Ben Rutten - Back to the grindstone (Part 2)

[jonovdp]

Langford even said in his interview on the club website that they changed the game plan.

[IceTemple]

@jonovdp

Personally I’d prefer the short term pain, so we can learn a game plan that will eventually win us a premiership.

Even If that means we finish last.

The game plan we had in place wasn’t going to win anything either. You make it seem like it would.

[Klawdy]

Possibly win a wooden spoon.

[efc1robbo]

No matter what I think about his tactics or game plan or coaching. One thing is clear- the players do play for him

[Rom]

I think they are playing for each other and have had enough of being ■■■■.

[westozziebomber]

@Blakey

We didn’t change the game plan against the Lions, it was the same ■■■■ gameplan, they just weren’t good enough to capitalise on it!

quote, kyle langford yesterday

“we’ve changed parts of our defence and offence, and a few structural changes”

aka - the gameplan has changed

im sure thats not enough evidence for the people who believe its the same gameplan, but we are just “better” at it

[stir_fried_ewok]

Having an argument about our game plan is like having an argument as to whether scarjo would make a good wife or not. How would we know?

The idea that we have thrown away a plan that we have spent multiple preseasons learning is as unlikely as the scenario that the plan is fixed and not modified or developed during the season. We’re not very good at defence so the coaches would try some new ideas and tinker during the week.

The extent of the change is not clear because we don’t have a detailed understanding of the starting point, or whether scarjo is just pretty but not into commitment.

[darkknightpheonix]

@BakerWasAStar

Sorry, but Rutten has completely changed the game plan over the past month in the following ways that include, but not necessarily limited to:

1. Ending the horrific “high defensive press” where our HB backline pressed as high as our F50 regardless of where there HF opponents were at. We saw it in the Carlton game and it raised its ugly head in the Eagles game. We beat the Saints, Swans & Lions by specifically not doing this.

2. Team structure: Rutten has realised you can’t play both Kelly and Heppell in the back 6. Too slow. D’Ambrosio came at the right time and has seen Heppell move to the wing. Also, Rutten realises McGrath is a naturally good small defender. Also, that Hinds plays his best football by running past for the handball. We have gone to never wanting to handball in defence after a mark to always looking for a handball for run and carry. Moving the ball quickly by handball and run has seen us average almost exactly 100 points a game for the past 4 weeks for a 3-1 result versus averaging almost exactly 50 points a game, under the previous style, for a 0-4 result in that 4 week block.

3. Respecting the opposition’s best player - witness Caldwell on Neale from the start versus what happened in Round when Neale single-handedly took the game away from us.

4. Picking a contested ball player in Hobbs on a HF flank over Ham. Ham and/or Cutler, the two worst contested ball players on our list, were regulars…not any more. You can see how poor Ham is in his Q4 against the Lions. Tom Hird or a Menzies would have given us more. The end result is we have contested ball for 4 games straight - something I can’t ever recall us doing in a long time.

Perhaps Rutten got read the riot act. Perhaps he started accepting feedback. Perhaps he realised himself he had to change what was failing. Regardless, I am grateful that these changes have been made but I wouldn’t be extending him just yet.

he hasn’t completely changed the gameplan, as most of your other points allude to, he and the selection committe are picking better suited players to implement it.

the high press of defenders is still in full ■■■■■■■ swing, I can atest to that as I make about 10-20 comments a game in the matchday thread about why the ■■■■ are our HBF’ers ahead of the ball or so high up.

again most of your other points are personal based, not gameplan changes.

[BakerWasAStar]

Sorry, but the high defensive press is now only happening when the opposition HFs push up the ground and our half backs follow them - in contrast to earlier this year.

And personnel changes are aa part of game as are other aspects.

[Tyler]

Just being near an opponent is not playing man on man. There is a clear structure to how our players are set up and spread across the field blocking the dangerous space and ready to intercept. Compare this to how we set up early in the season or to how other teams set up there zone in similar situations. There are plenty of similarities. Im not denying that there have been changes to our gameplan. Ive pointed out plenty of times that we are no longer manning the mark for example and it seems there was a message to our players, particularly our half backs, to take the game on more over the bye. But anyone saying Rutten has completely thrown out his gameplan and resorted to “everyone just man up your direct opponent” is wrong.

[longs93GFgoal]

Game plans these days take multiple years to implement and tweak to get it right and have it second nature to players. We’ve seen the comments from a dees playing about it taking a few years for them to understand it and have it come naturally to them. On top of that I think it was either Shiel or Merrett who suggested about a month back that making finals last year may have masked where they were really at, and that they hadn’t entirely bedded down some of the fundamentals of the game plan before trying to add to it this year.

Therefore I don’t think we’ve dumped the game plan, or discarded any of it in any major fashion, but instead we’ve likely reassessed where we’re at with the implementation of it and have made some minor on-field tweaks based on the players not being as far down the path of being able to play it innately.

[nickers]

Someone get Rob Harding on the horn to settle this gameplan debate.

@CJohns you’re up!

[Nocturnal]

Now there would be a great lunch time catch up podcast, Rob Harding in the evolution of the ESS game plane over 20 years.

[WindsockBoy]

@westozziebomber

we’ve changed parts of our defence and offence, and a few structural changes”

Couple of adjectives in there.
Course for some on here adjectives are for wusses (except for the fark in FarkCarlton.)

[barnz]

Listen to don the stat podcast. Former Essendon analyst talking about the game plan not having wholesale changes

[Fairybread]

@barnz

Listen to don the stat podcast.

I can’t recommend this podcast enough. It is very informative to listen to someone who actually knows what they are talking about and who has real first hand knowledge of the tactics used in modern footy.

[BakerWasAStar]

Sorry, but, by Langford’s own, words Rutten has changed to three things: defence, offence and structure…noting the structural changes may simply result of making changes to defence and offence.

Multiple changes being made does amount to a change in game plan that is pronounced and obvious.

[westozziebomber]

do they know who Karl Amon is

[Go_Team_2.0]

Wouldn’t all teams make changes to their game plan as the year goes on?

[Rom]

Yes but we are the only ones that refuse to change until the season is cooked.