damienc wrote: ↑Fri 19 Oct 2018 6:56pm
I rarely, if ever, engage in the politics of playing the man on this forum.
It’s ideas that I take issue with, even though there is a collection of numpties, that is what I call them, who insist on seeing this footy club with rose coloured glasses and a do no wrong attitude.
They sorely deserve a kicking but they are not going to get one from me.
Instead I will take issue with the Mary Poppins like philosophy that proclaims this trade period as a success, the club can do no wrong, our coach is doing a great job, we have the right depth in our playing group, and our present game plan is going to take us to a premiership.
Not only is this kind of thinking wrong, it is dangerous.
Here’s why.
When you acknowledge failure, admit you are wrong and are accountable for it, you can move forward. More importantly you empower yourself to change course, to try a different approach and take a really long hard look at what is causing those failings and do something positive to correct them.
But if you keep insisting that everything is great, nothing to worry about here, our list is strong, we’ve recruited well and anyone who says anything contrary is just being negative and disloyal, then nothing is going to change.
And as a St Kilda supporter, for more than half a century, I feel entitled to say that this is the policy that our club and its spin doctors, both inside and outside of this forum, seems to be advocating.
We’ve had zero accountability from the coach downward for the appalling season we have all just witnessed.
Our rebuild is in tatters. A shambles.
2018 was a massive step backwards. It will take years for us to be back challenging for the eight.
Years. That is a hard and bitter pill to swallow.
So as a loyal supporter, and I am loyal, I would urge this footy club to have a long, serious, objective look at itself and where it is going.
It’s pretty simple. If you don’t learn from history you are condemned to repeat it.
Hang on.
You're having a go at two groups, here - the club internally and the fans externally
I don't think you're being fair in the club, internally.
While I materially agree with the substance of what you're saying (though not necessarily agree that it cannot be turned around pretty quick), internally, the club has admitted failure, on multiple fronts, and has taken action to acknowledge that... but to go on TV and radio and say stuff like 'we recruited badly', 'our list isn't very good', 'our coaches are useless' would be horrendous PR and horrendous operational policy.
'Our recruiters have done a fantastic job' ... but Trout is departing the club, mutually decided... Goddard has not been offered a contract...
'Our coaches have been great' ... but we've replaced a good number of them...
'Our playing group are made of the right stuff'... but we've delisted the uncontracted duds, let Goddard go, allowed Gilbert to retire after not picking him for every game....
There is a MAJOR disconnect between what club spokespeople - Richo, Lethlean - are saying and what they are doing, which means THEY ARE LYING TO THE MEDIA FOR THE GOOD OF THE CLUB... They are speaking to the players when they say this stuff.
You can't blast players and coaches publicly. It always backfires and is just bad operational strategy
Look at the actions, not the words
BTW... to win a flag you need 16 very good players; a few stars among them helps. We have/had Acres, Billings, Paddy, Dunstan, Goddard, Carlisle, Freeman, Gresham, Clark, Coffield and the other one is DMac, I think, all top 20 picks. Plus pick 5 this year.
On exposed form, two of those are very good players.
2 are gone
6 have the capacity to be very good players (Acres, Billings, Paddy, Clark, Coffield, Pick 5)
DMac is still a wildcard, but at best he could be a bottom-6 type in a good team
Dunstan should have been traded
Had we got all of these picks right, we've brought in 12 very good players the past few yrs, add to Steven, Steele, Roberton, Webster, Hannerbery... chuck in your wildcards in Long and Battle... and you have yourself a good chance at top 4.
Clearly we didn't draft/develop well enough (though Freeman didn't actually cost us a top 20 pick), as only 2 have worked so far.
Let's hope we get pick 5 right, and that in 2019 those other 6 start to show.