As long as we are actually talking seriously...
No, we definitely shouldn’t get rid of Bevo.
However, as someone who’s given him a lot of leeway with our decline after the premiership, there are several things that he - and the coaching staff and match committee - are doing at the moment that can, should and are being questioned.
Guido summed up my thoughts in his post, however to elaborate mine a little further:
- Playing English as the only ruckman at the moment is a huge bug near of mine. I think English is a good player and is doing ok around the ground, but he clearly needs some help.
We have Trengove playing at Footscray who is fit and can come into the side. Trengove is not an elite ruckman but he is experienced and can give English the support and help he needs.
I’m also of the view that Bevo is simply too stubborn with regards to the ruck.
I have posted ad nauseum about how furious I am that the AFL banned 3rd man up, a pointless and idiotic rule change that was bought in just for the sake of change.
However, that’s the way it is now and he is refusing to adapt, relying on our midfielders to rove the opposition ruckman. If the midfielders can’t do this, we get smashed in both ruck and clearances as happened yesterday.
- There were times yesterday when we had Billy Gowers and Bailey Williams at centre bounces. Massive WTF. These players simply should not be at centre bounces.
- I have liked the move of Naughton to the forward line. However yesterday he barely got a touch whilst McKay at the other end was clunking ever mark coming his way. If Naughton isn’t getting near it in the forward line as he was yesterday, why not move him down back?
- The selection of Hayes and Young on the weekend. I thought Hayes was pretty good on the weekend and Young wasn’t our worst but the selection was still baffling.
These are the main issues for me. Also, the players also should be coming under scrutiny. Bevo is doing some things that are baffling but they can only do so much. Our kicking for instance goal is a disgrace. The ultimate face palm moment against Carlton was in the last quarter when McLean nearly kicked out on the full from a shot 40m out right in front, and 2 minutes later Casboult nailed a shot 50m our from the boundary line.
I also am of the view that, as much as a player’s form can drop, so too can the form of coach.
At the moment I think Bevo is out of form.
I recall that after the Hawks won the 2008 flag, during the 2009-10 years their form also dropped (not to the extent ours has but they definitely did) and Clarkson was being questioned. He rectified a few things and the Hawks did fairly ok in the next few years, if you recall.
I also think that against Collingwood Bevo for the most part out-coached Buckley, we simply ran out of legs and didn’t have the quality that they did. He can still out-coach anyone on his day. He had a good one against Collingwood but came up short and had a shocker against Carlton.
I also know that as much as us fans are pissed off at performances like yesterday that Beveridge and the players will be too.
We come on here and vent our frustrations, but they’ll be feeling it 10000x more than we do.
I don’t think they’d be thinking having just lost to Carlton by 7 goals that everything they’re doing is fine and dandy.
Bevo is a very smart guy and a great coach, I don’t think anyone can dispute that given what he’s achieved.
I really hope that in the same way a player has to work on things that have contributed to a form slump that he - and all of the coaching staff and match committee - are working out what they are doing wrong at the moment as well.