Opinion Season 2020 - Pessimistic or optimistic?

[rumply]

Usually very optimistic but that never seems to work any more so fu** it, we'll win half a dozen if lucky.

 

[Maxabillions]

I reckon it's been a couple of years since we've been getting the pessimistic state of mind from the media which might be a good thing for the playing group motivation/mentality

I’m happy we’re not being hyped this year. Obviously got to the player’s heads last year and they “forgot how hard footy was”.

 

[84859300]

Fence sitting

Optimistic because:
* IMHO - this is year 1 of our return to normality post saga. No owing players involved. No compensating internally - so our first free run.
* I think our coaching staff is in the best shape it has been for many years
* Devon Smith returning in 2020 gives us a free hit in the middle again

Pessimistic because:
* I think Joe Daniher has killed our forward line structure and delivery into it, with our relying on his needing to take moty... to then rely on a crap shoot of 50/50 chance of kicking a goal
* New coaches = new structures - requiring time to adapt
* I feel the back line is still a player or two short for us to be a threat, due to our forward line inadequacy

 

[staaation]

Optimistic about development of the youth and game plan, seeing the group start to gel and improve as a cohesive unit. Definitely not expecting a deep September push or anything though.

 

[CBombers17]

I'm hopeful for a good season but i can see more ways the wheels fall off than stay on in 2020. Transition year coaching arrangements, rumoured rumblings in the playing group, Daniher and Fantasia doubts etc. There's been too much swept under the rug to be confident for mine.

 

[westking]

Pessimistic. And I ain’t falling for any excitement the club generates pre-season again.

 

[Shanghaistu]

Pessimistic -
The pressure will be off due to the ‘get out of jail free’ card of the coaching transition, plus the mood in the club doesn’t feel right with Joe and Fanta wanting out and Ryder being public about rejecting a return due to a bad ‘feeling’ about the club.
Something doesn’t quite feel right, wish I was wrong, but think a 12 - 15 finish is on-the-cards for 2020 as we spend the next 2-3 years repositioning who we are

 

[Dero]

I am optimistic that my pessimism is misplaced.

 

[boncer34]

We'll win the flag

 

[BattlerGM]

There's a fair bit to be optimistic about.

But it's Essendon. We'll find a way to fu** it up.

 

[craffles]

Pessimistic. It’s Essendon in the 21st century ffs, everyone should know better by now.

 

[Liberator]

Pessimistic, though I think we’ll be heading in the right direction by the end of the year. I think we’ll finish a game or two out of the 8, maybe lower, but it will be the type of year where we get a lot of games into a core of young players that will begin to go forward together and play good competitive footy by and by. I think the story will be ongoing injury frustration especially early in the year, with some uncompetitive performances (a la Port, Bulldogs this year) and some narrow losses and ‘bad luck’ (Boooooo!), but things will shift. A bit. Daniher will play well, mostly, but will play less than 10 games, most towards the end of the year. . Fantasia will play slightly more, but also will return to some good (slightly patchy) form, but durability his enemy as usual.
Obviously I’m giving my crystal balls a good polish, so I’ll go full Nostradumbass:

Crichton, 2020.
1. Dylan Shiel 429 votes
2. Dyson Heppell 420 votes
3. Adam Saad 416 votes
4. Zach Merret 410 votes
5. Andrew McGrath 410 votes
6. Connor McKenna 398 votes
7. Mason Redman 389 votes
8. Aaron Francis 354 votes
9. Michael Hurley 351 votes
10. Darcy Parish 348 votes

Club Awards;
John Kilby Best Clubman Award – Mason Redman
Bruce Heymanson Best Team Player Award – Andrew Phillips
Bill Hutchison Community Award – Jake Stringer
Adam Ramanauskas Most Courageous Player Award – Kobe Mutch
Matthew Lloyd Leading Goal Kicker Award – Jake Stringer, Shaun McKernan (tied on 45)
Best Defensive Player Award – Adam Saad
Rising Star Award – B Zerk Thatcher
Most Improved Player Award – Sam Draper
Cheer Squad Award – Dev Smith

 

[Lore]

We are the club equivalent of a third round pick. Massive upside, plenty of risk. We generally have not had enough luck to have all of the pieces fall together in a timely manner, so though there is a lot to be optimistic about, the balance of probability seems to be against us. Perhaps Caracella, Rutten, and a new fitness guy will tip the scales but only time will tell.

Not sure if fence sitting or if it's half a glass of water. /

 

[Tazdog]

Optimistic

Think about it...
*We finished 8th during an injury riddled year, in which Mitch brown and smack were our key forwards, which is dreadful
*Stars like smith and Daniher should be back, and slot straight into the best 22, and we’d welcome back important depth players such as Stewart
*players like redman, McGrath, stringer, McKenna will take an extra step as they look better each year
*weve added important role players like cutler, Phillips and Hibberd, Hibberd will be huge for us, purely because he’s not Kyle Langford, Phillips > Zac Clarke and cutler is a running machine, which we have lacked in the midfield
*Added elite fitness department and Caracalla which will only make us improve


I also might add, having a mongrel like Hibberd should free Merrett onto a wing, where he is most dangerous with his lethal kick, which I’m quite excited about


We have plenty to be optimistic about, the only real pessimism is the fact that we’re essendon, and they never fail to disappoint us

 

[Howard Moon]

i think our expectations are routinely set too high - set up to fail

hanging around here too often would have you think we are a stinking pile of poo, every year its the same pessimism, another wasted year, we suck, clean out, we cooked...

I got caught on a youtube tangent the other day, everything i saw flew in the face of all this, i saw cracking highlights on anzac day, a good friday belting, knife edge win v norf, great win away v adelaide, same v freo, wicked win at home v gws when we looked cooked..beat both filths.. we played exciting footy, they were great highlights to watch, i found myself getting pumped up

sure the final left a bad taste - but overall, as a fan i reckon we had a decent enough year. Not everyone can win the flag, or make top 4. But we won more games than we lost, which is more than alot of fans beneath us can say. I looking back on it, the year was pretty enjoyable.

Im sure i run against the grain in looking at it that way but so be it

i'm optimistic we can have a similar enough year and walk away content we arent poo and we had some thing to cheer about.

have i accepted medicority? absolutely, at least its fun mediocrity to watch.

 

[citizen-erased]

I'd like to get through the preseason without major injuries and with reports we're training hard and hitting the practice games with a mindset that we set the form early to hit Rd1 ready to go.

We do that, i'm optimistic we can have a good season.

 

[Milanista28]

The only way we have a worse season next is if our injury curse continues.

Optimistic

 

[Mr_McBoogerBalls]

I was pretty negative around Joe's trade request, but I remain still more optimistic for 2020.

Best case scenario: We have Top 6 Year and Joe decides to re-sign. Win a final.

Worst case scenario: Our arse falls out and finish 14th, Joe leaves, we draft a flanker with the compensation.

That worst case scenario feels like a real possibility for me, which clearly means I'm feeling pessimistic. I really hope we do well, but I need to see it, to believe it.

 

[jmoo wan]

I’m super pumped for 2020, especially for the Bombers eSports team- i think we are really starting to get the hang of this eSports thing as a club and 2020 we should be aiming to take it all out!

 

[Swerving Irv]

To shamelessly paraphrase a brilliant piece of commentary , I'll be entering 2020 somewhat optimistically... And probably leaving it misty optically!

 

[citizen-erased]

That worst case scenario feels like a real possibility for me, which clearly means I'm feeling pessimistic. I really hope we do well, but I need to see it, to believe it.

drop to 14th and Sydney can't pull any PSD shenanigans without bankrupting themselves
unless they drop to bottom 4...which is possible.

Spine is good
Too many eggs in the ruck basket (again)
Questionable best 22 balance
Depth still an issue

All i ask is a season of the Joey, Raz, Walla, Stringer fwd line. please

 

[grugsticles]

Optimistic in that i dont believe our skill level will be any better, but I do believe our tactics and coaching decisions will be bolder, made quicker and smarter rendering us not as one dimentional.

We have the cattle to compete, only a fool would say otherwise, but weather we can bring the mental attributes to the party... that's the question.

 

[Runk]

Sorry, but I'm 100% all in Cynical mode, but then again I would do that. Idiot.

 

[Dave]

Erring on the pessimistic side.
Worst contested ball team in the league after the bye is not a great sign.
Need a Blake miracle to be a serious contender in the finals.

Its almost like something happened in rd 17 that impacted our ability to win stoppages. I wonder what that could have been.....

 

[Milanista28]

Its almost like something happened in rd 17 that impacted our ability to win stoppages. I wonder what that could have been.....

The saga?