AFL's P Plate Coaches Still Have A Lot To Learn - Crikey

[St George]

From Today's Crikey

Charles Happell writes:

It’s not so easy after all, is it boys? This AFL coaching caper might not be the soda you’d suggested in your presentations to those various club sub-committees who ended up offering you jobs.
You can wear the nattiest suit, put together the slickest power-point presentation and spout coach-speak gobbledegook till you’re blue in the face but all that counts for nowt when the ball is bounced on game day – and you’re the one running the show in the coaches’ box.
Tactics can’t be mapped out on a white board, or slide projector, or gleaned from a text book. The game doesn’t flow in neat lines; it veers here, there and everywhere. There’s no pattern to it; it’s about as inexact a science as you can get. Successful coaches have to rely on gut feel, a watertight game plan, sharp tactical awareness and the ability to think clearly under major duress. Moreover, they need to have deft man-management skills, and a talent for lucid communication and making inspirational speeches. In short, it’s a monumentally tough gig.
The performances of Mark Harvey, Dean Bailey, Ross Lyon and Matthew Knights this season – all of whom are in their first or second season in the job – have been revealing.
For a while they have all talked a great game as assistant coaches, and had a mastery of the gibberish that passes these days for a knowledge of the game, they’ve spent a good part of their brief senior careers just trying to keep their head above water and not drown.
Their game plans have come under heavy scrutiny, and criticism: Harvey for producing a Fremantle team that lacks any cohesion or spirit, Bailey for trying to institute a possession-orientated game plan at Melbourne that his underskilled players simply can’t execute, Lyon for stifling the creative life out of St Kilda, and Knights for quite the opposite – paying scant regard to defence at Essendon while pushing his players forward in a reckless attempt to score at any cost.
Harvey’s team allowed 16th-placed Melbourne to win on Sunday after spotting them a 50-point lead at half-time. It was the sort of result that can ruin seasons, and leave indelible stains on coaching careers. His evasive, monosyllabic, confused performance on two TV football shows on Monday night suggested he was as far as ever from finding the solution to his perennially underperforming Dockers.
At St Kilda, supporters ask why Lyon – with Justin Koschitzke, Nick Riewoldt and (an admittedly ageing) Fraser Gehrig in his forward line, and Stephen Milne waiting for the crumbs – would want to do anything other than bomb the ball long towards them, rather than circumnavigate the flanks at the speed of an arthritic tortoise. As a spectacle, the Saints’ tentative forays forward are truly painful to watch. Only a profoundly lucky win over Richmond at the weekend prevented them from sliding into the bottom eight, where Melbourne, Fremantle and Essendon are firmly anchored.
At Melbourne, Bailey has similarly paralyzed his team with over-coaching. As soon as the Demons were given their heads after half-time against Fremantle on Sunday – having bugger all to lose at that stage -- they played with a freedom and gay abandon that should have Bailey now privately reviewing his methods. Ditch the mumbo-jumbo and keep it simple.
Knights has got his team scoring a few goals, and occasionally stringing some breathtaking passages together, but the Bombers leak goals at the other end in a torrent. It is no recipe for sustained success. Or a long coaching career.
As the Carlton and Hawthorn premiership coach David Parkin once noted: "Until you’ve coached for three or four years, you’re only really practising on your players.’’
The trick for Harvey, Knights, Bailey and co will be surviving those three or four years. As things stand, they may never get a turn in the driver’s seat without having their ‘P’ plates on.

[brown-coat]

At St Kilda, supporters ask why Lyon – with Justin Koschitzke, Nick Riewoldt and (an admittedly ageing) Fraser Gehrig in his forward line, and Stephen Milne waiting for the crumbs – would want to do anything other than bomb the ball long towards them, rather than circumnavigate the flanks at the speed of an arthritic tortoise

We do indeed, we do indeed.

So why do you stuff around so much Ross?

[LENNY LEADS THE WAY]

Often a new coach will take over when a team is on the decline not on the rise.

This must make it very hard to implement ur plans when ur still cleaning up the mess from past coaches.

How often will a new coach get a top 4 list?

theses things take time 1st u get ur gameplan but u also need the time to get the players into ur side to suit ur game plan.

[Saints43]

Often a new coach will take over when a team is on the decline not on the rise.

This must make it very hard to implement ur plans when ur still cleaning up the mess from past coaches.

How often will a new coach get a top 4 list?

theses things take time 1st u get ur gameplan but u also need the time to get the players into ur side to suit ur game plan.

Surely the gameplan needs be created to suit the playing personelle you are lumped with to get the best results possible - Coaches contacts are not indefinite - and then tuned to suit as preferred players are brought to the club?

[saintbrat]

carlton supporter - ? he's forgotten ratten who has 12 months less than Ross.

[starsign]

Often a new coach will take over when a team is on the decline not on the rise.

yeh my thoughts were about missing Ratten too
He'd have to be still a P Plater
Perhaps he took over a mob with good young talent and a side who had nowhere else to go but up (ie after they made sure they didn't win too many in '07)

[meher baba]

I think that the point of Happell's article is that Lyon, Harvey, Bailey and Knights are all representatives of a new breed of coaches: not so much club legends as would-be technocrats with a brilliant grasp of game plans, the technical development of players etc. And this new breed of coach doesn't seem to be performing terrifically well at the moment.

Ratten is not this: he represents the old-fashioned club legend sort of coaching appointment (as is, interestingly enough, Paul Roos, despite his alleged mastery of matters technical).

BTW, I wish we had a member of the current coaching panel with as much red, white and black blood flowing through his veins as Ratten has navy blue blood flowing through his.

[saintspremiers]

BTW, I wish we had a member of the current coaching panel with as much red, white and black blood flowing through his veins as Ratten has navy blue blood flowing through his.

Whilst we don't at coaching level, we've got Burkey and Thommo at board level, and we all know the colour and passion of their blood.....let's just hope they are privately seething at our performances so far this year....

[Mr Magic]

BTW, I wish we had a member of the current coaching panel with as much red, white and black blood flowing through his veins as Ratten has navy blue blood flowing through his.

Like Rendell, Wallis, Daniher, McGuane, Mifsud?

Oh I fogot, GT also had Burkie for 2 seconds and Cripps for 3 seconds.

It would seem that the non-employment of 'Saints men' is not solely a Ross Lyon initiative.

[farquhar]

Don't forget Craig Bradley was an assistant coach at St Kilda for about 3 hours before quitting.

[meher baba]

BTW, I wish we had a member of the current coaching panel with as much red, white and black blood flowing through his veins as Ratten has navy blue blood flowing through his.

Like Rendell, Wallis, Daniher, McGuane, Mifsud?

Oh I fogot, GT also had Burkie for 2 seconds and Cripps for 3 seconds.

It would seem that the non-employment of 'Saints men' is not solely a Ross Lyon initiative.

Totally agree, but now we don't have anybody at all.

[Mr Magic]

BTW, I wish we had a member of the current coaching panel with as much red, white and black blood flowing through his veins as Ratten has navy blue blood flowing through his.

Like Rendell, Wallis, Daniher, McGuane, Mifsud?

Oh I fogot, GT also had Burkie for 2 seconds and Cripps for 3 seconds.

It would seem that the non-employment of 'Saints men' is not solely a Ross Lyon initiative.

Totally agree, but now we don't have anybody at all.

So on that basis we should get GT back?

[saintsRrising]

I think that the point of Happell's article is that Lyon, Harvey, Bailey and Knights are all representatives of a new breed of coaches: not so much club legends as would-be technocrats with a brilliant grasp of game plans, the technical development of players etc. .

I would have thought that Harvey was closer to a caveman.....thana technocrat in his approach??

And this new breed of coach doesn't seem to be performing terrifically well at the moment.

.

Well I would have thought the Number One Technocrat complete with his shiny MBA and rolling zones, Buddies Box etc, would be Alister Clarkson.

How is he going?

And in equal place Craig who was said to have a god-awful list this year...

How is he going?

[bobmurray]

What about McGuane,all the praise that he was some super duper tactician,some sort of coaching prodigee,he didn't amount to much at all.

When the Saints staff ordered a training jacket for McGuane the manufacturer asked what size,the StKilda staff member said half a marquee....

[mad saint guy]

Well I would have thought the Number One Technocrat complete with his shiny MBA and rolling zones, Buddies Box etc, would be Alister Clarkson.

How is he going?

And in equal place Craig who was said to have a god-awful list this year...

How is he going?

The first few "technocrats" went quite well, it just seems to be the teams who are looking to follow the leader are struggling. The most successful teams are the ones who are proactive and original with their game style, while the reactive copy-cat teams aren't going too well.

[st.byron]

BTW, I wish we had a member of the current coaching panel with as much red, white and black blood flowing through his veins as Ratten has navy blue blood flowing through his.

Like Rendell, Wallis, Daniher, McGuane, Mifsud?

Oh I fogot, GT also had Burkie for 2 seconds and Cripps for 3 seconds.

It would seem that the non-employment of 'Saints men' is not solely a Ross Lyon initiative.

Totally agree, but now we don't have anybody at all.

So on that basis we should get GT back?

Oh FFS, does every second thread have to degenerate into a pro-anti GT debate. Baba makes a fair point I reckon. Ratten does differ from the other new kids on the block because he didn't win the job with a sharp suit and personality testing. He bleeds Carlton. Doesn't mean he'll make a great coach but he is different from the others in this way.

[Behind Play]

BTW, I wish we had a member of the current coaching panel with as much red, white and black blood flowing through his veins as Ratten has navy blue blood flowing through his.

Whilst we don't at coaching level, we've got Burkey and Thommo at board level, and we all know the colour and passion of their blood.....let's just hope they are privately seething at our performances so far this year....

They are not the only ones seething.

[Mr Magic]

BTW, I wish we had a member of the current coaching panel with as much red, white and black blood flowing through his veins as Ratten has navy blue blood flowing through his.

Like Rendell, Wallis, Daniher, McGuane, Mifsud?

Oh I fogot, GT also had Burkie for 2 seconds and Cripps for 3 seconds.

It would seem that the non-employment of 'Saints men' is not solely a Ross Lyon initiative.

Totally agree, but now we don't have anybody at all.

So on that basis we should get GT back?

Oh FFS, does every second thread have to degenerate into a pro-anti GT debate. Baba makes a fair point I reckon. Ratten does differ from the other new kids on the block because he didn't win the job with a sharp suit and personality testing. He bleeds Carlton. Doesn't mean he'll make a great coach but he is different from the others in this way.

Thanks for giving us your opinion. My apology for giving mine.

Whilst you're heaping praise on Baba's oipinion you do realize that his point was an oblique 'slap' at RL don't you? Does that mean posts can be either pro or anti GT/RL as long as yuo are clever enough not to actually mention either of their names?

[Zippy]

The important point which I take from that is that coaching, being an incredibly tough job, isn't likely one where you deliver a world-class performance from day one.

And they can learn, too.

Laidley's definitely a far better coach than he used to be, for instance.

So even if Ross hasn't done the best job so far (I don't think he has), there's no reason he can't suddenly learn how to set the list on fire.

[meher baba]

BTW, I wish we had a member of the current coaching panel with as much red, white and black blood flowing through his veins as Ratten has navy blue blood flowing through his.

Like Rendell, Wallis, Daniher, McGuane, Mifsud?

Oh I fogot, GT also had Burkie for 2 seconds and Cripps for 3 seconds.

It would seem that the non-employment of 'Saints men' is not solely a Ross Lyon initiative.

Totally agree, but now we don't have anybody at all.

So on that basis we should get GT back?

Oh FFS, does every second thread have to degenerate into a pro-anti GT debate. Baba makes a fair point I reckon. Ratten does differ from the other new kids on the block because he didn't win the job with a sharp suit and personality testing. He bleeds Carlton. Doesn't mean he'll make a great coach but he is different from the others in this way.

Thanks for giving us your opinion. My apology for giving mine.

Whilst you're heaping praise on Baba's oipinion you do realize that his point was an oblique 'slap' at RL don't you? Does that mean posts can be either pro or anti GT/RL as long as yuo are clever enough not to actually mention either of their names?

Look, I'll acknowledge that I'm no great fan of RL but on this occasion I really was thinking that it would be nice even to have an assistant coach who had worn the R,W and B at some stage

[Teflon]

And again Babba..another thread ends in "bring back Grant" all via a veiled..."Ross Lyon ISNT a St Kilda man..."

who cares? Move on.

[LENNY LEADS THE WAY]

100 PERCENT BEHIND ROSS LYON 100 PERCENT OF THE TIME.

JUST LIKE I WAS 100 PERCENT BEHIND GRANT THOMAS 100 PERCENT OF THE TIME WHEN HE WAS COACH.

MOVE ON FFS.

[Mr Magic]

Oh, and BTW, for all those lauding Carlton for appointing their 'blueblood running through his veins' Ratten, IIRC their first choice was Michael Voss who was offered the job and decided he wasn't ready yet.

[LENNY LEADS THE WAY]

Oh, and BTW, for all those lauding Carlton for appointing their 'blueblood running through his veins' Ratten, IIRC their first choice was Michael Voss who was offered the job and decided he wasn't ready yet.

That's coz they weren't happy with his tanking abillities he did not decline the offer was taking off the table

[ace]

I have heard employers slagging off about their employees so many times.
My business is not sucessful,
the reason things went wrong is

- because my employees are failures, they are stupid, unskilled and don't apply their intelligence and skills.

When you employ someone you get to choose people who are intelligent or stupid, who have the necessary skills or are unskilled, that apply their intelligence and skills or don't.

It is the employers responsiblity to ensure that he employs people who are intelligent, skilled and apply their intelligence and skills.

The reason for Ross Lyon's lack of success is someone employed him to coach St Kilda.
That dope has a name.
It is Rod Butterss, he selected and employed Ross Lyon.
It is time that employers starting accepting responsiblitiy for their own failures instead hanging the blame on inadequate employees who they choose to employ.

Butterss left in the sun too long, melts.