Ben Rutten - Back to the grindstone (Part 2)

[Heffsgirl]

Truck has specifically said this handball backwards nonsense is not what they are being coached to do. So why the hell are they continually doing it.

[Drapersmullet]

because they’re not running and holding structure, so where they should be handballing it has no Essendon players there

it’s discipline

[child_of_93]

Because they want to avoid the tackle. They’re soft, let’s be honest. Most of the team is way undersized, they’re protecting their bodies

[SeddonBomber]

Spot on.

Rutten is implicated by his role as a senior in what is a much bigger issue. These are the areas that the club needs to tidy up. Xavier is a CFO, not a CEO. And recruiting is a farking mess. Which Head of Recruitment survives when 3 of its 4 trade-in players are either not playing or have left the club? None do, but somehow at Essendon, they do. It’s actually an embarrassment.

[chogby]

@Heffsgirl

Truck has specifically said this handball backwards nonsense is not what they are being coached to do. So why the hell are they continually doing it.

Our players lack connection, so when we’re moving the ball forward and getting as many numbers forward as possible, we put our defense under pressure when the ball is turned over. Now they’re scared and don’t move forward fast enough and have nobody to play the ball forward to, so go backwards.

That’s just my perception anyway.

[Heffsgirl]

Thanks all for the responses.

[barnz]

also forgot the simple

‘cos fk u thats why’

[Heffsgirl]

Isn’t Caracella responsible for this? He isn’t stupid so why is ball movement so bad - are our players so undiscovered that a successful assistant coach can’t get the structures working?

[is_good_is_don]

@wimmera1

Forgive me, but I’m not taking any notice of match-up and gameplan strategy from the AFL’s gossip columnist.

I was waiting for this.

“Rival midfields know…” Ralph’s not providing his opinion on gameplan strategy, he’s reporting what is being said.

And yes, I know - all journos lie, blah, blah…

He doesn’t need to make this one up - it’s well-known.

[barnz]

and some how we won the game he coached?

SABOTAGE?

[chogby]

Still the only game we’ve won this season is when Caracella coached us. Rutten has to hate that.

[IceTemple]

@Drapersmullet

because they’re not running and holding structure, so where they should be handballing it has no Essendon players there

it’s discipline

It is interesting when you watch the other teams, especially the leading clubs. They often don’t handball to a team mate, they handball to a position, or they kick to position. They trust and believe someone will be getting there because that is what they are trained to do. That was especially evident with the strong Cats side under Bomber and Dawks under Clarkson.

[wimmera1]

Uh-huh.
Other club’s players are coming up to the forehead and saying, let me tell you about Essendon’s midfield…
They’re soft.
You can just push them over.
Anyway, have a good day.

[Paul_Peos]

Here’s an interesting stat:

We are ranked 4th in the league for marks inside 50. The top 5 teams in this stat are the current top 4 teams on the ladder, and us.

But we are ranked 16th for shots on goal.

[andrewb]

@SeddonBomber

Spot on.

Rutten is implicated by his role as a senior in what is a much bigger issue. These are the areas that the club needs to tidy up. Xavier is a CFO, not a CEO. And recruiting is a farking mess. Which Head of Recruitment survives when 3 of its 4 trade-in players are either not playing or have left the club? None do, but somehow at Essendon, they do. It’s actually an embarrassment.

I’d say Xavier’s ceiling is CMO… which is arguably worse

[Odoyle]

Getting no run/overlap, crumbing or shots from general play

[andrewb]

@Paul_Peos

Here’s an interesting stat:

We are ranked 4th in the league for marks inside 50. The top 5 teams in this stat are the current top 4 teams on the ladder, and us.

But we are ranked 16th for shots on goal.

Does… not… compute…

[Marty]

People who watched training in the pre-season have come out several times and said what the status quo is a very long way from what was being worked on in the pre-season but it’s pretty much the exact footy we saw in the 2020 Hubs situation and the elimination final last year.

It’s unstructured, bruise free, and care free.

Where the heck has it all gone wrong and why is it being tolerated?

[is_good_is_don]

@wimmera1

Uh-huh.
Other club’s players are coming up to the forehead and saying, let me tell you about Essendon’s midfield…
They’re soft.
You can just push them over.
Anyway, have a good day.

Uh huh, and Morris was spinning lies when Beveridge got upset… because no clubs talk to journos…

[IceTemple]

@Heffsgirl

Isn’t Caracella responsible for this? He isn’t stupid so why is ball movement so bad - are our players so undiscovered that a successful assistant coach can’t get the structures working?

I think the issue the coaches are facing is that they have been trying to implement a system based structure and game plan yet they find themselves with a group pf players who just cannot seem to make it work for some reason.

It is very clear that we are playing as individuals rather than as a team. I thought our defense last year played quite well as a team, this year it is all individual playing. Our midfield at times looked team based last year (Draper to Parish to Merrett to forward thrust). This year it is back to individual plays, no real syncing together (Draper wins the tap, then has to win the clearance, Parish wins the ball and handpasses it to no one or a stationary player). And our forwards are quite simply all over the shop, getting in each others way, running wrong patterns and hoping like hell 2MP takes a mark while being held and having a 3 on 1.