2010 a write off

[plugger66]

Maybe we should get in a big circle and hold hands and have a big sing along. This is a forum to discuss footy. We nearly won a GF last year and are now playing ordinary at best. I want better than this and there nothing wrong with being angry as long as it doesnt get to personal to players and posters.

Straight from the King of Engrossing Footy Discussion himself

Since when have you ever offered anything of interest to a discussion on these boards - with you its all predictable sarcasm - you hardly ever offer any constructive suggestions

How about for once actually adding to the discussion with some knowledgeable insight ... your postings always have a negative spin ... your postings do not offer any hope ... most of your postings are a waste of space ... your sarcasm is not revolutionary ... your supposed black wit is obvious and lacking at times

There are some great posters on here that actually add to the topics with interesting thoughts and ideas ... these posters also start thought provoking discussions - you are not one of these posters - with you we get ... we are playing ordinary .... I want better ... WOW that is mind blowing discussion right there in a nothing self centred kinda way

Seriously P66 … brilliant stuff - keep up the good work!!!

Thank you.

[battye]

Right playing well at the right time to finish 9th.
If we don't finish top 4 we have no chance at winning the flag and right now we are not playing good enough football to even make the 8 let alone the top 4.
Yes we we're a little better tonight, but the team we played were not of the same calibre as the ones we played.

The difference between St Kilda of 2009 and St Kilda of now is that last year we could play badly and still win. We don't have that luxury any more, if we play badly we lose.

I've finding it hard to convey this point... I guess; good teams find a way to win. And for the time being starting from the Port Adelaide game, we haven't been doing that. The Bulldogs win should be the rule for us, not the exception to it.

[Devilhead]

Maybe we should get in a big circle and hold hands and have a big sing along. This is a forum to discuss footy. We nearly won a GF last year and are now playing ordinary at best. I want better than this and there nothing wrong with being angry as long as it doesnt get to personal to players and posters.

Straight from the King of Engrossing Footy Discussion himself

Since when have you ever offered anything of interest to a discussion on these boards - with you its all predictable sarcasm - you hardly ever offer any constructive suggestions

How about for once actually adding to the discussion with some knowledgeable insight ... your postings always have a negative spin ... your postings do not offer any hope ... most of your postings are a waste of space ... your sarcasm is not revolutionary ... your supposed black wit is obvious and lacking at times

There are some great posters on here that actually add to the topics with interesting thoughts and ideas ... these posters also start thought provoking discussions - you are not one of these posters - with you we get ... we are playing ordinary .... I want better ... WOW that is mind blowing discussion right there in a nothing self centred kinda way

Seriously P66 … brilliant stuff - keep up the good work!!!

Thank you.

You are welcome but next time i would prefer that you made an appointment - whilst I think you are a special case I cannot be seen to show you anymore favourtism

[plugger66]

Maybe we should get in a big circle and hold hands and have a big sing along. This is a forum to discuss footy. We nearly won a GF last year and are now playing ordinary at best. I want better than this and there nothing wrong with being angry as long as it doesnt get to personal to players and posters.

Straight from the King of Engrossing Footy Discussion himself

Since when have you ever offered anything of interest to a discussion on these boards - with you its all predictable sarcasm - you hardly ever offer any constructive suggestions

How about for once actually adding to the discussion with some knowledgeable insight ... your postings always have a negative spin ... your postings do not offer any hope ... most of your postings are a waste of space ... your sarcasm is not revolutionary ... your supposed black wit is obvious and lacking at times

There are some great posters on here that actually add to the topics with interesting thoughts and ideas ... these posters also start thought provoking discussions - you are not one of these posters - with you we get ... we are playing ordinary .... I want better ... WOW that is mind blowing discussion right there in a nothing self centred kinda way

Seriously P66 … brilliant stuff - keep up the good work!!!

Thank you.

You are welcome but next time i would prefer that you made an appointment - whilst I think you are a special case I cannot be seen to show you anymore favourtism

How about 4.40 next Sunday. Not sure I will be doing much else at that time.

[dcstkfc]

As much as tonight I'm squealing like a pig, the loses we have succumbed to in recent weeks is not certainly the end of the Mighty Saints in season 2010, far from it! These loses will help define out players and improve us in the areas we have looked deficient in! Make no mistake, we're all in this shyte for the long haul! We're not a pushover club and will remain a top 4 threat! Chuck that one down with sports bet and rake the bucks in! :wink: :wink: F'n A right! :twisted:

I much prefer you coming out of the woodwork (comparatively) to post after a loss but posting the opposite to the other defeatist crap!

Top 4 could be a stretch unless we have Roo back by Round 15, but I found $5 leaving the ground and I assure you I will be putting it on a St Kilda premiership at $8.00.

[Devilhead]

Maybe we should get in a big circle and hold hands and have a big sing along. This is a forum to discuss footy. We nearly won a GF last year and are now playing ordinary at best. I want better than this and there nothing wrong with being angry as long as it doesnt get to personal to players and posters.

Straight from the King of Engrossing Footy Discussion himself

Since when have you ever offered anything of interest to a discussion on these boards - with you its all predictable sarcasm - you hardly ever offer any constructive suggestions

How about for once actually adding to the discussion with some knowledgeable insight ... your postings always have a negative spin ... your postings do not offer any hope ... most of your postings are a waste of space ... your sarcasm is not revolutionary ... your supposed black wit is obvious and lacking at times

There are some great posters on here that actually add to the topics with interesting thoughts and ideas ... these posters also start thought provoking discussions - you are not one of these posters - with you we get ... we are playing ordinary .... I want better ... WOW that is mind blowing discussion right there in a nothing self centred kinda way

Seriously P66 … brilliant stuff - keep up the good work!!!

Thank you.

You are welcome but next time i would prefer that you made an appointment - whilst I think you are a special case I cannot be seen to show you anymore favourtism

How about 4.40 next Sunday. Not sure I will be doing much else at that time.

Obviously

[Griggsy]

geelong were 5-3 in 07

[battye]

geelong were 5-3 in 07

Good find Griggsy. For the first time since the game finished I actually feel a little bit better

[plugger66]

geelong were 5-3 in 07

Yes true but they were going the right way. If we had lost our first 3 everyone would be happy tonight. We have lost 3 out of 4. That is the issue that needs to be addressed this coming Sunday.

[Moccha]

Essendon are a rubbish side, yet we leaked way too many easy goals. The tackling and pressure is way down on 2009 as well.

100% correct.

Zac Dawson = no presence. I don't like bagging him, but I'm not sure he's all there

[SydneySainter]

I actually had bad feelings leading into the 2010 season. Virtually everything was in our favour last year. Good draw, almost no injuries, no one saw us coming, we developed an aura of invincibility. Unfortunately, we had our first losses at the wrong end of the season. Entered the finals with confidence shaky but were buoyed by heroics from Hayes and Riewoldt. The preliminary final really stands out for mine. Very lucky win, gave me the feeling that the grand final was now a MUST WIN, as when you only scrape through to the big dance, there may not be a next year.

[bigred]

Steven king has barely had a kick since 2003.

Disappointing thread. I hope someone bookmarks it for use in 18 weeks.

Grow a backbone.

[Moccha]

Steven king has barely had a kick since 2003.

Disappointing thread. I hope someone bookmarks it for use in 18 weeks.

Grow a backbone.

Well he played well in the 2008 GF

[deadman walking]

season over start tanking

[SydneySainter]

season over start tanking

What's the point? Wont get any decent picks.

[saintnick12]

Dont know how they are very winnable? Trip west to play the eagles very hard. Wouldnt suprise me to see us lose that one and probably struggle against the crows cos by that time Craig will be gone! We have already lost to Essendon and Port so how in the world are we supposed to turn that around?

There are 14 weeks to go .... have some friggin faith!!!!!

Everyone of those 14 games are winnable - just becasue we lost to Port and Essendon doesn't mean we are going to lose to them again - your logic is laughable

The 10 games I listed I said are .... wait for it .... extremely winnable - we only need to win 7 to make the finals

Of the other 4 games I didnt list - Freo (away) Collingwood, Geelong and Brisbane (away) these are also winnable if we play to our best

A couple of bad games and the doomsayers are out in full force - its friggin pathetic!!!

I'm with you Devilhead. Top 4 is still a possibility. Competition is very even this year. We are only 7% off 4th, even after losing three of our last 4 and being smashed last week. We should be able to get enough wins to make the 8. With a fit list and Rooey back, anything is possible.
We need to get our confidence back. We have many down on form and confidence. A few wins will fix that.

And while its unlikely we could win the flag from outside the top 4, its certainly possible. As you said, there is no rule against it. We have not played well off the break in the finals in the two years we have finished top 4 and won the first final and had the break. We just fell over the line last year after the week off. We may actually be better off playing each week, especially if we are in form at the time, unlike last year when we were stuttering a little.

Have faith Sainters!!

[markp]

Disgraceful.

Yep.

[saintsRrising]

Well 2010 is not over. But clearly the Saints are not playing well. So if they keep up the current performance it may well soon be.

The good news in the Dons game is that our workrate and intensity lifted.

However the bad news remains that too many players are butchering the ball in either disposal and/or decision making.

The the "monkey is on their backs" and the players are overthinking things as they are playing. Waiting too often for the perfect option for example in the forward line with the result that options only get worse.

"Panic" is definitely there with way too many sprayed kicks and hot hanballs to players not in the clear.

This too unfortunately becomes a vicious cycle of one series of stuff-ups building the mental pressure and yips so that more mistakes and turnovers occur.

Opposition teams are also clearly aware that quick movement is the best way to counter the Saints game plan, but the Saints are making it too easy with way too many "unforced" turnovers".

Quick movement too further exacerbates things for the saints keeping them mentally under pressure.

Gone are the days of the Saints being able to leisurely sit back and switch play to set up play. Teams will also no longer "do a Dogs" and allow the Saints to easily retreat back into the opposition forward line so that they have a numerical advantage.

McQualter is symptomatic of this at St Kilda at present. He just always seems now to take the wrong option and even his one dead-eye dick shots goal have deserted him dramatically so that he is not even an average shot on goal now.

When he stood on the flank after a mark and stuttered on the spot to eventually just handball over the line a few metres away was a sign of a player who is caught in limbo.

The Bad news is that this is not just a one player in fix , not even Roo as there is a large chunk of players, who have for the moment lost confidence.

Unfortunately such lack of confidence tends to be infectious, and two thirds of the team have it at present. The good news is however that this can return quickly. The bad news again is that there is no way of knowing when it will turn.

It may be next week..it may be Roo re-igniting them on his return....or it may be more "Hawthorn like" be gone for a long-time.

With so many players out of sorts a selection or two is not going to change things in itself. Though some changes should be made (and one injury and one likely suspension will force two changes).

[saintsRrising]

season over start tanking

39 posts? And with a nic like that I smell a Troll.

With the Saints out of form watch the Trolls Bloom in number.

[Saintsfan]

Sorry all, but I think the season is gone.

It would seem that we had players who played above their level last year.

McQualter, and Dawson - sorry but the form they showed last year was good. This year, virtually non existent.

Schneider is horribly out of form, King's all but gone, and Armitage looks absolutely awful.

Won't even mention players like Geary or Ray - both try hard, but current form would suggest they're not up to it.

We just lost to a side that will finish in the bottom half dozen. We play the Eagles over in Perth next week, and I think we'll get flogged.

Write the year off, get Rooey fit, and put the onus on the team - especially the above mentioned players. If you don't perform you're out. Simple as that.

If we can only kick 11 goals against a team which has a poor defence, can't see us winning many more this year - only the Richmond games would fill me with confidence at this stage.

How is it gone after round 8 and we are still in the 8? Get a win against the Eagles and we would be 6-3 and looking okay again.

We had opportunities to win that game however kicking 11.16 will not assist us in doing so. Poor kicking, don't win. Much like the Grand Final last year. Poor kicking, don't win.

I am positive that a poster was kicked off this forum for disagreeing with the masses last season re how amazingly awesome Zac was. I have my mail and that poster looks to be 100% correct.

[St. Luke]

As much as tonight I'm squealing like a pig, the loses we have succumbed to in recent weeks is not certainly the end of the Mighty Saints in season 2010, far from it! These loses will help define out players and improve us in the areas we have looked deficient in! Make no mistake, we're all in this shyte for the long haul! We're not a pushover club and will remain a top 4 threat! Chuck that one down with sports bet and rake the bucks in! F'n A right!

I much prefer you coming out of the woodwork (comparatively) to post after a loss but posting the opposite to the other defeatist crap!

Put it this way, I'd sooner take the loses now than further on in the season. That's the only positive I'm seeing come out of our "two very ordinary games" in the past few weeks. At least we can now respond against teams who have clearly figured out how to shut us down. Thankfully we have time on our side to get it right.

[gringo]

I wish we would look at a settled team instead of moving the players out of position. We look disorganized and flaky at the moment not the powerhouse defensive unit of last year.

I would like to see us go for an all out opportunists forward line of Peake, Schnides and Milne with Kosi sitting around the 50. Just get it forward quickly and create some real pressure on the opposition backline. We just bring it in so slowly and deliberatly now it seems to be obvious where it is going to land. We dont have the luxury of Rooey anymore.

[bigred]

Steven king has barely had a kick since 2003.

Disappointing thread. I hope someone bookmarks it for use in 18 weeks.

Grow a backbone.

Well he played well in the 2008 GF

so?

Should he get a game off the back of that?

King has had it. Playing him now is just stifling the development of others.

If mac has a "king" like game with 3 possessions and 8 hit outs at least he is getting games under his belt.

[SinCitySaint]

The reality is unless you make the top four you have virtually no chance in the finals.
The way we are playing at the moment we have no chance of making the top four. We can improve and as such that can change.
However, all the people saying that at least last nights game was better do not forget that Essendon are basically a bottom 4 team this year. They had two wins up before last night, so are we really improving or is the opposition just a little worse.

We look ordinary all over the park. We obviously miss Roo but it is extremely troubling that we have no real plan for his absense. No team should be as dependant on one player as we are on Roo. If he comes back fully fit and firing great but there is no promise he will or that he won't get injured again.

One of the most worrying aspects is our failure to bring through good young players. We are paying the penalty of extremely poor use of draft picks in the middle of the decade. Using draft choices, whether through drafting or trading, on Barry Brooks, Fergus Watts, Cain Ackland et al has really biten us on the backside. We should have produced a couple of good players from those drafts who could now be the depth players we need.

On a more positive note Kosi was better last night. If he is to play as a forward it must be crashing packs not trying to be a lead up player.

[Moccha]

Steven king has barely had a kick since 2003.

Disappointing thread. I hope someone bookmarks it for use in 18 weeks.

Grow a backbone.

Well he played well in the 2008 GF

so?

Should he get a game off the back of that?

King has had it. Playing him now is just stifling the development of others.

If mac has a "king" like game with 3 possessions and 8 hit outs at least he is getting games under his belt.

Just replying to your quote that he barely got a kick since 2003. I don't think McEvoy will ever get a kick or hitout although I'd love it if I'm proved wrong