New Coach

[chalbilto]

There will be at least 1 new assistant coach. I wouldn't mind seeing Silvani given a go seeing what he did with LRT.

[teddys mum]

There will be at least 1 new assistant coach. I wouldn't mind seeing Silvani given a go seeing what he did with LRT.

It would be great to get Silvani although I wonder if he is more interested in a senior role

[wolftone57]

Is this a Swans fans site or a Swans creche for whinging fair weather juvenile supporters who have little or no idea of the realities of the AFL competition and the demands which surround it. The current coaching staff and the culture it has developed won a premiership and took us to successive finals. We are still in the eight, although decimated be injuries. We are blooding young players after the most successful trade and drafting period we have had in my memory (60 years). Why wouldn't we have a coaching succession plan rather than a knee jerk throw-out-the-baby-with-the-bathwater reaction. Remember Roos came through from Eade's panel. Richmond has had a million coaches and are basically in the same position as normal, so let's not try that one! Geelong are talking about Sanderson when Thompson retires. You only bring in a new broom when the place needs sweeping out and I think the Sydney Swans are still the envy of most clubs in terms of their culture, administration and ability to remain competitive for so long.

Inhouse is not the only way to go, I have been involved with footy for many years (not at this level) & clubs sometimes need to change the way they do things. For instance the way the Swans played under Eade was not exactly the same as under Roos & Roos had his own ideas from being coached by a number of coaches not just Rodney. But sometimes the inhouse coaching succession is not always successful just as outside applicants are not always successful. The trick is to have the luck to hire the right person & when it comes to highly qualified individuals at this level there is always luck involved. The style the Swans play needs to change to keep up with the pace the game is evolving & Roos even said this was almost impossible for one coach to keep a handle on such is the speed of change. Up to the mid nineties the game had changed on average every 10 yrs but now something new happens every year due to rule changes. Back to coaching, there are a few tried & true coaches out there & 1 cannot be ignored in a transition & that is Lethal, the most successful coach of this era. If we close our eyes & only look to inhouse coaching staff we might just miss the boat.

[DST]

Problem on here is that people think the coach has way too much say on game style and how a team plays.

Confidence, available players, discipline to adhere to team rules, travel, how well the other team plays all have far more to do with how a team implements a game stlye.

If you get a chance to speak to a current AFL senior coach or assistant and ask them about game plan and style and most of them well tell you that there is absolutely no difference between how all 16 clubs want to play their football. It comes down to who has the better players and how good that team is at dictating the game to the other side on the day.

DST

[Kirkari]

Is this a Swans fans site or a Swans creche for whinging fair weather juvenile supporters who have little or no idea of the realities of the AFL competition and the demands which surround it. The current coaching staff and the culture it has developed won a premiership and took us to successive finals. We are still in the eight, although decimated be injuries. We are blooding young players after the most successful trade and drafting period we have had in my memory (60 years). Why wouldn't we have a coaching succession plan rather than a knee jerk throw-out-the-baby-with-the-bathwater reaction. Remember Roos came through from Eade's panel. Richmond has had a million coaches and are basically in the same position as normal, so let's not try that one! Geelong are talking about Sanderson when Thompson retires. You only bring in a new broom when the place needs sweeping out and I think the Sydney Swans are still the envy of most clubs in terms of their culture, administration and ability to remain competitive for so long.

Make that +2.

[Scottee]

Having seen the success that the club had with top shelf support coaches and other staff (eg Missen), I wonder whether that is not the biggest challenge for the new coach: to build an elite support structure. The clubs fortunes have dived along with the support in recent years. We were obviously blessed with the best physio, the best mids coach (who can probably take a lot of the credit for the flag) and generally got the best from the team. Roosy even got away with not being the greatest game day coach because the players were so well drilled. I am hoping that Horse has some big plans in this area.

[Go Swannies]

+3

It seems like 80% of a flag is club culture. Swans were a rabble until the "ugly footy" comment gave them purpose. The same for the Cats into 2007. You have to give Mick points for so often inducing that winning culture at the Pies - but it doesn't seem to carry them across the line. The Saints had everything last year except the win - it'll be interesting to see if they re-muster their resolve this year. It's obviously hard work to keep that resolve so some teams keep it for a while then it falls away (Freo and Dogs often, the Tigers, Dees right now - the Swans at the start of the season). The Eagles, Port and Hawks may be said to have won on talent - and caught their opponent off their game - but developing a winning culture is more important than draft picks and game day coaching. The Swans had it then they didn't. Hopefully they will get it again but who knows what event will precipitate it? Maybe the recent losses?

[premiers05]

I will happily keep an open mind on Longmire until next year, but I really really hope we get some new medical staff next year. We lost the fabulous doctor that kept the 2005 team going and since then we have been going steadily downhill. Its been 13 weeks since Seaby broke his ankle, by anyones estimate he should be back by now but yet it looks like he is not going to play again this year. I don't think anyone can successfully coach a team where 5 of the best players are out for such a long time.

[royboy42]

I will happily keep an open mind on Longmire until next year, but I really really hope we get some new medical staff next year. We lost the fabulous doctor that kept the 2005 team going and since then we have been going steadily downhill. Its been 13 weeks since Seaby broke his ankle, by anyones estimate he should be back by now but yet it looks like he is not going to play again this year. I don't think anyone can successfully coach a team where 5 of the best players are out for such a long time.

I'm pretty sure Nathan Gibbs was the 05 doc, and still is.

[AnnieH]

I just hope that with Horse in charge we pay a little less attention to defence and a little more attention to the forwards.

Had we kicked straight against the catters, we would have won.

[AnnieH]

I will happily keep an open mind on Longmire until next year, but I really really hope we get some new medical staff next year. We lost the fabulous doctor that kept the 2005 team going and since then we have been going steadily downhill. Its been 13 weeks since Seaby broke his ankle, by anyones estimate he should be back by now but yet it looks like he is not going to play again this year. I don't think anyone can successfully coach a team where 5 of the best players are out for such a long time.

Nathan Gibbs is the BEST doctor in the AFL.

he can't help it if Seabs is a big girls blouse who takes forever to heal !!!

[Go Swannies]

Nathan Gibbs is the BEST doctor in the AFL.

he can't help it if Seabs is a big girls blouse who takes forever to heal !!!

You putting B2 in that category, too?

I think the OP meant Dave Missen, fitness coach. He has done well with the Saints and we have gone backwards in that area.

[premiers05]

Apologies I thought it was the doctor Ros Lyon took, I couldn't remember his name but yes we have been going backward. If Nick Reiwoldt can get over a major hamstring tear and massive surgery and be back playing and we still have 5 players out then we clearly need someone different in the fitness area.

[DST]

Apologies I thought it was the doctor Ros Lyon took, I couldn't remember his name but yes we have been going backward. If Nick Reiwoldt can get over a major hamstring tear and massive surgery and be back playing and we still have 5 players out then we clearly need someone different in the fitness area.

The ftiness system and computer package that David Missen helped the club put together and implement, remains the property of the club and continues to be used by us today.

So in reality nothing has changed, with the doctor remaining the same and a new head fitness coach who oversees it with him. David Missen going to the Saints and what they have acheived has more to do with what he brought to that club and where they were at when he arrived by implementing a version of our system, than what we doing at present.

Interesting to note that 3 of this years recruits in Bradshaw, McGlynn and to a lesser extent Seaby (was a break not a muscle strain) are all first year players at the club and we know the system takes time to build a profile on a player before it becomes useful for preventing strain type injuries.

As for C Bolton, well his body just got smashed to often and too early this year and gave up on him. Was battling a groin injury even before the heel injury came along to effectively end his season.

DST