Matty Knights to coach Bombers...

[Triple B]

...expected to be announced this afternoon.

[goswannie14]

I thought Hardwick was announced yesterday?

That's what Bomber supporting mate of mine told me last night.

[goswannie14]

Just confirmed on ABC radio is Matthew Knights as coach of Essendon.

[swantastic]

Geez that came out of know where.

[Norris Lurker]

Certainly a surprising announcement. I hadn't even thought of him as a contender - they kept that one under wraps. Although he's been in the Essendon system for a couple of years, and has done well at Bendigo.

[reigning premier]

Interesting article today in the Australian over the whole fiasco....

Ordinarily, I'd ignore anything Patrick Smith says but he makes a few good points here....

Article

[Claret]

Did anybody else hear Patrick Smith versus the Morning Glory team this morning regarding this matter?

He was going off.

[Matty10]

I am glad that somebody in the media wrote it the way it was - the Herald Sun and the Age were too diplomatic in their appraisal.

Each of the points that Smith highlighted in his timeline were criticisms that I voiced to my partner who is a Bombers supporter - she is now furious at the Knights appoitment.

I don't mind Knights though, just don't know how he would be as a coach. He got shafted as a player at the end of his career so I suppose it is nice for him to be on the receiving end of favourable club politics for a change.

At the end of the day it appears that the Essendon board had decided that anybody would be better to have coaching the club than Sheedy - which doesn't make much sense. Clearly they panicked and made a number of poor decisions along the way. They should definately get rid of their President, he has no tact, no style and makes stupid decisions - a poor representative of the image of any club official, let alone your leader.

[Claret]

They should definately (sic) get rid of their President, he has no tact, no style and makes stupid decisions - a poor representative of the image of any club official, let alone your leader.

The problem with Patrick Smith is that he hasn't let it go for over 2 months now. Somehow, he manages to bring up Essendon's coaching 'fiasco' in every single article he writes.

It might be an article about the Davis Cup or the Under Water Basket Weaving World Cup, he still manages to get a paragraph or two about Peter Jackson in.

Could he be the mystery face behind the Save Essendon group?

I don't really care about the Bombers but I, along with just about everybody else I talk to, is sick of Smith's incessant whining. Get over it.

[reigning premier]

The problem with Patrick Smith is that he hasn't let it go for over 2 months now. Somehow, he manages to bring up Essendon's coaching 'fiasco' in every single article he writes.

It might be an article about the Davis Cup or the Under Water Basket Weaving World Cup, he still manages to get a paragraph or two about Peter Jackson in.

Could he be the mystery face behind the Save Essendon group?

I don't really care about the Bombers but I, along with just about everybody else I talk to, is sick of Smith's incessant whining. Get over it.

Yep.... He's like a dog with a bone. And for the most part, an opinionated wanker not worthy of listening to. Though I do think, in this instance, he's got a point. Though it can be very easy to make those points with the benefit of hindsight and from the safety of your ivory tower like he does....

[Matty10]

It's funny, I probably haven't read one of his articles since 1996 - his commentary on the Swans (re conspiracy theories with the AFL and a premiership etc) throughout the season turned me right off.

He is a tool - but he is right about Essendon - no hindsight required to see that all their decisions about the coach, regardless of their future merit, have been poorly timed.