How many more years???

[Suitman]

I've had a gut full.

Seriously, I'm sick of getting on here every Sunday night and trying to be supportive, yet objective.
For the best part of three seasons now, we have ALL been looking for positives, and ultimately, had little to cheer us up.

I admire the optimism of all supporters. I get frustrated at some of the lame pessimism. We all want Parra to win.......and win lots.

But seriously, the time has come where defending the defenceless wins no hearts.

It is so plainly obvious that under present circumstances, we will not win a comp.
There is ONLY ONE COMMON DENOMINATOR.
I won't go over it again.

But, for the dummies.........

No........Brian Smith DOES NOT DROP PASSES, MISS TACKLES ETC.......
But he DOES..............

O. MOTIVATE.

O. BUY AND SELL. HIRE AND FIRE.

O. PROMOTE AND DEMOTE.

O. COACH

O. DEFEND THE DEFENCELESS.


HE HAS HAD HIS TIME.......... READ MY SIG.

AND READ MY TITLE.

I WANT TO WIN A COMP.............NOT BE AN ALSO RAN.
I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THOSE YEARS.

DOES ANYONE WHO TRIED TO BURN THE CUMBO OVAL GRANDSTAND DOWN WANT TO FOLLOW, OR DO YOU WANT A WOODEN SPOON?

SUITY

 

[MrT]

I feel your pain Suitman. Our club is a big club and deserves more success.
After witnessing season 2001, I never would have thought we would be where we currently are.

The Board needs to bite the bullet, Smith is not our future.

 

[Eels Dude]

I agree Smith is past his prime. It would be better for all if he left the club.

This is the same old stuff though. Nothing we can say in this forum is going to change Smith's positions, there's no point in making a dozen threads saying Smith should go.

 

[Suitman]

I agree Smith is past his prime. It would be better for all if he left the club.

This is the same old stuff though. Nothing we can say in this forum is going to change Smith's positions, there's no point in making a dozen threads saying Smith should go.

A dozen may not work, but a thousand might.

Suity

 

[Eelectrica]

It's pretty obvious to most people that Smith is no longer our best option as first grade coach. Until it's obvious to Dennis Fitzgerald I'm not sure there is much else that can be done.
Although rumours of a rally against Smith seemed to spark something for a couple of weeks, maybe that could be tried again :-k

 

[Misty Bee]

I know that the groundswell of antoi Smith sentiment 4 games back was enough to make our slothlike board to make a decision on the matter. That's why it is important NOT to dismiss anti Smith sentiment as 'boring'. What is boring is having the same weekend repeat itself on a weekly basis for 3 seasons. That is, dismal performance, followed by discussion about the coach, followed by dismal performance....

Smith must go. Suity, it'snice to see you adopt a more positive role in this saga again.

 

[Suitman]

That was so very delicately put Electrica.

Until Denis understands the gravity of the situation, or Brian swallows some pride, not much will change, because the power of the people lends itself to very little.
Sad really, when you think that much of the club's income comes from that power.

Suity

 

[Suitman]

Suity, it's nice to see you adopt a more positive role in this saga again.

Not so much "more positive", just "continuing responsible".

Suity

 

[Eelementary]

Mate, you're entitled to your views and opinions, of course.

But mate - why not get rid of our defensive and forwards coach?

Our defence is weak, and our forwards (except for a few) never look like breaking tackles or setting a dominating platform for our halves.

Seriously. People whinge about Witt, Dykes, Thorman and Wagon in the halves, but if the forwards don't go forward, then the backline has to make more hit-ups, the halves have less space and ultimately the team suffers.

People to be shown the door IMHO?

Defensive coach, forwards coach, Pearson, Vella, Hopkins (admire him, but Widders defends better and attacks better), and a few other players who will never make the cut.

I know you're entitled to feel sick at these recent years.

But I personally have been infected with a debilitating disease called "Mad Eels Disease". It's a congenital disease with no cure and a life-long incubation period, and no matter how bad we do, I (for some inexplicable reason) will always watch the games with a slight glimmer of hope that everything will be OK after the 80 minutes.

 

[Eels Dude]

I agree Smith is past his prime. It would be better for all if he left the club.

This is the same old stuff though. Nothing we can say in this forum is going to change Smith's positions, there's no point in making a dozen threads saying Smith should go.

A dozen may not work, but a thousand might.

Suity

The fact is we're going to have to put up with Smith. Although I agree he should go, we have to work around the fact that he is there and there to stay. The problem I find is that we can't attract quality players any more. A fresh coach would change that. The only way we seem to be able to get decent players is by throwing money at them, which Smith seems to do loosely.

 

[Parraren]

A common problem with our side under Smith is that we ALWAYS seem to go missing when the pressure is on. Smith described this week as a must win game v Warriors and it was a very winnable game as well, yet we choked, again.

The last 2 weeks we were in a position to win against the Broncos & Panthers, yet we choked, again.

Last year we were getting on a roll towards the end of the season and had a BIG game against the Storm in Melbourne which would have given us the momentum to get into the 8 - you guessed it, we choked again, we got smashed by 50 :?

It's a common problem that never seems to go away. We just never lift for the crunch games.

 

[The Colonel]

But mate - why not get rid of our defensive and forwards coach?

Our defence is weak, and our forwards (except for a few) never look like breaking tackles or setting a dominating platform for our halves.

It stems back to the head coach.

If you cut off the head, the rest of the body dies, whereas the body can function "quite well" without an arm or a leg.......... the head controls what happens.

 

[fish eel]

Its up to Smith.

Fitzgerald wont punt him. Politically he cant, and he is a smooth operator.

The pokie tax is kicking in soon, do you think he is going to send a message to the government that we can afford to pay out big cash to a footy coach, but cant afford to pay the tax?

No chance.

 

[strider]

A common problem with our side under Smith is that we ALWAYS seem to go missing when the pressure is on. Smith described this week as a must win game v Warriors and it was a very winnable game as well, yet we choked, again.

The last 2 weeks we were in a position to win against the Broncos & Panthers, yet we choked, again.

Last year we were getting on a roll towards the end of the season and had a BIG game against the Storm in Melbourne which would have given us the momentum to get into the 8 - you guessed it, we choked again, we got smashed by 50 :?

It's a common problem that never seems to go away. We just never lift for the crunch games.

I don't believe it is ALWAYS the case that we lose when the pressure is on...

1. Round 2 v Broncos in Brisbane - smashed by the Bulldogs week 1, the knives are out, huge pressure from the media and fans.....we win.

2. Round 12 v Newcastle - on a roll of losses, media speculation of Smith being sacked and talks of rallies.....immense pressure.....we hang in there and pull out a win....then a week later we follow it up with our best win of the season.


I agree we lose plenty of games when we are under pressure, but its not ALWAYS the case.

 

[True EEL]

well put suitman.......

its relatively simple people....any coach (regardless of it being the modern era) who names a halfback, 5/8 and then a guy an an extended bench to come in at "lock".....and then plays those people in all different positions, including playing one of the props at 5/8 (Corey "I'm old, slow and useless" Pearson....has completely lost the plot and lost his sense of reality on what it takes to coach a football team

you must have a stable halves pairing, indeed a stable scrumbase trio to be successful, Rugby League in is realistically a simple game and I hate BS for trying to overcomplicate it all the time, choos a conventional side, run conventional plays and coach in a conventional manner........or get the hell out!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Maroubra Eel]

 

[CrazyEel]

Regardless of forwards, halfbacks, assistants, selections or any thing else for that matter it still all comes back to Smith. Unlike at other clubs he was given free reign and total control and is therefore solely accountable for the results emanating from his decisions.