Why 2009 Should Be Brian Smith's Final Knights Season

[Pika]

How is Smith responsible for the lack of success in the Jrs?

Its not like he went through the squads like he did with NRL.

If the Jrs are not performing in only Smiths second year its hardly his fault.

Toyota Cup was a disaster, and that about the only lack of success I can lay at Smiths feet.

 

[aqua_duck]

Exactly, and its like like people are going to blame ricky stuart for the sharks disaster of a year in NYC, are attribute penrith's success in lower grades to matthew Elliot. Smith is accountable to 1st grade first and foremost.

 

[roopy]

The NYC team was so crappy, but I think the Mathews side was the best i've seen at the Knights in 8 years of watching at least a few Mathews games every year - and the Ball side was decent.

 

[Pika]

To be fair to Smith, the sweeping changes in game plan and philosophy are only just starting to take hold in NRL.

For it to trickle down to the Jrs it will take a few years.

I expect a performance from NYC this season to be similar to NRL last year, as the plays and techs are put in place.

To be honest I anticipate NYC to be a year behind NRL, and U18 to be a year behind NYC and so on.

 

[BG]

The important thing about Smith and recruitment is that he needs to get a side that suits him. Some would say the coach should adapt to the team's personality not the other way round; and this is probably Smith's weakest point. On the other hand with a suitable squad under him, his strengths come into play. Quite simply, many of the most knowledgeable people in the game rate him the best tactical and technical coach around. More than one elite player who has been coached by him has told me personally that Smith is a brilliant skills coach and a "tactical genius". And the one thing common among players who don't like Smith or have a grudge against him for one reason or another is that they will challenge his player relations methods but they don't dare to question his football nouse. In an article in the Herald Sun last year even Clint Newton--among jibes at the way Smith had handled contract negotiations--conceded that he was "tactically and technically the best coach".

I'm quietly confident that the present team is by and large a group of young, committed guys who are poised to flourish under, rather than rebel against, Smith's intensity. As the club has taken the choice to let Smith mould a team to suit his style, it would seem silly not to give him at least a couple more years with a stable squad doing what he's best at: improving individual players' skills and conniving shrewd game plans.

 

[Karmawave]

The point is, why rush into re-signing Brian Smith before we see what happens this season.


There is talk that they want to extend his contract right now - and its fraught with danger.

Already we have seen him narrowly miss the wooden spoon, create division amongst players ( which he is well known for at other clubs too ), and once again sit at home watching the semi finals on TV.

If Smith leads the team to some ground breaking unforgettable season, sure, lets consider a contract extension.

But why are they looking at it extending his contract right now before the season starts?

Imagine the scenario if they extend Smiths contract and the Knights finish 10th or worse. ( sure many of you don't think this can occur, but making the top 8 next year is certainly no gimme )

Financially, the Knights simply cannot risk it.

The Knights must wait and judge next years on field performances before taking a huge financial risk of extending Smiths contract based on some very ordinary results and before a ball is kicked in 2009.

 

[macavity]

its a catch 22

with recruitment and retention, players want to know who the coach is, and a coach needs to be able to plan

but if things go badly, or key players are put offside (lets face it, big chance of that..) we are stuck with a dud coach and can't afford a payout.

im also pretty sure the way smithy's contract is structured, we couldn't appoint a new coach until the end of this season anyway - because he has automatic extensions based on performance. so unless we were no shot of the 8, we would have to wait, meaning there might not be any good coaches left anyway.

 

[Newie is God's Country]

The point is, why rush into re-signing Brian Smith before we see what happens this season.


There is talk that they want to extend his contract right now - and its fraught with danger.

Already we have seen him narrowly miss the wooden spoon, create division amongst players ( which he is well known for at other clubs too ), and once again sit at home watching the semi finals on TV.

If Smith leads the team to some ground breaking unforgettable season, sure, lets consider a contract extension.

But why are they looking at it extending his contract right now before the season starts?

Imagine the scenario if they extend Smiths contract and the Knights finish 10th or worse. ( sure many of you don't think this can occur, but making the top 8 next year is certainly no gimme )

Financially, the Knights simply cannot risk it.

The Knights must wait and judge next years on field performances before taking a huge financial risk of extending Smiths contract based on some very ordinary results and before a ball is kicked in 2009.

For once you make agood point without laying into someone's intelligence. All the lads and ladies who post here in my opninon are good people so good on you for not barking them down. I honestly think Smithy is the best option we have right now. The culture he is developing here is a modern one and not the 1988 nostalgia trip we lived prior to his arrival. The Wok rates Smith alongside Gould as two of the top five coaches in the game's history. Unless it is Gus replacing him we are mad to let him go. As a side note did you guys know that Tony, Brian's little bro, repeatedly brushed New Ltd questions and interviews during the world cup. I think that is ace. Clearly he is pissed about his brother's treatment by these goons.

 

[Hanscholo]

Hoping that Jnrs will come through got us nowhere from 2002 onwards. Its also a bit of lie to suggest that our past success was soley based on jnrs. We have always had a mixture of locals and imports, I dont see what has changed.

He has shown enough in just quality of the teams play that he is the man for the job for the next couple of years, he hasnt made the eight your right but try watching us play, and compare it to three seasons ago.

I see your argument about Hayne. Super talent, with issues galore off field and on. Having sooked while Hagan was there to get a positional change, being shot at in the cross im wondering if you could extend yourself to see why he wasnt playing first grade under smith?

 

[Alex28]

Not to me he wasn't.

Parramatta has a huge junior base and have always been successful in juniors, with or without Brian Smith.

It is one thing developing gun juniors, and another being capable to turn those juniors into first grade stars that win competitions.

Smith has shown he was incapable of that. As a personnel man, he had issues with Jamie Lyon, Tim Smith, and Jarryd Hayne among others.

Dude...have you seen the size of our junior base? Give the guy some credit - he might not have won Parramatta a premiership but he left the club - from the juniors right through to First Grade - in a very good position. Shame they recruited a coach that wasn't capable of benefiting from all that work.

He's been recruited to do a job. He has taken a club that has relied on a few big players for YEARS, to a club that can at least win games in their absence. Remember when we couldn't win a game without Johns and Buderus?

At least now he isn't hamstrung with the big salaries of Johns and Buderus, and players who had no business playing NRL. He needs a chance to keep building. He hasn't won a premiership over the last 2 years - heck he hasn't gone close - but those bagging him for that are kidding themselves. If we are being realistic we wont be pushing for a premiership for the next 3 or 4 years at least.

Remember Parramatta after their generation of stars retired? They were a basket case. We were a massive chance of being the same. I think we are on the right track but we are miles away from being a genuine premiership contender.

Let the guy finish the job he was brought here to do and think long-term rather than next year.

 

[Burwood]

I see your argument about Hayne. Super talent, with issues galore off field and on. Having sooked while Hagan was there to get a positional change, being shot at in the cross im wondering if you could extend yourself to see why he wasnt playing first grade under smith?

A very important argument as to why Smith was justified in holding Hayne back from first grade. No doubt he was ready physically, but he just couldn't handle the pressure that comes from playing first grade week-in week-out. I wonder if all of the media and fans who were blasting Smith 18 months ago still feel that he was wrong not to throw him into first grade?

As for the large risk that some people see of Smith getting offside with the player group based on last year, I don't really perceive it to be much of an issue. 2007 was a very unique season in the club's history- a lot of players had to be shown the door and of these, the vast majority did not wish to leave. Show me a coach in the NRL who could cut half of the playing roster and still have a happy squad?

If anything, we should be looking at how the team pulled together in 2008. With the exception of an ex-player voicing his opinion of Wicks, I can't really remember anything that would lead me to believe that Smith has anything other than the full support of his team. Even Buderus who was the most vocal of players last year had nothing bad to say in 2008.