel I have ever seen.
Hird’s appointment was absolutely critical. The one major strength Essendon has on the field is the collection of raw under developed talent. How many guys were looking for the door?
Simultaneous to the well publicised coaching saga at Essendon, the Evans lead board faced another issue. As one of the biggest, most influential and powerful clubs in the country, our facilities had become second rate.
The thought of leaving Windy Hill may have once been unthinkable. Yet this board has now announced the construction of state of the art facilities, ready by 2013 – right about the time Hurley, Gumbleton, Jetta, Melksham, Winderlich, Colyer, Zaharakis, Pears, Hooker, Heppell, Myers, Ryder et al should reach between 50 – 150 games.
Cracking coaching panel, players at their peak, state of the art facilities and a membership record looking likely.
Not a bad six months from Evans I would have thought....
