Tweet
A wise man once said.........
Philosophical Smith sees light at the end of the tunnel
Adrian Proszenko | November 8, 2009
Brian Smith is a keen collector of sporting and inspirational quotes. He believes the Patton line is perhaps the most applicable to his new job at the Sydney Roosters, although he also likes the gem from from 19th century American politician Horace Greeley which begins: ''Fame is vapour …''
The point Smith makes in bringing these up is that, although the outlook may appear bleak at Bondi Junction after a wretched 2009, things are - to steal another line - never as bad as they seem.
''Me as a personality and my experiences, the vast majority of people out there are thinking, 'Geez, what would he do that for?''' Smith told The Sun-Herald.
''My experience is that in footy, things are very rarely as good as they seem and equally rarely as bad as they seem.
''While there has understandably been a focus on what went wrong last year, there is a lot of good stuff going on here at the same time.
''My job is to make people aware that we've been doing a lot of things right. Keep doing them.''
Things can change quickly. To highlight the point Smith points to the re-emergence of the Bulldogs. Within the space of a year they transformed a dysfunctional family back into the family club, shedding the wooden spoon and becoming a legitimate premiership contender in the process.
''I'm not suggesting it's easy but I am suggesting it's possible,'' Smith said. ''While ever it's possible, we've got a real motivation to get it done, we're not talking pie in the sky.
''It has been done recently and the Dogs did a great job of it.
''They got a lot of credibility in their club last year in the space of the six or seven months the comp runs for.
''That's us, that's our dream. But dreams are possible.''
Many words have been used to describe the Roosters after a dismal year. Most of them are not flattering. However, Smith opts for ''powerful, traditional, futuristic'' to describe the foundation club.
''They are in a fantastic position,'' Smith insisted.
''It's life in the fast lane, we tend to see things too much as being permanent. That things [now] are permanently black - all it takes is this and it can become grey. And then it can be white.
''When I signed with the Roosters they weren't on the bottom, they didn't finish last until after I signed.
''That wouldn't have put me off in any case. It's been a great club and it's potentially a great club again. Footy is so dynamic, things can change rapidly. This is an opportunity to make that change as quick as possible, to get back to the top.''
The climb officially began during the week. Smith, who can tell you exactly how many days until his side kicks off its 2010 against bitter rivals South Sydney has banned any talk of the previous season.
''I encourage everyone on my staff not to look at video from last year,'' he said.
''There's not a lot there that will make us any better.''
The quote that may resonate loudest is that of the bookies, who have indicated the tri-colours are likely to open as favourites in the wooden-spoon betting markets. Smith, however, has this message to Roosters fans: ''Right now, all I can do is carry a positive message to them and let them know there's a whole heap happening here that's putting us on the track to make them proud again of their team.
''We're doubly determined to make sure we get up and going. I'm part of that crew of people here determined to do everything we can to get ourselves ready to play and make us one of the top groups of clubs in the future.''
Adrian Proszenko | November 8, 2009
Brian Smith is a keen collector of sporting and inspirational quotes. He believes the Patton line is perhaps the most applicable to his new job at the Sydney Roosters, although he also likes the gem from from 19th century American politician Horace Greeley which begins: ''Fame is vapour …''
The point Smith makes in bringing these up is that, although the outlook may appear bleak at Bondi Junction after a wretched 2009, things are - to steal another line - never as bad as they seem.
''Me as a personality and my experiences, the vast majority of people out there are thinking, 'Geez, what would he do that for?''' Smith told The Sun-Herald.
''My experience is that in footy, things are very rarely as good as they seem and equally rarely as bad as they seem.
''While there has understandably been a focus on what went wrong last year, there is a lot of good stuff going on here at the same time.
''My job is to make people aware that we've been doing a lot of things right. Keep doing them.''
Things can change quickly. To highlight the point Smith points to the re-emergence of the Bulldogs. Within the space of a year they transformed a dysfunctional family back into the family club, shedding the wooden spoon and becoming a legitimate premiership contender in the process.
''I'm not suggesting it's easy but I am suggesting it's possible,'' Smith said. ''While ever it's possible, we've got a real motivation to get it done, we're not talking pie in the sky.
''It has been done recently and the Dogs did a great job of it.
''They got a lot of credibility in their club last year in the space of the six or seven months the comp runs for.
''That's us, that's our dream. But dreams are possible.''
Many words have been used to describe the Roosters after a dismal year. Most of them are not flattering. However, Smith opts for ''powerful, traditional, futuristic'' to describe the foundation club.
''They are in a fantastic position,'' Smith insisted.
''It's life in the fast lane, we tend to see things too much as being permanent. That things [now] are permanently black - all it takes is this and it can become grey. And then it can be white.
''When I signed with the Roosters they weren't on the bottom, they didn't finish last until after I signed.
''That wouldn't have put me off in any case. It's been a great club and it's potentially a great club again. Footy is so dynamic, things can change rapidly. This is an opportunity to make that change as quick as possible, to get back to the top.''
The climb officially began during the week. Smith, who can tell you exactly how many days until his side kicks off its 2010 against bitter rivals South Sydney has banned any talk of the previous season.
''I encourage everyone on my staff not to look at video from last year,'' he said.
''There's not a lot there that will make us any better.''
The quote that may resonate loudest is that of the bookies, who have indicated the tri-colours are likely to open as favourites in the wooden-spoon betting markets. Smith, however, has this message to Roosters fans: ''Right now, all I can do is carry a positive message to them and let them know there's a whole heap happening here that's putting us on the track to make them proud again of their team.
''We're doubly determined to make sure we get up and going. I'm part of that crew of people here determined to do everything we can to get ourselves ready to play and make us one of the top groups of clubs in the future.''
Maybe even a few 'big words' for some of them.
Comment