Can Fittler coach?

[Guest]

Definately the next Nathan Brown. One of the boys.

I think it was 2006 he was hired as the Roosters kicking coach, and our kicking was bad that year. Come 2009 everything we do is bad.

Seems Great players don't always make good coaches (Ricky,Freddie,Meninga), yet average first graders make great coaches (Bellamy, Sheens, Bennett)

But I'll be generous and hope he can last out this year, and then let's get serious.

Another two you might want to throw in the average playing group is Jack Gibson and Gus Gould.

[Guest]

What's Diamond Luke Philips doing? Wasn't he coaching some lower grades somewhere?

How about Bonetti. Can we get him off the cotton farm?

[stsae]

What's Diamond Luke Philips doing? Wasn't he coaching some lower grades somewhere?

How about Bonetti. Can we get him off the cotton farm?

The Diamonds a Reff now mate, doing OK at it from what ive heard.

Bonetti would be still fit enough to play methinks, damn hard fukka that bloke.

[Guest]

Maybe turning over old rot, but I wonder if any of it comes down to Ricky Stuart's coaching technique.

The 2 teams he has coached are respectively last and 2nd last on the table.

I'd be willing to bet that much of what Freddy knows about rugby is what he's learned from Stuart (and Phil Gould.) Maybe I'm wrong, but I feel that the 2 of them have very similar coaching styles, that saw some success over the past decade or so.

My scare is that their codes have already been cracked. The Roosters, NSW and Australia have all been quite successful, and my guess is that most coaches and players would know Stuart and Gould's styles very well.

My scare is that's what Freddie's basing his knowledge of footy on, and while it would have won many games decades ago, it's textbook coaching these days.We've seen evidence of this throughout the current season... try after try after try... people just know how to beat the Roosters! Except the Sharks...

Maybe I'm wrong, but my guess is that Freddie's game-plan is pretty textbook stuff these days, and something more innovative/new is needed in order to win modern games of footy. Finding that plan could take a while...

---

That said, whoever coaches next season will have to deal with a number of big name players leaving the team. To me the advantage of this is that they'll be able to start from a clean slate. In my view a clean slate where many of the past coaching practices + expectations of certain players are erased is what the Roosters need next season.

Then again I'm hoping Freddie can prove me wrong by kicking some life into the current squad during the BYE week. I don't want to view this season as a lost cause (although it'll be a tough task to make the top 8...)

[Guest]

I don't know that it's a simple yes/no answer

If we look at his record you could make a case for both. In the Yes camp we can say that he took a team from the bottom of the ladder with less than a 10 weeks to go in 2007 and was a win off the semi's. He then took them to a top 4 team who played consistantly well all season but failed to take the next step in the semi's due to injuries and a tough back end to the year.

In the no camp we can say that he has been gifted a job because of who he is and not for what he has achieved. He has a number of high profile players at his disposal and great up and coming players that he has done nothing with and have failed to improve with his coaching. Based on the last month or so he appears to have no ability to motivate players as they are stale and appear to have very little fight in them when things get a little bit tough.

Also for the no camp we could say that Freddy has not been able to make the hard decisions and drop those players who have under-performed all season hence further showing the signs of a weak leader.

Personally I belive there are a number of things that have lead to our results this season.

- We have recruited poorly bought big forwards for a game that has become fast.
- We have not brought in experienced support staff to assist Freddy and the development of the lower grades.
- We have decided to focus on the top grade only - look at the results of the lower grades.
- We let the natural leaders and talented players in our club go far too early - Morley, Crock, Mona's, Dale Flannery
- We are always looking for a quick fix

I would like to see the club become a little more professional to be honest. The club needs to be an institution like the Broncos are so that it doesn't matter who the coach is, who the trainers are, the environment is one that is successfull and that players want to play at. In 2003 every player in the comp would have wanted to play for the Roosters , we were the benchmark, we dictated the style of the game, we had a tough mobile back that beat the shit out of other teams.

Now it;s the storm that came up with the grapple tackles and crusher tackes and god knows what else they media call them, but the facts are we were that club but failed to sustain it and until we take our medicine and start the slow re-build with the right infrastructure then we will go through the cycle again.

100% right mate

[Guest]

I think 92 missed tackles in our last two games may be the special innovation that a coach may need to first start with to improve our club.

[stsae]

I think 92 missed tackles in our last two games may be the special innovation that a coach may need to first start with to improve our club.

Defence is part of attitude IMO mate. If players have the right attitude each week they will defend. Souffs and The Stains prove that this season, both struggle at times in attack, but grind teams down and never look out of games because their attitudes positive, hence their defence is good.

Most of last season we were very good in the basics, completing sets, backing up, chasing kicks, defence even getting on a spilled ball first. Now we are the opposite, our attitudes farked.

I just believe our defence is showing where our heads are at the moment. The coach is charged with getting the players to have a positive attitude and play well especially in the basics. Our coach doesnt seem to be able to do that anymore. Once you lose a few players history shows you usually lose the whole team, then the club, then the board. Then you get the support of the board, then youre really farked.

I dont know what could be done to reverse our season, even a bye, we are spiralling. That said a bit of defencive grit over our next few games would sure help everyone. Not sure how it will happen or if its even possible now.

My thought last night was we may have seen Freddys last game as coach at the club.

[melon....]

I don't know that it's a simple yes/no answer

If we look at his record you could make a case for both. In the Yes camp we can say that he took a team from the bottom of the ladder with less than a 10 weeks to go in 2007 and was a win off the semi's. He then took them to a top 4 team who played consistantly well all season but failed to take the next step in the semi's due to injuries and a tough back end to the year.

In the no camp we can say that he has been gifted a job because of who he is and not for what he has achieved. He has a number of high profile players at his disposal and great up and coming players that he has done nothing with and have failed to improve with his coaching. Based on the last month or so he appears to have no ability to motivate players as they are stale and appear to have very little fight in them when things get a little bit tough.

Also for the no camp we could say that Freddy has not been able to make the hard decisions and drop those players who have under-performed all season hence further showing the signs of a weak leader.

Personally I belive there are a number of things that have lead to our results this season.

- We have recruited poorly bought big forwards for a game that has become fast.
- We have not brought in experienced support staff to assist Freddy and the development of the lower grades.
- We have decided to focus on the top grade only - look at the results of the lower grades.
- We let the natural leaders and talented players in our club go far too early - Morley, Crock, Mona's, Dale Flannery
- We are always looking for a quick fix

I would like to see the club become a little more professional to be honest. The club needs to be an institution like the Broncos are so that it doesn't matter who the coach is, who the trainers are, the environment is one that is successfull and that players want to play at. In 2003 every player in the comp would have wanted to play for the Roosters , we were the benchmark, we dictated the style of the game, we had a tough mobile back that beat the shit out of other teams.

Now it;s the storm that came up with the grapple tackles and crusher tackes and god knows what else they media call them, but the facts are we were that club but failed to sustain it and until we take our medicine and start the slow re-build with the right infrastructure then we will go through the cycle again.

I reckon its a simple answer.

Fitter cant coach. Love the bloke, but he has no idea.

[Guest]

I reckon its a simple answer.

Fitter cant coach. Love the bloke, but he has no idea.

.. well im assuming you and many other people weren't saying that at the end of last year ?

[supermario]

.. well im assuming you and many other people weren't saying that at the end of last year ?

sometimes things don't appear as they seem at the time. As time goes by and things don't change or they get worse, it becomes apparent what the problem is.

[Guest]

sometimes things don't appear as they seem at the time. As time goes by and things don't change or they get worse, it becomes apparent what the problem is.

but there was never a problem until this year.. so we cant just all say Fitler can't coach when he took us to the Finals for the first time since 06 last year. Sure he has to take some of the blame for this years major under achievement but there are other factors aswell

[supermario]

but there was never a problem until this year.. so we cant just all say Fitler can't coach when he took us to the Finals for the first time since 06 last year. Sure he has to take some of the blame for this years major under achievement but there are other factors aswell

so the constant drop offs in the 2nd half of each match was not a problem last season.

The CONSTANT reliance on the kick for points.

this is what i mean, it did not seem so bad last year because we go to the finals.

Unfortunatly the same game plan is being played, nothing has been changed.

While we made the finals last season, we just made up the numbers. you will find other factors are related to the current climate in the roosters.

We are playing players out of position, we are playing the same game plan and are getting caned for it.

[Guest]

I think we have seen the best of Fittlers ideas and he has nothing left in the play book.

[Guest]

so the constant drop offs in the 2nd half of each match was not a problem last season.

The CONSTANT reliance on the kick for points.

this is what i mean, it did not seem so bad last year because we go to the finals.

Unfortunatly the same game plan is being played, nothing has been changed.

While we made the finals last season, we just made up the numbers. you will find other factors are related to the current climate in the roosters.

We are playing players out of position, we are playing the same game plan and are getting caned for it.

fair point but I still believe Fitler can coach

[Guest]

but there was never a problem until this year.. so we cant just all say Fitler can't coach when he took us to the Finals for the first time since 06 last year. Sure he has to take some of the blame for this years major under achievement but there are other factors aswell

Yeah I think it's wrong to blame 1 man for all the teams woes. A professional coach takes on so many roles, and basically if anything goes wrong you can say "well the coach didn't do this right..."

End of the day though; this isn't Rocky Balboa's zillionth comeback. The coach can't just do an intensive 3 month training program while giving lots of scripted pep talks and expect to turn them from the wooden spoon goons into serious finals contenders.

Personally I don't think we'll find out if Fittler can coach this season. His contract expires at the end of 2010... all good teams have bad years, and many they're having a bad one this year becuase Freddie has a big plan that hasn't quite been executed yet? I'll reserve my judgements on Freddie until the end of next season (if he lasts) that will give him another off-season to get the boys fit, and another chance to buy in new players. If they can finish in the top 8 next season then Freddie can coach.