There's something about Bailey

[RandB]

Bailey's biggest downfall is his lack of match day moves.

Bailey wasn't too interested in match day moves IMO. He put players in different spots deliberately to see how they would go. Trial and error this year. I think Bailey will start concentrating on more tactical moves once we have cemented most of the spots on the ground. IMO he gave some players a few weeks in various positions to see their strengths and he didn't compromise that even though we were getting flogged. I think he caught on to a very good defensive unit and once it bacame evident, he let them play out the year together whilst turning over players in other spots.

Nobody can predict really, how we will go under Bailey but there is a definite method to his madness and he doesn't shirk for anyone. IMO he is implementing a brave but logical process for modern day football.

Given how bad we went I think he handled the media well and whenever I listened to him after games he seemed quite perceptive of our problems without getting too carried away. What I really like about Bailey is that he has a mentor style of persona/coaching (to an outsider like me anyway) which for a young group like ours is important and I think he is the perfect age coach for our group. As our team grows, Bailey will also mature and I think they will be matched quite well over the next x amount of years he is at Melbourne.

 

[Bails2008]

I have been impressed with him all year. Has been forth right, honest and perceptive every time he has been interviewed. He has also shown he is not afraid to make difficult decisions. We clearly had the worst list in the AFL this year, had injuries to our best players and finished last. There is no coincidence there. I believe he will be an excellent coach with a strong list. He has belief in his system and to me has the conviction to see it through. Trade period will be interesting. I wonder if he will make strong decisions. I have the feeling we may lose several players over 25. A player like Wheatley for example. Coming off his best seson may have value for a strong side. May not be the best example but if we can get picks in the top 40 we need to go after them. In 2010 we will not have access to many players due to GC and no 17 year olds. Players like Wheatley etc will not be part of our next premiership.

 

[Jeebs]

...

Beautifully said RandB. Coundn't agree more.

 

[Bring-Back-Powell]

I guarantee you Demons supporters will be calling for his head next year if we finish 2-20 and a percentage of sub 66, even if we have the worst list in the AFL. We need to be far more competative, even if we only win 4 or 5 games. I can handle losing to superior sides, but I can't handle getting pumped by 11 goals every week and playing the worst brand of footy imaginable.

That's just the business we're in and coaches are marked on results more than anything. You can be as innovative as ever, and continually trialling players in positions, but you can only be afforded a certain amount of time for this.

2008 was Bailey's honeymoon year, so he was exempt from criticism(especially from the media). So this thread has merit and has the potential to be correct in the long term. However there is a major opinion attached to it.

This thread will be null and void, if our level of competiveness doesn't improve next year. It will show to me that the players are just not getting Bailey and his program.

 

[demonfan9]

I agree BBP. If we can show some improvement next year, then there is no real cause for concern. But if it looks like we haven't improved at all, then there will be some questions asked.

 

[Goffa]

good post mate.

i want to ask a legit question, not trying to troll

are there any examples of successful coaches who have started their career off badly??

then again if there are no examples, it may just be that these coaches never really got the chance to turn it around.

Let's see, a good coach who started badly...
let me think...
I've got a few! Take a guess before reading the 'who are they' further down.

1 -
VFL 10th (spoon at the time, I think?), then two more years in the bottom half.

2 -
Mid table first year, then dropped to second last (11th) in their second year.

3. Bottom four in first year, making exactly no ladder progress on previous year/coach.








Who are they?

1. Frank 'Checker' Hughes. (4)
2. Norm. Smith. (6)
3. John Northey. (No premierships, but finals for five years in a row after a quarter century without)

In fact, there's only been one premiership coach at Melbourne (Albert Chadwick) who didn't start with a poor year (there was one other premiership without an official coach - 1900)

There you go.

 

[stabler]

Interesting stats there Goffa.

Note also the Rev's second year coaching the dees in 1999 saw us finish in the bottom three after an impressive 98 season. And then we made the GF the following year.

Things can change quickly in the football world.

 

[master bate]

Only morons will be calling for a his head at the end of next year, 2010 is when we have to be out of the bottom 4 and preferablly in the 8. He's on a 3 year deal so it would be pointless to sack him no matter how bad we do next year (we only sack our CEO's anyway). So far it looks like he has made the right list decisions, so even if we did sack him at the end of 2010 someone would come in a probably play finals immediate in 2011.

 

[Bring-Back-Powell]

Only morons will be calling for a his head at the end of next year, 2010 is when we have to be out of the bottom 4 and preferablly in the 8. He's on a 3 year deal so it would be pointless to sack him no matter how bad we do next year (we only sack our CEO's anyway). So far it looks like he has made the right list decisions, so even if we did sack him at the end of 2010 someone would come in a probably play finals immediate in 2011.

So Clarkson wins 10 games in his second year with a percentage of 85, but it's ok for Bailey to have another pathetic 2 or 3 win season with a percentage of 64 and continue being the butt of everyone's jokes?

I won't be calling for his head. I'll just be thinking we hired the wrong coach.

He needs to show slight in-roads in his second year. Can't afford to go backwards. Good list management is one thing, results and on-field competiveness is another.

 

[Clean Heels]

Id like to get the picks next yr, so Id hail Bailey if he traded our older players this yr (Green and Bruce) - and played kids all next yr, we'd finish last with no more than 4 wins, but it would give our youngsters a good base for 2010 and beyond and put us in an excellent position for at least the next decade.

 

[McLean_4_Captain]

So Clarkson wins 10 games in his second year with a percentage of 85, but it's ok for Bailey to have another pathetic 2 or 3 win season with a percentage of 64 and continue being the butt of everyone's jokes?

I still see us probably finishing last next year or at least bottom 4, but i think next year the bottom teams will be a lot closer to the pack, last place might still mean 5 or 6 wins and a +75%. I'd not be happy about losing, but i could be satified with our improvement and still be in that position.

As you said, i would start to ask questions if we were pathetic as often as we were this year (2 +100pts losses & 5 +75pts losses, as well as bad losses to bottom 8 sides), but i don't think we'll be that bad.

The Clarkson comparison needs to be made on a scale, Hawks were never as bad as we were this year, they just happend to draft possibly the best player ever at pick 5 and the draft rules mean that a rise on the same scale will take longer (They got picks 2, 5 & 21 in 2004 just for 1 bad season, but under the new rules for a worse season we only get 1, 17 & 19).

If we don't win at least 7-8 games and finish at least 9-12 in 2010, i can't see Bailey getting another contract.

And as that Richmond guy said, they came from 3 & 1/2 wins last year to 11 & 1/2 this year. We are worse then they were, but there's no reason why we couldn't win 8-9 games next year.

 

[Bring-Back-Powell]

Another thing I want to see under Bailey is stronger first halves. Too many times this year the game was over by half time.

There were only 8 times this year, that we were within 30 pts at half time. Obviously he was having issues firing up the boys...apart from the Collingwood and Hawthorn special occasion games.

 

[monoccular]

good post mate.

I want to ask a legit question, not trying to troll

are there any examples of successful coaches who have started their career off badly??

Then again if there are no examples, it may just be that these coaches never really got the chance to turn it around.

clarkson

thompson

just to name a couple of recently succesful coaches.