Lots of Excuses. Zero Accountability

[damienc]

I've been wading through the various observations about today's match and effort.

It seems very much to me, to be divided between the appeasers and the apologists.

Those who want to make excuses for every lamentable performance.

You know what I'm talking about.

We tried really hard but we were outclassed. I wish everyone would stop blaming the coach. We need more A graders etc etc.

Enough.

No more excuses.

No more apologies.

It's a question of accountability.

No one can say Richo hasn't been given every chance to make something of this footy club.

Oh yes. One excuse I forgot to mention.

We are missing so many good players through injury, how can Richo be blamed for that? He was dealt a bad hand but has done his best.

Bollocks.

Every footy club has injuries to star players. The good ones know how to still win games of footy.

Note well. I'm talking about the good ones.

I've no doubt Richo is a lovely bloke. But he's not being judged on his personality. It's his coaching ability that is being questioned.

There is a serious and obvious flaw in our game plan.

It's been evident for as long as he's been the coach. It's the elephant in the room.

Richo's time is up. It may not happen until the end of the season but it will happen. It has to.

As hard as it is for some people on this forum to grasp, we will not register any serious improvement until he goes.

[realdeal]

End it now, Carlton showed that us whats possible. And Nth..

[ace]

Richo can not honestly claim to have had his team cruelled by injuries to star players.
He never had any star players in the first place.

[Crossy66]

Richo can not honestly claim to have had his team cruelled by injuries to star players.
He never had any star players in the first place.

No reasonable person would dispute that saints have season has been cruelled by injury. Most of the season we have missed up to 10 - 12 of our best 22 and when we did get them back, they were under done. I.e Carlisle, hannas, stuv, Steele, etc. Add to that the china fiasco with 8 players taking the field crook.
It's a fair observation.

[SydneySainter]

Richo can not honestly claim to have had his team cruelled by injuries to star players.
He never had any star players in the first place.

No reasonable person would dispute that saints have season has been cruelled by injury. Most of the season we have missed up to 10 - 12 of our best 22 and when we did get them back, they were under done. I.e Carlisle, hannas, stuv, Steele, etc. Add to that the china fiasco with 8 players taking the field crook.
It's a fair observation.

Of that crop, how many are All Australian’s or even regarded as star players? Hanna’s doesn’t count, because he’s only player two games for us so far and hasn’t been in star form for over two seasons now.

Shows how dire our depth is.

[spert]

We cant blame injuries or whatever for 6 years of going around in circles with no finals. In my years of following the club, it should be renamed to St. Excuse

[nw7]

This list has been built and players developed on Richos watch. The comments made last year that we have a top 4 list were sold to the board by Richos footy department. A change at seasons end must be made and we need to start again. Very disappointing outcome 8 years wasted and 6 under Richo.

[Yorkeys]

Can inertia be palpable? With that about to slide back into the abyss feeling.

[The Fireman]

Anyone that says you can't blame the coach is a Bum.

[Crossy66]

Richo can not honestly claim to have had his team cruelled by injuries to star players.
He never had any star players in the first place.

No reasonable person would dispute that saints have season has been cruelled by injury. Most of the season we have missed up to 10 - 12 of our best 22 and when we did get them back, they were under done. I.e Carlisle, hannas, stuv, Steele, etc. Add to that the china fiasco with 8 players taking the field crook.
It's a fair observation.

Of that crop, how many are All Australian’s or even regarded as star players? Hanna’s doesn’t count, because he’s only player two games for us so far and hasn’t been in star form for over two seasons now.

Shows how dire our depth is.

Richo made the point that we had injuries to OUR star players, which I think is valid.
Are they stars inrelation to other teams? Probably not.
But consider that the Dogs had no all Australians in 2014 yet won a 2016 GF.
Things can turn quickly, and I think we have a nucleus of a good team. Need a couple of elites and a good run with injuries and we can be a force

[BarryGrogan]

I've said it many times, and I'll say it again - I truly believe that Richo's coaching style (game plan, selections, strategy etc.) is counter productive to players ever being 'A-Grade'.

It is so conservative and defensive, that players simply don't get the opportunity to express themselves.

It's all 'pressure', long kicks down the line, predictable bombs to the hot spot and flat handing the ball to the front of the pack. Being good at all of that, will make you an icon to Cho - but the rest of us will just see a B-grader at best, who has a crack but it pretty much a list clogger.

Bruce has gone from a 50 goal marking forward, to what I described above. He is just one example.

It's why Hind stands out already - he hasn't had his natural flair coached out of him yet.

I actually sensed in the first half yesterday, that there'd been a change in this. There was a little bit of flair and creativity from individuals - which instantly showed in the likes of Clark and Coffield looking like top 10 draft picks with talent for the first time.

But alas, Cho's game plan of defensive Inside 50s resulted in us gassing ourselves out with zero return on the scoreboard to show for our efforts. An oh so familiar tale for the past 6 years.

[Saintmatt]

Bruce has gone from a 50 goal marking forward, to what I described above. He is just one example.

It's why Hind stands out already - he hasn't had his natural flair coached out of him yet.

Sums it up perfectly. Especially the Hind part. I suspect we'll see the same with Langlands (if he ever gets a call-up)

[mightysainters]

Extremely true about Richo’s game plan.. absolute horror show.. so many players come in with flair and then become absolutely average and vanilla
- Phillips
- Dunstan
- Acres
- Bruce
- Lonie
- Billings
- Webster
- Newnes
- Longer / Hickey
- Ross