Oh Gaz

Let me start off by saying that I understand that the football journalist has to find something to write about and that it can be difficult to find that something to fill a column each week. Having said that, there is no reason to fill that column with absolute drivel.

Case in point Garry Lyon. He possesses a very good football brain, is a smooth media performer and - from what I can tell having never met the man - is a decent sort of a bloke too. However his article in the Herald-Sun today (Tuesday August 14) doesn't stand up to scrutiny. In order to big note myself I will go through and refute it (like the bitter Collingwood supporter that I am) paragraph by paragraph.

Is Collingwood wobbling four weeks from the finals in which it was expected to play a major role, but is now suddenly no longer a certainty to make? It all depends on your 2007 expectations for the Pies.
As someone who didn't have them in my top eight, I don't subscribe to the Colliwobbles theory. But the Pies being the Pies, there are plenty of people prepared to revel in their upset defeat at Richmond's hands.
Collingwood, for much of the year, has defied the critics and, just a couple of weeks ago, still looked a legitimate chance to finish in the top four

They were top four contenders with an easy draw who have not won consecutive games since the split round. In the last 3 weeks they have been flogged by 91 points, just shaved home against the lowly Blues and were then woeful in a loss to the bottom of the ladder Tigers. If that is not a wobble then Muhammed Ali would make a good drinks waiter.

If defence is the cornerstone of premiership sides, then to lose arguably the best defender in the competition, James Clement, for most of the year leaves an enormous hole.
Add the extended absence of underrated full-back Simon Prestigiacomo, and you begin to appreciate obstacles the Pies have had to overcome.

James Clement and Simon Prestigiacomo have returned to the side in recent weeks - right when the Pies have been playing their worst football.

Harry O'Brien has done an admirable job, boxing out of his weight division, yet it was eventually going to take its toll. It came in the form of five goals from Geelong's Cam Mooney five weeks ago, and O'Brien has battled since.
Shane Wakelin exceeded expectations, taming Barry Hall and Fraser Gehrig, but it was expecting too much of him to subdue the big forwards week in, week out.

Harry O'Brien has played a different role since the return of Clement and Presti but has been serviceable. Shane Wakelin has gone out of the side now Presti is back. At no stage has he been stitched up by a "big forward".

Rhyce Shaw may not be an elite defender, but he has something the Pies don't have a lot of -- genuine pace and the ability to run the lines. His absence has also hurt.

Rhyce Shaw has played in the last two weeks, two of the sides worst performances for the year.

Garry goes on to talk about the midfield struggling. If I can cut in here and just say that Collingwood's troubles begin and end at the clearances. Since half time against Essendon in Round 16 the Pies simply have not been able to get their hands on the ball at the stoppages. IMO this is because of the team's lack of a second quality ruckman and also the injury to Scott Pendlebury in the opening minutes of their Round 17 match against Brisbane.

The team also seems to have lost its trademark intensity. Whether this is because of the rigours of a long season or the fact it has become the hunted rather than the hunter is a matter for debate. Anyway back to the Lyon bashing:

No one could have foreseen the Alan Didak drama or the impact it would have on him. It is fair to say he hasn't come anywhere near his All-Australian form of last year.

I think the fact that Didak underwent a knee reconstruction in September of 2006 and has been playing since the early rounds of 2007 is a better explanation of his lack of form. Didak deserves credit for his efforts on the field to date, it has been one of the better come backs from a knee reconstruction that I can think of.

The best clubs must have a clear understanding of where they sit in terms of planning for the next flag.
For the Pies to introduce nine debutants this year and remain competitive is a notable performance.
Success for the Pies this year is not about a premiership or a top-four finish, although that would never be knocked back.
It's about positioning themselves for a serious tilt at another premiership, and they are very much on track.
There will be some familiar names missing if, and when, that time comes, but there is no crisis or wobbling going on at the Lexus Centre

Yes, yes all valid but it in no way backs up your argument that the Pies aren't currently wobbling. The side has gone from looking at a home final and a double chance to serious concerns about finals qualification. THAT IS A WOBBLE.

Of course as a Collingwood fan let me say this: we are getting the Colliwobbles out of the way in August. Bucks will be back soon and the side will win their last six games to take out the flag from sixth spot.