Stephen Kearney turns Parramatta Eels into robots

[Gronk]

THE Parramatta Eels are struggling to make any impact in this year's premiership because coach Stephen Kearney has turned his players into unimaginative robots with little skill, talent or ability. Statistics from the opening three rounds reveal alarming details of how Kearney has shackled the team and turned them into a dull, boring and predictable bunch of easybeats.
Debate Buzz's view in his live blog here

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/n...eels-into-robots/story-e6frfgbo-1226303266245

 

[tresurehunt]

oh dear,so it begins......

 

[Barry O'Speedwagon]

Why didn't he just turn one player into a Dalek? We'd be unbeatable.

 

[oldmancraigy]

Why didn't he just turn one player into a Dalek? We'd be unbeatable.

Probably get suspended for that though?

 

[Grail]

Probably get suspended for that though?

suspend the dalek at your peril....
of course Melbourne would find a way to fit all 11 Doctors in their cap. :crazy::crazy:

 

[Twizzle]

his dropping the ball drills have worked a treat

 

[the slippery eel]

Here goes..... After watching the Eels first 3 games many times and the two trial matches, I've come up with many problems that can't be fixed quickly. The players don't fit in with the coaches game plain, the coach doesn't suit the players he has. The coach wants a structured style, yet the Eels have Chris Sandow, the most unstructured halfback in the comp. Something has to give. I can't see the point in having Sandow playing only on the right hand side. He needs to be in the action far more. I again counted many sets of 6 last night where Sandow touched the ball once and that was to kick, and many times he didn't get the ball at all. I may have been harsh on Sandow over the past month but I now think it's just the coaches idea to have him parked on the right hand side. As I have said in the past, the structured style can work, but with the players at Parramatta, it wont. You can't be a good coach if you can't change your style to suit the players you have.


This structured style also doesn't suit Ben Roberts. In saying that, Roberts has changed his style more than Sandow has. Roberts has allways had a better running game than ball playing, Sandow is the same. The halves combonation simply can't work. There must be 1 main ball player and he must call the shots. The ball must be in his hands 3 to 4 tackles of every set. If you go through other successful halves combernations you will find 1 ball player and 1 runner, 1 player calling the shots and the other running of him and feeding the backs.


I know this has been said many times but the lack of off-loads and 1 up running also can't work. If the coach wants limited to no off-loads, the forwards must run in numbers. If they continue to run 1 out, 1 off the ruck, they will continue to be dominated. Thay need some passing before the line, changes of direction and players in motion.


As for the defense, it's all attitude. All the coach can do is clean out the bad attitude players and we have many of them at the Eels. Line speed is slow, dominate tackles are down and 1 on 1 misses are high. Marker defense has been bad at times.


As I have said in the past, the Eels are many players from a good side or a new game plain.

 

[parra-matters]

Spot on the slippery eel.
I have been saying this for 18mths, Kearney has to ethier pick players/ sign players that can play his style or coach a style that suits the players he has.
DA tried to coach the players his style and gave up after about 10rounds and told them to have fun and throw the footy around and they went a on a run and made the GF.
I don't agree with DA's way ethier. I think in the long term SK's style can be successful but it will take another year at least.

 

[Grail]

completely agree slippery... at least as far as the attacking structure goes. Kearney is a myth. He won't compromise his style to match his players, and as such the team is predictable and easily shut down. This hard line approach of forcing players to play in such a terribly boring and unchanging structure will only put the players offside and alientate them.

As far as defence goes, well defensive attitude comes from other aspects of play. If the players are frustrated in their attack, this will flow on into the defense. And it is obvious to me that the players have had enough of Kearney and his terrible game plan.

 

[Freak2]

Here goes..... After watching the Eels first 3 games many times and the two trial matches, I've come up with many problems that can't be fixed quickly. The players don't fit in with the coaches game plain, the coach doesn't suit the players he has. The coach wants a structured style, yet the Eels have Chris Sandow, the most unstructured halfback in the comp. Something has to give. I can't see the point in having Sandow playing only on the right hand side. He needs to be in the action far more. I again counted many sets of 6 last night where Sandow touched the ball once and that was to kick, and many times he didn't get the ball at all. I may have been harsh on Sandow over the past month but I now think it's just the coaches idea to have him parked on the right hand side. As I have said in the past, the structured style can work, but with the players at Parramatta, it wont. You can't be a good coach if you can't change your style to suit the players you have.


This structured style also doesn't suit Ben Roberts. In saying that, Roberts has changed his style more than Sandow has. Roberts has allways had a better running game than ball playing, Sandow is the same. The halves combonation simply can't work. There must be 1 main ball player and he must call the shots. The ball must be in his hands 3 to 4 tackles of every set. If you go through other successful halves combernations you will find 1 ball player and 1 runner, 1 player calling the shots and the other running of him and feeding the backs.


I know this has been said many times but the lack of off-loads and 1 up running also can't work. If the coach wants limited to no off-loads, the forwards must run in numbers. If they continue to run 1 out, 1 off the ruck, they will continue to be dominated. Thay need some passing before the line, changes of direction and players in motion.


As for the defense, it's all attitude. All the coach can do is clean out the bad attitude players and we have many of them at the Eels. Line speed is slow, dominate tackles are down and 1 on 1 misses are high. Marker defense has been bad at times.


As I have said in the past, the Eels are many players from a good side or a new game plain.

The 1 thing that has not been considered with your assessment is the conditions. Given the WET conditions we have played in each week it hs not led to the ability to play the type of football your expecting from our halves.

I genuinly believe Kearney is structuring our side to play it very safe at the moment. He will want the side to be confident in their ability before giving them 'free reign'. I can only suggest that this is totally appropriate given our ROSTER, OUR INJURY TOLL, OUR OPPOSITON, and the weather conditions played in so far this year.

I am expecting change but not until Hayne is back in the side and has match fitness under his belt so for mine I think we can all expect more of the same for another month or so unfortunately.

 

[Bigfella]

None of these posts have given much weight to the fact that Kearney recruited sandow and Roberts to build a new attack in conjunction with Roberts.

In all three games so far Hayne has been unavailable for all but ten minutes and both sandow and Roberts have missed a big part of a game each.

Funnily enough the ten minutes all three played we looked like a top level attacking unit.

When you add missing fui, willie t Hindy and limited prep for Reni, means we have been cruellest by injuries. That's leaving out smith and Loko and esi tonga.

 

[forward pass]

. I again counted many sets of 6 last night ....... .

You couldn't have counted too many !!

 

[parra-matters]

it seems when Hayne is nopt there or it's wet he tells them to just tuck the ball under the arm and take the tackle with no support players, that first 10 minutes against the Warriors was different, there were bodies in motion, longer passes and support players.
SK have decided that everything else has to be right before we are allowed to pass the ball and attack.

 

[Suitman]

Really, what's it matter if it's raining? It didn't stop the Cowboys throwing it round an Sat night. Our problem is we can't hold the ball even when it's dry.

Suity

 

[Gronk]

From the Blog..

Couldnt agree more regarding my Eels. So far this season, we have looked like a football team for a grand total of 15 minutes...and i shouldn’t need to explain which 15 minutes that was. Nothing has changed, we are clearly STILL a one-attacking player-team....and Jarryd Hayne’s 24 year old shoulders have been burdened with this reality for two seasons already,and shouldnt have to be. Fact is, Hayne is our only real option of scoring points, as he is the only Parra player who defies Kearney by still following his instincts out there...like most good footballers do.
Sandow appears to be succumbing to Kearney’s lack of vision and losing his free-playing ability already.
Kearney is murdering our FOOTY. Offloads and second-phase play are an ESSENTIAL to any NRL team, it results in questions being asked, linebreaks and defensive lines tiring due to having to scramble...often results in tries too! No defensive line is going to get tired playing the Eels the way we are. It is as if Kearney has sucked every shred of footballing INSTINCT out of the players and we are left with one over-burdened star attacking player (lets face it, Jarryd Hayne’s form has suffered because he’s had to play both Fullback AND Halfback simultaneously the last two years, it should never be a fullbacks job to have to LEAD a team’s attack), one tireless defender (Hindy is fed up) and a bunch of rigid stiffs too scared to try anything but the simplest of basics. It is pathetic to watch and something HAS to be done about it...enough is ENOUGH. A team who arn’t allowed to have some FUN out on the field are never going to get results. A huge (and understated factor) in why the Eels went hell-for-leather at the back end of 2009 was because the boys were all having the time of their lives out there...watch the footage and see for yourself.

ShyJames of Wollongong (Reply)
Mon 19 Mar 12 (12:09am)

I’ll publish this comment but can everyone keep them short and sharp so we can get to as many as possible thanks.
Phil Rothfield
Mon 19 Mar 12 (12:46am)




Mate you just summed up alot of Parra fans thoughts, this super coach’s record speaks for itself - his game plans are a disgrace. Let the team play some creative freestyle football, at the risk of errors, or it’ll be the spoon for us!

PJ (Reply)
Mon 19 Mar 12 (12:12am)

Obviously you miss Jarryd Hayne but you can’t blame his injury woes for the fact big forwards are running aimlessly without any thoughts of passing the football. Every team needs to make the hard yards but the players arn’t trying anything that’s remotely creative.
Phil Rothfield
Mon 19 Mar 12 (12:37am)




Buzz help us out!!! put pressure on this clown and board they are killing western sydney! I know you were in favour og Kearney as was i but he cant coach! he is a dud.
Excuses every presser he was actually happy after the bronco game, us eel fans knew it would get worse.
SK downplays everything he has no idea and is killing this club.
members are still waiting for there packs, ignored over the phone as well. Plus they are selling tickets but there is no seat??

They make there own jerseys to save money but dont pass off the savings to fans???
Please get to the bottom of this Buzz!!!
Contract extension??? no chance in hell.
IF SO WE CANCEL MEMBERSHIPS.

jim (Reply)
Mon 19 Mar 12 (12:14am)

If you want to send me an email rothfieldp@dailytelegraph.com.au concerning tickets, seats and supporter packs, I’ll take it up with Roy Spagnolo.
Phil Rothfield
Mon 19 Mar 12 (12:43am)




I find it amazing that the coach best suited to this squad was the guy that was sacked by this board.
Daniel Anderson was far from given a chance. Spagnolo happily got put in mid season in ‘09 and happily took plaudits built on the finals chardge. His boadr has since them systematically dismantled it to the point where from GF to bottom position in 2.5 years.
Funnily he’s not as present among the club faithful as he was when the wins were coming.

Chad of Parramatta (Reply)
Mon 19 Mar 12 (12:20am)

I have spoken to Roy in the last 24 hours and I know he is concerned about the team’s poor form. What about the other board members too. I actually thought Kearney was a good appointment last year. Craig Bellamy had a huge opinion of him and he got great results with the Kiwi Test side but it’s been a massice struggle since he joined the Eels.
Phil Rothfield
Mon 19 Mar 12 (12:40am)




Steve Kearney is definitely not an nrl quality coach and should be demoted. If he is coach next year for parra, I would love to see hindy and burty in a different jersey, and I will follow that team…

shrapnell of western sydney (Reply)
Mon 19 Mar 12 (12:40am)

I think Kearney should be given a month from now to get the team firing.
Phil Rothfield
Mon 19 Mar 12 (12:41am)




Hey Buzz,
Couldn’t agree more about Kearney but isn’t this a massive about face from you? I remember at the start of last season you published rankings for the best coaches in the NRL and you put Kearney in the lofty position of 2nd (or maybe it was third) before he had even coached a game. I think it is safe to say that he is not in the upper echelon of coaches in the game.
Parramatta are simply diabolical both on and off the field. Everyone pointed the finger at Fitzgerald but it almost looks like they were Parramatta’s halycion days compared to what they are experiencing now.
Dragons looked good against the Tigers on Friday. How do you rate their chances for the rest of the season?

Dragon Dan of Kellyville (Reply)
Mon 19 Mar 12 (01:25am)

Please no more mentions of Denis Fitzgerald. He got tossed out the year they lost $9 million. Now they are making $10 million. The Dragons look like they’ll be in the top eight or on the edge for most of the season.
Phil Rothfield
Mon 19 Mar 12 (07:49am)




Being a Bulldog fan it is great to see Parra going bad but I do feel a bit for them, we had K.Moore and with a lot of pressure from the fans to rid of him look how the Dogs are going now. Bulldogs v Eels games are the best when both sides are in form…...Hate to see the Sharks disappear hopefully they can get some good results soon..

MZ of Greystanes (Reply)
Mon 19 Mar 12 (01:46am)

Sharkies are specials tonight
Phil Rothfield
Mon 19 Mar 12 (07:47am)




100% correct Phil
Kearney’s game plan is boring, predictable, one out hit-ups. The players aren’t allowed to using any natural skills.
He is using the Melbourne game plan from 3+ years ago. It just doesn’t work these days.

Ando (Reply)
Mon 19 Mar 12 (03:15am)

It works when you have champions playing 9, 7 and 1
Phil Rothfield
Mon 19 Mar 12 (07:27am)




Need to clean out the following:
Kearney
The Board
Hindy, Burt, Keating, Horo, Poore, Shacks, Lasalo, Morgan, Esi Tonga
BRING BACK ANDO!

DA (Reply)
Mon 19 Mar 12 (03:17am)
GB replied to DA
Mon 19 Mar 12 (09:17am)
100% correct



Buzz did you know fans still haven’t received their membership packs yet (the packs are a disgrace also), some members turned up to the home game and their seats were not existent, and the parra online store is not even online!

DA (Reply)
Mon 19 Mar 12 (03:20am)

I’m going to check this out with Roy Spagnolo later today. You’ve got to look after your best customers better than that.
Phil Rothfield
Mon 19 Mar 12 (07:51am)




Just let the boys play their natural games and have fun.

DA (Reply)
Mon 19 Mar 12 (03:21am)

That sounds like better tactics than the current ones.
Phil Rothfield
Mon 19 Mar 12 (07:28am)




Kearney had them running non-stop all off season and he wonders why they are injured now?

DA (Reply)
Mon 19 Mar 12 (03:22am)

You can’t blame Kearney for that - he was in England for half the off-season with the Kiwis.
Phil Rothfield
Mon 19 Mar 12 (07:50am)




As a fan very pissed off they average just over 10 points so far (no team can defend that these days) and these soft tries week after week just kill us.No disrespect to Matt Keating but he must be dropped he needs to learn where to control more.So far Sandow’s kicking game below par to.

Moody of Campbelltown (Reply)
Mon 19 Mar 12 (03:24am)

Agree
Phil Rothfield
Mon 19 Mar 12 (07:46am)




BRING BACK DANIEL ANDERSON

Bongo (Reply)
Mon 19 Mar 12 (03:27am)

That won’t be happening
Phil Rothfield
Mon 19 Mar 12 (07:29am)




I BLAME HILLSONG!

DA (Reply)
Mon 19 Mar 12 (03:27am)

Puhlease.
Phil Rothfield
Mon 19 Mar 12 (08:02am)




re: “The NRL could allow a second team into south-east Queensland in Brisbane on the proviso they play six of their 13 home games at Skilled Park. “
You are suggesting that because that worked so well when the Northern Eagles decided to play half their games in Gosford?
The Gold Coast is a city with it’s own ‘rivalry’ with Brisbane - I suspect having a Brisbane team coming down to ‘fly the flag’ won’t develop much support (public or sponsor wise) in Gold Coast.
ps: what do you think of Nathan Hindmarsh’s comment at the press conference?
>> “There were some blokes out there who outperformed the other boys and you can’t have two or three blokes willing to have a dig and the other blokes folding behind them,” Hindmarsh said. <<
It can’t all be the fault of the coach?

Grantwhy of North Queensland (Reply)
Mon 19 Mar 12 (04:20am)

It’s Hindmarsh being brutally honest. Good on him. I think the Gold Coast scenario would work. It’s better than having no team at all.
Phil Rothfield
Mon 19 Mar 12 (07:46am)



http://blogs.news.com.au/dailyteleg...ments/stephen_kearney_turns_eels_into_robots/

 

[benkustosgrandmother]

The article hit the nail on the head for me.

 

[parra pete]

Wasn't Phil Rothfield the bloke who said that Kearney should have been appointed ahead of Daniel Anderson?

 

[the slippery eel]

You couldn't have counted too many !!

Why is that?

 

[forward pass]

Why is that?

...because we hardly ever made it to 6 !!

 

[Parra]

...because we hardly ever made it to 6 !!

It is a good strategy because we don't need to worry about carrying a decent kicker. So that is one position freed up. By not scoring tries we don't have to worry about carrying a solid goal-kicker either.

By not completing sets we also get the advantage of never having to feed a scrum.

This may not make sense if you think of it from a match-day perspective. But think of the time saved at training by not having to practice kicking, goal-kicking, kick chasing and scrum feeding. This is time that can be put to better use.

It is all part of a masterplan.