LONGMIRE

[caj23]

I comprehend this post as being about right. You have by your own admission been very harsh on a first year coach who again by your admission has got better as the year has progressed.

Nobody is suggesting Horse is a bad person (he seems like a good bloke) but some of his coaching this year has been very poor with some glaringly obvious errors and a gameplan that is either non-existant or changes from week to week. As far as new coaches go, Chris Scott and James Hird have had a significant positive impact on their teams compared to last season, I'm not sure I can say the same for Longmire who seems to favour the style of game which won us a premiership 6 seasons ago and has now been superseded.

The fact that simple errors were made is the disappointing aspect as he has been an assistant for 9 years and I would have expected him to hit the ground running.

The one major positive from him is that even if we bomb out next week he has achieved the same as last season while introducing a number of young players to the matchday squad. Although this should be balanced against the fact that last year we were 4.5 wins away from top spot, this year we are 7.5 wins away so the gap has increased.

[Go Swannies]

Nobody is suggesting Horse is a bad person (he seems like a good bloke) but some of his coaching this year has been very poor with some glaringly obvious errors and a gameplan that is either non-existant or changes from week to week. As far as new coaches go, Chris Scott and James Hird have had a significant positive impact on their teams compared to last season, I'm not sure I can say the same for Longmire who seems to favour the style of game which won us a premiership 6 seasons ago and has now been superseded.

The fact that simple errors were made is the disappointing aspect as he has been an assistant for 9 years and I would have expected him to hit the ground running.

The one major positive from him is that even if we bomb out next week he has achieved the same as last season while introducing a number of young players to the matchday squad. Although this should be balanced against the fact that last year we were 4.5 wins away from top spot, this year we are 7.5 wins away so the gap has increased.

I found this really annoying. Did you have to stay up all night to find the negatives? A more realistic approach would be to ask where a first year coach should be after losing his full forward and controlling back early in the year and then have the groomed replacement full forward (Jesse) fail to deliver? Add to that having the groomed running defender (Rohan) out most of the year and a team that were switched on one week and off the next - perhaps a coaching error or just a function of the age of the team. And to have it both ways - he's been good playing the kids but how come there are so many positional changes? - is just a cheap shot. To face those problems and get as far as the Swans' Premiership coach did last year is a good effort, both from Horse and the team.

And it's yet to be seen if Scott has moved his team forward over last year - except in Herald Sun reporting. You could probably argue that the old Cats coach has been the major influence on the Bombers improvement too - just noone has noticed in the media shadow of the Golden Boy.

At this minute Horse has taken the Swans to be one of six teams in the running for the 2012 Premiership. Not bad from a rookie senior coach.

[aardvark]

I'm not sure I can say the same for Longmire who seems to favour the style of game which won us a premiership 6 seasons ago and has now been superseded.

Mick Malthouse said after our narrow loss to them earlier this year that we play a style of football that wins finals. Seeing that winning finals is probably a good idea I'd suggest our game style is probably not that bad.

[Hartijon]

I decided to give Longmire a year before serious criticism. I did comment on the lack of forward structure ,a problem that was definately there and now has been fixed with the reintroduction of White and the wonderful support of Spangher.

I really like the way he has brought on the youngsters playing AJ, Parker, Reid, Rohan,Jetts and Hannerberry. This has also worked !

The defence has been great,the midfield servicible. The onballers I still worry about but it seems to be working.I feel if Mummy goes down we are stuffed.How much Longmire can control is also a consideration before criticising him.I would have liked to see something done with Seaby.

Game planning and game coaching seems to be getting better.He did very well against Geelong and Collingwood.

Overall I support Longmire and think he is doing a fair to good job.

[caj23]

I found this really annoying. Did you have to stay up all night to find the negatives?

No somebody started a post saying anyone who has criticised Longmire should shut up based on last night's game, I'm simply putting forward my opinion that his coaching this season has been flawed

And it's yet to be seen if Scott has moved his team forward over last year - except in Herald Sun reporting.

They've lost the best player in the league and their double premiership coach who is rated one of the best in the business. I think they're playing a better brand of football and look the likely candidate to knock the pies off. I'd say that's a pretty impressive effort from Scott.

You could probably argue that the old Cats coach has been the major influence on the Bombers improvement too - just noone has noticed in the media shadow of the Golden Boy.

Agreed but ultimately Hird is the one who pulls the strings

At this minute Horse has taken the Swans to be one of six teams in the running for the 2012 Premiership. Not bad from a rookie senior coach.

Yes considering where we were 8 weeks ago its a good effort, but as I stated earlier we are further behind the frontrunners this year. This also is completely inconsistent with your comments on Scott who is a rookie coach who has taken his team to a preliminary final, yet your unwilling to give him any credit

[SwansFan1972]

Turn it up! Swans only lost half a game more than last year, and have reached the same week in the finals too. Swans haven't played this many inexperienced players for more than a hell of a long time. Final six - yeah baby (oh but the coach has nothing to do with it and in fact we'd probably be top two without him - not!)

+1

Whatever happens going forward, we have progressed since last year. Have reached the same point of the season, with arguably more merit (played kids, lost key pillars Bradshaw and Bolton early, won an away final in Melbourne against a track specialist on their home turf) and have been in the best form of the season when it counts most.

Lots to look forward to in the next few seasons, and who knows where this season might yet go. Everything says a premiership from 7th and on the road for four weeks can only be a pipedream, but taking things one match at a time and keeping up the form currently on show might just lead to something magical!

[Lucky Knickers]

I'm pretty happy that both our coach and players have improved over the season.

[timthefish]

Yes considering where we were 8 weeks ago its a good effort, but as I stated earlier we are further behind the frontrunners this year. This also is completely inconsistent with your comments on Scott who is a rookie coach who has taken his team to a preliminary final, yet your unwilling to give him any credit

all credit to scott but he inherited a complete team that had an off year last year with a distracted best player and disillusioned coach. the swans in the latter part of this year are probably in the the best form in five years. goodes is finally performing at his best as a forward and our onballers are working really well with a clear plan of succession in place for bolton and okeefe. we no longer glaringly miss craig bolton or bradshaw.
i think you're stretching the stats a bit as finals are what counts and we could well finish ahead of hawthorn, west-coast and collingwood. finishing ahead of geelong is going to take another level of improvement.
btw, adding weight to your font does not add weight to your argument

[Cardinal]

While I don't disagree with most of your assessments, but it's worry that Horse's main contribution seem to be:
* cultural in nature (maintaining what already existed) rather than tactical; and
* letting the players get on with playing rather than interfering with unmanageble game plans.

I can't help but think Seaby has been a missed opportunity

[Big Al]

I can't help but think Seaby has been a missed opportunity

In what way???

Seaby is a terrific No1 ruckman but we already have one of those. He'd be a good as a No 2 ruckman but the sub rule put paid to that. The only option would be to play him as a forward and I'm sorry to say he is no good at that. Pyke is well ahead of him on that regard.

[Cardinal]

Mummy can play down forward, couldn't have been a worse outcome than LRT

[Big Al]

Mummy can play down forward, couldn't have been a worse outcome than LRT

Then we lose the effectiveness of Mummy on the ball. Seaby isn't in Mummys league. Your 2nd ruckman needs to spend the majority of his time down in the forward line and Seaby isn't the man for that. I feel for Seabs, the sub rule has really cost him.

[Cardinal]

Then we lose the effectiveness of Mummy on the ball. Seaby isn't in Mummys league. Your 2nd ruckman needs to spend the majority of his time down in the forward line and Seaby isn't the man for that. I feel for Seabs, the sub rule has really cost him.

I guess we'll never really know with Longmuire as coach and the sub rule as it stands

[Doctor]

I occasionally wonder if he is swearing behind his hand.

I'm sure he is sometimes. Other coaches do the same, most notably Craig Bellamy in the NRL as he knows the cameras are always on him because he's so fiery.

Other times it's probably tactics that he doesn't want the opposition or commentary team to lip read, but that's far more boring than the swearing explanation, so I'm going with that!

[Doctor]

Hope you people who bagged him out are eating fries with your words.

It's not that simple. He deserved bagging to some extent at times during the season (probably not as much as he got mind you, but some was fair) but he has definitely improved as he's gone on, which is great. His tactics are better, he reacts more quickly to momentum shifts, he uses the sub rule more correctly and his selections are better. Those who condemned him seem, generally, happy to admit that he has improved things. I'd argue that some were probably too quick to hang him however some question marks over the way things were going were not unreasonable.

Now we're where we were last year, prior to the Bulldogs game. Talk of us being more wins from the top is not relevant because of the presence of the Gold Coast, the dire season of Port Adelaide and the uneven draw, but I'd argue that we are now where we should have been anyway had we kicked straighter this year. What happens next is now in our hands.