In The Wash Up ...

[auditor]

BOMBER PLAYERS GOT THEIR MAN by Jon Ralph http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/t ... 5912285599


AGENDA Item No. 1 for Essendon's board has been executed: sack the coach.

The second priority for the club should be just as important: tell the players to harden the hell up.

Player discontent certainly played a part in Knights' sacking.

But now that they have their man gone, it is time for the moaning and groaning to stop.

For want of a better word, there are too many sooks at Essendon, and most of them are leaders at the club.

A key group of players never got over the way Matthew Lloyd was shunted out the door.

If Lloyd quickly got over it, they should have too.

While Lloyd was establishing a career as a superb media commentator, they were letting it affect their own form and frame of mind.

That anger towards their coach - who is not blameless - was left to drag on too long at Essendon.

Mark McVeigh is a fine player and a fine leader but neither of those attributes have been on show this year.

Now that the lure of Sydney and playing with his brother is gone, he needs to concentrate only on playing first-class football.

His body language in Round 21 - throwing down a water bottle when benched and staring at the coaching box - just isn't good enough.

There were clear issues with Knights.

When a luminary such as Dustin Fletcher was seen to be upset with some aspects of Knights' game plan, that much is obvious.

Fletcher fell out with him later when they disagreed over tactics in the loss to Carlton, but at least he just keeps performing.

Wih a new coach on board, the excuses for Essendon's players have just about dried up.

Now it's time to deliver.


(Interesting...)

[little_ripper]

farkin mcveigh.

reading between the lines he must hold a bit of influence at windy hill. just got a 2 year deal on the back of a SHITHOUSE year of football by him.

great article. like i have mentioned elsewhere, we need a bloody hard tough coach come into essendon to sort the place out.

[F111]

AGENDA #2.

New coach.

Evans said:

We will begin the process of identifying a new coach over the coming days. It is extremely important that we do this carefully, so we will not be rushed.
We will be in a position to let you know more details of the process to find a new coach in the coming days.

I'm unsure if that means they'll pick and announce over the coming days, or just start the process. "we will not be rushed"? "more details of the process"?

[Windy_Hill]

farkin mcveigh.

reading between the lines he must hold a bit of influence at windy hill. just got a 2 year deal on the back of a SHITHOUSE year of football by him.

great article. like i have mentioned elsewhere, we need a bloody hard tough coach come into essendon to sort the place out.

Lets hope he doesnt mind having his contract terminated halfway - coz if he has any sense of decency, thats what should happen if he fails to perform next year. Hey, if its good enough for Knights, its good enough for McVeigh

[Sismis]

How about a new board with a set of stones? Prerequisite, ability to at the very least, organise a piss up a brewery.

[jimmyc1985]

McVeigh is a shocker. His last two years have been bloody ordinary, and he's done nothing except skulk and sook around feeling sorry for himself. He's all tip and no iceberg, and it's a bloody tragedy that we gave him 2 years. He's exactly the sort of player an uncompromising new coach would immediately ship out.

[Rover 7]

Not surprised senior players were grumbling.Knights treated most of them appallingly from the start.They had earned their stripes.He hadn't: neither as a player or previous coaching record.A couple may have even played against him.
Make no mistake Knights caused huge damage.
The first task of the new coach must be gaining all the players trust and belief.
Knights never did and was never likely to.
The worst coaching appointment since poor old John Birt.