Ben Rutten - Back to the grindstone (Part 2)

Going on like a broken record but:

  1. Sack Xavier Campbell
  2. Hire a CEO using a proper process
  3. Conduct a transparent review
  4. Implement the findings

Sacking Rutten won’t fix ■■■■

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I’d have thought our coaching crew is as good as any available.

How’s Bomber Thompsons state of mind these days?

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That coaching crew is besmirching itself with every L

Got to have the cattle. The only people who think we do, are Essendon people and mick malthouse… for a few weeks before he saw us play…

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Well if it is cattle he needs to omit a few that aren’t doing what they should be doin and also recruit the right type in the mid season rookie draft.

We have a spot for that right?

I think old mate is on very thing ice over the next couple of months.
If we dont see any improvement and the media keep rightfully pouring it on us, he might not be here at the end of the year.

I only hope that if it does come to that, that he isnt the only one shown the door.
There are worse offenders at the club right now then Ben.

Not unless someone is put on the long term injury list. We had two list spots spare and used them on Wanga (of course) and Martin (thankfully).

If the planets align, I can see us winning one more game this year.

However things need to go well from now on.

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This club (X and Brasher) don’t have the balls to sack Rutten this year. It’ll be round 18 next year and we’ll have just lost to West Coast or GC at Marvel sitting 16th on the ladder

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I’m looking forward to the bye round.

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It’s not good. There were things that the team showed and did early to mid last year that actually looked like change from the 20 year malaise. It looked different. Fostered some actual hope, and I enjoyed that period of football more than I have for an age. But then late in the season it faded, players were rushed back, and on reflection our finals performance was a harbinger of this season.

We simply can not do a number of basic things that other AFL teams do.

What truly boggles my mind is we can’t even regularly get the structure and execution right on the simplest play of all - kicking long down the line on a slow play. Not winning the ball I mean, just the basics of setting it up to give yourself the best chance. It’s another form of the CHF-Alwyn Davey joke.

We are still a 90s team. Damien Hardwick publicly warned the club about the the tactical divide between Port and Essendon when he arrived at his new home, and the divide has never been bridged. A little while after that I think Sheedy made a comment about not liking the modern game plans.

Stars are the only way we win games, we don’t have team wins. It used to be Lloyd, Lucas, and Hird. Good enough to win quite a few. Now Stringer can do it… but really he’s a symptom of the malaise, his conditioning is unacceptably poor for a professional athlete, but we allow it because we might win the odd game if we let it slide.

We are Gold Coast with a history. St Kilda in the 80s. Take your pick.

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Pragmatically that would be Hurls.
But they really want him to get back on the field.

Imagine our players playing with the discipline of Sydney.

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Haven’t seen yesterday’s game due to family commitments but saw the post game presser and dissected the stats but I find it interesting that Rutten says the team has been inconsistent yet when some of the key measures have been VERY consistent but not in a good way. The pressure rating fell again yesterday, we conceded the most points from D50 turnovers (50 points!!) of any team in the competition this year, lost the inside 50 count by 27(!!), poor skill execution by turnover (over handballing due to pressure) and again conceded 100 points. We are the worst team in the competition without the ball. He referenced some players missing like Jones in his press conference which is a fact, the forward line has copped it most without Walla & Snelling in particular but that must result in a tightening up of defensive structures but that hasn’t happened at any stage this season. It’s a worrying trend. If we are to be a finals team at any stage we need to bring the defensive side of the game. Our pressure is next to non existent and the way teams move the ball at will from end to end and switch play is a real concern. We won’t get out of the bottom four if that continues. The most disappointing part is that this is consistent through 7 games which is near on a third of the season so it’s a trend of a decent sample size, not a poor fortnight or month. It is on the coach and his assistants to get the required buy in and execution of the game plan. They’re failing miserably at this point. I’m certain this isn’t what they want it to look like but it must change and this lack of change is further cause for concern. The season is gone as far as finals goes but there’s still much to be extracted if they plan and execute with purpose. Can he/they do that? The jury is out for mine.

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I reckon the jury have returned their verdict already.
Just need the sentence delivered.

We never hire a coach who’s all about

  • contested footy
  • applying manic forward pressure
  • locking the ball in our forward half
  • forcing turn overs on a transition

Always stuck with coaches who like to use crap zones

I didn’t watch the presser but he had a smirk on his face in the thumbnail.

Essendon players have been “spooked” by early season smackings after entering 2022 full of hope according to former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley.

The Bombers are spiralling with a 1-6 record after the opening seven games after a 32-point loss to the Western Bulldogs on Sunday, with their only victory coming against Adelaide by just four points.

Buckley, who stepped down as Collingwood coach midway through 2021, thinks losing to premiership contenders Geelong, Melbourne and Brisbane in the opening three rounds rocked the hopeful Essendon players, who were expected to build on making the finals in 2021.

As the losses compounded, Buckley said the Bombers had become “too easy to play against” and the players were “fractured” on field.

“I’m seeing a side that are a bit spooked by their really tough start to the year. They played three of the best sides in the comp – they played Brisbane, they played Melbourne and they got smacked,” Buckley said on Monday.

“I reckon you’re seeing the fruits of a full pre-season and a bit of confidence going in and then just getting whacked and then not being able to cope with the reality of what they faced.

“That’s an excuse, but I think it’s something that’s there in them because what I’m seeing is a group that are fractured on-field.

“They’re not playing with any synergy, they don’t value defence, and I think every one of the good sides in the comp value defence.”

Buckley said the Essendon players were failing in a keep component of playing finals level football.

There’s not enough pressure on the ball so the ball moves quickly and puts their defence under pressure,” Buckley told SEN

“The second reason their defence is under pressure is because their midfielders and high half forwards aren’t getting back to clog space and to support their back six.

“There’s not enough focus on defensive intent.

“When one or two or three decide that I won’t work quite as hard in that phase of the game, it makes a massive impact.”

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Just watched the presser. Outside of the fact that he laughed on a couple of occasions at the questions. All it was ‘lack consistency’ ‘inconsistent’ ‘need to be more consistent’. Um from what I see inconsistency is not the issue, as everything has been consistently terrible.

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293 days since Essendon has won under Rutten.