It ultimately comes down the board and why they have made the key decisions they have. And they are (theoretically at least) responsible to us members - some of us who have be paid up for over 25 years and never downgraded during the crisis etc.
Isnt there a board member who posts on here?
Why was X put there in the first place - let’s go back to that decision to promote from within in a time of crisis - albeit by one of the worst president’s this club has endured.
Secondly - board explanation as to why Woosha was extended so early/with a whole season to go on his contract. A coach that no other club in the AFL would appoint.
Like the players, it seems half the problem is not many are responsible for anything at our club.
We, the rusted on members who pay up and show up come rain, hail or shine (or utter $hit show from above) are probably to blame. We are too good - not many clubs would have survived the saga, and that is due to us, the fans and nothing else. Don’t let their ego’s confuse you.
and how long do we go down path 1, without result for?
How many decades is enough enough?
Results are not the issue here, it is process and performance. It seems for too long, too few at the club are responsible for their performance and output, and effort is totally negotiable.
But yeah, keep blindly supporting because it will come good just because.
For the first time in my footy following life (hard core for all of it) I cant say I have a favourite player or clearly state whom I enjoy watching from my own frikken club!
it is slowly emerging as devon smith, which says more about the rest than him.
My view - from the outside - on what the problem is is that Worsfold is trying to implement a game plan that doesn’t feel natural or instinctive to the current playing group and, with some exceptions like Goddard, they are not buying into. Consequently, the playing group is somewhat split and Heppell, who is not really a born leader, is a bit of a fence sitter on the issue. this is creating a leadership vacuum that exacerbates the problem.
If you do something you don’t believe to simply tick the box you end up looking unenthusiastic and uncommitted and that’s how our playing group looks most of the time.
Either the game plan has to change or the coach needs to bring in players whom will fully buy into what the game plan he is trying to implement.
These players are only just one chapter in the book of Essendon.
Its a sh!tty chapter though. Its about a captain who prefers to spend more time on his hair and beard than providing direction on the field. It has a champion full forward who you can bear to watch when he’s having a shot on goal. It has a mid field that sags under pressure. It has a coach thats always teaching but the students always fall the test
I’m just hoping the next chapter has a hero thats going to save the day.
Seriously though, other than Richards can you make a case for any other kids we had on the list at that time who should have been played? We were already well into the Dodoro era of completely incompetent drafting with great young talent like Davies, Harvey, Reynolds & then continually injured players like Laycock, Winders & Dempsey. The idea that we had kids to play is pretty baseless for mine. Very limited players like Slattery, Dyson, Nash etc all played more games for us than I believe they would have elsewhere. We were bereft of young talent because we drafted really poorly - thats the reality. The top ups & trade ins were only needed because of this drafting not because Sheedy suddenly developed a dislike for younger talent. As I’ve covered here numerous times before the top ups cost us very little & were far more successful than our drafting. Campo at PSD pick 4 for 19 games is some of Dodoro’s best work that era when you look at the burnt ND picks.
Not sure you can blame this Chairman, Board or CEO for losing an ANZAC Day game.
Truth is that the Club off-field is stable and thriving. Planning and forward thinking is high quality. Players have about the best facilities of any Club and there is not much more the Board etc can do.
Blame Woosha and other coaches for poor preparation, poor match plan, poor game day strategy, poor selection, poor player development if you like, again not something the Board have daily control over.
On paper this playing group looks stronger than most teams. Short perhaps of an elite inside mid or two.
A forward line of Daniher, Walla, Raz, Stewart, Stringer and Green looks unbeatable. Even though delivery to them has been poor, none have played a great game this season yet, and Joey and Walla look injured and seem very patchy in attitude. Overall skill errors are killing us, and organisation and leadership is lacking.
I doubt our support is just about winning games, and effort and determination keep us proud. I am with Jackie about standing behind the Players, but it is up to them to lift their performance, none of us, nor the Board and CEO can do it for them.
You go down the path as long as you want to. No gun at your head. Personally, like my pop and my dad and my son I am an Essendon supporter. That’s it, for life. It’s not dependant on results or how they play or what their game plan is. They don’t owe me anything for supporting them, it’s my decision. Success would be nice but it’s rare and that’s why it’s so enjoyable. Ask St Kilda and Bulldogs supporters.
Give BJ a farking medal if that’s the case. Love Joey (and didn’t think his game was that terrible) but our fwd line pressure has been garbage all year
Excellent post. My view is we have done an exceptional job off the field led by X. Retention of players, sorting compo, membership and facilities. From several years ago, I could not have hoped to be in the position that we are now.
I do differ on personnel. Our forward line could be elite but it depends on the class in Joe and Fanta playing well. Obviously that is not happening at the minute. The backline is reasonable with Hooker there but we need Saad and Conor off half back and we need to play well there to cover Brown/Hartley/Ambrose who I don’t think are quite up to it. Our midfield is well below a good sides with too many slowish same types. They are all good AFL players but none are elite and it shows.
That may very well be the case and is something that is impossible to measure but what about those that continually look down their noses at other clubs, you know, the people who refer to North as “tin rattlers” and laugh at their crowd sizes. The same North who regularly play finals and look better than us this year. Do you think this bewildering arrogance might be part of the problem too?
And…you say we are St Kilda and Bulldogs supporters and I disagree because we’ve won 16 flags and they’ve won 1 and 2 in 100 years. My point was success was rare and referenced those clubs as examples.
The club has gone through many players, coaches and administrators in the 18 years since it was last ‘a contender.’ There is a cultural problem at the club, one that many big clubs suffer from… ‘We’re (insert big traditional club), we’ re too big to fail, to bottom out, to adjust. We do things the (club) way. ’
It’s systemic arrogance, that carries over from one administration to another as they succession plan their replacements to be exactly like them. Read the enablers here…'They built the players a brand new, state of the art facility, they bring in sponsorship dollars, they promise to look after new recruits after their playing days are over. ’ In other words they splash cash around as if this is the be all and end all of running a successful club. Meanwhile the culture at the club, goes to sh1it. This is not a subjective view… theres now 18 yrs of evidence remember, pointing to systemic issues that the current admin have not addressed.