Shelbyville Manhattan
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- Joined
- Nov 29, 2011
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- 1,561
Nate's idea of power and responsibility comes from being bullied for years -- at work, probably growing up at school, and clearly at home there is some emotional abuse and neglect coming from his father. He's been on the business end of that for so long that when he gets a taste of power, he reverts to what he knows from his life experience. At some point, Ted will help him through that. But that point won't be now, I suspect.
Ted has been more pragmatic this season -- e.g. bringing back Jamie despite the potential effect on Sam, realizing that his staff needed Roy back to pull it all together. So, I think he knows how much he needs Nate for a final match. I reckon that Ted levels with his team about the panic attack -- which, as his speeches usually do, leads to players sharing their own thoughts and experiences. The players rally around him and earn promotion — although it wouldn't be out of the question for Richmond to be promoted with a draw.
(Bottom line: The Greyhounds have 85 points, which puts them in playoff position. So, if they lost, they'd have to play at least two more matches. A playoff doesn't mesh well with the show's style of having each episode deal with no more than a single match/week. And then there is the fact that it seems like each season will end with the final match -- note Rebecca having her big reveal to Ted in the next-to-last episode, just like the previous season. Patterns and callbacks are part of the show's DNA. Further, in the Premier League era, the average second-place team in the Championship has finished with 86.9 points. That said, the episode description for Episode 12 of Season 2 refers to Richmond getting its "final chance to win promotion," so it's possible that they skip past the final match of the season and the playoff and go right to Wembley. On the other hand, Apple has promoted the episode with a picture of the team on matchday — you can tell by the kits worn by some players — and the players all touching the sign in the Nelson Road locker room that reads, "BELIEVE" as Ted and Beard look on. So, I think it's all about the 46th matchday.)
Then, after the match, Ted tells Nate he knows about him being the source, and that while he loves him like a son, a team can't have someone who betrays what Higgins calls the "inner sanctum" in their midst. Reluctantly, he fires him. (Although it will probably take a prod from Beard and Roy, both of whom will probably want to murder Nate. They will surely tell Ted about Nate's treatment of Will.)
As we know, this is not a happy-ending show. In life, your wins and losses often happen concurrently. (It's straight out of the Ron Shelton playbook.) In Season 1, Ted won in building a club into a family and getting everyone to buy in, but lost on the field. In Season 2, it seems like it's pointing to a win on the field, but the loss of someone who was like a son to him. (As Ted has always said, it's not about the wins and losses on the field.)
And Trent revealing Nate ... is it unprofessional? Yes. But Trent made it clear in Season 1 how much he came to respect Ted. And in seeing Ted's impact on Roy from the day they spent together, he understands Ted's impact on the team's increasing success -- probably more than anyone else outside the AFC Richmond inner sanctum. We will probably learn two things about Nate in Season 3, especially if he goes to another club: 1) How much Nate needs the environment fostered by Ted. If he's a manager, he will be England's Josh McDaniels. 2) How much Ted's staff needs Nate's tactical acumen.
Ted has been more pragmatic this season -- e.g. bringing back Jamie despite the potential effect on Sam, realizing that his staff needed Roy back to pull it all together. So, I think he knows how much he needs Nate for a final match. I reckon that Ted levels with his team about the panic attack -- which, as his speeches usually do, leads to players sharing their own thoughts and experiences. The players rally around him and earn promotion — although it wouldn't be out of the question for Richmond to be promoted with a draw.
(Bottom line: The Greyhounds have 85 points, which puts them in playoff position. So, if they lost, they'd have to play at least two more matches. A playoff doesn't mesh well with the show's style of having each episode deal with no more than a single match/week. And then there is the fact that it seems like each season will end with the final match -- note Rebecca having her big reveal to Ted in the next-to-last episode, just like the previous season. Patterns and callbacks are part of the show's DNA. Further, in the Premier League era, the average second-place team in the Championship has finished with 86.9 points. That said, the episode description for Episode 12 of Season 2 refers to Richmond getting its "final chance to win promotion," so it's possible that they skip past the final match of the season and the playoff and go right to Wembley. On the other hand, Apple has promoted the episode with a picture of the team on matchday — you can tell by the kits worn by some players — and the players all touching the sign in the Nelson Road locker room that reads, "BELIEVE" as Ted and Beard look on. So, I think it's all about the 46th matchday.)
Then, after the match, Ted tells Nate he knows about him being the source, and that while he loves him like a son, a team can't have someone who betrays what Higgins calls the "inner sanctum" in their midst. Reluctantly, he fires him. (Although it will probably take a prod from Beard and Roy, both of whom will probably want to murder Nate. They will surely tell Ted about Nate's treatment of Will.)
As we know, this is not a happy-ending show. In life, your wins and losses often happen concurrently. (It's straight out of the Ron Shelton playbook.) In Season 1, Ted won in building a club into a family and getting everyone to buy in, but lost on the field. In Season 2, it seems like it's pointing to a win on the field, but the loss of someone who was like a son to him. (As Ted has always said, it's not about the wins and losses on the field.)
And Trent revealing Nate ... is it unprofessional? Yes. But Trent made it clear in Season 1 how much he came to respect Ted. And in seeing Ted's impact on Roy from the day they spent together, he understands Ted's impact on the team's increasing success -- probably more than anyone else outside the AFC Richmond inner sanctum. We will probably learn two things about Nate in Season 3, especially if he goes to another club: 1) How much Nate needs the environment fostered by Ted. If he's a manager, he will be England's Josh McDaniels. 2) How much Ted's staff needs Nate's tactical acumen.
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