Opinion Effectiveness of the Board and Executive Leadership

[Wilksyy]

No thanks.

I'll be a Freo fan till the end but if supporting this club is bothering your mental health then gain some perspective or stop watching.

 

[Madas]

A little look at your most recent posts:
July 2023 - couple of jpeg snips of score and pressure rating in a loss to carlton (no words, just the jpeg)
May 2023 - JLo potshots
April 2023 - started a rumour about Bell and Longmuir tension
April 2023 - another loss, “this club is fundamentally broken” wah, wah, wah

And on it goes. Not a single positive post.

What about the other 14 years ?

 

[Dirty_banchez]

I have heard the Harbour Masters are mobilising. They took out Ross previously, now they want the board.

 

[Deathly]

I have heard the Harbour Masters are mobilising. They took out Ross previously, now they want the board.

Cockburn Attack is tomorrow. April 22nd will make Janurary 6th look like nothing.

 

[Cayman Docker]

So much wishy washy moaning of the collective on here. Geez, we just gave two potential top 4 teams a run for their money while living out of a suitcase for a fortnight, but then the team throws out a bog average game because they are probably buggered…. and it’s end of friggin days.

And next week if we smack the Dog’s it will be back to “Flag-mantle’s back baby” start the car bla bla bla.

It’s getting a bit old.

Oh, and I REALLY hate that Flag-mantle monicker, arrogant crap when we haven’t achieved sweet feck all.

Carn the Dockers!

 

[freo1997]

I've had me a few sprays here since last night's result, this is definitely turning up the dial quite a bit. You're not really deep-diving though and if you're going to create a new post you should do so, otherwise this belongs in the melt thread.

The reality is the season hasn't started like a train wreck - 3 straight wins, 2 hard fought losses against top teams and a classic Dockery bed-shitting.

I think one could make the summation that over 30 years, there's been a fair level of failure and inconsistency with the club - particularly patterns and trends of playing well briefly/against good opposition and then utterly failing when we should be winning. The forward line situation and goal kicking has more or less always been a catastrophe, regardless of the coaching we've had. In rare circumstances, fans may defect to another club or pull back entirely.

Overall, these are fair reasons to pull back from the footy - and that might be standard for moderate fans, but for people who post regularly on forums like this, it's less likely than likely that people really go through with a full desertion - sometimes people take breaks but these types of reactions are normally a way of dealing with the intense frustration with a situation that's completely out of their control.

What 'message' are you hoping to send? Sack the coach? Sure, some people would like that but I doubt it solves problems in the short/medium-term. Change the list? We've mostly got a talented, healthy list and any changes can only occur in the future - drafting hasn't really been an issue and the terrible trades of the past happened under the Lyon/Rosich era.

The truth is there is bugger all messages that we can send, people aren't calling for JL's head en masse and even if you don't like him, calling for his head is premature at this stage of the season - I'd say missing out on finals/taking a step back later this season and you'll start hearing the humdrum. The club aren't idiots - they know the fans and the AFL want to see more goals, and no amount of pressure is going to tip JL into changing the gameplan a certain way that he already wasn't going to explore anyway.

My advice? Don't make this club your everything - I made that mistake in my 20's when I should've been cultivating other interests as well. Now I'm into my late 30's I'm making up for lost time. Enjoy the game as much as you can while you have time on planet earth, because there's no guarantee they play this game in heaven as regularly as we'd like.

You’re absolutely right on not making this club your everything. Just like you from my mid 20s to early 30s I was obsessed.

Remember Dockers playing on my Wedding day and it was during the Owen run. Someone asked me privately “Dockers got close today! Imagine if they won?” I responded “it would’ve been the best day of my life if we got W too”

That was the best day of my life up until that point. It was such a stupid response and only one person heard it..but it was stupid on reflection.

I get disappointed after games, would like to see changes this week and get some new personnel in! But I don’t care about it too much anymore. I still play footy. I am more passionate playing than watching these days. Love the game, best game in the world..just not obsessed with the competition that’s played on tv.

 

[dockshark]

No thanks.

I'll be a Freo fan till the end but if supporting this club is bothering your mental health then gain some perspective or stop watching.

I totally agree. This has got nothing to do with mental health. If the suggestion is that results are impacting my mental health then couldn’t be further from the truth.

So much wishy washy moaning of the collective on here. Geez, we just gave two potential top 4 teams a run for their money while living out of a suitcase for a fortnight, but then the team throws out a bog average game because they are probably a bit knackered…. and it’s end of friggin days.

And next week if we smack the Dog’s it will be back to “Flag-mantle’s back baby” start the car bla bla bla.

It’s getting a bit old.

Oh, and I REALLY hate that Flag-mantle monicker, arrogant crap when we haven’t achieved sweet feck all.

Carn the Dockers!

Yep, again agreed. The point here is to try to mobilise a group of financial club members to actually form up some questions to be put to our board about their effectiveness at building, delivering, and sustaining a successful strategy. Similar movements have happened amongst members at Richmond, Collingwood, and Hawthorn in the last decade.

Otherwise it is just wishy washy moaning.

 

[DocT]

I totally agree. This has got nothing to do with mental health. If the suggestion is that results are impacting my mental health then couldn’t be further from the truth.



Yep, again agreed. The point here is to try to mobilise a group of financial club members to actually form up some questions to be put to our board about their effectiveness at building, delivering, and sustaining a successful strategy. Similar movements have happened amongst members at Richmond, Collingwood, and Hawthorn in the last decade.

Otherwise it is just wishy washy moaning.

And along with the questions please mention: no more BS plans about how we're going to win 23 premierships by next tuesday afternoon. Cringey.

 

[nurries]

So many full of P&W. All bluff and bluster.
How many of you are actually going to take time to call the club or write an email to spew your venom.
I will tell not one.
And in case you wonder, P&W stands for piss and wind.

I already wrote an email Saturday night to them.

 

[anchor man]

I already wrote an email Saturday night to them.

Good for you. I bet it was a beauty.

 

[Madas]

I already wrote an email Saturday night to them.

Care to share ?
Hope it was heated
I’ll probably do one this week too

 

[im_a_lazy_sod]

If we dish up another couple weeks of crap, sure.

But for now I’m chalking it up as an outlier and a derby brining out an unusual result - as they have done in the past.

Let’s see how we respond after a bit of rest at home, not having to deal with Adelaide and the two agonising final 90 second losses and being in front of our home fans for the first time in almost a month

 

[dockshark]

Care to share ?
Hope it was heated
I’ll probably do one this week too

A bit of heat is ok, but I think it's best if communications with the club are kept rational and factual. It's easy to dismiss emotional rant type communications.

 

[poshman]

This thread is really, really, really embarrassing. We got smashed by a s**t side because we had an off day, not because they are any good.

We just took it right up to two premiership contenders in Adelaide and consequently were dead flat this week. It happens. We are not the finished product.

I know a bunch of people are feeling embarrassed and irate because they told all their eagles mates at work that we would beat them by 100 points, but this is totally reactionary and irrational.

I see the eagles improvement as a positive. I want them to finish between 10-12th for the next two to three years. They don't get picks in the top five and they also watch all their remaining solid old guys retire.

Perpetual suckiness is on the menu!

 

[dockshark]

If we dish up another couple weeks of crap, sure.

But for now I’m chalking it up as an outlier and a derby brining out an unusual result - as they have done in the past.

Let’s see how we respond after a bit of rest at home, not having to deal with Adelaide and the two agonising final 90 second losses and being in front of our home fans for the first time in almost a month

Fair enough and I understand this point of view. I'm a bit frustrated that this thread has been characterised as purely and simply a response to this one game. That wasn't really my intent, yes it was a disgraceful performance, but to me it is part of a longer term pattern built over many years of underperformance. If the team responds and beats the Dogs it does nothing to change the underlying pattern. We are club that is held back by an accepted culture of underperformance in my view, and perhaps too many of our members are willing to continue to accept it.

My broader point is more to question 'do people have confidence in the executive and non-executive leadership of this club' and 'do people believe that they have the capacity to build, sustain, and deliver a successful strategy'?

Perhaps this thread would have been more successful if I had of done a better job of conveying these points in the opening post and focussed less on the weekends particular result. Clearly some folks either don't feel that there is a problem here and/or would prefer to mock me than address the broader point and that is their perogative.

 

[dockshark]

I see the eagles improvement as a positive. I want them to finish between 10-12th for the next two to three years. They don't get picks in the top five and they also watch all their remaining solid old guys retire.

Perpetual suckiness is on the menu!

I seriously doubt that will happen. I predict they will manage the transition much better than people expect and turn things around more quickly than people are giving them credit for.

 

[GingerDocker]

I see the eagles improvement as a positive. I want them to finish between 10-12th for the next two to three years. They don't get picks in the top five and they also watch all their remaining solid old guys retire.

Perpetual suckiness is on the menu!

Was thinking exactly the same thing.

A nice dead cat bounce, on the back of a final swan song from player such as Yeo, McGovern, Barrass and Kelly, will see them miss out on important draft assets.

It also puts to bed any priority pick speculation.

Win/win.

 

[basashi]

For mine, I think Freo needs separate and demanding ownership. It is a poor model to have both teams in the state owned by one owner in the WAFC.

 

[poshman]

I seriously doubt that will happen. I predict they will manage the transition much better than people expect and turn things around more quickly than people are giving them credit for.

Interesting. They have Yeo, Darling, Gov and Kelly in the older players bracket. Barrass and Sheed are 30 next year.

Where would you predict them to finish on the ladder this year and next year?

What does turn around mean to you?

What is does more quickly than expected mean exactly?

 

[GingerDocker]

Fair enough and I understand this point of view. I'm a bit frustrated that this thread has been characterised as purely and simply a response to this one game. That wasn't really my intent, yes it was a disgraceful performance, but to me it is part of a longer term pattern built over many years of underperformance. If the team responds and beats the Dogs it does nothing to change the underlying pattern. We are club that is held back by an accepted culture of underperformance in my view, and perhaps too many of our members are willing to continue to accept it.

My broader point is more to question 'do people have confidence in the executive and non-executive leadership of this club' and 'do people believe that they have the capacity to build, sustain, and deliver a successful strategy'?

Perhaps this thread would have been more successful if I had of done a better job of conveying these points in the opening post and focussed less on the weekends particular result. Clearly some folks either don't feel that there is a problem here and/or would prefer to mock me than address the broader point and that is their perogative.

If that was truly your point, you're timing was sloppy at best and opportunistic at worst.

 

[poshman]

Was thinking exactly the same thing.

A nice dead cat bounce, on the back of a final swan song from player such as Yeo, McGovern, Barrass and Kelly, will see them miss out on important draft assets.

It also puts to bed any priority pick speculation.

Win/win.

Exactly. That is a lot of players to find. All AA level players as well.

 

[blue shark]

I seriously doubt that will happen. I predict they will manage the transition much better than people expect and turn things around more quickly than people are giving them credit for.

Yeo and Kelly have 2-3 good years left. By then their midfield is full of contested Bulls. You can add Hall into that bracket.
Also you only have to see what they can do with both the Williams and even Waterman to see they can turn late talls into serviceable players.
That’s before O Allen is even added.
They can forget about that priority pick, they are not North.
Hopefully they get no NGA concessions, and we get to strike first.

 

[dockshark]

If that was truly your point, you're timing was sloppy at best and opportunistic at worst.

Ok great, now that you have that out of your system let's get back to the matter at hand.

 

[dockshark]

Interesting. They have Yeo, Darling, Gov and Kelly in the older players bracket. Barrass and Sheed are 30 next year.

Where would you predict them to finish on the ladder this year and next year?

What does turn around mean to you?

What is does more quickly than expected mean exactly?

Exactly. That is a lot of players to find. All AA level players as well.

It all makes sense, but I have been around for long enough to remember similar periods where Freo supporters became convinced that west coast were headed for a long period at the bottom, only for them to respond, return and win another flag.

I think often football analysis focuses purely on the players and coaches and rarley intot he more difficult space of culture and spirit. West coast have drafted well, they are brininging players on quickly and they have a successful culture that demands performance.

Yeo and Kelly have 2-3 good years left. By then their midfield is full of contested Bulls. You can add Hall into that bracket.
Also you only have to see what they can do with both the Williams and even Waterman to see they can turn late talls into serviceable players.
That’s before O Allen is even added.
They can forget about that priority pick, they are not North.
Hopefully they get no NGA concessions, and we get to strike first.

Exactly. Their ability to rapidly turn their list over and bring new players into their culture has been proven over time. No-one can know what is going to happen, but it would be ignoring history to think they will not be able to do it again.

What happens if they do overtake us in the next 2-3 years and head back towards a flag whilst we are stuck middling it up as we have been for a really long time now? What will it take for people to demand answers from the clubs leadership?

 

[Footskill]

Hard to say where Weagles are and what their depth is really like. We saw it tested last year and it was atrocious. Injuries to few of their stars in yeo and gov can see them reverting back to norm.

Couple weeks ago many were looking at their up and coming players and concluded most were nothing to write home about