The Official Ernie Merrick Out Thread

[Aegon]

This year's team is much weaker than last years team so it's not surprising we missed out on a finals spot.
We didn't bring in anyone to replace Pato, McGree, or Nabbout - and we have had injury issues with players, suspensions, a shitful draw, and a few ageing types who probably should have been put on notice rather than given contract extensions.
The future looks even worse as we are going to be losing players and not replacing them with equivalent or better.
We also have a few players underperforming and yet still on a good money holding us back as well.

I honestly can't see Ernie hanging around much longer if the budget continues to shrink unless he see's this as his last ever appointment before retiring.

Couldn't agree more. Lee's financial situation limited any investment and we were scraping the barrel to get players in (Ridenton, Jair).
Add to this that Petratos & O'Donovan are a shadow of themselves from seasons past and its no surprise at all we missed the finals.

[Bremsstrahlung]

Alright, so I feel like I’m usually pretty patient with Ernie and last year we definitely over achieved and this year underachieved where I would have expected us to be. Overall, probably a par, and short of having a top class or optimistic appointment in mind, I’ve been happy to give Ernie the benefit of the doubt.

It’s frustrating that he has come out and blamed our lack of attacking options as the reason for our lack of finals.
He comes out and says our defence was similar to last year in terms of goals conceded. Yehp. Cool.
He then goes onto say that we have the leagues best stats for some things like successful crosses etc. to then reference and defer blame and say that the reason we didn’t convert was Joey and Roy missing chunks of the season, along with Hoff.
Those excuses do not sit well.
We knew in advance we were without Roy. Nothing changed.
We knew once Joey was injured we wouldnt get him back for a while.
Hoff was an unexpected injury, but if we are relying on him to score our goals fmd, we may as wel sign Matt Simon. Ok. Maybe not. But I’d rather ya gave Thurgate those games up front.
To blame our poor efforts this season on those players missing is terribly frustrating.

[The Dunster]

Alright, so I feel like I’m usually pretty patient with Ernie and last year we definitely over achieved and this year underachieved where I would have expected us to be. Overall, probably a par, and short of having a top class or optimistic appointment in mind, I’ve been happy to give Ernie the benefit of the doubt.

It’s frustrating that he has come out and blamed our lack of attacking options as the reason for our lack of finals.
He comes out and says our defence was similar to last year in terms of goals conceded. Yehp. Cool.
He then goes onto say that we have the leagues best stats for some things like successful crosses etc. to then reference and defer blame and say that the reason we didn’t convert was Joey and Roy missing chunks of the season, along with Hoff.
Those excuses do not sit well.
We knew in advance we were without Roy. Nothing changed.
We knew once Joey was injured we wouldnt get him back for a while.
Hoff was an unexpected injury, but if we are relying on him to score our goals fmd, we may as wel sign Matt Simon. Ok. Maybe not. But I’d rather ya gave Thurgate those games up front.
To blame our poor efforts this season on those players missing is terribly frustrating.

Thurgate is a #8 not a striker. Hoff makes more sense as a striker.
Mr Lee signs the cheques not Ernie. Ernie's requests for any injury replacements would have fallen on deaf ears.

[plague]

Hoff makes more sense as a striker.

but its this type of thinking (from the coach, not you) that got us into the shit to start with.
In no known universe is that statement ever gonna find itself attached to a successful football season.

[Couscous]

Calm down. He's not my favourite coach but he's been good for the Jets.

[Jeterpool]

Alright, so I feel like I’m usually pretty patient with Ernie and last year we definitely over achieved and this year underachieved where I would have expected us to be. Overall, probably a par, and short of having a top class or optimistic appointment in mind, I’ve been happy to give Ernie the benefit of the doubt.

It’s frustrating that he has come out and blamed our lack of attacking options as the reason for our lack of finals.
He comes out and says our defence was similar to last year in terms of goals conceded. Yehp. Cool.
He then goes onto say that we have the leagues best stats for some things like successful crosses etc. to then reference and defer blame and say that the reason we didn’t convert was Joey and Roy missing chunks of the season, along with Hoff.
Those excuses do not sit well.
We knew in advance we were without Roy. Nothing changed.
We knew once Joey was injured we wouldnt get him back for a while.
Hoff was an unexpected injury, but if we are relying on him to score our goals fmd, we may as wel sign Matt Simon. Ok. Maybe not. But I’d rather ya gave Thurgate those games up front.
To blame our poor efforts this season on those players missing is terribly frustrating.

We definitely took a punt on getting through those 8 weeks without Roy and it didn't pay off.

In hindsight, I think playing Jair up top during this time would have been better for us and for him. It would have move Hoff wide again and towards his strength and offered us more pace out wide than Jair offered.

[Jetmaster]

"In that front third, we weren't at our best for most of the season. There are reasons. Roy O'Donovan being out, Joey Champness being out for 14 weeks, Jason Hoffman has been out for a while ... It was just one of those years. Overall, we played pretty good football with nothing to show for it . We should be in the finals and we are not. That is my responsibility."

Take it in context.

[Tommyjet]

I've been extremely frustrated with Ernie's comments this season but I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt and gonna delusionally believe he will lead us to finals next season.

[The Dunster]

That's an issue with the man writing the cheques more so than the coach. In this PC age what Ernie says and what he really thinks are very unlikely to be the same.
If he can't get the money he needs it's not like he can come out and say "Playing Hoff up front is a stupid idea but we have no money so we don't really have a choice".

[pv4]

but its this type of thinking (from the coach, not you) that got us into the shit to start with.
In no known universe is that statement ever gonna find itself attached to a successful football season.

Correct

[380]

There was discussion on here last pre season about the pros and cons of trying to release Roy in the knowledge that 8 weeks out ( almost a third of the regular season ) would really handicap our season.

Now regardless of ones own views on that it does demonstrate that if part time forum punters on here can see Roy's absence being a major issue then why the hell didn't the club plan and deal with it better. I have said it before and i will say it again and nothing against the Hoff but no other club in this league would have dealt with it the way this club did with the exception perhaps of the shit show down the road at Gosford. It is not like Roy copped his suspension on the eve of the comp. Yes we choked late in the season in crucial games and 6 point match ups but that gamble to jag more points from a make shift set up in the first 8 rounds really cost us.

The annoying thing is the shit that went wrong was more by poor design than fate.

[The Dunster]

What was the last question they asked Ernie in the presser on Saturday where his answer was you'd have / need to ask Lawrie McKinna ?

[lil_masi]

There was discussion on here last pre season about the pros and cons of trying to release Roy in the knowledge that 8 weeks out ( almost a third of the regular season ) would really handicap our season.

Now regardless of ones own views on that it does demonstrate that if part time forum punters on here can see Roy's absence being a major issue then why the hell didn't the club plan and deal with it better. I have said it before and i will say it again and nothing against the Hoff but no other club in this league would have dealt with it the way this club did with the exception perhaps of the shit show down the road at Gosford. It is not like Roy copped his suspension on the eve of the comp. Yes we choked late in the season in crucial games and 6 point match ups but that gamble to jag more points from a make shift set up in the first 8 rounds really cost us.

The annoying thing is the shit that went wrong was more by poor design than fate.

Pretty sure Jair was meant to be the solution in Roy's absence. They even spent extra money for a "higher" quality player. Obviously didnt work out.

[StannyCFCJET]

Pretty sure Jair was meant to be the solution in Roy's absence. They even spent extra money for a "higher" quality player. Obviously didnt work out.

But he was never played Central

[Grimario]

Thurgate is a #8 not a striker. Hoff makes more sense as a striker.

Maybe starting Sheppard up top instead of bringing him on as a sub after Hoff and co failed to impress could have worked. He didn't get his first start till the second last week of Roy's suspension. The only other actual striker on the books... and we stuck it out with a right back who once played striker a decade ago.

[StannyCFCJET]

Maybe starting Sheppard up top instead of bringing him on as a sub after Hoff and co failed to impress could have worked. He didn't get his first start till the second last week of Roy's suspension. The only other actual striker on the books... and we stuck it out with a right back who once played striker a decade ago.

Sheps took a while to adjust to a full time environment

[StannyCFCJET]

The biggest issue. Why did Ernie change the tactics and when they didn't work take ages to rectify this all the while carrying on in press conferences about how good we and the bullshit about how we were playing just like last year

[plague]

Sheps took a while to adjust to a full time environment

wait? how do you know this?

[StannyCFCJET]

wait? how do you know this?

Because the coaching staff and Shep said this

[MFKS]

but its this type of thinking (from the coach, not you) that got us into the shit to start with.
In no known universe is that statement ever gonna find itself attached to a successful football season.

Bloke should have been fired the moment we went 3-0 down at home to the Gypos what is a disgrace was the Gypos CEO didn't do it there and then

The other bloke who needs firing is the Gypo CEO

Forget Finals Football the bloke has failed in his number 1 KPI

No Jet Shaped Hats in 3 ****ing years

Gypo OUT