Matthew Knights

[Tassie27]

With the appointment of Hird and the total glee shown by Essendon supporters, I feel really sorry for Matthew who was never accepted by the Essendon faithful from the onset. Talk of him coming from Richmond and thus not having a "winner's mentality" used to infuriate me. They would even suggest that he will cause the "Richmondisation" of Essendon and that they will not accept mediocrity like Richmond.

Sheedy did leave the list in tatters when he left and Essendon supporters seem to think finals as their right of entitlement. They were very impatient and greatly overrated their list. I still believe Essendon hadn't quite forgiven Knighter for singlehandedly knocking them out of the 1995 finals race.

What are other people's thoughts?

 

[Punt_Road_Roar]

Matthew knew what he was getting himself into when he took the role on. As much as he was a great player for us in dark times, those are the brakes in Footy.

Do I feel sorry for him? No not really.

 

[JRD_312]

With the appointment of Hird and the total glee shown by Essendon supporters, I feel really sorry for Matthew who was never accepted by the Essendon faithful from the onset. Talk of him coming from Richmond and thus not having a "winner's mentality" used to infuriate me. They would even suggest that he will cause the "Richmondisation" of Essendon and that they will not accept mediocrity like Richmond.

What are other people's thoughts?

They made up "Richmondisation", just like they made up Hird's coaching experience, based on his footy career. I thought Knights didn't have a hope in the world when he was appointed. There were still too many pro-Sheedy supporters who wanted to see him re-appointed. Best of luck to the Bummers and I hope we'll be using "Essendisation" in the next ten years. At least Knights is getting more than one million for the humiliation they put him through.

 

[tugga]

Knighter told the board he believed the list was in good shape. Dimma said it was rubbish.
One was right and one was wrong.
As much as I love Hird (was one of the best players I have ever seen) I honestly believe the members and supporters run that football club.
Will be interesting to see if Essendon don't do very well in the next two to three years as I suspect will be the case. Who on the board, in their right mind, is going to want to sack Hird? It would be like shooting Bambi.
This appointment has all the makings of being unbelievably successful or unbelievably unsuccessful.
Time will tell.
I don't have any sympathy for Knighter despite being one of my favourite all-time Tiger players. This is a cut-throat business.

 

[Heisenberg_]

I can't wait for that moment Essendons fans realise that it wasn't Knights but the hacks they have on their list.
That team has no right to be in finals contention.

 

[Roachy8]

I have sympathy for Matty Knights.
At the end of the day I dunno if he has the skills to be a top line coach but it would have been a horrible environment at Essendon I reckon... after the smarmy plumber years they would have had totally unreasonable expectations for almost immediate continued success & the pressure & the interfering would have been chronic.

Totally shafted this year too... re-appointed, publically supported whilst behind the scenes Hird would have been getting courted and seduced like nobodies business.

Knights' fault for getting involved with that crowd in the first place but as a former Tiger champ, still garners our support I say.

Sheeds on the other hand...

 

[NQTIGER]

Knighter told the board he believed the list was in good shape. Dimma said it was rubbish.
One was right and one was wrong.
As much as I love Hird (was one of the best players I have ever seen) I honestly believe the members and supporters run that football club.
Will be interesting to see if Essendon don't do very well in the next two to three years as I suspect will be the case. Who on the board, in their right mind, is going to want to sack Hird? It would be like shooting Bambi.
This appointment has all the makings of being unbelievably successful or unbelievably unsuccessful.
Time will tell.
I don't have any sympathy for Knighter despite being one of my favourite all-time Tiger players. This is a cut-throat business.

Sounds like a club that lives punt road way and we all know how that panned out the last thirty years, good luck to them!!!!!

Interesting that sheedys "richmondisation" of the bummers in the 80s is never mentioned by the Veruca salt supporters.

 

[tugga]

Let's try and keep this thread more about Knighter, and less about anyone's dislike for Essendon (as difficult as that may be). if you can tie the two in together...then fine.

 

[NQTIGER]

Come on tuggs are you suggesting that us tiger supporters dislike essendon?

Knighter Tiger champ treated with disdain, it will be interesting to see if he turns up at punt road after what frawley did, He must have F*&^$d a chinaman in a previous life.

but then again 1.2 mill is not a bad parachute.

 

[tigers_of_old_08]

He had an opportunity and gave it his best shot - unfortunately for him the club and it's members expected better results, sooner.

C'est la vie, or as Cuz puts it SUCH IS LIFE.

 

[jko'neal]

Feel a bit for Knighter but he told the Bombers board what they wanted to hear unlike other applicants. Anyone taking over from Sheedy was always up against it and a new AFL coach should never have taken that job on.

 

[Tigersman]

800k for the next 2 years to sit on his backside. No, I dont feel sorry for him.

He got the job selling them the line that they were good enough and didnt need to rebuild. He was wrong. He is gone.

He will end up an assistant or twos coach somewhere and will be a better coach for the experience.

The Bombers do have some good youngsters though and are not the basket case some would have you believe. Still a long road ahead though.

 

[UpTheGuts]

As a bloke, I definitely feel sorry for him. Helluva cross to bear.

Wish him well. Would make a fine development/ VFL coach

 

[Spluff]

He may never have had the cattle to form a list that could be competitive with the top teams, but that doesn't excuse his complete failures in other parts of the job. He's been a failure in every level of coaching and I'm not entirely sure how he got the job in the first place.

 

[CoggaRules]

Said it back when he got the gig. the bummers knew they were in for a rough ride, blind freddy could see glaring problems with their list. Players that were touted as required and good, like the ricky dysons and wonderworlds and stantons were purely serviceable hacks.
They didnt want a fav son to be taking the bullet that knighta just took, so they got an outsider in and fed him to the lions.
Its not about the players not having a go, its about the players that have a go but arent able to produce the goods. The pay off for us tigerheads is that now the bummers have set themselves up. Lets see who eats their own when the piper comes a calling for Hird's head.

 

[Rodgerramjet]

With the appointment of Hird and the total glee shown by Essendon supporters, I feel really sorry for Matthew who was never accepted by the Essendon faithful from the onset.

There is absolutly no reson to feel sorry for Knights, he factually is not up to the standard of what an effective senior afl coach should have been producing

Talk of him coming from Richmond and thus not having a "winner's mentality" used to infuriate me.

Don't know why this would infuriate you, he didn't have a "winners mentality" still doesn't.

They would even suggest that he will cause the "Richmondisation" of Essendon and that they will not accept mediocrity like Richmond.

This is the stupid thing about Essendon, Essendon had already been Richmondised, Kevin Sheedy did that when he took over in the eighties, that's when Essendon was Richmondised, HE TURNED THEM INTO US, A SUCCESSFUL TEAM.

Sheedy did leave the list in tatters when he left

This seems to be a pet belief of the not quite bright amongst the footy fraternity. It's actually not a true statement and an incorrect "why" as to the failings of the Essendon side.

Essendon supporters seem to think finals as their right of entitlement.

And so they should, AND SO SHOULD WE. In order to have any success in life, you must expect it and demand it.

They were very impatient and greatly overrated their list. I still believe Essendon hadn't quite forgiven Knighter for singlehandedly knocking them out of the 1995 finals race. What are other people's thoughts?

It didn't help Mathew that he told the Essendon hierachy that he could do things with the list that he obviously couldn't do in the short time frame that he was given (3years) Its not that the list was bad, it needed more development and he needed the time to be able to do it effectively. If he had of done a Damien Hardwick with the essendon bosses then he just might still be there. He didn't, he gambled and he lost. These are my thoughts, thankyou for asking.

 

[mitch richmond]

I've never cared either way for Hird but credit to him on SEN with Frances and The Ox ths arvo. He said Matty Knights had helped Essendon after some diasastrous years (I figure he was referring to Knights getting them in the 8 last year with a very shonky list.) He also mentioned the improvement of youngsters Zaharakis, Pears, Melksham and I think it was Myers.
First time anyone has given Knighter a pat on the back. Robbo, Patrick Smith and most Essendon supporters want Matty Knights to join Scott Rush in front of the firing squad!

 

[Rodgerramjet]

I've never cared either way for Hird but credit to him on SEN with Frances and The Ox ths arvo. He said Matty Knights had helped Essendon after some diasastrous years (I figure he was referring to Knights getting them in the 8 last year with a very shonky list.) He also mentioned the improvement of youngsters Zaharakis, Pears, Melksham and I think it was Myers.
First time anyone has given Knighter a pat on the back. Robbo, Patrick Smith and most Essendon supporters want Matty Knights to join Scott Rush in front of the firing squad!

Mitch it's actually called PR (Public Relations) Hird was actually devastated by what "he thought" Knights was doing to the club. Thats why he started the snowball

 

[mitch richmond]

Mitch it's actually called PR (Public Relations) Hird was actually devastated by what "he thought" Knights was doing to the club. Thats why he started the snowball

Yeah it worked out very unusual. I know Hird is just spinning corporate but Knights did do some good at Essendon.
- He knew Llloyd and Lucas weren't gonna be part of the next Essendon Premiership so he moved them on. (Sheedy wouldn't have the balls to do it)
- He made the 8 with a dodgy list that Sheedy built
-He convinced the board that there was no short term fix otherwise they wouldn't have extended his contract until the end of 2012.
I can't wait for Benny Gale to get Knights back at Tigerland to work with Martin, Cotchin, Deledio, Tambling, Foley, Jacko, Collins, Whitey and Tucky!!!!

 

[Strawbs]

Said it back when he got the gig. the bummers knew they were in for a rough ride, blind freddy could see glaring problems with their list. Players that were touted as required and good, like the ricky dysons and wonderworlds and stantons were purely serviceable hacks.
They didnt want a fav son to be taking the bullet that knighta just took, so they got an outsider in and fed him to the lions.
Its not about the players not having a go, its about the players that have a go but arent able to produce the goods. The pay off for us tigerheads is that now the bummers have set themselves up. Lets see who eats their own when the piper comes a calling for Hird's head.

Sounds right to me Cogga. In the environment surrounding Knighta I doubt that we can say one way or the other whether he could coach. But it's great that he can set himself up for life courtesy of Essendon. Will be interesting as you say if they have to make the call on Hird at some stage down the track. He's obviously going to get more support than Matty.

 

[Rodgerramjet]

I can't wait for Benny Gale to get Knights back at Tigerland to work with Martin, Cotchin, Deledio, Tambling, Foley, Jacko, Collins, Whitey and Tucky!!!!

God I hope he doesn't.

 

[mitch richmond]

God I hope he doesn't.

Why?

 

[bigstyletiger]

I'm not sure how anybody can feel sorry for him for the following reasons

- he is a proven dud coach whose game plan was naive
- should never have been given the job and was very very lucky to have coached at senior level
- walks away with 1.2million that he should never have had anyway as he didn't deserve the contract extension
- very very poor media performer
- didn't have the respect of the players

All in all he got what he should have and I don't want him at Tigerland in any official capacity.

 

[mitch richmond]

I'm not sure how anybody can feel sorry for him for the following reasons

- he is a proven dud coach whose game plan was naive
- should never have been given the job and was very very lucky to have coached at senior level
- walks away with 1.2million that he should never have had anyway as he didn't deserve the contract extension
- very very poor media performer
- didn't have the respect of the players

All in all he got what he should have and I don't want him at Tigerland in any official capacity.

Yeah good call, 'cos here at Tigerland we can afford to slag off coaches who have made the finals recently.
In terms of coaching experience he's streets ahead of Hird with SANFL, VFL senior experience
Interesting 'cos Mick Malthouse and Rocket Eade are s%#thouse media performers. As petulant, arrogant, rude and immature as you'll find.
Don't feel sorry for him. He's all cashed up, good luck to him. He's welcome to help our young midfielders anytime he likes.

 

[brjafi]

no respect for essendon for there decision with knights.

on another note, would be nice to see him involved with richmond again.