THE GREAT DIVIDE

[Harrisonrules 273]

My reflection suggests that with the draft the gap between teams reduced greatly. This year it has gone in the opposite direction and become mammoth. The gap between top five and the rest is significant. It is no longer a game between the teams with the best players and those with the lesser. The new factor is the addditional system (flood, Press, corridor, spread and many other approaches I hardly understand). Was it Malthouse who said coaching was once like a game of checkers, now it is more like chess. The teams and coaches that understand systems, recognise that of the opposition, develop one themselves and move to a new one as the need arises are the teams who have risen to the top. The coaches without this skill fall off the pace and are prone to being slaughtered. It represents two sides to coaching, the micro (player development etc) and the macro, (mangaing the team as a system). I believe this offers part of the present uneven performance between the top and lower teams. It also explains our rollercoaster performance. Our potential comes out well against the lower teams because it is quality against quality. When it comes to systems orientated approaches we have been blown away. The team is far greater than the sum of the parts.

As we look for a new coach, of course an experienced coach must be looked at first, but experience must come with the ability to both micro and macro coach. If it is not possible to secure such an experienced coach, then as long as the first timer can cover the broad spectrum of contemporary coaching I'll be happy.

Sadly for Dean, he focused purely on the micro coaching. He just had no comprehension of the macro approach. For these reasons I congratulate the board for taking the opportunity to be proactive. I am happy we moved now because, Eade, Malthouse, Clarkson, Roos etc. will at least have to wonder. GO DEES. "One small step for the board, one great step for the club"

[mmc 18]

the same rodney eade whose vastly more experienced and talented team lost by 120 points in perth earlier this season? short memories...

MFC has once again cut the wrong bloke- gist of all reports suggest that connolly is acting like he's still a coach. combined with the fact that bailey effectively had what seemed to be a player revolt on his hands (against the administration), no wonder the guy was struggling to win matches. I don't think Malthouse would have done much better in the circumstances. It appears that the bloke who has done everything right for the past three years, without knifing anybody or stepping on anyone's toes, is now the one who takes the fall. he deserved the chance to see what this list could do- eddy was right, the MFC pulled the wrong rein on this one. knee-jerk reaction by a board that knows it is quickly losing control.

I dont want to sound like a pessimist either- change was a necessity. but the club has not handled this situation well at all.

[Face Your Demons 175]

One of those top six team won the spoon last year. Gaps not as big as it appears

[Harrisonrules 273]

the same rodney eade whose vastly more experienced and talented team lost by 120 points in perth earlier this season? short memories...

MFC has once again cut the wrong bloke- gist of all reports suggest that connolly is acting like he's still a coach. combined with the fact that bailey effectively had what seemed to be a player revolt on his hands (against the administration), no wonder the guy was struggling to win matches. I don't think Malthouse would have done much better in the circumstances. It appears that the bloke who has done everything right for the past three years, without knifing anybody or stepping on anyone's toes, is now the one who takes the fall. he deserved the chance to see what this list could do- eddy was right, the MFC pulled the wrong rein on this one. knee-jerk reaction by a board that knows it is quickly losing control.

I dont want to sound like a pessimist either- change was a necessity. but the club has not handled this situation well at all.

Stick to the thread

[Harrisonrules 273]

One of those top six team won the spoon last year. Gaps not as big as it appears

So you disagree

[Guest hangon007]

One of those top six team won the spoon last year. Gaps not as big as it appears

They won the wooden spoon for a reason. B) The gap is enormous in some areas & its growing.

[Lost Highway 31]

My reflection suggests that with the draft the gap between teams reduced greatly. This year it has gone in the opposite direction and become mammoth. The gap between top five and the rest is significant. It is no longer a game between the teams with the best players and those with the lesser. The new factor is the addditional system (flood, Press, corridor, spread and many other approaches I hardly understand). Was it Malthouse who said coaching was once like a game of checkers, now it is more like chess. The teams and coaches that understand systems, recognise that of the opposition, develop one themselves and move to a new one as the need arises are the teams who have risen to the top. The coaches without this skill fall off the pace and are prone to being slaughtered. It represents two sides to coaching, the micro (player development etc) and the macro, (mangaing the team as a system). I believe this offers part of the present uneven performance between the top and lower teams. It also explains our rollercoaster performance. Our potential comes out well against the lower teams because it is quality against quality. When it comes to systems orientated approaches we have been blown away. The team is far greater than the sum of the parts.

As we look for a new coach, of course an experienced coach must be looked at first, but experience must come with the ability to both micro and macro coach. If it is not possible to secure such an experienced coach, then as long as the first timer can cover the broad spectrum of contemporary coaching I'll be happy.

Sadly for Dean, he focused purely on the micro coaching. He just had no comprehension of the macro approach. For these reasons I congratulate the board for taking the opportunity to be proactive. I am happy we moved now because, Eade, Malthouse, Clarkson, Roos etc. will at least have to wonder. GO DEES. "One small step for the board, one great step for the club"

I think this is a good post. Bailey showed little capacity to 'understand systems', as you say, and the players went out each week without either a plan A or a plan B. They played without organisation, even on a simple level like manning up when necessary (like when you're losing badly) and/or running harder into space. Not having a clue what to do, how to arrange themselves, when good opposition got on a bit of a roll meant the players ended up thinking what observers would think: that Melbourne were going to get a caning. This intellectual deficiency led to a deficiency in the heart department; the players found themselves able to rationalise a meek surrender to a superior organisation.

A good 'macro' coach as you call it, would also move the pieces around on the board a bit more than we've seen at Melbourne, have the vision to make a decisive move or change in the structure or at least to try one. I think neither Daniher nor Bailey were any good at this, except when Bailey was tanking. Watts' being moved around all over the place is the one apparent exception, but I think that developed out of a desperation to develop him rather than any tactical or strategic considerations. A good 'macro' coach would also not have named spent, has-been players like Bate and Dunn for the last two matches, and would have rested Nicholson after a few good games rather than allow him to become lamb to the slaughter possibly to be dropped when his confidence had been shattered. One manifestation of 'macro' failings is the number of times one sees Melbourne attempting to move the ball forward across the centre line with absolutely no one in position to deliver it to.

Trouble is, Bailey also had very poor company in his assistants; the loss of Wellman was fatal, and if Mahony knows anything about setting up a forward line I'll be a monkey's uncle. I suspect West was one of those very good, instinctive mid-field players who can't communicate to other players how he did it. Who knows if Hird is a good coach? Fact is, he doesn't even need to be at the moment since he has such formidable assistants. The MFC has had nobody capable of instilling a sense of system and organisation into the team.

A coach with the 'macro' abilities would also have seen how important it would have been to keep Junior this season. The rot started right there for 2011.