A Letter to Ross Lyon
Dear Ross,
I’m sure you’re aware that Saints supporters are a unique lot.
For diehards such as myself over the past 52 years adoring the club, it’s important to be patient and have a rock-hard sense of humour.
Self-deprecation is the order of the day for us ‘Sainters’ and even after one flag in 150 years, all we expect when we cough up our hard-earned year in, year out, is effort.
Effort attracts respect, something your teams of 2009 and 2010 achieved. Those teams were an odd collection of discipline, toughness and sheer class.
Gilbert, Blakey, Baker and Dawson were warriors who did everything asked of them and when combined with stars like Roo, Kozzy, Lenny, BJ and Dal and you had that magic mix that deserved better.
You did the same at Fremantle. Another ‘odds and sods’ team that bought into your philosophies and almost achieved a premiership.
So with this current list I’m seriously concerned with what you are hoping to achieve and more importantly your attitude.
This team isn’t a brutish team like 2009-2010. That doesn’t excuse them from not pressuring, because every AFL team should do that, however if you were to utilise the strengths of these boys, shouldn’t they be running the opposition off their feet?
That was the intel from pre-season and that was what you came out and stated so boldly, that everyone was hitting PBs across the board with their running.
Our style of play is miles off enabling quick movement of the footy. The boys look confused and nervous, afraid to make a mistake. It’s frustrating the supporter base to a critical level and if it continues this year, the self-deprecation will turn to anger.
So attitude. We expect a senior AFL coach to project a certain level of respect in a press conference.
Your pressers have always come with a tongue in cheek chronicle of the game that have divided Saints fans but the past two weeks have shown a level of arrogance and insincerity we haven’t seen before.
On the weekend, after another deplorable game versus Hawthorn, you chose to direct the conversation towards the fact that the AFL only allows the team runner four trips per quarter.
What?
Let’s examine that for a second. Ever since the rule was introduced five years ago, no one has ever complained. In fact the rule is one of the best things the AFL has ever introduced.
Up to that point we had runners deliberately adding congestion to what are already densely packed defences.
Ross, what you said yesterday was an insult to the intelligence of Saints fans. The previous week was more excuses after the Port game so what we are seeing is a coach that is desperate and unauthentic.
You have an excellent footy brain so perhaps it’s time to evolve and change the fortunes of this team by taking advantage of the ‘stand’ rule and energising these talented kids.
The stand rule allows a player to ‘wheel and go’ therefore provoking movement down the ground. We have a seven-foot forward that’s being mauled because of the slowness and predictability of the delivery.
If the half backs and midfielders can play on and quickly get the ball deep at times, King can compete at least and then the smalls can get to work.
The defensive structures benefit from this ball movement also. The deeper the entries give time to set up the team defence.
Please just change things up. We are bored and exasperated especially with these insipid press conferences. This is no longer a joke.
Go Saints!
Yours Sincerely,
Ian Wilson
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About Ian Wilson
Former army aircraft mechanic, sales manager, VFA footballer and coach. Now mental health worker and blogger. Lifelong St Kilda FC tragic and father to 2 x girls.
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Great analysis. Let’s hope he isn’t too arrogant to listen and take on board what you’ve said. And also, can someone tell him it’s not all about him?
Lyon is using distraction to try and deflect blame away from where it actually lies – with him. It’s not working.
A pack of neutered dogs would kick better than a Ross Lyon team.
Thanks Heather and Patrick. It has been all about him and those smug distractions. The true test will be how the players respond the rest of the year starting Saturday night. We’ll soon see how invested they are with him.
Fancy blaming not being able to use a runner.
Note to Ross: the opposition coach wasn’t able to use a runner also.
It is another indictment on the footy media how Lyon continually escapes scrutiny.
He’s Teflon Ross thanks Smokie
Hi Ian
Hopefully your letter gets to Ross and not just to us.
He needs this letter to be read to him ( I’m not sure he can read ) – he needs to know how we feel.
Supporting the Saints is a difficult life choice and does not need to be made worse.
Kieran Saints Dempsey
Hi Ian… this year for the first time I left a game at the beginning of 3rd quarter against the Doggies thrashing… actually I left my seat at quarter time and went to get a whisky at the bar behind. In all my years I have never ever drunk at the footy. This is a sign… so frustrating. I wasn’t the only sainter to leave. We were flocking out. Who wanted a late Thursday night of that rubbish. The crowd was almost gone at the end of that game. I am not even going Saturday night. I can’t bring myself to sit in the cold watching a frozen team.
Thanks for your words to Ross and the rest of us. Here’s hoping for a better second half of year beginning with this week where I will be warm at home.
It’s just been a very disappointing season. After beating Collingwood in our second match of the season, I honestly thought St Kilda was in for a very good year. Instead, they’ve only won 2 matches since to the 2 bottom teams, Richmond and North Melbourne.
Three out of nine is unacceptable, although St Kilda doesn’t have a top list. Having said that, we were in a worse position last year regarding injuries on our list and were 4-0 to begin last year. Wilson and Henry have improved the list the season, although Henry hasn’t played much, as he was out injured for many weeks. Hastie and Garcia are not up to it, at this stage.
I have always been a massive fan of Ross Lyon as a coach. What he did to get us into Grand Finals in 2009 and 2010 was remarkable. With a bit of luck, he good have been a 2 time premiership coach of St Kilda. Likewise, he did very well to get Fremantle to a Grand Final in 2015. Lyon did a brilliant job to get St Kilda to the finals last year, despite many long term injuries to our best players.
It hasn’t helped that Dow and Crouch have hardly played in the seniors this year and it’s Dow’s first game for St Kilda this week. After all, the game starts in the middle and apart from Steele, Crouch and Dow would be their best centre clearance players.
I completely blame the players for the poor start to the year. The coach is only as good as his players, as Alastair Clarkson is finding out at North Melbourne and at the end of his coaching reign at Hawthorn. St Kilda’s assistant coaches in Enright, Harvey and Hayes are also responsible for St Kilda’s game plan. With a bit of luck, St Kilda should have been 5-4, not 3-6, with so many close losses.
Anyway, it’s time for St Kilda to don’t think, don’t hope, do!
There’s absolutely no excuses for St Kilda this week against Melbourne. St Kilda currently has only 2 players on their injury list, Van Es and Schoenmaker, who are yet to play a senior game.
This is the chance for St Kilda to cause an upset at the MCG, where St Kilda also play well. Melbourne aren’t in great form, having lost to West Coast last week and Melbourne, like St Kilda, are having trouble kicking big scores.
If I were Ross Lyon and the assistant coaches, I would be getting out the tape of where St Kilda beat Collingwood at the MCG earlier this year and emphasise to the players, that is how we want to play. First get the ball out of the centre. Easier said than done for St Kilda.
This is the St Kilda team I would have for this Sunday afternoon:
B: Webster, Howard, Wilkie
HB: Sinclair, Battle, Wanganeen-Milera
C: Hill, Crouch, Wood
HF: Henry, King, Wilson
F: Higgins, Membrey, Owens
R: Marshall, Steele, Windhager
Interchange: Ross, Bonner, Dow, Hunter Clark
Sub: Butler
In: Ross, Membrey, Crouch, Higgins, Hunter Clark, Butler
Out: Caminiti, Sharman, Jones, Collard, Phillipou, Paton
Therefore, apart from Dow, I would drop all the players who were brought in last week, as they had little effect against Fremantle.
Normally, I would have Phillipou ahead of Hunter Clark but Phillipou is out of form and Hunter Clark played well for Sandringham last week and can help our midfield in the seniors. I would normally have Caminiti or Jack Hayes ahead of Bonner but I think we need more run with Bonner and there are enough talller players in the forward line with King, Membrey and Owens, as Lever will be out for Melbourne with injury.
I have put Butler as the sub as he needs be eased back into the team. I would put Butler straight back in the seniors this week as he is better than both Garcia and Collard, who haven’t done well enough in the seniors, and play similar roles to Butler. If Butler is chosen to play for Sandringham this week, I would put Stocker in the seniors as the sub instead.
Good luck to St Kilda this week and Carn The Mighty Saints!