The improvement is real

There will be down days for a while but the trend is moving upward. Time to stop the overreactions

hmm, after that perhaps the serious question should be - will you stay around the club beyond 2016?

Caro brought this up in the pre-match interview with PJ, questioning Roos' dedication to the club with the exit deadline approaching.

Seems PJ had the discussion with Roos staying on in some capacity, conceding he'll find it hard to leave the club after everything he's done to get them off the bottom.

18 months into his tenure and I feel we still haven't improved much from 2014.. yeah are one win ahead but his game plan is simply pathetic. Club like GWS WB and St Kilda are ahead of us in development and game style. They play a fast and free flowing game where we still play a very one minded defensive game plan. Roosy needs to seriously consider whether he wants to go on ahead next year. I was a big advocate for him going around again but i can't simply see us improving much at all next year if he keeps going the way he is.

I seriously hope Goodwin brings in a much more attacking style..

This St Kilda is the last straw for me this year. Not watching any more games. Why should supporters sit through this and watch us stink it up with a dull and boring game plan.

Great win over the pies time to close this thread id say.

2013: 2 wins

2014: 4 wins, with an average winning margin of 11 points

2015: 6 wins (already), with an average winning margin of 30 points

We are improving. There will be moments of frustration (like last week) but the proof is there. Roos has made us a much better side than the Neeld era. It was never going to happen overnight, and there's still a long way before we can even talk about finals let alone a flag, but we're improving.

Great win over the pies time to close this thread id say.

My humble pie tasted great thanks.

You're kidding yourself if you think that Riewoldt wasn't the difference between a St Kilda or Melbourne win last weekend. Wouldn't have mattered how bad we were.

On the flip side you might be kidding yourself if you can't work out the speed kills us. (Exception Hawks?) Saints basically burned us twice and should have won the Jack Steven goal encounter by more. Bulldogs in the first half against us before we closed them down.

The slow sides like Richmond, Collingwood (Clokes 8 straight on QB was the difference there surely), Geelong, and North (hopefully next week) don't have jets everywhere.

OK, so we agree Lumumba isn't much of a player. I didn't look at him as critically at Collingwood as I do at Melbourne

Agree. With Daniel Cross it is the opposite in that I didn't rate him until he was wearing red and blue.

With Lumumba though, yes even Collingwood supporters didn't mind him walking out the door, before they got anything. He was a guy that didn't kick enough goals for me or impact centre/offence enough.

But would I get him in hindsight, despite the question marks that still exist?

Yes. Why? Because he provides the one thing that this chronically introverted team could never really do. Take em on. Have a bounce. Break a line.

If there is a stat on bounces and breaking lines, surely the demons of 2011-2014 was all time low. Even if you count it per capita possession.

The influx of Lumumba and Garlett has taken us from negative to ground zero, in this important aspect (line breaking) of offensive necessity.

Gee we're lucky to have a coach like Paul Roos at our club.

Yet still there are some who heavily criticise him after poor performances.

I defended him last week and today again showed that he is a great coach who is getting a lot out of our team.

We are still far from a great side (at the moment), but Roos has turned us into an outfit that, when our intensity is up, can be competitive against most sides ranked 6 to 18. That is an enormous step from where we were at the end of 2013, a side that could barely compete with anyone. We will still lose out at times to classier sides but when we can bring our best against these middle ranked sides and they are slightly off we can win games.

Roos has steered us to our first win in SA since 2001 (against Adelaide last year), our first win against Carlton since 2007 (also last year), our first win against Geelong since 2006 and our first win against the Pies since 2007. These were all pretty significant results. And let's not forget we were 40 seconds from our first win at Docklands since 2007.

From where this club was at he has done a great job. Yet still some want him out for the 2016 season and question whether he can coach. Unbelievable.

On the flip side you might be kidding yourself if you can't work out the speed kills us. (Exception Hawks?) Saints basically burned us twice and should have won the Jack Steven goal encounter by more. Bulldogs in the first half against us before we closed them down.

The slow sides like Richmond, Collingwood (Clokes 8 straight on QB was the difference there surely), Geelong, and North (hopefully next week) don't have jets everywhere.

Yeah, I know that speed kills us. I regularly post that...

It's all about intensity. I'll cop losses, but won't cop lack of effort.

We're breaking some hoodoos and for that I'm glad. I expected a minimum of 8 wins this year and we're still on track.

I reckon Roos is on par for what I expected and I don't believe my expectations were unrealistic.

I don't reckon Roos has been "great" from an onfield point of view, but he may well have been exceptional from a club point of view. I'm not in a position to judge.

I don't know whether it's lack of speed, endurance, effort, too many talls or most likely all of them. But at times this year we have ran out of legs in games(the GWS, Adelaide, Saints, Port & WC game come to mind). It's a major concern that we just seem to stop in games. If we bring intent & effort with a determined positive mindset in to games it seems like we are able to compete with most teams. Its getting that on a consistent basis that is lacking, which is very frustrating. I'd like to see the club address the fitness levels as well as athleticism of the list in general. We definitely need some quicker types through the midfield to become a more dynamic & higher scoring team.

The fact remains this week as it did last week that Paul Roos is the Messiah

Bump.

"I didn't see it coming." - Mark Neeld, round 1, 2012

"I didn't see it coming." - Paul Roos, round 20, 2015

Bump.

"I didn't see it coming." - Mark Neeld, round 1, 2012

"I didn't see it coming." - Paul Roos, round 20, 2015

Did he actually say that?

Did he actually say that?

I didn't think he had, either. But, yes.

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2015-08-16/tiring-demons-looking-for-the-year-to-finish-says-roos

Edit: 1 minute into the embedded video.

The game plan doesn't suit our team and Roos needs to adjust over preseason. The backwards hit outs and backwards handball are well known by opposition coaches and it is too easy to defeat us in the clearances. And then we lack speed and class on the outside.

In fact, the one time we hit the ball forward in the centre bounce, Viney ran onto it and Dawes kicked a goal.

It's all about intensity. I'll cop losses, but won't cop lack of effort.

We're breaking some hoodoos and for that I'm glad. I expected a minimum of 8 wins this year and we're still on track.

I reckon Roos is on par for what I expected and I don't believe my expectations were unrealistic.

I don't reckon Roos has been "great" from an onfield point of view, but he may well have been exceptional from a club point of view. I'm not in a position to judge.

I was hoping for 8 wins this year too.. However Jones is playing like a man with heavy shoulders, same as Vince.. Our backline looks mentally beaten before it even gets down there.. Having played local footy in bad teams in defence.. It plays on your mind..

If we give Carlton a 5 goal headstart.. We won't come back. I just hope Roo's & the rest of the club realise this week v Carlton.. This is our Grand Final.. We must not just win.. We must win well.. Anything less than a 10 goal win (or there abouts) will mean progress has come on from last year (but it's stunted).

I know we're missing, Kent, Salem, Frost, Tyson, Pedersen.. But the players coming in need to at least compete with the same effort..

I'm nervous about next week..

Bump.

"I didn't see it coming." - Mark Neeld, round 1, 2012

"I didn't see it coming." - Paul Roos, round 20, 2015

"But we trainnnnn hardddd"

I'm starting to think that the club just isn't AFL quality. It's a VFL club and probably only deserves as much. You could bring in the best talent and coaches ever, but you're only ever going to create a great VFL club, which at AFL level is akin to a Championship team jumping into the Premier League and getting smashed and relegated after a single season.

We just don't have what it takes as a football club.

I was hoping for 8 wins this year too.. However Jones is playing like a man with heavy shoulders, same as Vince.. Our backline looks mentally beaten before it even gets down there.. Having played local footy in bad teams in defence.. It plays on your mind..

If we give Carlton a 5 goal headstart.. We won't come back. I just hope Roo's & the rest of the club realise this week v Carlton.. This is our Grand Final.. We must not just win.. We must win well.. Anything less than a 10 goal win (or there abouts) will mean progress has come on from last year (but it's stunted).

I know we're missing, Kent, Salem, Frost, Tyson, Pedersen.. But the players coming in need to at least compete with the same effort..

I'm nervous about next week..

No it isn't.

We are a 6 and 13 team playing the worst team in the league.

Two bad teams playing each other is never a Grand Final.

We have much work to do with this list to get a Final let alone a Grand Final.

Utter embarrassment is what we would feel if we lose to Carlton this week, that's all.

The $1.5 Mill is proving to be the biggest joke ever played on our club.

Roos needs to display some passion ,nous,common sense and grit.

The philosophical approach isn't doing it for me at all.

I was hoping for 8 wins this year too.. However Jones is playing like a man with heavy shoulders, same as Vince.. Our backline looks mentally beaten before it even gets down there.. Having played local footy in bad teams in defence.. It plays on your mind..

If we give Carlton a 5 goal headstart.. We won't come back. I just hope Roo's & the rest of the club realise this week v Carlton.. This is our Grand Final.. We must not just win.. We must win well.. Anything less than a 10 goal win (or there abouts) will mean progress has come on from last year (but it's stunted).

I know we're missing, Kent, Salem, Frost, Tyson, Pedersen.. But the players coming in need to at least compete with the same effort..

I'm nervous about next week..

And those players plus Petracca and hopefully Trengove will be in next year to make a difference, we've had crappy injury run and had to play young blokes and players like M Jones and Bail who are not up to it!!

And those players plus Petracca and hopefully Trengove will be in next year to make a difference, we've had crappy injury run and had to play young blokes and players like M Jones and Bail who are not up to it!!

Also reckon Howe will be gone so hopefully get a decent player to replace him

No it isn't.

We are a 6 and 13 team playing the worst team in the league.

Two bad teams playing each other is never a Grand Final.

We have much work to do with this list to get a Final let alone a Grand Final.

Utter embarrassment is what we would feel if we lose to Carlton this week, that's all.

Utter embarrassment would be an understatement..

Hence this is "our grand final" we lose against a club everyone thinks should be tanking. And the irony alone would be enough to drive me mad!! We are favourites.. Flu/virus or not..we lose to Carlton.. All that respect we inched our way after beating Geelong & Collingwood.. Is gone..

And those players plus Petracca and hopefully Trengove will be in next year to make a difference, we've had crappy injury run and had to play young blokes and players like M Jones and Bail who are not up to it!!

Agree.. Didn't mention them because they are on the long term injury list..

Utter embarrassment would be an understatement..

Hence this is "our grand final" we lose against a club everyone thinks should be tanking. And the irony alone would be enough to drive me mad!! We are favourites.. Flu/virus or not..we lose to Carlton.. All that respect we inched our way after beating Geelong & Collingwood.. Is gone..

Our grand final, our most important game in a decade, blah, blah, blah. These sort of things have been posted most weeks and they are just so off the mark.

It's another game, hopefully we win it but if we don't we move on...

Sad as it is, I'm over this season and looking forward to how we set up for next.

The only joy I will get for the rest of this year is Geelong missing finals and Hawthorn finishing 3rd.