Everyone was wrong about Matty Knights except the Essendon hierarchy. It was one of the biggest shock appointments I've seen given he was replacing the biggest coaching shoes in AFL in Sheeds (based on years of service).
How did Essendon get it so right? He was in their system and they knew first hand what he was capable of.
And that speaks volumes to me. Matthew Knights was in the Bombers system and not ours because Wayne Campbell stabbed him in the back. Whether the club didnt want to groom him or whether he was so jarred at how the club treated him, the fact is that along with Malthouse & Sheedy, the club has yet again let another potential premiership coach slip out of its structure.
I have no doubt at this point Knights will be a successful coach. He has no fear, he backs himself, his tactics and his team, and he isnt afraid to talk straight.
It makes me loathe the people that run this club no end that they're too busy infighting, politicking and leaking decade after decade to break the vicious circle. Knights has been lost to us for the same reason Malthouse was.
youve gotta be kidding 1980
Knights has done what he had to do and paid his dues as a coach, he failed at port adelaide and failed at the bendigo bombers as well. One thing he did do though was learn from his failures, he is a much better coach now from learning his trade at different environments than if he stayed at Richmond.
If Knights is such a loyal servant of the tigers he will come back. He will hone his skills and come back when the time is right. Probably In three years time when we screw over our latest coach. Hopefully people wont be hammering Knights ( just like you have Malthouse and Sheedy ) for not coming back and rebuilding richmond, when you and I both know that having the right infrastructure around the coach is just as imprtant as having the right coach. By infrastructure I mean strong board, great development prgramme, elite facilities and elite recruiting network, basically I mean $$$$$$$$. The bombers have money and up until this year we didnt. So basically when you add that to our poor culture we had/have no chance.
I hope and prey he makes a success of his career at essendon. If he does that it will be one for the hsitory books, I cant remember a player from a perenially unachieving club going on to beoming a premiership coach. Would be a huge story and good luck to him.
YOu cant blame Campbell for that. And I hate Campbell
