3183 Dee

I’d say that any potential player or coach would be insane to look at us until our new off field set up is (a) highly credentialed and (b) settled in place. I have no inside knowledge but it now appears that the Pert/Roffey era has been quite damaging for the club. Did they ride the coattails of our fantastic premiership without using the opportunity to propel the club forward? I don’t know - but the noises and whispers of the past 2 or 3 years, coupled with on field stagnation in the same period would possibly suggest this. I wonder if too much was based on the assumption that Gawn, Brayshaw , Oliver and Petracca would automatically and effortlessly bring an era of greatness? Instead, I think the untimely loss of Angus has brought the whole house of cards down and exposed a lot of rot behind the facade.

A Twitter?

To me, it Speaks volumes about the way the club has/is being run.

Chag Pesach Sameach!

Sadly, the Coach himself has also been saying it for 3 years. The fact that nothing has changed in that time (in fact it’s got worse) is astounding.

💯 We need to find a CEO, a President, make a decision on our whole coaching team, make decisions on our senior ‘stars’, put together a coherent game plan to at least try to win a couple of games this year….then look around to see which players are on the market.

Nail. Head. Hit.

If he said the list of candidates was underwhelming, then that is great news. It means we have someone overseeing things, who won’t look at mediocrity. It feels like we may have been slipping back into our boys’ club ways over the past couple of years, where people within the club, may have been content to ride on the coattails of 2021 and think that it’s all just ‘going to happen’. There seems to have been a fair bit of protectionism around the place - including at coaching and playing level.

While I will still be going to games and supporting the club, the last two games have been a continuation of the downturn which began, truthfully, in 2023. Even though we made top 4 that year, there were not that many games where we looked convincing. Last year, maybe the Dogs and Hawks games early on were dominant performances but, after that, we were not very good at all. This season, apart from a workmanlike performance against GWS, we have regressed. I can’t believe that a whole squad of professional sportsmen have not been able to grasp and implement a change in game style. Sure - it may take a few games to perfect, but I literally cannot see what the new game plan is - I really can’t. It’s very much like 22 individuals playing together for the first time.

30 minutes of the purest footy. We were unstoppable in that Finals series. Unstoppable.

Just got back - that was absolute garbage from start to finish. I would say only Bowey, Chin and maybe Henderson and Langford got pass marks. Skills are atrocious, really really bad. We played like The Dog and Duck today and made a not very good Gold Coast look brilliant. I have a hunch that something is not right within the four walls - I have nothing to base this on, other than watching a team that looks completely disconnected from each other. And this is supposed to be a group that has ‘healed’ and ‘full of love for one another’? Give me a spell. Also - this new system we’re trying? I can’t even tell what it is, unless it’s to lull the opposition into a false sense of security about how bad we are, and hope to jag a few goals when their guard is down. Can’t wait for the press conference: “there are certainly areas we need to get better at.”, “not up to the level”, “well done to Gold Coast”, “beaten in all phases”. Tick them off the list. The buck has to stop with Goody now - granted, he’s not out on the field, but he is in charge of this rabble.

He’s part of the problem - has not distinguished himself at all in the last two games.

Agreed, although the expectation of finals, which I’m sure most of us have, may actually be very different from the reality, which comes as a bit of a shock. From a team that expected top 4, we seem to be now looking at trying to scrape into the 8. It’s quite a fall, considering the list - you have to say we have underachieved so far, despite 2021 (which was magnificent). This is on the organisation as a whole - the reality is that the club hasn’t been run the best way it could be - on and off the pitch - since 2021. For me, that’s why all this ‘love and healing’ stuff wears pretty thin. Stop talking about it, create a system that gets the very best out of your current players, win games (or die trying) and you’ll soon find a happy and joyful playing group and supporter base. As I see it, this latest mantra about (to paraphrase) ‘there are still winnings, even if you don’t win the game’ as well as ‘it’s incredibly hard to win games of AFL’ is kind of accepting and validating defeat. Fair enough, your players will feel warm and comforted by it, but those of us who turn up each week, spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on memberships, expecting a certain standard of football and commitment are not going to wear it for too much longer.

100% - You can spruik or spout an ideology, but sprouting is just weird.

Claptrap, I'm afraid. It's so vague and cliched, that it makes it impossible to measure success against it, which in turn makes players and coaches unaccountable. I'm off the Goody train.

I haven’t been an advocate of changing coaches, but things seem to be getting more and more bizarre with Simon. Lots of talk of love and culture: of course you need to create a great work environment, but I start to get the feeling that Goody is ensuring the love of the players to cover his own back. Start winning, with clear attacking football and this will go a long way to creating the love, happiness and passion in the players (and supporters) that he talks about. I feel that the ‘feel good’ messaging is a bit of smokescreen to disguise a generally underwhelming performance on the field over the last three years.

Or Gitanes?

2019

We’re in the Shane Warne stand, so didn’t get to see X’s work up close, but could tell he’s pretty special. Looking at that footage, two things stood out to me: 1. He seems to be one of those players who creates time and space for himself, even in congestion (Judd McVee is another). Very unfazed and calm in possession. 2. As @binman noted on the pod, he handballs into space beautifully, so that the receiving player doesn’t need to break stride. Also, didn’t appreciate at the game how good his kicking is - mostly hitting the receiver on the chest, in space away from the defender. Tough as well - could be an incredible pick up.

Honestly, I was surprised the crowd was as big as it was. GWS would be lucky to have brought 500 to that game - you have to put this into perspective, especially considering the GP and the weather (it doesn't stop me, but many people would rather not be out in the rain). First couple of games of the year always seem to me to have smaller crowds, not sure whether that's actually the case but it takes a few weeks to warm up. Win a few games and the fence sitters will start coming...win a few more and even the armchair fans will turn up!

Hi guys - tickets have gone, thanks for all the enquiries, hopefully those that missed out will still go. Will do the same for future games.

Hi Demonlanders, As part of our Trident membership, we receive an additional 2 x General Admission tickets for most home games. I'd love to pass those on to any Dees fans, who might not otherwise go to the game. Please DM me if you'd like the tickets and I will transfer them - first come, first served, obviously. Let's get as many Dees voices out there!

He certainly was - the Marvellous Magyar. Apologies for derailing the thread.

Luggy is an Argyle legend - there’s always been lots of Scottish connections at Argyle, by the way.

Don't mention that man's name in front of me - single handedly stuffed our (Plymouth Argyle) season up. Back to League One we go 😭