PyreneesPie wrote:Piesnchess wrote: We have had NO luck this yr, starting with silly little wretch Stephenson, from then on, nothing has gone well.
We weren't playing totally dominant football early on, but I am inclined to agree that the Stephenson debacle knocked us sideways. Since then, we have not played as a team, we have lost some trust in one another, we have lost confidence in one another, we are not playing for one another.
How could a betting suspension bring this about???? Because I reckon some of the players could well be demoralized and angered by it - really pissed off that they bust their guts only to have their footy goals and ambitions thwarted by the immature actions of one vital player.
I'm not having a go at Stevo here - he's young and wet behind the ears and will hopefully learn the hard way - but it could well have created some division amongst the players..... those who have understood and forgiven and those who haven't. It could even have created division amongst the coaching panel, as to how they reconcile Stevo's actions.
We are
not a united club at the moment. Years from now, we may find out the real repercussions of Stephenson's suspension.
This is aside from the injury toll and all that means. Sigh.
BINGO!
Aside form the obvious on field loss of the blonde bogan, the bigger issue seems to be the complete bursting of our confidence and cohesion bubble.
Last year and early this year we played as a team that had belief in each other- first half of the year we played out every game until the end- no matter the situation (Carlton and Saints games as egs) we could count on our team working their bums off for 4 quarters.
We had our injuries through this part also- yet managed to win ugly.
Since the Stephenson and lets not forget Beams in the same week- I would say it's a reasonable to assumption that this has divided and deflated our team and sense of unity.
How the leadership respond from here on is telling.
Sidey and Pendles are not right, Howey getting back form injury and Adams struggling to get on the park- void of leadership
Jamie looks lost, Crocker has been our most damaging forward over the past two weeks, Varcs sadly looks done (dropped mark last night and looks to have lost his run and hardness), WHE patching holes in defence and JT looking like he needs some good drugs to fire him up.
We have had 19 changes over the past month and a bit-kills continuity and cohesion- players filling gaps, playing out of position, fearful of losing.
The two bogans have played a big part in this, and bad luck has played even more of a part.
Go Pies
We can win the next 4 games