What needs to be done to fix the Saints

[skeptic]

First and foremost, the board needs to fix the football department.

They need to recruit recruit an excellent fitness team
They need to beef up our recruiting department
They need to support Watters in getting the assistants he wants

They also have to ensure that these departments are set up to function independently but can also work together. What we don't want is another situation where if the coach leaves... the fitness guys and other key personel go with him.
Sure they need to function togther and identify and address common goals... but they need to also be independent departments.

Hopefully Pelchen is the right man to oversee it all.

Next we need to find the right guy for Sandy and work on developing a strong relationship with them.

Next, the board need to find us a major sponsor. It needs to be big and it needs to be a good deal.

Thirdly, they need to strike a deal with a journo (maybe give them a trivial leak in exchange) and get them to publish some feel good story about how the club has embraced and loves Seaford.
It's getting really tiresome listening to the mounting specualtion that every single problem at the club is because of Seaford.

Next the club needs to ensure that over the preseason there are no scandals and only positives articles... community good will etc etc.

Scott Watters needs to spend the off-season developing his new game plan.

We need to find a tackling coach - our technique is awful, don't get around the hands/arms enough.

We need a skills coach. Our skills have been gradually deteriorating since 09 and we really need to spend the offseason working on basic kicking and ball skills.

With the trade period over - I guess it's difficult to address specfic needs but we still need to focus on developing key areas:

Ruck: With only McEvoy, Stanley as prospects and Kosi as a pinch hitter... we need at least one more developing ruck, and a rookie ruck with a view of recruiting another ready to play ruck next off season.

Backs: IMO with Simpkin and Johnson developing... I don't class this area as a huge priorty right now as we have a reasonably settled back 6. I would keep Blake as a depth player.
I would look at trying to develop one of our players as a key running back ala Davis. IMO Farren Ray may fit the bill. He's fastish, ok disposal, accountable, can run and would benefit playing behind the ball.

Midfield: Need to continue recruiting and playing fast players with decent disposal and weeding out all those that don't fit the bill. Guys like Jones, Gram, Peake etc their days are numbered and they need to be filtered out as quickly as we can replace them.
There's simply no room in the modern game for games with such obvious defiencies. That's why IMO we should have traded Gilbert whilst we had the chance... he's got many good attributes but on a HBF you can't have running players with poor disposal. His only hope IMO is as a big bodied midfielder who has the ability to drop down forward/back and take a grab.

Forward: We need to start playing one of Johnson, Cahill or Stanley as a third forward and also start rotating some of our new, dangerous midsized talent. Wouldn't recruit a forward just yet.


Next off season... IMO we need to have a major clean out
Currently on our list we have a number of players with major question marks next to their names:
Peake (poor disposal)
Jones (poor disposal - on the verge of losing his speed)
Clarke (inconsistent, is he developing)
Blake (too old)
Ray (is he good enough)
Cahill, Stanley, Johson (are they good enough)
Gilbert (was this year a blip or has he been found out)
Winmar, Smith (are they good enough)
Polo and Gamble - do they have a future with us

At the end of season we need to establish which of these players are worth persevering with and who can we cut with a clear conscious

End of next year we need to have a big preseason overseas camp ala London or South Africa... IMO GT had a lot of success with that in that it helped build a great bond between our players and devloped genuine pride and team spirit.
We'll have a lot of new personal next season both players and coaching department would benefit from a uniting experience.

Please share nay thoughts

[saintkev]

take Jones off the list and add Gram

won't chase, limp-wristed tackler, kicks poorly (blazes away), slow, carries too much pud

[hungry for a premiership]

First and foremost, the board needs to fix the football department.

They need to recruit recruit an excellent fitness team
They need to beef up our recruiting department
They need to support Watters in getting the assistants he wants

They also have to ensure that these departments are set up to function independently but can also work together. What we don't want is another situation where if the coach leaves... the fitness guys and other key personel go with him.
Sure they need to function togther and identify and address common goals... but they need to also be independent departments.

Hopefully Pelchen is the right man to oversee it all.

Next we need to find the right guy for Sandy and work on developing a strong relationship with them.

Next, the board need to find us a major sponsor. It needs to be big and it needs to be a good deal.

Thirdly, they need to strike a deal with a journo (maybe give them a trivial leak in exchange) and get them to publish some feel good story about how the club has embraced and loves Seaford.
It's getting really tiresome listening to the mounting specualtion that every single problem at the club is because of Seaford.

Next the club needs to ensure that over the preseason there are no scandals and only positives articles... community good will etc etc.

Scott Watters needs to spend the off-season developing his new game plan.

We need to find a tackling coach - our technique is awful, don't get around the hands/arms enough.

We need a skills coach. Our skills have been gradually deteriorating since 09 and we really need to spend the offseason working on basic kicking and ball skills.

With the trade period over - I guess it's difficult to address specfic needs but we still need to focus on developing key areas:

Ruck: With only McEvoy, Stanley as prospects and Kosi as a pinch hitter... we need at least one more developing ruck, and a rookie ruck with a view of recruiting another ready to play ruck next off season.

Backs: IMO with Simpkin and Johnson developing... I don't class this area as a huge priorty right now as we have a reasonably settled back 6. I would keep Blake as a depth player.
I would look at trying to develop one of our players as a key running back ala Davis. IMO Farren Ray may fit the bill. He's fastish, ok disposal, accountable, can run and would benefit playing behind the ball.

Midfield: Need to continue recruiting and playing fast players with decent disposal and weeding out all those that don't fit the bill. Guys like Jones, Gram, Peake etc their days are numbered and they need to be filtered out as quickly as we can replace them.
There's simply no room in the modern game for games with such obvious defiencies. That's why IMO we should have traded Gilbert whilst we had the chance... he's got many good attributes but on a HBF you can't have running players with poor disposal. His only hope IMO is as a big bodied midfielder who has the ability to drop down forward/back and take a grab.

Forward: We need to start playing one of Johnson, Cahill or Stanley as a third forward and also start rotating some of our new, dangerous midsized talent. Wouldn't recruit a forward just yet.


Next off season... IMO we need to have a major clean out
Currently on our list we have a number of players with major question marks next to their names:
Peake (poor disposal)
Jones (poor disposal - on the verge of losing his speed)
Clarke (inconsistent, is he developing)
Blake (too old)
Ray (is he good enough)
Cahill, Stanley, Johson (are they good enough)
Gilbert (was this year a blip or has he been found out)
Winmar, Smith (are they good enough)
Polo and Gamble - do they have a future with us

At the end of season we need to establish which of these players are worth persevering with and who can we cut with a clear conscious

End of next year we need to have a big preseason overseas camp ala London or South Africa... IMO GT had a lot of success with that in that it helped build a great bond between our players and devloped genuine pride and team spirit.
We'll have a lot of new personal next season both players and coaching department would benefit from a uniting experience.

Please share nay thoughts

Good post, I agree wholeheartedly.

A new core of guns needs to be built.

[saintspremiers]

hungry for a huge repost, WHY did you have to re quote such a huge OP?

Makes threads too long!

[bobmurray]

Apart from everything else we need to recruit at least 2 Key Position Players,
one Key Forward and one Key Back. The cupboard is bare, we need to keep developing in those areas to provide for both the future defensively and for the now down Forward.

I can't wait for the Draft, it will reveal whether the club has an all round recruiting strategy, recruits on a best available philosophy which leaves us with holes in certain areas or whether they target players for specific positions...

[gringo]

Sorry don't agree- we are like any club. When a clean out happens the exodus often occurs. I'm not sure there is any reason to think that what has happened isn't positive. Post 2010 we were a mental basket case, sweeping out the old guard lets the players regroup and reload. I am really positive about where we are at for the next season.

[SaintPav]

This is useful and I think you should send it to the club. I like the one about independent departments and that Watters should work on his game plan during the summer.

[St Lenny]

Good post, agree with most, not all.

Re Gram, most have written him off and based on this seasons performance I understand that. But in my mind I remember the Gram that use to run off the backline, stream down the ground and a - kick a beautiful goal or b - pass it to someone up forward who would kick a goal. This is the same guy who would have won the North Smith Medal in 2009.

So how does that change, what went wrong? What instructions was he under from Lyin? How did his skills drop so dramatically? We all know that Lyin didnt work on skills and the whole team has dropped off.

So Im not quite ready to write off Gram just yet. I will wait and see what Watters will do with him and hope we see the Gram of old

[plugger66]

Good post, agree with most, not all.

Re Gram, most have written him off and based on this seasons performance I understand that. But in my mind I remember the Gram that use to run off the backline, stream down the ground and a - kick a beautiful goal or b - pass it to someone up forward who would kick a goal. This is the same guy who would have won the North Smith Medal in 2009.

So how does that change, what went wrong? What instructions was he under from Lyin? How did his skills drop so dramatically? We all know that Lyin didnt work on skills and the whole team has dropped off.

So Im not quite ready to write off Gram just yet. I will wait and see what Watters will do with him and hope we see the Gram of old

I have never ever heard that RL didnt work on skills. Where has that been said by a player or a coach?

[gringo]

Good post, agree with most, not all.

Re Gram, most have written him off and based on this seasons performance I understand that. But in my mind I remember the Gram that use to run off the backline, stream down the ground and a - kick a beautiful goal or b - pass it to someone up forward who would kick a goal. This is the same guy who would have won the North Smith Medal in 2009.

So how does that change, what went wrong? What instructions was he under from Lyin? How did his skills drop so dramatically? We all know that Lyin didnt work on skills and the whole team has dropped off.

So Im not quite ready to write off Gram just yet. I will wait and see what Watters will do with him and hope we see the Gram of old

he seems to be copping a lot of the blame for a fall away season. He didn't look like his body was right. If he can get his groin fixed he has a huge upside. He's not perfect but show me a footy player who is. Superstars are just that because they are consistently good. Gram may not be one but he has been a good servant of the saints.

[saintsRrising]

T......and that Watters should work on his game plan during the summer.

Yes indeed. I am sure that Watters will not think to do this unless someone thinks to tell him... I mean we have hired someone that is clueless....



On a more serious note he already has clearly started on this process. For example his comments that Roo cannot be the sole forward focus.


Major clean-out. What exactly does this mean? Depending on what you mean...I may or may not agree with you.

IMO say 75% of the team will be what we had this season and if handled in the right manner there is good scope for improvement and to compete with the best.


What will we see?

I am confident that Watters will be pondering on how he can:

* improve the teams ball movement. This requires quicker ball movement (as in play on quicker), more precise ball movement (as in more accurate kicking in particular), smart ball movement (ie to advantage of players), and quicker players for rapid run and carry and breaking of lines


* more marking targets up forward than Roo....and Milne (who while an excellent lead is small). This will also release Milne to be a true opportunistic small forward


However you can achieve this with a relatively small number of players. You can do it by change 25% of the team..and not 75%.

In addition there are many qualities that can make for a good footballer, and a team will always be a blend due to this.

Also do not underestimate the need for hard mature bodies come finals time.


For example, Dempster had an outstanding 2011, and there is certainly room in the 2012 for the quiet assassin. But will Watters be able to play both him and Jones? Well we will have to see how he structures up things.

Lots of possibilities...but who will stand up? Stanley? Cripps? Ledger? etc etc..


Demspter Zac Gwilt
Cripps Fisher Gilbert
Goddard Hayes Joey
Schneider Roo Siposs
Saad Stanley Milne

Ben
Dal
Steven

Armo Ray Peake, - sub: Milera ( a quick skilful player makes for a good sub)

Gram...can he get his body right? if so then HB or permanent sub could be his spoy.

[3rd generation saint]

We need to recruit players in the view of the next generation to take over from Roo, Chips etc.
The club has to plan to make sure the lean years that are coming, are short in number.

[matrix]

saintsational to bumrush seaford and take out the board

[Dr Spaceman]

saintsational to bumrush seaford and take out the board

Are you starting the Occupy Seaford movement?

[matrix]

protesting seems to be all the rage these days
ill rock up with my spade

[Dr Spaceman]

protesting seems to be all the rage these days
ill rock up with my spade

Actually, given the theme of the original Wall Street movement, it really should be Occupy Westpac Centre