Analysis Thommo is it time?

[Houston]

Some of the younger players used to joke that they didn't even know Thommo and had never had a chance to speak to him. I get the feeling from that interview that there are shades of truth to it.
Might have been a terrific player, but not a leader.

 

[Scorpus]

Unfortunately it doesn't sound like Thommo realizes he is finished at AFL level

 

[Elite Crow]

Unfortunately it doesn't sound like Thommo realizes he is finished at AFL level

We let him believe rather than making the decision for him. We were so soft. He should never have played on.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Now he knows how all the mids who were parked in the queue behind him the last couple of years felt

 

[King Elvis]

He sounds a bit like 12th Man Bill Lawry

 

[Murray2503]

Thommo needs to wake up to himself and just retire as he should have done at the end of last year.

 

[Vhaluus]

Unfortunately it doesn't sound like Thommo realizes he is finished at AFL level

No man conversations going on at the Crows anymore unfortuantely.

I think this well and truly disproves the argument that we retained Thompson to act as a development coach/player in the SANFL.

If we bring on someone who is so disconnected from the players in any sort of coaching/fitness capacity next year it's just another example of jobs for the boys rather than the best man for the job.

 

[MRB37]

I think this well and truly disproves the argument that we retained Thompson to act as a development coach/player in the SANFL.

Yep. He said on the Crows show he still sees himself as an AFL player first and that "development" role is just a tiny bit extra he's doing at SANFL games it looks.

I had thought maybe we signed him as a way of getting around the SANFL removing the ability to sign a former player rule, but everything Thommo has said over the past few weeks screams of annoyance at still being in the SANFL.

 

[Vhaluus]

Yep. He said on the Crows show he still sees himself as an AFL player first and that "development" role is just a tiny bit extra he's doing at SANFL games it looks.

I had thought maybe we signed him as a way of getting around the SANFL removing the ability to sign a former player rule, but everything Thommo has said over the past few weeks screams of annoyance at still being in the SANFL.

Quite poor really.

I wish he'd retired because my opinion of him keeps going down.

 

[King Elvis]

We'll find a coaching role for him, don't worry.

 

[MRB37]

We'll find a coaching role for him, don't worry.

He was guaranteed one when he re-signed, wasn't he?

 

[Iron]

Kind of heart breaking to watch a club great circle the drain like this.

Was it communicated to him that he would be SANFL and development first? I thought it was reported so. In which case had Thommo just gone nah not interested, and failed in that role? Or did the club not make it clear at all?

 

[GreyCrow]

Kind of heart breaking to watch a club great circle the drain like this.

Was it communicated to him that he would be SANFL and development first? I thought it was reported so. In which case had Thommo just gone nah not interested, and failed in that role? Or did the club not make it clear at all?

Or is Thommo playing his own agenda?

 

[Vhaluus]

Or is Thommo playing his own agenda?

Thommo never was good at playing team first football was he?

 

[1970crow]

Surely it will warrant a Pyke for Baghdad banner if this happens.

Deanus, I think you are our resident banner maker.

is @deanus allowed back at AO?

 

[Rotayjay]

Sorry Thommo, but the footy club is bigger than you.

 

[1970crow]

Of course it would for Thommo, it's never been about team for him. What him the great player that he was also made him the liability that he became. Both on a week to week game level and then at a list level. Our club wasn't strong enough to put itself ahead of a club great like Thommo at the end of last year. Hopefully they're starting to realise that obvious decisions can be made. They did it 1 week late with club legend VB after 1 round last year and they've not weakened and selected Thommo after re-contracting him.

I posted very early in the piece that his extension was a gold watch contract. He played the club and media well and earned himself the list spot because he and his manager knew that we were too piss weak to make an obvious call. But, to our credit, so far we haven't lowered our ambitions to actually select him. Thommo deserved to be chaired off in front of 50,000 adoring fans at AO, as he was in his 300th, but he chose to be exactly where he's at. Whilst I wish he ended his AFL career in a similar way to his 300th, the fact remains that he chose this path. Although I doubt that he considered for a single second that he wouldn't be the number 1 mid and Sauce's go to man throughout 2017. I would bet big money that if you picked any player from our last 22 and then asked Scott Thompson if we'd be a better side if he replaced them, he'd answer yes to every single player. That's not intended to be knock, because it's what made Thommo such a beast over such a long period of time. He carried our midfield for a number of years.

It is a bit sad, but he's getting exactly what he deserves.

 

[Big Crow]

Disappointing attitude to hear from a player that should be acting like a leader. Making a statement like that to the media is far from "Team first".

Still, this has been a situation of the club's making after we failed to make the tough list management call. Hopefully we take the lesson and move forward better for it.

 

[1970crow]

Unfortunately it doesn't sound like Thommo realizes he is finished at AFL level

Do you remember the VB interview from last year when he was recalled for the Gold Coast game after both Brown and Laird were injured? He basically stated that he was recalled due to form. He had no clue that he was done and dusted, but with our selection culture it's not hard to understand why long term players would feel this way despite being well past it. VB was so delusional that he actually mentioned that he and Talia were the only "leaders" down back. Hopefully both these guys are moved on to develop their coaching careers elsewhere. Our culture of entitlement based on length of tenure needs to cease pretty quickly. Hopefully, Campo is next cab off the rank and then Doc can piss off as well. Neither of those blokes will get a promotion at another club and it's also highly unlikely that they will get a straight sideways movement. Neither has a future at AFL level coaching.

 

[1970crow]

Some of the younger players used to joke that they didn't even know Thommo and had never had a chance to speak to him. I get the feeling from that interview that there are shades of truth to it.
Might have been a terrific player, but not a leader.

When you take on a part playing, part coaching, part development role, would you really think that nothing will change. I reckon he sat in the EOY interview with Pyke and dismissed any thought of him not being a starting midfielder out of hand. All the s**t about coaching etc is exactly that, it's just bullshit. He's not a coach, he's the last guy you want coaching, because ultimately, it's all about Thommo. It made him great at what he did, but there's a lot of negatives in that package as well.

 

[Vhaluus]

When you take on a part playing, part coaching, part development role, would you really think that nothing will change. I reckon he sat in the EOY interview with Pyke and dismissed any thought of him not being a starting midfielder out of hand. All the s**t about coaching etc is exactly that, it's just bullshit. He's not a coach, he's the last guy you want coaching, because ultimately, it's all about Thommo. It made him great at what he did, but there's a lot of negatives in that package as well.

My conspiracy theory is that right afterwards Campo pulled him aside and went "Don't worry mate, the whole coaching thing is just to get the bean counters to sign off.. we'll get you in"

And now Thompson is disappointed that it's not happening because Pyke is slowly starting to let Campo have less and less say.

This is the delusion I chose to believe because then it just makes a few people incompetent rather than most of our club.

 

[1970crow]

Yep. He said on the Crows show he still sees himself as an AFL player first and that "development" role is just a tiny bit extra he's doing at SANFL games it looks.

I had thought maybe we signed him as a way of getting around the SANFL removing the ability to sign a former player rule, but everything Thommo has said over the past few weeks screams of annoyance at still being in the SANFL.

I was never too fazed with his extension. But, I posted many times that I didn't want him playing midfield in the SANFL. You can bet he's playing 90% TOG striving for AFL selection. That's a lot of midfield minutes that belong to a player with a a future. I'd have hoped he'd be playing a half forward type role where he can assess what's going on at the stoppage and roll in their for 5-10 minutes each quarter and actually coach. Which is the the only way that he'd satisfy the role that was identified for him. But it was always bullshit, he's the last guy you want coaching.

 

[1970crow]

Kind of heart breaking to watch a club great circle the drain like this.

Was it communicated to him that he would be SANFL and development first? I thought it was reported so. In which case had Thommo just gone nah not interested, and failed in that role? Or did the club not make it clear at all?

Don't let him off that easy. He publicly demanded an extension all through 2016. He got a gold watch extension dressed up as part coaching role so that his public ego wasn't lessened, he'd have been delisted otherwise and he knows that. He's getting exactly what he demanded. Had the coach had his way, Thommo wouldn't be on the list at all.

 

[1970crow]

Sorry Thommo, but the footy club is bigger than you.

"You try telling Thommo he's not playing". Thankfully it appears as though someone has. I've got some doubts with the current coaching group, but so far this is a fair tick. They could have panicked and selected Thommo after his 25 SANFL disposal BOG. They didn't, so that's a fair plus.

 

[1970crow]

My conspiracy theory is that right afterwards Campo pulled him aside and went "Don't worry mate, the whole coaching thing is just to get the bean counters to sign off.. we'll get you in"

And now Thompson is disappointed that it's not happening because Pyke is slowly starting to let Campo have less and less say.

This is the delusion I chose to believe because then it just makes a few people incompetent rather than most of our club.

That sounds about right. Every week that passes is a week that Campo's contract hasn't been extended. I look forward to a Montgomery scenario where he hits the road late in the year and we go on to win the flag.