Five rounds in and I’m feeling a bit disappointed. In part it’s because I was expecting the team to build on last year’s efforts, but it seems they’ve decided to strip things back even further before starting to put it all back together.
I understand the approach that’s being taken and that any success coming from it will take time….but that doesn’t stop me from wondering about a few things.
You see… nothing is guaranteed in football.
So comments like … “Give them time and we’ll reap the benefits!” …”Wait until they’ve played 50 games together and see how good they’ll be!” don’t mean a lot to me. They’re just optimistic guesses.
The reality is that this time we’re trying a different approach to the past. Whether it’s a successful approach is yet to be determined. So while we wait to see the outcome it’s quite legitimate to keep asking questions and judge performances… as we see them at the time.
Here are some of the things that I’m not sure about just at the moment….and the reality is anyone trying to answer some them is just expressing a “gut” guess... but by all means have a stab! We’ll have to wait a season or probably longer for the answers. Some will remain a mystery.
Q1-What did Bolton really think going into this last game? Did he expect the possibility of a 100 point thrashing or did he expect the kids to put on a bit of a show?
Q2-Has that result influenced the selection process for upcoming games?
Q3-No doubt youngsters will benefit from game time… but is that more beneficial when you’re surrounded by more experienced players?
Q4-What do the senior players feel about being surrounded by such a young group? How do they feel about carrying an extra burden with the knowledge that they may not be around to taste any success?
Q5-How do experienced fringe players feel about being passed over for selection to get games into kids? The message for these guys is “You’re finished!”…how does that affect team dynamics? They may not be the future but they are the “here and now” and as such can be a positive or a negative influence depending on how they’re managed.
Q6-Despite comments to the contrary, wins don’t seem to be important at the moment and it’s all about development. But how long can folk hold the faith while that process occurs?
Q7-How good a match day and tactical coach is Bolton. He has wraps on him as a developer of character. What’s he like as a developer of footballers.
Q8-Are we asking too much of Weitering and Cripps…both appear to be hampered by injuries that aren’t serious enough to stop them from playing but what’s the mental toll of continuing to push the injured body?
Q9-We’ve seen some “flashes of brilliance” by a few of the young fellows (e.g.Fisher’s goal) but does that necessarily indicate a champ in the making? I remember a “weave and dodge” from Boekhorst in one of his early games that had us a bit excited, but nothing much has come of that….yet. These guys will develop at different rates. Some won’t meet expectations others will exceed them.
Q10-Can we hold the group together? Players like Cripps and Weitering, should they continue their development, will attract decent offers down the track. Will we be at a stage where some of the burden has been shouldered by others and they’re happy to stay?
Some of these will impact in the short term, others are longer term considerations but they do indicate that the rebuild process is a little more complicated than just “Wait a couple of years and everything will be fine.”
I understand the approach that’s being taken and that any success coming from it will take time….but that doesn’t stop me from wondering about a few things.
You see… nothing is guaranteed in football.
So comments like … “Give them time and we’ll reap the benefits!” …”Wait until they’ve played 50 games together and see how good they’ll be!” don’t mean a lot to me. They’re just optimistic guesses.
The reality is that this time we’re trying a different approach to the past. Whether it’s a successful approach is yet to be determined. So while we wait to see the outcome it’s quite legitimate to keep asking questions and judge performances… as we see them at the time.
Here are some of the things that I’m not sure about just at the moment….and the reality is anyone trying to answer some them is just expressing a “gut” guess... but by all means have a stab! We’ll have to wait a season or probably longer for the answers. Some will remain a mystery.
Q1-What did Bolton really think going into this last game? Did he expect the possibility of a 100 point thrashing or did he expect the kids to put on a bit of a show?
Q2-Has that result influenced the selection process for upcoming games?
Q3-No doubt youngsters will benefit from game time… but is that more beneficial when you’re surrounded by more experienced players?
Q4-What do the senior players feel about being surrounded by such a young group? How do they feel about carrying an extra burden with the knowledge that they may not be around to taste any success?
Q5-How do experienced fringe players feel about being passed over for selection to get games into kids? The message for these guys is “You’re finished!”…how does that affect team dynamics? They may not be the future but they are the “here and now” and as such can be a positive or a negative influence depending on how they’re managed.
Q6-Despite comments to the contrary, wins don’t seem to be important at the moment and it’s all about development. But how long can folk hold the faith while that process occurs?
Q7-How good a match day and tactical coach is Bolton. He has wraps on him as a developer of character. What’s he like as a developer of footballers.
Q8-Are we asking too much of Weitering and Cripps…both appear to be hampered by injuries that aren’t serious enough to stop them from playing but what’s the mental toll of continuing to push the injured body?
Q9-We’ve seen some “flashes of brilliance” by a few of the young fellows (e.g.Fisher’s goal) but does that necessarily indicate a champ in the making? I remember a “weave and dodge” from Boekhorst in one of his early games that had us a bit excited, but nothing much has come of that….yet. These guys will develop at different rates. Some won’t meet expectations others will exceed them.
Q10-Can we hold the group together? Players like Cripps and Weitering, should they continue their development, will attract decent offers down the track. Will we be at a stage where some of the burden has been shouldered by others and they’re happy to stay?
Some of these will impact in the short term, others are longer term considerations but they do indicate that the rebuild process is a little more complicated than just “Wait a couple of years and everything will be fine.”