Sack Adam O'Brien

[Yosh]

Why would Green take over for 1 year and where is that even being suggested? Why would the club be wanting to appoint him for a year anyway? Either they believe he’s good enough to be the long term coach or they don’t. All the evidence over the last few years shows that he’s not up to it given how our attack has performed.

The only think that would make sense there is if the club has their eyes on a particular coach that they can’t get until 2027 so they want Green to hold the fort for a year in the meantime. But if that’s the case why do it in the first place, why not just stick with AOB for one more year? and what incentive is there for Green to do it if he knows he knows he will lose his gig after 12 months anyway and it’s likely a new coach comes in and wants a new coaching staff too.

Further to that, players aren’t going to sign for us if they know that the coach is only there for 12 months, and Green wouldn’t have any incentive to build a squad for the long term if he knows he won’t be there to see it through.

I dunno, this whole thing about Green taking over for a season doesn’t make any sense to me.

Too much logic and sense for this forum.

 

[The Axe of Druss]

Clutching at straws if I may

Maybe Green is a better head coach than attacking coach. Maybe, if reports are to be believed, he is loved by the playing group and is a good man manager. Maybe the club will appoint a good attacking coach to replace Green. Maybe this will all work out.

Maybe

 

[SamSepi0l]

Clutching at straws if I may

Maybe Green is a better head coach than attacking coach. Maybe, if reports are to be believed, he is loved by the playing group and is a good man manager. Maybe the club will appoint a good attacking coach to replace Green. Maybe this will all work out.

Maybe

I don't want a "one of the boys" coach. It doesn't work at the Tigers or ... anywhere really.

 

[PhilGould]

I'm more concerned with Blake Green keeping the Isaac Moses pipeline going than his theoretical ability as a coach, because we simply don't know how that system has been working behind the scenes. The SMH article says the internal figures pushing for Green to take over believe he's "just implementing the plans of the head coach and can't be blamed for the team's attacking woes."

Why was the Knights attack so good in 2023? Was it just a coincidence that was the year Green came in and was constantly being mentioned and credited as the driving force behind it? When things didn't immediately click back into gear to start 2024 it seems like that plan was thrown out the window and we've been watching the boring, conservative strategy ever since.

 

[Loose Cannon]

If the decision has been made then O’Brien can’t see out the season. If Green has been earmarked, he should get the last 6 weeks in the chair to see what he has. I’d be using the upcoming bye week to change leadership, and let him run the show without the dreaded 6 day turnaround that the current clown finds so impossible to combat.

I personally figured McDermott had the inside lane, but willing to see if Green is currently just relaying the playbook, or if he can rewrite the playbook.

 

[Woody90]

Clutching at straws if I may

Maybe Green is a better head coach than attacking coach. Maybe, if reports are to be believed, he is loved by the playing group and is a good man manager. Maybe the club will appoint a good attacking coach to replace Green. Maybe this will all work out.

Maybe

The fact that we have to clutch at straws to come up with a scenario where it might work, when there are other options just goes to show how poorly managed we are.

I always suspected we’d go for one of our current assistants as Wests trying to cost cut after paying out AOB, but Green is the worst option. The only thing I can think of is maybe they think McDermott is a bit too much like AOB and the players need a change as I’ve heard multiple people say AOB and McDermott have basically an identical coaching philosophy.

Honestly though that’s probably giving them too much credit. I think it’s more likely Moses is pushing it as a good idea and the idiots on the board are buying it. The trying to absolve Green of any involvement in our current attack is one of the dumbest arguments I’ve ever heard in my life. The players and AOB themselves all say that Green does the attack at training.

 

[Knight Tales]

Green is the cheapest option. Fits the club mentality perfectly.

 

[TooheysNew]

Do we know for sure that Green is actually running the attack?

 

[Woody90]

Do we know for sure that Green is actually running the attack?

He’s the attack coach so at least in part along with AOB.

The players consistently say when interviewed that they work with “Greeny” on the attack. There was even an interview last year (can’t remember if presser or Fox pre-game) where a journo asked AOB specifically about the attack and AOB fobbed it off and said they work on that with Green and he was more interested in their defence, intensity, blah blah blah.

I wouldn’t say Green “runs” the attack as obviously the head coach runs everything from the top end, but he’s definitely got his fingers all over it.

Tbh that’s not even the main reason I don’t want us to pick him. It’s more because he has the least coaching experience and credentials of any of the options and my gut feeling is that the only reason he’s being considered (if he is) has something to do with Moses or saving money and I have trouble copping that based on our history.

 

[Alex28]

Being beloved by the players is probably the best reason not to pick Green as the next coach.

 

[Woody90]

Why was the Knights attack so good in 2023?

Because opposition defences weren’t expecting the plays we were running, especially the long shifts that gave our outside backs and Fitzgibbon the opportunity to be one on one against the defenders. Problem is though we never developed further on that. We try the same shifts over and over again but the opposition are onto us now. We need new plays. I can’t remember the last time we actually had a good set play (spine issues effect that too though tbf).

 

[Grandpa Joe]

I wouldn’t read too much into how the attack has been the last couple of years.

But his been our attacking coach, surely a huge amount of the buck stops with him, we have zero structures, zero set plays, our attack honestly resembles under 10s footy with the amount of 1 out plays.

 

[Mr_Knightside]

It’s hard to know what goes on inside the four walls of the club. Is AOB stifling the attack by telling Green what he wants it to look like and not letting him off the leash with his own ideas? Or is what we’re seeing in attack all down to Blake Green’s grand plan?

Jeez this whole thing reeks of “cheapest and easiest option” doesn’t it.

 

[Mr_Knightside]

Also surely the Newcastle Knights attacking coach must be the easiest job on the planet. You get the players to run double block plays at training all week (well probably once a week for half an hour, because AOB thinks it’s too hard to fit actual footy training into a hectic recovery schedule especially when it’s a 6 day turnaround) then you lose the game most weekends then go back and do the same thing again the next week. Then when your boss gets sacked (because the team literally can’t do the one thing you’re supposed to be teaching them) you get to walk straight into his office and put your feet behind the desk.

I might just apply for the role myself next time it comes up.

 

[HarVeeGee]

It appears from the comments in here that there’s a simple 1:1 relationship between performance as an attacking assistant and as a head coach. So if that’s the case, why don’t we just look at which team has scored the most tries and hire their attacking assistant?

For example, which team scored the most tries in 2019? The Sydney Roosters. And who was the attacking assistant that season? Someone called “Adam O’Brien”.

So it’s simple from here. We want an elite attack? We should hire this “Adam O’Brien” character to be our head coach.

 

[Yosh]

It appears from the comments in here that there’s a simple 1:1 relationship between performance as an attacking assistant and as a head coach. So if that’s the case, why don’t we just look at which team has scored the most tries and hire their attacking assistant?

For example, which team scored the most tries in 2019? The Sydney Roosters. And who was the attacking assistant that season? Someone called “Adam O’Brien”.

So it’s simple from here. We want an elite attack? We should hire this “Adam O’Brien” character to be our head coach.

Great point.

At this point I'd take anyone as long as AOB is gone.

 

[slotmachine]

For example, which team scored the most tries in 2019? The Sydney Roosters. And who was the attacking assistant that season? Someone called “Adam O’Brien”.

So it’s simple from here. We want an elite attack? We should hire this “Adam O’Brien” character to be our head coach.

Which team scored the most tries in 2023? The Newcastle Knights. And who was the attacking assistant that season? Someone called “Blake Green”.

Using the aforementioned, irrefutable, logic if this "Adam O'Brien" isn't available maybe they should look at "Blake Green".

 

[Apey]

You are super critical of the club giving AOB the 12th place clause in his contract, yet your answer for the future for the club is “change for the sake of change”.

No that's my answer for right now. I've already said Green isn't an ideal replacement and would just about be my last choice. I don't see the point in persisting with AOB.

If we are going to change - and I think that it has to happen - it has to be for the betterment of the club. It has to have some purpose, and a plan on how we are going to improve across the board.

Not just “change for the sake of change”. This is Facebook fan bullshit.

The purpose is to replace your mate who has demonstrated to all and sundry by now that he isn't up to it.

 

[Woosh]

Being beloved by the players is probably the best reason not to pick Green as the next coach.

You’re living the past.
Being a dick doesn’t fly with today’s players.
Webster and Woolf are both doing well.
Woolf in particular got the gig largely due to his connection with the Polynesian boys.

 

[Knight Tales]

The list of coaches linked to this job will grow longer. It is inevitable.