I'm Ashamed of my Club

[The Karma Bus]

It feels like 1996 again, the coach has no game plan and the players don't have a clue what to do.

Its the most lost ive felt since that time frame too.

They look rattled at the moment, no composure etc.

I know injuries are hurting us but theres many players out there that look confused, cant execute simple skills and you could go on for a while.

Think im in shock we look this bad. Today felt like watching a 15th vs 16th game, richmond vs melbourne or something

 

[Southerntakeover]

Yeah, you people dont understand the game of football.

Why, if id been out there i would have single handedly beaten down the entire melbourne team, run up to the coaches box to throw Bailey through the plate glass window, kicked the umpires testicles through his scalp, and still found time to make Eddie fear Adelaide some more.

 

[Rave Slave]

*sigh* but the point is - you have to take the good with the bad. Are you a fairweather supporter, where you only proudly wear your colours when the team is performing well, but hide them away when the going gets tough? Or are you a true supporter that proudly owns up to being a Crows supporter despite the bad times.

There are people in here talking about following another team, or stopping supporting the Crows if they continue this way. Well... I say "see ya, don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out".

It's posts like this one which make me cringe at about 25% of our supporter base.

I'll preface this by saying Jenny that I don't question your unwaivering dedication to the Crows. I can tell you're truly passionate about your club and have the attitude that 'we should support the boys as they head off to war' type thing going. That's cool and I dig that.

What I don't like about your attitude that probably 1 in 4 of our supporter base has going too is the 'unwaivering support whilst asking no questions' mentality. You just assume that the guys on our list are good enough, the coaching staff will eventually get it right and that anyone who questions the club and its approach towards football both on field or off field aren't true supporters.

I'm as loyal a supporter as they come Jenny, I've been a season ticket holder since day dot. Having, up until moving interstate, missed 2 games in my life and would never ever contemplate changing allegiances. What I will say though is that if I can see my club approaching something poorly or if the club isn't getting something right then I, as a paying member, have every right to want to see change. I'm not embarassed to say I was ashamed by the lack of cajones shown by the boys after the Dangerfield incident. I grow to love Ivan Maric as a player more and more each time because he epitomises what it should all be about and is all for bleeding for the guy standing next to him. Sadly that's lacking in many of our other players and it's crept into the gameplan.

Does me questioning this mean I'm not a true Crows fan and that I'm changing allegiances? Uh no that's ridiculous

Does me being ashamed make me less of a true fan? Uh no again ridiculous

If you don't like people who question the clubs methods from time to time Jenny then perhaps don't contribute in threads such as this one but if I don't see some form of change by my club in this area in particular then I'll be bitterly disappointed and I'll keep voicing my opinions on it.

Will I stop supporting the club? Not a chance. But if everyone just stands around slapping each other on the back for the good things we do and completely ignoring the negative things that take place then this club will never win another flag.

 

[Rave Slave]

Yeah, you people dont understand the game of football.

Why, if id been out there i would have single handedly beaten down the entire melbourne team, run up to the coaches box to throw Bailey through the plate glass window, kicked the umpires testicles through his scalp, and still found time to make Eddie fear Adelaide some more.

You were happy with the Crows lack of physicality Daniel San?

 

[Kennyrocks]

Sadly I agree with the sentiments of this thread, and it's not just the Dangerfield incident, it has been happening for some time. There's a fine line, and I understand the club chooses discipline and it seems player are instructed to remain restrained, but it seems it is discipline at all costs. I'm sick of our lack of physicality, lack of passion and how we continually fail to stand up for team-mates when they receive unwanted attention from opposition players. Added to this, I can't remember the last time we genuinely "flew the flag" for an injured team-mate and/or remonstrated with an opponent who stepped over the line.

No-one expects, let alone wants players to start throwing hay makers, that's not what it's about. It's about being out there for your team-mates and taking your turn. Too often our younger or more vulnerable players have been picked on by big fish small pond bullies such as Chad Cornes, Nick Maxwell, Jordan Lewis and the like, who the minute anyone their own size or bigger steps up to the plate cower and disappear because they know they can get away with it against us. Where are the senior team members coming in, getting in their face letting them know that wont be accepted?

Simply looking the offender in the eye and stating "I saw what you did, and if you do it again next time your eyes are on the ball I'm going to (fairly) run through you like a train" does the trick more often than not for the simple fact that the kind of guys this would not work against don't feel the need to assert themselves in this way in the first place. For example, Jonathan Brown doesn't go around picking on smaller players, everyone knows he's a bad ass already and he knows it too, theres just no need.

Well drifted off topic there a little but the point remains-FIRE UP CROWS!

 

[Southerntakeover]

You were happy with the Crows lack of physicality Daniel San?

Really depends which physicality you're talking about.

I wanted us to be harder at the ball during the actual game, and impose ourselves in whatever ways we legally could. Had we thrown ourselves at the ball up immediately following, we could have gotten a goal. That would have gone along way towards winning the game. See the 08 Showdown as an example.

Do i want to see us taking it to a stupid extreme just so i can feel tough? No.

 

[SydCrow]

Ivan is the only bloke we have who is big enough to make a statement

Rutten is usually too far away

Bock has shown some aggro in the past

who else is there? By the time Tex got there, it would all be over

 

[Kennyrocks]

Really depends which physicality you're talking about.

I wanted us to be harder at the ball during the actual game, and impose ourselves in whatever ways we legally could. Had we thrown ourselves at the ball up immediately following, we could have gotten a goal. That would have gone along way towards winning the game. See the 08 Showdown as an example.

Do i want to see us taking it to a stupid extreme just so i can feel tough? No.

Most sports allow for much less outright physicality than football. It's not always about what you do, as much as the mentality you have and the attitude you display. There are many ways you can stand up for your team, in footy exerting a physical presence is the most common and in my opinion the most effective, anyone who says otherwise, well I would guess they have either not played much football or are super-disciplined! Please understand I do not mean to cause offence here, just my opinion and no doubt some will disagree.

Obviously there are limits, but in any sport this side of lawn bowls I doubt theres anyone who would want to step onto the field with a team-mate who wouldn't put themselves on the line for them. Step into any tight sporting club around the country and I'm sure you'll find much the same attitude.

Absolutely agree with you on being harder at the ball, has been disappointing this season so far.

 

[Kennyrocks]

Ivan is the only bloke we have who is big enough to make a statement

Rutten is usually too far away

Bock has shown some aggro in the past

who else is there? By the time Tex got there, it would all be over

I say this as a 203cm 104kg bloke but it's not about size.

In any case, it seems to me that the players are instructed not to get involved in remonstrations. I understand why the club would take this approach but I find it disappointing that we seem to take it to such a level.

 

[Southerntakeover]

I think it demonstrated a pretty clear lack of leadership on field though (the aftermath). Was there a huddle, and big rev up by the captain immediately afterwards?


Our response in the sense of our performance for the rest of the game was what disappointed me. There was no real fire, no real spark to our performance. There hasnt been all year.

 

[Rollerball]

I don't mind seeing a bit of mongrel, it is satisfying as a spectator and shows the players have comraderie and passion for the club. Ultimately though I think it is pretty ineffective as far as the result of the game - for every time players have flown the flag and gone on to a great win, there is a time when a team has tried to rough the opposition up, lost the game and ended up looking like gimps ie Collingwood on Friday night.

 

[Kennyrocks]

I think it demonstrated a pretty clear lack of leadership on field though (the aftermath). Was there a huddle, and big rev up by the captain immediately afterwards?


Our response in the sense of our performance for the rest of the game was what disappointed me. There was no real fire, no real spark to our performance. There hasnt been all year.

Agreed I have found it very surprising from what is typically a super professional club.

Every person has a different personality and as such every captain will operate in a different way, but while Goodwin has always been a favorite of mine he does not seem to be the kind of player to do this. Not saying he is not right for the job, and without being within the club it is hard/impossible to know how he does things but his style seems to be more leading by example than taking a situation like this by the scruff of the neck.

 

[Southerntakeover]

I mean, it doesnt even have to be the captain... but it seems theres really noone in the team with the status and aura, or maybe just the confidence to deliever a rev up anymore.

A huge void in natural on field leadership, from a club that has all sorts of fancy theoretical leadership development programs.

 

[twentydollarnote]

I think you either need to have mongrel 100% in your game plan like the hawks do and recruit those sorts of players, or go the other way like we have and ignore it.

Its too hard just to switch it on and off and dumb players which we'd have a few of just end up giving way cheap free kicks.

 

[3woodb]

Danger stands up in a tackle better than any other player bar Gablett so a gang tackle injury like this was always possible. Rugby league shows the best way to take down a strong stand up inside player, is via the legs.

Not saying it is ok and I hope the review panel has a serious look at it but Danger is and will be prone to this type of incident. It is in the nature of his game and one of the reasons why I love watching him play.

I don't prescribe to this chest beating "bring back the biff" rubbish but I am a bit worried that when Danger, a 20 year old kid, watches the replay and only sees one crows player showing some emotion on the field, he may question the value of our club culture versus the dollars that will be splashed around by GC at the end of the year.

There are a lot of things that I am disappointed by at the moment; injuries, coaching tactics, form, hardness at the ball and persistence with one particular player that I want gone, but I WILL NEVER BE ASHAMED OF MY CLUB!!!!!

 

[Smoooothy]

I mean, it doesnt even have to be the captain... but it seems theres really noone in the team with the status and aura, or maybe just the confidence to deliever a rev up anymore.

A huge void in natural on field leadership, from a club that has all sorts of fancy theoretical leadership development programs.

This!!! While we have Goodwin as captain, we won't go anywhere. He isn't a captains scrotum

 

[twentydollarnote]

I cant ever remember Roo giving a big 'rev up'? Goody was always going to be a step down from roo but thats ridiculous to suggest hes not a good captain, the whole captain leading form the front thing unless you're wayne carey is pretty overrated anyway.

Despite everything that happened we still had our chances but were just ineffective going forward.

 

[thebirdman 24]

I reckon its a leadership group thing, i mean Goodwin is ok, but compared to players like Maxwell (even though i hate him) Glass, Mitchell, Ling etc, he is never going to lift the team. He got what 35 touches today but how many were soft unconstested possions kicking backwards. Lets look at the rest of the group, there is noone bar Symes who is actually willing to lift the team on the field. Get Maric in there for god sake he was the only one giving it a go while the rest were static ball watching.

I want to see the old crew go asap besides Mcleod and Goodwin (possibly), they look at times disinterested, unwilling to lift their team mates and just plain insipid. Doughty is getting more and more useless, and only enjoys playing in a winning team, see last year. Burton was good, if he wasn't so injured all the time, he would've made a good part of the leadership group.

Next year: Captain - VB/Dangerfield then Symes, Maric, Porps part of the leadership group. They seem the only ones to try. A while ago i thought Thompson would make a good captain but this year he just doesn't look interested in [playing for the crows.

 

[Southerntakeover]

The 05 'dream' showdown.

Biglands is knocked out, Ricciuto acts as the general for the team. Not only remonstrates, but pulls the team together and keeps them steeled. For another teams example, remember Cousins giving the team a rev while Judd was the captain watching on a few years back?

 

[twentydollarnote]

bit overrated i reckon, fom memory after biglands was knocked out we lost our way by going for the man instead of the ball.

 

[Kennyrocks]

To be fair we actually know very little of what goes on inside the club and on the field with regards to leadership. From what we can observe/imagine I would tend to agree but remember appearances can be deceiving.

 

[Southerntakeover]

bit overrated i reckon, fom memory after biglands was knocked out we lost our way by going for the man instead of the ball.

Your memory is way off. We held the line, kicked away and ended up humiliating them.

 

[Southerntakeover]

To be fair we actually know very little of what goes on inside the club and on the field with regards to leadership. From what we can observe/imagine I would tend to agree but remember appearances can be deceiving.

I agree.

But we're not talking about behind the scenes leadership. We're talking about a clear and obvious level of on field leadership that isnt there.

 

[Kennyrocks]

I agree.

But we're not talking about behind the scenes leadership. We're talking about a clear and obvious level of on field leadership that isnt there.

It's important to remember that leadership can take many forms, some are more obvious than others to those outside.

 

[bus24]

bit overrated i reckon, fom memory after biglands was knocked out we lost our way by going for the man instead of the ball.

We won by about 400 gazillion points, and bulldozed the ***** off the park in the second half!