Are we shite

[bomberdonnie]

Robbie mentioned that only about a dozen of us think we are shit

I am interested to find out if that is true

For me... YES

[jimmyc1985]

Yes, we are shite.

I think we'll improve a bit over the next couple seasons under the tutelage of a strong coaching panel, but we won't be genuine top 4 material unless we get very, very lucky - eg Heppell becomes a Pendlebury, Hurley becomes a Riewoldt, Pears becomes a Scarlett and Bellchambers becomes Dean Cox. You need planets to align for that sort of thing to occur - these guys all have talent, but all of them need to become bloody superstars to lift the ocean of mediocrity that flows beneath them such that we'd become a good team.

[Bomber_Fan]

Yes, we are shite.

I think we'll improve a bit over the next couple seasons.

Yes we are very shite! And this is what really really worries me. It is natural with a young list that we currently have that we will improve every year. I'm sure we would have even perhaps improved with Knights at the helm. But if it's only a bit every season to become a middle of the road team, then we may as well go back to the drawing board.

[swoodley]

It's an interesting question

How do we reconcile the performances of the first 7-8 games with the dross that has been served up in our last four?

The fact that we performed quite credibly in those first 7-8 games shows that when players are in form and confident, we can win.

The performances of the last four games shows that we are mentally fragile.

So are we shite...at present yes, but I just look at the improvement in West Coast this year to reassure me that better times are ahead.

They had no major change in personnel but have played with new found confidence and have been winning.

[BenDoolan]

We are first class at mediocrity.

[BenDoolan]

It's an interesting question

How do we reconcile the performances of the first 7-8 games with the dross that has been served up in our last four?

The fact that we performed quite credibly in those first 7-8 games shows that when players are in form and confident, we can win.

The performances of the last four games shows that we are mentally fragile.

So are we shite...at present yes, but I just look at the improvement in West Coast this year to reassure me that better times are ahead.

They had no major change in personnel but have played with new found confidence and have been winning.

There were similar showings in the 70's IIRC. We started the season with so much promise and end it with the usual crapness. 1975 rings a bell and perhaps '78 & '79.

[tonysoprano]

you can bet your f****** arse we are. (and I think my vote makes it 8-zip).

[paddyl90]

Sorry to break the disgruntled theme of this thread.

We aren't shit. But we aren't great either. A lot of list work and development of our future (young) players is all that's required in my opinion. I agree with the out with the old and "haven't done anything their whole career" players. At the meantime we haven't progressed from the past few years but I think this year I'm a lot more confident in players I believe will be in our next team to challenge for a premiership than I was last year. If nothing changes at the end of the year list wise then I would be worried!

[Windy_Hill]

We are the Shiteyest Shite Truck of a football team going around at the moment. Perhaps Brisbane could pip us but only because their dumbass coach ass raped their list.

We were soaking up fools gold early in the year - big wins against Bulldogs and Saints were deceiving at best - as it turns out they are crap and at that time of the season our Shite Team were if nothing else - super super fit.

Credible results against Sydney and Carlton but once again, our superior fitness kept us in games against what are now clearly better sides

Wins over Brisbane and West Coast - both strugglers of the last season (although WCE are clearly on the rise) were hard fought games where some warning signs were starting to appear. Luckily we played WCE in Melbourne or else our record this year would be even worse. What was clear was the other teams were approaching our level of fitness and perhaps our guys were suffering from some mid-season fatigue.

Of course the goal fest against Gold Coast was just one of those days. They were unlucky to come against Reimers for his once in 50 games "pearler". My 13 yr old son will be graduating from Uni when Kyle turns on one of those games again.

Of course the last 4 weeks have shown us up to be the the Shite team we really are - 4 winnable games for a side with top 8 aspirations. Epic Fail. No heart, no guts, no passion, no idea. Half the list are pretenders and the other half remain largely unproven. James Hird has an almighty job on his hands but strangely, I remain confident that we can still go places and that the basis for a strong team in the future is already in place.

[stryper]

What a crock to say we are shite. Absolutely NOT...
Sure we have lost the last 4 weeks but we have also dominated the game at times too.
North - we should have put them away in the 1st quarter. points not goals - bad footy...
Got some players that have really broken out this year eg.Heppell,Crameri,Lonergan,Bellchambers,Hardingham etc...
We have been rocked by injury - Winder and Dempsey - hard to replace.
Unbalanced with losing Hurley,Watson and Hocking all at the same time...
Now they are back,structure will come back...
We have an awesome coaching staff...
Still not giving up on us to make the 8 either...
Big chance this week against the Hawks...
Success doesn't come overnight but it isn't that far away...
People forget so quickly Sydney we only just lost,collingwood - gave them a good run for there money and Carlscum - draw with serious injurys...
To say we are shite I say what a fickle bunch of swinging supporters...
Thats just my say anyhow... Deal with it lol

[little_ripper]

I hope we win this week and the next.

f*** me essendon supporters eat their own sometimes.

[rockhole]

Will this thread continue if we beat the Dawks???

[Jazz_84]

yes we are shite at the moment but we started off well and now paying the price for Hirdy smashing them over the pre-season so expect us to be better for longer in 2012 and even further in 2013

12 games in under a complete change at this club and we are preparing for a decade of failure??? i know we have been deprived lately but dead set surely there is SOME faith in our coaching panel? Hirdy will under the guidance of Bomber aswell cut the right people, i have faith in that.

deep down i think we are 3-4 years away from anything special, every team needs quality senior players and apart from Fletcher (148) Watson (26) and Hille (30) we don't have much in the way of senior leadership and even then Hille hasn't been his best this year. give it another few years and we'll have a lot more quality in the middle age brackets, so hopefully we'll keep drafting well and those kids will be surrounded by the current potential quality we have running around as kids now. the leadership from these guys will turn us from what we are now to a well rounded side

we need someone that can say to themselves "f*** this" and smash a pack and run away with the ball to create an inspiring goal, at the moment we are too focused on contested ball players in and under packs but we need someone to just run in get the ball and run out like a Judd or a Martin

[little_ripper]

shite would mean we would be running 15th-17th.

currently we are 8th.(altho this is very precarious and looks like worsening in the coming months).

I think we are mediocre. Mediocre sides are those that more than struggle to cover a few injuries/suspensions and perpetually finish in the middle of the pack, never quite making finals, never quite getting decent enough draft picks.(except for the odd year).

We need to attract the next decent midfielder looking to return to Victoria. We missed Judd and Burgoyne(for whatever reasons)...can't let it happen again.

[Jazz_84]

We need to attract the next decent midfielder looking to return to Victoria. We missed Judd and Burgoyne(for whatever reasons)...can't let it happen again.

dunno if this guys fits your category but Dangerfield has basically said he will leave it Craig gets the boot as coach, but he has also stated he wants to live near Geelong.....

[robrulz5]

When we play badly we are shite but when we play well we are pretty good.

We need to reduce the margin between our best and worse and we'll start beating sides like Melbourne, Richmond and North when we aren't playing well.

[little_ripper]

When we play badly we are shite but when we play well we are pretty good.

We need to reduce the margin between our best and worse and we'll start beating sides like Melbourne, Richmond and North when we aren't playing well.

to be fair on all three of those sides, I think they showed on the weekend they are also pretty good when up and about.

Melbourne in particular. They absolutely smashed Fremantle....

IMO outside the top 3/4 you can throw a blanket over the comp in terms of ability.

[Mrs Mercuri]

No we are not shite....yes we arent in the best of form at the moment but i dont think we have played all that badly, just patches in games have let us down, we were in a position to win all of them but the Freo match.

[robbie67]

Mediocre = Shite. We are shite.

Our best player would be the best player at only one or other clubs.
Our second best player is turning 50 very shortly.
We have a string of players with "potential", but we dont really have any young gun midfielders that could compare with even Richmond or Melbourne. Im not saying Heppell, Melks, and even Zaka will one day be very good, but we dont have a Scully or Martin amongst them.
We have some players who have hung around on our list for 10 years without realising their potential, unless their potential was to be ordinary.
Our most skillful player is too lazy to chase, and is as soft as my cock when I think of Oprah.
We have not had one high draft pick actually play up to that potential. Mistake after mistake at the draft table is the major reason for our shiteness.
We have a Gnome from another club bumming around at Bendigo for $300k a year. He will be there next year as well.


Hird and co are going to take quite a few years to get this shit in order.

[Jazz_84]

Hird and co are going to take quite a few years to get this shit in order.

yep i feel the likes of Hurley, Melksham, Zaka, Heppell, Pears will be our senior players before we challenge truely that's only if we draft well to have decent kids around them