Johnson tips Bulldogs to fight back fast

[Scraggers]

Johnson tips Bulldogs to fight back fast

FORMER Western Bulldogs captain Brad Johnson is confident his old side will be competitive earlier than many observers believe, and he expects plenty of improvement next season.

''The future is going to be extremely bright,'' Johnson said.

''The number of players who have debuted for the club over the past two years would give supporters a lot of confidence that the Bulldogs in a couple of years' time will be a strength again, no question.''

The Bulldogs slipped outside the eight in 2011 after losing preliminary finals in 2008, 2009 and 2010. They fell further down the ladder last season, finishing 15th.
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But Johnson expects the club's fortunes to change as early as next season. He said the club would recruit strongly, with six picks in the top 50 of ''what is considered a very strong draft''.

Read on ...

[Mantis]

Re: Johnson tips Bulldogs to fight back fast

Ex-player tips former club to be improvers - Stop the press!

[Bornadog]

Re: Johnson tips Bulldogs to fight back fast

Ex-player tips former club to be improvers - Stop the press!

Supporters need some good news stories.

[Bulldog4life]

Re: Johnson tips Bulldogs to fight back fast

It is good to read a positive story on Woof....even though it might not come true.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Johnson tips Bulldogs to fight back fast

If it helps some fans to be a little more positive and maybe even consider renewing membership, I'm all for the good news stories. I'd rather see respected people like Johnno in the paper saying good things than stories about woe, which only serve to make this rebuilding phase look more dire than it actually is.

[Hotdog60]

Re: Johnson tips Bulldogs to fight back fast

I kinda agree with Johnno, we have some very good kids who are developing at a good rate and if we can dig up some gold in the draft the lean years maybe very short.

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

Re: Johnson tips Bulldogs to fight back fast

I kinda agree with Johnno, we have some very good kids who are developing at a good rate and if we can dig up some gold in the draft the lean years maybe very short.

I don't have a problem with a positive story. I think however at this stage of our rebuild the narrative should be around the recruiting of young talent and the learning and development of our kids. I think we are setting expectations too high again by saying we can improve quickly. Much like the 'refresh' message last year really came back to bite the club.
Johnno's message of a 'quick turnaround' should only be put out once there are some tangible signs of our recovery, not two days after we have offloaded one of our best players.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Johnson tips Bulldogs to fight back fast

Gotta love Johnno, great to see some positivity about the Club.

[Ghost Dog]

Re: Johnson tips Bulldogs to fight back fast

Ex-player tips former club to be improvers - Stop the press!

My thoughts exactly. There is no news in this.

[mjp]

Re: Johnson tips Bulldogs to fight back fast

Whether you agree or disagree with the article, at least it is someone coming out and saying something positive about the clubs position.

I am so sick of hearing all of the 'look at all the concessions GCS and GWS are getting - it just isn't fair' stuff from both the club (McCartney's "it is what it is" commentary) and supporters alike. Well, what are we going to do about it? Cry?

Johnno is right about one thing - we have blooded an awful lot of kids in the last 2-3 years...and if our talent id and player development is right (which the club assures all of us that it is) then the dividends should be right around the corner. Or, to my way of looking at it - we have gone through some significant pain as a supporter group over the past couple of seasons and it should be time to start reaping the rewards of that pain.

If the improvement doesn't come, there really are no excuses. I am so tired of hearing about draft concessions, the new franchises and how it isn't fair. Then you see 'independents' like Rendell make comments that say 'GWS have played it perfectly'...has our club played it 'perfectly'? If yes, then the improvements are just around the next bend. If no, then we are about to endure a bit of pain and pain that we probably deserve to endure.

[Topdog]

Re: Johnson tips Bulldogs to fight back fast

Whether you agree or disagree with the article, at least it is someone coming out and saying something positive about the clubs position.

I am so sick of hearing all of the 'look at all the concessions GCS and GWS are getting - it just isn't fair' stuff from both the club (McCartney's "it is what it is" commentary) and supporters alike. Well, what are we going to do about it? Cry?

Yeah thats how I see it aswell. Good to see someone selling some hope. You cant sell a 6 year plan

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

Re: Johnson tips Bulldogs to fight back fast

Yeah thats how I see it aswell. Good to see someone selling some hope. You cant sell a 6 year plan

Really? Richmond have been doing almost precisely that. And whilst they've had the ubiquitous Tiger membership burners along the way, they have seen massive membership growth all on the promise of a developing list and a 5 year plan with consistent messaging to fans and through the media. No promises of refresh not a rebuild or turning things around quickly.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Johnson tips Bulldogs to fight back fast

I miss Johnno.

[KT31]

Re: Johnson tips Bulldogs to fight back fast

Really? Richmond have been doing almost precisely that. And whilst they've had the ubiquitous Tiger membership burners along the way, they have seen massive membership growth all on the promise of a developing list and a 5 year plan with consistent messaging to fans and through the media. No promises of refresh not a rebuild or turning things around quickly.

Tige's have been selling a six year plan since 1980.

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

Re: Johnson tips Bulldogs to fight back fast

Tige's have been selling a six year plan since 1980.

That's the thing though, despite all their false dawns over the 30 odd years, they really do seem to have gotten their act together off the field, and made some clever appointments internally.
I remember when Brendan Gale announced their vision a few years ago I thought yes yes, here we go again. But they've remained on message since, and have not deviated or over promised. They seem to have built credibility with their fans, and whilst ladder improvement has been slow, I don't think there is too much doubt that they have started to build some momentum in terms of a game plan, and a gradual but discernable improvement in their list, and when most other clubs are experiencing a decline in membership they have had a large increase in theirs.
They didn't do this by making over the top promises of immediate success.

Don't get me wrong, I love Johnno, he is without doubt one of the most talented, passionate and loyal bulldogs of all time. I just don't necessarily think that now is the time to be telling fans a quick turnaround is likely.

I think we are going to be lucky to win 4 or 5 games again next year. And given the state of our list and where we are I am not slitting my wrists over this prospect. Providing we make our time down the bottom count through shrewd recruiting and development then I am confident we will in time turn things around.