Williams to the Dogs

[timmy 29]

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl...2-19742,00.html

[Yze_Magic 3]

Catch ya later.

[Bruce Almighty 0]

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl...2-19742,00.html

thats good news, maybe our next midfield coach will show our mids how to be accountable and win some footy

[Sir Why You Little 34,697]

That's Good news as the last 2 years our mid field has been deplorable. If only we could get our old no 12 Todd Viney back in there. Patience GrassHopper

[Guest melbman]

Why hire a guys who's coached the worst midfield in the league for the past 2 seasons. Our 2007 year was abysmal in the midfield, absolutely abysmal, probably the worst footballing midfield I've ever seen and I try to be positive but sheesh!! Was he pushed???

Great opportunity for us but you have to wonder about the Doggies

Does than mean Schwarta is leaving the Doggies? He could have landed the job

[Supreme_Demon 3,011]

As harsh as it may sound I don't really care.

I would rate Paul Williams midfield coaching stint at the MFC as below average. Brett Ratten was one of our finest midfield coaches in recent years and now he's off coaching Carlton!

I'm sure we will find another midfield coach for the MFC pretty soon. Let's hope who ever it is he does a decent job!

[Guest melbman]

I'm happy with this and had been hoping for it

I think our midfield was totally defensive minded to the point where they would not go for the ball, just chase their opponents

happy days

[Damo 3,011]

Paul Williams seemed a good bloke and it is hard to pull up your socks when you dont have any.

But Im not upset he has gone.

I wonder how Dean Bailey rated him?

The Bulldogs have a lot more running centremen in the mold of his own type of play. He may do well there.

We need quality fast insiders, but with the group we have, we do need a Todd Viney type of assistant coach.

Funny this didnt happen last year.

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

More the truth, how would any supporter have any idea how a midfield coach is actually performing?

FWIW, Williams may or may not be a good coach. However, it has to be recognised that there has been a significant lack of talent and experience within our midfield. Our lack of real quality in the midfield and a generally underperforming ruck puts you on a hiding to nothing.

Also, in his year at MFC, Ratten had White as an AA ruckman and he had probably the best midfielder we have had in the past 6 to 8 years in Scott Thompson in the centre as first dibs possession winner. Makes any monkey look good.

However, I think it was inevitable that Williams was on thin ice given he was the last of the ND era in the coaching panel and 2008 was the last year on his contract. Bailey and CC can now find there own appointee.

[Sir Why You Little 34,697]

Why hire a guys who's coached the worst midfield in the league for the past 2 seasons. Our 2007 year was abysmal in the midfield, absolutely abysmal, probably the worst footballing midfield I've ever seen and I try to be positive but sheesh!! Was he pushed???

Great opportunity for us but you have to wonder about the Doggies

Does than mean Schwarta is leaving the Doggies? He could have landed the job

Good point man. Could be the perfect time for the ox to come home. Cool

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

Good point man. Could be the perfect time for the ox to come home. Cool

As midfield coach? <_<

FWIW, I am not sure we want to be a cesspool of ex players given we have had 40+ years of little success.

I want to ensure MFC gets the best coaches possible and I dont give a hoot where they have played.

FWIW, Ox can come to MFC if he indeed has something to offer the players as a Coach. His post playing influences have not always been the most preferred at MFC.

[Sir Why You Little 34,697]

As midfield coach? <_<

FWIW, I am not sure we want to be a cesspool of ex players given we have had 40+ years of little success.

I want to ensure MFC gets the best coaches possible and I dont give a hoot where they have played.

FWIW, Ox can come to MFC if he indeed has something to offer the players as a Coach. His post playing influences have not always been the most preferred at MFC.

The ox would be a damn Good mid field coach i would think. He is now a married man with a kid and has stated often that his Punting days are over. If he is available i would hope he at least was given an interview. He played a lot of footy moving through the middle.

[beelzebub 22,268]

Talent or no talent yo can only work with what is fit and on the track and I cant bee anything but unimpressed by our midfiled in reent times. whether this is a direct corrolation to Williams or not possibly time only wil ltell.

Am happy enough to have a new person appoited to look after the engine room. Will be interesting to see who it is.

[deeflog 679]

I think the funny part of all this is that Williams has gone to the doggies to be the forward line coach

I thought in the final against the cats that was the area that let them down and then they have gone and hired a former midfielder

[Dappa Dan 2,188]

http://www.afl.com.au/News/NEWSARTICLE/tab...px?newsId=69106

Is that the last of Daniher's Coaching panel now gone?

My opinion... No huge loss. May be a bit unsettling for the player group having a new face next year, but we can't go worse in the midfield than we did this year.

Prospective appointments anyone?

[Mono 454]

........FWIW, Williams may or may not be a good coach. However, it has to be recognised that there has been a significant lack of talent and experience within our midfield. Our lack of real quality in the midfield and a generally underperforming ruck puts you on a hiding to nothing.

Our mid-field was performing well enough in 06; enough for many pundits to predict a top 4 finish in 07. Ratten leaves, Williams arrives. In 07 our mid-field goes bad (admittedly with some injuries).

Also, in his year at MFC, Ratten had White as an AA ruckman and he had probably the best midfielder we have had in the past 6 to 8 years in Scott Thompson in the centre as first dibs possession winner. Makes any monkey look good.

Thompson hasn't played for the MFC since 2004. And in 07, White led the AFL in hit outs, so he was still effective in 07.

You might think it coincidence that our mids went backwards in 07, and down the tubes in 08, after Williams arrived. I don't.

Williams leaving is the best news I've had since the end of the season.

[Guest Golgothan]

FWIW, Ox can come to MFC if he indeed has something to offer the players as a Coach. His post playing influences have not always been the most preferred at MFC.

I'd have to question it if we hired Ox as a midfield coach, but i'd say he's got a fair bit to offer. Dogs were the 2nd highest scoring team this year, so you'd think that's a pretty good reflection on their forward coaches. Ox was only at the dogs on part-time basis, but any coaches we could get from a much improved team you would think is a positive step, even if they are only part-time.

As for the Thompson comment, that was random and made no sense. Thompson was never a star while at Melbourne, he never played more then 13 games in one season (2003 he played 13) and in 12 games in 2004 he only averaged 15.7 disposals, hardly elite. It's only been the last 2 season where Thompson has become the player we all knew he would be, but that's hardly relevant to your comment.

[wisedog 329]

Thompson only really found his feet in 2004, and he only played 12 games of the season due to injury.

The Crows trade was especially frustrating because we knew how good he was going to be.

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

Our mid-field was performing well enough in 06; enough for many pundits to predict a top 4 finish in 07. Ratten leaves, Williams arrives. In 07 our mid-field goes bad (admittedly with some injuries).

Thompson hasn't played for the MFC since 2004. And in 07, White led the AFL in hit outs, so he was still effective in 07.

You might think it coincidence that our mids went backwards in 07, and down the tubes in 08, after Williams arrived. I don't.

Williams leaving is the best news I've had since the end of the season.

Oh dear what the human mind will make up

Anthony Rock was the midfield coach in 2005 and 2006. He inherited a mediocre, inexperienced midfield which was reliant on players like Junior and an inexperienced Brock. It was supplemented by Pickett who in a rare patch provide some useful ball winning skills in the midfield. What went wrong in 2007? Well, everything.Injuries, form/career collapse of many players. MFC's midfield got exposed...badly. You need to look beyond the numbers as White was a shadow of his 2004 days. Too many easy ineffectual possessions with little impact on the game. He has been shot since the centre circle came in. It was embarrassing watching White getting towelled continuously in the centre in 2007.

And that right Thompson left at the end of 2004 which left a huge hole that Rock took over. The same uninformed critques that applied to Rock are not being applied to Williams. Thompson made Ratten look good to the casual weekly supporter.

Your assessment of the mids is self serving and naive.

[Hannabal 4]

Perhaps the recently retired Scott West is worth talking to.

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

I'd have to question it if we hired Ox as a midfield coach, but i'd say he's got a fair bit to offer. Dogs were the 2nd highest scoring team this year, so you'd think that's a pretty good reflection on their forward coaches. Ox was only at the dogs on part-time basis, but any coaches we could get from a much improved team you would think is a positive step, even if they are only part-time.

I dont think Ox was in more than a part time mentoring role. Much of their scoring power comes from their running game. Their forward line is an achilles heel.

As for the Thompson comment, that was random and made no sense. Thompson was never a star while at Melbourne, he never played more then 13 games in one season (2003 he played 13) and in 12 games in 2004 he only averaged 15.7 disposals, hardly elite. It's only been the last 2 season where Thompson has become the player we all knew he would be, but that's hardly relevant to your comment.

Its very relevant. There is no doubt that Thompson has emerged to be the star player MFC always expected him to be. Imagine if he had stayed with us! The issue is that MFC have been crying out for a half competent inside first dibs midfielder.

Given MFC in 2004 were blessed with a plethora of outside players like TJ, Yze, Bruce, Green and others, the emergence of a first dibs inside midfielder like Thompson made the these outside second touch midfielders look and play alot better. Its no coincidence that when Thompson went down with an injury in about Round 17, so did MFC's midfield. As White tired and Thompson was absent we had no one aside the hardworking McDonald to win the midfield possessions. MFC's season folded like a pack of cards.

[praha 10,308]

The more distant we are from the shambles of a coaching squad Daniher put together, the better.

And please, don't come in here with your, "he was great for us" crap, because the way I look at it, we sucked a majority of the time he was here, and that makes me unsympathetic towards his departure.

[Rflowerwing 0]

Hmmm.....I feel a mate coming on.

Question: what do Stynes, Schwab, Leoncelli, Lyon, Schwarz, Connolly, K O'Donnell, the Healy brothers and B Lovett have in common?

BTW - you might find that Thompson is not the pin up boy at Adelaide that some of you might think. Something about not being able to kick poo off a stick!!!

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

And please, don't come in here with your, "he was great for us" crap, ..

You referring to anyone in particular or just blowing hot air? I have not seen anyone post that point of view here.

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

BTW - you might find that Thompson is not the pin up boy at Adelaide that some of you might think.

He has just been recognised as a good footballer at MFC, and a better one at Adelaide. No pin up boy allegations here