Why are the knives out all of a sudden?

[TheGoldenBoy]

Gee guys, we lose 1 game against a determined and a desperate Melbourne side.

As a coach myself. A few of my players have been hard on themselves and feel they could of done better.

I say to them:

"You have a bad week every now and then, we all do, from AFL to EFL Divi 4. It shows character in a team and a player on how you bounce back and it is the way you respond the following week"

This is what I'd be saying if I was Hirdy. It's the way we respond next week. We win next week, we can accept that last night was just a bad game. We play Etihad better than any other side in the competition. I'm confident the boys will take home the 4 points against the Swans. And hey, we're still 2nd on the ladder, sitting 8-2. I'm pretty happy with that. Both losses under 10 points as well. Cheer up Bomber fans, not the end of the world.

No need for hostile changes and players needing a rest. The Bye is after the Sydney game, they can rest then.

Go Bombers.

 

[Lord Nicholson]

People are savage because it's embarrassing. People would rather lose several games to good sides than one game to a shithouse side. It's illogical but understandable.

 

[VelvetSledge]

Need to bring our best side in. Melk and Pears aren't part of that at the moment.

 

[Phone]

Don't really think anything new is being said. Melksham and Pears have been criticised all season for example

 

[fishardansin]

I also think that it would be good for the two of them to go back and take positions of real responsibility for Bendigo for a month. Melksham to be a midfield leader and Pears to general the backline.

While they get their form and confidence back they can work on their leadership. No shame in that. I have no doubt that they're both very talented and will end up very good players. No point flogging a dead horse and forcing them to lose even more confidence if we have the depth to replace them.

Bring in Heppell and Hooker. I'd like Heppell to have a crack at the forward flank too to give him time to play with an opponent following him for a change.

 

[yaco55]

I take a different view - Assuming that we win 18 games - I want the four losses to be teams outside the eight - I like to beat our fellow competitors in the eight.

 

[Jesse Custer]

No knives are out. But i believe people are entitled to feel anger and embarrassment when your club loses against the bottom side. I thought we were past this shit.

 

[DapperDon]

We are still a developing side, many people got ahead of themselves after our amazing start to the season and need to remember there will be ups and there will be downs. If we were offered at the start of the season to be 9-2/8-3 by the break we'd have jumped at it.

Good teams lose to lessor teams, every season, every year. We played horribly and lost by a goal. Last time we played this bad LeCras kicked 12 (the spoon team at the time) if people can't see the changes between then and now or just expected we'd be 18-4 by seasons end then I'm sorry but you needed this dose of reality.

 

[daffo]

We lost to Melbourne because we didn't have anyone spreading well from the contest, our skills in the wet were well below what they should be, we missed easy shots on goal and we didn't work hard enough to win hard ball.

Why everyone is mad (and should be) is (apart from shots on goal) what we did wrong was effort related. We didn't give Melbourne enough respect and only started to work in the last quarter. By then, the Dees had their tail up and we couldn't get the win. I'm really upset still about the loss.

 

[Childish Gambino]

The knives are out because certain supporters got too far ahead of themselves and aren't particularly happy with the reality check that was dished out.

 

[Lord Nicholson]

The knives are out because certain supporters got too far ahead of themselves and aren't particularly happy with the reality check that was dished out.

No, they're upset because it's not a reality check. The side is clearly better than that. A reality check is something like the EF last year. Domination.

This is an unpleasant surprise. Very different.

 

[Tassieboy]

You know I was far more devastated following Anzac Day. I'm just hoping this is a sort of aberration. I guess Collingwood drew with Melbourne in 2010 and didn't stop them from even winning a premiership.

 

[Jade]

I'm glad you are a big enough man to 'forgive and forget', as far as I am concerned that performance was complete horse **** from a side that has an inflated view of themselves.

I think only Watson, Zaharakis and Carlisle can hold their heads up after that game - the rest of them I hope are getting flogged brutally on the track.

They DESERVE the knives they are getting.

 

[Childish Gambino]

Yeah, let's flog a pretty tired team on the training track. That'll really freshen us up for the Swans.

 

[Childish Gambino]

No, they're upset because it's not a reality check. The side is clearly better than that. A reality check is something like the EF last year. Domination.

This is an unpleasant surprise. Very different.

It wasn't a surprise at all. The way we've been playing the last few weeks it was bound to happen. The team we lost to doesn't change anything. We weren't performing to a level of an 8-1 side.

The best thing is that we have a chance for redemption this week. The Sydney game will define our season.

 

[Howard Moon]

reckon the days of flogging teams after a loss may be over ?

used to hear stories of sheeds making the team crawl a lap ect.

i reckon they would be more likley to sit them infront of that tripe and make them watch it with eyes taped open torture style... and with full bristle/darcy commetary too!

 

[Lord Nicholson]

It wasn't a surprise at all. The way we've been playing the last few weeks it was bound to happen.

Not really. We haven't wasted our opportunities as blithely. Possibly against Richmond, but against GWS we took every opportunity we got. I don't see what people's issues are with the GWS performance when the game was pretty much beyond doubt by quarter time. And we dominated an in-form Richmond for a half, and found the wherewithal to polish them off when they fought back.

This was more akin to our Rd 1-3 form.

 

[Jade]

Yeah, let's flog a pretty tired team on the training track. That'll really freshen us up for the Swans.

Maybe we should get them a glass of warm milk and a cuddle as well hey? Tired from what? They are professional football players - at least they are supposed to be.

reckon the days of flogging teams after a loss may be over ?

used to hear stories of sheeds making the team crawl a lap ect.

i reckon they would be more likley to sit them infront of that tripe and make them watch it with eyes taped open torture style... and with full bristle/darcy commetary too!

I'm actually equally happy with this option - either way should make them feel the pain.

 

[Childish Gambino]

Not really. We haven't wasted our opportunities as blithely. Possibly against Richmond, but against GWS we took every opportunity we got. I don't see what people's issues are with the GWS performance when the game was pretty much beyond doubt by quarter time. And we dominated an in-form Richmond for a half, and found the wherewithal to polish them off when they fought back.

This was more akin to our Rd 1-3 form.

GWS kicked 2.9 for the first half and many were very easy attempts on goal. Our superior fitness and their lack of experience won us the game in the end. If you were happy with that performance then you've set very low standards for the team.

Against Richmond we were outplayed for almost 2 full quarters. We again were lucky they didn't make the most of their opportunities especially in the 3rd quarter when they had us on the ropes. In the end it was a pretty gutsy win by us after being headed in the final term. I stated after the game that the win was more impressive than it looked and was proven right with Richmond winning their next two games.

The most impressive wins this season were the Brisbane and West Coast games. If we play like we played in the 3rd quarter against West Coast we won't lose another game this season. That is the standard I'm looking for.

 

[Childish Gambino]

Maybe we should get them a glass of warm milk and a cuddle as well hey? Tired from what? They are professional football players - at least they are supposed to be.

I think there will be verbal punishment and the like but to physically punish them after a pretty hard game in the wet is suicide.

 

[Jade]

I think there will be verbal punishment and the like but to physically punish them after a pretty hard game in the wet is suicide.

Punishment is what I'm after - as long as it stings I'm not overly attached to the method of delivery.

 

[DonsRule]

I'm glad you are a big enough man to 'forgive and forget', as far as I am concerned that performance was complete horse **** from a side that has an inflated view of themselves.

I think only Watson, Zaharakis and Carlisle can hold their heads up after that game - the rest of them I hope are getting flogged brutally on the track.

They DESERVE the knives they are getting.

Says the person who asked Stants if he's written his Brownlow speech at the supporters night, talk about getting ahead of yourself. .

The performance was way below par. But I recall Hirdy said he regretted flogging the players on the track earlier this year after one our our poor performances, so I don't think it'll happen on the track this time. Maybe as suggested above a verbal lashing.

 

[vast]

It was because our players and coaches thought that we could just turn up and win. As a result we lost to one of the worst teams in years while in our best form for years. Players coaches etc should have known better. Make em watch all the millionaire moments and our lazy attempts for goal just make sure they never do it again even if we are 100 points up.

 

[Jade]

It was because our players and coaches thought that we could just turn up and win. As a result we lost to one of the worst teams in years while in our best form for years. Players coaches etc should have known better. Make em watch all the millionaire moments and our lazy attempts for goal just make sure they never do it again even if we are 100 points up.

I think I prefer this. In front of the whole group, and ask them to explain why they did it. Ask them the question why they should keep a spot in the seniors.

 

[Mr Mojo Risin]

Says the person who asked Stants if he's written his Brownlow speech at the supporters night, talk about getting ahead of yourself. .

The performance was way below par. But I recall Hirdy said he regretted flogging the players on the track earlier this year after one our our poor performances, so I don't think it'll happen on the track this time. Maybe as suggested above a verbal lashing.

Oh Jade you did not seriously do this did you?

My take is there appeared to be times at the game against Melbourne that players were not giving it 100%. Having watched the game twice since I'm more of the opinion that the players were very tired.

I have been wondering for a couple of weeks if we are in a period of heavy training load in preparation for the second half of the season. Saturday night has almost convinced me that we are.

Effort was there, but the players were clearly more fatigued than usual.

In addition to this:
- We do not handle wet conditions very well. We need to train with the sprinklers on as Kaiser Power has suggested in another thread. I was thinking the same thing.
- The commentators on Saturday night mentioned that they think Neeld has loosened the strings to allow the players to play naturally a bit more than earlier in the season. While I don't rate the commentators highly, I also thought this at the game. You could argue we let them do this however I would suggest that at least it was both.
- It's been suggested by many people who know Melbourne well that they have been playing poorly and looking like they don't try because the coaching staff there had been training them with pre-season style loads during the season. They have been doing this to try and speed up their fitness base for the next few years as they realise this year is awash. They looked to be running on top of the ground far more than they have all year. With the constant pressure from the media and public I would not be surprised if they have eased up on this the past couple of weeks.

I was far from happy about Saturday night, however there are no knives from me. Talks of flogging the group at training without knowing the background of current training loads, what has been happening with the opposition etc is just old school rhetoric.

If the players were not trying we would not have won the contested ball, had more inside 50s and time in forward half.

I trust Hird/Bomber know what they are doing and will respond in the appropriate manner.