Analysis Is Leppa the Right Man for the Job?

[SizeMatters]

So the thinking is a guy going into his fourth year of senior coaching needs a senior assistant?

Cant see Leppa even accepting that, if we are going for a senior assistant might as well go for a senior coach.

If Leppa doesn't want extra help then he can go for all I care. I keep seeing this pop up on this forum and it baffles me that someone in Leppas position seems to refuse any senior assistance. I even read somewhere that he pushed that coach/manager who was an assistant of sorts back to Victoria (name escapes me ATM) last year. Baffling TBH.

 

[winged1]

Clarkson has a senior assistant.

and Leppa had Schwab and didnt want him...or anybody else.

 

[lioninthesand]

Yeah I did and I paraphrased what he said. I wasnt having a dig at you, this guy is paid to give some expert opinion and just trotted out what anybody with a 5 minute google search could of ascertained.

No didnt think you were having a dig, just was confused as he didn't say that or mention the game had dire implications for Leppa.. wouldn't have posted it otherwise - I thought it was very much putting the onus on the players to step up for Leppa. All good, KB is a shock jock anyway, I know he's not popular.

 

[lioninthesand]

and Leppa had Schwab and didnt want him...or anybody else.

I suspected at the time Leppa didn't like the senior assistant, if true he pushed Scwabb away (as I thought at the time) then that significantly lessens my sympathy for him.

 

[Gadzorks]

For a number of years now the lions have been a confidence team. No amount of logic and training overcomes their lack of belief so they continue to lose.

If as repeatedly stated by players, coaches and staff (and supported by players resigning) they have confidence in the coach, sacking Leppa could cause a big backslide in confidence and wreck the momentum that they feel they are building.

There are so many metrics around their onfield performance they must be basing their belief in their improvement on information that we are not privy to.

They aren't all rocket scientists but they have lived and breathed footy for most of their lives and they can't all be being duped by the coach.

 

[notliondown]

Do we actually have any proven evidence that Leppa doesn't want full time senior assistant/s?

 

[CarloLion]

Do we actually have any proven evidence that Leppa doesn't want a full time senior assistant?

Nah its much easier to take one throwaway line from a hack journalist and then extrapolate the truth

 

[hench]

Do we actually have any proven evidence that Leppa doesn't want full time senior assistant/s?

We don't have proof of a lot of things to do with the club.

Sadly, some posters hear or read something in the media then use it in their posts in multiple threads as if it's the truth.

 

[alscotoz2]

Great response.

take your word for it!

 

[lioninthesand]

Do we actually have any proven evidence that Leppa doesn't want full time senior assistant/s?

He had one appointed, the reasons that didn't last are unclear.

 

[Gibbo_88]

I suspected at the time Leppa didn't like the senior assistant, if true he pushed Scwabb away (as I thought at the time) then that significantly lessens my sympathy for him.

What made you suspect that he was pushing him away? IIRC one of the main reasons he went to Melb was to be with family.

 

[Squizz89]

Say what you like about the journo writing the article but this here is probably one of my biggest concerns. For a club with no money as it is, how do we sell hope going into next year if we stick with the status quo, especially in the market that is sport in Queensland?

Brisbane will find it hard to sell hope in 2017 under Justin Leppitsch, writes Julian De Stoop
ONE of the subtle arts of football is selling hope.

Even when things are going against your team, a coach has to be optimistic, not only selling hope to his players, but also to his supporters.

And whoever is leading Brisbane’s playing list next season might have a hard time.

Essendon coach John Worsfold has had to master that art quicker than most in 2016 — and he’s actually done it pretty well.

As expected, the Bombers have lost every week bar one. But the glimpses of the future with players like Zach Merrett, Darcy Parish, Orazio Fantasia, Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti, Kyle Langford and Jayden Laverde has given supporters something to watch every week.

The Bombers aren’t the only strugglers of 2016 with things to look forward in 2017.

Fremantle would expect to be better with the likes of Nat Fyfe, Aaron Sandilands and Michael Johnson to return.

Gold Coast can expect improvement if it can get its stars out of the medical room.

Carlton too has shown spirit and system under new coach Brendon Bolton. Like the Bombers, the kids have shown plenty as well, with Jacob Weitering, Patrick Cripps, Charlie Curnow and Jack Silvagni having all been on show.

That leaves us with the Brisbane Lions.

You can’t sugar-coat their current predicament. The club is at its lowest ebb since the days of the ‘bad news Bears’. They have won just one game this season among more rumours of player discontent.

Coach Justin Leppitsch is battling to save his job — and a loss to Essendon on Sunday could prove to be the final straw.

So how do the Lions sell hope next season?

It’s clearly becoming tough. Only 10,000 fans turned up to the Gabba to watch them face the Giants last week.

Unlike this Sunday’s opponent Essendon, the Lions don’t have a host of stars returning next season.

'It's a pretty solid offer'

In fact this season they haven’t had many missing aside from Dayne Beams.

Key players Daniel Rich, Stefan Martin and Pearce Hanley have all underperformed, Lewis Taylor now has the third-year blues, mature-age recruits Josh Walker, Ryan Bastinac and Tom Bell have all been underwhelming.

As for Tom Rockliff — what can you say?

When you hear him speak as he did on radio this week, he sounds like he would be an outstanding leader. He’s passionate and driven, yet there is still so much talk of him being a divisive figure.

Unlike Essendon and Carlton, Brisbane don’t seem to play with much system. Is that Leppitsch’s fault or is there a breakdown between player and coach?

The bottom line is the Lions are a mess and it’s hard to see how Leppitsch can coach next season despite being contracted.

How do the Lions sell hope going into 2017 in one of the sport’s toughest markets coming off a wooden spoon ‘win’ and Leppitsch is still in charge?

It’s going to be tough.

The likely No. 1 pick, along with promising duo Josh Schache and Eric Hipwood, is a selling point. But in a non-traditional football market, the Lions need more than that.

And because of that, I fear Lepptisch won’t be in charge in 2017.

 

[Cockliff38]

Say what you like about the journo writing the article but this here is probably one of my biggest concerns. For a club with no money as it is, how do we sell hope going into next year if we stick with the status quo, especially in the market that is sport in Queensland?

Brisbane will find it hard to sell hope in 2017 under Justin Leppitsch, writes Julian De Stoop
ONE of the subtle arts of football is selling hope.

Even when things are going against your team, a coach has to be optimistic, not only selling hope to his players, but also to his supporters.

And whoever is leading Brisbane’s playing list next season might have a hard time.

Essendon coach John Worsfold has had to master that art quicker than most in 2016 — and he’s actually done it pretty well.

As expected, the Bombers have lost every week bar one. But the glimpses of the future with players like Zach Merrett, Darcy Parish, Orazio Fantasia, Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti, Kyle Langford and Jayden Laverde has given supporters something to watch every week.

The Bombers aren’t the only strugglers of 2016 with things to look forward in 2017.

Fremantle would expect to be better with the likes of Nat Fyfe, Aaron Sandilands and Michael Johnson to return.

Gold Coast can expect improvement if it can get its stars out of the medical room.

Carlton too has shown spirit and system under new coach Brendon Bolton. Like the Bombers, the kids have shown plenty as well, with Jacob Weitering, Patrick Cripps, Charlie Curnow and Jack Silvagni having all been on show.

That leaves us with the Brisbane Lions.

You can’t sugar-coat their current predicament. The club is at its lowest ebb since the days of the ‘bad news Bears’. They have won just one game this season among more rumours of player discontent.

Coach Justin Leppitsch is battling to save his job — and a loss to Essendon on Sunday could prove to be the final straw.

So how do the Lions sell hope next season?

It’s clearly becoming tough. Only 10,000 fans turned up to the Gabba to watch them face the Giants last week.

Unlike this Sunday’s opponent Essendon, the Lions don’t have a host of stars returning next season.

'It's a pretty solid offer'

In fact this season they haven’t had many missing aside from Dayne Beams.

Key players Daniel Rich, Stefan Martin and Pearce Hanley have all underperformed, Lewis Taylor now has the third-year blues, mature-age recruits Josh Walker, Ryan Bastinac and Tom Bell have all been underwhelming.

As for Tom Rockliff — what can you say?

When you hear him speak as he did on radio this week, he sounds like he would be an outstanding leader. He’s passionate and driven, yet there is still so much talk of him being a divisive figure.

Unlike Essendon and Carlton, Brisbane don’t seem to play with much system. Is that Leppitsch’s fault or is there a breakdown between player and coach?

The bottom line is the Lions are a mess and it’s hard to see how Leppitsch can coach next season despite being contracted.

How do the Lions sell hope going into 2017 in one of the sport’s toughest markets coming off a wooden spoon ‘win’ and Leppitsch is still in charge?

It’s going to be tough.

The likely No. 1 pick, along with promising duo Josh Schache and Eric Hipwood, is a selling point. But in a non-traditional football market, the Lions need more than that.

And because of that, I fear Lepptisch won’t be in charge in 2017.

When I saw the headline I dismissed it as Dons' supporter blowing his team's trumpet but it's hard to argue with Julian's points

 

[Skoob]

Unlike this Sunday’s opponent Essendon, the Lions don’t have a host of stars returning next season.
.............
In fact this season they haven’t had many missing aside from Dayne Beams.

Some of our best talent/experience (Christensen, Bell, Cutler, Andrews & Rockliff) have missed a third of the season so far, and Josh Green (a major scoring weapon in the past) has missed half. That's arguably a 3rd of our starting 18 right there. The rest are probably on a par with many of Essendon's kids and their top ups would easily get a game at the Lions (most,anyway).

 

[Gadzorks]

Changing coach isn't going to create hope for me. More worried about the player clean out that happens under a new coach.

The only thing that makes me hopeful is getting games into newbies and hearing that they all want to work together to improve.

There is no short term fix.

 

[winged1]

The points about system are pertinent, either it is a lack of communication of the game plan, failure to understand the game plan, a lack of adherence to the game plan or a lack of a game plan.

 

[Dylan12]

Changing coach isn't going to create hope for me.

Nor is winning this weekend which a lot seem to think will change our predicament (not necessarily those on here).

 

[notliondown]

The points about system are pertinent, either it is a lack of communication of the game plan, failure to understand the game plan, a lack of adherence to the game plan or a lack of a game plan.

Or at this point in the season I suspect it is way more likely being devoid of confidence and hope, along with mental and physical fatigue. We think it's hard to watch given our current position on the ladder... imagine running out to play.

 

[Bucking Beads]

Nor is winning this weekend which a lot seem to think will change our predicament (not necessarily those on here).

Who said that?? I think we just want to see our boys have a win. A win won't change our predicament at all tbh

Sent from my HTC_PN071 using Tapatalk

 

[POBT]

Of those who think the club should move Leppa on, I'd be interested to hear what, if anything, would change your mind?

For me, 3 wins between now and the end of the season would probably make me re-evaluate the situation. Not saying it would change my mind but it would put retaining him back into the mix.

The other thing I think would sway me would be the recruitment of a senior assistant coach / mentor together with at least two other highly regarded additional assistant or development coaches. I'd be prepared to roll the dice on Leppa in 2017 if there were significant enhancements around him - not only to support him but to provide a bit of a plan B if we have to give him the chop mid season.

 

[wantok]

Of those who think the club should move Leppa on, I'd be interested to hear what, if anything, would change your mind?

For me, 3 wins between now and the end of the season would probably make me re-evaluate the situation. Not saying it would change my mind but it would put retaining him back into the mix.

The other thing I think would sway me would be the recruitment of a senior assistant coach / mentor together with at least two other highly regarded additional assistant or development coaches. I'd be prepared to roll the dice on Leppa in 2017 if there were significant enhancements around him - not only to support him but to provide a bit of a plan B if we have to give him the chop mid season.

Replace Stanley,Davis,O'Donnell and Woewodin. Appoint Bomber as Football Manager with Leppa reporting to him and recruit best available assistants from Hawthorn and Sydney heritage. Would love Dew but i don't think he would come as an assistant. Actually just delete Leppa and insert Dew.

 

[Schraderbrau]

The points about system are pertinent, either it is a lack of communication of the game plan, failure to understand the game plan, a lack of adherence to the game plan or a lack of a game plan.

You forgot "lack of ability to execute the gameplan".

 

[Hollow Knight]

You forgot "lack of ability to execute the gameplan".

And "restraint of gameplan".

 

[SizeMatters]

Ladies and gentlemen, well may we say "God Save the Queen", because nothing will save the Brisbane Lions head coach.

Honestly I can't see how Leppa will be able to salvage his job unfortunately.

 

[13Beast]

Absolutely. We need a complete overhaul on our coaching staff but that will probably become difficult if they are under contract. Our Money situation has so much to do with where we are at as a club. Being broke is tough.

Dedicated forwards coach please who is NOT a bloody ruckman. Thanks.