SurreyBlue wrote:
Curtley Ambrose wrote:
We're a team who aren't used to success and being the hunted ones so patience is the key now.
Sorry mate but no more excuses tolerated and as a side that has the best intentions in mind and only success in mind we leave the excuses to other non-successful sides.
We have set the benchmark, as all goods sides do and it should be implemented week in week out!
You're right, it should be implemented every week. But, do you think the team went out against North and with the intent of playing and performing the way they did? Same question for the Essendon* and Collingwood results, etc.
Quality football sides do take time to develop. You only have to look at the current Geelong and St Kilda sides to see that.
Understanding this is not making excuses for the team when they perform poorly. It is right to question and demand poor performances are not repeated. But the point is it is extremely rare for any side, no matter how dominant they are, not to have bad days. Geelong has the 2008 Grand Final to remind them of that.
All we can do as supporters is ask/hope that the team and coaching staff have the structures in place to ensure they are working towards improving consistency. You can’t just flick a switch. There will be bad days and there will be good days. The task is to minimise the bad days.
If everything goes perfectly a team might be able to win a flag unexpectedly (again, see the 2008 GF for an example). But the reality is sides have to do a lot of hard yards before reaching their optimum level.
How many crap years the the bulk of the Brisbane Lions guys endure before they flogged everyone for three or four years? Likewise Geelong.
If you use those teams as a reference then Curtley’s two-year timeline from now does make sense. Only time will tell if the outcome is right, but the theory is sound.
I think we do have a mental weakness problem that needs addressing, and fast. Maybe it is right that some of the players don’t genuinely want success and aren’t prepared to work hard enough. Whatever the reality, Ratten and his helpers need to identify the source of our mental fade outs and develop ways to make sure these performances are minimised.