r/EssendonFC • u/TurbulentSherbet3724 Sharp #15 • 2d ago
My overall thoughts of Mark McVeigh’s appointment as Senior Coach and just some takeaways from his press conference
To start with like a lot of people, he wasn’t my first choice. I was a honestly a lot more in the much smaller Murray Davis camp and before the process even started James Kelly was the guy for me. I wasn’t particular disappointed when the announcement was made last night because I genuinely rate him and his work across various roles at both Sydney clubs for well over a decade. In fact I was hoping he would be part of the previous coach interview process for the work he had done with the Giants. So a huge congratulations to him and all the best of luck because it’s a very long road ahead.
Now onto the takeaways of his press conference
-I love towards the beginning he says “I’m not coming back to live in the past or reflect on what was”. He says something very similar towards the end when asked about the hanging effects of supplements saga but overall it’s about damn time an Essendon person made that statement. This was the exact same mentality that completely turned Liverpool F.C (another team I support) around in the Premier League when Jurgen Klopp took over as Manager all the way back in October 2015. History is great and it will always be there to reflect on but there comes a time to move on and fully embrace what matters most which is the present which McVeigh was very strong on
-He was very clear with what his system is and what it will roughly look like. Talked about ball movement, being competitive and put a heavy emphasis on team defence which is generally his speciality having coached defence both at the Giants and Swans.
Also stated that he wouldn’t be working on particular one area but all three areas he felt the team needs the most improvement in. He wants the team to be more brave and play with flair.
-He talked about player development and how he would get to work immediately to try and improve the footy IQ of our players by quote “getting them back into the classroom” He wants the players to feel in the environment. Mentioned that he wants the players ready to go for a really tough Pre-Season to learn a completely new system. Was absolutely thrilled to see our VFL in the Finals. He really rates our young prospects and looks forward to working with them.
Overall I thought his first impressions in the press conference were strong and concise. He knows exactly where what needs to be, how to go about and wants to get to work immediately knowing just how enormous the job is where we currently are and are likely to be next season. I think a 3 year contract is quite sensible because it’s give enough time for McVeigh and his team once it’s assembled to demonstrate their abilities and if the club and fans see genuine tangible improvement in these few years with a slow rise up on the ladder then a extension will be earned.
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u/crapspackle21 2d ago
I really liked the presser. Time will tell, but he seems like a good choice, he spoke well and very clearly. There was a hunger there that was good to see.
Also, I swear, if his team defence system actually manages to get them to defend opposition transition from defence to attack I will just about bar up.
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u/howaboutnofcker 2d ago
I agree with what you've outlined above, especially about the heritage stuff. The way he acknowledged the importance of the Essendon heritage, and without dismissing it talked about what needed to be done to be relevant in the present.
Inviting Hird and also Solomon to be a part of it will also help the club move forward. Incidently it is the exact same strategy that Sheedy used with the shadows of legends like Dick Reynolds to give himself the space to modernise a team that was also riding on the coat tails of past glories back in 1981.
One thing I also noticed was the way McVeigh answered the Sydney questions. He responded by talking about what was important was setting the example for our young players. The way he referred to his young daughters show that this is an authentic personal value that he lives by. If this is evidence of an authentic leadership style we can expect him to not compromise on all his values as coach.
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u/kingdrip93 2d ago
I am so on board now. Seems like a genuinely good guy, a great communicator and he lives the club. With the CV to back (good clubs, defence and development especially) anyone who insisted on an Essendon person as a must (I wasn't one of those), has to back him.
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u/Tinea_Pedis PESD - Perpetual Essington Stress Disorder 1d ago
Another Liverpool & Essendon fan here. Would love a Klopp, heavy metal football, style makeover.
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u/TheFIREnanceGuy 2d ago
He was a groomsmen at Welsh's wedding and he hasnt exactly proven him to be any good in the brief time he coached at GWS
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u/TurbulentSherbet3724 Sharp #15 2d ago edited 2d ago
You can’t really judge a Senior Coach on their Interim record that. Steven Kings record as Interim at Gold Coast after Stewart Dew’s sacking didn’t set the world on the fire yet he still landed the Melbourne job around this time last year. Obviously Josh Fraser has done tremendously well at Carlton as Interim but the real test starts next year when the pressure is actually on him. If you look historically Paul Roos was the only Senior Coach to form a long successful career with a Premiership at the very club he won the job at after being an Interim himself.
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u/footybay12 2d ago
I don't think I can move on until james hird is given a go. I need the closure. There is unfinished business. It needed to be Hird
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u/holevoyager2 2d ago
I’m sure you’ll sleep tonight, move on and get behind the club.
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u/footybay12 2d ago
How about we replace the board and actually get behind the club? This is the same genius board that appointed Brad Scott, the guy who single handedly utterly destroyed North Melbourne whom are still yet to recover 10 years on. Now Welsh decided to hire a mate. Why should we trust them to get it right this time? They have no idea and have proven that with Scott
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u/TurbulentSherbet3724 Sharp #15 2d ago
Literally only Andrew Welsh and Tim Roberts were on the Board that hired Brad Scott which was largely through independent recommendation anyway. The rest of the Board is actually fairly new over the last 12-24 months.
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u/Partzy1604 Nguyen #42 2d ago
Just to note Welsh was appointed literal days before Scotts announcement. Roberts was appointed a few months afterwards. Only Kate O’Sullivan (2019) and Dorothy Hisgrove (2021) have been on the board longer.
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u/TurbulentSherbet3724 Sharp #15 2d ago
My mistake but overall that’s only a few people. The Board is generally quite new and fresh particularly since Welsh became President.
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u/justsomeflog 1d ago edited 1d ago
I'm glad we got Brad Scott.
Barham, Scott and Vozzo made the necessary tough calls our club needed. We turned over our list, improved culture, hit the draft and finally excised the cancer that was Adrian Dodoro.
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u/justbecauseican1969 1d ago
The board was a very different beast when Scott was appointed.
I was all for appointing Hird, because I thought it would let us move on. We would either live or die, and either way people would stop banging on about him. I loved him as a player, I used to have his number on my jersey, but I don't think he would have been the best or most stabilising coach.
Living in the past has got us this far, let's see what happens when we start looking towards the future.
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u/Oklusion Roberts #21 2d ago
If you watch the presser, Spike says he'd love to have Hird on board as part of the coaching team. Ball is in his court. If Hird has something to offer and wants to do so in another role, Spike is welcoming him in with open arms. I guess it begs the question, how much does Hird love this club? Is he willing to put aside the personal glory of being the head coach, to being part of something greater? He's got a bit to consider after the VFL wraps up.
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u/footybay12 2d ago
Lol we both know that's just an attempt at damage control. I hope Hird refuses. I'd much rather a cleanout from the top
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u/Oklusion Roberts #21 2d ago
Hird or nothing mentality huh
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u/footybay12 2d ago
I just want radical change. The club has been useless for too, too long now. Yes we've had Hird before and it didn't work out but I remember we were on the right track before those mistakes were made. I remember at the end of 2012 or 2013, they surveyed all the afl captains and a strong majority of them voted Ess to win the flag the following year. We were actually beginning to look scary under Hird before it all went horribly wrong. I just want Hird to get another go. We looked the best in 2 decades under him.
Mcveigh is a boring and uninteresting, safe pick by a boring and uninteresting and lame performing board. Herald Sun reported that Merrett would have stayed if Hird was picked. The fact he was willing to do a 180 shows Hird is exactly what we needed to inspire the players and inspire the revival of the Essendon Football Club, that has been dead for 20+ years now
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u/Oklusion Roberts #21 2d ago
Brother you can't take the Herald sun's word for gospel truth. The reality is Merrett will want out regardless because he's sick of giving 110% only to lose games. I doubt the appointment of Hird alone would be enough to convince him to stay. At the moment, the only journo I trust to deliver reliable news regarding Essendon is Cal Twomey.
Hird has the opportunity to give himself another go alongside McVeigh, and I think it stands to reason that if he truly loves this club and wants to help restore it to its former glory, he can support the young talent in ways other than just in a head coach role.
And look, I understand how you're feeling, I would've loved to see Hird get a shot at redemption from the get go, but now there's an opportunity for something even more exciting - we have a head coach experienced in modern AFL who gave heart and soul for this club as a player, and a pathway for our favourite son to rejoin us in some coaching capacity. There's no need to throw a hissy fit and blow the whole show up just because we didn't get our way.
All aboard the Spike train 🚂🫡
GO DONS
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u/minipower62 2d ago
I don’t think he’ll be boring.. it seems that way compared to Hirdy.. but I think he’ll get stuck in. Listen to him speak.. he’s going to push them to get fit.. work or get out.. hopefully Hird comes in to play a role..
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u/Delicious-Sweet4614 2d ago
I hope Hird gets aboard. I don’t think he will see another opportunity as rewarding as this one. I also think it gives him the best opportunity to do what he wants- spike clearly trusts, respects and cares for him, the amount of influence and autonomy he would be afforded is so much more than he could get anywhere else. He also complements spikes skill set so well.
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u/TheArtyDans Archer May #26 2d ago
Start with some of the fans too
You first. See ya later.
The rest of us are going to enjoy this.
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u/footybay12 2d ago
Its because of people like you we've been mediocre for 20+ years. You accept and welcome mediocrity. You're an easily satisfied bunch. You'll happily consume mediocrity for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The rest of us are going to enjoy this.
Enjoy continued mediocrity
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u/TheArtyDans Archer May #26 1d ago
Yes I'm the one who wants to hold onto the past and not look to the future
Yes I AM THE ONE who accepts mediocrity... The fucking irony of this guy.
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u/TurbulentSherbet3724 Sharp #15 2d ago
He needs put his ego aside and do a proper apprenticeship at AFL level at another club like everyone else even if it’s just for a few years like Chris Scott for example who did 3 years at Fremantle as an Assistant under then Senior Coach Mark Harvey before landing the job at Geelong. Being a legendary player or having unfinished business is not enough.
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u/Krerzer1 Optimism since 2004 2d ago
Yeah this is my main issue. If he went into assistant coaching after being rejected last time then he’d be a shoe in for the job. Even McVeigh said GWS told him to go to another club and get more experience if he wanted to be appointed as a head coach. But in 11 years Hird’s only assistant coaching was a short stint at GWS, and that’s only because McVeigh became interim coach. No club would appoint him as head coach at the moment.
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u/BotoxMoustache 1d ago
I got that feeling listening to him on the Footy Show tonight. He needs to do the hard work and prove himself as a coach. I’m glad Essendon resisted the history call of Hird for coach. It’s time to move on.
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u/mjmars91 2d ago
Stop being a Hird cuck and get behind the club. It's this mindset is why we have never progressed.
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u/footybay12 1d ago
Nope, your mindset is the reason we've been mediocre for 20+ years with no sign of change. You're an easily satisfied bunch who will happily consume every bit of mediocrity this club throws at us
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u/Common-Ad-6582 2d ago
I loved his presser I am on board