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Sack Adam O'Brien

Messages
1,225
3 great clubs with strong cultures

Storm - best coach in the business and turn turds into gold plated baguettes
Panthers - development club, turn juniors into superstars
Rorters - poach everyone's juniors/top tier players
Knights - no baguettes, no juniors, no 3rd parties to poach anyone. 456870749_1042986350508140_3029658124648899803_n.jpg
 

PhilGould

Bench
Messages
3,456
I'll say - all of the signs publicly point to AOB sticking around but the same was being said last year until all of a sudden that wasn't the case anymore. They were actively looking for his replacement even a few weeks into the win streak. Similar story with the end of Nathan Brown's tenure, there was no real talk of him moving on until all of a sudden they announced he was going one afternoon, and AOB immediately became the heavy favourite to replace him with reports those conversations had already been happening prior.

I think if it's the Knights and it's true (both big ifs) the earmarked replacement would likely be someone they could get for cheap while they're still paying out AOB. Don't think they'd be bringing in the reigning State of Origin winning coach for example. My guess would be someone who's already on the payroll and with a known desire to test himself as an NRL head coach (after a long history of success elsewhere), two factors that I imagine would make negotiations pretty straightforward.
 

Yosh

Coach
Messages
11,898

SHOOSH

Which NRL club board is split over the future of its head coach. It’s a big story because they have already earmarked a potential replacement.


From Buzz's column. About as vague as it gets but the Knights are the obvious team that comes to mind, most of the other mediocre/bad teams either already have a new coach coming in or a coach in the first year of a longterm deal.
Can someone post the article here? Thanks.
 

Woody90

Juniors
Messages
2,206
The fact that whichever club it is has a replacement earmarked is the interesting bit for me. Not many decent coaches available at the moment.

I know McDermott is considered highly within the club and he’d come cheap in the sense that I reckon he’d almost be keen to coach FG on his assistant salary to get his foot in the door which would allow them to pay out AOB.

For the record I’m not sold on McDermott for a lot of reasons, but just saying it would make sense. I think we need a whole new coaching structure as most of our issues are tactical, but I’m also at the point that I’d be happy to us to try anything.

Having a replacement lined up before sacking the current coach would also be very on brand for us.
 
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Nuke

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
5,348
If that were indeed the case, I'd prefer a replacement be at the ready before a coach is moved on. The alternative is to move said coach on and THEN start looking for a replacement, all the while in between we have no coach and we hope a decent one is available and is happy to come to us. And what if they all turn us down?
 

Woody90

Juniors
Messages
2,206
If that were indeed the case, I'd prefer a replacement be at the ready before a coach is moved on. The alternative is to move said coach on and THEN start looking for a replacement, all the while in between we have no coach and we hope a decent one is available and is happy to come to us. And what if they all turn us down?

Yeah look what happened to the Eels.
 

macavity

Referee
Messages
20,637
I don't reckon we move on AOB unless/until he has a poor start next year.

We just aren't a coach spearing club, we haven't had that many compared to a lot of clubs.
 

Woody90

Juniors
Messages
2,206
I’m fine with AOB staying if he changes up his tactics.

He’s kept the side pretty resilient considering all the turmoil I don’t hate a lot of his team selections (a couple have been awful though).

It’s just the negative tactics in attack I can’t stand and it really makes it hard for me to support him. He’s taken my enjoyment out of watching the side. If he was happy to change his approach and actually let the side play football like last season I’d be fine with him hanging around.
 

Scootsie

Juniors
Messages
179
Players make coaches look good or bad. Knights just need a few players to stop listening to AOB and start playing.
Worked for the Broncos last season.
 

Knight Tales

Bench
Messages
2,990
According to Brent Read on THE JOuRNOS podcast for Triple M, O’Sullivan has a huge opinion of AOB, and is of the view the players are the problem and not his coaching. Expect more players to get the tap is the suggestion.
 

perverse

Referee
Messages
26,679
According to Brent Read on THE JOuRNOS podcast for Triple M, O’Sullivan has a huge opinion of AOB, and is of the view the players are the problem and not his coaching. Expect more players to get the tap is the suggestion.
Well then, giddy up.
 

Haffa

Guest
Messages
16,481
According to Brent Read on THE JOuRNOS podcast for Triple M, O’Sullivan has a huge opinion of AOB, and is of the view the players are the problem and not his coaching. Expect more players to get the tap is the suggestion.
5 years….players fault. He really is Brad Arthur’s disciple.
 

macavity

Referee
Messages
20,637
5 years….players fault. He really is Brad Arthur’s disciple.

Can we think of a coach bar Bellamy who could turn our shitty culture around?

Two of the best of all time couldn’t - though at least Smithy seemed to pause it for a few years.
 

Scootsie

Juniors
Messages
179
Knights need to give someone new to NRL their start as coach. It just fits with their history and culture that someone could come in and grow with the team. They did it with players, so they could do it with coaches. And you can’t say there aren’t coaches out there in the Hunter region (or elsewhere) who couldn’t give it a red hot crack.
 

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