Patrick Smith article

[FrediKanoute]

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22721577-5012432,00.html

I personally am a fan of Patrick Smith and what he writes mainly b/c it tends to be well thought out, accurate and seems to lack bias. I also like the guy b/c he doesn't just write about AFL, but knows a little about sport in general. Anyway, I'm sure a number of you have seen this article in The Australian, though I don't think it has been posted. For me it gives a fairly balanced assessment of the situation - not criticising either Smorgan, Rose or Eade.

[GVGjr]

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22721577-5012432,00.html

I personally am a fan of Patrick Smith and what he writes mainly b/c it tends to be well thought out, accurate and seems to lack bias. I also like the guy b/c he doesn't just write about AFL, but knows a little about sport in general. Anyway, I'm sure a number of you have seen this article in The Australian, though I don't think it has been posted. For me it gives a fairly balanced assessment of the situation - not criticising either Smorgan, Rose or Eade.


I'm not a big fan of him but I don't dismiss everything that he writes. He got a lot of this right.

[Bulldog Revolution]

I'm not a big fan of him but I don't dismiss everything that he writes. He got a lot of this right.

Im not a big fan either - but at times he does see it differently and that adds something.
I thought his take on us was a pretty accurate assessment

[aker39]

I read everyone of Patricks articles and listen to him on with KB each morning.

He is a journalist who is prepared to sat what he thinks, take the AFL to task, and not pander to his faavorites, unlike soft cock Robinson

[FrediKanoute]

I find him less sensationalist in what he writes and that's what I like about him. If I had to equate hime to someone he is the Michelle Gratten or Robert Fisk of the sporting world. If you compare what he writes to what Sheehan writes they are world's apart in terms of the depth of coverage, issues raised and implications of those issues.

[Dry Rot]

Shame Fisk retired - been listening to him for years on Late Night Live and went to a talk by him a few years ago at Sydney Uni.

One of the best journos in the Middle East, IMHO.

[The Doctor]

I read everyone of Patricks articles and listen to him on with KB each morning.



Likewise

When Smith and KB went toe to toe with Smorgo the other day it was compelling radio. They went deep into the issues and possibly brought out of Smorgo some things he may not have necessarily wanted to say.

[LostDoggy]

"The review found Eade needed to improve his communication and transparency. It was also identified that the dialogue between Eade and his assistants was not as good as it should have been."

I wish somebody would print facts rather than obscure generalities. What does "transparency" mean ? Does it mean that Rocket won't tell his asistants the game plan ? Does it mean he tells them lies about the game plan ? Does it mean he won't tell them where he wnt last night ? My mail is that Rocket spread himself too thin by taking on too many extra curricula activities, rather than by having too many roles. If that's the case then is he the right man for the job ? How can we expect the players to give 100 % if the coach wont ?

[Rocket Science]

Shame Fisk retired - been listening to him for years on Late Night Live and went to a talk by him a few years ago at Sydney Uni. One of the best journos in the Middle East, IMHO.

Off topic slightly but Fisk is considered "retired"?

Unless there's been a late development as far as I can gather he's still an active correspondent for the UK Independent and hasn't hung up the pen/keyboard quite yet.

[LostDoggy]

"The review found Eade needed to improve his communication and transparency. It was also identified that the dialogue between Eade and his assistants was not as good as it should have been."

I wish somebody would print facts rather than obscure generalities. What does "transparency" mean ? Does it mean that Rocket won't tell his asistants the game plan ? Does it mean he tells them lies about the game plan ? Does it mean he won't tell them where he wnt last night ?


OK this is my understanding.
Eade did and said some things that didn't have all the assistants agreeing with him. The ones that were on the outer did not receive full communication.
That addresses the "communication" component and it had nothing to do with the games plans etc.
The "transparency" component is telling the assistant coaches to keep things (problems)within the football department and for them not be shared with the administrative team (Rose)
Smorgon addressed this when he mentioned that "when you speak to people face to face you get answers"



My mail is that Rocket spread himself too thin by taking on too many extra curricula activities, rather than by having too many roles. If that's the case then is he the right man for the job ? How can we expect the players to give 100 % if the coach wont ?

I differ slightly on this point. Like anyone under pressure to perform, Eade thought he should just focus on the coaching side of his duties and neglected a number of other jobs. Eade did not or could not delegate them out either because he had lost the full support of a couple of his assistants. Smorgon and Rose became aware of these issues but because we still had a chance of making the finals, they decided not to address them before the end of the season. They have now been addressed as part of the review.
The have reduced the scope his role so that he can do the things that he can do best and ensured that he is sufficently staffed.

With the review as good as completed a refreshed Eade should be more than ready for what shapes as a challenging and critical season for the club.
The pressure will once again be on Rose and his team to make sure that the 2008 membership doesn't suffer too much because of our poor 2007.

[Mantis]

With the review as good as completed a refreshed Eade should be more than ready for what shapes as a challenging and critical season for the club.
The pressure will once again be on Rose and his team to make sure that the 2008 membership doesn't suffer too much because of our poor 2007.

And that is the biggest problem the club will face next year. I think that more 'realistic' supporters know we are at at present, that we are still a few years away from challenging. They know that 07 was a right off for a number of reasons and are probably willing to give the team another chance. But will the approx. 5-7,000 newish members who have joined up over the past few years have the patience that the diehards have had or will they find something else to spend there money on?

[LostDoggy]

And that is the biggest problem the club will face next year. I think that more 'realistic' supporters know we are at at present, that we are still a few years away from challenging. They know that 07 was a right off for a number of reasons and are probably willing to give the team another chance. But will the approx. 5-7,000 newish members who have joined up over the past few years have the patience that the diehards have had or will they find something else to spend there money on?

Spot on Mantis. I think the club works on the assumption that they just keep needing to find out how to get new members to join up but the reality is that a number of our supporters are getting very fickle which is understandable. There is every chance that we will slip down to 25,000 members next year instead of pushing towards and beyond 30,000.
I think this is the reason why Smorgon and Rose were so upset with spending so much money on a largely dysfunctional football department. This is also the main reason why they had to "air" the problems in the manner that they did. It won't change someone like me who joins every season but it might help keeping the more marginal supporters on board.

Its very easy to find ways to spend money and if people think they are going to again be subjected to what we saw over the last 7 weeks then they might just say stuff it.

[LostDoggy]

Surely we are forgetting that several thousand of your younger supporters join and go to TD for the night's entertainment with their mates. It's not about following a football club. It's about doing something different, being part of the party. So this year it is the Bulldogs, next year it might be the Bombers. You cannot deny that there is a section of our membership who are not rusted on, and who now would see no reason to be excited about the Bulldogs in 2008 after the disappointment of the last half of our season. They go for winners and we weren't one, so they move on. Loyalty to a team does not necessarily come into it. These are the ones who each year do not rejoin, but choose to spend their money elsewhere, whether it be another AFL club, other sporting activities such as horse racing, or other social activities such as night clubs, bands etc.

[Bulldog Revolution]

Surely we are forgetting that several thousand of your younger supporters join and go to TD for the night's entertainment with their mates. It's not about following a football club. It's about doing something different, being part of the party. So this year it is the Bulldogs, next year it might be the Bombers. You cannot deny that there is a section of our membership who are not rusted on, and who now would see no reason to be excited about the Bulldogs in 2008 after the disappointment of the last half of our season. They go for winners and we weren't one, so they move on. Loyalty to a team does not necessarily come into it. These are the ones who each year do not rejoin, but choose to spend their money elsewhere, whether it be another AFL club, other sporting activities such as horse racing, or other social activities such as night clubs, bands etc.

Metal I may have a completely different take on the situation but I've always thought this was what the AFL had hoped for, but that supporters are really just loyal to their own team - and few go and watch anybody else unless their are family/partner allegiances.

I dont know any Bulldog supporters who are like this