No Open Training Session This Week

Bernard Shakey · Mon 08 Sep 2008 2:19pm

Club website says no open training session this week.

Obviously it's all cloak and daggers and/or smoke and mirrors from now on.

Personally I think that is a bad move by the coaching staff.

Finals time is completely different to the home and away season.

The players need to adapt to the pressure of finals (which we didn't do yesterday).

Closeting them away from members and supporters is a negative and indicates the coaches don't have faith in the playing group being able to handle the pressure.

Maybe they want to hide injuries (like Blake's finger in the shoulder).
Malthouse won't be fooled by any of this.

It is just a big fat snub to supporters and will not help build membership or sell merchandise.

rodgerfox · Post: # 638871Post **rodgerfox** » Mon 08 Sep 2008 2:21pm

Someone at the club obviously thinks it's cool to play mind games.

Being sneaky and clever with the press and the fans seems tb 'in' at Moorabbin these days.

Not sure it ever works to be honest.

oh when · Post: # 638881Post **oh when** » Mon 08 Sep 2008 2:26pm

I have no problem in the Club doing what it thinks is the best for the playing group in preparing for the match.

Spinner · Post: # 638885Post **Spinner** » Mon 08 Sep 2008 2:29pm

Phew.....Lucky I went last week to get R Harveys sig.....

Got there before they started, watched all of training and waited for the very last player exited the field.....and still missed his signature.

Luckily I proceeded to wait (stalk) with some other hard cores until they finished gym, physio and showering......

Canceled some appointments including a hair cut as I wasnt prepared to head back to Tullamarine empty handed.

Project Christmas present for the old man!!!!

Spinner · Post: # 638888Post **Spinner** » Mon 08 Sep 2008 2:30pm

oh when wrote:I have no problem in the Club doing what it thinks is the best for the playing group in preparing for the match.

Seriously though....If thats the difference then we dont deserve to be there...

Finals come around every so often.....especially with the Saints...

In reality its pretty poor form to the supporters!

oh when · Post: # 638911Post **oh when** » Mon 08 Sep 2008 2:50pm

SImply that's your opinion / my opinion is different - or do I have to agree with you.

Spinner · Post: # 638943Post **Spinner** » Mon 08 Sep 2008 3:07pm

oh when wrote:SImply that's your opinion / my opinion is different - or do I have to agree with you.

WTF?

Simply? Simply don't post your opinion on here if you are 'uncomfortable' with having it discussed.

"or do I have to agree with you" - This is a Discussion forum......

RedWhiteBlack · Mon 08 Sep 2008 3:48pm

If the club thinks it's best for the team, I'm prepared to wear it. Sure, it'd be nice to get down and watch, but I'm certainly not going to argue if they want to experiment with some new drills and/or tactics.

4ever_saint · Mon 08 Sep 2008 3:58pm

this week they need to be completely focused on the game, so maybe this isnt such a bad idea.

chook23 · Post: # 639022Post **chook23** » Mon 08 Sep 2008 4:00pm

4ever_saint wrote:this week they need to be completely focused on the game, so maybe this isnt such a bad idea.

a hundred or so supporters/members had bad impact last week then????

so now this week will focus......................

Gee we are in trouble.

Spinner · Post: # 639029Post **Spinner** » Mon 08 Sep 2008 4:03pm

chook23 wrote:
4ever_saint wrote:this week they need to be completely focused on the game, so maybe this isnt such a bad idea.
a hundred or so supporters/members had bad impact last week then????

so now this week will focus......................

Gee we are in trouble.

Cha Ching.

4ever_saint · Mon 08 Sep 2008 4:21pm

chook23 wrote:
4ever_saint wrote:this week they need to be completely focused on the game, so maybe this isnt such a bad idea.
a hundred or so supporters/members had bad impact last week then????

so now this week will focus......................

Gee we are in trouble.

a closed traing session sends a very distinct message to the public was all that i was trying to imply.

its unfortunate though, as, if we do lose this weekend, everyone has missed out on seeing harvs in his final training session.

clarky449 · Post: # 639057Post **clarky449** » Mon 08 Sep 2008 4:25pm

Very good that its closed

Bernard Shakey · Mon 08 Sep 2008 5:51pm

Ever been to training, clarky449?

saintsRrising · Mon 08 Sep 2008 6:31pm

Well...I think one thing it tells us is that Bally is line ball...

Maybe they could just give him the "open Session" off?

NoMore · Post: # 639215Post **NoMore** » Mon 08 Sep 2008 6:34pm

I said this earlier in the year and you all laughed at me but we members and supporters are just a cash cow to this club.

They don't give a stuff

snoopygirl · Post: # 639278Post **snoopygirl** » Mon 08 Sep 2008 7:32pm

I have to disagree with you NoMore. Anything the club can do to achieve the ultimate is designed with the supporters in mind. Just because they choose to have closed training sessions doesn't mean they don't care.

You only have to look at a kids face (& some of the players) when they hand out the footballs after a win, or when they get an autograph or a photo taken. These guys give up a lot of their time to make themselves available to the public.

They also do a lot of charity work behind the scenes & I wish this work was more in the headlines, but sadly, people (& the opposition) only want to know what training drill we have perfected or who is under an injury cloud. Well, turn up in numbers on Saturday night & find out.

Bernard Shakey · Tue 09 Sep 2008 12:03am

The kids sure will be able to get lots of autographs on Saturday night, snoopygirl.

There would have been 3 or 4 hundred at training last Wednesday.
There weren't there to check out training drills or injuries.
They were there to support THEIR team and now THEIR team doesn't want to know them.

I am very aware of the charity and community work done by many of the boys and appreciate it greatly, but it is our team and we are being shut out.

Teflon · Post: # 639543Post **Teflon** » Tue 09 Sep 2008 12:07am

couldnt give a stuff if training is closed.

get your autographs at Prelim final training AFTER a win this week.

it sure beats the movies.

saintsRrising · Tue 09 Sep 2008 12:09am

Bernard Shakey wrote:
.

There would have been 3 or 4 hundred at training last Wednesday.
.

My guestimate was 150...based on my counting 50 people and then guestimating that there was about 3 times the 50 I counted.

As we were in finals I thought there would be more.....though to be fair as it was early afternoon it would have been difficult for many to have attended (kids at school and adults at work).

Bernard Shakey · Tue 09 Sep 2008 12:19am

Very professional saintsRrising.

I often count the players at training, but never would have considered in a million years counting the crowd.

You must be a very serious stalker. :wink:

saintsRrising · Tue 09 Sep 2008 12:39am

Bernard Shakey wrote:Very professional saintsRrising.

I often count the players at training, but never would have considered in a million years counting the crowd.

You must be a very serious stalker.

Well I only did it because I was surprised how few were there....and so when training went dead for a bit....I did a quick count.

I work in Brighton and so sometimes pop down.

Years ago...Thursday training was a ritual for me.

I would come down, play a game of squash (you just had to feed the light meter and so it was the cheapest game of squash in Melbourne) in the Social Club Squash Courts under the grandstand and next to the bistro .....then watch training for a bit....then have a meal and beer or two in the bistro while waiting for the team to be announced......which of course was first announced (back then) at the club......so that way you were first to know the team each week.

Back then we had a real Social Club.

.

.

.

Bernard Shakey · Tue 09 Sep 2008 1:11am

I know very well.

Depressing to go inside now. There is a merchandise shop and then only a bunch of pokies being played by little old ladies.

And to think those machines are why we are supposedly moving to Frangers.

Ghost Like · Post: # 639595Post **Ghost Like** » Tue 09 Sep 2008 8:47am

Happy for the coaching staff and club to do whatever they think best to assist the players to focus and win this week. Happy for them to do it again next week as well. I'm sure there will be an open session in GF week if we get there.

Kids and adults have had all year ti get their sigs and chat with players. Finals time now and time for the players to focus and for the coaching staff to tinker / modify without prying eyes to get us back on track.

Happy to leave it in the hands of those that get paid to deliver us a flag.

Spinner · Post: # 639780Post **Spinner** » Tue 09 Sep 2008 1:35pm

saintsRrising wrote:
Bernard Shakey wrote:Very professional saintsRrising.

I often count the players at training, but never would have considered in a million years counting the crowd.

You must be a very serious stalker.
Well I only did it because I was surprised how few were there....and so when training went dead for a bit....I did a quick count.

I work in Brighton and so sometimes pop down.

Years ago...Thursday training was a ritual for me.

I would come down, play a game of squash (you just had to feed the light meter and so it was the cheapest game of squash in Melbourne) in the Social Club Squash Courts under the grandstand and next to the bistro .....then watch training for a bit....then have a meal and beer or two in the bistro while waiting for the team to be announced......which of course was first announced (back then) at the club......so that way you were first to know the team each week.

Back then we had a real Social Club.

.

.

.

Social Club?

For my entire life ive only known the Social Club as two thing - an indication on the back of my membership (since they stopped provide two cards)....and as a priority system IF we made it into a Grand Final.

I like the Social Club that you speak of thou.....

Oh - And we also get free access into the victory room - But for all out there the security guards dont know the difference between a normal memebrship and the social club ones........

PS - In 1997 we still didnt get tickets first up.