2001 Season

[sgloury]

I can't work out how if Frawley is such a bad coach, how we had such a good year in 2001?

We have had a few changes to the list but the list and the core group of players in the Senior team is essentially still the same. We have lost Knights, Gale and Broderick but those players were all at the end of their careers anyway and have been replaced by Stafford, Johnson, Coughlan, Rodan etc. In fact we would seem to have a stronger list now than what we did in 2001!

I keep scratching my head? How can we be so ordinary on the field? I don't know he we can go from being 3rd in 2001 to such pitiful results over the past two seasons with essentially the same group of core players?

Can anyone shed some light or atleast give me some hope?

 

[Walster]

I have a theory. When spud first got there he was younger and fresher. But as we all know that if spuds are exposed to light they turn green and poisonous. Therfore the more that Frawley has been bathing in the "light at the end of the tunnel" the more green and poisonous he has become and is just giving everyone the *smile* and making them sick.

 

[Rosy]

My take on this.

In 2001 we got where we did thanks to a very settled and determined backline. I think our results were more due to them saving games than Richmond winning them.

We won some close games, whereas now we tend to lose them. To me it's a lot to do with team spirit in that situation, and that spirit seems sadly lacking lately.

I think the team has become way too defensive, really stagnant from the half back line instead of having a lot of run. We also fall down across CHF and the ball goes straight to our overworked backline again.

We play a very predictable style of football, and other clubs are awake to it now. I don't think we have the coaching brainstrust, or probably the proper players for the modern game and have been caught out. We need tactics, skill, pace and hardness.

It seems the players are out there with no confidence in for some reason.

I have posted this before and people denied it would be true but here we go again........

We were told by a very senior player about player rift last year. Nothing against Campbo or Knighter, but a lot of the older players were great mates with Knighter and didn't like Danny's treatment of him and there was a lot of tension in the team. I know Laff etc denied this when I posted it before, but I reserve my right to believe the person who told us.

Anyway Knighter exit stage left!

I am amazed that Casey and Miller etc feel the need to tell us that the players have 100% faith in Danny. Is there any real need for them to tell us that if it was true?

I know of one player who doesn't think the players have absolute faith in Spud, in fact far from it. Well he thought that last year, maybe things have changed, but it doesn't look too much like it to me.

 

[the claw]

young tiger if you look at the gap between 5th and say 13th this year its not huge the same scenario has applied over the last 4 or 5 years injuries to the wrong players and you might miss the 8 atough draw lots of travel can also contribute to missing the 8 there are many variables but the biggest reason (given that a lot of teams were pretty even in 2001) for us slipping has been our inability to keep improving the list our recruiting has been abysmal and we have kept a lot of ordinary players on our list

 

[nwonash]

I now believe Richmond over achieved in 2001. It was a fluke, otherwise, we would of followed up and played in the finals again.

We did something we now cant do. Play over our true ability.

 

[diggler]

I bagged them in 2001. 8 losses by an average losing margin of 8 goals and two floggings in finals.
History will show it was the peak of careers for a very rotten bunch.
Cambo, Gaspar, Richo, Cameron and Holland all at their peaks. You will never see them play that well again!! Ever!!!!
Time all these yesterday men were given open clearances, including the captain, to the bush.
As usual I have been proved correct

 

[gustiger12]

My take on this.

We were told by a very senior player about player rift last year. Nothing against Campbo or Knighter, but a lot of the older players were great mates with Knighter and didn't like Danny's treatment of him and there was a lot of tension in the team. I know Laff etc denied this when I posted it before, but I reserve my right to believe the person who told us.

Anyway Knighter exit stage left!

Rosy as I was living abroad at the time all this occured I really don't know as much as I would like to about this scenario, maybe you could mail me direct on this subject rather than posting again and dredging up all this heartache.

The more I think about this the more I think this seems to be one definitive moment in Spuds short history that seems to have been a turning point.

I still recall watching the Video of Knighters last game as they ran onto the ground and it appeared to me that you could cut the tension between him and Campbo with a knife.

I don't know if this is true, but it certainly looked to me that there was a lot of tension between them.

 

[nwonash]

I bagged them in 2001. 8 losses by an average losing margin of 8 goals and two floggings in finals.
History will show it was the peak of careers for a very rotten bunch.
Cambo, Gaspar, Richo, Cameron and Holland all at their peaks. You will never see them play that well again!! Ever!!!!
Time all these yesterday men were given open clearances, including the captain, to the bush.
As usual I have been proved correct

You're a very hursh man Diggler

 

[gustiger12]

At least in 2001 we were a bit more direct bringing the ball into the corridor from the backline and then kicking long into the forward line.