Longmire.

[Boddo]

If we were able to play our Grand Finals on our home ground then we might have won a few more as well.

Tell that to a league that believes that the MCG is a home ground advantage this weekend for Richmonds gws game but if Richmond makes it through the advantage magically disappears the week after n then magically reappears the beginning of next season. National comp my a...

[Boddo]

Back on topic. As much as some here don't believe Longmire has it in him to take us to another premiership I'd rather have him than be in the position Gold Coast are in. I'd like to see Shaw take a bigger role as he appears to be one of the coaches that thinks outside the box n is a bit more flexible. Longmire contested pressure footy game plan I do like a lot as it's finals footy but he needs to be a bit more flexible n not as predictable. E.g. Reid going back one was to predictable.

[Ludwig]

I imagine Longmire's post season will be haunted by the words: If I had only listened to Ludwig

[Nico]

I imagine Longmire's post season will be haunted by the words: If I had only listened to Ludwig

Maybe he should have a red phone installed to take your calls.

[Merdo5555]

Can anyone think of any other team in recent years that has simply not turned up for a big game, i.e., Grand Final or Semi Final. As a one off-aberration I think we all wrote off the GF but now it appears that anytime the team is raging hot favourites they dont bother turning up unless the opposition roles over. That's coaching and player problem, reality is we aren't getting rid of half the list so we should look at the coach.

Sure other teams have gotten flogged in big games but are two most embarrassing recent finals performances we were favourites so it wasn't a talent issue alone.

The performances seem to be slipping further and further away.

Can another coach get the best out of our final-phobic players like Rohan, Parker etc. I don't know but I think it's worth a try. Just making finals doesn't cut it. I'd happily take the dogs ladder position and trade it for last year's premiership.

if Longmire stays, and let's face it he will, then we need at the minimum a complete coaching box clean out like Richmond. let's get in a match day tactical specialist and new voices for the players to hear, and let's start making clear that if you can't handle the Finals heat we will look for possibly less talented player who we know will bring us a 6 or 7 rated game rather than a player that can get a 9 but then a 0 in a final.

Why did Sir Alex Ferguson buck the trend and be successful for so long, there are many reasons but one of the biggest is he took an increasingly hands off approach and rotated his staff so players didn't get bored or start cruising. We need to do the same. I think a couple of external appointments will do wonders, too often the strength of a unity in voices becomes a weakness when no-one counters the dominant opinion.

Losing is fine provided you can see the effort and application. Did we see that last Friday?

I know the boys were tired, the moon was pink, the ground was slippery, etc. In the end do we become a club of excuses or a club that does?

[bloodspirit]

I continue to back and support Horse but would like to see some fresh blood in the coaching set-up especially to provide tactical/strategic input. I think the main knock on Horse is that his game plan is not that adaptable (in particular we have not come up with an antidote to the Hawthorn kryptonite game style). Wouldn't be a bad thing if Stuey Dew gets an offer to coach elsewhere and we draft in somebody else. Whether we wind up going for someone like Stevie J or not, he would be more junior, and we could do with another experienced coach with a different point of view. Someone like Ratten or Camporeale if they could be tempted. I would have been interested in Sanderson too but Buckley snaffled him. I'm sure there are other good options out there also.

That said, I don't blame Horse for the Cats loss. The players just weren't up for that game. More than Rohan or Sinclair, it was our best players (Joey, Parker, Rampe, Buddy et. al.) that underperformed. If the engine room isn't getting their hands on the ball there are limited opportunities for Rohan & co. If our team had been up for it, it would have been a much closer game and I still would have backed us to beat them. I would have preferred to see Melican selected ahead of Harry C but I don't think it would have made any significant difference to the outcome and perhaps Melican's hamstring was still less than 100%.

- - - Updated - - -

I imagine Longmire's post season will be haunted by the words: If I had only listened to Ludwig

Don't know if I'd go that far but I was impressed to see the way the two of you compromised and met in the middle on ruckmen. Horse relented on playing 2 and you acquiesced to playing 1. Maybe we are underrating both of your potential for adaptation?

[goswannies]

Can anyone think of any other team in recent years that has simply not turned up for a big game, i.e., Grand Final or Semi Final.

Our losses that you're concerned about are:

2014: 63 point GF loss to the Hawks
2016: 22 point loss to the Dogs
2017: 59 semi final loss to Cats

Ok I'm loo lazy to go too far back, but big losses do happen in big games:

2017: Bombers 65 Elim loss to Swans
2017: Eagles 67 point SF loss to GW$
2016: North 62 point 1st Elim loss to Crows
2015: Eagles 46 point GF loss to Hawks
2015: Crows 74 point SF loss to Hawks
2014: Tigers 47 point Elim loss to Port
2014: North 66 point prelim loss to Swans

I gave up on finals but these were pretty ordinary results too

2010: Saints 56 point GF loss to Magpies
2007: Power 119 point GF loss to Cats

[stevoswan]

Can anyone think of any other team in recent years that has simply not turned up for a big game, i.e., Grand Final or Semi Final. As a one off-aberration I think we all wrote off the GF but now it appears that anytime the team is raging hot favourites they dont bother turning up unless the opposition roles over. That's coaching and player problem, reality is we aren't getting rid of half the list so we should look at the coach.

Sure other teams have gotten flogged in big games but are two most embarrassing recent finals performances we were favourites so it wasn't a talent issue alone.

The performances seem to be slipping further and further away.

Can another coach get the best out of our final-phobic players like Rohan, Parker etc. I don't know but I think it's worth a try. Just making finals doesn't cut it. I'd happily take the dogs ladder position and trade it for last year's premiership.

if Longmire stays, and let's face it he will, then we need at the minimum a complete coaching box clean out like Richmond. let's get in a match day tactical specialist and new voices for the players to hear, and let's start making clear that if you can't handle the Finals heat we will look for possibly less talented player who we know will bring us a 6 or 7 rated game rather than a player that can get a 9 but then a 0 in a final.

Why did Sir Alex Ferguson buck the trend and be successful for so long, there are many reasons but one of the biggest is he took an increasingly hands off approach and rotated his staff so players didn't get bored or start cruising. We need to do the same. I think a couple of external appointments will do wonders, too often the strength of a unity in voices becomes a weakness when no-one counters the dominant opinion.

Losing is fine provided you can see the effort and application. Did we see that last Friday?

I know the boys were tired, the moon was pink, the ground was slippery, etc. In the end do we become a club of excuses or a club that does?

You worry me Merdo. How long have you been a Swans supporter?

[KTigers]

[QUOTE=Merdo5555;740665]
Why did Sir Alex Ferguson buck the trend and be successful for so long, there are many reasons but one of the biggest is he took an increasingly hands off approach and rotated his staff so players didn't get bored or start cruising. We need to do the same. I think a couple of external appointments will do wonders, too often the strength of a unity in voices becomes a weakness when no-one counters the dominant opinion.
QUOTE]

Alex Ferguson, successful for a long time? For sure, but I think it's called money. Not sure he would have had quite as many championships
if he was managing Swansea...

[chammond]

Can anyone think of any other team in recent years that has simply not turned up for a big game, i.e., Grand Final or Semi Final. As a one off-aberration I think we all wrote off the GF but now it appears that anytime the team is raging hot favourites they dont bother turning up unless the opposition roles over. That's coaching and player problem, reality is we aren't getting rid of half the list so we should look at the coach.

Sure other teams have gotten flogged in big games but are two most embarrassing recent finals performances we were favourites so it wasn't a talent issue alone.

The performances seem to be slipping further and further away.

Can another coach get the best out of our final-phobic players like Rohan, Parker etc. I don't know but I think it's worth a try. Just making finals doesn't cut it. I'd happily take the dogs ladder position and trade it for last year's premiership.

if Longmire stays, and let's face it he will, then we need at the minimum a complete coaching box clean out like Richmond. let's get in a match day tactical specialist and new voices for the players to hear, and let's start making clear that if you can't handle the Finals heat we will look for possibly less talented player who we know will bring us a 6 or 7 rated game rather than a player that can get a 9 but then a 0 in a final.

Why did Sir Alex Ferguson buck the trend and be successful for so long, there are many reasons but one of the biggest is he took an increasingly hands off approach and rotated his staff so players didn't get bored or start cruising. We need to do the same. I think a couple of external appointments will do wonders, too often the strength of a unity in voices becomes a weakness when no-one counters the dominant opinion.

Losing is fine provided you can see the effort and application. Did we see that last Friday?

I know the boys were tired, the moon was pink, the ground was slippery, etc. In the end do we become a club of excuses or a club that does?

Are you a journalist? You're obviously a master of fake news.

To get back to reality:

• Teams get clobbered in the Finals all the time;
• The Swans have been a top side for a long time now. They are frequently "raging hot favourites" and they usually win. That's why it stands out like DBs on the rare occasions that they lose games they should've won;
• The performances aren't slipping away: Swans won 15 out of their last 18 games;
• The Swans definitely don't need to copy the Richmond model - the Tigers have won nothing, and when they do lose, they'll go back to eating their own;
• And as for recruiting "possibly less talented players" just for the finals - are you David Koch?
• Sir Alex Ferguson took a hands-off approach??? Which universe are you living in? Not this one, that's for sure.

[Blood Fever]

You worry me Merdo. How long have you been a Swans supporter?

Not long enough obviously. Too many quick to sink boots in at first opportunity.

[barry]

Horse to gold coast. Stewie dew takes over Sydney.

There have been crazier ideas?

[sprite]

Horse to gold coast. Stewie dew takes over Sydney.

There have been crazier ideas?

Dew to GCS and Stevie J to forward coach role.

[goswannies]

Horse to gold coast. Stewie dew takes over Sydney.

There have been crazier ideas?

Great call barry! There have been crazier ideas! Terry Wallace to coach the Swans after Eade comes to mind

[Swanny40519]

Dew to GC , Horse out, Johnson forward coach, Malthouse senior coach