Coach Adam Simpson Megathread est. 2017 - Staying for 2024, Lyon’s Cryin’

Will Simpson be Head Coach at WCE in 2024


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Jun 14, 2011
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Everyone needs to take a deep breath.
We were missing Shuey, Yeo, Hurn, Kennedy, Ryan, Rioli and McGovern.
That is 7 of our first 18 picked.
We need to hold on for a top 6 finish, anything is possible with a healthy list and home final first up.
Hold the faith boys.
 
Everyone needs to take a deep breath.
We were missing Shuey, Yeo, Hurn, Kennedy, Ryan, Rioli and McGovern.
That is 7 of our first 18 picked.
We need to hold on for a top 6 finish, anything is possible with a healthy list and home final first up.
Hold the faith boys.

If you told me (and others on this board) we'd be 3-3 at this point it wouldn't be surprising.

The derby this weekend in my view is a true barometer of where we are at. Either way, effort from the 22/23 that play should be non-negotiable.
 
If you told me (and others on this board) we'd be 3-3 at this point it wouldn't be surprising.

That’s true, but it’s the inferior percentage and the manner of two of the three losses that are concerning
 

Priddis Is Done

Norm Smith Medallist
May 28, 2017
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Everyone needs to take a deep breath.
We were missing Shuey, Yeo, Hurn, Kennedy, Ryan, Rioli and McGovern.
That is 7 of our first 18 picked.
We need to hold on for a top 6 finish, anything is possible with a healthy list and home final first up.
Hold the faith boys.
We couldn't do it with those playing most of the season in 19 and yet 2 years on, we are expecting them to be better than 19 and make up for a few more loses this year.

There is always eternal optimism hidden in a small tiny recess, but it's not going to happen.
 
Oct 3, 2007
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We couldn't do it with those playing most of the season in 19 and yet 2 years on, we are expecting them to be better than 19 and make up for a few more loses this year.

There is always eternal optimism hidden in a small tiny recess, but it's not going to happen.

Its not personnel only, it’s hunger and desire within the group. Players out injured does not help but that should not effect desire to chase, tackle, pressurise and be committed to the game no matter who is available.
This group turn their hunger on and off and that asks serious questions about the coach and the leadership within the club.
 

ioppolo

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Oct 3, 2010
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Everyone needs to take a deep breath.
We were missing Shuey, Yeo, Hurn, Kennedy, Ryan, Rioli and McGovern.
That is 7 of our first 18 picked.
We need to hold on for a top 6 finish, anything is possible with a healthy list and home final first up.
Hold the faith boys.
How'd that go in 2016?
 
May 5, 2006
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Its not personnel only, it’s hunger and desire within the group. Players out injured does not help but that should not effect desire to chase, tackle, pressurise and be committed to the game no matter who is available.
This group turn their hunger on and off and that asks serious questions about the coach and the leadership within the club.

Jones laid a couple of tackles and made a few chases in the Saints game when no one was standing up and doing anything and was dropped the following week. But it's apparently OK for 17 other players to have 3 tackles or under for the game including full time mids who are senior players.
 
Nov 13, 2014
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Its not personnel only, it’s hunger and desire within the group. Players out injured does not help but that should not effect desire to chase, tackle, pressurise and be committed to the game no matter who is available.
This group turn their hunger on and off and that asks serious questions about the coach and the leadership within the club.
It's pretty hard to argue against this when you compare our good quarters with the absolute dribble that has followed in both the Saints and Cats games. That's within a game, let alone the vast difference in intent between matches.

Add to the list the desire to attack and move the ball once we do get it. We know when we're on, we move the ball as slick as anyone. But when the momentum goes against us, there's very few in the squad who seem to want to take the game on.
 

Priddis Is Done

Norm Smith Medallist
May 28, 2017
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Okay, I threw all our quarter by quarter matches this year into a spreadsheet:

Out of 24 quarters, 10 quarters won, 1 drawn, 13 lost

Broken down into our wins:
10 won, 1 draw, 5 lost (I thought this would be worse)

On our losses:
4 won and 8 lost


Not earth shattering news it just reconfirms what we already know.


I might do the same for our 18 and 19 season as well.
 

Priddis Is Done

Norm Smith Medallist
May 28, 2017
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Apologies, redone

Okay, I threw all our quarter by quarter matches this year into a spreadsheet:

Out of 24 quarters, 10 quarters won, 1 drawn, 13 lost

Broken down into our wins:
12 won, 1 draw, 5 lost (I thought this would be worse)

On our losses:
4 won and 8 lost


Not earth shattering news it just reconfirms what we already know.


I might do the same for our 18 and 19 season as well
 

Priddis Is Done

Norm Smith Medallist
May 28, 2017
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Take 3

Out of 24 quarters, 10 quarters won, 1 drawn, 13 lost

Broken down into our wins:
6 won, 1 draw, 5 lost (now that is abysmal)

On our losses:
4 won and 8 lost

Even when we are winning, we are poor.


I might do the same for our 18 and 19 season as well
 

Priddis Is Done

Norm Smith Medallist
May 28, 2017
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2019 regular home and away games:
ranked no 3 in 1st quarters
Rank 14 in 2nd quarters
Rank 9 in 3rd quarters
Ranked 9 in 4th quarters

Ranked 8th overall

Overall, won 45, lost 42, drawn 1, 52.27% win / loss ratio via quarter by quarter. It's a miracle we even made it higher than 8th position going into finals.

That is not the performance of a team that's going to make a dent in the finals.
 

FKASC

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May 28, 2017
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But when the momentum goes against us, there's very few in the squad who seem to want to take the game on.
I have an inkling, which is obviously a completely unfounded theory, but whatever:

Simpson has set the side up to win games using one very effective gameplan/ method, and the coaches have gone all in. There is no alternative.

The players have bought into this gamplan, and will give full effort when the game is played on these terms.

However, in the back of their minds, the players have learned that the gameplan is completely ineffective against some opposition approaches.

As a result they completely disengage as soon as it becomes apparent that the game is not going to be played on their terms.

It’s surely possible to wrestle the game back on their terms, but it takes a huge amount of grit, and for whatever reason not enough of the players have it in them to do it often enough. Luckily they did in 2018.

IMO it just has to be something along these lines, because nothing else can explain how AA players can become absolute shells of themselves as soon as the opposition changes something up.

Either the gameplan is too flimsy to hold up to the full gamut of opposition tactics, and should be scrapped, or they need to devise and buy into an alternative.
 
Jan 13, 2013
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I have an inkling, which is obviously a completely unfounded theory, but whatever:

Simpson has set the side up to win games using one very effective gameplan/ method, and the coaches have gone all in. There is no alternative.

The players have bought into this gamplan, and will give full effort when the game is played on these terms.

However, in the back of their minds, the players have learned that the gameplan is completely ineffective against some opposition approaches.

As a result they completely disengage as soon as it becomes apparent that the game is not going to be played on their terms.

It’s surely possible to wrestle the game back on their terms, but it takes a huge amount of grit, and for whatever reason not enough of the players have it in them to do it often enough. Luckily they did in 2018.

IMO it just has to be something along these lines, because nothing else can explain how AA players can become absolute shells of themselves as soon as the opposition changes something up.

Either the gameplan is too flimsy to hold up to the full gamut of opposition tactics, and should be scrapped, or they need to devise and buy into an alternative.
I think you're on the money with this, Simpson just keeps "backing in the game plan" with absolutely no alternative.
 
Oct 3, 2007
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I have an inkling, which is obviously a completely unfounded theory, but whatever:

Simpson has set the side up to win games using one very effective gameplan/ method, and the coaches have gone all in. There is no alternative.

The players have bought into this gamplan, and will give full effort when the game is played on these terms.

However, in the back of their minds, the players have learned that the gameplan is completely ineffective against some opposition approaches.

As a result they completely disengage as soon as it becomes apparent that the game is not going to be played on their terms.

It’s surely possible to wrestle the game back on their terms, but it takes a huge amount of grit, and for whatever reason not enough of the players have it in them to do it often enough. Luckily they did in 2018.

IMO it just has to be something along these lines, because nothing else can explain how AA players can become absolute shells of themselves as soon as the opposition changes something up.

Either the gameplan is too flimsy to hold up to the full gamut of opposition tactics, and should be scrapped, or they need to devise and buy into an alternative.

Good post.
There is nothing wrong with losing and sometimes you just have to say the talent was too much for us to handle. Coaches and fans can cop that.
Throwing in the towel is not acceptable, this is a character flaw.
In most games at some stage the opponent will take control of the game, even bottom sides have good times in matches so it’s just part of footy to be able to stand up in those times. That we can’t even do something as simple as man up and lockdown while we try to get things back on our terms is very worrying.
I don’t have the answers, but I do know that if your playing group can’t consistently break even in contested ball, tackle and apply pressure with all they have then the game plan is the least of your concerns. Desire and hunger is everything in football, without it you have major issues. We don’t have it on a consistent basis and if I was coach this would be my starting point.
 

ghostbat12

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Aug 17, 2009
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The game plan is complete sh*t.

Even watching Ess v Coll was speed speed speed and Port v StK

We have snail snail snail



On SM-G925I using BigFooty.com mobile app

Yes but both teams were willing to work hard. We didn’t. That’s not the game plan.

Game plan worked well against port and bulldogs as players worked hard.

Often players simply are not willing to get to the ball first in midfield. Simpson has been saying that for a while. I mean do people listen?

You can have mother of all game plans but if sheed and the like only get it 10 times a game, no game plan can make up for that.
 

Goosecat

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Sep 9, 2006
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Yes but both teams were willing to work hard. We didn’t. That’s not the game plan.

Game plan worked well against port and bulldogs as players worked hard.

Often players simply are not willing to get to the ball first in midfield. Simpson has been saying that for a while. I mean do people listen?

You can have mother of all game plans but if sheed and the like only get it 10 times a game, no game plan can make up for that.
It's a combination though and like all organisations the culture comes from the top. It is a cultural thing now in the group, spread through the group.
On one hand the coach goes on and on for years about positioning and first touch not being the key, rather interrupting the next wave whilst at the same time covering more positional space defensively and not getting drawn in to the contest. Then occasionally he has a dig about not getting first touch.

Each time you do go for the first touch contest and perhaps lose, you get drilled in review, constantly. It's difficult for us to capitalise on a ball first contest anyway as we are not structured like some to be there should you get first hands and under pressure spill it to a known direction of support, so it's even tougher for first hand players in our setup and it all becomes endemic.
It's a tough balance and the likes of Mitchell pushing a harder body/ball more pro-active narrative helped balance it out with Simmos constant defensive positioning/interrupt theories. He even started bringing in some more blocking for attacking moves at stoppages which has almost disappeared from our structures altogether outside of Centre bounce. Not to mention the actual physical body/impact stuff he started drilling into them. Gaff's so called "brain explosion" was actrually him trying to do as Mitchell had started showing them. You don't just try and push off a tagger, when you do you IMPACT them right HERE, unfortunately Gaff missed. If he'd hit the body as intended and been shown, it would have been literally play on and he'd be free.

I don't usually post video sections because they can be made to chop out any section to fit a narrative whilst excluding opposite balance but pause this at 6:51 to 6:53 and have a good look at Brander and Rotham here (It's quick and if you blink you'll miss it). It's split second stuff but each decides in their mind they must try and interrupt the next possible phase/handball and not get drawn in. Neither thinks to go ball or body/tackle. Again it's split second stuff, but these things happen almost every play in AFL. It is what the game has become at this pace.



This is from being taught over and over; to interrupt the chain and don't get drawn in. Now multiply this through every player at every contest and you get the idea. In this case they're kind of damned if they do and damned if they don't, because the next wave of support around them (not in shot) are not going to come into the contest even if one of them had gone body/ball/tackle for the spillage.

The theory is not unsound as such and Simmo is in reality a bloody good coach, but the balance is not there in development of our players in this area. Years of that creates a team that struggles to decide whether to go for ball/body at the contest or not and they become indecisive, often getting stuck between the two and doing neither option correctly. There are some players who will simply naturally ignore the constant drilling in that moment and go the ball/body (Yeo would have, he might have given away a free but he would have gone body/tackle and stopped the quick movement). Others, through simply trying to do as instructed/drilled will not, particularly young players trying to do exactly as coaching staff insist constantly.

It's a balance to be found and we are unbalanced in this area. It's why I was so disappointed when we lost Mitchell. He is exactly what this group needs.
 
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Oct 29, 2007
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Worth a listen.

got a feeling he not happy with the strength and conditioning side of the club or science as he put it.

liked his comment about mundy being an option as a coach...hope we approach him when he hangs boots up as an assistant.
 
Jan 13, 2013
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Worth a listen.

got a feeling he not happy with the strength and conditioning side of the club or science as he put it.

liked his comment about mundy being an option as a coach...hope we approach him when he hangs boots up as an assistant.
The way our midfield is I'd take him as a player
 
Oct 29, 2007
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Simmo has done something be never does and that is publicly put the torch on his players which is a 100% justified. Calling them weak and embarrassing is something i never thought he would say publicly. X ellis has mentioned a couple of times the team gets baked behind closed doors so its not he doesn’t have the balls.
 
May 5, 2006
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Good post.
There is nothing wrong with losing and sometimes you just have to say the talent was too much for us to handle. Coaches and fans can cop that.
Throwing in the towel is not acceptable, this is a character flaw.
In most games at some stage the opponent will take control of the game, even bottom sides have good times in matches so it’s just part of footy to be able to stand up in those times. That we can’t even do something as simple as man up and lockdown while we try to get things back on our terms is very worrying.
I don’t have the answers, but I do know that if your playing group can’t consistently break even in contested ball, tackle and apply pressure with all they have then the game plan is the least of your concerns. Desire and hunger is everything in football, without it you have major issues. We don’t have it on a consistent basis and if I was coach this would be my starting point.

2019 Rd 22. Lost to Richmond at the G by 6 points with a late Riewoldt goal and Barrass doing some Barrassing.

62 inside 50s to 44 and we held Richmond to 10 goals to 6 over 3 quarters when they had most of the momentum having got off to a fast start ourselves with a 7 goal first quarter. What happened to efforts like this? St Kilda scored 8 goals against us in 30-40 minutes. Geelong had 3 quarters of witches hats and kicked 19 goals.
 
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