What the media is forgetting.

Essendon4eva · Post by **Essendon4eva** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 5:02 pm

With the future of Kevin Sheedy in the balance, everone is looking at Essendon's skill level and ladder position when make a decision on Sheed's future.

The one thing I have noticed within the new group of players comeing through. The core group of guys who will take us into the next 10 years have devloped something that is key to the success of any Football team. Its called character. When we are down, we continue to fight. When we have one guy left on the bench we continue to fight.

Compare the Kangaroo's to Fremantle. Fremantle has a better list on the park each week talent wise, but are slipping away from the top 8, while the Kangaroo's are fighting for a top 4 spot. Why is that? The cahracter traits I described eariler.

There is a reason why Gary Lyon willl never be a senior coach and the same goes with the rest of the Journalists out there from Caroline Wilson all the way to the guy holding the tripod.

Kevin Sheedy should stay on as coach. Not becasue of our ladder position of his record. Its becasue he is teaaching what teh media fails to see. He is devloping character traits which helped us not concede a behind against West Coast, comeback against the Tigers and will one day in the future get us in a Grand FInal.

Gyoza · Post by **Gyoza** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 5:21 pm

great post, couldn`t agree more.

dom_105 · Post by **dom_105** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 5:43 pm

Top post.

BenDoolan · Post by **BenDoolan** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 5:45 pm

Good post E4E.

ZRS · Post by **ZRS** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 6:15 pm

good work E4E, with you 100%

robrulz5 · Post by **robrulz5** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 6:20 pm

Great post. Hopefully you are right.

tonysoprano · Post by **tonysoprano** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 6:58 pm

Should we try and get Laidley then?
Has 11 wins with a not so talented team - but who have amazing character. They have achieved this without their best key forward (Thompson). Last year without our best forward we won 3 games.

Essendon4eva · Post by **Essendon4eva** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 7:23 pm

That utterly moronic. You miss the entire point of the post. The Kangaroo's had their best forward last year and finished one spot ahead of us.

I compared the Kangroo's to the Dockers. I didn't compare their list to ours. I basically pointed out that Sheed's is devloping something in our team that others coaches cannot and have not with some of the msot talented teams.

Gyoza · Post by **Gyoza** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 7:26 pm

tonysoprano wrote:Should we try and get Laidley then?
Has 11 wins with a not so talented team - but who have amazing character. They have achieved this without their best key forward (Thompson). Last year without our best forward we won 3 games.

I think with Laidley you have to consider that the Kangaroos spirit has been around for quite a while...he may have built on it but he definitely inherited a bit as well.

Post by **Megan** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 7:30 pm

Whilst I agree with your initial thread and think it's a fantastic point, I don't think tonysoprano is being moronic.

Gyoza · Post by **Gyoza** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 7:31 pm

Megan wrote:Whilst I agree with your initial thread and think it's a fantastic point, I don't think tonysoprano is being moronic.

same here

tonysoprano · Post by **tonysoprano** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 7:36 pm

Essendon4eva wrote:That utterly moronic. You miss the entire point of the post. The Kangaroo's had their best forward last year and finished one spot ahead of us.

I compared the Kangroo's to the Dockers. I didn't compare their list to ours. I basically pointed out that Sheed's is devloping something in our team that others coaches cannot and have not with some of the msot talented teams.

last year roos one spot ahead with 7 wins to our 3.
roos have jumped to 2nd this year - we have "developed" to 10th.
you implied that the roos lack talent - compared to freo or us - the implication is the same.

Essendon4eva · Post by **Essendon4eva** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 7:40 pm

Know I said Fremantle has more talent than the Kangaroo's but don't have the same cahracter traits, which is why one side is above the other. The implication is that Sheed's is devloping something more important than a high skill level.

I didn't not mention Essendon in the actual comparison, which was used to prove my point that you can have all the raw talent in the world, but without heart and courage you will be exactly where Fremantly is for a long, long time.

bombers_rock · Post by **bombers_rock** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 10:22 pm

Roos jumped to 2nd spot.
We're sitting 10th.

Does that really have anything to do with the coach?

If anything it's to do with the players. Same applies with any club - it's not the coaches fault, it's the players, yet the coach is always the scapegoat. Have to blame someone, so the coach gets it. Easy to sack 1 man, can't sack 40 men.

One thing that springs to mind with the Kangaroos and us -
Kangaroos made the Grand Final in 1998 (lost) and made it again in 1999 (won).
We fell 1 point (2, really) short of the 1999 GF.
We made the 2000 GF (won) and made it again in 2001 (lost). Does that mean the Kangaroos cycle is 1 year ahead of ours? Could we be looking at 2nd spot come round 16, 2008?
If this year is anything to go by, probably not. But in a new season, anything is possible.

dom_105 · Post by **dom_105** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 10:32 pm

bombers_rock wrote: One thing that springs to mind with the Kangaroos and us -
Kangaroos made the Grand Final in 1998 (lost) and made it again in 1999 (won).
We fell 1 point (2, really) short of the 1999 GF.
We made the 2000 GF (won) and made it again in 2001 (lost). Does that mean the Kangaroos cycle is 1 year ahead of ours? Could we be looking at 2nd spot come round 16, 2008?
If this year is anything to go by, probably not. But in a new season, anything is possible.

I don't think the cycle is as straightforward as that.

Brisbane won three straight, and now they are down the bottom. Within that time Port Adelaide won in 2004, at the very end of their window, dropped back down and are back up again.

Collingwood were up in 2002 and 2003, dropped down and shot back up. Hawthorn were up in 2001, went down to the depths of the competition and are probably still on their way up. Ever since 2000 Carlton havn't even looked a chance, and are still a rabble.

What I will say is that I think we are on the way up, rather than on the way down, If you use the "premiership clock" where your best bet on winning a flag is between 11 and 1, I would say we are at about 7.

tonysoprano · Post by **tonysoprano** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 11:16 pm

dom_105 wrote:What I will say is that I think we are on the way up, rather than on the way down, If you use the "premiership clock" where your best bet on winning a flag is between 11 and 1, I would say we are at about 7.

nice analogy - I actually think its about 4pm down at Windy Hill.

Essendon4eva · Post by **Essendon4eva** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 9:24 am

The team is on the way up and peopel want to sake the coach. If we were on the wya down, I could understand. Heck if we were stagnent I could understand.

tonysoprano · Post by **tonysoprano** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 11:41 am

Essendon4eva wrote:The team is on the way up and peopel want to sake the coach. If we were on the wya down, I could understand. Heck if we were stagnent I could understand.

Not sack - just not re-appoint.

5 of our wins have been for a combined margin of 22 points - and 3 of those games were influenced more by one man than any other - J.Hird - who won't be playing next year.

Perhaps I was a bit harsh (or maybe I'm just used to digital

) - but yeah its probably more like 6.30.

Essendon4eva · Post by **Essendon4eva** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 11:52 am

And last year with James in the side, it was a complete contrast. We lost all the close games. These year we win them. So mayeb next year without a coaching change we will improve more. If we keep improving with Sheedy at the helm like we have been, why sake him?

j-mac31 · Post by **j-mac31** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 1:20 pm

What is it Sheedy is developing exactly?

Yes there are many good points, however the midfielders are all lazy when the other team has the ball. If he stays, someone needs to point out to him that you can't beat the best teams consistently if you let them make easy runs forward all the time.

And where does Mal Michael fit in with the development? AFter next year he's gone and where back to where we were last year with only one genuine key defender.