Some Perspective needed!

[inxs88]

Like a lot of angry Pies fans who had high expectations for 2016, the first 7 weeks have been shattering and definitely taken the gloss off going to games and emotionally investing in the results. That being said there has been a huge amount of vitriol, shooting from the hip and doomsday theorists blogging on Nicks.

There are many things that can be improved which can be itemised in a moment but there are some legitimate reasons not excuses that have inhibited our progress this season:

1. Injuries/suspensions: A poster the other week listed a team of those whom have been unavailable for chunks of games this year and it made for illuminating reading:

B: Marley Keefe Langdon
HB: Marsh Scharenberg Ramsay
C: Sinclair Sidebottom Varcoe
HF: Broomhead Gault Goldsack
F: Elliott Howe J. Thomas
F: Witts Swan Adams

In a word the above is "significant" and would test any side. With the likely inclusions of Phillips, Wills and possibly Sier at some stage, it's fair to say that we shall have played "every player" on our list before the bye period. Yes EVERY PLAYER ON OUR LIST BEFORE THE BYE PERIOD!

2. Our Assistant Coaches:

Messrs Harvey, Hart, Rocca, Burns, Lockyer are a tad vanilla. An element of jobs for the former alumni and lacking in imagination, impact and innovation especially on match day. There kicking training drills and skills work must be appallingly bad.

3. Bill Davoren:

Collision injuries aside, 3 years is a fair sample size to conclude that whatever diet, training regimen or systems Davoren has put in place, his time has been an unmitigated disaster.

4. Recruiting:

Unlike some recent backlashes on Nick's, I don't think Hine has been anything less than 75% in his strike rate and his successes have been well documented. However, when we did seek to rejuvenate the list there have been a couple of faux pas choices that in hindsight (like all wise heads) could have been avoided. With the shift to big bodied mid fielders we erred in the following:

* Ben Kennedy (174cm) at pick 20
* Freeman (182cm) at pick 9 earlier than P Cripps (13), Dunstan pick 18, Acres (19)

Whilst in 2011 we took A. Krakouer at pick 25 (35 matches) ahead of Jack Darling at pick 26. Yes hindsight is easy but these were a real "misreading of the tea leaves"!!


5. We have got younger as the Premier teams have got older!!

A bit like tennis in the 80's when the likes of Becker, Wilander, Chang and Graf all won major tournaments as 18 year olds, nowadays champions really don't emerge till their mid 20's and peak in their late 20's like Djokovic and Federer. Geelong, Port, Hawthorn and the Swans have shown that "hard bodied, mature minds and engrained fitness pre-seasons" really are the norm to September success. Look at North Melbourne this year for further proof.

We have got "younger every year" and outside Swan haven't had a 30 year old on our list at seasons start since Darren Jolly in 2013. All the more reason to get our fitness and body conditioning into emerging bodies right.

6. A proper Ruck Coach:

We effectively have "no specialist/expert" in this area. This is a "court marshal" material. How own earth with emerging and impressionable young turks like Grundy, Wiits and Cox could we leave it to part time non examples like A. Rocca is staggering. No wonder Grundy jumps 10 seconds too early at the ball ups etc...


Conclusion:

With genuine talent such as:

* DeGoey
* Elliott
* Grundy
* Treloar
* Pendlebury
* Scharenberg (hopefully)
* Reid
* Sidebottom
* Moore
* Swan (hopefully)
* Varcoe
* Fasolo

We are far from the basket case a lot of Nicksters are purporting us to be. Am sure with some addressing of the above issues, some clever post season recruiting. Don't be surprised to see the Pies pursue Dyson Heppell. We should pursue Michael Hurley as a "free agent"!!!

[Magpiefan3]

https://twitter.com/7NewsMelbourne/status/730318559859998720

Looks like Heppell has re committed

[Magpies035]

Well said
There are many factories affecting our season thus far
Just like any club I believe we need to review everything
My question is what do we do about it right now ?
Nothing seems to be working

[FLAGPIES]

No one on this board loves Bucks more than me. However way you look at it his coaching tenure has been a failure with all variables taken into account.
It's time, to coin a phrase, for major change from 2017 onward.
Bucks needs to resign at seasons end. Hine and Daveron need to be shown the door.
We need a new coach and assistants that come from a Successful programme.
I'd look at someone like Dew or Tudor as our head coach!
Gubby should take over the list management with Rendell as his right hand man.
We need a major overhaul as this era is quickly slipping away!
The question is Does Ed have the courage to make these changes?
It's Time!

[Presti35]

Yeah Heps is gone, but Hurley is still up for grabs. For now anyway.

[Presti35]

Another great post.

We need to get Monkey back at the club. And I think we need to sign a free agent or two, but the pickings are getting slimmer by the day. I've posted a few things about free agents and other available players in the Nicks Other AFL forum.

I do feel like we are going to turn things around soon, but if we get humiliated by the Lions, its going to be a train wreck for us all. And Nicks will all but implode.

[FLAGPIES]

One persons view but he makes some good points.

https://twitter.com/thelistmanager/status/730336286804844545

[Culprit]

[simon tonna]

why is a poster/fan who can only see what's happening from the outside looking in, state the facts with the whole football department failings that are on a continuous downward spiral from the obvious decision makers making the same fu**ing mistakes and still be there. what ever happen to being at the cutting edge, being pro-active in the health a safety of the club assets (players) that the club bang on about when we used to win. it's all bullshit and heads should roll for it. an in house inquiry lead by ed himself needs to leave no stone unturned. f**k the dead wood off, and then call it a day himself as he is the one who signs on the dotted line for all concerned at Collingwood.

[September Zeros]

[Culprit]

[Cuthbert Collingwood]

So you're effectively saying that injuries aside our club, staff and coach are completely rooted and that justifies all the rest of your bullshit. Thanks for the illuminations inxs88 I am now positively glowing

[John Wren]

[inxs88]