Ben Fixter - was he given enough chance?

[Legs Akimbo]

I think a few people, myself included, were big fans of Ben Fixter in the few healthy years he played with us. Then came the wretched run of injuries and he went to Brisbane for a song end of last year.

2006 - he's slotted straight into the Brisbane side (okay not such a big deal these days), he has played the first four rounds. His stats look pretty good. He's 25 and about to enter the prime of his career. I have every confidence that he will get better and that we will regret letting this guy go so easily. That's if he stays fit - but Heath James was given longer.

Round Date vs. K H P M HO T FF FA G B
Round 1 01/04/2006 Geelong 5 3 8 3 0 3 0 3 0 0
Round 2 08/04/2006 Essendon 5 5 10 2 0 1 1 1 0 0
Round 3 13/04/2006 St Kilda 8 1 9 4 0 1 2 0 0 0
Round 4 22/04/2006 Richmond 9 4 13 7 0 10 1 0 0 0

A related question. If you could take a choice, would you prefer a Ben Fixter or Paul Bevan on our list?

[ROK Lobster]

Have been thinking the same thing Legs. Agree completely. I liked Benny, but I guess Raul Poos didn't.

[goswannie14]

Could we swap one Ben for another?

[originalswan]

Paul Roos was actually big wraps for Fixter and did mention that if he was fully fit he would be in our starting 22.

Unfortunately it was Fixter who asked for a transfer at the end of last year - and why should we keep players that no longer want to be at the club?

[JF_Bay22_SCG]

Re: Ben Fixter - was he given enough chance?

Originally posted by Legs Akimbo

2006 - he's slotted straight into the Brisbane side (okay not such a big deal these days), he has played the first four rounds. His stats look pretty good.

A related question. If you could take a choice, would you prefer a Ben Fixter or Paul Bevan on our list?

No question, BEN FIXTER!

I have followed his fortunes at the Lions & am to some degree pleased to see him not only playing each week but getting a great deal of ball.

I always liked the way he attacked the footy. He is better than Bevan, who has completely gone off the ball since a great 2003. Bevan could never really play in the midfield. Fixter could slot straight in.

Benny Fixter is a case of what could have been I'm afraid. A NSW boy too, I'll let you all know as well. ;-)

JF

[Legs Akimbo]

Unfortunately it was Fixter who asked for a transfer at the end of last year - and why should we keep players that no longer want to be at the club? [/B]

Foolish boy. He had all of RWO behind him. I don't like him anymore. Heathen scum.

[ROK Lobster]

Originally posted by Legs Akimbo
Foolish boy. He had all of RWO behind him. I don't like him anymore. Heathen scum.

Who would not want to be at "Club Roos"?

[cruiser]

Originally posted by ROK Lobster
Who would not want to be at "Club Roos"?

Winning the premiership last year must be such a conflict of interest for you.

[ugg]

He only played 5 reserves matches last year. From some reports it was really a choice between Fixter and Doyle to be retained, while others said he wanted to leave. I'm not sure which report is more accurate but I think he had a slight swipe at the Swans medical staff when he mentioned how 'refreshing' he found the approach by the Lions with regards to his injuries.

[ROK Lobster]

Originally posted by cruiser
Winning the premiership last year must be such a conflict of interest for you.

Not at all. I support the club. I think Roos is a tremendous coach and I think that what he did with the 2005 list is nothing short of remarkable. I also think that he has influenced football more than any other person has in the time that I have been following football seriously enough to have some idea of what is going on.

That said, I do not think that he is beyond criticism. I think that part of what makes Roos the success that he has become is a streak of ruthlessness and a single-mindedness (and dare I say it - arrogance). These are the qualities of many successful people. I have no doubt that if Roos did not have faith in a player they would be let know it and be let know that it was probably in their best interests to look elsewhere - LRT has shown us that Roos is not wont to change his mind and is reluctant to let go once he has an idea that he thinks is right (again, qualities of successful people, no question).

There seems to be a collective view on RWO that Roos is all things to all players. On a list of 40 or so I think that that is far fetched. There will be players that do not get along with him, and do not reach their potential under his style of leadership. I suspect that Fixter may have been one, and have suggested elsewhere that Schaubs may have been in the same boat. I will be interested to see if Sean Dempster finds his way back into the side. I expect Nick Davis was told that it was Paul's way or the Kingsway (is that a road in the Shire, that's the joke I was trying to make but don't really know my way around that neck of the woods). Again, such an attitude obviously breeds success in a football club, and I don't know how useful it would be to try and be all things to all players anyway. The "no @@@@@head rule" is also a no misfits rule and a "no other way than the coaching staff's way".

I am not saying that I know that Fixter did not fit in and was shafted because of that, or Schaubs for that matter. I am saying that when someone says "he wanted to go - why would we want to keep him" that that question does not go far enough. "Why did he want to go" is the question and quite possibly the answer is because he knew that he had no future at the club. And how did he know, because quite possibly Roos had no faith in him.

I have been critical of Roos in the past and will continue to be. I think that he was a great player and has, in a very short time, proved himself to be an exceptional coach. However, I do not think that he is perfect and beyond criticism. I do not think it is fair to blame any difference of opinion between coach and player on the player. Not fair on the player and not fair on Roos. I think that he gets the most out of some players, but does not out of others. I think he is determined and prepared to be ruthless. It seems, no I really think it has been shown, that this brings results. I also think it comes at a cost and some of football's character is lost along the way - players become to an extent personality deprived clones, individual brilliance is toned down (working class, no superstars etc) the game becomes more machine like, more predictable, more deliberate, more professional, less fun, less spectacular. It is my opinion and others are welcome to theirs.

As I said I support the club. Just as I like some players more than others I like some players more than the coach and some officials more than some of the players. I wish no misfortune on others and just because I am prepared to be critical of Roos does not mean that i want him to be a failure or struggle when the Swans succeed. Life (and football) is not all Black and... not all Red and White Cruiser, it has many shades of Pink. I thought you, of all people, would know that (and I do mean that with the best of humour)

[Piobaireachd]

I bet u feel a lot better after that

[ROK Lobster]

Originally posted by Piobaireachd
I bet u feel a lot better after that

Why?

[Xie Shan]

Excellent post ROK. You are on fire. First "C'mon Swannie C'mon" and now this! See what you can do if you try? This is the sort of stuff that I like to see around here. You made your point and backed it up well. Obviously not everyone will agree with you 100% (though a lot of what you say I agree with), but this is the stuff that genuine footy discussion is all about.

Now...back to my semi-retirement from RWO.

[SimonH]

Some players need a new environment to flourish. Scooter McGlone, for example, is playing great footy at South Adelaide alongside Damien Cupido. (Okay, I could have come up with a better example.) It's not surprising to see Fixter playing good footy in Brisvegas; but it's also not surprising that he wanted to leave/was eased towards the door at Sydney.

He'd used up all of his lifelines at Sydney; at Brisbane he's a fresh player with a fresh start. Just like... er... Ryan Fitgerald or Nick Daffy. Wait a minute, I meant to say 'Schwatta or Paul Williams'. Darn those slips of the keyboard.

[ROK Lobster]

Originally posted by sydfan83

Now...back to my semi-retirement from RWO.

If you are going to say nice things you really should stay.