Sack Adam O'Brien

[slotmachine]

I'd take finishing higher than 7th in the regular season at this point.

I think the Titans will clear that low bar next year.

 

[Zoidberg]

Something our team is still missing (other than goal kicker and a healthy number 9) is leadership and football smarts.
2 games this year we have been on the opposition try line in the final minute with a win possible if we score, vs Cowboys and Broncos. Both times we shot ourselves in the foot and didn’t choose our best option of actually scoring. Unfortunately none of our spine currently offer that brain to capitalise on those chances.

 

[Woody90]

To be honest, as jealous as I am that the Tits have a new coach, Des notoriously leaves clubs in a complete mess. A bit like Wayne with a bit less success.

As much as we need a new coach I’m not sure Des would have been my first choice.

 

[Woody90]

Unless we are in negotiations with Slater. I'd throw the bank and then come at Slater. He can do whatever he wants. Head Coach Slater and two assistants JT and Josh Hannah. Tormented us for years as a QLDer, please do us a favor mate.

I’d be really interested in seeing how Billy went as a full time NRL coach. He seems to know what he’s doing but it’s very different coaching QLD 3 times per year against a hopeless NSW team than an entire NRL season.

I very much doubt he’d be interested in coaching in the NRL, much less move to Newcastle. Stranger things have happened though I guess. He really likes Ponga.

 

[slotmachine]

Des notoriously leaves clubs in a complete mess

He also takes them to grand finals. That might be nice for the first time in about 25 years.

There is this weird vibe amongst Knights fans that the club is going to be like the Storm with long term consistent success if only x, y and z happens. I don't think that will ever be the case, but will settle for someone opening a one or two year window where we are a legit chance at winning the comp.

 

[Woody90]

He also takes them to grand finals. That might be nice for the first time in about 25 years.

Definitely don’t disagree obviously but he wouldn’t be able to take our current side to a GF, and between his known bad cap management and the situation we already find ourselves in with the squad I think it would have been a nightmare personally. That’s just my thoughts on Des though. Might be an unpopular opinion. I want us to be set up for success for the long-term after years of suffering but his rosters tend to deteriorate the longer he’s at a club. If I legitimately thought this squad were in a premiership window I’d be all for it: I’d accept needing a complete rebuild when he leaves for a shot at a premiership, but it’s not gonna happen with this squad.

For what it’s worth I think he will do really well at the Titans. Their squad is much better than their performances suggest and they need a coach who can take them to the next level and Des will definitely do that for them. I just don’t think he’s the right coach for us right now with the squad issues. (Not that I think AOB is either).

There’s a reason no clubs jumped to sign him when he left Manly despite so many coaches being on thin ice.

 

[Knight Tales]

To be honest, as jealous as I am that the Tits have a new coach, Des notoriously leaves clubs in a complete mess. A bit like Wayne with a bit less success.

As much as we need a new coach I’m not sure Des would have been my first choice.

That’s you trying to rationalise? Cos this club overthinks everything. We are so worried about what people think and doing the right thing in a cut throat elite
Sporting comp which could not GAF about your feelings. We need to hit the trade market with the players we can use as leverage and find what we need. And be unforgiving about it.

 

[Woody90]

That’s you trying to rationalise? Cos this club overthinks everything. We are so worried about what people think and doing the right thing in a cut throat elite
Sporting comp which could not GAF about your feelings. We need to hit the trade market with the players we can use as leverage and find what we need. And be unforgiving about it.

Im a bit confused sorry. I’m not trying to rationalise anything and I have no idea why the club didn’t go for Des. I just stated my own opinion that I’m not convinced he would have been the best option for us so I’m not devastated (jealous the Titans have a new coach in general but not jealous about the who).

 

[slotmachine]

I want us to be set up for success for the long-term

Ha, there it is! Never going to happen.

I think I blame Bronwie's PR carpet bombing campaign that if we were really bad for a while we would magically turn into Storm 2.0 or something.

 

[Woody90]

Ha, there it is! Never going to happen.

I think I blame Bronwie's PR carpet bombing campaign that if we were really bad for a while we would magically turn into Storm 2.0 or something.

Maybe not the Storm but there’s literally no reason why the Knights couldn’t follow the lead of a club like Penrith (a club that prior to 2019 when they got their shit together we mirrored in terms of success and lows) if we got the right people in.

Don’t get me wrong, I want AOB gone as much as the next person, but I don’t personally see Des being the best way to move forward (unless we were entering a premiership window).

 

[Knight Tales]

Im a bit confused sorry. I’m not trying to rationalise anything and I have no idea why the club didn’t go for Des. I just stated my own opinion that I’m not convinced he would have been the best option for us so I’m not devastated (jealous the Titans have a new coach in general but not jealous about the who).

I am just pointing out it is ok to be disappointed. And it is also ok to not want Des as your first choice. He is not mine either or a lot of people's i suspect. It does represent that the Titans have realised their experimenting with rookie coaches is over for now. It an ambitious move by them and also carries a lot of dangers given his track record with cap management. We may need to land somewhere in between the polarities of rookie coach and veteran coach.

 

[Jono078]

I am just pointing out it is ok to be disappointed. And it is also ok to not want Des as your first choice. He is not mine either or a lot of people's i suspect. It does represent that the Titans have realised their experimenting with rookie coaches is over for now. It an ambitious move by them and also carries a lot of dangers given his track record with cap management. We may need to land somewhere in between the polarities of rookie coach and veteran coach.

John Morris probably fits that mould.

I agree I don't think Des would have done much for us. Des is like Hagan in a way where he'll get you to the promise land in those first few years but longer term you'll be worse off.

I think he's a good fit for the Titans right now because they do have a solid squad and should be better than what they are.

Timing is curious but sitting in 9th spot you could almost say the pressure is back on the players now, so it may save their season.

 

[Apey]

At least Crossland is only 23 and has another 10 years in him.

 

[Jono078]

At least Crossland is only 23 and has another 10 years in him.

No doubt has a 10-year player option in his contract too.

 

[Mr_Knightside]

Des isn’t who I would want coaching us either so I’m not concerned that another club has snapped him up. I’d be surprised if he didn’t improve their results but I’d also be interested in knowing how much control he will get over roster management. We all know what happens to Hasler rosters a couple of years after they peak. Whether he’s changed his approach to this will be interesting.

Also worth remembering that Hasler hasn’t won a premiership in 12 years and also hasn’t taken a team to a GF in 9 years so whilst yes he’s a coach with pedigree it’s not exactly recent pedigree and his results since losing that 2014 GF haven’t been anything to write home about.

Sort of similar to how I view McGuire (who we have been linked to) in that he’s got the pedigree but the GF that he won was way back in 2014 so what does that actually mean now? What worked back then might not work now.

 

[Woody90]

Des isn’t who I would want coaching us either so I’m not concerned that another club has snapped him up. I’d be surprised if he didn’t improve their results but I’d also be interested in knowing how much control he will get over roster management. We all know what happens to Hasler rosters a couple of years after they peak. Whether he’s changed his approach to this will be interesting.

Also worth remembering that Hasler hasn’t won a premiership in 12 years and also hasn’t taken a team to a GF in 9 years so whilst yes he’s a coach with pedigree it’s not exactly recent pedigree and his results since losing that 2014 GF haven’t been anything to write home about.

Sort of similar to how I view McGuire (who we have been linked to) in that he’s got the pedigree but the GF that he won was way back in 2014 so what does that actually mean now? What worked back then might not work now.

I live in Manly and there is a very common line of thought from a lot of their fans that Des wasn’t able to adjust his style of football for the modern game. A lot also attribute their current situation to Des who built the squad (although let’s be honest Seibold wouldn’t be helping there).

I have no doubt Des would be great at motivating a team, but this idea that he would have us competing for premierships if we’d signed him because he took different teams to a grand final over a decade ago is drawing a long bow I think. It’s much more likely we might finish 6th for a year or two followed by another 3 wooden spoons and need another rebuild but can’t because we’ve put a squad on backended contracts. That was a Bennett special and that worked out real well for us. We’re still recovering.

 

[slotmachine]

Trying to blame Bennett for us being bad 10 years later is such epic cope.

 

[Woody90]

I obviously never intended that Bennett is responsible for all of our shitness now.

The combination of the squad he built however (aging and back-ended contracts) and the club’s dumb decision to try and fix the problem with Rick Stone resulted in 3 consecutive wooden spoons in the past decade. There are obviously flow on effects to that in terms of disbelief within the club, a losing culture and being completely unattractive to the best coaches, support staff and players. All of our coaches in the past decade have contributed to the mess, but Bennett isn’t excluded from that (I just brought him up as we were talking back-ended contracts).

FTR I would have Bennett back before singing Des.

 

[macavity]

I obviously never intended that Bennett is responsible for all of our shitness now.

The combination of the squad he built however (aging and back-ended contracts) and the club’s dumb decision to try and fix the problem with Rick Stone resulted in 3 consecutive wooden spoons in the past decade. There are obviously flow on effects to that in terms of disbelief within the club, a losing culture and being completely unattractive to the best coaches, support staff and players. All of our coaches in the past decade have contributed to the mess, but Bennett isn’t excluded from that (I just brought him up as we were talking back-ended contracts).

FTR I would have Bennett back before singing Des.

I would have Brian Smith back before either, I hate Bennett so much.

 

[slotmachine]

Ditto, but he has the Phins going better than the knights in their first year as a club, and took the shitty knights to the third week of the finals.