Sack Adam O'Brien

[Mr_Knightside]

Selecting under performing players not putting in 100% effort is not "high standards " sends a terrible message to the squad.

AOB blows the trumpet when we win, however the same result from the Storm would see Bellamy threatening to drop players for their lack of 1% plays - winning just isnt good enough, it's how you win. Not sometimes but EVERYTIME.

Time and again I've seen a pretty obvious lack of standards set by AOB.

He will be given time but I think it will amount to nothing. Really hope I'm wrong and AOB does a complete 180 and shows some character - I doubt it though.

Mate there's only so many players you can select from, especially when we have as many injuries as we've been having. I get what you're saying about not picking under-performing guys but I don't want to see guys getting thrown to the wolves either which is what happened back in 2016-2017. At times this year due to injury we've had a borderline reserve grade team anyway and we all know how that went.

Sure you can blame AOB for not building a stronger squad over the last few years and not replacing Pearce etc but the whole point of bringing in guys like Elliott, Hetherington and the two young English fellas is that we will have a stronger overall squad with more depth so that we can drop guys who under perform. I assume we'll see some more signings over the next few months as well so I expect our 2023 team to be stronger and our 2024 team to be stronger again given there's a bunch of guys off contract at the end of next year.

 

[Sir Galahad]

Mate there's only so many players you can select from, especially when we have as many injuries as we've been having. I get what you're saying about not picking under-performing guys but I don't want to see guys getting thrown to the wolves either which is what happened back in 2016-2017. At times this year due to injury we've had a borderline reserve grade team anyway and we all know how that went.

Oh no, this goes way back to the first few rounds of his tenure. The round that stood out to me was versus the Broncos, we won the game. That performance and his comments around the performace rang alarm bells for me. It's the game I first questioned if he was the right coach.

This year is merely symptomatic of a low bar set right from the get go.

As I've said before I'm not as concerned about the losses as I am about the way we lose. It's the same when we win, I'm interested in HOW we win. Attitude in sport as in life is EVERYTHING.

Low effort and poor performances are NOT acceptable, if a player is dropped and the team takes a hit because of it then so be it, that is exactly the intention - 1 person's poor effort let's down the whole team, and this is precisley how you raise the bar of expectation and standards within a group of men - A team of men. ACCOUNTABILITY

 

[Yosh]

I know Cam Smith isn't the most popular bloke here but he has some interesting things to say about Assistant Coaches becoming Head Coaches. You guys reckon he is talking about AOB?

 

[Mr_Knightside]

Oh no, this goes way back to the first few rounds of his tenure. The round that stood out to me was versus the Broncos, we won the game. That performance and his comments around the performace rang alarm bells for me. It's the game I first questioned if he was the right coach.

This year is merely symptomatic of a low bar set right from the get go.

As I've said before I'm not as concerned about the losses as I am about the way we lose. It's the same when we win, I'm interested in HOW we win. Attitude in sport as in life is EVERYTHING.

Low effort and poor performances are NOT acceptable, if a player is dropped and the team takes a hit because of it then so be it, that is exactly the intention - 1 person's poor effort let's down the whole team, and this is precisley how you raise the bar of expectation and standards within a group of men - A team of men. ACCOUNTABILITY

I agree with you about the nature of our performances which have been poor for the most part. Most of our wins over the last few years have been scrappy affairs against poor opposition and when we lose we tend to lose big.

However I’d be intrigued to know what team you think should have been named this week? Based on your numerous posts about accountability and dropping players we’d probably be fielding half our NSW Cup side and half our Flegg side by now if you were coach. It’s simply not realistic to drop players if the depth isn’t there and if there aren’t guys banging down the door with their form, which by all accounts isn’t happening. We’ve all seen what 2016 was like where wholesale changes were made and it resulted in a bunch of players making their debuts and being steamrolled week after week then having extremely short first grade careers as a result. Really the only guys who kicked on from that crop were the Safs, the rest disappeared without a trace.

I get where you’re coming from but there needs to be a balance with how the coach approaches things. A team needs some coherency and dropping players every week doesn’t create that, it would only serve to make the players scared to make mistakes which isn’t going to help them in the long run either.

 

[Sir Galahad]

I agree with you about the nature of our performances which have been poor for the most part. Most of our wins over the last few years have been scrappy affairs against poor opposition and when we lose we tend to lose big.

However I’d be intrigued to know what team you think should have been named this week? Based on your numerous posts about accountability and dropping players we’d probably be fielding half our NSW Cup side and half our Flegg side by now if you were coach. It’s simply not realistic to drop players if the depth isn’t there and if there aren’t guys banging down the door with their form, which by all accounts isn’t happening. We’ve all seen what 2016 was like where wholesale changes were made and it resulted in a bunch of players making their debuts and being steamrolled week after week then having extremely short first grade careers as a result. Really the only guys who kicked on from that crop were the Safs, the rest disappeared without a trace.

I get where you’re coming from but there needs to be a balance with how the coach approaches things. A team needs some coherency and dropping players every week doesn’t create that, it would only serve to make the players scared to make mistakes which isn’t going to help them in the long run either.

Sorry but you've misunderstood my post.

If AOB had set standards 2 1/2 years ago he would not be in the position he now finds himself - this is a symptom of poor standards from the get go.

The position the Knights are in now didnt just happen overnight - Poor Coach and equally poor roster management.

 

[Mr_Knightside]

Sorry but you've misunderstood my post.

If AOB had set standards 2 1/2 years ago he would not be in the position he now finds himself - this is a symptom of poor standards from the get go.

The position the Knights are in now didnt just happen overnight - Poor Coach and equally poor roster management.

Ok, I’m just saying I don’t think that AOB sets low standards for his players. I imagine he pushes them pretty hard tbh. I remember seeing lots of half time footage in his first season here and he looked like he was going off at the players for a poor first half so I don’t think he’s going easy on them. Perhaps he’s flown off the handle a few too many times and it’s not sinking in anymore? I agree that a familiar feeling has settled in around this team, we’ve seen it for around 15 years now. At the end of the day I agree with you that the performances MUST improve one way or another but I just think the “AOB sets a low standard” argument is the low hanging fruit tbh. There’s issues with strategy, tactics, personnel and belief/confidence in the playing group which leads to poor performances. Some of this stuff was already ingrained and some of it is on AOB.

I think broadly that you and I actually have the same beliefs about the club and obviously both want the Knights to succeed so I’ll leave it there.

 

[Sir Galahad]

There’s issues with strategy, tactics, personnel and belief/confidence in the playing group

no argument there, strategy and tactics might improve with a change of personnel - assistant coaches.

But my argument is this - ( example ) if contiuning to select Dsaf this season regardless of him not having a red hot crack isnt low standards then what is it?

 

[Sir Galahad]

I didn't want to create a new thread, but the numbers over the 3 years AOB have been here are damning. You could easily argue that he walked into a great position that Brown had built him and has completely squandered it.

View attachment 62668

Look at the points scored and points conceded over the years. We're 40% worse off in those metrics from the time he started and the decline is very visible to see there. I don't think any club would accept that kind of decline over 3 years?

We also need a goal kicker. How in the f**k over the past 3 years have we not been able to get a goal kicker to keep us above 75% for the year.

wow, and he's big on Defense ? Lol

hard to argue against him getting the sack. We've gone backwards since he took over.

Baring a miracle he'll be gone either at the end of next season or part the way through.

 

[Haffa]

He needs to recruit a heap of experienced assistants to save him from this mess. Has a coach ever survived after this kind of decline?

This is the record over the the past 3 seasons.

61

27

33

1

44.3%

Now lost 9 of our last 11 and 11 of our last 15 games.

 

[Alex28]

He needs to recruit a heap of experienced assistants to save him from this mess. Has a coach ever survived after this kind of decline?

This is the record over the the past 3 seasons.

61

27

33

1

44.3%

Now lost 9 of our last 11 and 11 of our last 15 games.

Trent Robinson coached the team in 2015 to minor premiers, then 15th in 2016.

Now, if the Roosters were short sighted - like they have been guilty of in the past - and got rid of him after that season, do they win 2018 and 2019?

Sometimes change needs to be more than sacking the coach and hoping things change.

 

[TooheysNew]

Comparing AOB to Robinson

 

[Haffa]

Trent Robinson coached the team in 2015 to minor premiers, then 15th in 2016.

Now, if the Roosters were short sighted - like they have been guilty of in the past - and got rid of him after that season, do they win 2018 and 2019?

Sometimes change needs to be more than sacking the coach and hoping things change.

Trent Robinson won the comp in 2013 and three straight minor premierships. AOB can't even win a finals game

In 2016 they recruited Luke Keary and James Tedesco.

 

[aqua_duck]

Trent Robinson coached the team in 2015 to minor premiers, then 15th in 2016.

Now, if the Roosters were short sighted - like they have been guilty of in the past - and got rid of him after that season, do they win 2018 and 2019?

Sometimes change needs to be more than sacking the coach and hoping things change.

You cant just conveniently forget Robinson won a premiership in his rookie year, that buys you quite a lot of breathing room, the roosterd were also in a transition phase after losing 3 decent players you might have heard of in RTS, Maloney and Jennings and also had most of their top players like Pearce, JWH, and Cordner missed more than half the season.

 

[Alex28]

You cant just conveniently forget Robinson won a premiership in his rookie year, that buys you quite a lot of breathing room, the roosterd were also in a transition phase after losing 3 decent players you might have heard of in RTS, Maloney and Jennings and also had most of their top players like Pearce, JWH, and Cordner missed more than half the season.

My point remains. If you look at a coach as a long-term coach, sacking after one poor year is short-term thinking.

We can be like the Roosters and take some time to build and develop, or we can be like the Tigers and sack coach after coach.

I don’t understand why you guys want to be like the Tigers so badly.

 

[Haffa]

Their decline was sudden enough to justify sticking with the bloke who had led them to unprecedented success. Our decline is a long drawn out experiment in torture which hardly justifies the same sort of faith.

11/8/1 in a covid reduced season but a winning season nonetheless
12/12 last season.
4/10 so far and looking likely to finish with 6-8 wins.

We are nothing like the roosters..

 

[The Axe of Druss]

Trent Robinson coached the team in 2015 to minor premiers, then 15th in 2016.

Now, if the Roosters were short sighted - like they have been guilty of in the past - and got rid of him after that season, do they win 2018 and 2019?

Sometimes change needs to be more than sacking the coach and hoping things change.

 

[God-King Dean]

ItS nOt ThE pLaYeRs MiSsInG tAcKlEs

 

[Sir Galahad]

In 2016 they recruited Luke Keary and James Tedesco.

I see your Keary and Tedesco and raise you a Elliott and Hetherington ( both from winning cultures and are leaders )

 

[Alex28]

Their decline was sudden enough to justify sticking with the bloke who had led them to unprecedented success. Our decline is a long drawn out experiment in torture which hardly justifies the same sort of faith.

11/8/1 in a covid reduced season but a winning season nonetheless
12/12 last season.
4/10 so far and looking likely to finish with 6-8 wins.

We are nothing like the roosters..

We are nothing like the Roosters - agreed. Storm, Panthers, Eels. Nowhere close to them.

I don’t get why we expect AOB to perform to those standards with a team nowhere near those teams, with a bunch of injuries on top of that?

You guys can deflect all you want, but we obviously see him as a long-term coach, and have no interest in paying him out. He’s here for a while yet.

 

[The Axe of Druss]

You guys can deflect all you want, but we obviously see him as a long-term coach, and have no interest in paying him out. He’s here for a while yet.

And that doesn't concern you?