Sharp Axes

[Vred]

If he had any dignity he'd step aside at this point, I cannot be the only one who see's the writing on the wall at this point.

[angelopetraglia]

If he had any dignity he'd step aside at this point, I cannot be the only one who see's the writing on the wall at this point.

Do you really think with the list as it is at the moment that anyone else is going to be doing much better? I'm not too sure about that. We have some serious imbalances. No young mids except for Bailey Smith who is having issues. Still lack classy key defenders. Marra and Darcy are still kids. We also lack a small forward with serious pace and crumbing ability and also a classy midfielder who has pace.

There are a lot of obvious gaps in this list.

[GVGjr]

Do you really think with the list as it is at the moment that anyone else is going to be doing much better? I'm not too sure about that. We have some serious imbalances. No young mids except for Bailey Smith who is having issues. Still lack classy key defenders. Marra and Darcy are still kids. We also lack a small forward with serious pace and crumbing ability and also a classy midfielder who has pace.

There are a lot of obvious gaps in this list.

While I agree with most of what you have said this is one of the aspects of list management discussions I find frustrating.
At the end of the season during the trade period or at the draft when anyone suggests we should have cut into the list a bit deeper it's normally shot down as the club has got it right. When we get to the pointy end of the season and we aren't quite measuring up then the list isn't right or imbalanced.

We recruited bookend mature players from other clubs and moved on some under-performing types and lost a B&F winner. This gives me the impression that the club rated the playing list and felt that adding a key defender and a forward coming off his best goal kicking season and who happens to have some decent ruck skills could really help our list along. Now it was working with the Jones addition until his unlucky injury and it hasn't quite worked with Lobb but there is no harm in targeting players the way we did.

Where we continually miss the mark is hanging on to players with a marginal talent level for a year or two too long.

Make no mistake, the coaches rated this list and we recruited just 3 players from the National draft. Sure we added Baker, O'Donnell and Poulter but from the clubs perspective they had a high level of confidence in our playing list at the end of last year.

[Vred]

Do you really think with the list as it is at the moment that anyone else is going to be doing much better? I'm not too sure about that. We have some serious imbalances. No young mids except for Bailey Smith who is having issues. Still lack classy key defenders. Marra and Darcy are still kids. We also lack a small forward with serious pace and crumbing ability and also a classy midfielder who has pace.

There are a lot of obvious gaps in this list.

Every list has holes, problems, medicore players, that's just the nature of list management. We have more mids than just Smith that are young (West, Garcia) but yes it's an area of concern we need to draft/recruit into.

Yes, I do think a breath of fresh air in the coaching ranks would do us wonder. Only need to look at Collingwood and Essendon to see what new coaching ideas can do to mediocre lists.

[GVGjr]

If he had any dignity he'd step aside at this point, I cannot be the only one who see's the writing on the wall at this point.

Look you're not the only one seeing what you see and reading the tea leafs the way you are but I don't think many would agree that Bevo should step aside, well I certainly don't.

We've got some challenges and we aren't meeting expectations. Having the coach stepping aside doesn't change that in fact it probably makes things worse.

[jeemak]

To suggest that if Bevo doesn't step aside he lacks dignity is probably one of the bigger claims I've read on this board for a while.

He's coached the club 200 games, has the highest win percentage, has a flag and a runners up. Let's keep it real.

[angelopetraglia]

Every list has holes, problems, medicore players, that's just the nature of list management. We have more mids than just Smith that are young (West, Garcia) but yes it's an area of concern we need to draft/recruit into.

Yes, I do think a breath of fresh air in the coaching ranks would do us wonder. Only need to look at Collingwood and Essendon to see what new coaching ideas can do to mediocre lists.

West and Garcia have not showed that they have the talent to play through the middle. West can't even dominate at VFL level.

For every McCrae at Collingwood (way too early to say anything about Essendon yet) you have a Teague or Voss at Carlton. Even Lyon at StKilda is now looking very similar to where they were with Ratten.

Though, your point is valid. A new coach may freshen things up. But you could also use the Port example. Look at what Hinkley is doing after going through a similar path to Bevo without the Premiership or a GF appearance. Hinkley is now 230 games into his career at Port without a GF appearance and they look reborn. No coincidence that he has some young and upcoming midfield talent at his disposal with a blend of toughness and experience.

I look at other coaches. Who is going to be a step up from Bevo?

McRae. Maybe. Still unproven in September.
Hinkley. Maybe. Not sold on it.
Fagan. Don't think so. Keep failing in September.
Goodwin. Maybe. But don't think he is a genius. Their list is great.
B Scott. Still unproven. Didn't make a GF in a long stint at North.
Lyon. Defensive mastermind. But has never won when it mattered.
C Scott. Yes. I think he has Bevo covered. Great coach.
Nicks. I don't think so.
Longmire. Possibly. He is a very good coach. He has one flag in 13 years. Three GFs.
Voss. Pass.
Hardwick. Could be a step up from Bevo. Very different approach and game plan. His record is great.
Dew. Sacked. Don't think so.
Longmuir. No.
Mitchell. Not sure yet.
Clarkson. Is he cooked now?
Simpson. Maybe. But what a train wreck the Eagles are at the moment.

So it ain't as easy as lets throw Bevo out and all our prayers will be answered. Finding good coaches is hard.

[josie]

Thought provoking post Angelo.

Presuming Hardwick be interested I’d trust him to make tough calls on list and in demanding very good assistants.

I think this year is a write off. I’d also say one of Bevo’s strengths is his loyalty but it’s also his weakness too and has contributed to the club not cutting the list deep enough for pretty much his whole tenure.

Would be interested to see who woofers would vote for in a coaching poll.

I think Buckley would be a good option if Bevo walks and Hardwick decides to coach GC.

[whythelongface]

Thought provoking post Angelo.

Presuming Hardwick be interested I’d trust him to make tough calls on list and in demanding very good assistants.

I think this year is a write off. I’d also say one of Bevo’s strengths is his loyalty but it’s also his weakness too and has contributed to the club not cutting the list deep enough for pretty much his whole tenure.

Would be interested to see who woofers would vote for in a coaching poll.

I think Buckley would be a good option if Bevo walks and Hardwick decides to coach GC.

No thanks to Buckley. No doubt he is a pretty good coach but there is no way he is a better option at Bevo. Don’t think his HR skills are that great. He is probably best at being an analyst and leaving the coaching gig to others.

[Mantis]

West and Garcia have not showed that they have the talent to play through the middle. West can't even dominate at VFL level.

See this type of comment doesn't wash with me.

When both players are in the VFL team they play as midfielders first and forwards as an afterthought, but when in the senior team they can't sniff a spot in the midfield rotation because we go with the same players all the time.

Our 3 main midfielders in Libba, Treloar and Bont all win lots of possessions and clearances, but lots are dirty touches and dirty clearances (hack kicks and handballs) which don’t turn into scores and quite often leads to the opposition scoring because our forwards, bar Naughts don't defend and our 3 mids don't defend. Bont tackles extremely well in close, as does Libba, but their defensive transition work is crap.. and maybe you can cover one of them not defending, but when all 3 do it, well that can't be covered and leaves our middling defensive group exposed to clean ball which they can't handle, especially when Jones who covered over the gaps early doors is missing.

It's time to change up the mix.

[macca]

Bucks might be a good assistant . DIIF him and Bevo did work together during the Pies last premiership?

I agree with the above points on keeping Marginal players for too long. Port ,Collingwod , Hawks and Geelong seem to cut players with poor kicking skills and give them a time limit on their list.

[angelopetraglia]

Bucks might be a good assistant . DIIF him and Bevo did work together during the Pies last premiership?

I agree with the above points on keeping Marginal players for too long. Port ,Collingwod , Hawks and Geelong seem to cut players with poor kicking skills and give them a time limit on their list.

Bucks has an ego that would not allow him to be an assistant.

[azabob]

When the senior job does become available no way, no shape, no form should we take a coach with previous experience. It does not work!

The game plan needs a refresh to suit our list.

Due to our lack of skills our game plan is slow, is boring and is extremely safe. This invites pressure and we a very susceptible to turn overs, which then allows teams to quickly sling shot from one end of the ground to the other.

If Bevo can show he wants to change his game plan and willing to move a star or two on we should back him in.

[bulldogtragic]

When the senior job does become available no way, no shape, no form should we take a coach with previous experience. It does not work!

The game plan needs a refresh to suit our list.

Due to our lack of skills our game plan is slow, is boring and is extremely safe. This invites pressure and we a very susceptible to turn overs, which then allows teams to quickly sling shot from one end of the ground to the other.

If Bevo can show he wants to change his game plan and willing to move a star or two on we should back him in.

Master People Manager David Brent sums this up: “a good idea, is a good idea forever”

[SonofScray]

When the senior job does become available no way, no shape, no form should we take a coach with previous experience. It does not work!

The game plan needs a refresh to suit our list.

Due to our lack of skills our game plan is slow, is boring and is extremely safe. This invites pressure and we a very susceptible to turn overs, which then allows teams to quickly sling shot from one end of the ground to the other.

If Bevo can show he wants to change his game plan and willing to move a star or two on we should back him in.

I don’t think we should back Bevo in. The guy is bereft of ideas and is squandering this iteration of the playing group’s talent.

The game plan has catastrophic flaws, for a so called master mind emotionally, he’s putting out a team that plays with no joy in their footy, it’s all rote repetitious, laborious footy where we never learn anything new.

He’s finished and has been for ages. The axe has been sharp for a while now and it’s just a fact that no one’s been brave enough to pick it up.