@Newtown said:
I say that our main problem is that we are carrying two young, inexperienced halves. Sure, they have talent but when it comes to a pressure situation in a first grade match they still don't know how to deal with it. They will come good with experience but the club will (if these two sign up in June) have to bear the pain of their inexperience.l
I'm not sure how much you know about business culture but to me it appears cultural. We have had most of the same issues in this club since well before Brooks and Moses arrived. It is ill discipline and it is shirking duty when the going gets tough. As Taylor put it "being hard on yourself and making soft decisions". It's really a perfect way to sum up the Tigers in general for years. Weak in defence, weak on last tackle options, weak before and after breaks, weak off the field and on the field. We let average players have career best games. Debutantes score doubles, and trebles. Because we make soft decisions.
There is no desire to hurt the opposition. There is no fight to drag the player down when they are dragging defenders through the line. Everything is for show. We are a painted [This word has been automatically removed] of a football team.
The problem is that it has been going on for so long that I think the culture has infected most of the players who could have formed the basis for changing it. A little bit monkey see-monkey do.
It's now part of the culture of the club, the colours, emblem and name. Most people would look at the common link to the eras of incompetence and point at Farah. I don't agree. I did at one point, but the more I've dwelled on it the more I think that Farah was actually the one that was trying to change it about the club and has been the entire time. All the stories out of the camp are Farah had beef with Benji. Farah contributed to Sheens's and Potter's ousting. He appears to be the one trying to initiate change at levels that can alter the culture. Taylor walks in and makes the assumption that Farah is actually the cause of the culture and tries to oust him and Farah loses his mind because he's getting hung out to dry over something he's been personally trying to fix the entire time.
If you look at the periods of success with the club, it coincided with;
a) Fluke that the rules made our haphazard style of play work in 2005 plus Sheens being fresh probably had the respect of the side at the time.
b) Steve Folkes and Gareth Ellis being at the club. Two guys absolutely renowned for discipline and toughness.
Potter couldn't handle it. He came in and tried spinning the plates but they kept falling off and smashing on the floor. Farah didn't rate him as the guy needed to make the change, and he probably wasn't. Taylor… he might be, but like I said can he spin the plates? He showed the desire to make a huge move by tossing Farah but he couldn't get what he wanted done... so he's probably not a capable enough leader to make things that need to happen, happen. Woods as captain, I think is not a good decision either. Another easy decision it was, made by the senior playing group. Pick the most popular guy.
Who is the guy? I don't think Cleary is the go.
I think we need a respected on field disciplinarian leader signed from outside the club as well as a similar coach. Michael Maguire as a coach would be good. Bellamy perfect. The only player off contract that remotely fits the bill is Cooper Cronk... unfortunately there's not really anyone out there who we can go after.
If we could draw up ... I dunno, a challenge? A career defining challenge/opportunity for Craig Bellamy and throw it and loads of cash at him...
Unfortunately I don't see anything like that happening any time soon. Unless we fluke it, or I am just all kinds of wrong.
