The Swans are a great team - Thomas admits.

[Ruck'n'Roll]

Originally posted by Thunder Shaker
He's earned a few brownie points

Or perhaps Honey Joy points?
By way of explanation HoneyJoys are a confection just as sweet as Brownies but made from Cornflakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . well it amused me.

[Old Royboy]

Thomas is certainly a different character than most AFL coaches. The Age had a similar article which carried even more emphasis on Thomas? admiration for Sydney. The article was virtually an admission that Roos so far has been a better coach than he has. Could you imagine Wallace or Sheedy saying that?

?Grant Thomas said yesterday that, in his view, it was the premier's esprit de corps that defined their campaign and impressed him so thoroughly that the Saints have set off in pursuit of their own higher state of collective devotion.?

Link: http://www.realfooty.theage.com.au/r...441149536.html

[Schneiderman]

Originally posted by Old Royboy
impressed him so thoroughly that the Saints have set off in pursuit of their own higher state of collective devotion.?

Grant should know that that is very hard with that group of players. It has taken three years of 'we're a pretty ordinary playing group' by Roos to get them to bond like that up here. Can you imagine that happening at the Saints? Doubt it. Too many 'superstars' in that team IMO.

[goswannie14]

Originally posted by Schneiderman
Too many 'superstars' in that team IMO.

In that team or in their own minds?

[Schneiderman]

Originally posted by goswannie14
In that team or in their own minds?

Good point. Maybe the media's?

[Old Royboy]

Originally posted by goswannie14
In that team or in their own minds?

Culture problem. The Saints have a history of treating their star players like demi gods. One of the reasons Stan Alves got the flick was that he dared to criticise Harvey of playing for himself and not the team. Thomas should have started to do something about it from the day he muscled his way into the coaching job.

[Ruck'n'Roll]

The trick, he conceded, is to instil in his players a belief in the collective good that overrides self-interest,
The bigger trick is for a white-anter like Thomas to have anyone at all take him seriously when he talks about "collective good" LOL

[TheHood]

Originally posted by Old Royboy
Culture problem. The Saints have a history of treating their star players like demi gods. One of the reasons Stan Alves got the flick was that he dared to criticise Harvey of playing for himself and not the team. Thomas should have started to do something about it from the day he muscled his way into the coaching job.

Lots of things go toward a flag and lots go toward missing out. Too many to ever cover off, it's a black hole of excuses and reasons collectively, however if Spida had played in the 1997 GF, my hypothetical hindsight tip is a Saints flag and forever the landscape of footy would be different.

[Legs Akimbo]

Originally posted by Ruckman
The trick, he conceded, is to instil in his players a belief in the collective good that overrides self-interest,
The bigger trick is for a white-anter like Thomas to have anyone at all take him seriously when he talks about "collective good" LOL

IF he truly believed that, he would have quit last year.

[CureTheSane]

Never understood why Thomas was ragged on for so long.
I understand why at the beginning, but soon after he started he had the players playing for him and has done pretty well getting the most out of his players IMO.

Maybe they should have won a flag by now with the talent they have, but then again the Winmar era should have won a couple of flasa too.