Essendon Coach

[Thiele]

knee

[Dutchy]

as predicted Bombers get smashed, Collingwood off a 6 day break, Bombers should have put up a fight....they are no good, like their coach...

[hearts on fire]

Essendon are finished for the year, they started off strong against the Roos but now the injuries have caught up with them and they can not
sustain that game style week in week out.

[brod]

Add another injury..Fletcher with a groin, how severe ?

[Booney]

All out attack does not work very well when you have a feeble defence.

Calling all Knights backers to the woodwork,only to be exposed in the coming months.

[Dirko]

Spoke to a good mate who is a Don's man at the Dawn Service yeaterday, and I told him the Bombers will be in REAL strife in a year or two..

No LLoyd, Lucas, Michael, Fletcher & Johnson...

Knights said he could make the finals with the list, where as Hardwick sold the rebuild youth thing...Will be interesting to see how the Bombers faithful go

[smac]

I'm still backing him, the players have shown some positives this season. Regardless of what Knights is reputed to have said to get the job, it was never going to be one of our better years.

[NO-MERCY]

Agree smac, any side that loses the quality of players like Essendon has will struggle.
A testing time for the young with so many experienced players sidelined.
Regardless of what Hardwick's plan was, Knight's has gone with youth & is rebuilding aswell.
It may well be out of their range (FINALS) in 2008, its understandable as mentioned above.
I wouldn't go as far as blaming Knights, only if you have it in for him!

[JK]

Yeah I reckon you're on the money there NM ... As a neutral observer, I reckon Essendon are on the right path and most likely would have made further strides in their re-build this year if not for the long injury list they have at the moment.

[McAlmanac]

No LLoyd, Lucas, Michael, Fletcher & Johnson...

Johnson is finished.

[hearts on fire]

No LLoyd, Lucas, Michael, Fletcher & Johnson...

Johnson is finished.

So is Lloyd.

[locky801]

No LLoyd, Lucas, Michael, Fletcher & Johnson...

Johnson is finished.

So is Lloyd.

Put the Lloyd down to the biggest statement of the season so far

[the joker]

very very long year for Matty Knights now!!!. Damian Hardwick wanted the job and wanted to cut players last year and knights said their list was in the top 5 of the afl!!! Courtney Johns should have been back in SA playing SANFL this year.

[Adelaide Hawk]

very very long year for Matty Knights now!!!. Damian Hardwick wanted the job and wanted to cut players last year and knights said their list was in the top 5 of the afl!!! Courtney Johns should have been back in SA playing SANFL this year.

Absolutely correct. Damien Hardwick realised what an ordinary list Essendon had and the "short term pain for long term gain" strategy for success. The Essendon board, who were so used to taking the easy options by just cruising along with Sheedy for 27 years. didn't want to hear it. Along comes "All is well" Matthew Knights and they fell in love with him.

Essendon supporters never like to hear me say this, but they only have themselves to blame for they situation they are in. Sheedy coached way too long and left them with one of the most ordinary player lists in the AFL. He treated Essendon like a lab experiment in the latter years, trying to discover odd new ways to have the media gushing over what an innovator he is.

As for Courtney Johns, I can't remember seeing a more ordinary footballer at AFL level. He was another one of Sheedy's "lab experiments".

[Dutchy]

As for Courtney Johns, I can't remember seeing a more ordinary footballer at AFL level. He was another one of Sheedy's "lab experiments".

He is a shocker, about the only player who could contend with Leigh Brown and Eddie Sansbury as worst players on AFL lists....

[wobbly knees]

"""""""Sheedy coached way too long and left them with one of the most ordinary player lists in the AFL""""""""

what a load of crap u should check out Melbourne's list then nothing to right home about there full of has beens and wonna bee's

[Psyber]

"""""""Sheedy coached way too long and left them with one of the most ordinary player lists in the AFL""""""""

What a load of crap! You should check out Melbourne's list. They're nothing to write home about. They're full of has beens and 'wonna-bes".

I think this is a correct translation of what you tried to say - forgive me if I didn't decipher quite accurately.
That may be true of Melbourne, but, logically, that doesn't make it untrue of Essendon. So, it doesn't make the previous statement "crap".
Many AFL clubs try to live on past glories and keep their worn out "stars" too long. The players tend to keep going beyond their physical capacity because of the big money they are offered.

[McAlmanac]

very very long year for Matty Knights now!!!. Damian Hardwick wanted the job and wanted to cut players last year and knights said their list was in the top 5 of the afl!!! Courtney Johns should have been back in SA playing SANFL this year.

Absolutely correct. Damien Hardwick realised what an ordinary list Essendon had and the "short term pain for long term gain" strategy for success. The Essendon board, who were so used to taking the easy options by just cruising along with Sheedy for 27 years. didn't want to hear it. Along comes "All is well" Matthew Knights and they fell in love with him.

Essendon supporters never like to hear me say this, but they only have themselves to blame for they situation they are in. Sheedy coached way too long and left them with one of the most ordinary player lists in the AFL. He treated Essendon like a lab experiment in the latter years, trying to discover odd new ways to have the media gushing over what an innovator he is.

As for Courtney Johns, I can't remember seeing a more ordinary footballer at AFL level. He was another one of Sheedy's "lab experiments".

You, sir, are even more absolutely correct, particularly re Kevin Sheedy. He got away with minimal scrutiny for many years. Interesting feature on Jason Laycock a few weeks back in the Herald Sun where he said that you could certainly approach Sheedy but couldn't really tell him what was on your mind.

The 70's are back at Windy Hill.

[SCD]

I went to the Telstra Dome with a couple of Port mates over from Adelaide yesterday and was actually supporting Port (When the money's on )

All three of us walked away knowing Port had played well - but we all agreed that West Adelaide could have beaten Essendon yesterday, they were an absolute joke with their skill level and use of handball was just laughable to watch.

Essendon has a list strong enough to win only 3-4 games this year and need to rebuild. There is a lack of accountability, skill or ability to get it out of their own half. If M Knights persists with this style of play, they will be lucky to win another game - because they are just terrible!!

[Dutchy]

Essendons last 6 games, points conceeded, AFL Average is 100 -

150
134
128
123
154
158

Good game plan knights