How much longer can Priddis be debated?

[the harry]

Yeah but our record against Freo, Sydney, Collingwood & Geelong has been pretty bad.

Every grand final since 2005 has had one of those teams compete. We wouldn't be alone with having a poor record against them.

That's it right there. Is this a sign of the end, or is it just a blip? For every guy that drops off there's a guy that hasn't. Priddis also came late to AFL so it's not like his body is completely beat up.

Only thing I know for sure is that in coming weeks a few supporters will be hoping he doesn't hit a purple patch.

The ones that survive have further to fall though.
Take Sam Mitchell for example, wouldn't be faster than Priddis, yet if he loses pace he'll still be able to hit a target, with either foot, from 25-30m away before anyone can get near him.

 

[flamingEMBERS]

Oh really? Going the stats route to shut down Priddis? That's a bold move Cotton.

Okay ... for 2014 thus far:
1) Effective disposals - 74 (14.8 per game) - 3rd at West Coast
2) Contested disposals - 62 (12.4 per game) - 1st at West Coast, 11th in AFL
3) Clearances - 21 (4.2 per game) - 2nd at West Coast
4) Tackles - 30 (6 per game) - 1st at West Coast
5) Goals - 2 - =3rd of West Coast midfielders
6) Goal Assists - 3 - =3rd of West Coast midfielders

I've tried to keep this to the important stats (i.e. not total possessions) and I would say stats wise Priddis is still going pretty well (not elite but he is certainly in the 'above average' class). Give me a guy who can consistently win the ball in dispute and still matches other mids in total effective disposals (even if at a worse percentage) every day of the week over a midfielder who doesn't win as much of the ball or pads stats with cheap uncontested disposals in the back half. It should also be noted that Priddis' 'ineffective disposals' are no worse than other contested ball winners with his clanger rate of 2.8 disposal clangers per game consistent with the average of the top 15 contested ball winners in the AFL. So in reality, many of Priddis' ineffective disposals are not detrimental to the team as they are to a 50:50 and at least get us territory.

Also - can we put away the myth that our midfield 'revolves around Priddis'. I mean seriously - Priddis being a member of our midfield does not equate to our midfield revolving around Priddis any more than it revolves around Selwood or Shuey or anyone else we run through there. It is drawing an exceptionally long bow to say that Priddis being in the side is holding anyone back. There is 7-9 midfield roles at any one time: 3 centre square mids (all positions rotate but most commonly if we look at the weekends game Selwood, Shuey and Priddis), 2 wings (Gaff and Masten) plus 1-2 high half forwards (Hutchings and Wellingham) and high half backs (Rosa and Sheppard) pushing up to the contest post the centre bounce to effectively become an extra mid for much of the gameplay. Priddis is just one cog in that midfield and certainly not one that the rest of the team revolves around.

Priddis is =14th with Pendlebury for Contested possessions at 12.4 per game in fact they have the same average disposals of 26.8 per game yet their DE% is 55.2% compared to 72.9%. Priddis also has the worst DE% of the top 68 players for contested possessions at 55.2%.

 

[Smotie]

How do tag somebody that is always at the bottom of the pack.
There is no doubt however that they try to block him at the stoppages.
Restrict his access to the ball.
This results in a number of free kicks.
No one can deny he gets his hands on the ball more that most despite this attention.

And therein lies one of the problems. You don't need to because he isn't ******* going anywhere. You just wait for the dodgy handpass or up and under kick and rebound goal.

* me, is it that long ago that you can't remember the like of Kerr, Jones, Cousins and sometimes Judd who used to win the in & under ball at the bottom of said pack and either burst free with pace and agility or shoot out a 20 meter hand pass over the top of the pack creating a dangerous play or kicking it at least 40 meters clear of congestion?

It hasn't been that ******* long you know!!!!! Go watch some replays and then you will realize what you are defending is indefensible.

I had to highlight Rowan Jones because although not noted for his pace or agility at least he could hit a target under pressure. And then create space or a block or do something other than run around the middle looking confused with the world.

 

[Smotie]

Priddis is =14th with Pendlebury for Contested possessions at 12.4 per game in fact they have the same average disposals of 26.8 per game yet their DE% is 55.2% compared to 72.9%. Priddis also has the worst DE% of the top 68 players for contested possessions at 55.2%.

Embers, there is no point quoting stats. These guys don't look at stats. They don't look at anything except Priddis is at the bottom of the pack.

 

[ZergMinion]

The ones that survive have further to fall though.
Take Sam Mitchell for example, wouldn't be faster than Priddis, yet if he loses pace he'll still be able to hit a target, with either foot, from 25-30m away before anyone can get near him.

Mitchell is a good player. But what about Matthew Boyd? Still kicking along well past 30 and couldn't hit the broadside of a barn with either foot. Scott Thompson at Adelaide? 31 and still burning the ball. Neither of those guys ever had pace to burn.

Priddis' best is good enough to play AFL. If it wasn't, someone in a position to do something about it would have noticed.

 

[Doughboy]

We've beaten plenty of good teams. I think last year was the only time we didnt beat a top 4 team in years.

We have also been given some pastings by the great teams and some losses to teams that we should have beaten too (like Port)

Its more often than not we will get a hiding though

 

[The Dodger]

Every grand final since 2005 has had one of those teams compete. We wouldn't be alone with having a poor record against them.

I would say ours has probably been unusually poor against them, how many 10 goal + losses have we sustained to that group over that period. Would be interesting to look at other teams but I think ours will be surprisingly poor over that period.

We haven't beaten Sydney since 2007, Have not beaten Collingwood in Melbourne since 1995 (?) and I think they have a positive record agsint us at Subi in that time as well. We have been on the end of some absolute hidings from Geelong over that period with 2 close wins at home in 2011 & 2012 the only exception. The rest have been rather large losses. These have been the power clubs and we have a shocking record over that time. Also considering we ourselves were Preliminary finalists in 2011, favourites for the flag in the 2012 & 2013.

As the point being made that we are meant to have been contenders over that period but in reality we have not been in contention at all against those bigger clubs. So while a reasonable record against Hawthorn is alright we really haven't threatened the others that much.

 

[The Dodger]

Mitchell is a good player. But what about Matthew Boyd? Still kicking along well past 30 and couldn't hit the broadside of a barn with either foot. Scott Thompson at Adelaide? 31 and still burning the ball. Neither of those guys ever had pace to burn.

Priddis' best is good enough to play AFL. If it wasn't, someone in a position to do something about it would have noticed.

What position are the Bulldogs in though? Have they challenged for the last 3-4 years? Boyd is now there to see them develop and I daresay he won't be there the next time the Bulldogs do challenge. When they were challenging prior to that he was a tagger. The mids who did the damage were Cooney, Griffin, Akermanis & I am sure I am forgetting someone else. It is only the demise of Cooney with knee problems the retirement and ageing of other players that has seen Boyd play the role he has.

Scott Thompson has no problems hitting targets and is 2 years older than Priddis. 2 years ago Scott Thompson was having his best season of footy IIRC in 2012. Was a big part of Adelaide's resurgence that year was his form.

 

[Doughboy]

I would say ours has probably been unusually poor against them, how many 10 goal + losses have we sustained to that group over that period. Would be interesting to look at other teams but I think ours will be surprisingly poor over that period.

We have beaten Sydney since 2007, Have not beaten Collingwood in Melbourne since 1995 (?) and I think they have a positive record agsint us at Subi in that time as well. We have been on the end of some absolute hidings from Geelong over that period with 2 close wins at home in 2011 & 2012 the only exception. The rest have been rather large losses. These have been the power clubs and we have a shocking record over that time. Also considering we ourselves were Preliminary finalists in 2011, favourites for the flag in the 2012 & 2013.

As the point being made that we are meant to have been contenders over that period but in reality we have not been in contention at all against those bigger clubs. So while a reasonable record against Hawthorn is alright we really haven't threatened the others that much.

Perfect point The Dodger

This exactly what I was trying to say. Summed it up beautifully

 

[Shuestar13]

Let's face it though fellow BF posters and WCE fans, we are also-rans.

Have been middle of the road since 2007 and have players that don't play for the jumper, just to keep their spot.

Any way you cut it, Priddis is the least of our concerns (no Priddis fan here)

I would suggest if supporters are as frustrated as me, I am seriously considering not renewing my membership next year. I don't expect us to win a premiership every year, nor to win each week, but our inability to beat good teams, let alone the great ones is a source of huge frustration to me.

If you want to be a great team, you have to make the best teams in the comp nervous. We do none of that and we are easy beats as far as the likes of Hawks, Cats, Dockers, Colllingwood etal.

Simmo has a s**t load of work to do to get the club back to where we should be, but won't be able to do it with the current crop of midfielders at the very least.

/end rant

I don't post much on here (I should more often as I am on this website most days lol) but this post really resonates with me.

The main thing I feel at the moment is frustration, complete frustration. I have read a few posts in the last few days which have struck a chord. The question is when was the last time our club won a match we were not expected to win, or even beat a good team? Lets look at our record in recent times for example. In 2012, we scraped past Hawthorn early in the season (kicking only 5 goals for the game), beat Fremantle in the First Derby (Ross's first derby, the scores were 20 apiece at half time), beat Collingwood late in the season (at Subi) and scraped past Geelong, also at Subi (a depleted Geelong side who also lost Hawkins early in that game). We of course beat Norf in the EF, but predictably lost to Collingwood in the SF... Who can forget some of the performances that year, the second derby, the games against Sydney and Adelaide and our First Quarter against Hawthorn in the final round (when a win would have given us a top four spot...).

Last year... The most disappointing performances were early in the season, when we had decent teams on the park (R2 v Hawthorn, R4 v Carlton, R5 v Port, Richmond game etc). It took the mid season break and a series of discussions and meetings for the team to start showing something (in the Hawthorn and Essendon games) but that was short-lived.

Our record (last 10 games) against quality opposition (quality, meaning consistent finals team's over recent times):
Collingwood 1W 9L
Geelong 2W 8L
Hawthorn 3W 7L
Sydney 3W 7L (No wins since 2007)
Fremantle 3W 7L

The thing is, the group seem like a great bunch of guys. We hear how much running and hard work is done in the preseason, how impressed Simpson was etc. But when it comes to games... Sometimes I wonder if the desire and will to win for some of them is really there... Some of the performances in recent years have been really disappointing. We always hear how they "learn" from losses against the good teams, but whenever we come up against them the next time, all we see is the same pattern of play, the same problems time and time again. Where is the on-field leadership when things start going wrong? Why is it always up to Glass & Cox (and previously Kerr, Embley) to have to lift the team? Isn't it time that the likes of Shuey, Masten, Selwood, Gaff, Kennedy et al stand up and start to lead this team?

The frustration is knowing that we have such talent in our forward and defence and yet arguably the most important area of the ground has been completely mismanaged and underdeveloped over a long period of time. As much as I love Woosha, I am thankful he has moved on, the thought of him coaching us still, frightens me. I am really happy with Simpson so far, I just hope this team can respond and start performing, I know we are a mid-table side and that there are some key areas that need a lot of work, but I honestly believe this group is capable of a lot more than what they are showing. The response needs to come this week, we are playing a team on the same level as us, I expect to win. More important games are to come after of course, particularly the following week... The first derby is a very big game for our club, I feel. Come on West Coast, lets aim to be the best, let's get out of mid table mediocrity!!

End Rant/

 

[The Dodger]

Perfect point The Dodger

This exactly what I was trying to say. Summed it up beautifully

Yeah I understood what you meant as I have found this pretty depressing over the last couple of years in fact I have made a bit of money off the fact we couldn't beat those sides in big game as the bookies still had as a reasonable chance but sadly I knew our mids couldn't cut it. Wish I had been wrong and was happy to have been but alas.

 

[Tracker 101]

How so? You said our current crop of midfielders can't take us to a flag. How do you know how they operate with Priddis out of the picture? Take him out and there's a good chance the whole dynamic will change.

He is the obvious biggest problem with our playing list.

Obviously the people that matter don't see it this way.
Get off his back.

 

[The Dodger]

I don't post much on here (I should more often as I am on this website most days lol) but this post really resonates with me.

The main thing I feel at the moment is frustration, complete frustration. I have read a few posts in the last few days which have struck a chord. The question is when was the last time our club won a match we were not expected to win, or even beat a good team? Lets look at our record in recent times for example. In 2012, we scraped past Hawthorn early in the season (kicking only 5 goals for the game), beat Fremantle in the First Derby (Ross's first derby, the scores were 20 apiece at half time), beat Collingwood late in the season (at Subi) and scraped past Geelong, also at Subi (a depleted Geelong side who also lost Hawkins early in that game). We of course beat Norf in the EF, but predictably lost to Collingwood in the SF... Who can forget some of the performances that year, the second derby, the games against Sydney and Adelaide and our First Quarter against Hawthorn in the final round (when a win would have given us a top four spot...).

Last year... The most disappointing performances were early in the season, when we had decent teams on the park (R2 v Hawthorn, R4 v Carlton, R5 v Port, Richmond game etc). It took the mid season break and a series of discussions and meetings for the team to start showing something (in the Hawthorn and Essendon games) but that was short-lived.

Our record (last 10 games) against quality opposition (quality, meaning consistent finals team's over recent times):
Collingwood 1W 9L
Geelong 2W 8L
Hawthorn 3W 7L
Sydney 3W 7L (No wins since 2007)
Fremantle 3W 7L

The thing is, the group seem like a great bunch of guys. We hear how much running and hard work is done in the preseason, how impressed Simpson was etc. But when it comes to games... Sometimes I wonder if the desire and will to win for some of them is really there... Some of the performances in recent years have been really disappointing. We always hear how they "learn" from losses against the good teams, but whenever we come up against them the next time, all we see is the same pattern of play, the same problems time and time again. Where is the on-field leadership when things start going wrong? Why is it always up to Glass & Cox (and previously Kerr, Embley) to have to lift the team? Isn't it time that the likes of Shuey, Masten, Selwood, Gaff, Kennedy et al stand up and start to lead this team?

The frustration is knowing that we have such talent in our forward and defence and yet arguably the most important area of the ground has been completely mismanaged and underdeveloped over a long period of time. As much as I love Woosha, I am thankful he has moved on, the thought of him coaching us still, frightens me. I am really happy with Simpson so far, I just hope this team can respond and start performing, I know we are a mid-table side and that there are some key areas that need a lot of work, but I honestly believe this group is capable of a lot more than what they are showing. The response needs to come this week, we are playing a team on the same level as us, I expect to win. More important games are to come after of course, particularly the following week... The first derby is a very big game for our club, I feel. Come on West Coast, lets aim to be the best, let's get out of mid table mediocrity!!

End Rant/

Quality post.

Exaclty the feeling. Treading water and then sinking. Just hoping we don't have to sink too far to start to climb again.

And as your figures show above, the 3 wins against Sydney were with our Rolls Royce mids, and the 3 wins against Fremantle were in 2011 when they were horrible for 1 season and in 2012 4- 5 games in with a new coach, new game plan and we saw what happened on the return game. So if you look at that list with those in mind it looks even worse.

 

[ZergMinion]

Unfortunately that's correct. I've been watching this guy's rubbish for 6 years and know that his allegeged "stellar" 2011 form will still not cut it. It will make us a bit better but what does that get us? A few extra wins? A few nuffies prancing around falsely believing we are on the march?

The problem needs to be fixed properly.

While I've been following and watching AFL since 87, I'm first to admit I'm not the finest student of the game going around, so it would be easy to defer to your reasoning and the reasoning of others here who claim Priddis is a liability who's holding the team back, as between the obvious dislike and vitriol there have been some well reasoned points for the prosecution.

However there's one main thing that gives me pause. Adam Simpson recently won a competitive process to earn hundreds of thousands of dollars to coach the Eagles.

Now Simpson comes from the reigning premiers, was a 300 game player plus captain of his club, and has publicly backed Priddis as a good player who deserves a spot, so either he believes it or he's lying. His actions in team selection and how the team plays imply he's not lying. He's not the only one in the football department paid a heap of money to know what's going on either.

So given that a team of people on a lot of money think Priddis is worthwhile, why should I forget all that and believe you when you say that you know better?

 

[Shuestar13]

Quality post.

Exaclty the feeling. Treading water and then sinking. Just hoping we don't have to sink too far to start to climb again.

And as your figures show above, the 3 wins against Sydney were with our Rolls Royce mids, and the 3 wins against Fremantle were in 2011 when they were horrible for 1 season and in 2012 4- 5 games in with a new coach, new game plan and we saw what happened on the return game. So if you look at that list with those in mind it looks even worse.

Yep absolutely, the most recent results (2011 onwards) is very depressing I too hope we don't have to sink too far. I am remaining positive though, I think Simpson is seeing exactly where things are at, there is a lot for him to work with, just got to keep the faith

 

[The Dodger]

While I've been following and watching AFL since 87, I'm first to admit I'm not the finest student of the game going around, so it would be easy to defer to your reasoning and the reasoning of others here who claim Priddis is a liability who's holding the team back, as between the obvious dislike and vitriol there have been some well reasoned points for the prosecution.

However there's one main thing that gives me pause. Adam Simpson recently won a competitive process to earn hundreds of thousands of dollars to coach the Eagles.

Now Simpson comes from the reigning premiers, was a 300 game player plus captain of his club, and has publicly backed Priddis as a good player who deserves a spot, so either he believes it or he's lying. His actions in team selection and how the team plays imply he's not lying. He's not the only one in the football department paid a heap of money to know what's going on either.

So given that a team of people on a lot of money think Priddis is worthwhile, why should I forget all that and believe you when you say that you know better?

Thats a good point. From what I have seen looking at the games and what the stats tend to suggest is that Shuey is getting more clearances, I don't think Shuey has changed his game so much Im tending to lean to him being the focus of the setups a bit more.
IMO I don't think Simpson could have come in to the club and told the reigning B&F he isn't getting a game. You can't come in and step on toes immediately and get the playing list off side. It more likely he has been given each player a set of KPI's and Priddis might be managed out, I hope.

The other factor is Priddis seems like a great/likeable bloke, so it gets harder. He will set the tone on the training track and his professionalism and that makes it harder to go cold turkey as no doubt he gets the absolute best out of himself. Its a shame that best isn't quite there IMO.

 

[Monkey Worshipper]

Yep absolutely, the most recent results (2011 onwards) is very depressing I too hope we don't have to sink too far. I am remaining positive though, I think Simpson is seeing exactly where things are at, there is a lot for him to work with, just got to keep the faith

I'd rather sink. I'd be more positive with the team if we were to turn the list over more, wallow down the bottom, so long as I saw future promise.

I see no future promise in our midfield whatsoever with Priddis there.

 

[Shuestar13]

I'd rather sink. I'd be more positive with the team if we were to turn the list over more, wallow down the bottom, so long as I saw future promise.

I see no future promise in our midfield whatsoever with Priddis there.

I think we will see some turnover in the list at the end of year, no doubt. But I don't think we need to "wallow down the bottom". We have a lot of quality, the main challenge and priority of course is the midfield. With some good drafting/recruiting and development of our existing players, I don't profess to be an expert, but I have read others here talking about Colledge and Tunbridge as being "tall" midfielders, also Yeo shows promise and could become a mid. We can become a contender, but we need to start now.

I agree with regards to Priddis, a great servant of the club but I think it is time for him to be phased out.

 

[Eagle87]

While I've been following and watching AFL since 87, I'm first to admit I'm not the finest student of the game going around, so it would be easy to defer to your reasoning and the reasoning of others here who claim Priddis is a liability who's holding the team back, as between the obvious dislike and vitriol there have been some well reasoned points for the prosecution.

However there's one main thing that gives me pause. Adam Simpson recently won a competitive process to earn hundreds of thousands of dollars to coach the Eagles.

Now Simpson comes from the reigning premiers, was a 300 game player plus captain of his club, and has publicly backed Priddis as a good player who deserves a spot, so either he believes it or he's lying. His actions in team selection and how the team plays imply he's not lying. He's not the only one in the football department paid a heap of money to know what's going on either.

So given that a team of people on a lot of money think Priddis is worthwhile, why should I forget all that and believe you when you say that you know better?

Fortunately those bankers running the world economy on millions a year have never ****ed up .... We'd have a global financial crisis if they did ....

Woosh had a few blind spots, Matt was one of them....

Simpson is the new boy with Matt foisted on him as a B&F winner. He's still figuring the team out. He's definitely tweaked the roles and Matts DE has fallen off a cliff ....

When you think about the degree of difficulty in what Matt tries to do v a genuinely creative player who makes things happen like Pendles (similar disposal number, similar CP/UCP numbers) you'd expect Matt to be a good 10% higher ... I mean a 2m sideways handball to a stationary target is considerable more likely to be successful than a threaded pass after beating 3 players ...

And yet he's 17% behind him ...

So when you get such shite output from a guy playing the same position you'd have to wonder. I suspect Simmo does a fair bit of wondering. But at present he's still in big picture/learning mode .. I'd be surprised if he sees Priddis as a long term 80% game time inside mid in his dream Eagles team ...

 

[quickstraw]

Priddis' best is good enough to play AFL.

Such a simplistic view of the world.

 

[quickstraw]

Obviously the people that matter don't see it this way.
Get off his back.

You mean people who matter like Woosha who mattered so much he was forced to resign?

I will s**t if Simpson wastes our elite forward and back lines on a midfield structured around a scrubber.

 

[ZergMinion]

When you think about the degree of difficulty in what Matt tries to do v a genuinely creative player who makes things happen like Pendles (similar disposal number, similar CP/UCP numbers) you'd expect Matt to be a good 10% higher ... I mean a 2m sideways handball to a stationary target is considerable more likely to be successful than a threaded pass after beating 3 players ...

Pendles was a number 2 draft pick and we got Priddis via the rookie list, so I have literally no idea why people keep comparing the two. Pendles is a genuine star of the competition and in the top 5 players across the league.

And yet he's 17% behind him ...

After 5 games.

So when you get such shite output from a guy playing the same position you'd have to wonder. I suspect Simmo does a fair bit of wondering. But at present he's still in big picture/learning mode .. I'd be surprised if he sees Priddis as a long term 80% game time inside mid in his dream Eagles team ...

So of Priddis is still playing 80% midfield by seasons end you'll be wrong then? That's actually measurable.

 

[Doughboy]

I don't post much on here (I should more often as I am on this website most days lol) but this post really resonates with me.

The main thing I feel at the moment is frustration, complete frustration. I have read a few posts in the last few days which have struck a chord. The question is when was the last time our club won a match we were not expected to win, or even beat a good team? Lets look at our record in recent times for example. In 2012, we scraped past Hawthorn early in the season (kicking only 5 goals for the game), beat Fremantle in the First Derby (Ross's first derby, the scores were 20 apiece at half time), beat Collingwood late in the season (at Subi) and scraped past Geelong, also at Subi (a depleted Geelong side who also lost Hawkins early in that game). We of course beat Norf in the EF, but predictably lost to Collingwood in the SF... Who can forget some of the performances that year, the second derby, the games against Sydney and Adelaide and our First Quarter against Hawthorn in the final round (when a win would have given us a top four spot...).

Last year... The most disappointing performances were early in the season, when we had decent teams on the park (R2 v Hawthorn, R4 v Carlton, R5 v Port, Richmond game etc). It took the mid season break and a series of discussions and meetings for the team to start showing something (in the Hawthorn and Essendon games) but that was short-lived.

Our record (last 10 games) against quality opposition (quality, meaning consistent finals team's over recent times):
Collingwood 1W 9L
Geelong 2W 8L
Hawthorn 3W 7L
Sydney 3W 7L (No wins since 2007)
Fremantle 3W 7L

The thing is, the group seem like a great bunch of guys. We hear how much running and hard work is done in the preseason, how impressed Simpson was etc. But when it comes to games... Sometimes I wonder if the desire and will to win for some of them is really there... Some of the performances in recent years have been really disappointing. We always hear how they "learn" from losses against the good teams, but whenever we come up against them the next time, all we see is the same pattern of play, the same problems time and time again. Where is the on-field leadership when things start going wrong? Why is it always up to Glass & Cox (and previously Kerr, Embley) to have to lift the team? Isn't it time that the likes of Shuey, Masten, Selwood, Gaff, Kennedy et al stand up and start to lead this team?

The frustration is knowing that we have such talent in our forward and defence and yet arguably the most important area of the ground has been completely mismanaged and underdeveloped over a long period of time. As much as I love Woosha, I am thankful he has moved on, the thought of him coaching us still, frightens me. I am really happy with Simpson so far, I just hope this team can respond and start performing, I know we are a mid-table side and that there are some key areas that need a lot of work, but I honestly believe this group is capable of a lot more than what they are showing. The response needs to come this week, we are playing a team on the same level as us, I expect to win. More important games are to come after of course, particularly the following week... The first derby is a very big game for our club, I feel. Come on West Coast, lets aim to be the best, let's get out of mid table mediocrity!!

End Rant/

Super post Shuestar13

 

[ZergMinion]

Such a simplistic view of the world.

It's a team sport, not brain surgery. If thinking too hard about sport winds me up talking like you, then where's my motivation? I get the feeling you just enjoy being nasty to people that disagree with you on the internet, though on the other hand you don't even sound like you're having fun.

But just like my boy Matt, I can take it. So if it helps you unwind, come at me

 

[Doughboy]

Fortunately those bankers running the world economy on millions a year have never ****** up .... We'd have a global financial crisis if they did ....

Woosh had a few blind spots, Matt was one of them....

Simpson is the new boy with Matt foisted on him as a B&F winner. He's still figuring the team out. He's definitely tweaked the roles and Matts DE has fallen off a cliff ....

When you think about the degree of difficulty in what Matt tries to do v a genuinely creative player who makes things happen like Pendles (similar disposal number, similar CP/UCP numbers) you'd expect Matt to be a good 10% higher ... I mean a 2m sideways handball to a stationary target is considerable more likely to be successful than a threaded pass after beating 3 players ...

And yet he's 17% behind him ...

So when you get such shite output from a guy playing the same position you'd have to wonder. I suspect Simmo does a fair bit of wondering. But at present he's still in big picture/learning mode .. I'd be surprised if he sees Priddis as a long term 80% game time inside mid in his dream Eagles team ...

Do you reckon that Simmos style does not suit Priddis?

Therefore his DE has fallen through the floor?