Bombertalk

http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/rfnews ... 80155.html

Great Article by Gary Lyon...And I totaly agree with him.

Lyon does make some good points (unusual for him!).

I suppose because it has worked for Richo and because it seemed to work for Lloydy in the second half of last year, the "roam up the ground" option has dominated our thinking. Maybe now it's time to go back to the familiar and have No.18 leading out of the goalsquare. Certainly, it was noticeable in the Port game that no-one on the forward line offered a decent lead except the occasional one way up the ground from McPhee or Monfries.

Lloyd played all of his best football last year when he was up the ground. Ridiculous, reactionary, stupid article.

Typical Garry Lyon bullshit - pick the player and/or team who is under pressure and bash them. He does the same thing every. single. F******. week.

Wow... Lyon was lauding Knights for reenergising Lloyd's career last year by moving him up the ground (even though it was Sheedy's idea).

Now he is saying it's a stupid idea.

When Lloyd comes out and destroys Freo next week Knights will be a genius again.

It must be hard to find something new and consistent to write every week, especially when you're not quite the smartest "journalist" around.

As long as it sells papers, credibility is secondary.

Lloyd should be playing out of the goal square, as should Lucas...stick to your key competencies...at 31 power running is not one of them as an ageing full-forward.

Knights wants play like Geelong - a list like Geelong's would help!

I agree with Lyon 100%. It's about time we look after the older guys who have been there and done it - and ask the younger guys to "aggot-up" and have a "go", no excuses...guys that have played 20-100 games are the guys who should be the scapegoats. The guys who are have done little, been inconsistent, and been given ample experience (eg. Stanton, Dyson, Monfries).

Stanton for mine is the most overrated player at our football club - who gets cheap kicks and doesn't put any time into his opponent. He needs to do more.

Leave Lloydy alone - play him where he plays best and stop kicking over his head or at his shoe laces.

bomberflyer wrote:Lloyd should be playing out of the goal square, as should Lucas...stick to your key competencies...at 31 power running is not one of them as an ageing full-forward.

Knights wants play like Geelong - a list like Geelong's would help!

I agree with Lyon 100%. It's about time we look after the older guys who have been there and done it - and ask the younger guys to "aggot-up" and have a "go", no excuses...guys that have played 20-100 games are the guys who should be the scapegoats. The guys who are have done little, been inconsistent, and been given ample experience (eg. Stanton, Dyson, Monfries).

Stanton for mine is the most overrated player at our football club - who gets cheap kicks and doesn't put any time into his opponent. He needs to do more.

Leave Lloydy alone - play him where he plays best and stop kicking over his head or at his shoe laces.

I can understand a fickle farkstick like Lyon to forget how good Lloyd was in his new role post R11 last year (particularly when he praised Knights for "re-inventing him"). But I expect better from our own. Matthew Lloyd lost his mojo as a one dimensional full forward in 2008. His form in the 1st half of the year was sad. He couldn't keep his feet, had a tendency to play from behind and give away free kicks to "hands in the back" and then when he tried to play from in front, he went to ground as if to milk free kicks. It was not pretty.

A new role was devised where he would roam as far as the wings and provide a target for our backmen. He became a roaming tower of strength. His ability to mark strongly in contested situations further up the ground, crunch tackle opponents, run and provide a link, and provide a strong option between the two 50m arcs made it almost impossible for opposition coaches to try and match him up. He also floated deep into attack in this role and then contributed many goals. Brilliant. For Lloyd to run a very close 2nd in the Crichton Medal in only half a season shows how good he was in a role that I never thought he could possibly play.

And now after one junk game, people are saying he "should only be played out of the square". Ridiculous!

Oh, and Stanton............how can he possibly be overrated when no-one ever rates him?? He is a consistent performer at the club and has been for years (not sure how you think he's "inconsistent"). Crichton placings will testify to that. You have a pre-conceived dislike for him because he pays no attention to his direct opponent. Fair enough. But who is paying attention to him while he compiles his swag of disposals?

Staggy wrote:Lloyd played all of his best football last year when he was up the ground. Ridiculous, reactionary, stupid article.

Typical Garry Lyon bullshit - pick the player and/or team who is under pressure and bash them. He does the same thing every. single. F******. week.

I see he hasnt given the nose candy a rest.

You have to remember Stanton does not have a lot of competition at Essendon. To win a best and fairest at Essendon over the last few years would be equivalent to getting a game for the Cats. I know that sounds silly, but that's like Hayden Skipworth winning a Bendigo B & F - well done Hayden, but you played with a group of kids that had chests like 12-yo's and had to beat them home for the B & F. Well, so he should have but doesn't mean he's a great footballer. But, well done nevertheless.

And, that's what I mean with Stanton, at the EFC the difference between our top and last picked player is huge. But, just because you're the top player doesn't mean you performed fantastically well or to your ability, it can also mean your team-mates underperformed or survive purely on heart (and not ability).

And, when you pick up the paper and see B.Stanton - 28 possessions - remember to look back at how meaningful they were and how well executed they were. Also, look at how many tackles and hard-ball gets he had (or didn't) - as well as how much of an impact his opponent had on the game (and was allowed to have based on zero-defensive pressure from his direct opponent - Stanton).

And, this isn't to say I don't think he isn't important - he is - but he needs to do a lot more in a team that needs him to do a lot more!!

bomberflyer wrote:You have to remember Stanton does not have a lot of competition at Essendon. To win a best and fairest at Essendon over the last few years would be equivalent to getting a game for the Cats. I know that sounds silly, but that's like Hayden Skipworth winning a Bendigo B & F - well done Hayden, but you played with a group of kids that had chests like 12-yo's and had to beat them home for the B & F. Well, so he should have but doesn't mean he's a great footballer. But, well done nevertheless.

And, that's what I mean with Stanton, at the EFC the difference between our top and last picked player is huge. But, just because you're the top player doesn't mean you performed fantastically well or to your ability, it can also mean your team-mates underperformed or survive purely on heart (and not ability).

And, when you pick up the paper and see B.Stanton - 28 possessions - remember to look back at how meaningful they were and how well executed they were. Also, look at how many tackles and hard-ball gets he had (or didn't) - as well as how much of an impact his opponent had on the game (and was allowed to have based on zero-defensive pressure from his direct opponent - Stanton).

And, this isn't to say I don't think he isn't important - he is - but he needs to do a lot more in a team that needs him to do a lot more!!

Congratulations for now having the worst post I have ever read on these boards...

It was a close call between this post and one of E4Es posts back in the dark winter of 2007 but this comment got you across the line:

And, this isn't to say I don't think he isn't important

Always enjoy a bit of baseless Stanton bashing from wankers who feel he should be a Gary Ablett Jnr, Chris Judd or Daniel Kerr.

Stanton could work harder defensively, I'm pretty sure everyone, including himself would admit that. But he busts his gut every week running from one end to the ground to the other time and time again to provide an option. He is one of the best gut runners in the competition. He has also busted his arse on the training track to improve his skills, which he has imrpoved dramatically.

He is obviously highly rated at the club, hence his placings in the B&F (by the way I find your likening of getting a game at Geelong as equilvent to winning our B&F, it not only degrades the award, it degrades everyone who has ever won it, shows you clearly have no idea how difficult it is to win a B&F- just look at how many Fletcher has or hasn't won despite being a champion of the game for the past 15 years, and is just plain offensive) and I agree with BD, you rantings about him appear to have little more than to do with your preconceived dislike of him.

Stants dramatically lifted his defensive efforts last year. I'm writing sunday's first half (six clangers) off as being due to an interrupted pre-season. Mind you, he did lay six tackles and I can't remember his opponent doing anything amazing. Pearce tore us up, but he was apparently opposed to Jobe. You can't really tell who's on who when you're watching the telly.

My main gripe was that if you're going to be getting kicks off half back then make sure you're also helping out your mates by shepherding and creating space. He'll get a rocket this week and it won't happen again - he's good like that. The blokes that make the effort to get to training tend to think that Stanton is underrated.

This is Stanton's 6th year of footy and he's playing his 100th =D> =D> =D> on the weekend. I'm expecting a break-out year - 25 touches a game and about 25 goals. I know this is supposed to be a Lloyd thread but:

Faark... Everyone's copping it this week. Even the guys that actually get the pill...

andrewb wrote:Stants dramatically lifted his defensive efforts last year. I'm writing sunday's first half (six clangers) off as being due to an interrupted pre-season. Mind you, he did lay six tackles and I can't remember his opponent doing anything amazing. Pearce tore us up, but he was apparently opposed to Jobe. You can't really tell who's on who when you're watching the telly.

My main gripe was that if you're going to be getting kicks off half back then make sure you're also helping out your mates by shepherding and creating space. He'll get a rocket this week and it won't happen again - he's good like that. The blokes that make the effort to get to training tend to think that Stanton is underrated.

This is Stanton's 6th year of footy and he's playing his 100th =D> =D> =D> on the weekend. I'm expecting a break-out year - 25 touches a game and about 25 goals. [b]I know this is supposed to be a Lloyd thread but[/b]:

I was thinking that...lol

Maybe Lyon should write an article about his own club and what they need to do to succeed...

bomberflyer wrote: Stanton for mine is the most overrated player at our football club - who gets cheap kicks and doesn't put any time into his opponent. He needs to do more.
.

Turn it up....

bomberflyer wrote: I know that sounds silly, but that's like Hayden Skipworth winning a Bendigo B & F - well done Hayden, but you played with a group of kids that had chests like 12-yo's and had to beat them home for the B & F

I'd like to see you walk into the Bendigo changerooms and utter those words.

1. I do not know what more a mature player trying to get drafted could do than win a b & f at a feeder club for AFL.
and 2. Have you watched the way skipworth has gone about his footy since being placed on the Essendon list.

Scott wrote:http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/rfnews ... 80155.html

Great Article by Gary Lyon...And I totaly agree with him.

Could it be that Lloyd plays himself up the ground when the side is struggling?

He is our Captain. How is he supposed to Captain from the goal square? It just doesn't happen.
Lloyd has played some very good games further up the ground. But if the thought of playing him out of the square all game was seriously entertained, then we would also need to entertain the thought of an alternate on field leader.

I did at one point on Sunday wonder why we didnt try to get Lloyd one on one in the goal square. Especially when lucas started dropping them like a slippery wet bar of soap. I am guessing Lyon thought the same thing so wrote an article on it.

I would walk into the Bendigo change rooms and say that not because I'm concerned but because it's true - they couldn't even field a team last year through injuries - hence, my call about no competition.

And, as for winning an EFC B & F - who cares, when you have little competition internally - guys who can't hit a target from 20-metres away - your so-called 3 best players (Lucas, LLoyd and Fletcher) have to play for another 3 years longer than they should because of the distinct lack of performance from the rest of the list. Ability...talent...you're born with it...so players who have it shouldn't feel good about themselves unless they turn that talent and ability into consistent performance.

And, I'm sad to say but I can't see this footy club winning a flag in the next 10 years.

bomberflyer wrote:And, I'm sad to say but I can't see this footy club winning a flag in the next 10 years.

Funnily enough, some Hawk supporters were saying the exact same thing about their club in 2005.

bomberflyer wrote: And, I'm sad to say but I can't see this footy club winning a flag in the next 10 years.

Seems to be little point in following the Dons if you cannot envisage a flag within the next 10 years. Perhaps the scum may be a better option where a super fat cheque book as a result of illegal cartel operations and an endless supply of "jobs for the boys" may present a quicker result.