I can finally see why we arnt rated

[Gasometer]

Oh ffs lock the thread.

We had shit to worry about this time of the year in 2015-14-13-12.

Worry about where we are in August.

 

[Devington]

Oh ffs lock the thread.

We had shit to worry about this time of the year in 2015-14-13-12.

Worry about where we are in August.

There are valid concerns Gaso. Lot of carrying on too and while I'm not overly concerned about the prospect of fire, the smoke is starting to make it hard to breathe.

 

[Gasometer]

Oh....and 12 months ago to the day we were beaten by 70 points by Fremantle. .

 

[Gasometer]

There are valid concerns Gaso. Lot of carrying on too and while I'm not overly concerned about the prospect of fire, the smoke is starting to make it hard to breathe.

Its May.

Finals are September.

 

[Devington]

Its May.

Finals are September.

Which means we have time to identify and fix any problems we have. It doesn't mean we should just ignore them and pretend they don't don't exist.

We've placed ourselves ****ing fantastically for a stab at the premiership, but top 4 won't mean a thing if we are playing the way we are now.

By no means do I think it is as bad as some people are saying, but I do have questions and concerns (which will hopefully be answered in the stretch before the bye).

 

[Gasometer]

Which means we have time to identify and fix any problems we have. It doesn't mean we should just ignore them and pretend they don't don't exist.

We've placed ourselves ******* fantastically for a stab at the premiership, but top 4 won't mean a thing if we are playing the way we are now.

By no means do I think it is as bad as some people are saying, but I do have questions and concerns (which will hopefully be answered in the stretch before the bye).

If us fools can see it are you telling me the Coaching Staff and Match Committee cant?

Seems like meaningless commentary at a time when with some hard work...good form...a team ethic and some luck...we are in the healthiest ladder position in living memory that sets up the back end beautifully.

 

[Devington]

If us fools can see it are you telling me the Coaching Staff and Match Committee cant?

Seems like meaningless commentary at a time when with some hard work...good form...a team ethic and some luck...we are in the healthiest ladder position in living memory that sets up the back end beautifully.

If meaningful commentary that would be of interest to the coaching staff and match committee was the criteria for posts on here, bigfooty would have been shut down a long time ago.

 

[Firestarter]

If us fools can see it are you telling me the Coaching Staff and Match Committee cant?

Seems like meaningless commentary at a time when with some hard work...good form...a team ethic and some luck...we are in the healthiest ladder position in living memory that sets up the back end beautifully.

There is meaningless commentary every day on every forum ever to be fair.

 

[Frank Thring]

What an interesting position we find ourselves in, a team that is the only undefeated team in the AFL but who has its supporters scratching their heads wondering if they're actually any good.

 

[Firestarter]

What an interesting position we find ourselves in, a team that is the only undefeated team in the AFL but who has its supporters scratching their heads wondering if they're actually any good.

I want to think, should be better.

 

[Gasometer]

There is meaningless commentary every day on every forum ever to be fair.

Not on Grumpy Old Thread.

 

[Gasometer]

In the end its half glass full scenario.

 

[Only Forwards]

We had not sat on top of a ladder since 1998.

We have been on top for four rounds.

That is 18 freaking years.

18.

So how are we travelling? Pretty freaking well if you ask me.

 

[ferball]

What an interesting position we find ourselves in, a team that is the only undefeated team in the AFL but who has its supporters scratching their heads wondering if they're actually any good.

This club has faced one trauma after another since the Carey thing. Its no wonder so many supporters have footy related PTSD. After the promise of a bright future at the turn of the millennium its been a decade of disappointment and existential stress that became a fight for our lives. Some of the posters here remind me of Collingwood fans between 1958 and 1990. If you can spot the wheels falling off before you finally start to believe you might save some pain if it all goes to shit later ... or something.

I spose it can get a bit annoying but I do understand why people feel that way.

This is a side that is clearly set up to win finals football. They bring enormous pressure and seem to thrive on beating opponents at the contest. Against the lesser sides this might make it harder to look impressive but as a recipe for success in September it is a good strategy. (Its no coincidence that the top two teams are coached by guys who played in a side that won three flags in a row. They know what is needed to win premierships. Repeatedly.) We are very good, but we're playing in a way that leaves us shitloads of room for improvement.

This team has shown over the last 3 years that it is capable of improvement, both from one season to another and over the course of the season as they build toward finals. There is no rational reason to think that won't happen again. But when you're emotionally invested in something sometimes its hard to see things rationally.

 

[Firestarter]

I'm just a miserable bastard. I am in an entirely different category.

 

[Joshen]

Interestingly, only Hawthorn have won less quarters than us so far among the top 8 teams.

 

[ApplecrossWC]

Interestingly, only Hawthorn have won less quarters than us so far among the top 8 teams.

That is a damning stat right there.

 

[Frank Thring]

So we're playing average and 8 zip. I'm really liking how this season is panning out.

 

[The Other Dean]

Here's what matters in football:

Winning games
Winning finals

Spot on, hilltop. Succinct and accurate. I like it.

This team has shown over the last 3 years that it is capable of improvement, both from one season to another and over the course of the season as they build toward finals. There is no rational reason to think that won't happen again.

Yep. And this time around our launchpad is marked 'undefeated and a game clear on top of the ladder'. Hardly the sort of stuff to trigger talk of doomsday scenarios, but it's a good example of just how predisposed towards giving rote (negative) responses that some posters are, regardless of the situation we find ourselves in. Just the regular 'glass half-full' stuff that is some posters' default setting. You'll probably find that those currently complaining the loudest and prophesing imminent doom are the same posters who were doing likewise last season and the season before that. The same posters that were forecasting a poor start to this season off the back of some stage-managed NAB Cup games. (How'd that call work out for you, fellas?)

Personally, I'm not buying into the simplistic take on our form (due for a loss any moment now, not smashing dud sides must mean we're not that good, etc), nor the predictably reactive responses to Saturday's game, in what was essentially a chance for us to **** about with selection and go in with a clearly unbalanced team (to reap important upsides in the 'player management' and 'game time for those that needed it' departments) and still walk away with the 4 points and our unbeaten record intact. A bit of an arrogant gamble perhaps and one that, in hindsight, may have had a slight flow-on effect of encouraging complacency among the playing group, but shirley after the last couple of seasons and with what they've achieved so far this year, we can have some trust in the fact that the coaching staff have a fair idea of what they're doing. That we as supporters can display a little patience.

I'm not about to go so far as to suggest everything is perfect in the land of North, and one or two of the concerns being raised here may well have a degree of validity to them, including a general acknowledgement that there's room for improvement. (Which is basically a given, as there always is.) But as far as I can see, the majority of the hand-wringing is just the forum's Henny Penny crew doing a little Henny Pennying. "Woe is us", etc. Rinse, repeat.

Although saying that, I certainly wouldn't rule out a correlation between winning games and crap posting on Bigfooty. Just look at the Hawthorn fans.

 

[KiwiRoo]

This board is going to be like the front row of a One Direction concert when we have our first loss.

8 zip and still more angst than Teenage Goths

 

[Horace]

Well I think we are done. We are officially the 7th best team in the comp based on "quarters won" as outlined by RoCo's article in the Age today.

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-ne...-to-learn-to-run-rampant-20160516-gowgtg.html

We're also crap at "average winning margins" at 13th and 6th for "average points for". You really can't argue with data like that can you.

So sack Scotts, bring in Micky (I need another mill to coach anywhere for a day) Malthouse as replacement and changes for this week must be, outs: Gibbo (obligatory call if you are doing this right), Brown, Nahas, Mullett, Boomer (can't kick anymore) Spitta (too slow and can't kick - ignore tackling stats), Cunners (apparently lazy and doesn't care much), LT (should have been suspended anyway for doing something) and anyone else anyone cares to name. Ins: Well who cares because we are done anyway.

I wish I was 1, a Melbourne supporter and 2, a skier and I could start preparing for Queens Birthday and the opening of the Ski season. That's where I am at the present.

 

[Dodecahedron]

Not buying into any pessimism, BUT: is anyone else a little concerned about how the squiggle views us? I know we sort of tend to defy it, but nevertheless it's been nagging at me the last couple of weeks.

Yep Squiggle has us in slightly the wrong place versus most of the recent Premiers.

However:

There is one simple statistic which stands out for those wanting to judge their teams. It's the Champion Data flag tracker. Basically, it means unless your team averages more than 100 points and concedes fewer than 86 points, it won't taste ultimate success. And it has only been wrong once in 15 years – in 2005 when the Swans prevailed. So far, the Cats, Giants, Swans, North and West Coast fit the bill

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-ne...eport-card-20160515-govt1k.html#ixzz48re9zujJ
Follow us: @theage on Twitter | theageAustralia on Facebook

 

[Mr Despondent]

In the end its half glass full scenario.

I always worry when I only see my glass of water half full. Maybe someone else has drunk the top half and do they have germs?

I told my psychic this once and he told me not to worry, just to go and get a clean glass and fill it up with water but I said what should I do if later I find it half full again? He said just keep your eye on it but I said I don't have time for that as I am too worried about when the northerners are going to lose their next game.

 

[King Corey]

Skarrz have no problem with with your post. The only part I don't relate to is caring about whether anyone rates us. However some of us do also have queries over whether the streak is a false dawn.

In 2005 we were 5-0 with some pretty handy premiership quality Pagan era players (Archer, Harvey, Simpson, Grant etc) still going around but there was an uneasy feeling we weren't overly convincing. Those feelings were vindicated come finals time.

This time around we have a longer winning stretch but it's pretty clear the side still suffers consistency issues within games and can't/hasn't implemented a killer instinct (just yet).

A slightly patronising form of intellectual bullying appears to surface here whenever someone dares question whether we're possibly not heading down the yellow brick road. I hope you disregard that and continue to post honestly as some of us do appreciate reading different views.

 

[Hearts to hearts]

Skarrz have no problem with with your post. The only part I don't relate to is caring about whether anyone rates us. However some of us do also have queries over whether the streak is a false dawn.

In 2005 we were 5-0 with some pretty handy premiership quality Pagan era players (Archer, Harvey, Simpson, Grant etc) still going around but there was an uneasy feeling we weren't overly convincing. Those feelings were vindicated come finals time.

This time around we have a longer winning stretch but it's pretty clear the side still suffers consistency issues within games and can't/hasn't implemented a killer instinct (just yet).

A slightly patronising form of intellectual bullying appears to surface here whenever someone dares question whether we're possibly not heading down the yellow brick road. I hope you disregard that and continue to post honestly as some of us do appreciate reading different views.

I guess I'd only add that the 2005 team was also pretty much the team that thrashed Carlton by 135 points, beat eventual premiers Port by over 80 points in 2004, and I recall racked up some other pretty hefty wins. Living through that has made me and probably others wary of false dawns, and not overly impressed by the ability to bob up with occasional pantsings, compared with the ability to win game after game, pretty or ugly. Even focusing on more recent history, I'm more interested in avoiding big losses than seeing big wins - avoiding any losses, even when playing poorly, is beyond expectations.