View Full Version : Laying it on the line
On the weekend I was having a good time downing a number of ales with a Freo support staff member. We had a good chat about the season past and the future, and in doing this he filled in some grey areas for me.
The slump towards the end of the season was that some players had busted a gut week in week out to get the side up and they had run out of petrol. Some players were not turning up for regular training!!!!, they were "resting" at home. I was flabbergasted because a player should be either on the track, in the medical room, or walking laps if fatigued. One very hard working senior player was heard to grumble regularly about this problem, a big problem considering he is very loath to speak.
Adam Larcom only wanted to train the top 5 or so players. CC was not happy about this, but did CC have the final say?.
CC made errors with who he could back to get the best results. He did not rate McManus, but regularly backed Medhurst and Woods when they performed badly. CC now realises that given his time again, he knows what McManus has in his heart , and what Medhurst and Woods lack.
On the field Farmer is highly thought of and this re-interated my view that the media were not trying very hard to put any positive spread on his on field efforts. They are very happy with his efforts to lock the ball in the forward line, the goals will come if he keeps up the pressure. Off field, yes he has his faults.
Has Dion Woods lost the plot?, it appears his fathers death has affected him very deeply.
A new training regime has been implemented to rectify the training situation. Broadbridge is a great asset and he is working very well with some of the younger members. CC realises he is in for a do or die season, so should be more aggresive in pushing players to be more aggresive. eg. he now has a two carr garage with a focused JLo. He reckons Pav will hit back in 2005, he feels it in his waters.
That is the bones of it, childishly flame if you like but I reckon it's good to have a good hard look every so often.
Freo Shark
20 Dec 2004, 16:50
The slump towards the end of the season was that some players had busted a gut week in week out to get the side up and they had run out of petrol. Some players were not turning up for regular training!!!!, they were "resting" at home. I was flabbergasted because a player should be either on the track, in the medical room, or walking laps if fatigued. One very hard working senior player was heard to grumble regularly about this problem, a big problem considering he is very loath to speak.
CC made errors with who he could back to get the best results. He did not rate McManus, but regularly backed Medhurst and Woods when they performed badly. CC now realises that given his time again, he knows what McManus has in his heart , and what Medhurst and Woods lack. Well, I hope CC puts a pair of knitting needles up those resting players this year, we dont need or want lazy ********s.
CC should sharpen an extra pair of needles to poke Medders with, the lil ******** is top heavy and needs to get a dose of reality.
Kenny_01
20 Dec 2004, 17:36
CC made errors with who he could back to get the best results. He did not rate McManus, but regularly backed Medhurst and Woods when they performed badly. CC now realises that given his time again, he knows what McManus has in his heart , and what Medhurst and Woods lack.
.
How can you say he backed Woods, but not McManus. Woods was dropped about 3 or 4 times throughout the season, compared to McManus' once.
I for one think McManus deserved to get dropped. He played about 5 really good games over the first 2 months but then he dropped off significantly. He tries his guts out but has obvious limitations and I'm not talking about disposal.
raffrox
20 Dec 2004, 18:21
How can you say he backed Woods, but not McManus. Woods was dropped about 3 or 4 times throughout the season, compared to McManus' once.
I for one think McManus deserved to get dropped. He played about 5 really good games over the first 2 months but then he dropped off significantly. He tries his guts out but has obvious limitations and I'm not talking about disposal.
If not disposal then what do you mean?
I'm not agreeing or disagreeing... just curious.
And IMO we need more of an old fashioned footy club culture. No one is immune to getting dropped and showing heart is the norm not the exception. (I don't want to hear the word passion until our team actually displays it regularly and that doesn't mean cool goal celebrations either)
Kenny_01
20 Dec 2004, 22:17
If not disposal then what do you mean?
I'm not agreeing or disagreeing... just curious.
Firstly, as a midfielder, he seldomly wins his own football. He isn't really an outside midfielder either because he lacks foot speed and disposal isn't crash hot. And he definitely isn't a defensive/negating midfielder either ... his opponent always seem to tear us a new one. Around packs he is very very slow and reactive which kills us all the time.
I love his moments of inspiration as much as the next Freo supporter but several times this year I think he cost our side so I wasn't disappointed to see him dropped. The few times he was effective he was at half forward, he does have strong hands but there are just quite a few deficiences in his game I notice every week. Yes, I know he tries his guts out and his the heart and soul of our club... but I don't think he is in our best 22 anymore.
Dion definately wasn't getting looked after by CC!
Spent most of the time on the bench in the games he played and then was continually dropped! Therefore got more and more disallusioned as the year went on.
I spoke to a girlfriend of one of the players on the weekend and she told me that her boyfriend was frustrated at CC's favouritism of a couple of players and neglect of others in season 04. I hope he changes for 05!
I spoke to a girlfriend of one of the players on the weekend and she told me that her boyfriend was frustrated at CC's favouritism of a couple of players and neglect of others in season 04. I hope he changes for 05!
That is what I was getting at.
Dion is in an area where through his disinterest, he may be lost to the game.
The chap I spoke to was very up-beat about 2005 and felt that alot of the issues had been aired vigorously internally and there will be positive outcomes.
Onto 2005.
Dion definately wasn't getting looked after by CC!
Spent most of the time on the bench in the games he played and then was continually dropped! Therefore got more and more disallusioned as the year went on.
He was on the bench and in the WAFL because he was the biggest squib in the team. He deserved to be dropped. I've got a lot of time for Woods because he is a great talent, but his lack of commitment to the ball and his inability to compete in hard ball contests is what cost him his spot, not any bias from CC.
He was on the bench and in the WAFL because he was the biggest squib in the team. He deserved to be dropped. I've got a lot of time for Woods because he is a great talent, but his lack of commitment to the ball and his inability to compete in hard ball contests is what cost him his spot, not any bias from CC.
Sorry, can't agree with that. I didn't see him squib.
Kenny_01
21 Dec 2004, 23:29
He was on the bench and in the WAFL because he was the biggest squib in the team. He deserved to be dropped. I've got a lot of time for Woods because he is a great talent, but his lack of commitment to the ball and his inability to compete in hard ball contests is what cost him his spot, not any bias from CC.
Yeah, agreed.
blockerhall
21 Dec 2004, 23:51
Sorry, can't agree with that. I didn't see him squib.
Gee, I did, and I was away for most of the year. Take a look at the first three quarters of the Adelaide away game, I think it was. A couple of good efforts in the last, but woeful prior to that.
fat wombat
22 Dec 2004, 08:04
My guess is he's another year away from being another one of Sheedys project players.
My guess is he's another year away from being another one of Sheedys project players.
My view Woods is a real talent and just needs the right coach to get him to play really top football. That is my concern too, at Essendon or another club he will also be an all Australian.
Still pretty p*****-off that Clement and Mcphee are not at Freo. Both run through the lines at speed both are tuff as nails. Just the type of footballers Freo so badly need.
What a difference a real football coach makes and often wonder what the likes of Pagan, Sheedy, Williams or Mathews would do with this squad.
The Mission Man
22 Dec 2004, 10:25
My view Woods is a real talent and just needs the right coach to get him to play really top football. That is my concern too, at Essendon or another club he will also be an all Australian.
Still pretty p*****-off that Clement and Mcphee are not at Freo. Both run through the lines at speed both are tuff as nails. Just the type of footballers Freo so badly need.
What a difference a real football coach makes and often wonder what the likes of Pagan, Sheedy, Williams or Mathews would do with this squad.
Clement isn't tough as nails. Not really. He can play but he's selfish. Witness the 2003 GF where he stands by watching Akermanis scoop up the pill and goal - just as long as your guy doesn't touch it, eh, Jimmy?
He sandbagged like a nancyboy when he was here. Dragged his feet at training, kvetched, whined and and whinged. First to put his hand up when McNeill asked who wanted to go, couldn't leave quick enough.
We didn't get rid of him. The pansy ran because he wanted to dine on the meal of someone else's history rather than pull his freakibng sleeves up and get in the kitchen himself.
Pagan did nothing in his first five years as coach. I wonder if anyone at Rooland was moaning about the permed wonder not being a "real football coach".
Poort supporters were queuing up to dump Chocko - blaming him directly for a game style that didn't work in pressure games.
dockertor
22 Dec 2004, 14:47
Clement isn't tough as nails. Not really. He can play but he's selfish. Witness the 2003 GF where he stands by watching Akermanis scoop up the pill and goal - just as long as your guy doesn't touch it, eh, Jimmy?
He sandbagged like a nancyboy when he was here. Dragged his feet at training, kvetched, whined and and whinged. First to put his hand up when McNeill asked who wanted to go, couldn't leave quick enough.
We didn't get rid of him. The pansy ran because he wanted to dine on the meal of someone else's history rather than pull his freakibng sleeves up and get in the kitchen himself.
Pagan did nothing in his first five years as coach. I wonder if anyone at Rooland was moaning about the permed wonder not being a "real football coach".
Poort supporters were queuing up to dump Chocko - blaming him directly for a game style that didn't work in pressure games.
Well said Mish. The lack of vision from some of the CC lynch mob astounds me sometimes.
Richo