Ratten or Knights?

[bluesx10withjudd]

thoughts on who has made the better progress in terms of strategies implemented and development of players.. etc of the two first year coaches?

 

[Buckyg75]

A tough one, but Knights for me. Ratt's has definitely done a good job but he has a number young talented players, and the addition of a champion to lead them.

Knights has made the hard decisions and played youngsters ahead of established players. There was no injection of leadership rather he has managed to revitalise existing leaders. He also had the difficult task of taking the reigns after Sheedy, a time of great change for the club.

As a Collingwood man, I'd take either if Mick walked out the door.

 

[bluesx10withjudd]

good point on both coaches buck

imo.... knights has done a tremendous job with the bombers, compared to the start when everyone was ready to shoot him down with his aggressive attacking game plan...... but everyone knew essendon was in rebuilding stage with hirds retirement and sheedys departure, a young list and not much expectation...so imo to reduce finals expectation from 3 years to maybe getting there this year is a remarkable turnaround

ratten differs pressure wise in a sence that the majority of the carlton public wouldn't accept another season of hammering, particularily after snaring judd, and complete overhaul of all football departments, coupled with the growing experience of existing youth...and to get to where we are in terms of development is also a remarkable turnaround from the start of the year

hmmm ratts.....just...biased?....
..maybe..

 

[bOmBeR_BoY1]

Ratten had more to work with at the start of the year - a host of number one draft picks and the recruitment of Chris Judd amongst other things. Ratten has done a fantastic job all the same and has finally turned Carlton into a competitive outfit.

Knights has not had the luxury of number one draft picks or Chris Judd to help his cause but has not only revitalised a young playing list (mostly recruited with picks 10 and onwards), but has also shown more faith in some of his middle age range players (David Hille & Andrew Welsh amongst others) and they are repaying him in spades. The development of players like Ryder, Monfries, Watson, Jetta, Reimers, Slattery and a few others (Houli, Gumbleton, Myers etc. who unfortunately cannot get on the park due to the injury crisis Knights has also had to endure) has also progressed significantly in his time at Essendon. The older leaders around the club, Matthew Lloyd in particular in recent weeks are repaying Knights' faith.

At the moment both teams have the same win/loss ratio - but Knights, in my opinion, has been the better coach and has a 2-0 record against Ratten this season.

 

[BILC]

knights has done more with his young players

 

[thebigboy]

What impressed me about Knights was the way that he was able to change his gameplan and adapt it when it wasn't working.

Some coaches would have stuck fat with it despite the hammering but he was able to turn it around and make us into a very competative team.

 

[Mr Mojo Risin]

What impressed me about Knights was the way that he was able to change his gameplan and adapt it when it wasn't working.

Some coaches would have stuck fat with it despite the hammering but he was able to turn it around and make us into a very competative team.

don't believe he ever changed his game plan, he has even said this and the players agreed. all that has happened is the players are now implementing his game plan better

i'm obviously biased, but although i loved sheedy, i was very happy when knights was selected as coach over hardwick (saying that i think hardwick will make an excellent senior coach).

despite a lot of people asking why knights was selected, i was happy with what he was implementing at bendigo and as essendon development coach. i was happy with his approach and his professionalism.

ratts is doing a great job with carlton, but knights just wins out (imbo - in my biased opinion) due to the following established players who have stepped it up under knights (haven't really seen such a change in any established carlton players this year under ratten - happy to be proved wrong):

- hille
- watson
- welsh
- monfries
- mcphee

however both are doing great jobs

 

[thebigboy]

don't believe he ever changed his game plan, he has even said this and the players agreed. all that has happened is the players are now implementing his game plan better

i'm obviously biased, but although i loved sheedy, i was very happy when knights was selected as coach over hardwick (saying that i think hardwick will make an excellent senior coach).

despite a lot of people asking why knights was selected, i was happy with what he was implementing at bendigo and as essendon development coach. i was happy with his approach and his professionalism.

ratts is doing a great job with carlton, but knights just wins out (imbo - in my biased opinion) due to the following established players who have stepped it up under knights (haven't really seen such a change in any established carlton players this year under ratten - happy to be proved wrong):

- hille
- watson
- welsh
- monfries
- mcphee

however both are doing great jobs

What i mean by changing his gameplan included changing players positions. Welsh into the middle was nearly the move of the season, as well as Lloyd to a more Half Forward Flank role and using McPhee to his strengths. Also there is a defensive side to our game which hasn't been there for a long long time which wasn't there in the start of the year. Whether the emphasis was meant to be there at the start of the season im not sure of.

 

[Snagboy]

Great choices: Neither

 

[pidge]

What impressed me about Knights was the way that he was able to change his gameplan and adapt it when it wasn't working.

Some coaches would have stuck fat with it despite the hammering but he was able to turn it around and make us into a very competative team.

yep like dennis paigan fcked us up for longer then we needed to. i went with ratts bothdone a fantastic job but im a bit biased

 

[bOmBeR_BoY1]

Great choices: Neither

Didn't Ratten's team beat the Bulldogs last week?

Wasn't Knights' team in front of the Bulldogs at Three Quarter Time in their only encounter this year before a non existent bench in the final quarter cost his side a win?

For the record, I'm guessing you'd choose Peter Rhode.

 

[SeeTheBombersFlyUp]

Although I may be biased, I still think that Knights has achieved more compared to the lists of the two clubs. Having said that, I still feel that Ratten is capable of leading a side to a premiership. I just hope it's not with the Blues.....

 

[BlueDW]

Both doing an outstanding job.

 

[BlueDW]

Great choices: Neither

Just wondering whether you were at Telstra Dome for the Round 17 game? Nah, didnt think so!

 

[market]

They have both done an excellent job with the cattle they've got, probably Knights just in front. (neck and neck stuff)

 

[BlueSnake]

Very hard to split them.

I guess basically, if I was an Essendon supporter I'd be extremely rapt with the job Knights is doing. Being a Carlton supporter, I'm extremely rapt with the job Ratten is doing.

Both are taking their teams in the right direction and the players really seem to be playing for them

 

[Mike_blues]

both done great
both done as well as each other
50/50

 

[Knight Ryders]

Knights on a points decision. He's done it hard this year with injuries and an amazing form turnaround.

 

[BABYBOMBERS2007]

Knights is clearly better. A better gameplan. Beating better sides with many of the starting team injured. He is cleary better. Ratten isn't good. Any side with Judd is bound to do better.

 

[BlueDW]

Knights is clearly better. A better gameplan. Beating better sides with many of the starting team injured. He is cleary better. Ratten isn't good. Any side with Judd is bound to do better.

So Judd has lifted the club from 15th last year to still being in with a finals chance 3 weeks out?

Ratten and Knights both get high pass marks.

 

[jonoman89]

Knights is clearly better. A better gameplan. Beating better sides with many of the starting team injured. He is cleary better. Ratten isn't good. Any side with Judd is bound to do better.

The first half of this year disagrees.

 

[thewhippersnapper]

No contest - Knights. Carlton have a FF in the prime of his career about to kick 100 goals, one of the best midfielders of the last decade and too many high round draft picks to count and still can't even crack the 8.

That and Knights is 2-0 over him.

 

[Red Black and Blue]

The first half of this year disagrees.

Second half agrees, same game plan the players just got used to it.