3 hours ago, Maldonboy38 said:

Buckley had 2 major weaknesses at the Pies. He demanded from players a standard of performance and excellence that he produced as a player which was far too high for most players. He struggled with coaching B grade players which is 75% of most lists. Secondly, his player management relationships were poor. Really, really poor.

However, he fixed both these things, grew as a coach and got a team into a GF. But I reckon he is Tassie bound.

Pheww!

59 minutes ago, Norm Smith's Curse said:

Failed to win a premiership by a goal...

9 hours ago, beelzebub said:

Yes credit to the Weagles for the win.. Sheed probably couldn't replicate that kick... what a pearler... Bucks was far from disgraced.... bit unlucky but only ever one winner. ( but shame it wasn't the Pies ... yuck yuck yuck )

27 lost grand finals the mighty pies 🤭🤭

I have listened to Buckley and Sanderson's analysis on SEN for a view years now and I would be thrilled if Buckley was our coach and Sanderson was his tactician and senior assistant. I also think that Buckley's gravitas in the wider football community and media would help us in our struggle to get our home base.

Just also regarding Buckley, I also remember once Goodwin saying in an interview that he found Chris Scott, Buckley and Longmire the hardest to coach against due to their in-game tactics. Interesting if you look at head 2 heads and it's probably his worst record.

Goodwin vs Buckley - Goodwin 2 Buckley 5

Goodwin vs Longmire - Goodwin 4 Longmire 7

Goodwin vs Scott - Goodwin 5, Scott 8.

4 hours ago, rpfc said:

What a shambles of a club if this is true; approaching a potential coach and effectively undermining a flag winning coach and the season you are in…

So either you are full of it or the club is.

Shambles?

I mean, we've been a shambles, but not for the reason you suggest.

This is the AFL in 2025. The club would be derelict in its duty not to have conversations at a time when we were 0-5 in a new season without injury, coming off the back of a terribly underwhelming season before and coming into Goodwin's second last contract year.

This is the landscape now. Same as players chatting with oppo clubs in-season and that being a more public and normalised thing.

And Rp, it is I, formerly known as stevetheman/JimmyGadson, you know I wouldn't be having you on.

Edited August 9, 2025Aug 9 by Howard_Grimes

4 hours ago, WERRIDEE said:

Longmire out of the race is a disaster. Buckley overrated player overrated coach. We are stuffed.

First time I've seen you post something other than a Melb and Casey best 22.

Unbelievable.

I was initially an absolute no to Buckley, but I have since softened. He had been widely considered one of the best football minds during his playing days, and his analysis is always insightful. I think he would command respect of the players due to his stature in the game, I just wonder what his style would be. Would he try to follow the trend or create his own?

Why is noone talking about James Hird being on the short list. He was openly talking preseason that he was unable to accept a senior assistant role with the club due to existing contracts conflicting with him being able to start the role at the appropriate time otherwise he was all in.

Food for thought? Supplement saga aside guy was a decent coach of young talent imo.

9 minutes ago, DurriePirate said:

Why is noone talking about James Hird being on the short list. He was openly talking preseason that he was unable to accept a senior assistant role with the club due to existing contracts conflicting with him being able to start the role at the appropriate time otherwise he was all in.

Food for thought? Supplement saga aside guy was a decent coach of young talent imo.

Was it the clubs shortlist or a rando list put together in the media. 🤷‍♂️

Nothing sells like a problem to solve (and sex)..

11 hours ago, GS_1905 said:

We are a basket case. This is essentially what it means.

I reckon a Senior Coach would need a spell to do his off shore Banking, and play with the kids at the park, have a holiday, and walk the dog.

2 hours ago, redandbluemakepurple said:

Pheww!

Well I reckon he would have had trouble running with Langdon, kicking a goal like Kossie, and getting in a winning contest with May. So he won't feel that supercilious.

5 hours ago, BDA said:

there's a lot of noise though and numerous posters here saying he's a shoo in

his last few years at the pies were not good at all. maybe he has grown and changed but how has he done that sitting on a couch. it's not like he has gone back to work as a senior assistant and rehabilitated his reputation.

and to those saying how sweet it would be if Buckley wins a flag with us so we could stick it to the pies. Carlton supporters said the same thing about Malthouse. That worked out well for them.

he's been out of coaching while the game has changed significantly. i don't know why we think he is better prepared than a top-notch assistant ready to take the step up

if he gets the gig I'll support him 100% of course. i want to win flags and don't care who is coach if we do.

but i want the club to go through a proper process to make sure that Buckley is the best out there.

this

23 minutes ago, whatwhat say what said:

this

6 hours ago, BDA said:

there's a lot of noise though and numerous posters here saying he's a shoo in

his last few years at the pies were not good at all. maybe he has grown and changed but how has he done that sitting on a couch. it's not like he has gone back to work as a senior assistant and rehabilitated his reputation.

and to those saying how sweet it would be if Buckley wins a flag with us so we could stick it to the pies. Carlton supporters said the same thing about Malthouse. That worked out well for them.

he's been out of coaching while the game has changed significantly. i don't know why we think he is better prepared than a top-notch assistant ready to take the step up

if he gets the gig I'll support him 100% of course. i want to win flags and don't care who is coach if we do.

but i want the club to go through a proper process to make sure that Buckley is the best out there.

I’d be staggered if the club wasn’t running a proper process here — it’s not like Nathan Buckley is some obscure prospect dragged out of the Managatang Thirds. Recruiting a senior AFL coach isn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision; the groundwork starts months, sometimes years, in advance. That means background calls to people who’ll never be quoted, scenario interviews that test how you think under oddly specific pressure, leadership profiling that borders on personality anthropology, and a clear internal document about what the next phase of the club actually demands. But you know, he has been in the system for close to 3 and a half decades.

A genuine process is about “how does this person integrate into the machinery we’ve built?” What are the tangible gaps in performance? Who can close them without simply inheriting the previous problems? If they choose Buckley over an untried assistant, the rationale is obvious: he’s survived the media furnace, proven himself in live-fire tactical situations, and knows how to turn a list into a cohesive, disciplined organism rather than a set of loosely connected talents.

Our current list is crying out for a tighter connection between midfield acumen and forward efficiency, whilst we transition game plan, plus the ability to adjust tactics mid-game without looking like we’re improvising survival. That’s usually something you only learn by running the whole show before.

If he’s the best candidate, great — appoint him. But the search has to be deliberate, multi-layered, and unflinchingly honest about what’s missing. Otherwise, you’re just hoping that charisma and confidence will fix structural problems — and history suggests that hope, while great for movie endings, is terrible at football clubs

Ps: Sitting in the sunshine at a summer sailing regatta on Sweden’s west coast, you realise that Swedes are tall and hot — but not as hot as the Melbourne coaching job. And like both of them, I’ll never get near one… unless they both suddenly start recruiting from the “mildly competent but overly optimistic” pool.

Buckley appears the only experienced coach available showing interest, club needs to reset the footy dept with the right assistants and structures and for gods sake the stability needs to be within our board, does our list need an experienced coach as we are not in rebuild but reset

4 hours ago, Demonsone said:

Buckley appears the only experienced coach available showing interest, club needs to reset the footy dept with the right assistants and structures and for gods sake the stability needs to be within our board, does our list need an experienced coach as we are not in rebuild but reset

100%

5 hours ago, Engorged Onion said:

I’d be staggered if the club wasn’t running a proper process here — it’s not like Nathan Buckley is some obscure prospect dragged out of the Managatang Thirds. Recruiting a senior AFL coach isn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision; the groundwork starts months, sometimes years, in advance. That means background calls to people who’ll never be quoted, scenario interviews that test how you think under oddly specific pressure, leadership profiling that borders on personality anthropology, and a clear internal document about what the next phase of the club actually demands. But you know, he has been in the system for close to 3 and a half decades.

A genuine process is about “how does this person integrate into the machinery we’ve built?” What are the tangible gaps in performance? Who can close them without simply inheriting the previous problems? If they choose Buckley over an untried assistant, the rationale is obvious: he’s survived the media furnace, proven himself in live-fire tactical situations, and knows how to turn a list into a cohesive, disciplined organism rather than a set of loosely connected talents.

Our current list is crying out for a tighter connection between midfield acumen and forward efficiency, whilst we transition game plan, plus the ability to adjust tactics mid-game without looking like we’re improvising survival. That’s usually something you only learn by running the whole show before.

If he’s the best candidate, great — appoint him. But the search has to be deliberate, multi-layered, and unflinchingly honest about what’s missing. Otherwise, you’re just hoping that charisma and confidence will fix structural problems — and history suggests that hope, while great for movie endings, is terrible at football clubs

Ps: Sitting in the sunshine at a summer sailing regatta on Sweden’s west coast, you realise that Swedes are tall and hot — but not as hot as the Melbourne coaching job. And like both of them, I’ll never get near one… unless they both suddenly start recruiting from the “mildly competent but overly optimistic” pool.

Look as someone who played for Manangatang, it’s important you get the spelling of Manang correct.

9 hours ago, Howard_Grimes said:

Shambles?

I mean, we've been a shambles, but not for the reason you suggest.

This is the AFL in 2025. The club would be derelict in its duty not to have conversations at a time when we were 0-5 in a new season without injury, coming off the back of a terribly underwhelming season before and coming into Goodwin's second last contract year.

This is the landscape now. Same as players chatting with oppo clubs in-season and that being a more public and normalised thing.

And Rp, it is I, formerly known as stevetheman/JimmyGadson, you know I wouldn't be having you on.

Absolute shambles.

Then I am losing faith in the board.

Coaches are not players - they are the de facto leader of the club especially in a period where we have no CEO and an interim President.

Just fire him in April. As soon as you start tapping up someone - pull the trigger and deal with the consequences of your actions.

19 hours ago, At the break of Gawn said:

There are some really good assistants still at Collingwood who Buckley has a good relationship with including Skipworth and Boyd. They would be two great acquisitions to come across with him and probably destabilise the Pies at the same time!

A good outcome could be:

Bucks: Head coach

Boyd: Defensive Coach

Skipworth: Midfield Coach

Chaplin: forwards coach

Can we please get a forward to coach the forwards !!!

I guess everyone looks pretty good in red n blue

On 08/08/2025 at 18:16, GawnOfTheDead said:

250+ games in the TAFL, is essentially the same.

Really Playing on the gravel at Queenstown the same as the MCG SCG AO or Optus?

Makes Casey look like Marvel Stadium!!

Bucks is too egotistical. Would be a shocking outcome for us. He didn't relate well to players at Collingwood, why will it be different at Melbourne

24 minutes ago, Dees1911 said:

Can we please get a forward to coach the forwards !!!

Nah, we just need more entries 😁

8 hours ago, Engorged Onion said:

Was it the clubs shortlist or a rando list put together in the media. 🤷‍♂️

Nothing sells like a problem to solve (and sex)..

The Hird conversation were from Hird himself back at the start of the 2024 season on FootyClass and a couple of small podcasts. Basically he a as asked about being approached and why he couldnt take the role as a senior assistant/line coach

Buckley looks like the favourite to coach the Dees in 26. I wonder since he was a midfielder , will that mean we won't need a mid. coach?