You make a few good points and I agree with many of them.
One of the things that has always amused me about the Aussie logic when it comes to group dynamics is this need to look for a scapegoat. The urge to pin all the problems on one guy.
Isn’t that what the club has been doing all these years?
We have a board, we have 50 admin and coaching staff, plus 30 plus players, but some how we’re gonna be a crack footy team if we sack one player?
Here’s an idea?
How about we identify organisational behaviours which encourage a cultural mediocrity and simply change them for a more positive approach?
Too hard?
Sure you’ll get screams from those with a cushy gig, saying it ain’t broke and doesn’t need fixing. 😜
Congratulations on some very well thought out and articulated posts ToddSanchez.
The organisational behaviours which encourage cultural mediocrity are being addressed. We have an incredible new high performance facility at Concord, we are allegedly nurturing young juniors who have bright NRL futures and we signed arguably the best player in his position in the game (Api). We are financially solvent and in no danger of relocation - we are a healthy club. I don’t think Justin Pascoe or Lee have any football intelligence at all but their agenda in the last 2-3 years has been not too bad. We have bought in legends who represented Wests Tigers to steer our ship for at least the next 5 years.
The final domino to fall is the players - we need to jump this hurdle. I’ll give you some examples of players changing the fortunes of organisations who struggle for on field success - some are smart acquisitions and others involve making tough choices with underperforming personnel:
Domantas Sabonis to the Sacramento Kings - The Kings have not made the NBA finals longer than we haven’t made the top 8 - this year they will likely be the two seed with the best attack in the NBA and Sabonis, who is the missing link, will only make 3rd team all NBA. They lost Tyrese Haliburton in this trade who is going to be a multiple time all NBA player but he wasn’t what the Kings needed to succeed so they traded him for what they did need.
Virgil Van Dijk to Liverpool - Liverpool needed a strong CB and leader. For years they had Martin Skrtel who I would argue is the worst player ever to play in the Premier League. Looked the part, was physical, could score the odd goal but had literally zero - I mean absolutely nothing there at all - in terms of positioning and organising his defence to the point where Liverpool had to try and outscore teams to win, which no champion side does (To be fair to Skrtel he also played in a defence that had Glen Johnson, Alberto Moreno and Simon Mignolet - hardly world beaters). In comes Van Dijk - leadership, presence, calmness, responsibility = Champions League and first title of the Premier League era.
Skrtel who is very similar to Brooks (physical with no football smarts) moves abroad where people with no attachment to him realise that he is terrible. Complains about being benched and transfers to smaller and smaller clubs where his career abruptly ends.
Joe Burrow to Cincinatti Bengals - Bengals get the number 1 pick and take a mature college senior to replace the highly competent Andy Dalton. Andy Dalton has a passer rating of 90 - better than a lot of the all time greats - Favre, Marino, Aikman to name a few. He had taken Cincinatti to the playoffs but the organisation knew they had a ceiling with Dalton that didn’t end in the Superbowl. In comes Joe Burrow - cool hand, amazing pass selection, elite level accuracy, elite football intelligence, elite game management - and things start to improve a bit. Does his ACL in his rookie year and gets back to open the second season and takes his side to their first Superbowl since 1986. A small market team who liked Andy Dalton (Luke Brooks) but knew his ceiling was well below what it took to win it all didn’t blink when given the opportunity to trade Dalton who is a great guy but just an ok player.
On field results are all about players. The Sacramento Kings are going to make the NBA playoffs this year! Cincinatti Bengals reached a Superbowl, Liverpool win the Premier and Champions League - why? PLAYERS.
We are trying to make the top 8 of a 17 team competition. The only thing that can realistically prevent that from happening is players.
Fans of Arsenal have bemoaned their ownership for years - got new players - the right players and parted ways with the bad eggs - Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - the club captain! Gone! And they are about to win the Premier League!
Los Angeles Lakers are in the play in spot for the NBA - finally! After starting the season 0-5 -why? They trade Russell Westbrook - an NBA all time top 75 player - an MVP - 10 time
all star - averaging 16 pts a game this season! Because they had the clarity to see that even though he is good physically and has a good reputation he was not what they needed, he is poor mentally, he is a bad team mate, he has never won at the highest level and made their team worse.
It is all about players.