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

[Tugga27]

Because we won’t, unfortunately.

Wishful thinking that all our problems will magically disappear next year, especially given the age profile of our key players.

When you see the same strange (not beneficial) habits creep into another season, massive red flag. Albeit an asterisk season.

Why are we the team most adversely affected by QLD / wet conditions? All those footy experts at the club can’t implement anything but a kick-mark style to counter unfavourable conditions? How many years have we been the worst at ground-ball gets? Tackles?

Other teams know about our aerial prowess, and post 2018 have countered it. If they can adjust, why can’t we?


Would love nothing more than for this thread to backfire on me and we win a flag next year.

You still haven't named the other 2 premierships we "easily" should've won.

Dima has won 2 at Richmond despite a favourable fixture and playing it on their home deck.

He better win it this year I guess or he really will be under the pump only winning two with that team.

 

[Tugga27]

So you’re content with missing out on top 4 two years in a row, despite our ridiculous talent? When you know stars like Nic Nat, Shep, Shuey are essentially on borrowed time? And JK and Hurn on the way out?

The only victory lap I’ll be doing is when we win... or at least lose competitively. (The first three hub losses were not competitive losses at all). That’s the issue - at times just not turning up... team looking lethargic, old, and slow.

Not expecting the team to win all the time, but always be competitive, and more importantly, so much less predictable. I put the predictability down to Simmo.

"Always be competitive".

Gee, that one point loss was a real thrashing I guess.

 

[javaguice]

This is 1000% correct. I have said it repeatedly, on occasion, those boys need a bake at points during the season when they are playing like crap or a game is on the line.

Simpson, for whatever reason cannot or absolutely refuses to do it. Thus, one of two things need to happen:

-Simpson stops trying to play guidance counsellor and starts getting mean on occasion (highly unlikely)

Or

-He gets himself an absolute head kicker of an assistant coach to "outsource" a spray when those boys need it.

When we made the grand final in 2015 and 2018 its no accident: in 2015 we had Pike, and in 2018 we had Mitchell as chief assistant coaches. Its not the tactical part Simpson needs help with, he has that capacity in spades. The reason he needed the aforementioned assistants is that they weren't afraid to kick heads on occasion when Simpson refused to do it when needed.

As an example: Cue to 3 quarter time in the 2018 qualifying final against Collingwood: we are down with the game on the line. What happened? Sam Mitchell took the midfield boys aside and gave, from all account's, one of the all time great bakes they had ever had.

We duly won the game.

Simpson needs to either harden up, or, get himself an assistant coach with some real mongrel again.

The later scenario is infinitely more probable.

Nah that was Simmo that got the boys to pull the finger out.....I swear.

Just hasn't done it since then....

and can ride on the success of 2018 for ever going by some on this board.

Some people just cant accept critical thinking.

 

[javaguice]

You still haven't named the other 2 premierships we "easily" should've won.

Dima has won 2 at Richmond despite a favourable fixture and playing it on their home deck.

He better win it this year I guess or he really will be under the pump only winning two with that team.

He could have had us closer 2 times...

By not playing Brown

And playing Jetts/Schoey

2 absolutely STUPID calls....but yeah he himself won the 2018 premiership

 

[Miguel Sanchez]

"Always be competitive".

Gee, that one point loss was a real thrashing I guess.

Those three bad hub losses that left us 1-3 to start the season were unacceptable.

We should be more competitive like Richmond, who <checks notes> were half a game ahead of us at that stage, having lost by 32 points to Hawthorn.

 

[HoneyBadger35]

So you’re content with missing out on top 4 two years in a row, despite our ridiculous talent? When you know stars like Nic Nat, Shep, Shuey are essentially on borrowed time? And JK and Hurn on the way out?

The only victory lap I’ll be doing is when we win... or at least lose competitively. (The first three hub losses were not competitive losses at all). That’s the issue - at times just not turning up... team looking lethargic, old, and slow.

Not expecting the team to win all the time, but always be competitive, and more importantly, so much less predictable. I put the predictability down to Simmo.

There’s a different between being content and being unrealistic. Hunger is good. Complete lack of perspective is bad.

Always be competitive? We’ve won 65% of our games under Simmo. We had the longest win streak in footy this year. We’ve made two Grand Finals with two fairly different groups, and won one.

We’re such a spoiled fan base that our only “reasonable” thing to complain about is not winning more flags, despite the fact that we’ve won the second most in the AFL era. We’ve made more finals than anyone, won an absurd number of games, but because we aren’t ruling the league with an iron fist it must show that the club don’t want it badly enough. That’s got to be it.

I wish we’d win the flag every year but it’s just not possible. Throwing the toys out of the cot because we’ve “only” won a flag and the most games in the league under Simpson is embarrassing.

And circling back to the salient point here - you want Simmo to be ruthless, yet you’re annoyed we didn’t give veterans a farewell game. You want Simmo to be ruthless, yet you don’t want him sacked whilst saying he’s not ever going to win another flag. So what does ruthless look like to you?

 

[Miguel Sanchez]

He could have had us closer 2 times...

By not playing Brown

And playing Jetts/Schoey

2 absolutely STUPID calls....but yeah he himself won the 2018 premiership

Both times would have had us winning an elimination final, and being one step closer to being one of those rare sides that won a premiership from outside the top four.

Yeah, cost us an easy two flags there.

 

[Tugga27]

Those three bad hub losses that left us 1-3 to start the season were unacceptable.

We should be more competitive like Richmond, who <checks notes> were half a game ahead of us at that stage, having lost by 32 points to Hawthorn.

Come on mate, don't let the facts get in the way of a good story.

 

[HoneyBadger35]

Nah that was Simmo that got the boys to pull the finger out.....I swear.

Just hasn't done it since then....

and can ride on the success of 2018 for ever going by some on this board.

Some people just cant accept critical thinking.

Critical thinking and baseless criticism aren’t the same.

Being critical is not the same as critical thinking.

People saying “how come we’re not competitive” when Simmo has won more games than any other coach ffs

 

[javaguice]

Both times would have had us winning an elimination final, and being one step closer to being one of those rare sides that won a premiership from outside the top four.

Yeah, cost us an easy two flags there.

Did I say that? I said closer....

 

[HoneyBadger35]

Both times would have had us winning an elimination final, and being one step closer to being one of those rare sides that won a premiership from outside the top four.

Yeah, cost us an easy two flags there.

That 46 point loss was solely down to Simpson picking Mitch Brown. Cost us the flag ffs.

 

[javaguice]

That 46 point loss was solely down to Simpson picking Mitch Brown. Cost us the flag ffs.

You obviously thought it was a great tactical move.

 

[Hell Yeoh]

"Always be competitive".

Gee, that one point loss was a real thrashing I guess.

Lol. This thread has zero to do with the EF. I’ve said previously even if we made it past Pies, we wouldn’t have fared well in QLD against top teams.

Actually, have very few issues with the EF great game. (Issues: some questionanle umpiring, selection of Petch and Ah Chee, and goal-kicking). Other than that, was an excellent game.

I’m talking specifically about the first hub, where we lost the season. Are you saying we played competitively in the first hub?... really?! There were also a few other games where we somehow fell over the line. Didn’t exactly look like world beaters the majority of the season, no matter how much blind loyalty you have.

 

[Miguel Sanchez]

Did I say that? I said closer....

You were responding to the question “which two flags should we have won easily?”

Which wasn’t asked of you I know, but it remains unanswered.

 

[HoneyBadger35]

You obviously thought it was a great tactical move.

No, I don’t ever think it’s a good decision to play a third choice KPD as a forward pocket. It’s a baffling call.

What it doesn’t do is eliminate everything that Adam Simpson has done.

You’re saying “some people are happy to ride 2018” whilst wanting to string him up for one player selection in an eight goal loss from four years ago.

He’s won more than any other coach, though it seems win numbers don’t matter unless you also win the flag. But also that elimination final four years ago, which one player would have solved, would have got us one week further into the season and then what? We lose the semi, you’d complain. We lose the prelim, you’d complain. What difference does when you get knocked out make when you’re setting the bar at flag or bust.

You can’t win the flag every year, and that’s actually ok. You can want to win it every year, but if your expectation is a flag every year then you’re in the wrong business.

 

[Miguel Sanchez]

You obviously thought it was a great tactical move.

* sake we’re back to the absolutism.

Mitch Brown in a forward pocket cost us the 2016 flag which would have been the first of a five-peat. If you disagree you clearly think it was a genius selection.

There can’t possibly be an in-between position where you think it was a stinker but ultimately not the difference between winning and losing a game.

 

[HoneyBadger35]

Lol. This thread has zero to do with the EF. I’ve said previously even if we made it past Pies, we wouldn’t have fared well in QLD against top teams.

Actually, have very few issues with the EF great game. (Issues: some questionanle umpiring, selection of Petch and Ah Chee, and goal-kicking). Other than that, was an excellent game.

I’m talking specifically about the first hub, where we lost the season. Are you saying we played competitively in the first hub?... really?! There were also a few other games where we somehow fell over the line. Didn’t exactly look like world beaters the majority of the season, no matter how much blind loyalty you have.

So make a thread saying “Adam Simpson mismanaged the hub” or “the hub cost us or season”.

If you’re complaining about the hub, do it. You won’t get much, if any, pushback from any Eagles fan I wouldn’t have thought. We were s**t and those losses ****ed our chance at top four, which is crucial to us going deeper into the finals. We closed the season 11-2, not really sure what much more you can do than that. The 1-3 start killed us, no arguments. But honestly what more can we do than 11-2 after that?

To extrapolate that we didn’t navigate a once in a lifetime hub scenario during a pandemic, into “Adam Simpson will never win a flag” is a huge leap.

He might. He might not. But give some suggestions or make some criticisms that aren’t entirely contradictory and the discussion can be had.

Not ruthless. But give farewell games please.
Plays Brander too much, but please develop Brander.
Won’t win us a flag, but let’s keep him even though we need to be ruthless.

We were s**t in the hub. Adam Simpson is an outstanding coach. Winning flags is hard. Setting the bar at dynasty or bust is laughable. All of those things can be true at once.

 

[javaguice]

No, I don’t ever think it’s a good decision to play a third choice KPD as a forward pocket. It’s a baffling call.

What it doesn’t do is eliminate everything that Adam Simpson has done.

You’re saying “some people are happy to ride 2018” whilst wanting to string him up for one player selection in an eight goal loss from four years ago.

He’s won more than any other coach, though it seems win numbers don’t matter unless you also win the flag. But also that elimination final four years ago, which one player would have solved, would have got us one week further into the season and then what? We lose the semi, you’d complain. We lose the prelim, you’d complain. What difference does when you get knocked out make when you’re setting the bar at flag or bust.

You can’t win the flag every year, and that’s actually ok. You can want to win it every year, but if your expectation is a flag every year then you’re in the wrong business.

Thats 100% correct.

We all watch for different reasons.

I am a bit of a ruthless supporter who wants to win every game of every season.

If we lose I like to consider why and what we could have done differently. Its completely separate to Simmo making the decisions and being the one to live with the consequences.... I just sit here in hindsight and pot holes in anything that I think didn't work.

Dont get me wrong, Simmo is a great coach - not without flaws. I would rather have him than ANY other coach.

Im in the camp that thinks we need a head kicker assistant - to get the best out of the squad. Simmo cant be all things to all players.

Its just such a frustrating period because we have a list thats capable of winning it all. Its not like Simmo is the only coach to take risks and make selections that not everyone agrres with.

He just has to cop it from air chair critics like me if he doesnt pull it off....every year.

 

[Hell Yeoh]

There’s a different between being content and being unrealistic. Hunger is good. Complete lack of perspective is bad.

Always be competitive? We’ve won 65% of our games under Simmo. We had the longest win streak in footy this year. We’ve made two Grand Finals with two fairly different groups, and won one.

We’re such a spoiled fan base that our only “reasonable” thing to complain about is not winning more flags, despite the fact that we’ve won the second most in the AFL era. We’ve made more finals than anyone, won an absurd number of games, but because we aren’t ruling the league with an iron fist it must show that the club don’t want it badly enough. That’s got to be it.

I wish we’d win the flag every year but it’s just not possible. Throwing the toys out of the cot because we’ve “only” won a flag and the most games in the league under Simpson is embarrassing.

And circling back to the salient point here - you want Simmo to be ruthless, yet you’re annoyed we didn’t give veterans a farewell game. You want Simmo to be ruthless, yet you don’t want him sacked whilst saying he’s not ever going to win another flag. So what does ruthless look like to you?

- Agree with the majority of what you say here.

- Agree that we are an extremely spoiled fanbase.

- Agree that Simmo has done really well so far.


Still stand by he will not win us another flag. At least not with his current Strategy that has become too predictable and easily picked apart by opposition. (Purely from a last two years standpoint). It was obviously working well before and served us well, got as a flag, but the competition has adjusted since then, against us.

We need to adjust too. We saw the change (teams adjusting against us) last year, and still did nothing to counter that this year. You’d probably have called us adjusting this year a knee-jerk reaction. Yet here we are, finishing 7th with the best midfield on paper, great backline, and fairly reasonable forward structure (still missing smalls).



Ruthless to me = a bad cop assistant. All good for Simmo to be good cop and lateral thinker guy. That’s needed too. But seldom succeeds on its own.

 

[javaguice]

fu** sake we’re back to the absolutism.

Mitch Brown in a forward pocket cost us the 2016 flag which would have been the first of a five-peat. If you disagree you clearly think it was a genius selection.

There can’t possibly be an in-between position where you think it was a stinker but ultimately not the difference between winning and losing a game.

LOL - take 10 deep breathes mate.

 

[garlic munchers]

Not winning another premiership with Simpson should be the odds on favourite.

Reason being the current list looking more on the well done side of medium.

Pull out a free agent coup this year, get a fit Rioli back pre finals and I'll change my vote.

P.S. Nothing like circling the the wagons around Simpson after many lambasted him on Saturday after the game.

 

[javaguice]

All I want is a 3-peat like Hawthorn . Is that too much to ask?

 

[Hell Yeoh]

So make a thread saying “Adam Simpson mismanaged the hub” or “the hub cost us or season”.

If you’re complaining about the hub, do it. You won’t get much, if any, pushback from any Eagles fan I wouldn’t have thought. We were sh*t and those losses f’ed our chance at top four, which is crucial to us going deeper into the finals. We closed the season 11-2, not really sure what much more you can do than that. The 1-3 start killed us, no arguments. But honestly what more can we do than 11-2 after that?

To extrapolate that we didn’t navigate a once in a lifetime hub scenario during a pandemic, into “Adam Simpson will never win a flag” is a huge leap.

He might. He might not. But give some suggestions or make some criticisms that aren’t entirely contradictory and the discussion can be had.

Not ruthless. But give farewell games please.
Plays Brander too much, but please develop Brander.
Won’t win us a flag, but let’s keep him even though we need to be ruthless.

We were sh*t in the hub. Adam Simpson is an outstanding coach. Winning flags is hard. Setting the bar at dynasty or bust is laughable. All of those things can be true at once.

Please develop Brander is posted under changes we want to see for 2021. So yeah, develop him, or free up the space.

Certainly no “dynasty or bust” mentality by me. But can you honestly objectively look at our list and say we have achieved to our full potential in 2019 and 2020?

 

[Miguel Sanchez]

- Agree with the majority of what you say here.

- Agree that we are an extremely spoiled fanbase.

- Agree that Simmo has done really well so far.


Still stand by he will not win us another flag. At least not with his current Strategy that has become too predictable and easily picked apart by opposition. (Purely from a last two years standpoint). It was obviously working well before and served us well, got as a flag, but the competition has adjusted since then, against us.

We need to adjust too. We saw the change (teams adjusting against us) last year, and still did nothing to counter that this year. You’d probably have called us adjusting this year a knee-jerk reaction. Yet here we are, finishing 7th with the best midfield on paper, great backline, and fairly reasonable forward structure (still missing smalls).



Ruthless to me = a bad cop assistant. All good for Simmo to be good cop and lateral thinker guy. That’s needed too. But seldom succeeds on its own.

You still haven’t worked out that you started a thread on the basis of, and keep arguing for, Simmo never winning another flag, but your arguments make clear that it’s the appointment of a “ruthless” assistant that will be the difference.

 

[Tugga27]

Lol. This thread has zero to do with the EF. I’ve said previously even if we made it past Pies, we wouldn’t have fared well in QLD against top teams.

Actually, have very few issues with the EF great game. (Issues: some questionanle umpiring, selection of Petch and Ah Chee, and goal-kicking). Other than that, was an excellent game.

I’m talking specifically about the first hub, where we lost the season. Are you saying we played competitively in the first hub?... really?! There were also a few other games where we somehow fell over the line. Didn’t exactly look like world beaters the majority of the season, no matter how much blind loyalty you have.

Call me crazy, but having a 65% win/loss record under Simmo and finishing 5th for the last two years, I'd suggest could be classed as being competitive.

I know it's not what you want to hear but it's true.