a week where winning isnt enough

[Dyer Disciple]

weather its a win or 150 points saturday who gives a stuff as long as we start the process that will have us as dominant as geelong in 3 or 4 yrs time.

Well said.

The problem is Claw, we have repeatedly shown that we have plenty of ideas on how to start this process, but no idea how to manage it. One thing I am really starting to wonder is whether the club has enough checks and balances in its decision making processes. We seem to identify the path to salvation, then blindly and devotedly stick to the script, even when it becomes obvious that some serious decisions on how we are travelling need to be made. There just dosen't seem to be any flexibility in our approach.

I think one of the true complications Streak is things like having Boards assume new leadership and having to honour contracts, contracts of various football department personnel overlapping with Coaches other personnel and waters get real muddy real quick.

It's easy to glance at club happenings and say we have lacked direction and plans and this that and the next thing. Obviously that is true for the most part but more specifically I think it is not having the RIGHT organisation structure and RIGHT football department together, working hand in hand that really is the problem.

Football club personnel rarely get the opportunity to chop and change and we have been doing that for a variety of reasons but time has tun out now and the acid is on the football department and alongside with that or shortly thereafter the acid will be on the Board. I have been a massive advocate and supporter of this current Board and they have my unfaltering loyalty, however there biggest challenge...the most significant one yet now faces them for the first time where they have 100% control over it.

The determining of a new Head Coach. It's a role we have gotten wrong so many times and has been the death of many a board and off field personnel at our club. If they get this wrong no amount of off field success will help them stay in power if they wish to do so.

All I am saying is having plenty of ideas and processes with no apparent substance is the mark of poor management and leadership and the crosses we are earning in those columns are all in the Coaches/Football Department's at the moment. Get the right people in place and you won't see the "different attempts" that's generally more a sign of reactive management rather than proactive.

 

[Punxsutawney Phil]

The fact is, last week was a little bit like an affair by your wife or husband. They can bring us all the flowers and chocolates they like over the next few weeks/months: and we'll smile wanly as they're thrust into our hands by a shamefaced spouse, but the pain of the infidelity wont go away for a long long time: and while we try to give it a go and make the best of it if we dont see a permanent change in their behaviour, then the trust within the relationship is damaged forever and we are all trapped in an increasingly loveless marriage.

I reckon this is a great analogy and is the way I feel. Sure, when we win it is a great feeling, but because of what has gone on in the past, I always remain suspicious that the club will be "unfaithful" again and serve up more rubbish like it did last Thursday.

Our recent history is littered with horrible losses followed up by 'gutsy" wins, yet where has it got us in the long term?

I would love a win this week (it won't happen) but it won't mean we have turned it around.....because history suggests another thumping may be just around the corner.

 

[TimTamMan]

Totally agree with the first post, the trust in the relationship between Coaches/Players and Fans has broken down, maybe irrepairably. The only thing is we have been sold a dream by Wallace and the dream has turned in ot a nightmare! I know you should not look at one match in isolation but Thursday night's effort was the ice cold bucket of water that was thrown in my face to wake me up from my slumber and from the dream they sold me.

I no longer believe in Wallace's game plans, 5 year plans, zoning plans, running the ball through line plans, kick it to richo plans, who could forget the Richo not allowed to play on inside of 50 plan, the Bowden as the new forward plan, Cousins the saviour plan, I'll be good in the Media for Richmond plan, the plans I sold you on power point 5 years ago on how to turn Richmond around plan. Our relationship built on trust and faith has now failed.

Therefore as I no longer have trust in wallace and the team (and I think by now Wallace has also lost the ability to sell his plans to the player group), I predict that Leigh Matthews will start coaching us mid season and we will just scrape in to the eight - That's the TimTamMan plan ;D

 

[marella jube]

Love a win at anytime but it'd be hollow if not followed up by more victories quickly in the near future to try & convince us that rd1 was an aberration..It'd be typical Richmond, if we beat Geelong,to celebrate it like a GF, 'put our cues in the rack' & slip back into bad old ways & cop more beltings in the following rounds. Just look at how some of the club & fans dined all summer on the RFC being the last team to beat Hawthorn in 2008.....Context please

 

[Tigerfan]

we played meekly and it was horrible...but we got smashed by Carlton and that makes it so much worse
if we really want to follow the marital extra-relationship analogy then

the spouse didn't just fool around with someone

the spouse fooled around with someone everyone knows I've hated for years and years and years..and worse they made a video and put it on the internet

so now we're getting closer to how I feel about Thursday night

Astroboy is right...even if we win the flag, it isn't possible to forgive and forget what happened

 

[Jason King]

Currently the truth hurts;

Next week could be worse :'(

 

[CarnTheTiges]

I've altered my goal for the season. Even in my wildest dreams the Tigers can't beat the Cats. If Richmond can beat St Kilda and hopefully end Milne's career in the one game then I'll count the season a success.

 

[Tubytiger]

i would have thought it the most important thing in the world for the rfc to actually recognise where it is at and almost just important for the ferals. perhaps then the club can actually do something to improve the situation and the ferals will know a false dawn when it hits em in the face.
expectations pfft you are what you are and you go from there.

what are we well most definately a bottom 8 side probably bottom 2 to 4.

weather its a win or 150 points saturday who gives a stuff as long as we start the process that will have us as dominant as geelong in 3 or 4 yrs time.

So exactly what do "you want" the club to come out and say claw. What do you want for TW to come out and say to the club sponsors and supporters this week.

 

[Ian4]

I was thinking about starting a thread along the lines of "what would be an acceptable result this week" ... but as i thought about it, I realised that it was a pretty pointless excercise. Why? because, the realistic expectation is "losing honourably" - but that was never acceptable - and an 'honourable battling loss' would do absolutely nothing to atone for last weeks disgrace.

So what would be acceptable this week? Winning (of course): However the more i thought about it, even winning against Geelong still wouldnt atone for last week. not even a 10goal win would atone. All that would be is a 'one-off' win (similar to the results teams seem to have a week after their coach gets sacked etc) It would mean nothing in terms of the club living up to its pre-season billing, or showing it had the capacity to play to its potential week in week out; and we all would feel that were still just as likely to drop the next game meekly.

The fact is, last week was a little bit like an affair by your wife or husband. They can bring us all the flowers and chocolates they like over the next few weeks/months: and we'll smile wanly as they're thrust into our hands by a shamefaced spouse, but the pain of the infidelity wont go away for a long long time: and while we try to give it a go and make the best of it if we dont see a permanent change in their behaviour, then the trust within the relationship is damaged forever and we are all trapped in an increasingly loveless marriage.

Win on Saturday boys, just to show us you still care: but it wont fix everthhing. Not even a win is acceptable this week.

love the post ABUK. while a miracle win this week would put a smile on my face, it won't remove the hurt from last week. worse still is that it might hide the cracks

 

[Fighting Fury]

the spouse didn't just fool around with someone

the spouse fooled around with someone everyone knows I've hated for years and years and years..and worse they made a video and put it on the internet

:hihi

 

[Puntrd64]

Even in the dim dark days of KB's coaching reign he somehow contrived to beat Carlton, even when David Cloke came back and played his 300th we somehow contrived to beat Carlton.
Following last's years failure in the big match when we wore that ridiculous "heritage" jumper and set up our glorious 9th again finish and after last Thursday's match, I just dont think Wallace or the new breed of players understands what beating Carlton means to RFC supporters.

Yes, the club has been unfaithful serving up these two shameful performances especially when you think of where Carlton were two years ago

But then maybe I'm just be hysterical after one round........sure.