bagger wrote:
After reading most of the 45 pages regarding Ratts coaching I believe that many of the observations regarding his performance are taken out of context.
Now I'm happy to admit that Ratts may not be responsible for everything that has gone right, but given that his detractors hold him responsible for everything that goes wrong in the football department, I'm happy to credit him with the things that have gone right.
In my experience, any team that has under-performed for a long time will have developed certain characteristics, the team culture will be poor, their processes (game plan) will be weak and more often than not the group will be fractured with many cliques. In the corporate world this can be corrected more quickly, but in the AFL with your recruitment processes controlled by an outside agency I believe it takes a minimum of 3 years.
Anyway the process that need to followed has 3 main steps.
Culture (phase / year 1)
I think we have made huge strides in this area, the footy department has concentrated on improving the support network that the players have, with new fitness team, medical staff, specialist coaches, etc. Simultaneously making it easier for the players to do their job and removing any excuses they have for presenting themselves in less than peak condition.
I believe that we have made progress towards becoming a single cohesive team membership, the MC have been providing some of the younger guys with opportunities and many of them have spoken in interviews of their belief that hard work will be rewarded. (something that was not the case previously)
Training intensity is 10 times better than it was 3 -4 years ago and the players presented themselves in excellent condition at the start of the year.
Goals have been set, the team understands that finals are expected, the football department seems united and even our recruiting seems more purposeful in the last couple of years (Maybe Cazzes can comment).
All in all I think we can consider this phase to be a success.
Team member management (phase / year 2)
At this stage it is important to work on the processes (Game plan) that simply don't work or encourage bad habits, and present the team with new ways to achieve success.
Unfortunately with any team that has been under-performing for a long time some members will have developed a siege mentality and will be highly resistant to the changes in the processes and culture. It is important to break this down, but it must be done gradually and carefully or else you run the risk of fracturing the new team unity and culture.
You need to provide these people with every opportunity, but if you can't educate them, you need to manage them out of the organisation
I think this is where we are now.
1. Wiggo and Cloaky were provided chances early, and once it became obvious that they were not up to it they were replaced in the team, without much fuss
2. Our new young backline has been established and Thorton now finds himself relegated from key position player, to a sweeping role.
3. Fev has been trasnitioned from our Key focal point, to a more team oriented games with a focus on the defensive aspects.
4. Stevo and Scotty have now been dropped after numerous chances to repair the defensive side of their games.
All in all I think this transition is going well, I fear that if the above players cannot adapt to the changes that must take place, they could find themselves delisted or trade bait at the end of the year.
Process refinement (phase / year 3)
Once all the organisational, personal and personell have been sorted out, it is important to review and tighten all of the processes surrounding the team, to the point where success is almost a given as long as everyone does their part and follows the process.
At this stage it becomes easy to transition new members into the team as the older members leave, and it is now that we have a team that is setup for sustained success. I think that this is next year, when I would expect to be pushing a top 4 spot, on the back of better understanding and execution of Ratts gameplan.
All in all I think that Ratts is doing a fine job at repairing the damage that had previously been done and building a team that is positioned for long team success.
Anyway my two cents
Bagger
That's all very good but where is your knee jerk reaction, where is your desire for instant gratification, where is your mind numbing misunderstanding of the modern game and all it takes to reach the top, where is your blinkered view on CFC that is swayed by the visual media and talkback radio ....................where is it all I ask you
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You'll never last
Regards CazzesmanPS. Welcome
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You seem a bit confused yourself.
