Not giving up hope....YET!!

[Neil Appleby]

Nice posting Alby, but you certainly don't sound like a junior member!
Unusual name for a junior too, but hey, I'd rather hear your opinions than some others posted here.
Come on guys...this is likely to be the worst season in living memory or even Ever.
We can't do much about it can we; we have a ratshit list and a relatively untried though hard working coach.
We are bad, we've gone backwards, we've made awful mistakes OFF field too.
Look at last weekend. It's galling to see Tony Francis,Aaron James, Jason McCartney,
and Scotty Russell running around in teams way up the ladder...they must really be missing the pies....Yeah right!
McCartney NEVER got a go at Collingwood.
I blame matthews for that...the guy was never given a chance to settle. As for James,
he had to go for team solidarity.
Francis gave us nothing the last few years,
yet now getsv a regular game with the Saints.
Why is this? Fitness..maybe....unhappy at the club??....probably.
Whinging won't help ...but will make us look bad. Remember the dignity and loyalty of Fitzroy fans in the last few years. They still loved their team even though it looked as bad as ours does presently. Let's try and focus on the positives. We've got some good young kids (Davis,Oborne) we'll get good draft picks and we have a board ,finally, with both business savvy and entrepreneurial
skills. Things can't get worse but it's important to stick by the colours...other clubs are thinking...wow it's their first really bad year and they can't take it.
Well I'd rather be looked upon like the old Fitzroy people.
Let's make this place a "Hands off the Coach"
zone!

[Damien]

Don't get too carried away with these blokes that we've disposed of Neil.
Tony Francis - one swallow doesn't make a summer, he still falls over when he goes near the ball. he is now a fulltime footballer for the first time this year, which may explain an improvement in form.
Aaron James - Lets face it, he's only one drunken night away from stuffing up again, the guy always had talent, nobody disputed that, but he had to go as you pointed out.
Scotty Russell - good honest player on the wrong side of 28, not a matchwinner and not worth $180,000 a year.
Jason McCartney - I reckon he got a reasonable go, he couldn't cut it at Adelaide either, he must be a late bloomer.
The real loss I reckon was Brett James - He DEFINATELY did not get a go from Matthews and is now a key player in a dual Premiership side. Our current crop of kids are looking OK. Davis is a ready made senior player, Wasley has come on well after one season and Oborn, Tarrant, gardiner, Betheras, Tuckey etc...deserve some gametime to develop. Presti must be on his last chance this season, although Mark Richardson took a long time to come good and is now rated as an important member of our side.

------------------
Damien

[2 PIES IN CAIRNS]

Well said, Alby! - and,by the way, I'm told I'm a junior member though I've been a Pie supporter since 1959!
Totally agree re Presta - thought it was just me for a while - he's just not up to it. Thought he had a shocker v Richmond. I also believe time is running out for Mark Richardson - he is still failing to hold marks he should be taking. Monky has a similar problem - doesn't often seem to take a mark in a contest. It can be easy to look pretty and collect stats if you're on your own, though I have to admit that the ability to read the play and therefore get on your own is a talent. Thought Gardiner was easily our best ruckman on the day v Richmond.
Re Sav and his dropped marks and poor delivery to him: the good forwards hold those marks and also overcome the poor delivery[not always] with ground skills or clever body use. While on Sav, I've never really understood why a guy his size and with his kicking ability [distance wise] is played at FF. Does anyone else remember seeing him in the U19s playing in the ruck and booting the Sherrin to the goal square from the centre ?
Hopefully you are right about the diminishing of skill errors - obviously it's related to confidence and there can't be much of that out on the field at the moment. The lack of talk and enthusiasm on field reinforces this argument.

All is not lost. Some of the young kids we are wrapping up now as potential champions will be the backbone of our team within a short time. Let's not forget what we went through in the mid to late 80s - young kids named Brown, Crosisca, Gayfer, Kerrison< McGuane, Croall, etc. playing their hearts out for the mighty B&W and getting beaten more often than not. Only a few years later -- October 6 1990 -- one of the greatest days of my life.

My point: don't give up hope. Continue to support the club we all love because it WILL turn around and we will be back up there where we should be.

[Damien]

Yes Neil. I'm still not giving up hope.