The Vent Thread

[James North]

It really should have been used in last year's media drive.

I can tell you right now, if that thing was solid state, things would be happening a lot quicker around here.

 

[Ironmonger]

He was injured a lot - I think that's probably the primary reason he wasn't up to scratch. Then there's also this alleged attitude issue he had up here. If I were Vossy, I would've given him a stern talking to and not played him until that changed too.

Which is probably what happened, and that doesn't appear to have worked. Maybe nothing would've worked.

Andrew Stafford tossed around the idea in an article last year that maybe Voss didn't treat these kids as individuals. He expected everyone to follow his lead and buy into the group mentality (paraphrasing like mad here). That philosophy probably won't work, but you can also go too far in accommodating free agents who just want to do their own thing, and aren't interested in taking instruction. There needs to be a balance, so who knows whether Voss or the rest of the staff did the right thing?

Incidentally, though, that is why it doesn't make sense to employ a head coach without any experience. Figuring out where the balance lies only comes with time.

 

[Haso]

Which is probably what happened, and that doesn't appear to have worked. Maybe nothing would've worked.

Andrew Stafford tossed around the idea in an article last year that maybe Voss didn't treat these kids as individuals. He expected everyone to follow his lead and buy into the group mentality (paraphrasing like mad here). That philosophy probably won't work, but you can also go too far in accommodating free agents who just want to do their own thing, and aren't interested in taking instruction. There needs to be a balance, so who knows whether Voss or the rest of the staff did the right thing?

Incidentally, though, that is why it doesn't make sense to employ a head coach without any experience. Figuring out where the balance lies only comes with time.

This thread is no place for your relentless logic Tom.

 

[Hollow Knight]

The Polec we lost isn't the same as the Polec that Port received.

As part of the trade we offloaded a lazy, uncommitted Polec and Port received a Polec who had found his comfort zone and learned a lesson that a football career doesn't just happen. As such, while it could be a very good result for Port, it is hard to argue we are really that worse off.

Then you add in Darcy Gardiner and Nick Robertson who were essentially our compensation and the trade looks like it has the potential to be a win win.

Don't think we were really ripped off on the trade as the trolls on the main board might like to argue. If they want to give us shit over the situation it should be for drafting him over Heppell or Lynch to begin with.

 

[Dizzle]

I don't think there should be needing to make something up the eve of a brand new season, you are telling me there is nothing to write about for 48 hours on a busy weekend in the lead up to the season opener? The media dept would be forced to make something up?... ok well there's our problem then. It is not only this weekend, it has been several times over the last 3 months where there is nothing on the website for 3 days, then there is 4 articles in an hour.. it is a terrible way to upload info, half of it goes un-read. Media 101 is you put out an article and let in marinate for 4 hours then do the next later so people digest the info properly.. IMO that means someone drops in a few hours a week on a couple of occasions and does a bulk upload.

Do you have any thoughts on our membership drive? do you feel given our dire financial position it has been ok?

Don't think they're that bothered with those of us who check the site multiple times on an off weekend (and I am one of them). It makes sense to save the good stuff for the curious cats checking to see how the local footer club might look this season when they hear about the new season on the tee-vee.

Agree the weekend was painful without the usual level of saturation. Annoying not to be able to pointlessly flick back and forth between two games incessantly for no reason...

 

[James North]

Then you add in Darcy Gardiner and Nick Robertson who were essentially our compensation and the trade looks like it has the potential to be a win win.

I'm more than happy with that swap and I don't care how many rounds Polec's unmarked dominance goes on for.

 

[Lace Out]

OK here we go - IMHO, our media dept is useless. I understand there is a lot of love for Steel Talon, not sure exactly why, but since he has taken over.. we get 3-4 fairly generic and weak articles bunched together every 3 days. Over the weekend, when there was a spike in apetite for football due to an exiting opening to the split round, there was not one post on the website, I went there 15 times wanting to read about our Boys.. and nothing. Also - the membership drive has been weak, Leigh Matthews came out and tweeted once about signing up a a friend or family member, I can re-call that created a fantastic little bounce in promotion of the importance of our membership numbers, I remember telling Dad to go and tell a work mate to sign up, which he did. But since then.... nothing. Leigh should have had his arms folded on banners and adverts everywhere saying "Sign yourself up and a Friend" and "We need 30K members in 2014"... but instead.. nothing. I work in marketing and media myself and I find the club basically just 'does enough' and while this is the way we operate, things won't change for us off field.

I agree massive oversight on not using Leigh more.Tweets are free,he should have been asked to weekly tweet even if it was just with a member total update and a sentence or two to get involved.

 

[Elixuh]

Then you add in Darcy Gardiner and Nick Robertson who were essentially our compensation and the trade looks like it has the potential to be a win win.

Don't think we were really ripped off on the trade as the trolls on the main board might like to argue. If they want to give us shit over the situation it should be for drafting him over Heppell or Lynch to begin with.

+1 this. Only one I truly vented about was Yeo. Polec, for fitness and injury reasons as well as reported attitude problems just couldn't get out on the park. What we lost with Polec was an assumption or hope for something that may never have eventuated whilst he was playing for Brisbane.

 

[Haso]

The Polec we lost isn't the same as the Polec that Port received.

As part of the trade we offloaded a lazy, uncommitted Polec and Port received a Polec who had found his comfort zone and learned a lesson that a football career doesn't just happen. As such, while it could be a very good result for Port, it is hard to argue we are really that worse off.

Then you add in Darcy Gardiner and Nick Robertson who were essentially our compensation and the trade looks like it has the potential to be a win win.

Don't think we were really ripped off on the trade as the trolls on the main board might like to argue. If they want to give us shit over the situation it should be for drafting him over Heppell or Lynch to begin with.

+1 this. Only one I truly vented about was Yeo. Polec, for fitness and injury reasons as well as reported attitude problems just couldn't get out on the park. What we lost with Polec was an assumption or hope for something that may never have eventuated whilst playing he was playing for Brisbane.

I can understand that argument. The assumption that he was going to be a good player for us does come from somewhere though, so if you take a wide enough view, we did end up losing a top 5 draft pick.

Gardiner and Robbo may well make up for that though. It will be exciting to find out.

Wait, what thread is this?

 

[James North]

I HATE rational posts in the vent thread.

 

[Davemonkey]

The hugs thread isn't it?

 

[James North]

The hugs thread isn't it?

Wow Richard Pryor looks in great shape in that footage.

 

[Davemonkey]

Wow Richard Pryor looks in great shape in that footage.

Yeah I loved all of his movies with Bruce Willis.

 

[Elixuh]

I can understand that argument. The assumption that he was going to be a good player for us does come from somewhere though, so if you take a wide enough view, we did end up losing a top 5 draft pick.

I can also understand that. On balance its a strong assumption to make that a pick 5 will be a good player. But what I think people sometimes overestimate when discussing players in reference to draft numbers is the 'human' factor. Not every first rounder will become a 'good' AFL player. Sure they're drafted that highly (or that low?) because of some discernible talent based on the hope that they'll turn into a great player. But there are so many other variables involved, its much less a sure thing than some people would have you believe.

I think Port (by simply drafting him) cured part of the human factor - he's now in an environment he feels comfortable in. And I agree with TomFC that it was a bit of dumb luck that he had an uninterrupted pre-season.

I just think he was much less a sure thing as a 'number 5' draftee at Brisbane than he is now at Port. But its round 1. We'll see where he sits after rd 23.

 

[Toffee Lion]

Venting about the non-vents filling up the vent thread.

Ugh, trouble makers.

 

[ZoBlitz]

Venting about the non-vents filling up the vent thread.

Ugh, trouble makers.

Venting about venting about non-vents filling up the vent thread.

 

[lukiuslion]

Yeah, good old diminishing returns.

If it was as simple as $1 of advertising = $2 of membership revenue we'd be buying Super Bowl ads. But it doesn't work that way.

I never mentioned 'we should spend thousands of $ on advertising' in my post, not sure if you have mis read my comments - the banners and adverts I was mentioning where is relation to ad space on the clubs free media.

Leigh matthews twitter account is free, The use of the clubs twitter and Lions TV is free, The Club opening a big footy account and speaking to us directly here is free, The use of the clubs facebook feed is free, Leigh Matthews doing a weekly video, tweet, member mailout is free .. The club came out swinging on the subject of membership for 48 hours after the Board issuess were resolved, and the 'Get a friend to sign up' message was fantasitc.. I was inspired by it.. the club should have been ramming it down our throat every week, they havent and our membership numbers havent really improved.

IMO on the back of Significant change at the club, this has beena missed opotunity.

 

[lukiuslion]

I agree massive oversight on not using Leigh more.Tweets are free,he should have been asked to weekly tweet even if it was just with a member total update and a sentence or two to get involved.

It's a real shame.

 

[a mayes ing]

I can understand that argument. The assumption that he was going to be a good player for us does come from somewhere though, so if you take a wide enough view, we did end up losing a top 5 draft pick.

Gardiner and Robbo may well make up for that though. It will be exciting to find out.

Wait, what thread is this?

The big problem is that we lost 2 years of development on the lazy guy. While Robbo and Gardiner may become hidden gems, it wont happen overnight.

 

[notting18]

I never mentioned 'we should spend thousands of $ on advertising' in my post, not sure if you have mis read my comments - the banners and adverts I was mentioning where is relation to ad space on the clubs free media.

Leigh matthews twitter account is free, The use of the clubs twitter and Lions TV is free, The Club opening a big footy account and speaking to us directly here is free, The use of the clubs facebook feed is free, Leigh Matthews doing a weekly video, tweet, member mailout is free ..

None of those are free. You have to include labour costs.

 

[charles202]

I found it a little amusing when they were talking about Polecs improved running and seeing that he laid a massive one tackle. I hope that he has better luck with injury at Port than he did with us but I don't think that he has really changed that much.

 

[whatboutbob]

Might be too simplistic, but I reckon there's no great mystery with Polec. Due mostly to injuries he was never fit enough at Brisbane to play out four quarters. He went to Port, had an uninterrupted pre-season, and now is fit enough.

Maybe there was stuff Port did to manage his fitness that we didn't do, but just as likely it was sheer dumb luck. I'm sure it doesn't hurt that Jared is now three years older and hopefully wiser. By all accounts he's a bit of a strange guy. Might need his environment to be exactly right before he gets the best out of himself.

To be frank, I don't have to look too hard to find examples of things Vossy didn't get right. I can't justify Polec being one of those examples.

There's a big difference between no fitness and no ticker. I hope that Port do get the best out of Hated (Hehe, I'm just gonna leave that auto correct in) , because unfulfilled talent is a shame...but I (and reportedly the club) were glad to see the back of him.

 

[a mayes ing]

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2014-03-17/walker-offered-a-week

So Walker got 1 week for that throw into the boundary line. Thats strange because l remember seeing Rich get 2 weeks for that exact same incident with someone last season. Surely they wouldnt be favouring one team over the other?

 

[western royboy]

The Polec we lost isn't the same as the Polec that Port received.

As part of the trade we offloaded a lazy, uncommitted Polec and Port received a Polec who had found his comfort zone and learned a lesson that a football career doesn't just happen. As such, while it could be a very good result for Port, it is hard to argue we are really that worse off.

Then you add in Darcy Gardiner and Nick Robertson who were essentially our compensation and the trade looks like it has the potential to be a win win.

Don't think we were really ripped off on the trade as the trolls on the main board might like to argue. If they want to give us shit over the situation it should be for drafting him over Heppell or Lynch to begin with.

I have to agree when we gave him away he was worth about 20 cents - anything we got was a bonus, however it grates that he didn't want to try for us and that's more a reflection on him than anything else.

 

[notliondown]

If that's the case, why didn't the media department make that more clear?

You'd be fighting a losing battle. It didn't make good reading to really look into any of the claims last year made about the go home 5... The rumors just added fuel to the fire that the Lions were a basket case and that suited the AFL media hounds perfectly.

For Brisbane to try and defend any of its actions based on fact or otherwise too strongly would have smacked of sour grapes...and it would have added fuel to the self destructive fire we'd be painted as having.

It really was a no win situation... and probably a case of if you don't have anything nice to say then don't say anything at all.