Coach John Longmire

[Superstar swan]

I still like Horse as coach and think he can take us to a flag in the near future (not this year though)

But his biggest flaw is his stubborn close-mindedness. He's determined to coach only players who will play the Swans way above anything else. He seems to want to mould and shape every player who joins the Swans list into everything he personally as a coach admires and values in a player, even if it's not really the best thing for said player. He wants them to have defensive mind-sets, he wants them to be tough and focus on the contested side of footy. He wants them to be hard and competitive first and foremost (if they're super gifted or athletic freaks, that's just a bonus.) His language and his quotes and his interviews over his time as coach say it all. He sends Aliir Aliir to the reserves because he doesn't defend well enough, despite him being our only play-making tall down back (with Sir Dane out). He's asked about a game where Buddy's helped us to victory with some amazing goals or something, and he makes sure to make a point of how Buddy also tackles and defends well (would it really matter if Buddy didn't do any of those things? It's Buddy!!!!) He takes Lewis Jetta and decides he needs to improve the defensive aspect of his game - this only a year after nearly All Australian selection kicking 45 goals in a premiership season. He keeps Shaun Edwards - our only trace of speed amongst the newbies on the list - in the reserves because he needs to work on the defensive side of his game and improve his tackle numbers. These kinda things just prove where Horse's head is at. He seems to think the best way to success is to make sure every player who wears a Swans jumper has subscribed to the Swans defensive brand, rather than just trying to bring out each individual's natural instincts as a footballer. If you aren't a defensive type of player, you're either morphed into a one-dimensional contested beast, or you're sent to the reserves. He tries to change and adjust players who just don't need changing or adjusting. He's got a really talented list at his disposal right now full of young guns with some pretty unique talents in their own ways - this includes Heeney, Aliir, Jones, Edwards, Florent. They could all provide this team with a spark down the road, but is he going to compromise that spark because they don't tackle enough etc.? I really hope not but it seems that's his track record over the last few years.

It's why I think Foote is getting a go over guys who have been better than him. Yeah he tackles hard and I like the way he goes about it, but every other Swan on their given day can do the same thing. Not every guy can break a line, or deliver a perfectly weighted kick, or run the ball out of defence, or fly for pack marks. I watched an interview Luke Dahlhaus did where he said Beveridge wasn't interested in trying to change the way his players went about things, he just tried to bring out the best parts of each of his players. Horse is basically the opposite of that. He's about trying to change the way his players go about the game, and in the mean time they risk compromising the things that make them unique. He needs to just look at each player on his list, see what they can bring to the table, and try and maximise those qualities rather than trying to bring out the inner Blood in every player. If he starts doing that, we could very well have the best team in the comp as soon as next year. As it stands right now and where his mind set is, we will remain behind the rest of the competition until he changes.

Agree. I think john has a good football mind, he is just incredibly stubborn. i swear he makes selections based on his own personal assumptions of players and will not be swayed. I would LOVE to know the logic behind the newman call. Ridiculous.

 

[connolly]

Agree. I think john has a good football mind, he is just incredibly stubborn. i swear he makes selections based on his own personal assumptions of players and will not be swayed. I would LOVE to know the logic behind the newman call. Ridiculous.

Missed two critical tackles. H e has a future but he has to nail those tackles. He will come back better.

 

[sataris]

Umm he is the coach and thats what coaches are paid to do. If the boss wants you to play a certain way, you do that.

Coaches are paid to get the best out of their cattle. How he does that is entirely up to him.

You can either try to find a gameplan that works for the players you have and work around their strengths, or you can find a gameplan and method you like and get your players to play that way.

One is easier for players and harder for coaches,
One is easier for coaches and harder for players.

 

[GotTheGoodes]

Coaches are paid to get the best out of their cattle. How he does that is entirely up to him.

You can either try to find a gameplan that works for the players you have and work around their strengths, or you can find a gameplan and method you like and get your players to play that way.

One is easier for players and harder for coaches,
One is easier for coaches and harder for players.

Ouch sats. Ouch.


Poor Horse

 

[MK38]

Winning the GF in 2012 is the players doing but a 0-5 start is the coaches doing ??

Didn't you hear winning in 2012 was because we had a good list and making the grand final last year was because of the brilliance of the players. So basically when we win it is all the players, when we lose it is all on the coach. Makes sense.

 

[CrowCall]

I never ever in all my years have blamed a coach of my side going to shit. If a player can't ****en kick a ball the right way but is loved by the fans, thats not on the ****en coach.

Unless the coach is like a Gary Buckenara where from all reports even back then he was as useless as shit, then yeah POQ.

But asking for a coaches head after a bad start to 1 season when that coach has one of the highest win ratio is just stupid. The players are the ones who go out and play, the coach can do so much.

Its why clubs like Sydney are run by professionals and not fans.

 

[MK38]

I never ever in all my years have blamed a coach of my side going to shit. If a player can't ****en kick a ball the right way but is loved by the fans, thats not on the ****en coach.

Unless the coach is like a Gary Buckenara where from all reports even back then he was as useless as shit, then yeah POQ.

But asking for a coaches head after a bad start to 1 season when that coach has one of the highest win ratio is just stupid. The players are the ones who go out and play, the coach can do so much.

Its why clubs like Sydney are run by professionals and not fans.

I get the criticism of Longmire (he deserves some, as do the players) but to credit only the players for the wins as if the coach did nothing to contribute to the success we have had and to now place all the blame on him for our poor start is ridiculous. Calling for Longmire's head at this time - a premiership coach and an almost two-time premiership coach (quite unlucky not to be a two-time premiership coach IMO) is just as ridiculous.

 

[Membling]

I am not really sure where the "blame" really lies in regards to our form slump.

Is it that the players aren't pitching in or struggling with a new game plan that has veen implemented?

Or is it that the cattle has changed and the coach is trying to implement a plan that does not suit the players or has a game plan that has been surpassed?

Honestly it is probably a little of both. At the end of the day, it is the coaches resopnsibility to get the best out of the players either fairly or unfairly.

 

[Superstar swan]

I get the criticism of Longmire (he deserves some, as do the players) but to credit only the players for the wins as if the coach did nothing to contribute to the success we have had and to now place all the blame on him for our poor start is ridiculous. Calling for Longmire's head at this time - a premiership coach and an almost two-time premiership coach (quite unlucky not to be a two-time premiership coach IMO) is just as ridiculous.

John has copped plenty of criticism even when we were winning. For the longest time our entries inside forward have been trash. Everyone on the board has commented on the same thing after 95% of our wins. Trash then and its trash now. The coach decides how we play not the players, and nothing has changed.

If we had gone to an attacking style yet the players skills were letting us down, fair enough blame them. But we play a negative style,we cannot score and we cannot stop the opposition from scoring. Unfortunately , john and deserves the majority of blame imo

 

[Superstar swan]

Either way this week will tell us alot. Any normal person would have realised what we are doing aint working and make changes, if we come out and play the same disorganised, defensive crap, we know john is the wrong man.

Someone should explain to him what the definitition of insanity is " doing the same thing over again and expecting different results"

I dont care if we win lose or draw this week. If we win using our sloppy congested bomb away at all costs, i will be super annoyed.

If we get belted by 100 but we can see the game plan has changed and we have some sort of forward structure, il be the happiest member at the club

 

[bedford]

What's the bet he mentions contested footy first tomorrow night.

 

[MK38]

John has copped plenty of criticism even when we were winning. For the longest time our entries inside forward have been trash. Everyone on the board has commented on the same thing after 95% of our wins. Trash then and its trash now. The coach decides how we play not the players, and nothing has changed.

If we had gone to an attacking style yet the players skills were letting us down, fair enough blame them. But we play a negative style,we cannot score and we cannot stop the opposition from scoring. Unfortunately , john and deserves the majority of blame imo

I don't really have a problem with the criticism, it just seems that some people are going further and are suggesting that he has had no or very little impact on our success. I don't buy that. If you blame a coach when things are going badly surely they deserve some credit for the good times.

I also don't think he should be sacked 5 rounds into the season after getting us to a grand final last year. Our team has changed quite a bit recently and we have young players coming through, I think he needs more time. But anyway he won't be sacked any time soon so it is a moot point really.

 

[bedford]

3 grand finals is a great record, but at some time you must change what's not working

 

[MK38]

3 grand finals is a great record, but at some time you must change what's not working

Sure I get that, the issue I have is that some were suggesting that he deserves very little credit for those grand finals.

 

[swansfan51]

Sure I get that, the issue I have is that some were suggesting that he deserves very little credit for those grand finals.

They can have it either way. Either he gets credit for making the grand finals and takes the blame for the utter shit we are serving up at the moment, or he isn't to blame for the current situation and doesn't deserve credit for making grand finals.

I'm not fussed which interpretation people want to go with, as long as it is consistent.

 

[MK38]

I also think the suggestion that he should be sacked is a little premature. I think we need to see how this season pans out before passing judgment. Anyway I'm just hoping for some improvement this week, across the board - in the coaching box and with the players.

 

[MK38]

They can have it either way. Either he gets credit for making the grand finals and takes the blame for the utter shit we are serving up at the moment, or he isn't to blame for the current situation and doesn't deserve credit for making grand finals.

I'm not fussed which interpretation people want to go with, as long as it is consistent.

That's the problem I have it isn't consistent. I do think he deserves some credit for making the three grand finals and I also think he deserves criticism at the moment (although I don't think he is solely to blame for the shit we are in now, just as I don't think he is solely responsible for the success).

 

[Mick Oxlong]

I never ever in all my years have blamed a coach of my side going to shit. If a player can't ****en kick a ball the right way but is loved by the fans, thats not on the ****en coach.

Unless the coach is like a Gary Buckenara where from all reports even back then he was as useless as shit, then yeah POQ.

But asking for a coaches head after a bad start to 1 season when that coach has one of the highest win ratio is just stupid. The players are the ones who go out and play, the coach can do so much.

Its why clubs like Sydney are run by professionals and not fans.

You had me at Buckenara! Robert Neill and Craig Nettlebeck would've been stars if it wasn't for that prick!

 

[Mick Oxlong]

They can have it either way. Either he gets credit for making the grand finals and takes the blame for the utter shit we are serving up at the moment, or he isn't to blame for the current situation and doesn't deserve credit for making grand finals.

I'm not fussed which interpretation people want to go with, as long as it is consistent.

What about the players and the coaches seem to **** it up at the same time? Seems a far safer bet to me.

 

[Olian]

You had me at Buckenara! Robert Neill and Craig Nettlebeck would've been stars if it wasn't for that prick!

Neill had all the skills. Wasted talent.

 

[Punts]

What's the bet he mentions contested footy first tomorrow night.

Or ground balls

 

[Troystenvic]

He will say..... we need to be more consistant for longer periods. He will roll out 500 cliches and we will be none the wiser.

 

[DST]

3 grand finals is a great record, but at some time you must change what's not working

You can make subtle adjustments during the season but the bulk of your tactics, set-ups, running patterns, base fitness and skills training is all done in the offseason as you don't get the time or full group to work with in season to make drastic changes.

For a variety of reasons (started late, a number of guys not getting the base load training, injuries at the wrong time, senior players out of form, confidence down and a list with to many in-experienced players we are where we are at.

The best thing they can do now is to trust what has worked in the past and what they trained for in the pre-season.

I'd even give them a light week on the track, buy some snags and a couple of kegs and put on a BBQ to just release the pressure and start the season again from this week.

 

[CrowCall]

Of course he will mention contested footy, that was an important KPi until the AFL decided late into the 2016 season that the contested game was going to go the way of the torp.

Contested hard footy is the philosophy in which the "bloods code" was created by, its the code the swans have been drumming into every new player for the last decade and a bit. And then in the space of 6 months the AFL changed the interpretation of the rules its gone and the club finds itself in a position it has to now adjust to this new faster flashier way of playing footy. You can't tell the new kids about contested bloods footy no more, it doesn't make sense.

No wonder we are down the bottom atm.

**** you AFL. Fitzpatrick must be loving seeing the swans last, his grand plan is now hatching nicely.

 

[DST]

Longmire was there for a long time under Roos. And has been a long time since.

He was there when we recruited Tippett, when so many said it was too much money. And so Biggs, Membrey and Nankervis had to leave. Why did it take so long to play Lewis Melican? Why was Nic Newman dropped after impressing everybody?

A long term coach isn't the one to sweep the new broom through a club. I cannot believe we re-signed this coach until 2020.

Biggs, Membrey and Nankervis leaving had absolutely nothing to do with money and all to do with opportunity.

For years we were able to use opportunity as a tool to attract players (Mumford, Kennedy, McGlyn, Richards, Mattner etc etc), it goes both ways.

The Tippett/Franklin deals did cost us Mumford and the ability post that date to target experienced players looking for opportunities to add to our depth.