Engorged Onion

yes, good guy, knows his stuff, Stephen Rendell.

Probably useful to post this here - it's a universal truth of all codes. " Ange Postecoglou’s mature response to referee decisions shows up Mikel Arteta’s immaturity Spurs manager's post-Chelsea comments were a rarity – like Arteta, he is not a fan of Var but was still able to swallow officials' mistakes There was, all told, nothing much that Ange Postecoglou could argue with when it came to the decisions of Michael Oliver and his team of officials on Monday night in one of the great Premier League games of the season so far, although his post-match analysis was welcome nonetheless. There is a great interview with Brian Clough from his 1970s heyday when an anxious looking John Motson gets taken apart by the great man over television’s treatment of referees. Motson points out that the pundits in the studio with the benefit of replays do not always criticise the officials – sometimes they praise them too. “I’m not interested whether it proves him [the referee] right occasionally,” Clough says. “The point is that he [the referee] makes his decisions in five seconds, or two seconds, or one second, in the heat of the moment with 22 players and 30,000 people shouting and bellowing. All I’m saying is that you don’t make that point strongly enough. It should be over-emphasised how hard it is to referee a match.” It does take people in football of stature to stand up for referees because, simply said, they cannot do it for themselves. They have no militant fanbase upon which to fall back upon, and no scope to do interviews because, as Clough rightly pointed out 50 years ago, the only interest in them would be when they foul it up. And it is a hard job – so hard that more than 48 hours on from Mikel Arteta’s tantrum on Saturday night he was still not prepared to say which of the three possible infringements on offer he thought should have stood against Anthony Gordon’s goal. Even when managers are not sure why they think the referee might be wrong – or indeed if he is – they still have the confidence to embark on these remarkable diatribes, and none more so than Arteta this weekend. Football has been diminishing the authority of its referees and assistants for so long that Postecoglou’s intervention was vanishingly rare. He said what so many of his managerial brethren must know in their hearts but find so difficult to articulate. That the referee’s job is made almost impossible by the pressures of players and managers. Not to mention an expectation that Var can solve everything. What is it about these managers – Jürgen Klopp, Jose Mourinho, Arteta, and many others over the years – that makes them do it? One suspects that it is often reluctant, prompted by an irrational fear that if they do not do so then it might beget more decisions against them. A notion that the only way to control fate is to rail against the day’s referee to ensure the next one is more compliant. What is it about the club issuing statements in support of their managers in meltdown, as Liverpool and Woolwich have this season? Again, one suspects it is not a task they relish but feel obliged to do. Doing nothing would leave some kind of awkward misalignment between them and the man on the touchline so they take the path of least resistance. One presumes that then someone is deputed to email a list of complaints, or conspiracy theories, to Howard Webb, and he is in turn obliged to make a solemn phone call to “discuss” it. So the whole dismal dance plays out. ‘You have to accept the referee’s decision’ – Postecoglou It took Postecoglou – who was himself booked on Monday night for leaving his technical area – to break that cycle. “You have to accept the referee’s decision,” he said. “That is how I grew up. This constant erosion of the referee’s authority is where the game is going to get – they are not going to have any authority. We are going to be under the control of someone with a TV screen a few miles away.” Easy to say of course, when one is, for instance, in a pre-match press conference ahead of a big game against Manchester City on a good run of domestic results. Just as Arteta did on October 6 when, in the aftermath of the Var errors in Tottenham’s win over Liverpool, he said of referees, “we need to give support and understand that mistakes happen”. Those principles did not survive their first contact with a referee’s decision he did not like the smell of. Postecoglou, by contrast, swallowed it after a 4-1 defeat at home to one of his club’s biggest rivals. Perhaps he considered himself fortunate that Destiny Udogie was not given a red card for what turned out to be his first yellow card – that tackle on Raheem Sterling. Postecoglou is not a fan of Var, as he has said many times since he arrived in the Premier League this summer, although he tends not to blame the people whose job it is to operate an imperfect system. In case it needs repeating, Var was brought in as a response to television’s coverage of football, not to the game itself. Referees and their assistants had been getting decisions right and wrong since the ball had laces in it and the half-time norm was a restorative Woodbine. The difference in the 21st century was technology that could prove the case within seconds to a global audience who were consequently better informed than the men running the game on the pitch. That was why Var came in, and of course because television loves a new gimmick to sell its package all over again to subscribers. Either way, the spirit of what Postecoglou said was pure Clough – the kind of stern good sense that will stand the test of time, and there is a good chance that others will be quoting it in 50 years. Although hopefully by then, someone will have got Var to a point where we can all tolerate its existence. *read VAR for ARC, or any slow mo replay in the AFL context.

My views are, I feel so surprised that supporters get upset, when someone (only ever of value) wants to change their lifestyle for reasons they chose not to publicise. At least he has had the decency to let the club know in advance so they can plan for it. Of course, in the end he may stay - and that benefits us. But I'd argue he is one leg/foot injury away from having a career severely compromised by injury, conversely he is one non injury away from having a very very good career. This is the dice to be rolled.

A definitive statement - and he won't get better. His accuracy fluctuates on the first kick for goal of the game - if he nails it - he tends to be 'on'. It's more of case of accepting he has a range of assets, and with that are the flaws, and thus the ceiling to his game in certain areas is what it is... a la Joe Daniher.

Presumed they are OS ;)

Great reference!

Ok, so staying for this year and leaving at the end of the season... Good to have clarity. Plenty of time to organise deals in the meantime with transparency. He better not say he misses his family though - that's the sort of talk that gets you ostracized, by wankers... <----- cannot believe that word was not moderated! Huzzah!

Well, it was clear as day when Tim Lamb said - he will play for us next year - those last two words being the most meaningful ones.

Thanks for bringing joy to 1000's of people James. You lived the dream of many supporters. Good luck to you in your career going forward. All the best. Your Secret Admirer from afar...

What's perplexing about it? He is coverage and on low $...and has a contract. It's not even slightly perplexing. You can't delist everyone you think is a bit average every post season. Sometimes you keep people on, because they have been in the system for a long time, they know the grind, they adhere to training protocols and they're good club folk.

Fear, a deep-seated evolutionary emotion, often acts as a motivator by triggering the body's "fight or flight" response. This is marked by the release of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline from the adrenal glands. These hormones, while heightening our awareness and increasing heart rate for immediate threats, can be detrimental when experienced chronically, causing health concerns like suppressed thyroid function. From a familial perspective, when parents employ fear as a motivating tool, it can lead to immediate compliance and heightened caution in children. However, the darker side reveals chronic stress, eroded trust between parent and child, the development of avoidance behaviors, and diminished self-esteem in the child. Similarly, in sports like AFL, when coaches regularly resort to yelling, players might momentarily become more alert and responsive. Yet, the lingering effects can be detrimental: the players may develop performance anxiety, leading to more mistakes; they might constantly be under heightened stress; the coach-player relationship could deteriorate; and, over time, players could experience burnout, associating the sport with negative emotions rather than passion and enjoyment. In essence, while fear can be a powerful motivator in the short term, its prolonged use can have lasting negative impacts on individuals, be it in familial settings or sports environments. FEAR (YELLING, ANGER) IS A GREAT MOTIVATOR - SHORT TERM - > IT THEN BECOMES EXHAUSTING AND ATHLETES (ADULT HUMANS) - DISENGAGE EMOTIONALLY TO PROTECT THEMSELVES - THE TRUST BETWEEN TWO PEOPLE (I could get nerdy into inconsistency of a coach, and attachment styles of the player - uncertainty of how a coach responds, and what that brings out on the field when we make errors)...

Can you outline what that would even look like ?

Hee hee... once upon a time :) and with another club. 😵**don't know that I could be objective enough to work with the team that I love.

Title: "The Contractual Conundrum" INT. MELBOURNE FOOTBALL CLUB - FOOTBALL DEPARTMENT OFFICE - DAY Simon Goodwin, the head coach of the Melbourne Football Club, sits behind his desk, wearing a sardonic grin. Ben Brown and Tom Macdonald, two veteran forwards who played pivotal roles in the club's Grand Final win two years ago, sit on the other side, looking bewildered. SIMON GOODWIN (raising an eyebrow) G'day, fellas. I've called you in today because apparently, you've forgotten about a little thing called a "contract." BEN BROWN (confused) A contract, you say? Is that like a footy team subscription service? TOM MACDONALD (scratching his head) I thought we were still in the "free trial" period. Simon Goodwin takes a deep breath, his sardonic grin unwavering. SIMON GOODWIN (with a smirk) Yes, a contract, guys. It's that pesky document that says you're legally obligated to play for this club, whether you remember signing it or not. BEN BROWN (defensive) We didn't exactly throw a contract-signing party, Simon. It's not like we RSVP'd for this. TOM MACDONALD (agrees) Yeah, we're just a couple of accidental champions, apparently. Simon Goodwin exchanges a sarcastic look with the Football Department representatives, who are struggling to contain their amusement. FOOTBALL DEPARTMENT REP 1 (smiling) You know, contracts are these quaint little things that specify you're supposed to kick footies, not miss goals, and avoid falling apart like a house of cards in a storm. FOOTBALL DEPARTMENT REP 2 (nods) And, believe it or not, the supporters expect you to remember how to do all that. BEN BROWN (confused) But we've still got the moves, coach! We've accidentally pulled off some magic tricks on the field. TOM MACDONALD (enthusiastic) Yeah, remember that time I turned a fumble into a goal? The crowd went wild! Simon Goodwin can't help but roll his eyes before regaining his composure. SIMON GOODWIN (rolling his eyes) I appreciate your inadvertent showmanship, but we've got this minor issue called "team performance" to consider. It's not a comedy show out there. FOOTBALL DEPARTMENT REP 1 (sighs) And, by the way, the medical team thinks you're trying to set a record for time spent in the treatment room. BEN BROWN (defeated) So, what's the verdict, coach? TOM MACDONALD (nervous) Are we being sent to join the local circus, at least officially this time? SIMON GOODWIN (grinning) I'm not saying you're headed to the circus, but perhaps you could head the entertainment at our next fan event. Wink, wink. The room erupts into sarcastic laughter as Ben Brown and Tom Macdonald finally realize the point about their valid contracts. BEN BROWN (sarcastic) Oh, got it, coach. We'll make sure to honor our legally binding obligations as footballers. TOM MACDONALD (smiling) Absolutely, time to dust off those clauses and fine print. The Football Department representatives and Simon Goodwin join in the sarcastic laughter, relieved that the humorous take on the situation has lightened the mood. CUT TO BLACK. [End of Scene] In this revision, Ben Brown and Tom Macdonald, still under valid contracts, are reminded of their contractual obligations in a sarcastic and comical manner, highlighting the irony of their situation to the supporters.

I do wonder what the internal view of the club is vs supporters. Perhaps it’s not so black and white (good or bad). I also wondered about them, as the retirees were called out yesterday

Nice out of the box thinking. Even Cales brother Mitch is a discard and then premiership player. Anyway, if you were to think that Levi was the elixir for all your premiership contending ailments, at any time, you’d be deemed crazy. this thread is a great opportunity to whittle away some hours while your life is passing you by. And rather than take a pot shot, I’d rather the current incumbents than Levi. They know the system, they know their teammates and most importantly they probably won’t be playing unless there is an injury glut. Just like an instagram influencer, this thread is brave and stunning. 🤩

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Taj Wowoedin ‘likes’ this post 😇

🥹 Brilliant… curt response was, I got my hopes up and then shattered!

Holy hell that’s euphemistic! What’s the definition of an inside slider (in a football context, rather than urban dictionary)?

Why the [censored] would you bother posting that? was it a vanity project to show off your photoshopping skills?

But you weren’t an AFL umpire…. Or were you 🤷‍♂️😀

Newish jargon of a ‘cooler’, sounds naff. Question for those hipster football analysts, what’s the difference between a ‘tagger’? Harmesy will be good for depth - the game moves on quickly eh…

Was discussing this whilst watching the first quarter (Bris and Carlton), they’re professional AND they are part time. That’s an important distinction to be made On a side note, a good friend of mine was an umpire for 10 years or so with the AFL and post career (roughly 10 years) he has never run more than 2km since. The training is THAT effortful.

I agree with the sentiment, and that’s not really how it works in reality, is it? Anyway, tin foil hat time ,- I sat with 5 people last night, 1 Collingwood - 1 Freo and 2 Geelong supporters, and another Dees supporters, who all felt the game was umpired with a strong bias towards confecting to a particular outcome. 3 in particular had never previously harboured a sense that the AFL attempts to manipulate outcomes - although all agreed they do it off the field, be it tribunals, or Essendon, or the umpire that was charged with betting, or HR issues, or… They were gobsmacked about the first quarter and a bit.. about the non calls being made, and even the Collingwood supporter could reflect enough (female!) that GWS did not get the ‘rub; in the final quarter the night before. Anyway - your comment got me thinking about the Dogs - and how simultaneously in EPL there was also the fairytale story of Leicester in the same year… HOW Convenient! and then the Dees, winning in an already compromised (financially) Covid year… yep - I think I’ve gone off the deep end