Sack Brown

[Apey]

Brown is great at talking but it means SFA if we continue to plod it up each week.

 

[Old dog]

I’m not a Brown fan, seems too wishy washy to me, ok Mr Nice Guy done your bit, rebuilt the team, got players you wanted so let’s change it up in 2020 and become a hard no nonsense coach and get us into the top 4, if not then late season 2020 I will join the ever growing mob pushing for you to leave.

 

[Knight Vision]

We need something to change if we want to see our side compete.

We can:

1. Change the roster
2. Change coach
3. Change management

We have significantly changed/upgraded the roster but still suck.

We are still in the process. The myth that is Wayne Bennett said it would take 5 years to even be competitive. We've come a long way in a quick amount of time.

Pulling the trigger on the coach at this stage would set us into a perennial state of uncertainty and mediocrity before the process has been completed.

Name a club where Lino would be the 5/8 or Mann for that matter, name a club where Levi would be hooker ? Clubs arent exactly banging down the door to sign Levi- half our spine is reserve grade standard.

As has been mentioned elsewhere our backrow isnt exactly a dynamic threat also.

We've had to make do with what we can under the cap until further funds are freed up.

Browns basically totally rebuilt the roster from the ground up. I wouldnt expect too many teams to enter a comp and be successful within the first 4 years......minus a couple of embarrassing scores we have been right in most games we have lost....and not lost by much.

The commentary last week ( before the game ) said if the ladder was only based on 1/2 time scores the Knights would be 2nd on the ladder......we're getting there. I for one am willing to stay the course for now. I want sustained success for decades, not a Premiership tomorrow.

 

[aqua_duck]

We are still in the process. The myth that is Wayne Bennett said it would take 5 years to even be competitive. We've come a long way in a quick amount of time.

Pulling the trigger on the coach at this stage would set us into a perennial state of uncertainty and mediocrity before the process has been completed.

Name a club where Lino would be the 5/8 or Mann for that matter, name a club where Levi would be hooker ? Clubs arent exactly banging down the door to sign Levi- half our spine is reserve grade standard.

As has been mentioned elsewhere our backrow isnt exactly a dynamic threat also.

We've had to make do with what we can under the cap until further funds are freed up.

Browns basically totally rebuilt the roster from the ground up. I wouldnt expect too many teams to enter a comp and be successful within the first 4 years......minus a couple of embarrassing scores we have been right in most games we have lost....and not lost by much.

The commentary last week ( before the game ) said if the ladder was only based on 1/2 time scores the Knights would be 2nd on the ladder......we're getting there. I for one am willing to stay the course for now. I want sustained success for decades, not a Premiership tomorrow.

Whilst I think you make some very valid points let me ask how much do you think the stalled development of players like Watson, and Levi have to do with coaching? Do you think they would've developed differently under another coach, I mean Levi was a junior kiwis rep and made his debut for the kiwis at age 21, likewise Watson was a junior kangaroos rep and highly regarded prospect.
Secondly the last expansion team to enter the Comp were the Titans, they made the top 4 in their 3rd season, in recently years there's been plenty of examples of bad teams who've taken only 1-2 seasons to start turning things around, Parramatta is a good example. In regards to the Bennett 5 year plan rubbish that was a lot to do with front office, with Tinkler pulling out it left us strapped for cash, with the Wests takeover it's a completely different landscape.

 

[Bring it home Knights]

Whilst I think you make some very valid points let me ask how much do you think the stalled development of players like Watson, and Levi have to do with coaching? Do you think they would've developed differently under another coach, I mean Levi was a junior kiwis rep and made his debut for the kiwis at age 21, likewise Watson was a junior kangaroos rep and highly regarded prospect.
Secondly the last expansion team to enter the Comp were the Titans, they made the top 4 in their 3rd season, in recently years there's been plenty of examples of bad teams who've taken only 1-2 seasons to start turning things around, Parramatta is a good example. In regards to the Bennett 5 year plan rubbish that was a lot to do with front office, with Tinkler pulling out it left us strapped for cash, with the Wests takeover it's a completely different landscape.

Great post.

 

[Knight Vision]

Whilst I think you make some very valid points let me ask how much do you think the stalled development of players like Watson, and Levi have to do with coaching? Do you think they would've developed differently under another coach, I mean Levi was a junior kiwis rep and made his debut for the kiwis at age 21, likewise Watson was a junior kangaroos rep and highly regarded prospect.
Secondly the last expansion team to enter the Comp were the Titans, they made the top 4 in their 3rd season, in recently years there's been plenty of examples of bad teams who've taken only 1-2 seasons to start turning things around, Parramatta is a good example. In regards to the Bennett 5 year plan rubbish that was a lot to do with front office, with Tinkler pulling out it left us strapped for cash, with the Wests takeover it's a completely different landscape.

• Levi - Debuted for the kiwis under Brown coaching,as did Herman and Griffin
• Watson- was let go by the Roosters and was seen as a utility not a play maker . Still is a good prospect. Has missed 1/4 of his time at the Knights due to injury. I'll concede he may be a better player if he had a decent crack at 1 position. He is an out and out utility for mine or may make a decent hooker. That he is considered for a playmaker position at the Knights only highlights our roster weakness. That he may not be playing to his Roosters standards may say more about the players around him than it does about him.
• Surely you jest ? Up and down like a yo yo is Parra. What it does show this year is a couple of adjustments and additions to a roster can and do make a big difference.
• That was more to do with the apocalyptic salary cap disaster Bennett knew he was leaving us in.

 

[Spot On]

Parramatta have a home ground this year and play well there. 8 wins, 2 losses. No side has won as many games at their home ground this season.

We have no advantage when playing at home. We generally lose there. 4 wins, 6 losses.

Levi debuted for NZ under Brown and not long after ... can't make the Knights first grade side. If we credit Brown for Levi's test debut we must also credit Brown for his demise. Kurt Mann was bought to perform his role FFS.

The search for a 9 and 6 has been a huge part of the problems Brown has created this season.

Surely he realises this and won't f**k around during the off season with the spine. This was pointed out during the last off season.

Carrying Levi, Watson, Sione, Mann and Buhrer in the 17 has also contributed to the dismal season thus far. 5 utilities in a first grade side??? Often 3 of them on the bench???

Brown has been fairly open the past week about the errors he has made but I think some of those errors he speaks of have covered over some big mistakes with recruitment and team selections.

Having different standards for the playing group has also contributed to what has happened so far.

 

[aqua_duck]

• Levi - Debuted for the kiwis under Brown coaching,as did Herman and Griffin
• Watson- was let go by the Roosters and was seen as a utility not a play maker . Still is a good prospect. Has missed 1/4 of his time at the Knights due to injury. I'll concede he may be a better player if he had a decent crack at 1 position. He is an out and out utility for mine or may make a decent hooker. That he is considered for a playmaker position at the Knights only highlights our roster weakness. That he may not be playing to his Roosters standards may say more about the players around him than it does about him.
• Surely you jest ? Up and down like a yo yo is Parra. What it does show this year is a couple of adjustments and additions to a roster can and do make a big difference.
• That was more to do with the apocalyptic salary cap disaster Bennett knew he was leaving us in.

I'm not sure if you're aware but Parra are guaranteed a finals spot this year where as we will most likely be watching from home, the team has gone backwards which is the most concerning thing. In terms of the 5 year thing, that's rubbish, how can a team be screwed for 5 years salary cap wise when we didn't have anyone contracted for that long? Also do you really think Bennett would make that sort of admission of fault about his own cap management?

 

[ryana87]

The main problem with the lack of a no6 was that Brown had put all his eggs in 1 basket with playing Ponga there at the start of the season, I remember at the time him saying something like "We've already committed too much time to this to give up on it"

Obviously Ponga had trained all off season at 6 and Watson at no1, so when the Ponga experiment failed, watson wasnt good enough to fill in at 6 and everything snowballed from there.

I'd personally give Brown one more season with using this off season to settle on a spine.

We need to either commit to Crossland or sign a young half from another club

 

[Yosh]

What's the point of a six if we have no game plan? We literally have no attacking structure. None.

 

[Spot On]

Time to throw the ball around this w/e Yosh.

Surely.

 

[Old dog]

What's the point of a six if we have no game plan? We literally have no attacking structure. None.

Maybe the game plan could include a 6 who can actually contribute and create opportunities for those around him while taking pressure off others

 

[aqua_duck]

Maybe the game plan could include a 6 who can actually contribute and create opportunities for those around him while taking pressure off others

I feel like the lack of a quality 6 somewhat glosses over Yosh's point of no structure and no cohesion in attack. Manly have have tried 4 different 5/8ths this year in Elgey, Croker, Cust and Walker, Turbo and DCE have both missed significant time through injury yet Manly have consistently looked way more cohesive in attack than us all year.

 

[macavity]

We are constantly playing off our own line. Hard to attack when you are doing that.

Pearce has dropped off a cliff since Origin. No coincidence that so have we.

 

[slotmachine]

I see a lot of comments questioning the teams effort or attitude. There are definitely games where they haven't shown up (Titans) but I think the issues with performance are deeper than that. The effort was good for the most part against Parra but we are so predictable that basically every team has worked out how to beat us.

Also in the winning streak the team was playing with a finals like intensity. I don't think that's sustainable over a full season, and if that's the requirement to win games the team is going to fall off a cliff at some point. Need to be smarter to win games without needing 110% effort.

I'm sure we will beat Cows and Titans (two of the four teams worse than us) and the coach will be a genius again though.

Playing off our own line, again, predictable. Teams are teeing off on us (especially Pearce) because no risk of seeing something new. Parra made Lane look like SBW with some smart tactics isolating our crap edge, Do we ever look smart?

 

[slotmachine]

Storm gave every other coach the blueprint in that big loss they handed out.

 

[Old dog]

Our plays always look slow but defence is aware of our plays and therefor in our face and so it looks slow, need variation

 

[Yosh]

Okay... Let's say we get a good six. Let's say Munster. How does that change anything? We still run one out. We don't have any attacking structure or moves or set plays. Just relies on individual brilliance to beat a man and try to get a two on three on the outside. Same thing as Ponga. Will our attack really improve?

 

[aqua_duck]

Okay... Let's say we get a good six. Let's say Munster. How does that change anything? We still run one out. We don't have any attacking structure or moves or set plays. Just relies on individual brilliance to beat a man and try to get a two on three on the outside. Same thing as Ponga. Will our attack really improve?

This 100%

 

[Swarzey]

Our attack is basically down to individual brilliance rather than cohesive, collaborative efforts. And it's felt like that for over a decade now except for - and dare I say it - under Bennett. I don't trust this team to string together consistent, reliable and successful attacking structures where individuals aren't just given the ball to do what they can, but rather given the ball at the right moment to make the best possible impact or to continue the play. It doesn't matter who you throw in there, unless it's someone like a Smith or Cronk who in every case would override the staff and control the team, nothing will change.

Maybe we'd score more points with a Munster or someone in there off the back of single, individual moments. But improve enough? Not at all.