I've....

[dominguez]

For sure, this was the most cringe worthy game of all time from Freo.
Lets face facts, the cattle make the coach, not the other way around. All us Freo fans have the habit of laying everything at the coaches feet, how many coaches have bit the dust because this team has never been capable of following orders consistentaly?
How many times have we heard players tell us that they didn't follow the game plan. Freo has one star player, it has several fluky "on the day" players who might come to play and might not, the rest of the squad are very ordinary to below par. Players cannot think on their feet, they have no concept of following a basic game plan.
I am no fan of CC but until the players stop ignoring team instructions and get themselves a collective heart we will keep blaming coaches.
I believe that we need to stop making the coach an excuse for the p*** poor attitude of the overpaid players.

Everyone thought the bulldogs were no good under Peter Rhode, now after a season and 4 games under Rodney Eade they are the darlings of the competition. The same thing happened when Craig took over at the crows, and Worsfold at the mob up the road. We have a habit of blaming the coach because we have never had a good one. Neesham was okay, but he stuffed up the recruiting. Drum and Connolly seem like nice guys but neither can coach.

The players don't follow instructions because Connolly is an idiot. We have a lot of "flukey on their day players" because Connolly has lost the players and is unable to motivate them. Why else would we play like champs one week, then chumps the next. It's only after a couple of average performances and media criticism that the players are motivated. That's why Harvey and Shaw were brought to the club.

Who are the players that played last night that are ordinary or below par? Apart from McManus and Parker who are long in the tooth the other 20 players from last night would definately be picked up by a rival club if they left Fremantle. Headland, Bell and Josh Carr were all better players at their former clubs (all under quality coaches) and I would think that all 3 regret coming to Fremantle. I know for a fact Josh does.

A basic game plan is right. Kick it long. What do you do when the forwards aren't presenting and there are 3 opposition players waiting for you to kick it long while all your forwards are inside 50?

I don't get overly disappointed after performances like last night anymore. I still attend the games and scream for my team, but I don't let it ruin my weekends anymore. I know that Connolly isn't up to it, and the fact that he is going to get 1 season too many may see us lose the best player we have ever had. Hopefully He gets the heave ho at seasons end and we can appoint an experienced coach. I also hope his boyfriend Schwab doesn't get his contract extended, and I can get back to enjoying the footy.

 

[freo heave ho]

For sure, this was the most cringe worthy game of all time from Freo.

I think back to last year when we played the bottom of the ladder Hawks at home and got absolutely thrashed by them.

Or the year before when we just had to beat a bottom four Collingwood outfit at Subiaco on a Friday night to secure a finals berth. Again we were not in the hunt.

Last night they scrapped and fought against a side that were on top at the of the H&A season last year and got close to a grand final. Our disposal was not good, but I thought the effort was. We didn't lie down like the other two games mentioned.

While it's disappointing to lose at home, i don't think last night was our worst effort, not by a long shot.

 

[LeftFooter]

["The players don't follow instructions because Connolly is an idiot. We have a lot of "flukey on their day players" because Connolly has lost the players and is unable to motivate them."]

I have to agree with pretty well everything you say, I am certainly no CC fan, but where I have a problem is with your statement above.

We aren't talking about schoolkids here, we are talking about highly paid, supposedly 100% professional players. If players go out on the ground and refuse or can't play to the game plan then the coach should drag em, no matter how big a name player is involved.

Maybe there is a lot of complacency at Freo amongst the more favoured players because none of em ever seem to be really under the gun, agreed about the coach, BUT players have to take most of the blame.

There seems to be a really bad excuse making atmosphere at Freo, every other week they trot out the same poor apology spiel, today it was Shammers' turn to tell us what they all did wrong. The sad fact is that any fool at the game (or watching on TV) could see exactly what they were all doing wrong at the time they were doing it, so why can't the players?

 

[wehavethepassion]

I think back to last year when we played the bottom of the ladder Hawks at home and got absolutely thrashed by them.

Or the year before when we just had to beat a bottom four Collingwood outfit at Subiaco on a Friday night to secure a finals berth. Again we were not in the hunt.

Last night they scrapped and fought against a side that were on top at the of the H&A season last year and got close to a grand final. Our disposal was not good, but I thought the effort was. We didn't lie down like the other two games mentioned.

While it's disappointing to lose at home, i don't think last night was our worst effort, not by a long shot.

They keep reverting to the same habits when under pressure - same coach basically the same players since 2002. Why is this so?

 

[Rob]

For sure, this was the most cringe worthy game of all time from Freo.
Lets face facts, the cattle make the coach, not the other way around. All us Freo fans have the habit of laying everything at the coaches feet, how many coaches have bit the dust because this team has never been capable of following orders consistentaly?
How many times have we heard players tell us that they didn't follow the game plan. Freo has one star player, it has several fluky "on the day" players who might come to play and might not, the rest of the squad are very ordinary to below par. Players cannot think on their feet, they have no concept of following a basic game plan.
I am no fan of CC but until the players stop ignoring team instructions and get themselves a collective heart we will keep blaming coaches.
I believe that we need to stop making the coach an excuse for the p*** poor attitude of the overpaid players.

Cop out. We've had the same problems for the last 2 and a bit years, and nothing seems to be done about it. Players have not been made an example of, no apparant change of tactics has been implemented, and no list clean out has occurred. And you're seriously suggesting that the coach bears no responsibility for that? Knock it off.

 

[dominguez]

["The players don't follow instructions because Connolly is an idiot. We have a lot of "flukey on their day players" because Connolly has lost the players and is unable to motivate them."]

I have to agree with pretty well everything you say, I am certainly no CC fan, but where I have a problem is with your statement above.

We aren't talking about schoolkids here, we are talking about highly paid, supposedly 100% professional players. If players go out on the ground and refuse or can't play to the game plan then the coach should drag em, no matter how big a name player is involved.

Maybe there is a lot of complacency at Freo amongst the more favoured players because none of em ever seem to be really under the gun, agreed about the coach, BUT players have to take most of the blame.

There seems to be a really bad excuse making atmosphere at Freo, every other week they trot out the same poor apology spiel, today it was Shammers' turn to tell us what they all did wrong. The sad fact is that any fool at the game (or watching on TV) could see exactly what they were all doing wrong at the time they were doing it, so why can't the players?

As someone who has never played elite sport I would think that getting motivated and playing to th best of ones ability wouldn't be a problem, especially in a 22 game season. Aslong as the coach impliments the right training regimes you would think that the players would be chomping at the bit to get out their and perform at the optimum level. But the evidence is there in all sports that without the right person at the helm both training and game day performances are not up to standard. Things become stale, and the message stops getting through. If you don't respect your leader in any job you are going to take little notice of what he has to say.

I agree with your point regarding players being dragged, and that is what Connolly is trying to do this year. But he is two years too late. He said publicly a couple of seasons ago that we have to play Medhurst in the pocket because if we tell him to play up the ground he drifts back to the pocket any way. That's ridiculous! If you tell him to play up the ground and he's camped inside 50 drag him and let him know where he is playing. If it happens again send him back to Claremont until he can follow instructions.

It has been interesting how the players have been wheeled out on a Monday and absorbed the blame, but what else can they do? It was the same when Connolly was in the gun midseason last year, every time a player was asked they said they were 100% behind the coach. But if they really liked and respected Connolly there would have been a stronger show of support. The leadership group could have got together and publicly made a statement.

The tail has definately been wagging the dog at Freo for a few years, because Connolly is too soft. Now that Harvey is at the club Connolly is trying to fool everyone into thinking he's a hard man, but I don't think anyone is buying it externally or internally.

 

[RosaWaters]

Ive...got a lovely bunch of coconuts


CC's favorite song

 

[iscah]

I think you're missing the point.

I see 2 problems with your club:

1. Each year in pre-season we here the same story from the club, "We're going to be better, we're going to make the finals". I would think its time to shut up and let the on-field performances speak for itself.

2. The players you have stock-piled over 13 years, as a result of finishing so low on the ladder each year, is frightening. I simply cannot comprehend how you're not winning more games.
QUOTE]


You have a cheek advising on our club !

WC have also had their down times, Judges years were disgraceful for getting flogged week after week. In the last 11 years (which was when Freo came in) WC have had just one top 4 finish despite still having a state team for most of that time. Just one, think about that !

The last team we should look to to try and emulate would be WC who as well as achieving nothing since we came in have become a moral vacuum given their arrogance and total ignorance of the law and society standards. Not badly summed up by the feather punishment of their Northbridge captain.

We need to improve but WC is something I would hope we would not want to emulate ..

 

[dockers_bengals]

I agree with the fact most the players put in and gave thier all,but its the same players in those games who let us down with their disposals and decisions.I think we were a lot better than against hawks flood.m carr twice kicked long into the fifty when pav and headland made good leads.the weagles cant talk about kicking em when their down,how much kicking did they give gherig?matera when he was struggling in his last year?kerr,two years ago they wanted him gone.even cousins one year when he struggled after being hit a few times when younger.Perhaps connoly thinks if he drops too many that we will get flogged and it will be worse.

 

[Ted38]

our list ain't as good as we have been led to believe from the spin doctors.

Now there is an intelligent post it's a pity more Freo supporters didn't recognize that fact instead of blaming the coaching staff all the time.

 

[Ted38]

Idiot's follow the Dockers therefore he's not an idiot!

Let me tell you Mick there's no shortage of idiots that follow the Weagles,
I know many of them.

 

[Rob]

Now there is an intelligent post it's a pity more Freo supporters didn't recognize that fact instead of blaming the coaching staff all the time.

So lets assume the list isn't up to scratch. How is that not the coaching staff's fault? CC's in his 5th year now, more than enough time to get rid of the crap.

 

[Proud Bogan]

The gameplan would be vastly improved with the addition of two more people in the coaching panel
1.A fencing contractor.To build two fences the length of Freo oval,15 metres each side of the centre circle.This will stop the players thinking that the quick way to goal is via Subiaco train station.
2.Fedor Emelianenko.To instill some grit and toughness into the team.First person into the ring with Fedor should be Des 'soft touch' Headland

 

[TP3_Freo]

So lets assume the list isn't up to scratch. How is that not the coaching staff's fault? CC's in his 5th year now, more than enough time to get rid of the crap.

I've wanted to see connolly succeed. He did a good job getting the club to a certain level, but he hasnt been able to take it up a notch since then. Instead of finishing 9th in 2004, we should have bettered our 2003 season and made the top 5, not missing out again in 2004 and 2005. if things stay the same for the next month or so, i think chris will be off and harvs in.