Break the swear filter - Review thread v Woofers

[Wanderlust]

Returned from calm down walk.

Spoiler: it didn’t work

I don’t thing much will work to be honest. It’s going to be a long week.

It didn’t help that I went onto Facebook and it’s filled with “if you can’t support us at our worst, don’t bother supporting us at our best” comments…fuming!

[bobo]

I was sitting on level 3 tonight in the GA area. The guys weren’t interested in chasing the ball, didn’t man up and just let the Dog’s play their game on their terms.

You could tell early on in the game they weren’t interested in working hard for the win. Too many passengers on our team, and WTF was with Daniher tonight that hand ball in front of the goal. ■■■.

I don’t usually get this ■■■■■■ off about a bad games but tonight annoyed me.

I blame Green as much as Joe for that. He should not be calling for the handball in that situation.

[Albert_Thurgood]

I wholeheartedly believe that the 2000 season destroyed this club.

The arrogance and complacency it created is still something we are dealing with.

It wasn’t the 2000 season per se. It was the appointment of Peter Jackson and then his increasing usurpage of power at Windy Hill, his dreadful mis-handling of the salary cap, then his screwing down on vital spending.

How much was he involved in the parking stupid decision to leave the MCG to have Dudlands as our “home” ground? If he did or not, it is the single worst decision made at EFC since the decision to appoint PJ.

That was the beginning of the next two decades of crap at EFC.

I lived through the '70s supporting Essendon. These two decades have been much worse*.

*Except for Blitz, of course.

[domaura]

Thank god we fluked the win against the crows, otherwise we would be 3-0.

For sure.

With the benefit of only 3 rounds exposed form, the win was very flukey indeed.

There is zero reason to be optimistic about the coming weeks:

• Port next week will steamroll us

• Pies on Anzac day, normal transmission will resume and we will get done. Elliot will come back and kick 5.

• Melbourne are so far ahead of us its not funny. Oliver to provide the proverbial kick-in-the-nuts reminder

• Tom Mitchell will set a new disposal record when we play the hawks with Cyril, Puopulo and Bruest playing their best games for the year

• Carlton will beat us. Bookmark it. Curnow to kick 6 while Joe register 1.3 and 2 OOB

• Cats will steamroll us. We might set a new record for frees against.

• GWS will be an absolute demolition job at SPO. Devon will be in a dark dark place.

• Richmond is going to be an absolute embarrassment. They’ll set a new record for time in forward half and repeat inside 50s

• Brisbane at the G - we are no chance. None. At all. Hipwood to dominate and Rayner and Cameron to go berserk.

• And 13 Bye.

It will be an outright miracle for us to be anything better than 1 - 11 at the bye.

Boy O Boy such a dark outlook…but I can’t find any fault in it…I’m trying…but I just can’t pick any faults.

[bdstratton]

I’m more annoyed that I paid for GA seats to watch the crap we dished up tonight. Can I get a refund please

[FTWinderlich]

Any rants left @Heffsgirl? They made my day so far

[Albert_Thurgood]

You were there about 10 years before me Bessie, I have loved them for more than 60 years and I agree with you. Today just about did it for me too. Our old club has been taken over by corporate types and marketing boys, and the players are individual well-coiffed handsome lads who like to get a game and a good salary but ■■■■■■ hell don’t seem to care if we win or lose. Coleman, Reynolds and Clarke must be spinning.

Great post!

Thanks for sharing, and it is wonderful to hear from such staunch supporters as Bessie and ggiant30.

I sincerely hope the club can turn around its fortunes, especially for long-time supporters like you!

[Humble_NSW_Fan]

I watched every moment of the saga year on POXTEL the boys gave 100% and I was proud of them.

I stood up for them at the supermarket and Bunnings up her, when people had a go at us for being drug cheats.

.
.
.
I turned the footy off after JOEDANs brain fade and found something better to do.

First time ever.

Bottom four team, play the kids. Clean the coaches out, renew the list.

Disappointed.

[is_good_is_don]

Woosh ain’t no hard a&se - he’s transitioned like Leigh Matthews, from hard ■■■■ to nice older bloke.

The club needs a hard a&se that can still engender respect, eg Clarkson. Understands when it’s time for clever tactics, and when it’s time to just slog it out - when it’s time to channel your message through the leaders and when it’s time to rant. Problem is, where are those leaders?

[Valtello_Starkwind]

Remember when there was talk of being a top 4 side?

[Rhino-D]

Boy O Boy such a dark outlook

Yeah, not wrong there.

IMO we’ve played 12 qtrs now and looked ‘ok’ in probably 2 of them.

We played a Dogs side today completely and utterly bereft of any decent form over the last 15 months bar one game against guess who last year and the one thing that gave them confidence today?

They believe that no matter what side they put on the park, they can beat us.

And they’re right.

There is literally nothing to like about us at the minute. Nobody is playing well right now. Nobody.

The midfielders have all been putrid. the back 6 is horrible bar a few moments here and there from McKenna.

The forwardline is back to the dysfunctional mess it was 24 months ago and worst of all, the theme from JLT to now is that Worsfold cant get them playing the way he supposedly wants. In his presser today he basically put it all on the players saying they basically don’t understand the message and there are obviously communication issues.

The responsibility for the message being understood always, ALWAYS, sits with the message deliverer, not the recipient.

The next 2 rounds will tell the tale but I genuinely believe we are going to find ourselves in a massive hole very quickly this year.

Hope Im wrong.

[yaco55]

I was out but kept track of the game and so saw the entirely predictable disaster unfolding. Got home and watched from early in the 3rd.

3 games into the season and it is clear the game plan changes Worsfold has implemented are not only not working but have sent the team backwards. We cannot kick over 100 points and we cannot keep average teams under 100 points. That makes us a 3-4 goal worse team than last year which, statistically, almost guarantees us a bottom 6 - if not bottom 4 - finish.

Having just extended Worsfold’s contract the Board need to read a very stubborn Worsfold the riot act behind the stubborness that has sent the team backwards. Namely:

• Preparedness to allow the opposition to have 1-2 spares back and set the play up from behind; waltzing out of our forward line unmanned. That is the principle reason we have lost the last 2 games.
• Address our putrid skill level by having players take the easier, wider option rather than continually take a high risk option up the corridor (which is repeated cause of our high turnover rate). We only have 3-4 players who can do that reliably (McKenna, Goddard, Heppell, maybe Tippa & Begley). That will immediately eliminate 30% of turnovers and force the opposition’s zone to spread. This releases pressure and players will gain confidence hitting easier targets as they move the ball up the field.
• 3 talls (even 4, as Adelaide has shown) can work but it needs to be Daniher, Stewart & Stinger (occasional forays into the middle not withstanding) and Hooker needs to go back. I love Hooker forward but we need him back. Brown, Dea & Harltey are not AFL standard. If Ambrose is not right then it’s time to blood one of Ridley or Zerk-Thatcher.
• Throw out the ultra-conservative selection policy and bring in a Ridley or Zerk-Thatcher next week - or Redman - in lieu of Brown next week. The team needs a shot of youthful enthusiasm and players who may have a future at AFL level compared to Brown/Dea/Hartley who don’t. Even bring in Langford as a 3rd tall defender - he certainly is not a “big bodied mid” but just might turn into a good 3rd tall defender with Hooker & Hurley to tutor him on the ground.
• Always play a run with player/tagger on the opposition’s best mid. Last week Fyfe killed us, this week it was Hunter. Give that job to McGrath UNLESS Zac Merrett can’t handle the tag in which case send Zac Merrett to play tight on the opposition’s best mid and take his tagger with him freeing up one of our mid’s as a result
• Read the riot act to Daniher and Stewart. When you have set shots close to goal go back and kick the goal and don’t try and lay it off to players who are manned up.

The season is still young. There is still time to recover. But it will only start to recover if the coach changes his thinking in regards to some key points I’ve outlined above.

The only problem with your post is McGrath played on Hunter and was thoroughly out-played - It’s hard to post accurately when you watch part of the game.

[Donslaught9]

It’s good to know other people out there are struggling with our downfall. Makes it a bit more bearable. Thanks Blitz.

I think it is surely our week to come under the media blowtorch? We shouldn’t just need this to motivate us to greater achievements on the field but it might be a start. The Bulldogs copped it all of last week and come out and won unexpectedly (well for some!) today.

Despite our regular poor form against some of the competition’s strugglers, we can often pull something out of nowhere against the better teams. Port sit on top of the ladder but do not look invincible (the Lions should of really beat them at home yesterday) … perhaps a rocket up the ■■■■ this week may inspire us to greater things. We all know it only takes one win to turn things around. The Bulldogs had theirs today… ours might surprise us next week.

[SplitRound]

[BakerWasAStar]

Then that’s where you send Merrett to Hunter.

[barnz]

Not even bothered to see their spin doctoring.

[barnz]

“I’d burn my membership… If it arrived.” choppsuey probably.

[Stallion]

[SplitRound]

TL;DW disappointing, bounce back next week

[True_Value_Blitzer]

The people who got flamed on here for suggesting this year could be 2010 2.0 are pretty farken spot on so far