Pass mark for Nathan Buckley in 2016

[Woods]

Gary Pert on Buckley, Pies list & Cloke
by Joshua Papanikolaou, SEN Radio, 4 Feb 2016, 06:06PM

There is no pressure on Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley to earn a contract extension and the club is completely ignoring any reports regarding his future, says Gary Pert.

The Magpies chief executive has been satisfied with the job done by Buckley to develop a rejuvenated list despite missing the finals in two consecutive seasons.

“Collingwood supporters would know we don’t engage in a running commentary on this, the thing I would say is Nathan is doing a good job,” said Pert on SEN radio.

“The comments I get from the playing group is they are 100 per cent behind him and the entire program.”

Key acquisitions were made in the off-season as the Pies brought in a number of players including Adam Treloar, James Aish and Jeremy Howe.

However, the changes made to the squad are not solely made by Buckley as many in the media suggest.

“I know it’s talked about ‘what Nathan is doing’ but really he is a key part of our list management team that involves myself, board members and Neil Balme,” added Pert.

“We all make those decisions together then his role is to get the most out of these young players.”

After a fast start in 2015 the Magpies struggled in the second half of the season finishing 12th with just 10 wins.

Making the top eight is an expectation the whole club has not been afraid to make public knowledge.

“Look, I think that’s right across the board – I’ve heard Nathan Buckley say that and I would certainly support that given we’ve been out of the finals the last couple of years,” said Pert.

“It’s going to be a pretty solid squad I think.”

Most of the noise surrounding Collingwood in recent weeks has been regarding the nude photo scandal involving Travis Cloke and Dane Swan.

Pert insists that Cloke’s recent demotion from the leadership had nothing to do with the incident that was judged to be not a club matter.

“Well our nomination process was occurring before any of the recent controversies,” he said.

“Clokey and Goldy literally put themselves in a position where at this stage of their careers they’re saying ‘I’ve played a formal role in the leadership group, but now I very much want to concentrate on playing and performing’.”

http://www.sen.com.au/news/02-16/gary-pert-on-buckley-pies-list-cloke#e8PDPfR4qRZ0ZU1Y.99

[MatthewBoydFanClub]

This is purely my opinion so feel free to disagree, but I think the reason we lost so many games near the end of the season the last two years is a prevalence of injuries and the lack of experience and midfield depth to get us through the season. Nothing to do with the coach or his game plan. Blame the strategy in clearing out experienced players such as Thomas, Wellingham and Shaw and the lead time in getting game time into new players, but all the hard work gone into the last 2-3 years should hold us in good stead from 2017 onwards. I'd be very surprised if we don't make finals in 2016, but irrespective, I think Buckley deserves an immediate contract extension just to end speculation on his coaching future beyond 2015.

[duggieboy]

^^^ Here here BIFC. (play with that if you like, algorythm Hal)

However I fully EXPECT finals this year