Matthew Knights - Essendon Bombers

[The Optimist]

Well Matthew Knights has landed the top job down at Bomberland and I am not realy sure that the great man should have even been replaced still.

3 years is not long enough for Matthew Knights to create a competitive football team out of the bombers.

It will be an interesting year for Knights.

Will he collect the honour of the wooden spoon 1st year in - well I think he might.

A good old Richmond boy who obviously impressed the Essendon board so much that he took the "Raines"(pardon the pun) or should that be reigns from another good old Richmond boy.

The Essendon board will be under the pump from this apointment as will Matthew Knights. With an aging list that will not improve, Essendon will be reliant upon its youth to bring about on-field success and this will take 5-8 years.

Sorry Bomber fans - I think it will be a lean period and we will see a few coaches going through the turnstiles at Essendon in the post Sheedy era after they prove that they are not really patient after all.

[GreaT SourcE]

When it was announced I was a bit peeved off but after I had thought about, I really like the decision...! He has a great relationship with most of the players, he is young and has got time on his side and he has some fresh new plans for our team to change our game style to enable us to be more competitive...! Of course it will take time to really adapt to that exciting brand of footy, but Knights has already have looked to have changed players way of thinking and so far he has looked like making significant improvement to our playing list...I'll wait until the season starts to form opinions, but so far, he has checked every box that I wanted him to, so yeah, can't complain...! (For now)

[TalkingFootball]

Originally Posted by The Optimist

Sorry Bomber fans - I think it will be a lean period and we will see a few coaches going through the turnstiles at Essendon in the post Sheedy era after they prove that they are not really patient after all.

Dont worry Great Source this is just a Richmond supporter trying to deflect the attention away from their COACH.

[ALI-G]

Not 100% sold on Knights. Whilst he failed to acheive team glory with Bendigo he did get some players worked out that others had including Sheedy had failed to.

[DonzFC]

Stepping out from behind the shadow of 27-year coach Kevin Sheedy, Knights said at Essendon’s community camp at Ballina on the NSW north coast that he was starting to feel more comfortable as the season approached.

Knights wants more flexibility in his playing group, more run from his back half, more youth in his line-up, and fewer points conceded at the defensive end.

He can’t wait to get his pre-season under way against the Brisbane Lions on February 16 and said he would settle for nothing less than a finals appearance in his first season.

“I understood the first six months would be full-on,” he said of the new job.

“The players and coaches have supported me enormously and certainly made my life much easier in the first two or three months. It’s been busy but I’m fine and going well and I can’t wait for the 16th of Feb.”

Knights said while the team wanted to play finals, he was not putting a figure on the number of wins he was chasing.
“If you’re not here to play finals, don’t bother turning up,” he said.

“That won’t jeopardise the bigger picture with injecting younger players into the midfield and running defence. But when we step out we step out to win and that’s what we expect and the wonderful Essendon supporters expect. We’ll be playing aggressive footy, exciting footy and we’ll be going hard to win games.”

Knights said Bombers fans would see plenty of change in 2008, with flexibility being one of his key words.

Matthew Lloyd would spend some time up the ground, David Hille and Scott Lay**** would play deeper, Courtney Johns would play both ends, and Adam McPhee would spend an extended period on the wing and further forward.

But perhaps Knights’ biggest area of change will come in the back six, with his focus on players who could give the Bombers more run.

“We certainly have some strong bodies in Mal (Michael) and Dustin (Fletcher) there and Patrick Ryder came through strong last year, but what we want to add is some extra rebound in that part of the ground,’’ he said.
“Where those extra three or four come from in a pool of six or eight is yet to be decided. We will be a bit younger in our smaller, medium defenders and opportunities will be given to those blokes.
“It might be someone like (Jason) Winderlich or (Ricky) Dyson or (Courtenay) Dempsey or (Jay) Nash that are capable to play in those medium defender roles. With their skill level and their speed, they give you some rebound and they provide the opposition with some problems if they get it right. But also part of the equation is to mind your man and win one on ones.”

[ALI-G]

Regardless of ladder position this year i'm over the moon with Knights as coach. As much as I love Sheedy, Knights has shown us in his first 2 games why the Dons chose him over Sheedy. He's a modern coach ready to employ modern tactics. Over the last 4-5 down years the one constant i've noticed when watching our guys was how often we were just bombing long to a contest or vacant space whilst the opposition were the ones running in numbers and moving the ball quickly and efficiently by hand. Now Knight's is utilising our express pace and wise heads to turn the tables on the opposition.

[Tippaz]

Knighter is starting to grow on me.

[Don]

Well done Mathew Knights, and the Essendon players.

You got it right first time, pace, fitness, rapid rotation, and direct movement into attack.

Collingwoods super fitness and clever rotations that has given the Pies the last quarter advantage and almost won a flag in 07 has been noticed by Essendon, now the game has gone up a notch and Essendon are competitive.

When the boys get even more polished, look out here come the Bombers.

Good luck to Scott Lucas, one of Essendons best up there with Watson Hird Fletcher and Lloyd, hopefully we will see the man back by round 14 en route to a stella 09 season and finals footy.

Fantastic to see Jobe Watson play so well, it aint easy to follow a Dad like Tim, but Jobe will be key to a flag and will become a Bomber champion.

Don

[Russell]

Wonder how many still think Knights was a good option a few months in, I'll put my money on not too many.

[tas bomber]

as a 25 year essendon supporter i can see what knights is trying to do, create a fast running machine, but we also need to improve on our defence and goal kicking ability, we need to find the next key forward, to finish off what our midfield is trying to do.As essendon supporters we are pretty lucky, ive seen 4 premierships in my life time, how many bulldogs or swans fans can say that.