Brendan McCartney on the couch Monday

[Bumper Bulldogs]

Re: Brendan McCartney on the couch Monday

I have no doubt he's a great developer of people, but his tactical nous has been shown up more than once this year, and we are definitely the side getting 'sucker punched', by little moves by opposition coaches here and there, the most out of any team I've watched in 2012. We give up a lot of goals just by being a bit naive in our approach to the game, and I think the coach has a lot to do with that.

I agree here, look no further than the side selection, Wet, cold, small ground, hard inside team.....Let's play the tall and leave Smith home.

Ok we got jumped the first quarter, get the boys goal side of their player.

Shaw had a day out, status quo

Sounds like the StKilda game. I didn't see enough change on the day to suggest that he has a back up plan.

I don't like the development line ether when we rotate the young guys in and out. If we are developing these kids just say that they will get 4 consecutive games and let them play.

[azabob]

Re: Brendan McCartney on the couch Monday

I agree here, look no further than the side selection, Wet, cold, small ground, hard inside team.....Let's play the tall and leave Smith home.

Sydney played just as tall as us, if not more so.

Team selection did not lose us this game.

[LongWait]

Re: Brendan McCartney on the couch Monday

I can't believe that some on here, who no doubt have never had a conversation with McCartney about anything at all, much less about game tactics, are willing to pot him for not being "canny" or tactically astute. And this after less than a dozen games as coach.

[SlimPickens]

Re: Brendan McCartney on the couch Monday

Yes, that from a teacher. In my work, I don't speak with any authority on topics I have little or no experience in. I don't coach athletics because I can't run (oh, and I hate it), I don't teach singing because I can't sing.

Just to clarify, are you suggesting that McCartney can't coach with authority because he has never played at AFL level?

Fairly simplistic view, if that's the case.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Brendan McCartney on the couch Monday

Just to clarify, are you suggesting that McCartney can't coach with authority because he has never played at AFL level?

Fairly simplistic view, if that's the case.

The suggestion is teachers know everything.

For the thousandth time coaching isn't playing.

[SlimPickens]

Re: Brendan McCartney on the couch Monday

The suggestion is teachers know everything.

For the thousandth time coaching isn't playing.

Completely agree, can’t fathom how people can suggest that because he hasn't played at the highest level doesn't mean he has the opportunity to be a successful coach and to suggest he can't speak with authority is just ludicrous.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Brendan McCartney on the couch Monday

I can't believe that some on here, who no doubt have never had a conversation with McCartney about anything at all, much less about game tactics, are willing to pot him for not being "canny" or tactically astute. And this after less than a dozen games as coach.

Why are you being so sensitive on Macca's behalf? I'm sure he hears far harsher criticism on a daily basis.

For the record, no one is 'potting' anyone. I've voiced an opinion, backed it up, and also openly admitted that I may be well wrong (and no one would be happier than me if I was -- I've openly admitted to making wrong calls in the past on various players and been happy about it). I've also said that tactics are not the 'be all and end all' in football. In other words, a balanced opinion, I believe.

If you are distressed by balanced opinions perhaps an open forum is not a place you should frequent.

ps. One should also not make assumptions about who has or has not had conversations with Macca about anything.

[LongWait]

Re: Brendan McCartney on the couch Monday

Why are you being so sensitive on Macca's behalf? I'm sure he hears far harsher criticism on a daily basis.

I'm not being sensitive on Macca's behalf. I was critical on this forum about the lack of progress by the coaching staff in quickly teaching positioning at stoppages and around the ground. You, on the other hand, questioned the man's intelligence, which goes beyond a judgement about performance.

Consider this: if a colleague criticises your performance in some aspect of your work ,you might take it somewhat personally but it usually is not a reflection on you as a person. When someone questions your intelligence or your acuity, it is hard not to take this very personally and to get upset or offended.

Maybe you meant to criticise the coaches' tactics, or what you perceive as his slowness to respond to the tactical ploys of opposition coaches? If so, the person receiving the criticism has some room to offer explanations, or to take the criticism on board. By questioning the "canniness" of the coach you are talking about him as a person and not just his performance. I bet it is not the type of thing you would say to Macca in person. Why? Because it is personal and offensive.

[Ghost Dog]

Re: Brendan McCartney on the couch Monday

I like Bmac as a person. Respect how he treats people. But I'm really concerned about our losses to St Kilda and then Sydney. Ok, fair enough, MAYBE the Swans loss was a Darwin hangover, as others have suggested. However, one can't escape the fact that we were just awful against the Swans. Pitiful. You have to relate that to coaching errors. He is going to make errors as he is a new coach. It's totally different from being an assistant. But he will learn, and while not shying away from criticising his decisions, I wait eagerly to see if the things he says transfer to the next game.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Brendan McCartney on the couch Monday

Maybe you meant to criticise the coaches' tactics, or what you perceive as his slowness to respond to the tactical ploys of opposition coaches? If so, the person receiving the criticism has some room to offer explanations, or to take the criticism on board. By questioning the "canniness" of the coach you are talking about him as a person and not just his performance. I bet it is not the type of thing you would say to Macca in person. Why? Because it is personal and offensive.

If you find 'lack of canniness' offensive, I apologise. I thought it was a relatively harmless off-hand comment, and certainly didn't mean it in a personal/offensive manner (as I meant it purely from a tactical perspective -- I was quite clear that I believe that he has great strengths as well), but I know that everyone has different standards in terms of language usage and it's easy for different people to react to different words differently, especially with a relatively 'old school' word like 'canny'.

Thanks for explaining it as well as you have, and again, if I caused offence, I apologise.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Brendan McCartney on the couch Monday

I remain baffled though by talk about lacking mid-sized forwards both by McCartney and on this thread. Didn't we play THREE of them on the weekend - Gia, Higgins and Dickson? And couldn't your argue we played FIVE (add Veszpremi and Murphy who also went down there to the list). And didn't a SIXTH (Skinner) travel? And yet another - Sherman - get dropped?

This.

I immediately thought of Dickson, Murph and Vez when I heard that comment.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Brendan McCartney on the couch Monday

I can't believe that some on here, who no doubt have never had a conversation with McCartney about anything at all, much less about game tactics, are willing to pot him for not being "canny" or tactically astute. And this after less than a dozen games as coach.

Some on here really know their stuff, and I think their opinions and subsequent respect for those opinions reflects that knowledge, but for every well balanced and well thought out argument there's a nitwit raving on that we should sack the coach after a few games and play every single out-of-form player off the half back flank.

[Sockeye Salmon]

Re: Brendan McCartney on the couch Monday

This.

I immediately thought of Dickson, Murph and Vez when I heard that comment.

Isn't Grant a mid-sized forward who can mark, crumb and kick goals?

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Re: Brendan McCartney on the couch Monday

Isn't Grant a mid-sized forward who can mark, crumb and kick goals?

He's the one I thought of first, along with Higgins and co.

[azabob]

Re: Brendan McCartney on the couch Monday

I like Bmac as a person. Respect how he treats people. But I'm really concerned about our losses to St Kilda and then Sydney. Ok, fair enough, MAYBE the Swans loss was a Darwin hangover, as others have suggested. However, one can't escape the fact that we were just awful against the Swans. Pitiful. You have to relate that to coaching errors. He is going to make errors as he is a new coach. It's totally different from being an assistant. But he will learn, and while not shying away from criticising his decisions, I wait eagerly to see if the things he says transfer to the next game.

As a club we had 2-3 of theses types of loses under Eade each year also. Sometimes the coach can only do so much.