Coach Matthew Knights - worth giving another go

[blitzer]

Essendon in 2011 were barely any better than Essendon in 2009, both sides made finals with a weak win loss record and got flogged in the final

Knights didn't get sacked after 2009, it was his 2010 effort where it felt to many that we were going backwards at a rate of knots that got him sacked.

 

[carloss]

No ones trying to rewrite history, history is history, essendon stuffed up bad in relation to knights and that can’t be changed or re written

How so?

In 2010 under Knights, Essendon finished 14th out of 16 sides.

Look at some of the losses :

R12, GEE by 71
R14, ADE by 84
R19, CAR by 76
R20, COL by 98

 

[blitzer]

Once the phrase "un-Essendon-like" was uttered (by Lloyd ?) about Essendon's style, he was cooked. It was a public declaration of war against the coach, intended to get the supporters offside.

Do we want him? Essendon supporters were asking this in late 2016 when Hardwick was struggling. I said I wouldn't be averse. Since then we've got the right people in to support Hardwick and obviously aren't in the market for a coach.

Geelong is probably the best-run club in the competition and Knights has been there for eight years. They're not a charity, they wouldn't have employed him this long if he was hopeless.


Essendon 2010 avg age 23.69 avg gms 68.8
Gold Coast 2019 avg age 23.85 avg gms 66.6

Do you think Gold Coast would be screaming for a priority pick if they'd won six games against the top nine? It was a young, developing team and Knights was cut no slack. In fact it was an ideal role for Hird to slip into, overseen by Thompson while on training wheels. As planned all along.

Knights was coincidentally the same age as Dew is now when he was sacked, not even 40. Very young for a coach. Essendon cut him off at the knees, and in a manner that ruined his reputation and cost him any chance of another role. At 48 and with vacancies open, it's now or never, but I don't think he'll be considered. He's damaged goods, illustrated by this thread (started by an Essendon supporter) mocking Geelong's appointment of Knights as VFL coach.

New Geelong VFL coach: Matthew Knights

Geelong won the VFL flag that year.

Knights clearly is a good VFL coach. Hell we knew that even before we appointed him since he was our VFL coach. There is a big gap between that and leading an AFL club. You need a different level of man management skills. Every other club has had the opportunity to recruit Knights for all those years since, or is it only people on bigfooty that are astute enough to realise that Essendon tanked his reputation?

If Knights is truly that good a coach he'll get another go somewhere. Good luck to him. Maybe he's improved as a coach since then. Its probably not that good a sign for him that he's been only at Geelong all that time. Generally if you're serious about a heading coaching gig you won't stay at one club too long.

Being less bad than Gold Coast is hardly a ringing endorsement. We've had other teams like North Melbourne, St.Kilda and Carlton who have all sacked their coaches too this year and they are also better than Gold Coast. Getting sacked as a coach when you possibly could have had success at some point in the future is not a great injustice, its just reality.

 

[dustysnecktattoo]

How so?

In 2010 under Knights, Essendon finished 14th out of 16 sides.

Look at some of the losses :

R12, GEE by 71
R14, ADE by 84
R19, CAR by 76
R20, COL by 98

Comparable to any coach, so what even the greats have had those. Look what he has done since compared to other candidates

 

[Matthew_Lloyd]

How so?

In 2010 under Knights, Essendon finished 14th out of 16 sides.

Look at some of the losses :

R12, GEE by 71
R14, ADE by 84
R19, CAR by 76
R20, COL by 98

Not to mention we were utterly destroyed by the wooden spooners...twice.

Knights was a horrible coach.

 

[citizen-erased]

2010 anzac day match
Thats why he was sacked

3 years in and we were going backwards fast. All attack. No defence.
Finished bottom 3

Sacked to get the best coach in the league at the time in (bomber)

If the saints landed clarkson after sacking richo, the move would be lauded.
As getting bomber was

Whether he deserves another chance has nothing to do with his stint at essendon though.
Its his credentials now

But lets not pretend we sacked the second coming of jock McHale

 

[Ron The Bear]

Being less bad than Gold Coast is hardly a ringing endorsement. We've had other teams like North Melbourne, St.Kilda and Carlton who have all sacked their coaches too this year and they are also better than Gold Coast.

The point was that the development of the teams is comparable.

Bomber Thompson was probably right.

"It’s a big club, big expectations and they sort of seem to do things their own way and they’d gobble someone up, and I think they gobbled Matthew Knights up. I said to Matthew when I walked into Essendon that I felt sorry for him because he had no hope, the poor bugger."

 

[Snooza 100]

He's alot better coach than James Hird.

On HUAWEI KII-L22 using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[carloss]

Comparable to any coach

Such as?

 

[Elmer_Hauser]

Isn't it correct that Knights just beat out Dimma Hardwick to the Bombers gig ?

Another sliding doors moment (for both The Bombers and Tigers)

 

[Elmer_Hauser]

He's alot better coach than James Hird.

On HUAWEI KII-L22 using BigFooty.com mobile app

Not as a game day coach he isn't (and I hate praising Hird, but he was a good tactical and motivational coach, it's a shame his own ego and hubris ruined a potentially successful coaching career)

Knights was rubbish as Essendon coach and doesn't deserve another crack at senior AFL level.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Isn't it correct that Knights just beat out Dimma Hardwick to the Bombers gig ?

Another sliding doors moment (for both The Bombers and Tigers)

Total sliding doors for the Tigers - according to their supporters, Knights would have 5 flags now instead of the one Dimma delivered.

 

[Captain_Bender]

Knights didn't get sacked after 2009, it was his 2010 effort where it felt to many that we were going backwards at a rate of knots that got him sacked.

Yet you are trying to praise Hird for making finals with a very average record

 

[dustysnecktattoo]

Such as?

Any. Coach. Any, coach, ever!

 

[Do the Dew]

Pretty obvious from a simple eye test, what happened after, and from some accounts on this thread that Knights was a marked man the moment he took over Essendon. As soon as it was timely for them they knifed old Knighta in the back and put in the favoured son...which turned out great .

As others have said, Knights has been plying his trade down at Geelong and deserves at least an interview (if he wants it). In terms of footy knowledge, he played close to 300 games, was captain, and also tore Essendon to shreds in a '95 final...wonder if that's why they don't like him very much.

 

[boncer34]

He's alot better coach than James Hird.

On HUAWEI KII-L22 using BigFooty.com mobile app

Explains why Knight's win/loss record was so much better I guess.

 

[carloss]

Any. Coach. Any, coach, ever!

Chris Scott - Geelong ?

 

[Captain_Bender]

Explains why Knight's win/loss record was so much better I guess.

When Bomber Thompson left Hird showed his coaching skills leading Essendon to the bottom 4, bloke looked like a deer stunned in the headlights when he was up in the coaches box

 

[Ron The Bear]

When Bomber Thompson left Hird showed his coaching skills leading Essendon to the bottom 4, bloke looked like a deer stunned in the headlights when he was up in the coaches box

Who could forget his "You’re almost giving yourself no chance of winning with that amount of players [eight] under 50 games".

Knights fielded eight or more such players in 60 of his 67 games.

 

[dustysnecktattoo]

Chris Scott - Geelong ?

Yes what don’t you understand

 

[Jesse Custer]

Think Essendon fans just don’t want to be proven wrong that he’s a good coach if given the opportunity again

lol bazinga you nailed it dude

 

[dustysnecktattoo]

lol bazinga you nailed it dude

Can’t blame you, would be annoying if terry wallace went to Carlton next year and delivered a premiership

 

[Ned_Flanders]

I remember the countless times teams would go on a 5-6 goal run with Knights doing nothing in the coaches box to stem the bleeding.

When the board told him that he needs to improve the defence he told them to get stuffed he was a s**t coach.

If he was so good like Richmond fans claim he would have had another job by now.

He doesn't want another senior gig as he doesn't want to deal with the types of politics he did at essendon

 

[Bunk Moreland]

He doesn't want another senior gig as he doesn't want to deal with the types of politics he did at essendon

“Matthew, we’d like you to interview for the senior gig”

“No thanks”

 

[Ned_Flanders]

“Matthew, we’d like you to interview for the senior gig”

“No thanks”

why do you think he has stayed at the cats? he likes the low profile, the lack of politics, and the focus on just getting kids to play footy

he knows how to lose and accept defeat, he got plenty of that at richmond. implying otherwise is bullshit