We are a crap side....

[jod23]

Simple as that. Collingwood are a shocking team. Lokan and Shaw are players that would never get a gig at our club yet somehow they can embarrass us? No Buckley and Rocca for most of the game and we are still down by 20 odd at 3 quarter time.

We are crap. We wont make the 8 and if we continue to be crap we will lose Chris Judd. Not that it makes much difference anyway because were **** with him anyway???????

Im sick of being crap.

 

[crazzzy_grrl]

Then stop whinging and go support another team if your not happy.
I thought they played well in patches, not enough to win but i wouldnt call them crap. McDougall finally showed why they keep trying with him, taking some good marks and kicked 2 goals. Kerr, Judd, Fletcher and Embley played very well in the midfield. Cousins had a quiet one and Matera had a shocker, but if your not happy go jump on the st kilda bandwagon

 

[jod23]

Originally posted by crazzzy_grrl
Then stop whinging and go support another team if your not happy.
I thought they played well in patches, not enough to win but i wouldnt call them crap. McDougall finally showed why they keep trying with him, taking some good marks and kicked 2 goals. Kerr, Judd, Fletcher and Embley played very well in the midfield. Cousins had a quiet one and Matera had a shocker, but if your not happy go jump on the st kilda bandwagon

Oh get off it....you havent been around long enough to know that I am usually always positive. But there comes a time when you have to wake up and realise that our side is ****.

Cant take a mark to save our lives.

 

[crazzzy_grrl]

Originally posted by jod23
Oh get off it....you havent been around long enough to know that I am usually always positive. But there comes a time when you have to wake up and realise that our side is ****.

Cant take a mark to save our lives.

So what if i havent been around. You were calling the team crap and i disagreed. Its an opinion

 

[jod23]

Originally posted by crazzzy_grrl
So what if i havent been around. You were calling the team crap and i disagreed. Its an opinion

So 4-7 is a great side to you is it?

 

[crazzzy_grrl]

Originally posted by jod23
So 4-7 is a great side to you is it?

Not necessarily, but im trying to look for the positives, not the negatives. Im not happy we lost, but i did think we tried, just not for the whole game and some players didnt perform up to standard, but im looking at the positives

 

[Voice of Reason]

Originally posted by crazzzy_grrl
So what if i havent been around. You were calling the team crap and i disagreed. Its an opinion

Your comment about Jod and bandwagon was insulting and unnecessary and implied something about Jod which is clearly untrue given his longevity on these boards as an Eagle fan.

Therefore the fact that you haven't been around long is relevant in the context of the insult you threw.

I don't know you and you're entitled to your opinion.

My opinion is that we played crap tonight.

I don't care what you think of my opinion either.

We played crap.

Who cares if all the midfielders got over 20 possessions?

The game's about who is ahead on the scoreboard at the end.

Collingwood were crap and they still beat us.

We are playing with no system, no faith in our forwards and no consistency.

I look forward to nextseason and hope that our players learn something from the rest of this one.

 

[coasting]

We aren't as bad as you make us out to be.

Collingwood aren't as bad as you make them out to be.

Chris Judd aint leaving.

We have a young side still developing. Deal with it.

 

[jod23]

Originally posted by crazzzy_grrl
Not necessarily, but im trying to look for the positives, not the negatives. Im not happy we lost, but i did think we tried, just not for the whole game and some players didnt perform up to standard, but im looking at the positives

Dont you think at 4-7 its time to start looking at the negatives?

Like the fact that we dont take ANY marks, never mind marks inside 50? That we lack intensity for a full 4 quarter effort. That our midfield lacks accountability. THe fact we have gone from 2nd in round 15 last year to a 4-7 team blindly staring at missing the 8.

 

[jod23]

Originally posted by Voice of Reason
Your comment about Jod and bandwagon was insulting and unnecessary and implied something about Jod which is clearly untrue given his longevity on these boards as an Eagle fan.

Therefore the fact that you haven't been around long is relevant in the context of the insult you threw.

I don't know you and you're entitled to your opinion.

My opinion is that we played crap tonight.

I don't care what you think of my opinion either.

We played crap.

Who cares if all the midfielders got over 20 possessions?

The game's about who is ahead on the scoreboard at the end.

Collingwood were crap and they still beat us.

We are playing with no system, no faith in our forwards and no consistency.

I look forward to nextseason and hope that our players learn something from the rest of this one.

Cheers VOR and I your completely right. No more covering up now. We have been poor all year.

 

[jod23]

Originally posted by coasting
We aren't as bad as you make us out to be.

Collingwood aren't as bad as you make them out to be.

Chris Judd aint leaving.

We have a young side still developing. Deal with it.

1 - Yes we are as bad as I make out. No marking tall forwards, a battling backline and a midfield who no longer get it on a silver platter. We do have lots of talented and promising youngsters but they are all still too young to put it together week in and week out.

2 - Yes Collingwood are as bad as I make out. How they have made two consectutive grand finals is downright baffling and most footy supporters agree with me. They have far too many passengers and not enough top liners.

3 - You better believe Judd will leave. If we dont make the finals this year and next then your damn right he will look at his options back home. We need to prove to him in the remainder of this season and next season that this group can challenge and win a premiership or he is as good as gone.

4 - Yes we are a young side who are still developing and yes im dealing with it. But our progress is far too slow for my liking.

 

[larrikin]

I'm with you Jod - although on a slight tangent.

I'm sick of shouting at umpires. We could play in front - it would fix most of the problem.

And I'm also sick of us getting burnt every time we lose a stationary contest. Would it kill us for someone to get 20m off the contest on the defensive side. I don't care if they draw an opponent, at least it will slow down the opposition run.

 

[bunsen burner]

Originally posted by crazzzy_grrl
Then stop whinging and go support another team if your not happy.

He's just stating the obvious. If calling a spade a spade is too hard for you to accept, then maybe you shouldn't be here.

 

[Mark Viduka]

We aren't a crap side.

We are a side down on confidence because of our ridiculous draw we have been handed. We also have 6 debutants.... and they all seem to be good players.

This is just a suspicion but we probably won't win the flag this year.... so really.. why should we bother make the finals... yes it would be nice... but we may as well finish 12th and get a decent draft pick.... our youngsters are getting experience and apart from Banfield we dont have a player that will retire in the next 4 years.

I still think we will win 4 or 5 of our next 6.. and be back up there again... but all is not lost.

 

[jod23]

Not to mention the fact we finally get a good start and then just lie down. POOR effort and the biggest concern is that Whoosha didnt seem that bothered.

 

[jod23]

Originally posted by Mark Viduka


I still think we will win 4 or 5 of our next 6.. and be back up there again... but all is not lost.

Thats how I have been all season but now reality is starting to sink in.

 

[coasting]

Originally posted by jod23
1 - Yes we are as bad as I make out. No marking tall forwards, a battling backline and a midfield who no longer get it on a silver platter. We do have lots of talented and promising youngsters but they are all still too young to put it together week in and week out.

We are not a team low on ability but rather low on experience and confidence. On the road we are especially suspect and our confidence is fragile. If things don't seem to go our way we drop our bundle very quickly ala early 2nd quarter. You say this makes us a bad team, I say this makes us a soft team.

Originally posted by jod23
2 - Yes Collingwood are as bad as I make out. How they have made two consectutive grand finals is downright baffling and most footy supporters agree with me. They have far too many passengers and not enough top liners.

They have won their last three games and are in form atm. I believe they will make the finals again and are in the top half in terms of raw talent. Mick is also a great coach, as we all know.

Originally posted by jod23
3 - You better believe Judd will leave. If we dont make the finals this year and next then your damn right he will look at his options back home. We need to prove to him in the remainder of this season and next season that this group can challenge and win a premiership or he is as good as gone.

I really don't think you are giving Chris Judd enough credit. He has bonded with his team mates and is a leader in the player group. I really don't believe he is a mercenary. At this time every year he goes back to Victoria and to Caufield Grammar to talk to the kids about the importance of these things.

Originally posted by jod23
4 - Yes we are a young side who are still developing and yes im dealing with it. But our progress is far too slow for my liking.

We have Hansen - a 1st gamer, Butler - a 2nd gamer, Nicoski - about 5 games, Staker and Mcdougal have played about 20 games.. probably missed others but there is no escaping we have a very inexperienced team atm.

 

[NICK THE PIE MAN]

Bad luck peoples...

I don't get to see West Coast much and it always is a pleasure as I am a huge admirer of your midfield. Judd in particular. He is so freakishly good it sickens me!

Geez, had Matera marked that ball in the goalsquare in the fouth....
What was wrong with him tonite? Never seen him drop so many uncontested marks.

Cheers..

 

[bunsen burner]

Although I've long accepted that we're not up to it this year, it was still an annoying game.

A few observations:

Carroll: he is nearly past his used by date. The umpires are starting to wise up to his line ball methods and style of play. If he keeps treading the line, his opponent will start getting the benefit. We obviously have to keep him because we're so weak down back, but I'm looking forward to hopefully trading for a replacement at the end of the year.

Lynch: I'm undecided whether this guy can step up, but one thing is certain is this guy is a meathead. he doesn't look like he has football smarts and looks too slow.

Manning up: Why can't we do it when need be?

Contests: We can't win many. Particularly in the air. If we know we're losing most contents, then why aren't we manning up more often? When we do start winning more than not, we can afford to be less accountable. Also, why do we seem to kick to so many 2-on-1 contests?

Mental softness: We're just plain soft.

Confidence: We just don't seem to be able to maintain confidence for a whole game. We also can't seem to be able to get 22 confident players playing in one week. If it isn't McDougall one week, it's Wirra, or even this week it was Matera.

The Eagles have a lot of work to do.



Cloke: What was with that dive when Lynch had kicked the ball out from fullback? I hope someone shows that to malhouse this week.

 

[bunsen burner]

Originally posted by Mark Viduka
This is just a suspicion but we probably won't win the flag this year.... so really.. why should we bother make the finals... yes it would be nice... but we may as well finish 12th and get a decent draft pick....

This is a hard one. It's not like we're Hawthorn or the Bulldogs or the Kangaroos. The best thing for them would be draft picks. We're at a different time on the clock of opportunity. We're only a few KPPs away from a top notch side. So the dilemma is, if we finish low and get a good draft pick it may be at the expense of confidence to Glass, Lynch, Seaby, hansen, Staker, and McDougall.

A best case scenario would be to finish the last five or six games of the season well and get the best of both worlds. Maybe pick #6 or #7 and some confidence going into next year.

I think Woosha's coaching this season has been poor.

 

[pauljam]

Jod - I agree with what your saying and also recognise that a lot of it is also related to frustration after seeing us start well, fade badly, fight back a little but in the end - BLOODY LOSE AGAIN!!!

Tonight we werent good enough to take our chances, and just plain stuffed up a lot of opportunities that we needed to grab! Collingwood took their chances and we didnt. Collingwood were harder at it when it counted and deserved the win.

I thought the umpiring was sh*t in a lot of cases - there is a marked difference listening to the interpretation on 6pr and then watching it on Ch9. On pr they called a spade a spade and bad decisions were pointed out..........

As someone else pointed out I am sick of yelling at umpires as well - they didnt cost us the game, we just werent up to it when it counted. At the moment we are a crap side, because we are playing like crap and have only won 4 out of 11 games.

There were some encouraging signs from a few players out there tonight but in the end we lost to a side that was 14th on the ladder and are not that good (this year). They also had some key players off the field and we still couldnt capitalise. This frustrates the hell out of me because I think we are better than what we are showing? Unfortunately the scores just arent on the board.

Back to the drawing board next week cos the season is rapidly disappearing down the gurgler. At least if we keep playing the kids it may set us up for an improved year in 2005.

Go eagles...

 

[Mead]

By the looks of it, Jod the incurable optimist has just been cured

There is no question that we have mental issues. We can start a game focused and we can definitely fight back when under the pump, what we cannot do is put in a consistent four quarter effort- there are always concentration lapses, and on the road that costs us the game as it did tonight. You can only assume that the players knew precisely how important this game was to our chances this year, and the opening quarter seemed to suggest they were making a genuine effort to put it in the bag, but they just couldn't stick to the task. Partly, that's a youth issue, but i think it cuts a bit deeper than that. People like Cousins, Kerr and Fletcher cannot go missing for quarters- they supposed to be one of the best midfield groups going around, they need to live up to that billing.

This game has dramatically hurt our chances of making the finals, partly because we really needed the four points and partly because if we can't win this one I have doubts about our ability to take out the other away games ahead of us. Lose to the Pies at the dome and you have to question whether we can be confident of beating the kangas and even hawthorn at manuka and york park.

Really though, nothing's changed between this week or last. We're a side which, thanks to the loss of the best player in our team, is not a serious contender this year. Instead, we're blooding a decent group of youngsters in the hope that it will make us better in the long run. If they gel together and learn to win on the road they'll make the finals, if they don't they won't. I have to admit I'm a lot more skeptical now- this loss stung.

 

[daddy_4_eyes]

Originally posted by coasting
We aren't as bad as you make us out to be.

Collingwood aren't as bad as you make them out to be.

Chris Judd aint leaving.

We have a young side still developing. Deal with it.

I can only agree with that last line

The only positive I can take is the fact that we've blooded so many youngsters this year, similar to St Kilda of the last 2 yrs, and hopefully in the long term it will be better for us.

 

[The Passenger]

I don't think we are a crap side.

i think we're a reasonably good young team who is completely down on confidence, and MAJORLY missing our most important player.

We've definetaly decided to take a step back from last year to take two steps forward next year.

We've not really used guys like Rowan Jones, Chad Morrison, Josh Wooden, Michael Collica and co. for various reasons, but really aside from Jones (and a bit of use for CM) you can't see these guys getting much a game.

They served us well in the past, but their best days are definetaly past them.

And some of our better players are not playing near their best - Wirrpunda, Sampi, Chick - being the main offenders.

I do think we could go in the trade market for just one more Key Position Player (preferably down back) but i don't think we need to get to busy there.

One name i would toss up is Bulldogs Brian Harris - would lose a bit for him though but he is an absolute gun.

 

[jod23]

Originally posted by Black Thunder



I do think we could go in the trade market for just one more Key Position Player (preferably down back) but i don't think we need to get to busy there.

Down back??? I think if we are alright anywhere it is down back. I love the Glass/Lynch combo and think that they are going alright. Embley can go back and we have help in Waters, Nicoski, Wirrpunda, Brett Jones etc down back.

But we continually fall down at half forward. We still dont have a key forward who can take a mark. But its also not just about taking marks its about working hard for the team. Riewoldt is a great contested mark but he gets most of his marks by working extremely hard into space to get easy chest marks. We need a player who can do this so we can kick right over half forward into the dangerous area right in front of goals where players like Matera and Samps can kick goals.

Ive calmed down a little now and technically we are only 1 away win away from being .500 if we can continue to win at Subi which I think we can. But where is our away win going to come from? Perhaps not playing in Melbourne is a good thing with our next two away games being in Canberra and Tassie??

I dont know but we've got problems.