Should I Break Up With My Head Coach? (Port 49 - 80 Hawthorn)

Today, I am asking Hinkley to go. However, this will be the last time. I won’t argue on why we should fire him after this week. It wasn’t good writing what I just did. This subject can return, eventually, in “The Behind Posts;” but not in a game review.  

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Last weekend, it took the Magpies three quarters to finally start playing against Glenelg. The Power, at least, took only one. Both teams lost; which shouldn’t be surprising after such low starts. Power and Magpies are currently outside the Finals on their respective ladders. This cannot be mere coincidence. There is a problem that permeates the club as a whole. Those are not isolated facts.

On our trip to Tasmania, saying that we didn’t play well against the Hawks would be an understatement. It was basically a rerun of our loss against Collingwood; which makes the matter even worse. Haven’t we learned anything? At all? It doesn’t seem like it.

Look our changes for the China game, for instance. Lycett is back in; and Rockliff is out, injured. That’s all. Another example would be our Midseason Draft pick: Cam Sutcliffe; i.e., there is no one new. Simply put, we don't do drastic changes. The boldest things we do are playing the new kids, putting Doog forward, and calling Frampton in.

This is our team. Those are the players. That's the structure. We are playing like we intend to play. It is the only way I can make sense of this. Hence, instead of using the injuries as an opportunity to take risks [the excuse is even already there if we fail!], we go the opposite way. Why? What do we fear? Success?

Sincerely, I would love that a Premiership could happen with this team, during the current administration. I just doubt that it will happen. How many times have we played like Hinkley wants us to play? That’s a sincere question. I know we have played really well some games; I have seen it. Still, have we done it enough times to justify keeping Hinkley at the helm of our team?

And why haven’t we been able to play good football consistently? If Ken fails to make his team to play the way he wants, it is on him. Maybe, he is misjudging his players' capacity to execute his plan. Perhaps, he is being unable to pass his message onto them. It could be that the plan is not a good one. It could be anything. I don't know.

Whatever it is, it isn't working. That's the main issue. We are in Year 7, and it is not working. Worse, there is no sign that it will work. We cannot judge 2019 in isolation. Last year has happened. 2017 has happened. 2016 has happened, and so on. When can we start wondering Hinkley’s plan may never work? When would be the time to conclude that it never will?

Such a dilemma made me google on break-ups. These were the top links I have found – there are some good advices on them:

Ending a long term relationship
Breaking up with someone can be a really simple decision to make… You call time on it because well, game over, obviously. But deciding to break up can also be really bloody difficult sometimes. Especially if they haven't done anything particularly awful, and it's more that you're just not 100 per cent happy. And, even after you've tried everything to make it work, you can still have that feeling of uncertainty and doubt.

Unless your relationship is actively unhealthy, people often feel guilty for wanting to end a relationship.

12 Ways to Know It’s Time to Break Up
The road to a fulfilling, enduring relationship is almost always littered with a few attempts that turned out to be unfulfilling and unenduring… Sometimes you don’t have to question whether you have good reasons to break up—you just know it’s time. But other times you’re not so sure. You find yourself wondering, ‘should I break up with him (or her)?’ ‘Should I hang in there and give it a chance?’ or ‘Should I move on so I don’t squander precious time and energy?’

What are the right reasons to break up with someone you once cared deeply about?

 

10 Definite Signs The Two Of You Should Break Up

Being in a bad relationship can wear away at you and turn you into someone you barely recognize. You know you’re unhappy, but you try to convince yourself otherwise because it just seems easier.

One of the most important relationship skills is knowing when to walk away. Knowing when it’s not right. It isn’t always the easy thing to do, but it is really your only option and you’re only delaying the inevitable and cheating yourself out of happiness by not facing the truth.

Let’s face the truth, then. Hinkley has got us in an awful moment and put us back on our feet. That's great. He should be recognized for such an important achievement. I am not taking anything off him whatsoever. Still, once we got up, the question has become "now, what?" Alternatively, perhaps, we have been playing ‘ok,’ and I am being too demanding. Would there be it? Let’s see.

How many Finals have we won under him? How many minor rounds have we finished in the Top-4 under him? How many Showdowns have we won under him? What's our home record under him? Do those numbers make his reign look good, respectable by the standards our club and supporters measure success?

In my humble opinion, those questions are fair. Their answers would reveal us what should we do regarding our head coach. In my point of view, it is crystal clear. I believe our problems extend beyond the field of play, and there are bigger fishes than Hinkley to fry at the club. However, Hinkley is not a small one. He matters. His responsibility is big enough for him to be held accountable for the results — and the results are simply not good enough.

Hinkley seems to be a good coach for teams desperately to stand up and get out of the bottom. He would be a perfectly fit for North, Carlton, Gold Coast, etc. He was a perfect fit for us once. He is just not anymore. The time for a break-up has come. Delaying it will only make things worse for everybody.