Training Times 2007/2008

Bernard Shakey · Mon 29 Oct 2007 10:33pm

Ross Lyon

Is this why Fitzroy no longer exists? Shutting out the members.

I would have thought you of all people would realise the importance of passionate members.

You aren't in Sydney now, where you can hide the team away and nobody knows or cares. This is the heartland of footy and the membership will not be shut out.

Keep up this this rubbish and the club will die.

45 Years A Member

sasaint · Post: # 483813Post **sasaint** » Mon 29 Oct 2007 10:43pm

A very poor decision and one I hope is reversed. If spies wanted to see what was going on during training I am sure they would find many ways to do this. Denying the fans access is just crazy. It is after all a CLUB!

joffaboy · Post: # 483824Post **joffaboy** » Mon 29 Oct 2007 11:15pm

Have just read this thread and am truly disgusted by this news.

I make it a habit to get to at least pre Xmas training session and post a report on here.

I hope that this new football dept realise how this effectively disefranchises a great number of passionate supporters looking wanting some info on the club and how it is going over summer.

I have had numerous PM's from interstate Saints fans who have told me how valuable my snippets of information are to them.

And after all my training reports aren't earth shattering

As I have been told here numerous times, my football knowledge is limited so my posts here are hardly going to undermine the whole St.Kilda tilt at the 2008 flag.

Is this the type of treatment that Westaway and his new broom are going to subject members and fans to?

Really really typical. I will expect the club come sniffing about for my $650 in membership, but heaven help us if we happen to want to see a pre-season training session.

Whats next? Going to ban children getting autographs? Or better still charge for them.

Really, I cant relay how dissapointing this news is.

Looks as though the new broom wants to keep the supporters in the dark about how the players are going.

But wait....I bet I get a nice new supporters cap with my membership.

Everything that made this game unique and a game for the people is being taken away.

Absolutely appalled by this short incredibly sighted and selfish decision.

Quixote · Post: # 483825Post **Quixote** » Mon 29 Oct 2007 11:35pm

Mostly I'm worried about membership numbers dropping

However, this could work in reverse

ENTIRE pre-season is locked off???

Massive call

Does that mean no journos too? No pictures - no reports? Think about it

If so, and IF followed through with (which I doubt it will be), this move is just about unprecedented

Has it ever happened before?

And what sort of mystique and interest would it generate in the enigma from Moorabbin?

This could be a masterstroke

Think Groucho Marx

8 out of 11 at TD to begin 08

Oh my

That 'll get you some members

I like the move!!!

midas_touch · Tue 30 Oct 2007 12:48am

Ridiculous move if you ask me. Its not as though the saints training sessions are a top secret operation. I fear this could alienate some of our existing members, who will now be kept entirely out of the loop throughout the whole summer. Surely the board and football deptartment have to reconsider this decision.

asiu · Post: # 483839Post **asiu** » Tue 30 Oct 2007 12:55am

if a closed summer is what rl wants .......give it to him

SaintBot · Post: # 483853Post **SaintBot** » Tue 30 Oct 2007 6:40am

Quixote wrote:Does that mean no journos too? No pictures - no reports?

cameras were banned early this year

didnt stop the journos

Ghost Like · Post: # 483861Post **Ghost Like** » Tue 30 Oct 2007 8:30am

As much as I feel for you fellow supporters who love getting down to Moorabbin and watching the boys train, I have no problems with this. I think we have to trust our Footy Department to do all they see fit to gain an edge on the opposition and help St Kilda win games of football.

If this means building up our fitness base by doing particular exercises that will coincide with set drills, or reshaping our set ups with rotations that hopefully will make us less predictable and harder to combat, all power to them. We have gathered the best fitness, medical team we can, why give opposition clubs a free shot at taking notes? Someone who is not meant to be there is a lot easier to spot when no one is meant to be there.

I know this seems like Secret Squirrel stuff and it is but this is where the Marketing Department and Members Services need to come up with a couple more pre season player involved days for members. I am sure Ross and the captain(s) will still conduct press conferences and there will still be shots of players at recovery sessions.

Good on the Footy Department. Afterall it is Footy First and that's what they are doing. I am sure they will address the supporters in due course and we will not be forgotten. Personally if this goes some way in delivering us more wins and ultimately a flag then I think I can get over not knowing how they train and how fit they are getting. My analogy is that I can wait until Xmas day (pre-season match) before opening my present, I do not need to see it before then.

Of course this is no disrespect to posters such as Joffaboy and others who post excellent training reports, I like others enjoyed reading them very much.

TimeToShineFellas · Tue 30 Oct 2007 8:32am

Ghost Like wrote:As much as I feel for you fellow supporters who love getting down to Moorabbin and watching the boys train, I have no problems with this. I think we have to trust our Footy Department to do all they see fit to gain an edge on the opposition and help St Kilda win games of football.

If this means building up our fitness base by doing particular exercises that will coincide with set drills, or reshaping our set ups with rotations that hopefully will make us less predictable and harder to combat, all power to them. We have gathered the best fitness, medical team we can, why give opposition clubs a free shot at taking notes? Someone who is not meant to be there is a lot easier to spot when no one is meant to be there.

I know this seems like Secret Squirrel stuff and it is but this is where the Marketing Department and Members Services need to come up with a couple more pre season player involved days for members. I am sure Ross and the captain(s) will still conduct press conferences and there will still be shots of players at recovery sessions.

Good on the Footy Department. Afterall it is Footy First and that's what they are doing. I am sure they will address the supporters in due course and we will not be forgotten. Personally if this goes some way in delivering us more wins and ultimately a flag then I think I can get over not knowing how they train and how fit they are getting. My analogy is that I can wait until Xmas day (pre-season match) before opening my present, I do not need to see it before then.

Of course this is no disrespect to posters such as Joffaboy and others who post excellent training reports, I like others enjoyed reading them very much.

Agree entirely with your logicical post..........

chook23 · Post: # 483865Post **chook23** » Tue 30 Oct 2007 8:42am

Ghost Like wrote:As much as I feel for you fellow supporters who love getting down to Moorabbin and watching the boys train, I have no problems with this. I think we have to trust our Footy Department to do all they see fit to gain an edge on the opposition and help St Kilda win games of football.

If this means building up our fitness base by doing particular exercises that will coincide with set drills, or reshaping our set ups with rotations that hopefully will make us less predictable and harder to combat, all power to them. We have gathered the best fitness, medical team we can, why give opposition clubs a free shot at taking notes? Someone who is not meant to be there is a lot easier to spot when no one is meant to be there.

I know this seems like Secret Squirrel stuff and it is but this is where the Marketing Department and Members Services need to come up with a couple more pre season player involved days for members. I am sure Ross and the captain(s) will still conduct press conferences and there will still be shots of players at recovery sessions.

Good on the Footy Department. Afterall it is Footy First and that's what they are doing. I am sure they will address the supporters in due course and we will not be forgotten. Personally if this goes some way in delivering us more wins and ultimately a flag then I think I can get over not knowing how they train and how fit they are getting. My analogy is that I can wait until Xmas day (pre-season match) before opening my present, I do not need to see it before then.

Of course this is no disrespect to posters such as Joffaboy and others who post excellent training reports, I like others enjoyed reading them very much.

I posted earlier in the thread my views - similar to joffaboy

note your points.............but also your third last paragraph is a trade off if the ban does go ahead.......

3rd last paragraph plus other measures would need to be addressed

What cost......if not

Ghost Like · Post: # 483867Post **Ghost Like** » Tue 30 Oct 2007 9:09am

"What cost......if not"

Chook23, I do not think that cost would be as great as not trying something different.

Life's full of trade offs, it's all part of evolution. Hopefully this is the continuation of what the Butterrs/Thomas regime originally envisaged when they first took over, a more professional dedicated culture at St Kilda.

I don't have the answers but I'm glad the Footy Department is trying something new in their endeavours to find the answers for the club.

chook23 · Post: # 483870Post **chook23** » Tue 30 Oct 2007 9:16am

Ghost Like wrote:"What cost......if not"

Chook23, I do not think that cost would be as great as not trying something different.

Life's full of trade offs, it's all part of evolution. Hopefully this is the continuation of what the Butterrs/Thomas regime originally envisaged when they first took over, a more professional dedicated culture at St Kilda.

I don't have the answers but I'm glad the Footy Department is trying something new in their endeavours to find the answers for the club.

fair poits but does locking out supporters at training make it a more
professional dedicated culyure at St.ilda?? as you say?

Go Sretnias Go · Tue 30 Oct 2007 9:16am

Please tell me - How can you market your brand when your product is locked behind closed doors?

Oh When the Saints · Tue 30 Oct 2007 9:31am

You make some excellent points Ghost Like ...

However, an open training session once per month, that keeps the supporters happy, can surely be arranged. Such a session could simply be a running one, or just a skills one ... no need to be an important training session.

I fully respect the fact that RL wants to gain an edge ... and it doesn't bother me to have the majority of sessions closed.

But an open session once every three or four weeks? To me that is reasonable in anyone's book.

Hopefully when Archie gets back to work he can sort out some sensible arrangement that balances the needs of the footy department with the attitude of supporters.

Ghost Like · Post: # 483879Post **Ghost Like** » Tue 30 Oct 2007 9:53am

Like I said Chook23 I don't have the answers, I'm just trying to get a grip on their reasoning. It may very well be in terms of less distractions, game style specific, telling players how it is (there and then) without embarrassing them in front of supporters. I don't know, I'm only guessing.

Sretnias, I think our brand is for all to see once we are on the ground and getting results, our brand is behind the coach and captain when they speak, our brand is our players behaviour and how professional our club is. Our supporters, you and I, will always be there, we are the clubs roots and personally I'll be more than happy if we get off to a flyer and if this new direction helps, great. If not then I'm still happy we tried, I'll still be getting my memberships next year and onwards.

OWTS, I hope we can find an arrangement that enables the supporters to feel involved and yes, a non specific session would be great, hopefully that eventuates during the pre-season. Looks like Tuesdays are open during the actual season.

fonz_#15 · Post: # 483880Post **fonz_#15** » Tue 30 Oct 2007 10:10am

i want a flag, i dont care if i dont see a few blokes with their tops off in the pre-season.

having said that, piss poor if true. How do parents tell their 8 year old that they aren't allowed to go and watch the saints train because the football department don't want people finding out what they are doing.

the decision doesn't effect me, because i would only go to 1-2 pre season sessions, but its a tad unfair to children who love the chance to see training.

Saint Mik · Post: # 483886Post **Saint Mik** » Tue 30 Oct 2007 10:34am

St Kilda Footy First ,YOUR club YOUR team YOUR choice.

Westy and Co. made plenty of noise to get in there and this thread is definatley left the supporters feeling part of the club.

Have not heard a thing in about a month from them yet they had plenty to say before they got in.

Sorry got a text from Bakes

His back on board pitty it will be 6 months until we actually see it

Good work Footy First putting footy before the supporter is certainly footy first alright.

CURLY · Post: # 483895Post **CURLY** » Tue 30 Oct 2007 10:58am

Saint Mik wrote:St Kilda Footy First ,YOUR club YOUR team YOUR choice.

Westy and Co. made plenty of noise to get in there and this thread is definatley left the supporters feeling part of the club.

Have not heard a thing in about a month from them yet they had plenty to say before they got in.

Sorry got a text from Bakes His back on board pitty it will be 6 months until we actually see it

Good work Footy First putting footy before the supporter is certainly footy first alright.

Surely this is putting footy first. I couldnt give a toss what they do if they beleive it will help on field.

The Peanut · Tue 30 Oct 2007 11:07am

Ghost Like wrote:... I don't have the answers, I'm just trying to get a grip on their reasoning. It may very well be in terms of less distractions, game style specific, telling players how it is (there and then) without embarrassing them in front of supporters. I don't know, I'm only guessing.
...

OWTS, I hope we can find an arrangement that enables the supporters to feel involved and yes, a non specific session would be great, hopefully that eventuates during the pre-season. Looks like Tuesdays are open during the actual season.

I don't think that there is a major concerns at this stage ... surely after this issue has been properly thought through by the club an amicable arrangement will be forthcoming.

There are some great points for and against the call. The reason is probably that the footy department just wants to give the coaches and players some space in the early period of consolidating a new overall group and the new players general orientation period. Another reason could be that they may not be doing any/much outside training during the early pre-season.

We'll just have to wait and see what happens after Archie has reviewed the feedback in this thread and discusses the matter with the footy department.

I really believe that the club do listen to supporters - there have been changes to decisions made in the past from SS feedback and the new board have an overall policy of ensuring its a supporters club. If they can't work out a compromise for specific reasons we will just have to live with it.

Because of the 'big' issues the staff and board will be working through at the moment we may just need to 'alert' them of the things they may not have considered or have overlooked.

For me the posts in this thread have been comforting - as I wondered whether I was the only person that was was very dissappointed with the call.

saintspremiers · Tue 30 Oct 2007 11:20am

Well I can understand their logic from a footy perspective, but FFS it's bloody obvious our fitness base is not up to scratch, and surely a lot of pre season training will be aerobic based incl. lots of running to get the boys up to speed.

Perhaps the footy dept have some new innovative equipment they'll be using that they want to keep a secret? That's about all I can think of.....the rest of what they'll do will surely be similar to many of the other 15 clubs......let's face it, we have never been the industry leaders in the past re pre season training!

IMO if it has to be a general closed training policy, it's a MUST to have one open session month....snags/BBQ/beers etc plus maybe a local band (cheers AOK!).....they could not use the top secret stuff for those sessions and invite the media who are deseperate for any news over the off season!

joffaboy · Post: # 483908Post **joffaboy** » Tue 30 Oct 2007 11:27am

Oh When the Saints wrote: I fully respect the fact that RL wants to gain an edge ... and it doesn't bother me to have the majority of sessions closed.

Mabye he wants to try his new flooding tactics

I suppose if I was as board at training as I was at many games last season, It would be no great loss

saintm · Post: # 483911Post **saintm** » Tue 30 Oct 2007 11:33am

saintspremiers wrote:
they could not use the top secret stuff for those sessions and invite the media who are deseperate for any news over the off season!

Yes, I am already sick of seeing Carlton training and they have only been going for a week!! First Richard Hadley's arrival was big news and they were back again yesterday when Judd turned up for half an hour or so.

At least with an open session from the Saints now and then we could have some decent news to watch and read!!

Ghost Like · Tue 30 Oct 2007 11:37am

saintspremiers wrote:IMO if it has to be a general closed training policy, it's a MUST to have one open session month....snags/BBQ/beers etc plus maybe a local band (cheers AOK!).....they could not use the top secret stuff for those sessions and invite the media who are deseperate for any news over the off season!

That sounds great saintspremiers, I hope it eventuates. There would be nothing better than kicking back on the terraces once a month on a warm November, December, January evening with a burger/snag, a cold beer, listening to some music and watching the boys run some laps and just do some skills work.

saint66au · Post: # 483914Post **saint66au** » Tue 30 Oct 2007 11:39am

I suppose if I was as board at training as I was at many games last season, It would be no great loss

Joffaboy, Joffaboy, Joffaboy.....maybe you need to take a Dictionary to read if you are that BORED!!!!!

Barney2 · Post: # 483970Post **Barney2** » Tue 30 Oct 2007 1:21pm

WHO CARES ABOUT PRE SEASON TRAINING. GET A LIFE BLOKES. WE CAN SEE THEM IN PRE GAMES AND CANT WAIT TO SEE FATTY, DEMPSTER AND KINGY IN ACTION. CHARLIE GARDINER WASTE OF PICK. HAVENT HEARD GOOD REPORTS ABOUT HIM AND HAVE SEEN HIM IN PATCHES. WAIT AND SEE. G IS A BIG LOSS BY THE WAY.
BRING BACK THE FEGMEISTER FOR FULL FORWARD. HOW STUPID ARE RECRUITMENT FOR LETTING FEG GO WHEN G RETIRES. GOVE HIM ANOTHER 1 YEAR AND LET HIM GET A FULL PRESEASON TRAINING UNDER BELT.
SAY NO MORE