The real worry's about Saturday.

[Filthy]

I am sure most who know me personally know that I am a half full glass person. I take the point from correspondents here that it is only a NAB Cup game, its only February etc etc.......BUT.

- Since the end of last season, we have instituted Club wide restructuring, we got rid of the deadwood players, Hirdy agreed to play on, Lloydy's back, the injured players have been patched up, recruited extremely well in the draft and we recruited Mal. Result? 30000 members (as Windy rightfully pointed out have forked out their hard earned already), 5000 more than the Scum....in joyful anticipation! Please point out ANY change in playing style on Saturday from 05/06? Well, tell me...........................

Question: After watching Saturday, how many supporters (bandwagoners maybe but we'll still take their money) will be put off? 1000? 2000? How much will this cost the Club? $300k? $600K? And we don't get to see them "live" again until after Adelaide (oh joy), for about 6 weeks as we join the Practice Match circuit. We play WCE next week in Perth. When we get smashed, no amount of spin can change the perspective that will create in wavering supporters. 40000 members? I'll take the Daryll Kerrigan line.

WINNING CULTURE: Talk to anyone about 2000 and the players involved and they will tell you they EXPECTED to win EVERY game, EVERY week, from ANY position.

Whats harder to shake in the inner recesses of your mind (where all sport is played) is the culture of LOSING! in 6 short years we have gone from one extreme to another, except that the LOSING culture is harder to lose than the winning culture. We last won a GAME OF FOOTBALL in July/August......last year.....do you, the players, remember the feeling?

The only emotion we know at the moment is LOSING. Saturday night was the perfect opportunity to start the therapy to remove that mindset. The Club from the coaches down, blew it.

Now from a marketing point of view we have 6 weeks of non-publicity. We face the likes of WCE and Adelaide away which will further f*** with our minds, the players minds and as a Club.

Let me finish from Ant over at BB who was at the Family Day.

"Sheeds said a lot of the players hadn't played together and they had had a turn over of nearly 50% over the last few years. The blend will take time."

What a load of bullshit. We had 4 new players out of 26 tops. Houli, Davey, Mal and perhaps Cole who has had only had 5 games with us. And perhaps CJ with 13 games.

Spin, spin spin. Stop the f****** spin Kevin and start winning football games.

[Madden]

Boy Filth, has your tune changed!

Every post you did about the team was universally positive throughout the entire off-season, and now it seems like you have done a complete 180.

Maybe the truth is somewhere in the middle?

[Filthy]

Boy Filth, has your tune changed!

Every post you did about the team was universally positive throughout the entire off-season, and now it seems like you have done a complete 180.

Maybe the truth is somewhere in the middle?

And I am still positive Staggy because of the changes that took place over the latter half of last season.

But I can only comment on what I saw with my own eyes on Saturday. I saw the positives as commented on elsewhere about Houli, Davey, Gus and so on but what else was there to enthuse about?

No game plan.....Too many talls in a game that is now all about speed and more speed......Players obviously not mentally switched on for the 1st half.....lack of discipline etc etc etc

And the continuation of the losing mentality....thats the big worry....the hardest thing in life to rid yourself of....the seeds of doubt no better exemplified than by Kep. Its very contagious.

Maybe its a good thing we are of the radar for the next 6 weeks. Gives us 42 days to turn things around out of the eye of the public eye.

[pevfan]

Sheedy...

'Ooh we're bullish about 07, Lloydy's back he'll make all the dif. I've talked Hirdy into playing on...told him we're a real chance of making finals. Got the Number 2 draft pick (where is he by the way?) Blah, Blah Blah!!.

What happens?... beaten by the hopeless rabble wooden spooners that is Carlton, with almost our best side playing.

Sheedy is starting to remind me of the Rodent...Full of spin (i.e.Bullshit) and well past past his use-by date.

Very, very, disappointed and depressed after Saturday's pathetic effort. The team has clearly fogotten how to win.

I'm just mad at myself for being sucked in by all the Sheedy bullshit ... Still, I'm not the only one... am I Hirdy...?

I agree with you Filth, I think this will cost us thousands of members this year.

[Rossoneri]

Filth is right about the bandwagon theory though. If you want 40,000 members, you have got to do something early. We have a tough draw so we may be sitting 2-5 after 7 rounds and with an early exit in the NAB cup, we may not get above 35,000.

[BERT]

Although not happy about how we played on Sat night, I don't think it's time to pull up stumps for the year.

At least now we get to play all our practice games with proper AFL rules and not the sideshow NAB cup rules.

The quarters were shorter than usual. We were running over the top of them and with the extra time we might have won and there wouldn't be so many threads saying how shit we are. We lost by 4 points FFS. It wasn't 10 goals.

The forward line will get better after playing with each other more. It would have been one of the first times Lloyd, Lucas and Johns would have played together. Give them 4 more games together and see how it pans out.

I thought the backline was pretty good. Fletch and Thighs will get better the more games they play together. How many soft free kicks did that fine citizen Fevola get?

We might not be any good this year but it's a bit early to write us off yet.

[Rossoneri]

Although not happy about how we played on Sat night, I don't think it's time to pull up stumps for the year.

At least now we get to play all our practice games with proper AFL rules and not the sideshow NAB cup rules.

The quarters were shorter than usual. We were running over the top of them and with the extra time we might have won and there wouldn't be so many threads saying how shit we are. We lost by 4 points FFS. It wasn't 10 goals.

The forward line will get better after playing with each other more. It would have been one of the first times Lloyd, Lucas and Johns would have played together. Give them 4 more games together and see how it pans out.

I thought the backline was pretty good. Fletch and Thighs will get better the more games they play together. How many soft free kicks did that fine citizen Fevola get?

We might not be any good this year but it's a bit early to write us off yet.

What you mentioned is correct, but what about the midfield? Or the fact that the ruckman got beaten by Cloke and Ackland? The midfield looked slow and the disposal was terrible. They seem to want to handball at all cost which is a joke, our players are not smart enough to accept the quick handpass and find a target up the field.

And if Bradley plays we are already a man down.

[BERT]

Although not happy about how we played on Sat night, I don't think it's time to pull up stumps for the year.

At least now we get to play all our practice games with proper AFL rules and not the sideshow NAB cup rules.

The quarters were shorter than usual. We were running over the top of them and with the extra time we might have won and there wouldn't be so many threads saying how shit we are. We lost by 4 points FFS. It wasn't 10 goals.

The forward line will get better after playing with each other more. It would have been one of the first times Lloyd, Lucas and Johns would have played together. Give them 4 more games together and see how it pans out.

I thought the backline was pretty good. Fletch and Thighs will get better the more games they play together. How many soft free kicks did that fine citizen Fevola get?

We might not be any good this year but it's a bit early to write us off yet.

What you mentioned is correct, but what about the midfield? Or the fact that the ruckman got beaten by Cloke and Ackland? The midfield looked slow and the disposal was terrible. They seem to want to handball at all cost which is a joke, our players are not smart enough to accept the quick handpass and find a target up the field.

And if Bradley plays we are already a man down.

The rucks were shocking on the weekend but I thought the midfield was pretty good in the 2nd half. We are a heap quicker than in the past. We have some quality to come back in JJ, MJ, McPhee, Dyson and Campo that would get rotated through the midfield. I think the midfield was a pass on Sat night.

[jimmyc1985]

We'll get better.

Our forward line, which has rightly been pointed out many times as being extremely potent, looked to lack cohesion and understanding between players. Lloyd was rusty and Lucas, Lloyd, Johns looked to be getting in each other's way. I expect this will improve as they play more together and the structure and the understanding between our forwards will improve. That said, they need better delivery from our midfielders, and that's a big (perhaps biggest) concern.

All our young guys drafted last year have looked good thus far, with the exception of Gumbleton and Reimers who we haven't seen. What you're seeing now is the result of poor, short-sighted drafting between 2001-2005.

If we make the 8, that'll be a great achievement.

[Windy_Hill]

The fact is that even if we win a few of the Donald Duck practice games we have lined up now, nobody is going to care. These games have even less credibility than the ridiculous rule changing joke that is the NAB Cup. As such, the real measurement of this team's progress will come in Rnd 1 of the Home and Away Season at AAMI vs Adelaide.

A thumping loss to the Crows will just about kill off our season before it really starts.

The people on this forum saying that the reaction to the Carlton game is unnecessary and premature have got it all wrong.

If you have had a fight with your wife, you dont just give her a peck on the cheek and say its all ok and expect to sit down in front of the TV with a tinny. As a minimum you have got to go out and get her a bunch of flowers and put the rubbish out a few times without being asked!!

The supporters deserved a 'bunch of flowers' from this team on the weekend. We barely got a cheap peck on the cheek.

[CameronClayton]

I was already expecting an ordinary season with a bottom 4 placing. It seems to me the most upset people are the ones that believed the Sheedy hype that we are a team going places & were a shoe-in for a top 8 spot.

I reckon our midfield is still pretty ordinary, our rucks are ordinary & therefore we will struggle to win more than 7 games this year. Face reality, not the Sheedy crap & you can accept losses like this in a much better frame of mind.

As for Sheedy's contract, he should be given set targets at the start of this season like most other employees are given. (Refer to last year when Grant Thomas must have been given a Top 4 or 6 target to renew his contract)

1. Top 8 - 2 year contract
2. 9th - 12th with plenty more of the youngsters blooded - 1 year contract
3. Bottom 4 - GAWN

[Madden]

If you have had a fight with your wife, you dont just give her a peck on the cheek and say its all ok and expect to sit down in front of the TV with a tinny. As a minimum you have got to go out and get her a bunch of flowers and put the rubbish out a few times without being asked!!

The supporters deserved a 'bunch of flowers' from this team on the weekend. We barely got a cheap peck on the cheek.

Most. Bizarre. Analogy. Ever.

[Filthy]

The point is being missed by a lot of you.

I think the Club is on the right track rebuilding and restructuring from within and so on.

BUT WE NEED DESPERATELY TO WIN A GAME OF FOOTBALL BECAUSE THE KIDS WILL GET USED TO LOSING AND IT IS A HARD MENTAL HABIT TO SHAKE.

Losing Clubs bottom lines are affected as the losses mount and the Members drop off. Then you get on a real slippery slope that is hard to do a snow plough stop.

Sheeds....win a game of Footy and the rest of it will follow.

[swoodley]

The point is being missed by a lot of you.

I think the Club is on the right track rebuilding and restructuring from within and so on.

BUT WE NEED DESPERATELY TO WIN A GAME OF FOOTBALL BECAUSE THE KIDS WILL GET USED TO LOSING AND IT IS A HARD MENTAL HABIT TO SHAKE.

Losing Clubs bottom lines are affected as the losses mount and the Members drop off. Then you get on a real slippery slope that is hard to do a snow plough stop.

Sheeds....win a game of Footy and the rest of it will follow.

Agree wholeheartedly with you on this Filth...we desperately need to win a game that counts.

[Filthy]

The point is being missed by a lot of you.

I think the Club is on the right track rebuilding and restructuring from within and so on.

BUT WE NEED DESPERATELY TO WIN A GAME OF FOOTBALL BECAUSE THE KIDS WILL GET USED TO LOSING AND IT IS A HARD MENTAL HABIT TO SHAKE.

Losing Clubs bottom lines are affected as the losses mount and the Members drop off. Then you get on a real slippery slope that is hard to do a snow plough stop.

Sheeds....win a game of Footy and the rest of it will follow.

Agree wholeheartedly with you on this Filth...we desperately need to win a game that counts.

Especially when you are in competition with 4, 1-2 Team towns with enormous support financially and from the AFL. I don't want us to be a basket case like Carlllllton off field.......

........and people seem to have forgotten Peter Jackson is off contract this year.

Whats his worth to the EFC? Whats he worth on the open market? Will he want to hang around a bunch of losers?

[spikefan]

........and people seem to have forgotten Peter Jackson is off contract this year.

Whats his worth to the EFC? Whats he worth on the open market? Will he want to hang around a bunch of losers?

That's a real worry, losing Peter Jackson would be an unmitigated disaster. I give him a lot of credit for the strong position the club is in today both financially and overall.

[bungarm]

We'll get better.

Our forward line, which has rightly been pointed out many times as being extremely potent, looked to lack cohesion and understanding between players. Lloyd was rusty and Lucas, Lloyd, Johns looked to be getting in each other's way. I expect this will improve as they play more together and the structure and the understanding between our forwards will improve. That said, they need better delivery from our midfielders, and that's a big (perhaps biggest) concern.

All our young guys drafted last year have looked good thus far, with the exception of Gumbleton and Reimers who we haven't seen. What you're seeing now is the result of poor, short-sighted drafting between 2001-2005.

If we make the 8, that'll be a great achievement.

I reckon it could be tough year for Johns, with Lloyd,Lucas & possibly Hird down forward added to deplorable midfield delivery he might be a hinderance rather than benefit..... Where else can the guy play?? nowhere I suspect....

[boncer34]

"Sheeds said a lot of the players hadn't played together and they had had a turn over of nearly 50% over the last few years. The blend will take time."

What a load of bullshit. We had 4 new players out of 26 tops. Houli, Davey, Mal and perhaps Cole who has had only had 5 games with us. And perhaps CJ with 13 games.

Ryder, Dempsey, Laycock (barely played), Winderlich

Team balance? Those blokes aint played enough consistent footy to be considered settled. Thats 8 outta 26. Throw Llyod's first competitive game back. Where he wouldn't miss some of the soda's he did. Welsh on a wing, which I'm not convinced. All these things make the side unsettled filth.

[Rossoneri]

Laycock had a fair stint in the ruck. Got beaten but not too worried with him, he will get better as his kicking is quite good and he has a good grab.

[CameronClayton]

Laycock had a fair stint in the ruck. Got beaten but not too worried with him, he will get better as his kicking is quite good and he has a good grab.

C'mon Rossi , Laycock & Hille were up against that dangerous duo of Ackland & Cloke. We should have creamed them in the ruck & I don't care how match fit our blokes were. I dread to think what Dean Cox is going to do against them this week, if they can't beat a couple of hacks like Ackland & Cloke.