Flick the switch Ross: time to focus on attack not defence

[chinggis77]

Ross has previously stated in the press that his focus is on improving our defensive structures and getting that area right before turning the focus to attack.

No doubt for the first part of this season, this message has been drilled into our players. Stop the opposition. Stop the opposition.

The trouble is we have become too reactive. We fret about our structures, about stopping the opposition, that we have stopped focusing on getting the ball and attacking. The result is that we are rapidly becoming a team devoid of confidence as we consistently get pumped in the clearances, lack any run or support when we do get the ball and consequently have terrible ball movement into the forward 50 and don´t kick goals.

How else do you explain, what should be a 50:50 contest (i.e. clearances), going so badly in favour of the opposition. We are focused on stopping the opposition and not on getting the ball first.

Ross. We love you mate, but its time to flick the switch.

From Monday you need to tell all the players, to start hunting the ball. Its time to attack the ball and run, run, run.

If you do not. This club will lose more confidence and we risk becoming a Melbourne like rabble.

Give our players their confidence back by allowing them to attack. To hunt the ball and run.

Our players haven´t lost the talent. But they have lost confidence.

Flick the damn switch Ross!

 

[longsuffreosupp]

We don't have enough forwards that can kick multiple goals. We don't have enough midfielders that can kick a goal.

Flick what switch?

 

[believe_it]

Our forwardline is a disaster. We put Zac Clarke there but contiually make it almost impossible for him with our delivery.

Third quarter today we didn't even bother running it our of defence just blindly booted it to nobody. It was like watching primary school football. Actually that's not fair - nowadays they are taught really early to move the ball quickly through passing. Today we didn't just have no forwardline we also had no centerline.

 

[chinggis77]

How is it the forwards fault???

Last few weeks we have had a massive deficit in inside 50´s compared to the opposition (64 to 36 today). What inside 50´s we have are rubbish balls bombed into the opposition (did you not watch all those balls being bombed over Clarke´s head). We are also so slow to spread. Watch how quickly opposition teams react with the spread when their teammate gets the ball. Clearly we are not switched on and are only thinking defence.

It clearly stems from a defensive mindset that leads to players focusing on stopping rather than getting the ball, hunting in numbers and running to support.

Its no surprise our most attacking game was our first. As the weeks have gone on and the message to defend, defend, defend has been repeated and repeated. With training sessions focusing only on where to position yourselves to stop the opposition. Its no surprise our focus on hunting the ball has dropped off and we have become reactive.

 

[Freeeoo]

Gameplan doesn't matter until you get some players with some cahooners.

 

[se17enteen]

Can't blame Lyon for the way the players play. The game plan is good just look at round 1. Lyon just needs time, he needs time to recruit players that suit his game plan, time for players to consistently get used to the game plan.

Start judging Lyon next year. This year should be all about learning. Add free agency, drafts and trades at the end of the year it should look more like Lyon's team rather then Harvey's in 2013.

 

[Gavin Excell]

Ross has previously stated in the press that his focus is on improving our defensive structures and getting that area right before turning the focus to attack.

No doubt for the first part of this season, this message has been drilled into our players. Stop the opposition. Stop the opposition.

The trouble is we have become too reactive. We fret about our structures, about stopping the opposition, that we have stopped focusing on getting the ball and attacking. The result is that we are rapidly becoming a team devoid of confidence as we consistently get pumped in the clearances, lack any run or support when we do get the ball and consequently have terrible ball movement into the forward 50 and don´t kick goals.

How else do you explain, what should be a 50:50 contest (i.e. clearances), going so badly in favour of the opposition. We are focused on stopping the opposition and not on getting the ball first.

Ross. We love you mate, but its time to flick the switch.

From Monday you need to tell all the players, to start hunting the ball. Its time to attack the ball and run, run, run.

If you do not. This club will lose more confidence and we risk becoming a Melbourne like rabble.

Gve our players their confidence back by allowing them to attack. To hunt the ball and run.

Our players haven´t lost the talent. But they have lost confidence.

Flick the damn switch Ross!

that was his mantra at St Kilda

The attacking side at Saints never came despite having at the time the best forward in the league.

 

[Bradesmaen]

Maybe if the midfield could get their hands on the ball.. and then not kick it to 5 WCE players..

The reason we went from tied to losing so quickly was one thing. Winning the ball. We barely touched it in the third, nothing to do with a defensive game plan at all.

 

[FreoRicci]

Time. We always got time. 17 years and 3 finals appearance, this club needs to shake that losing culture and become a force in the top 8 each and every season not once every 5 years. Look across the road, copy them..

 

[Freeeoo]

Maybe if the midfield could get their hands on the ball.. and then not kick it to 5 WCE players..

The reason we went from tied to losing so quickly was one thing. Winning the ball. We barely touched it in the third, nothing to do with a defensive game plan at all.

Yep pretty well sums it up.

 

[malpaso]

that was his mantra at St Kilda

The attacking side at Saints never came despite having at the time the best forward in the league.

Bulls**t. They were practically the highest scoring side in 2009.

 

[malpaso]

Our failures come down to work rate around stoppages and our spread. Too many times we have too many players contesting the ball unnecessarily and leaving their man.

Check out the Eagles and their spacing and spread, they all know 'how many' should be in on the ball and if there are already enough then back off and fill a space away from the stoppage. Our players are plain dumbs**ts and can't seemingly work it out especially when we get a run against us, they continually converge on the ball and leave the opposition free.

Seems we must go down and stay down in order to come up, we just don't have the cattle.

 

[mike91]

Gameplan doesn't matter until you get some players with some cahooners.

Dead set idiot this bloke.

 

[Gavin Excell]

Bulls**t. They were practically the highest scoring side in 2009.

you bought a lemon

 

[Bradesmaen]

you bought a lemon

And you bought a Red Card.

 

[se17enteen]

Time. We always got time. 17 years and 3 finals appearance, this club needs to shake that losing culture and become a force in the top 8 each and every season not once every 5 years. Look across the road, copy them..

What would you like Freo to do? I thought we were doing something about our poor losing culture, we went out and got the coach with the best winning percentage in the league.

 

[Freeeoo]

Dead set idiot this bloke.

Hi Mike, nice to meet you. Tell me which player in our midfield didn't lay down belly up in the second half as soon as the opposition applied the blow torch?

 

[malpaso]

I can't wait for Trade Month.

 

[Manni & Ken]

As much as I personally don't like Ross' style, St Kilda had similar struggles in the first half of their first season under Lyon. If the players continue to buy in properly, there will be a marked improvement towards the end of the season.

 

[Leslie_Chow]

Our failures come down to work rate around stoppages and our spread. Too many times we have too many players contesting the ball unnecessarily and leaving their man.

Check out the Eagles and their spacing and spread, they all know 'how many' should be in on the ball and if there are already enough then back off and fill a space away from the stoppage. Our players are plain dumbs**ts and can't seemingly work it out especially when we get a run against us, they continually converge on the ball and leave the opposition free.

Seems we must go down and stay down in order to come up, we just don't have the cattle.

Sums it up perfectly.

Especially the dumbs***s bit

 

[Lach72]

Sums it up perfectly.

Especially the dumbs***s bit

High ball. 3 freo 1 eagle up. Where are the Eagle players? On the ground. Getting the ****ing ball.

Red wine. Makes everything better

 

[Murraj1966]

I hate to say it, but at St Kilda at least that never happened, Ross knows no other way than defence and when we needed a quick goal in the last quarters of the 2009 and 2010 Grand Finals they never came.

 

[dominguez]

Time. We always got time. 17 years and 3 finals appearance, this club needs to shake that losing culture and become a force in the top 8 each and every season not once every 5 years. Look across the road, copy them..

You mean the team that made the tough call and implemented a new structure, backed in their coaching staff to pull off the new game plan, won a wooden spoon along the way and are now the form team of the comp? What chance is there of that happening at Freo when people are losing their shit when we've actually won more games than we've lost after 5 minutes under new coaches/gameplan?

 

[Rob]

The problem isn't the primary game plan. It can work.

The problem is the lack of a plan B. An effective one anyway. 'McPharlin to full forward' doesn't count. 'Dawson to full forward' isn't even a plan, it's borderline tanking.

It was deadset obvious after the Weagles kicked the first couple of goals in the 3rd that the game was opening up, and our tactics that worked relatively well in the 1st half were not now. Was there a change in our approach? No. It still involved kicking long down the line, Sandi tapping it to their midfielders and flooding the backline with all 18 players. What did Lyon think was going to happen?

At least try something different. How about get one of the ruckman to lead down the corridor and bash it forward (think NAB Cup vs North 2 years ago)? How about dropping a couple of players back into our half when the ball is inside their 50? Sure it increases their chances of scoring, but it increases ours as well. And it would at least be something different and change the way they went about the game as well. Doing the same when we were getting dominated wasn't going to do shit.

 

[sainter35]

The problem isn't the primary game plan. It can work.

The problem is the lack of a plan B. An effective one anyway. 'McPharlin to full forward' doesn't count. 'Dawson to full forward' isn't even a plan, it's borderline tanking.

This is true.

Ross loves a structure......that aint gonna change and doesnt change easily.

We also threw Dawson fwd when times were bad........with little effect.

1. You dont have the talent up fwd we had in 09 to support Lyons defence over attack

2. Lyon will indicate he will change and introduce more attack and that wont eventuate.

I am liking this Watters dude from out west though...