The coach.

[SpaceMonkey]

bollox, this has nothing to do with Bluey, but since you mention it we were running at a massive %50 this time last year with 8 points and with the for/against we were in the 8. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_NRL_season#Ladder_progression

This year is the worst the club has ever been 1/3 way through the season. But for the for/against we are sitting dead f**king last with not a lot of improvement on the horizon.
Blame last years coach for that !

ME is a f**king joke, his coaching career has the big FAIL beside it and I cant see this season being any different.

A lot of you got all gushy over him when he was the 'big name' selection.

You just refuse to listen...

This time last year we were coming off a grand final the previous year, and the team still had something of the winning culture they'd developed under Ivan. We were already going backwards slowly, although it hadn't become really apparent at that point. Shit hit rock bottom by the end of the year... yet you seem to want to write off ME because he couldn;t recover from that.

 

[ozbash]

that's your theory, not mine.

you cannot blame this years performance (or lack of) on last year.

The only time I blame a crap year on something is Sonny Fai's death..

If you want to point the finger, raise it up a bit, not at the 'coach' but at the people pushing the coaches buttons..

 

[Benek]

ozbash, how many coaches do you think could have already turned around the Warriors after the dismal state Bluey got them in by the end of last year?

Look at Bennet in Newcastle. They are still not looking great and how long has he been there?

If we hired Belemey and Bennet or another first tier coach and we were still 2/9 this year, I bet you'd be saying it takes time to turn things around. Why can't we give ME that same latitude before we judge him? He's clearly 100% more capable than Bluey was.

 

[jaseg]

bollox, this has nothing to do with Bluey, but since you mention it we were running at a massive %50 this time last year with 8 points and with the for/against we were in the 8. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_NRL_season#Ladder_progression

This year is the worst the club has ever been 1/3 way through the season. But for the for/against we are sitting dead f**king last with not a lot of improvement on the horizon.
Blame last years coach for that !

ME is a f**king joke, his coaching career has the big FAIL beside it and I cant see this season being any different.

A lot of you got all gushy over him when he was the 'big name' selection.

You just refuse to listen...

The W/L might say different, but I think we were worse off this time last year. Back then we were on a downward trajectory - I don't see that this time around.

And your comment about getting gushy over him certainly doesn't apply to me - it DID apply the year before, I'm happy to admit I thought Bluey was going to be a fantastic coach... his record pointed towards it. Turns out he was probably on par with Tony Kemp as the worst coach in the club's history. I'm sure he's a nice guy, but every indication was that he failed miserably at the Warriors and thoroughly deserved to be sacked. He took a grand final team to the bottom of the comp, refused signings, didn't acknowledge or adapt to correct mistakes and turned the playing roster against him.

Elliott has been pretty much the opposite for me - I was horrified at the idea of him (his record in the NRL was baaaad), but he's looked pretty good in a REALLY shitty situation. The time to judge him will be around the end of the season (not in terms of W/L strictly - Bluey's legacy f'd us there at the start of the season, but in how the team is performing).

 

[Blair]

...it's widely acknowledged that turning a team around takes time. Can't say Bennett's exactly working miracles at the Knights either.

Nor Sticky at the Eels, that bloke at the Tigers...

Two other clubs that were considered 'in crisis' at the end of last year. I'd be confident we'd whip both those sides if we played them right now.

 

[ozbash]

Back then we were on a downward trajectory - I don't see that this time around.

well, that's very true, I suppose

you have to be up before you go down.

The time to judge him will be around the end of the season (not in terms of W/L strictly

lol

 

[Campion]

I remember reading in a book, I think Paul Collier's 'The Bottom Billion', that the problem is it takes years and years of good policy and favourable external conditions for a country to come good, but that it can all be undone in literally half a year through a civil war, coup, or something like that. Maybe I'm overstretching the analogy but I feel the same way about NRL teams and in particular the Bluey to Elliot handover.

 

[Iafeta]

My 2 cents -

When Bluey was signed in 2011, he had it all set up for him. The FG side had played in the Grand Final, the Under 20's had won 2 comps. He inherited a good side & good staff. Somehow he f**ked it up really badly. Really really badly. I always had reservations about his appointment, mainly due to the way he speaks. I realise that is stupid, but he instills no confidence when he speaks, he actually sounds thick! Harsh maybe, but just my honest thoughts.

All the stories/rumours about lack of fitness, no defensive training drills, video reviews where mistakes weren't accountable, players turning up to games after being out the night before were mind blowing. Their is no doubt that the attitudes of the players wasn't good enough in 2012. Bluey wasn't smart enough to be able to change it. He lost the team pretty early & there was never ever a way back for him.

I wasn't sure about the appointment of ME. He tended to be a bit 'out there' with his time at Penrith, & he also left that club in one hell of a mess salary cap wise.
However, he has had to start at the very bottom. He's put people in positions (something Bluey refused to do in 2012) and he has set about taking the club in the right direction. There is going to be some more pain too i'd say. I think we may loose players that we don't want to, but we'll see what happens..

Ozbash, if you don't think that Bluey was responible for the f**kup that was 2012, can you give us same names of the people who you think are??


As for the Wane thing, he will be an assistant. ME isn't going anywhere this season regardless of the results!

One of the best posts I've ever read on here. Outstanding post.

There were rumours although no proof that I know of, that players last year were so lacking in faith with Bluey's coaching, that a few of them were getting additional coaching from elsewhere. If true, that is definately not good.

Listening to ME on Radio Sport now, I do like the way he communicates.

I heard from a relo of a player (granted not a great source and it's so scarcely believable I wonder if it's even possible to be true) that Blueys style was basically empowerment gone mad. The story is there were no game plans, he was more the mentoring, encouraging mates mate and the expectation was to be completely positive and back yourself.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

One of the best posts I've ever read on here. Outstanding post.



I heard from a relo of a player (granted not a great source and it's so scarcely believable I wonder if it's even possible to be true) that Blueys style was basically empowerment gone mad. The story is there were no game plans, he was more the mentoring, encouraging mates mate and the expectation was to be completely positive and back yourself.

In hindsight it's all too believable, and I remember even around the time that he signed there were some reservations to that effect from people in the UK. It makes a lot of sense when you think about it:
1: that kind of approach works a lot better in rep games where a coach doesn't really have time to get players playing in a system- he just needs to get them as motivated as possible and to back themselves on the day. Hence it worked for Bluey with the Kiwis.
2: It also works if you've got a team of experienced champions that basically coaches itself- keep them motivated and accomodate their egos and they do the rest. Hence success at Leeds.
3: If you look at the teams performances early last year it makes sense too- they were playing positive, enterprising attacking football and certainly backing themselves, but they lacked defensive structure
4: And when those problems persisted, there was nothing to turn that around, and he lost the team's confidence.

As I said all too obvious in hindsight.

 

[One Warrior]

My 2 cents -

When Bluey was signed in 2011, he had it all set up for him. The FG side had played in the Grand Final, the Under 20's had won 2 comps. He inherited a good side & good staff. Somehow he f**ked it up really badly. Really really badly. I always had reservations about his appointment, mainly due to the way he speaks. I realise that is stupid, but he instills no confidence when he speaks, he actually sounds thick! Harsh maybe, but just my honest thoughts.

All the stories/rumours about lack of fitness, no defensive training drills, video reviews where mistakes weren't accountable, players turning up to games after being out the night before were mind blowing. Their is no doubt that the attitudes of the players wasn't good enough in 2012. Bluey wasn't smart enough to be able to change it. He lost the team pretty early & there was never ever a way back for him.

I wasn't sure about the appointment of ME. He tended to be a bit 'out there' with his time at Penrith, & he also left that club in one hell of a mess salary cap wise.
However, he has had to start at the very bottom. He's put people in positions (something Bluey refused to do in 2012) and he has set about taking the club in the right direction. There is going to be some more pain too i'd say. I think we may loose players that we don't want to, but we'll see what happens..

Ozbash, if you don't think that Bluey was responible for the f**kup that was 2012, can you give us same names of the people who you think are??


As for the Wane thing, he will be an assistant. ME isn't going anywhere this season regardless of the results!

Well said.

 

[Diesel]

Has Elliott lost the players?

Elliott returns to his old home ground, wanting to return and make an impression.

 

[Blair]

Has Elliott lost the players?

Elliott returns to his old home ground, wanting to return and make an impression.

No mate, the players have lost Elliott.

Time for the coach to call the shots in this set up. Any other way and we're just a bunch of mugs believing our own hype and memories.

As painful as it is (and I, for one, have a deep sentimental attachment for the team of 2011) we need a broom swept through our ranks. The coach should do it, who else?

 

[tonesy87]

hat goes off to elliott for pulling johnson off........intrigued to see what next weeks team will look like, hopefully lots of changes!

 

[Micistm]

Completely agree, that wasn't a gameplan, and no way should the coach be on the chopping block for that. The only thing I'd blame ME for is if he doesn't tear those guys new arseholes next week.
Time for these players to be lined up and asked to step up. The attitudes are atrocious and need sorting, from the limp wristed display on the field to the smiles all around after the biggest hiding in the clubs history. Just not good enough.
Said it at the start of the season and it's even more relevant now: Loyalty is to be earnt, not demanded or guilted in a marketing campaign. If the players are meh about it, why shouldn't the fans?
Radio Sport will be interesting in the morning.

 

[Diesel]

The spoon is ours now. Elliott needs to drop the smiling f.wits to the Vulcans and a few others that didn't perform.

Blair answered my question well that the players have lost Elliott, not the coach losing the players and that was a good call to hook Johnson.

Vulcanise 1/2 the effing team

 

[kos]

Yes why not drop anybody laughing at the end of the game ..henry for one.
Just replace half of these pricks.
the guys brought up seriously could not be any worse.

 

[Philip_Smith007]

Yes hats off to removing Johnson.
Then to hear the half wit Aussie commentators say its a big call to pull ya play maker.
He was playing shit and deserves a wakeup call.
TL is not a 5/8.
Will be very interesting to see team named on Tues, we don't have a large stock in the back ground, but all smilers should be fined and suspended for 1 game.

 

[Micistm]

The spoon is ours now. Elliott needs to drop the smiling f.wits to the Vulcans and a few others that didn't perform.

Blair answered my question well that the players have lost Elliott, not the coach losing the players and that was a good call to hook Johnson.

Vulcanise 1/2 the effing team

Well, yeah, you only have to look at the clubs history. How many coaches do we need to go through before we stop blaming coaches automatically and start looking at other issues? The players attitudes are appalling

 

[DC_fan]

You can see why the Panthers dumped him.

 

[Diesel]

Elliott shouldn't be the sacrificial lamb and I hope he isn't.

The attitude of the Gen-Y players on big money and profiles needs to be put in its place. Whether that's Elliott's role or the CEO's or football manager, I'm not sure.

Time to go Wayne, we need someone like Steve Price involved in this club at the top