depression vs optimism

[Pied Piper]

It's been a tough couple of days, haddnit? Bad enough that we lose a match most of us expect to win on the weekend. Being relatively new to this forum, I had yet to experience the collective wrist-slitting I have seen in the last few days.

We've had a thread on our top five most disappointing players, a thread on what players will not or don't deserve to be at CFC next year, a thread about cancelling the mid-year trip away, even a thread of baggers bagging those who don't bag the players enough.

Call the army! Call the navy! Call Tom Cruise and Sylvester Stallone! Jeez, guys and gals, get a grip. Is any of this making things any better? We are halfway through the season and we are 6-6. It's not as good as some of us were hoping, but believe me, it could be a hell of a lot worse. I'll try to explain why I remain optimistic.

Clubs' fortunes wax and wane according to any number of factors, and in a highly regulated, even competition, each and every team is trying to develop a list of talent that will peak more or less collectively over a three to four year period. Many people on this list and off it think Collingwood overachieved making it to the GF last year.

I don't necessarily agree with that, but anyone who thinks the only way we can improve is to win the flag this year is deluding themselves. The competition just doesn't work as simply as that. There are too many variables, many of which are out of anyone's immediate control: injury, the improvement of other clubs, projected development of players, etc.

The way I see it, we have a three to four year window ahead of us where we will be in the mix of contenders. Some of the players who have come in for such a pasting on the forum this week are at most three years into their careers. But they are the best we have, along with the listed players at Willi who are also trying to break in. They need time to develop.

Look at the lists of the strongest clubs: Brisbane, Port Adelaide, Adelaide. Most of their lists feature players born in the mid to late 70s. The vast bulk of our players were born in the early 80s. The Brisbane team that finished last in 98 is much the same as the 01/02 premiers.

The core of our team has shown how good it CAN be. The question is do they have enough improvement in them in the next three-four years to take the final step, or will they be like Sydney 96, St Kilda 97, Melbourne 00. One thing in our favour is unlike those teams, our off-field representation and membership has never been stronger. This puts us in a powerful position relative to others.

So let's stop flagellating ourselves and our players for last week's shocker, and instead turn our attentions to the next game, to the rest of the season, and beyond. There is a long road ahead and we will walk it together.

The Weed

[MissMagpie_20]

AWESOME post dude. Were all hurting, were all pissed off, we can bag and criticise or we can yell at ppl who bag and criticise or we can avoid nicks til it dies down or read it all and get shitty or think our season is over but at the end of the day none of this does much good. Im just trying to put it all behind me. I recognise there are problems but i dont see the point going on and on about them really so BRING ON THE DOGS I SAY!

As for the Hawthorn game, all i will say on the matter is

[M@®©]

I think for the past month alot of us have said our season is over yet we are still in the 8, its not over till its over hopefully the second half of the season brings us more consistence football. I dont think we are that far off the top teams. We have lost to the 3 top teams which at the moment are Port by 25, Wce by 15, Brisbane by 14 points 2 of these were interstate considering these 3 teams are going pretty good we aint to far off the mark 4 qtrs of footy is needed. I guess its Disappointing to lose to teams under us but i recall losing to the Hawks, Bulldogs, Carlton, Fremantle, Geelong + Richmond all at least once last year and those teams wernt in the 8.



http://collingwood.rules.it/

[MagpieMad]

Kewl post weed, and I think you hit it on the head about the age of our list. At the begining of last year peopple where saying that we wouldn't make the GF but would probarbly make the finals, we had rebuilt our list with talented youngsters and a few experienced players, most at that stage would have said that '04 would be our year as our young list matures and becomes consistant, go back and read some of the threads on here about it, it was a fairly unanamous opinion back then. whats changed? we made it to the GF, most people gave us no chance in the finals, but finals footy is a whole new game and the young fella's dug deep and won their way thru to the GF and went close to snatching the flag, thats the only thing that has changed, our young list still needs to develope, young players need to be blooded, consistant form needs to be developed, it'll happen and unlike Sydney 96, St Kilda 97, Melbourne 00 we are and will build great depth to our club that will sustain us for more than just one crack at a flag it will give us continued sucsess.
If you have a read thru some of the post this week, you'll find that quite a few players being singled out are some of our young blokes and I think that a few people forget they are just young blokes B'cos they have been around our club for a couple of years, yet they are still young and yet to hit their straps. Collingwood are in this for the long hual, an era of being the most feared and powerfull football club. not just one game, as disapointing as it is, is the way to judge a team.

COLLINGWOOD FOREVER!

[MargOZ]

I know a lot of supporters are feeling pretty p’d off with how our team is travelling at the moment – and it’s with good cause - but sometimes we need to look at the bigger picture. At the end of the day I love my footy – and a huge part of that is the Collingwood Football Club. I HATE seeing us lose and even worse, play bad football but as already mentioned there are many variables in this game we love and even if we do our best – it can still depend on 101 other things out of our control as to how our season pans out.

I will never accept mediocrity – I get in a shit mood after a loss – I won’t praise players who haven’t performed – and I’m all for constructive criticism BUT for me the emphasis is still on the fact that I LOVE my footy and I LOVE the CFC and I love reading positive posts that get the black and white blood flowing!

I work damn hard all week in a job I hate, earning just enough money to pay the bills, every time I answer the damn phone someone’s having a go at me about something that’s out of my control, every damn winter I catch a cold or bug, my roof leaks and my stupid heater’s playing up! But you know what gets me through? COLLINGWOOD. Just because I stay positive and refuse to bag the players and can’t wait to travel to watch our boys play every weekend regardless of the result – doesn’t mean I’m happy to accept a bad loss – it just means the enjoyment I get out of going to the football and simply seeing our boys run out on the ground puts a smile on my face regardless of how shitty my week’s been. If I can go to the footy for a day, scream at the umpy and cheer our boys on then I’m happy – a great win is the icing on the cake.

I know everyone’s different and it would be a pretty boring world (and bulletin board) if we were all the same but I’m a walking optimist where our team is concerned and the one constant in my life – the one thing I always enjoy - is my football. And whether we’re winning by 10 goals or losing to the bloody dorks – I’m still going to save every penny to see my boys play week in week out.

Okay, I just had to get that off my chest and now I’ve got to try and get through a winter weekend without seeing our boys play! Bring on the doggies – it’s time for a percentage and confidence booster!

GO PIES!
Marg

[swooper]

good on ya Marg

[Miss_Lisey_Molloy]

Im all for the optimistic look at life! Pessimism just isnt my calling! lol

Every week before Collingwood plays i am sooo excited! I run around school finding all the people who support that team and tell them whats gonna happen that week! Sure if we lose im gonna cop it but i dont care! If we win, they will cop it!!!

The footy just brings out so many different emotions in me! All week before a match i daydream about what i wish will happen, and theres nothing wrong with that! If we were on the bottom of the ladder and we had no chance to win because we were playing the top team, i would still daydream about our massive win, with Jarrod kicking 7 goals, and then him telling the interviewer it was for a special girl named Alyssa. There is no point automatically saying we CANNOT and WILL NOT win! Remember when we played Kangaroos! They were top team, we were bottom and WE WON!!! Nobody expected it! The footy tippers all picked the roos, the kangaroos supporters thought they had already won it, even some of our supporters thought it was all over, but we proved them wrong!, our boys won and i had total faith and optimism that they would beat them! And i was right!

We can win the grand final! We can win the next 3 grand finals! You will never know until that time comes and even if we dont, there is always next year, and the next year and the next......

I know its horrible to watch when the players are playing like they are in primary skool and all their handballs are shocking, and their kicks are terrible, we have barely scored and all you want to do is run up to them and tell them exactly what you want them to do. Its so devastating to watch!

But there's only one thing we can do! And that is cheer! Cheer for everything! Boost the players confidence! I know when i was playing cricket i was having a bad day, and then my friends came and started cheering and i hit a 6! And then i had a great day and got best on the field and that was because of my 'supporters' cheering me on and making me realise that i could do it!

Whenever a player does something wrong, don't automatically criticise, yell out to him that its ok he will do better next time! When you are losing by lots and you get one goal a lot of people don't cheer as much as they normally do! Cheer as loud as you can people! That will also make them want to win more and score more! The louder you are, the more encouraging you are, and that will make them be more determined to win!

I know we played a dissapointing game against the Dawks, but there's no reason to dwell on it for so long! Look towards the future and realise that we are a fantastic team! A bloody fantastic team and we can and will win!!

When we lost the grand final, i was so upset, but i knew we would be there next year! Sure our season hasn't been the best, but we can have a turnaround any time now. And then we would be back! It's just like a part of a poem i wrote:

I knew that next year,
We'd be in the same position,
We would then go on and win it,
And i wouldn't feel dispostion,

We would hold our heads up high,
The boys would be full of pride,
A smiling Buckley would be holding the cup,
After a long and fulfilling ride,


So always remember "postive thinking brings positive outcomes' because i can tell you that that quote is very true!

Love always, Alyssa xoxo
P.S Sorry if i made no sense!

[Joe]

We all hope so Marg,we really do.
I am with you win,lose or draw I have a great time at the footy.

[Donny]

Makes a lot of sense to me, Lis.

[Pied Piper]

I'm away at the moment and can't be long but thanks MM_20 and others for their responses. And just for anyone who wonders what makes me so bloody cheerful... I was told by my mum at the age of two I could do anything I ever wanted, but if I ever barracked for any football team other than Collingwood, I could just toddle out the door. Following this, my earliest memories of football: Collingwood losing the 79, 80 and 81 GFs in succession - thankfully my mind doesn't go back to the 77 draw, but still a scarring experience for a child!

So needless to say 1990 was one of the greatest days of my life... and then, somehow, over the next decade, it all turned to shit again. And what I see now is a regrouping not dissimilar to the pies of 88-89 - we are building a powerful side and we are in the mix again.

You can't truly appreciate the highs until you've seen the absolute bottom, and for those who think we're heading back there, stop dragging your sorry asses around, because we're not even close!