Cheer Cheer the Red and the Blight

[liz]

We play ugly, unattractive footy. When we play well, it is tight, enthralling stuff. When we play poorly, it is just bloody horrible.

However you see it the perception is out there that we flood, are unattractive, and are blight on the game. Right or wrong, that is how many see us. It was not how we were seen in the second half of 2002 or 2003. 2003 is probably my favourite season in 20 years or so of following the Swans. Hopefully as we rebuild we go back to playing some exciting, thrilling, at times reckless footy.

FFS we are not premiership contenders anyway, why not win a few thrillers rather than win a few where we have choked the life right out of the contest?

Agree with you on 2003. Absolutely no expectations going into the season, some great wins, and seeing that sudden flick of the switch as the team went from hold mode to all out attack mode was a delight.

The transition has happened in the sense that this year we've played several exciting, thrilling and occasionally reckless games and won most of them (though all against bottom 8 opposition). The Carlton game, the Freo game, the second Port game, maybe even the second Wiggles game - though it was largely due to the Swans' first half crapness that it became an exciting, thrilling game.

[Darren Thomson]

I cannot understand the commentators who describe our style as man on man. I only wish it was.

Certainly hasn't been the past few weeks, loose men everywhere, probably why they are saying we are too slow etc, we haven't manned up which is why we have lost in such big ways(for us that is). We usually stop the ball in the middle and force stoppages by creating a contest by playing man on man, this did not happen against Collingwood especially and so we got spanked. Some of the lads just didn't do their job. I saw a picture today in I F where three Swans were going the spoil (defenders) with no opposition player in sight. I believe this was from the Cats game, but where were their direct opponents, swooping on the loose ball and kicking at goal, lack organisation, communication, call it what u will, they best start talking to each other and having faith that each will do his job. I think Roos panicked for the first time last week when he shifted everyone around so much after the game was clearly over, everyone gets a man, wear him like a glove, that's what we do, lets do it

[Darren Thomson]

So he reckons everyone except Swans supporters enjoyed the 2007 GF more than 05 and 06? I doubt it.

And I am so over the nonsense that Sydney are responsible for flooding. Even Geelong were doing it to us a week ago.

2007 was the most boring game of all time. Not even a contest. It's a GF, have a go Port, show us something, anything, I think I split the screen and heated up the playstation after about ten mins.

The bias against Sydney is not restricted to the commentators or the press. I hate those Adelaide games when you have Adelaide commentators, I often wonder whether our blokes are actually out there

[Dogzbody]

It got a run on Footy Classified as well.

What about Caro going into bat for us against Hutchy

saw that BBB.....nearly fell off my chair....what happened to Caro...it was actually an observant neutral respectable set of comments she made.... not focusing on the players, but rather the integrity of Swans club culture

Wilson just got herself slightly demoted off my "stoopid ignorant journo" list

[ScottH]

Speaking of rubbish articles.... Mike Sheahan joins in...

Quiet day over at the Hun obviously...

Remember the interchange @@@@ up but forget about that goal Mikey??? Whatever....

Had North got the extra 2 points: They would've finished 6th and and played us in Melbourne. Not much of a change, except home ground.

Other way around, we would've finished 4th.

@@@@ happens Mikey!!

[wolftone57]

Flood

The flood isn't a new ploy, John Kennedy was the first to use it in 1961 & as soon as the Hawks got a turn over thety would run the ball out with handball & short kicks & the forwards would all stream back to set up the forward momentum. They were called Kennedy's Commando's & they were hugely fit which was also another new thing for VFL/AFL Footy. In the Post Modern Era it was Terry Wallace at the bullies who started the madern flood because of his team's lack of height in defence, ring any bells! Rodney Eade also used it for the same reason. But it was Mick Malthouse who perfected it the Eagles before Roo's & incidentally Worsfold at the Eagles made it an art. Yes it can be ugly, especially the way Adelaide play it (I haven't heard any comment on the Crows or Eagles form Demetreou). I get pissed off even more by the tactic of winding down time in the time on periods of each quarter & I think if a team is willing to go one on one you can bring this tactic undone.

[connolly]

The flood isn't a new ploy, John Kennedy was the first to use it in 1961 & as soon as the Hawks got a turn over thety would run the ball out with handball & short kicks & the forwards would all stream back to set up the forward momentum. They were called Kennedy's Commando's & they were hugely fit which was also another new thing for VFL/AFL Footy. In the Post Modern Era it was Terry Wallace at the bullies who started the madern flood because of his team's lack of height in defence, ring any bells! Rodney Eade also used it for the same reason. But it was Mick Malthouse who perfected it the Eagles before Roo's & incidentally Worsfold at the Eagles made it an art. Yes it can be ugly, especially the way Adelaide play it (I haven't heard any comment on the Crows or Eagles form Demetreou). I get pissed off even more by the tactic of winding down time in the time on periods of each quarter & I think if a team is willing to go one on one you can bring this tactic undone.

Kennedy was the first "modern"football coach in that sense. They played on a pocket handkerchief ground, flooded and ran out of defense. Kennedy also revolutionised centre half forward play. Eade simply adapted the Kennedy game plan. So much for flooding being new. Demetriou can't remember much that happened before the thug Mathews knocked him unconcsious in the 80's.