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You know that Dick is back on the market, right?........Right?......
Someone at the Force needs a plan for success. They are like a second term US President coming up to the primaries.....no one cares what they have to say anymore, there are new candidates with new agendas to push. I just want us to be in the game. God help us if we are the first team to lose to the Sunwolves. We ticked that box against the expansion Kings in 2013. Not the kind of records we should be going after.
Trying to find a solution within your garbage boof!
The problem with one year being conservative to then trying to be expansive is that unless it is a natural instinct with the coach and players it will then have to be too structured. All coaching staff are ex forwards so the skill development required is not there. The development coach has never played the game, the future force officer will have no say. So everything is foreign. The best team in the world have three ex backs as coaches and mike cron coaches scrum only! Plus they had an ex afl coach working on skills!
The force were beaten by a team that moved the ball wide early to spread the defence, then went thru the middle where now there was space then just literally had the force indecisive in defence and tore them apart.
The force had enough ball to pressure the canes on the scoreboard but kept playing the same way this week as they did week 1. Teams will analyse this easily hence the force then try and play too deep behind gain line - fear!
Foley and Hodgson have a team with heart but play with fear!
Yeh lets throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Players dropping ball and not getting it right, playing a type of game we've all demanded, after only 4 games.
Lets sack the coach and all the players, there's some great coaches just come on the market luckily enough.
We can afford a team of wallabies as well. There's so much money in the Perth corporate market after they freed up their cash by making everyone redundant.
An extremely frustrating (for fans and players alike) game like tonight, is usually what is required to reset expectations in terms of progress. Tonight looked a lot like they forgot about the balance between defense (not challenging rucks), kicking(poor clearance) and attack(not backing up) structures that were improving in the previous weeks. I'm sure everyone will point some other problem out else but the idea is the same. Btw its no coincidence that everything mentioned above came about with a new flyhalf starting, albeit experienced, into the role. Hopefully that experience will mean the adaption takes less time.
Lastly, someone mentioned the Dockers, how long was it before the Dockers became a "winning" team in an AFL dominated state?
Btw watching the waratah's game and the stadium is empty, hmmm they are successful!
Where has the excitement gone with going to a Force game. What happened to the energy and anticipation you used to feel leading up to a game in those early years. It's just become something to do now like we are on frickin autopilot. No hype, no advertising no energy. Who would even know when a home game is on in Perth if you weren't a member. Take note of the Wildcats....doing it so much better than the Force!
Is it time for a total relaunch of the team. Should the Force name die out and we relaunch as the Perth Fighting Swans, Perth Black Swans, The Western Swans. Are we pushing shit uphill with a name like the Force which has no relevance or identity with our state? Certainly we should have been pulled up for false advertising with our name given our circumstances over the last 10 years.
G'day Mate
Understand your frustration.
But just wanted to give you a positive experience. I and everyone I know including the missus, the 5 yr and 2yr old still get excited because the atmosphere still makes us enjoy it.
We , including some mungo supporter mates, left the brumbies game disappointed about the loss but with adrenaline running and a bit of a smile because we got to jump outta the seat when the team made breaks and scores etc. Also in the last three years I've had a lot of random people, particularly at work, mention the performance of the force, good or bad, and actually have a discussion.
Lastly when my 5yr old while watching Frozen before a game, out of nowhere jumps of the couch and yells "Go Force", that's the generation to really rust on and become life supporters.
Btw the wildcats only became a common knowledge topic after two to three consecutive championships. I cant remember anything of them between the mid nineties to late 2000's.
Yeah I mentioned the Dockers. Because at some point they realised they needed to blow the whole thing up and start again from scratch after being West Coasts bitch and a laughing stock in the AFL. New coach, new players, new campaign aligning the team to the traditional routes and heritage of South Fremantle and East Fremantle footy clubs. The white V on the neck of the jumper as a tribute to the history of the old clubs. New key sponsors aligned to the WA community and expecting success. The perception of the team and club changed and they are now front runners in the competition.
The Force needs a rocket up its @ss. Give us the fans a blueprint for success and we'll back you in but you can't keep changing the goalposts half way through the game. A coach doesn't have the luxury of constantly changing his gameplan to align with our expected KPI's for success halfway through his contract. Its not a revolving door where your enter and exit at your own discretion. Lay out your plan and if you don't live up to expectations you get moved on. That's life!
The Wildcats have made the play offs 30 years in a row. Thats a world record. Consistent performers year in year out. I see more fans around town as part of the Red Army than you would see of Force fans. They are filling Perth Arena because they offer up a good product and fan experience.
Two more tough games in NZ against the Chiefs and Highlanders and then back at home to the Crusaders. Realistically we could be 1 and 6 and another season will be gone. Foley is a nice guy but he's proving as reliable as Francesco Schettino at the helm of the Costa Concordia.
You are 100% correct about the experience and the fans but there were two driving factors in the last few years.
1. The move to Perth Arena which made it accessible.
2. Jack Bendat (ex-USA) buying the Cats in 2007. He has publicly stated making money is not his goal (although because of their success they are one of the few sporting teams that does).
Personally I think private ownership of pro teams is not a bad thing. As long as there is clauses in to use local talent.