Man on a mission: Ross Lyon on our pre-season

[Oh When the Saints]

http://www.saints.com.au/Default.aspx?t ... wsId=54366

Q: Are you happy with how your playing group is progressing through the pre-season program?
Lyon: We’ve had a steady pre-season – I don’t know if it’s about saying we’re happy or not – we’re training hard and we feel like we’re getting fitter and stronger while working on our skills.

We’re also rehabilitating players [who've had] operations, so it’s been .............. >>>>>>>>>>> CONTINUES

[evertonfc]

Nuts and bolts kinda guy, isn't he?

There's nothing flash or innovative about him, certainly at this stage. Still, maybe that's a good thing. He's been a senior coach for just 12 months and I'm sure even he's still learning.

Hopefully the disaster of early 2007 is something that sticks well in his memory and he's learned there needs to be a balance between accountability and attack.

I'm sure he'll improve as a coach this season and I hope our playing list is better able to execute his directions, particuarly in skills and ball movement.

[saintspremiers]

well if Lyon in a spin article can't say categorically that he's happy I assume he is actually fairly pissed off with our pre-season so far - as normally these type of articles are sugar coated somewhat.

Why is he not happy? What is he not happy about??

I assume it's the base fitness level of our core group, added to that the players in rehab that are still a bit away from resuming full training.

I HOPE I've read it far too pessimistically, also perhaps RL is trying to tone it all down and give no real opinion and that statement is meaningless!

Who knows!!!

[ausfatcat]

I think he's a perfectionist, and would never truely be happy no matter how good they are going.

[aussiejones]

keep the lid on it ....

RL has more to work with , and I bet he has learnt a bit too.

Got to keep up the scoring at 14 + per game.

[yipper]

The players are impressed with him because of his preparation and knowledge. He knows what is required to A: make a GF and B: win it.

As for his media - just a straight shooter, short sharp answers and no grandstanding.

[jezza]

Are the players more impressed with Ross or Grant. Having seen a bit of Ross now he appears to be be arrogant.Is that good or bad.Dont know whether he is the one we have been all hoping for.

[yipper]

Are the players more impressed with Ross or Grant. Having seen a bit of Ross now he appears to be be arrogant.Is that good or bad.Dont know whether he is the one we have been all hoping for.

I can assure you the players think he is the ants pants!! They are right behind him 100%.

[ben_fff]

You need arrogance in a coach, you want them to have full belief in what they're doing.

[bigcarl]

i've got no problem with arrogance, but i'd prefer he show us some actual results first

[karnaby]

....... Having seen a bit of Ross now he appears to be be arrogant.......

Gee, I don't interpret his behavior that way at all. I think he can be curt (which looks like a good way to deal with some journalists), considered, focussed & understated. All those attributes will do me just fine because I think that for far too long we've had club spokesmen whose words have spoken louder than the club's actions (results).

[bigcarl]

ROSS LYON: We moved the ball better in the second half of the year and our goal average went up by about four goals a week to about 14 which puts us around the mark.

RL is right that we were much improved in the second half of 2007 but i worry that he is setting the bar too low.

personally i'd prefer us to be above the mark ... not around it.

around the mark isn't good enough and not what i'm hoping for out of 2008.

hope he's just "keeping the lid on it". maybe it is just his understated style of delivery

[Raven]

Like others have said, it sounds to me like he's just being short and to the point with the media, not giving too much away, etc. That's a good thing, imo.

I like the way he never seems to sugar coat his statements and he's without the usual cliched waffle a lot of the coaches give out. It's refreshing.

[bozza1980]

....... Having seen a bit of Ross now he appears to be be arrogant.......

Gee, I don't interpret his behavior that way at all. I think he can be curt (which looks like a good way to deal with some journalists), considered, focussed & understated. All those attributes will do me just fine because I think that for far too long we've had club spokesmen whose words have spoken louder than the club's actions (results).

I think he is pretty guarded.

He can be pretty dry and some people seem to miss it.

He also seems to be the kind of coach who tolerates the media rather than embraces it, i think it's fine at the end of the day it's your results that define you rather than how you are portrayed in the media!!

[Otiman]

He just doesn't like to give out any new information whatsoever. The only new info there is how all the guys recovering from injury are going. Good to see Goddard running a decent 3km time.

[Armoooo]

I really love his no fuss attitude...
I hope he doesn't change into a media sl*t like some...

[saintsRrising]

We’ve also got Greg Hutchinson, [who has been] appointed as coach of Casey and development at St Kilda.

Noted this bit too...that Hotco is now StKilda's development coach.....wonder how he meshes with the existing development coach?

[saintsRrising]

Your club was quite active over the trade period; was that something that evolved as trade week unfolded or had you targeted those particular players beforehand?

Lyon: We went in with a view of what we wanted: we wanted a small forward, we wanted run, a ruckman – everyone’s got a wish list. Active’s a really quite interesting term. What [is] active? We traded one pick really, one active pick which was 26 – pick 90 wasn’t active – and we lost no players, so we didn’t trade any players.

So we went in with a view of what we wanted....and we got it.


Though some would have it that we go best available

I much prefer this style of recruiting where we recuit based upon our list needs and not just the so called best available model.

[Mr X from the West]

Reiwoldt "...had a thirteen week hamstring"?

Didn't particularly like his response to the question about Geelong's game plan. I would have thought that Lyon, Roos and the bloke at Adelaide would have been embarrassed by Geelong's success, since it was built on "kick to contests, play on at all costs and back your team mate to win the ball", all attributes which those three blokes have tried to kill at their respective clubs.

I will spew if, in 2008, we play like we did in 2007. We can and should play like Geelong...we look good when we do. Our players have a naturally attacking mind set, we have great forwards and some quality mid-fielders to deliver it to them.

[ben_fff]

Reiwoldt "...had a thirteen week hamstring"?

Didn't particularly like his response to the question about Geelong's game plan. I would have thought that Lyon, Roos and the bloke at Adelaide would have been embarrassed by Geelong's success, since it was built on "kick to contests, play on at all costs and back your team mate to win the ball", all attributes which those three blokes have tried to kill at their respective clubs.

I will spew if, in 2008, we play like we did in 2007. We can and should play like Geelong...we look good when we do. Our players have a naturally attacking mind set, we have great forwards and some quality mid-fielders to deliver it to them.

I don't think Lyon and Roo's would care, they've got a premiership a grand final and years of finals to show for their strategys.

[Mr X from the West]

Reiwoldt "...had a thirteen week hamstring"?

Didn't particularly like his response to the question about Geelong's game plan. I would have thought that Lyon, Roos and the bloke at Adelaide would have been embarrassed by Geelong's success, since it was built on "kick to contests, play on at all costs and back your team mate to win the ball", all attributes which those three blokes have tried to kill at their respective clubs.

I will spew if, in 2008, we play like we did in 2007. We can and should play like Geelong...we look good when we do. Our players have a naturally attacking mind set, we have great forwards and some quality mid-fielders to deliver it to them.

I don't think Lyon and Roo's would care, they've got a premiership a grand final and years of finals to show for their strategys.

Yup. But we haven't.

[battye]

....... Having seen a bit of Ross now he appears to be be arrogant.......

Gee, I don't interpret his behavior that way at all. I think he can be curt (which looks like a good way to deal with some journalists), considered, focussed & understated. All those attributes will do me just fine because I think that for far too long we've had club spokesmen whose words have spoken louder than the club's actions (results).

I think he is pretty guarded.

He can be pretty dry and some people seem to miss it.

He also seems to be the kind of coach who tolerates the media rather than embraces it, i think it's fine at the end of the day it's your results that define you rather than how you are portrayed in the media!!

Yeah, he needs to work on the results though...

[bigcarl]

Reiwoldt "...had a thirteen week hamstring"?

Didn't particularly like his response to the question about Geelong's game plan. I would have thought that Lyon, Roos and the bloke at Adelaide would have been embarrassed by Geelong's success, since it was built on "kick to contests, play on at all costs and back your team mate to win the ball", all attributes which those three blokes have tried to kill at their respective clubs.

I will spew if, in 2008, we play like we did in 2007. We can and should play like Geelong...we look good when we do. Our players have a naturally attacking mind set, we have great forwards and some quality mid-fielders to deliver it to them.

hear hear. we need to kick more goals; take more risks; believe in ourselves more.

which isn't to say there isn't a place for accountability. the trick is to give players the confidence to play their own natural games rather than turn them into robots fitting into some master plan

[Teflon]

Reiwoldt "...had a thirteen week hamstring"?

Didn't particularly like his response to the question about Geelong's game plan. I would have thought that Lyon, Roos and the bloke at Adelaide would have been embarrassed by Geelong's success, since it was built on "kick to contests, play on at all costs and back your team mate to win the ball", all attributes which those three blokes have tried to kill at their respective clubs.

I will spew if, in 2008, we play like we did in 2007. We can and should play like Geelong...we look good when we do. Our players have a naturally attacking mind set, we have great forwards and some quality mid-fielders to deliver it to them.

Thats all fine and dandy but you left off 1 major facet - Girlongs injury list Vs St Kildas (yet again) in 2007. Very easy to sit back as the after the fact internet fiooty guru and simply ignore trhe FACT that in football the best side winning a flag usually has the most settled line up re: injury-wise. Its no secret we got some continuity into our side in the second half of the year, our attack (avg goals scored) went up and so did our wins???Lyon's injury woes at the start of the year were worse than anything the previous spin doctor had to prevail with - Lyon never even got a shot with Hamill on the paddock, Maguire baiscally gawn, Goddard - at one stage they were suggesting we had 24 to effectively choose from FFS!

I absoloutely loved the style of football I saw when we systematically crushed Melb early in the year - David Parkin said hed never seen a St Kilda side tackle with as much ferocity....if thats Lyons style Im all for it. I simply dont buy the simplistic "Lyons from Sydney so we are now Sydney" dribble....

As for his media approach - awesome. Im sick to death of meaningless cliches, mental aptitude/fortitude/belief clouds/process/KPI's/exit in-out strategy and promises of sustainable success, 5 yr coaching deals and multiple flags only to fall short everytime. Give me Lyons downplayed, forthright style anyday. The guys a purist in football terms - he understands the game at a critical technical and strategic level - no wonderthe players are impressed with his knowledge and preparation.....he simply gets footy and thats refreshing.

[Armoooo]

Teflon that is probably the best post I have read on this site ever!!