So you reckon we're in strife? Read on...

[sixpoints]

So the doom and gloom merchants reckon we are doing badly.
Let's see what else is going on;

Essendon.
Bomber Thompson announces he would consider moving on to perhaps somewhere like the Gold Coast. Consider him lost. Stuck then with Hird, but many don't want him. Show Cause letters out, Ryder packed his bags. Bleeding money fighting ASADA.
Gold Coast.
Granted not too much wrong here, but coaching position is a bit of a shambles at the minute.
Bulldogs.
Persistent rumours all not happy with the coach. Jones, Higgins & Tutt want out. They are broke.
Melbourne.
Frawley gone, crap list, broke.
St Kilda.
Crap list, broke, based in Seaford.
Adelaide.
Sacked the coach, no one appointed.
Brisbane.
Broke (won't say what I really think of them at the moment)
Carlton.
Crap list that's going nowhere, Waite walks out & Malthouse blows his top over it - "had I known he wanted to leave us, I would have kicked him out of my house last week when he visited"

[Mugwump]

[melliot]

Not sure what is gained by measuring yourself against the worst in the comp. If we want to improve, measure ourselves against the best.

[themonk]

[woftam]

[melliot]

^ Yer. We just can't tell from the outside, what is going on?

I'm not sure if we are in free-fall and there is a culture direction shift problem that is upsetting players unnecessarily................ or;

......... there is implementation of culture direction change for the better that is upsetting players.

If it's the former, then we need to consider a coach change.

If it is the latter, then best to say bye to the players that don't agree with the challenge and draft in new blood that can be developed and grown into the culture the club is trying to achieve.

[Lazza]

[neil]

[Lazza]

[35forever]

Speculation!?!? 8 premiership players in 2 years gone and you're WONDERING where the problem could lie?! Hmmmmmmm, let me see? Maybe it’s the sandwiches at Westpac? I've heard they aren't what they used to be!

Have a think! the point of this thread was to compare us to the dregs of the league, to show how well we're actually doing! Instead it comprehensively proves that we are right at home amongst them, although even Essendon hasn't lost as many players, and they haven't seen a Prelim final in way over a decade! These are all duds who don't play finals, WE were back-to-back minor Premiers just 3 years ago and this is the first time in nearly a decade we've missed the finals! Only on 3 other occasions in the last 50 have we had as bad a year The only logical and reasonable conclusion is that we are in WAY worse shape than the rest of this list!

A few ratbag players you think? Like who? Pendles? Cloke? Sidey? That’s about all we have left!!!

[die4pies]

For balance:

Hawthorn - no sign of weakening. 53 year winning culture.
Geelong - Turned a losing culture around and still have a solid list.
Fremantle - Young quality list getting more desperate as the window starts to close for them.
Sydney - Fantastic culture (Andrew Ireland). Quality list.
Port Power - Rebuilding the Port Magpie brand with young quality list
West Coast - always there or there abouts.
GWS - massive potential

Doesn't leave much room in the top 8....

Personally I rate us very close to that bunch and I think, like the season just gone, we will make a huge statement in the first half of the 2015 season. We just need to get the second half right....with a dash of good luck too.

[35forever]

Hahaha! Yeah! LUCK will do the trick!
We just need LUCK!

[jdpie1970]

[Collingwood 4 eternity]

[Lazza]