Cresswell reveals how to beat Swans

[Red]

Originally posted by ROK Lobster
$ It is not about mateship, loyalty, or a love for the club. It is about dollars. It is professional sport. We, the fans, display those qualities, but players, and former players, are trying to earn a buck. There would be very few players that have the same love, passion or commitment to a club that even the most fair weather of fans have. Good luck to him, he has kids to feed.

That's cool. But if he's such a Swans man, why wasn't his article entitled 'How to beat the Cats'?

If he comes up with an effective 'How to beat the Saints' -- all is forgiven.

[NMWBloods]

This articles are all interesting for the fans, but I'm sure most coaching teams can work out such tactics themselves.

[satchmopugdog]

Being in Victoria last week was an interesting experience footy supporting-wise. The whole emphasis was on Geelong so obviously their articles were aimed that way. In order to find out about the Swans (no internet access) I had to scrounge through any article I could find for references of Geelong. Don't get me started on The Footy Show!!!!!!!!

[Red]

Originally posted by NMWBloods
This articles are all interesting for the fans, but I'm sure most coaching teams can work out such tactics themselves.

Cresswell is becoming a problem for us. Last season he devised the 'flood the Swans half-back line & stop their run out of defence' tactic which the Cats employed successfully against us. Then other clubs started using it as well -- and they still are. It's part of the reason why 04 < 03.

I'm not saying he shouldn't conspire against us -- he's a professional assistant coach after all. But is current club is out of contention. So if he's got ideas on how to bring his former club down, why doesn't he just keep them to himself?

[NMWBloods]

Because it's good for his future prospects to have his opinions in print.

[Red]

True. But sadly all his printed opinions seem to be about how to @#$% us up.

It's unfortunate, but our past champions' future prospects are bad for our current ones.

[Charlie]

For crying out loud, what a load of rot!

Cressa's article first appeared (in a slightly different format) in Melbourne's free CBD newspaper Mx. He actually commented on strengths and weaknesses of both teams. It was written for Victorian audiences - as was the Herald Sun article - so if it came across as pro-Cats that shouldn't surprise anyone. He almost certainly had no/very little input in how it was presented by the editors.

We are a precious bunch at times, aren't we? Cressa has bled for this club too many times to count. He was there working his butt off when the team couldn't win to save themselves (which was literally the situation he faced at one stage, when he was just a rookie trying to get a game). He turned himself from a two-bit reject from the Tassie wilderness into a club legend. Without him, we wouldn't have made the GF in '96. In '97, we watched him risk serious knee damage because he was too desperate to stay on the field for his own good. I can't believe that after what he gave to us that some here have the temerity to call him 'traitor'.

If he wants to make a little bit of money writing articles for Vic papers, good on him. His status as a Swan is beyond doubt.

[Nico]

Nobody should care. They lost so his words were empty.

The Saints play a different game than Geelong. There is no way Thomas will change a winning formula. Besides they have the wood on us good and proper.

[Jeffers1984]

Originally posted by Charlie
If he wants to make a little bit of money writing articles for Vic papers, good on him. His status as a Swan is beyond doubt.

Totally agree. No matter what Cressa does from now on, he will always be a Swans legend and one of my favourite players ever to wear the Red and White.

[Bob Neil]

At least he was wrong. The result was ever in doubt.

[NMWBloods]

I thought he was pretty much right.

[Sanecow]

Except for the bit about beating us.

[NMWBloods]

If not for a freakish performance by Davis and injuries to Geelong, he would have been right. Pretty hard to predict those things.

[Sanecow]

The advice to CHANGE STYLE from "a possession style of game" to "FLOOD, FRUSTRATE AND RUN" introduced a sizable and predictable risk.

[snajik]

Originally posted by Nico
Nobody should care. They lost so his words were empty.

The Saints play a different game than Geelong. There is no way Thomas will change a winning formula. Besides they have the wood on us good and proper.

Plus the MCG doesn't lend itself to that style of game plan. There's too much open space.

Incidentally, when is Robert Walls going to come out and say that Geelong will never win a premiership playing that style of football, and when is Andrew Demetriou going to tell the world that Geelong's style of play is bad for the game?