Sack Adam O'Brien

[Woosh]

We have a heavily injured and compromised squad. Gags , Friz and Klem are all playing like the top tier players they are. The rest are dragging the chain. Club needs to grow it’s balls and actually pull KP’s offer. He has derailed the season with his BS. Club Is in total denial.

Ponga staying means a vote in confidence for the coach.
If he leaves though Newcastle will probably have to look for another coach.
O’Brien just needs to keep sucking Ponga off on in press conferences to keep his job lols

 

[aqua_duck]

For a man who was taught by the best he should be emulating him but he seems to think he knows better. Well results say otherwise.

the way our squad is assembled you'd think AOB learnt from Hages

 

[Mr_Knightside]

I agree with what others have said about the nucleus of the side being good. But it’s being dragged down by the ineptitude of squad players not being good enough. It just frustrates me that literally the next guys in line to come into the side when an injury happens are out and out reserve graders.

 

[aqua_duck]

I agree with what others have said about the nucleus of the side being good. But it’s being dragged down by the ineptitude of squad players not being good enough. It just frustrates me that literally the next guys in line to come into the side when an injury happens are out and out reserve graders.

borderline real NRL imo.

 

[The Axe of Druss]

very accurate statement. If you gave any coach a core nucleus of Ponga, Best, Gagai, clifford, Frizzell, Klemmer, Brailey and Saifiti and asked them to build around that group you would expect a top 8 side, the issue is AOB has utterly failed at to assemble a good line up around that nucleus and failed miserably to put together a strong 30 man squad. I would be less scathing if he brought in money ball type players and those players just didn't work out but the fact we seem to be handing out squad places to locals again (Crossland, Hoy, Randall, Jones, Johns, Musgrove, Fitzgibbon, Saulo, etc) is what annoys me.

You're suggesting Randall doesn't deserve a contract? Pretty harsh on the kid.

 

[macavity]

You're suggesting Randall doesn't deserve a contract? Pretty harsh on the kid.

he is slow and has terrible service and decision making. All heart though.

 

[aqua_duck]

You're suggesting Randall doesn't deserve a contract? Pretty harsh on the kid.

To me Randall is a 3rd string dummy half whos either your 29th-30th squad member or development contract.

 

[The Axe of Druss]

he is slow and has terrible service and decision making. All heart though.

We must watch different games mate cause Randall has been fine this year. His break from dummy half yesterday showed plenty of smarts and toe

Of all the guys who've had to come in to the side because of injury, Randall is the one I feel deserves the least criticism

 

[The Axe of Druss]

To me Randall is a 3rd string dummy half whos either your 29th-30th squad member or development contract.

Don't agree but you do you bro

 

[ryan.a87]

Randall is the least of our worries

 

[Sir Galahad]

very accurate statement. If you gave any coach a core nucleus of Ponga, Best, Gagai, clifford, Frizzell, Klemmer, Brailey and Saifiti and asked them to build around that group you would expect a top 8 side, the issue is AOB has utterly failed at to assemble a good line up around that nucleus and failed miserably to put together a strong 30 man squad. I would be less scathing if he brought in money ball type players and those players just didn't work out but the fact we seem to be handing out squad places to locals again (Crossland, Hoy, Randall, Jones, Johns, Musgrove, Fitzgibbon, Saulo, etc) is what annoys me.

you could add fringe first graders that are regular run ons with the Knights - Kurt Mann and Hymel Hunt. These guys are the standard of what our back-up players should be.

 

[Sir Galahad]

We must watch different games mate cause Randall has been fine this year

I agree he's been fine - but being "fine " just isnt good enough. Could we win a Premiership with him ? No

he's 26 this year and has reached his ceiling as a player.

Better to invest in a young up and coming player who could be anything and is pushing the player in front to be at his best every game.

 

[Sir Galahad]

Randall is the least of our worries

on the contrary , players like Randall in the squad ARE our worries.

 

[macavity]

We must watch different games mate cause Randall has been fine this year. His break from dummy half yesterday showed plenty of smarts and toe

Of all the guys who've had to come in to the side because of injury, Randall is the one I feel deserves the least criticism

He has had one good run in 6 games.

he is one of the main reasons our attack looks so stuttering. He struggles to pass from the ground and that two second difference is everything.

I agree that unlike some of the others he doesn’t have games where he looks disinterested. And the nature of his position means he is always involved.

But he isn’t top team first grade quality. In fact I would suggest he doesn’t make any other clubs top 30.

 

[aqua_duck]

We must watch different games mate cause Randall has been fine this year. His break from dummy half yesterday showed plenty of smarts and toe

Of all the guys who've had to come in to the side because of injury, Randall is the one I feel deserves the least criticism

he's solid and holds his own but hooker is a vital position where solid isn't enough, having said that when you compare him to Crossland, Hoy, Jones, Johns, Musgrove, Saulo, etc he is the least of our worries.

 

[Reflector]

What's Brian Smith doing these days and would he have any interest in returning to the club for 3 years? He's old, but not as old as some coaches who still have contracts in the NRL beyond this year.

He'd also surely do a better job at getting the best out of the current squad/ replacing the bog average players with players who could do the job better. Unless he fails terribly like Chris Anderson at the Roosters, agree to keep him for 3 years and if he does a good enough job give him the option to continue past the 3 years if he feels like going on. If not, look at his successor starting year #3.

 

[General Knight]

Our depth kills us. The top tier guys we have in the squad are up there in terms of quality. Every other squad in the NRL needs guys like Randall, Jones, Crossland, etc in their squad. But our problem is we lack those mid level players that sit between our top players and guys mentioned above. Guys like Randall and Jones etc are good fill ins for a handful of games a year but the way our squad is constructed we are relying on them for most of the season instead.

 

[Yosh]

To be honest, what kills me the most, is the fact that the club is okay being mediocre. Why isn't AOB under fire? He finished 7th twice and it looks like we are at best going to finish 8th... Why isn't he under fire?

 

[Knight Tales]

What's Brian Smith doing these days and would he have any interest in returning to the club for 3 years? He's old, but not as old as some coaches who still have contracts in the NRL beyond this year.

He'd also surely do a better job at getting the best out of the current squad/ replacing the bog average players with players who could do the job better. Unless he fails terribly like Chris Anderson at the Roosters, agree to keep him for 3 years and if he does a good enough job give him the option to continue past the 3 years if he feels like going on. If not, look at his successor starting year #3.

He wouldn’t do it but I would be stoked if he had another crack at it just to see. If anyone could return from years of exile and get up to speed with the modern ruck interpretations it is Smithy.

 

[Sir Galahad]

To be honest, what kills me the most, is the fact that the club is okay being mediocre

sadly this appears to be the case. The level of derp in re-signing sub-standard players is astonishing.

Mann is our lock forward ffs

The signing of Shibasaki to a multi year ( 3 years but released early ) deal is worthy of an internal review at the minimum and is a strong indicator something is amiss.

Maybe truth in the reports that a player agent has too much power at the Knights ?