Rating Ratten each week.

[B.M]

Just a lot of incoherent dribble, going off on tangents and contradictions

Seems a good bloke

As a communicator he talks in circles and as a leader is not ruthless enough

Say what you want about Grant and Ross

They weren’t trying to win popularity contests

Rating v Collingwood
2/10

[Moods]

No point me rating him. I called it last year. The team has no distinctive style. No youngster has had a break out year under him. We just lost a game to an expected bottom 4 team. Our most important player is 35 and injury prone. We haven’t addressed our deficiencies in the midfield and we still persist with butler, kent and Higgins up forward. Our skill level has been ordinary for awhile now. Our backs and mids are overall, too small. Very depressing to start the year like nothing has changed. In a sense why would it? Half the folk on here believed the BS coming out of the club that injuries were the reason for our poor season last year. Maybe Ratts actually believed that too and thought nothing needs to change??

[CQ SAINT]

4/10
Does not get his charges fired up to play footy.
All the strategy on the world won't help if you're second to the ball or don't stick tackles.

My big knock on the bloke, as (like most here) I'm no tactical genius.

You seldom saw a spiritless performance under Ro$$.

Does Ratts have the necessary level of authorty? The charisma? Can he intimidate anyone?

3/10

Given the quality of the leadership group inherited by Toss, which was recruited and developed by the previous coach. I really can't see the point of the comparison other than to expose contrasts.
Steele is a new captain and like Membrey, Howard and Wilkie, he was not initially drafted by St.Kilda.
Geary, Ross, Newnes and Dunstan, IMO are average footballers for leaders and only Geary and Ross appear to have the qualities that inspire others, (albeit, mainly supporters and young blokes struggling to get opportunities, I'd imagine) but equally, they have deficiencies, that have often made me cringe and although Jack Steven was a gun, he fell off a sunken shipwreck.
Ross's replacement sold our soul and after he did that, they hired a bloke they didn't choose previously to fix things up.
Ratten replaced the idiot that saw Riewoldt stand down for Geary, then we set out to draw in big fish and started with Jake the snake. WTF?
Had Hanners not been a bust, he'd have been recruited, put straight in the leadership group and then made Captain the following year.
Billings never developed beyond his draft potential, McCartin cost us Petracca, Battle isnt much chop, Goddard 2 was a dud.
Gresham is our best draftee and probably wasnt supposed to be there at our pick.
Ratten has essentially started from scratch and has been forced to flip the list in 2 years.
While it appears Hanners was cooked, so was club.
COVID Cup or not, Ratten got us to a final and the injury gods just won't give us a break.
We are a loyal bunch but Ross Lyon turned us into a fickle bunch of whingers.
We are breaking membership records and have returned to a renewed Moorabbin with a better deal at Marvel and we are finally back in the draft with a core of young players with potential. No one is taking Rattens job without a long, secure and well heeled salary, that will completely cripple our already dimished soft cap.
You don't have to be a tactical genius to appreciate that.

[Scollop]

4/10
Does not get his charges fired up to play footy.
All the strategy on the world won't help if you're second to the ball or don't stick tackles.

This

We disrespected our opposition and they spanked us good and proper. They slapped us around a bit too in the process

It was taxing chasing them all day. They probably should have been 6 or 7 goals up the way they dominated the first half and credit to some of our guys for the fightback

Let's keep things nice and simple. We thought we could bring in a newbie like Owens and we thought he'd have a bigger impact than an existing senior player like Long

I don't care which way you want to spin it and how much you dislike Long, but this isn't February. We need to play our best players

[Scollop]

I apologise because I won’t discuss this comment further- David Rath has far too much influence

That's convenient

So ... every one else gets off scot free. We've found the scapegoat

[Scollop]

Bit disturbing to me that a two-time senior coach in his fifties needs a mentor, anyway.

....

They've gotten Roughy, arguably a guy fresh out of the game who apparently has great IP (can he teach though?)
Next phase- get Gubby Allen, proven performer
Next phase- Rath, someone who should have the skillset and knowledge to really fast-track improvement.

....

You forgot the soccer coach Ernie Merrick

[freely]

I listened to the game on the ABC so I couldn't see myself but Malthouse said that over and over again one of our blokes would run a few yards to help tackle meaning there was a 2 to 1 and we were short elsewhere - instead of running harder and further to be in a position to receive the ball AFTER the tackle. Well, that's not just about effort - it's a coaching issue. We've never played as a team under Ratten - they just don't have a clue where to expect one another to be, or where they want one another to be. But also, wasn't it always Richo's mantra - 'helping your mate'? I think this idea of pitching in has persisted as a version of "saints footy". This is the sort of play they're talking about when they say it - and it's not helpful.

[Yorkeys]

I wonder does McRea have an entourage of "specialists" all having input and providing distraction; perhaps just having one cook that knows his stuff is the go. Win = stay. Lose 50% = go

Keep it simple seems a good truism to me.

Mentors, Program Directors, Heads of Football, special advisers, fitness "gurus", selectors?, line coaches, specialist coaches, player factions, leaders groups. What a witches brew.

Swap all but Ratts for a couple of quick mids?

Elite sportsman don't really need a cast of thousands giving various messages, do they? Justifying their existence.

If the proof is in the pudding then the Saints footy dept. entourage and myriad of officials putting their oar in is a rubbish recipe.

More is not better, it can end up being an unruly mob. A camel is a horse designed by.......

Ratts looked stuffed at the presser, deflated and clueless - or perhaps confused by what he has witnessed.

I hope, despite the deafening silence from the club, Friday's capitulation turns out to be a watershed and the asylum is firmly taken over by those who know how to win; not those who elegantly go through the motions, mouth platitudes, never have to front for the losses and seem to have got ahead on the back of reflected glory from Clarkson.

[Vortex]

This team is soft physically and mentally. Ratts has to withhold the cuddles for the time being and be honest and direct about the elephant in the room.

He actually sailed close to the wind in his presser by highlighting the players lack of intensity, tackling and pressure which he said invited Collingwood to grow in confidence and improve their intensity, tackling and pressure towards us.

I remember Melbourne were accused of playing bruise free footy in that period after they made the prelim in 2018. Melbourne just thought success would follow their finals appearance in 2018 but they were a team of heaps of talented individuals but the comp worked out they could be easily put of their game with a bit of physicality and intimidation.

That's were we are, we melted on Friday night when the Pies strong armed us. Ratts needs to bring some Clarko to his coaching, he needs to coach the players to be unsociable. To hurt or be hurt and play on the edge. We won't be a finals team until we get a harder edge.

So we can over analyse Ratts and the game plan and all the other irrelevant things we hyper focus on but it's far simpler than that, the list just doesn't have enough players who don't wilt when the opposition turn the heat up on us.

This team plays bruise free footy.

[Vortex]

I apologise because I won’t discuss this comment further- David Rath has far too much influence

That's convenient

So ... every one else gets off scot free. We've found the scapegoat

Would Bevo consider T74s post leakage?

Does it suggest the club aren't all on the same page?

[st.byron]

No point me rating him. I called it last year. The team has no distinctive style. No youngster has had a break out year under him. We just lost a game to an expected bottom 4 team. Our most important player is 35 and injury prone. We haven’t addressed our deficiencies in the midfield and we still persist with butler, kent and Higgins up forward. Our skill level has been ordinary for awhile now. Our backs and mids are overall, too small. Very depressing to start the year like nothing has changed. In a sense why would it? Half the folk on here believed the BS coming out of the club that injuries were the reason for our poor season last year. Maybe Ratts actually believed that too and thought nothing needs to change??

Good post. All totally true. Am starting to regard Ratten in the same light as Richo.

[st.byron]

I apologise because I won’t discuss this comment further- David Rath has far too much influence

That's convenient

So ... every one else gets off scot free. We've found the scapegoat

Would Bevo consider T74s post leakage?

Does it suggest the club aren't all on the same page?

It definitely suggests that all is not cohesive behind to fluffy media facade.

[st.byron]

I hope, despite the deafening silence from the club, Friday's capitulation turns out to be a watershed and the asylum is firmly taken over by those who know how to win; not those who elegantly go through the motions, mouth platitudes, never have to front for the losses and seem to have got ahead on the back of reflected glory from Clarkson.

Didn't we have that last year mid season? A brutal behind closed doors review dripping with honesty to exorcise whatever malady was making us play like crap. Yet, Round 1 in the new season and not much has changed. Genuinely deflating as a supporter.

[Viscount Jeremiah]

More concerned with the quality of players we have in the midfield than Ratten's coaching.

He switched things up quite a bit trying to get things kick-started in the 3rd quarter and it worked but we couldn't sustain it.

Once we have a team that can break even in the midfield it will be easier to rate his game plan. Pretty hard to judge atm but historically over the last couple of years it worked fine when our midfield has won or broken even.

[Vortex]

I apologise because I won’t discuss this comment further- David Rath has far too much influence

That's convenient

So ... every one else gets off scot free. We've found the scapegoat

Would Bevo consider T74s post leakage?

Does it suggest the club aren't all on the same page?

It definitely suggests that all is not cohesive behind to fluffy media facade.

It does doesn't it. It's extraordinary T74 made the admission just after round 1. You could read so much into it.

Would Ratts be happy about these type of comments being made public on a fan forum?

Interesting times ahead.

[markp]

Watters, Richardson, Ratten.


I'm just very pleased and grateful we've repeatedly decided that Robert Harvey would make an inferior coach.

[spert]

Watters, Richardson, Ratten.


I'm just very pleased and grateful we've repeatedly decided that Robert Harvey would make an inferior coach.

I remember Watters trying to push a more structured player development setup when he came in, but it wasn't rated by the hierarchy at the time who thought instant success was the answer. It is so important but too many young players then just didn't take big enough steps under Richo, who was supposed be good in this area. When we get a rare talent like Sharman who slots straight in to senior footy, then don't play him at the start of a new season, I give up with this mob.

[st.byron]

Watters, Richardson, Ratten.


I'm just very pleased and grateful we've repeatedly decided that Robert Harvey would make an inferior coach.

I remember Watters trying to push a more structured player development setup when he came in, but it wasn't rated by the hierarchy at the time who thought instant success was the answer. It is so important but too many young players then just didn't take big enough steps under Richo, who was supposed be good in this area. When we get a rare talent like Sharman who slots straight in to senior footy, then don't play him at the start of a new season, I give up with this mob.

Not only that, but according to Lloyd21's training reports they started playing him at training across half back. You know it makes sense.

[saynta]

Watters, Richardson, Ratten.


I'm just very pleased and grateful we've repeatedly decided that Robert Harvey would make an inferior coach.

The bid difference is that banger is a true sainter. Would bleed red white and black. All the others are ring ins. Only a job to them

[Gershwin]

Versus Fremantle:

Automatic 6/10 for the win.

Extra point for the determination and commitment shown by the players. Can't find any extra points for team selection or tactics. To be honest I thought our go-slow tactics in the last quarter nearly cost us the game.

7/10

[Vortex]

Versus Fremantle:

Automatic 6/10 for the win.

Extra point for the determination and commitment shown by the players. Can't find any extra points for team selection or tactics. To be honest I thought our go-slow tactics in the last quarter nearly cost us the game.

7/10

Hopefully the go slow bit is not another sign of a coach that is ulta defence biased to the detriment attacking when the opposition is inviting you to attack.

[Beno88]

Versus Fremantle:

Automatic 6/10 for the win.

Extra point for the determination and commitment shown by the players. Can't find any extra points for team selection or tactics. To be honest I thought our go-slow tactics in the last quarter nearly cost us the game.

7/10

Completely agree. We are incredibly good at stopping our own momentum.

[loris]

Versus Fremantle:

Automatic 6/10 for the win.

Extra point for the determination and commitment shown by the players. Can't find any extra points for team selection or tactics. To be honest I thought our go-slow tactics in the last quarter nearly cost us the game.

7/10

Completely agree. We are incredibly good at stopping our own momentum.

If you listen to Ratten’s after game interview, I think he puts our lack of momentum in final quarter back on the players. It wasn’t a coaching directive. He stated that the players went back into themselves and played too cautiously which played into Fremantle’s hands and gave them a second wind - or words to that effect.

[B.M]

So the players don’t follow his instructions?

[st.byron]

Versus Fremantle:

Automatic 6/10 for the win.

Extra point for the determination and commitment shown by the players. Can't find any extra points for team selection or tactics. To be honest I thought our go-slow tactics in the last quarter nearly cost us the game.

7/10

Completely agree. We are incredibly good at stopping our own momentum.

If you listen to Ratten’s after game interview, I think he puts our lack of momentum in final quarter back on the players. It wasn’t a coaching directive. He stated that the players went back into themselves and played too cautiously which played into Fremantle’s hands and gave them a second wind - or words to that effect.

TBH Loris that doesn't give me any comfort. The buck stops with Ratten for our performance. He is responsible for how they perform.