i've been saying it for years. he's just not very good - an okay kick, but shocking decision maker with no lateral movement and zero awareness. clearly not a defender - give me ward, walsh and brown any day over bell.

i'd still like to see him trialled as a tagger in the middle, but clearly the likes of junior, dunn and bartram are preferred in that role.

I have had held out alot of hope for Bell, but after so many below par preformances when does the the penny drop and you say enough is enough. The AFL is not the place to keep people to find form, that is what the VFL is for! Prove you deserve to be there. Don't clutter up a team until you come good, or is this just a reflection of Melbournes list that certain under performers just can't be dropped?

Ease up.

The guy is out of form and low on confidence. Last year he showed good form and we were praising him.

There are no other replacements worthy yet.

Ur joking. Last year he had a few good games. And people still praise him for that tackle he made against adelaide at the G last year. Big deal. He is hopeless. I have never ever rated him but he has sunk to a new low. Even if he was playing at last years standards he is a very ordinary player to play 50 games

He has got to go. Bring Whelan back. If not Whelan then CJ. Anyone really. He was awful today, and hasn't played a good game this year. He didn't show too much good form last year. He isn't improving, which is a real worry. Frawley should be ahead of him.

Bell was visibly very upset at the Aftermatch this evening, knew he'd had had an absolute shocker of a game.

He is such an anxious player and after admitting quite openly on Thursday to a friend of mine that he quite rightly deserved to be dropped, it's no surprise that he's playing with little or no confidence at all. The VERY SOFT 50 payed against him would have rattled him even further - that plus knowing that you're only in because of an injury and feeling like you're in a total form slump must be very difficult to deal with. However, I don't believe his career is as good as over. As Jaded and others have suggested, he needs to be sent back to Sandy and perhaps try out a different position in the midfield.

Throw the player out.......that's the way!

Put 50 games into him, and send on his way! A brilliant initiative.........and a guarantee to bring future success!

I'd send Green on his way with him too.........those couple of set shots he missed are career ending stuff, and I can't believe we tolerate that crap!

Deestroy08 i completely agree with you.

I spoke to him at the 150 heroes dinner and he just said im having a shocker of a season mate, i just said don't worry mate, all it takes is one good moment to turn it around.

He does seem to think about it too much, may sound funny, needs to relax and have a bit of faith in his ability i think.

Throw the player out.......that's the way!

Put 50 games into him, and send on his way! A brilliant initiative.........and a guarantee to bring future success!

I'd send Green on his way with him too.........those couple of set shots he missed are career ending stuff, and I can't believe we tolerate that crap!

agree, the hysterics shown by some on this site is laughable, he's out of form .go back to Sandy for a couple of weeks

Deestroy08 i completely agree with you.

I spoke to him at the 150 heroes dinner and he just said im having a shocker of a season mate, i just said don't worry mate, all it takes is one good moment to turn it around.

He does seem to think about it too much, may sound funny, needs to relax and have a bit of faith in his ability i think.

feel sorry for the bloke.. his best mate died a couple of years ago and he just seems like a real down to earth bloke. im sure a 2 week stint wont to him any harm i mean look wat has happened to garland now! arguably our best defender atm!

feel sorry for the bloke.. his best mate died a couple of years ago and he just seems like a real down to earth bloke. im sure a 2 week stint wont to him any harm i mean look wat has happened to garland now! arguably our best defender atm!

Not to mention a broken ankle a few season ago, and nearly suffering a major neck injury thanks to the Pies last year......he has copped his fair share of pain for the MFC.

I prefer to look at the upside.........strong body, good pace, one of the best tacklers in the team, and as courageous as the day is long! He is a solid mark, and when his confidence is up, he is an accurate and penetrating kick.

He had a few bad clangers yesterday, and looks down on confidence. But then again, he is part of a team who is 1-10 this season, and he has plenty of mates riding the low confidence bus at the minute.

He does need a spell at Sandy for a few weeks, but to suggest getting rid of him is farcical!

Not to mention a broken ankle a few season ago, and nearly suffering a major neck injury thanks to the Pies last year......he has copped his fair share of pain for the MFC.

I prefer to look at the upside.........strong body, good pace, one of the best tacklers in the team, and as courageous as the day is long! He is a solid mark, and when his confidence is up, he is an accurate and penetrating kick.

He had a few bad clangers yesterday, and looks down on confidence. But then again, he is part of a team who is 1-10 this season, and he has plenty of mates riding the low confidence bus at the minute.

He does need a spell at Sandy for a few weeks, but to suggest getting rid of him is farcical!

Belly came to footy late, as a result he's not a natural reader of the play like a Jared Rivers is. He has a number of excellent attributes that you've mentioned, along with his character which is first rate. There are a few like Belly who have struggled to adapt to the new game plan, because their peripheral vision and skills by hand in close situations need to be better than just good, they have to be excellent. He can't just look forward any more and deliver up the ground, he has to asses other options around him. It will take time, but the coaching staff must have faith in his ability, certainly in his preparedness to do the team things. One thing we know about Daniel Bell is that he won't stop trying.

agree, the hysterics shown by some on this site is laughable

Totally. I hope Bell isn't reading this.

I have faith that he can be worthy of a spot in our best side, but he's not playing as well as he can at the moment.

Not to mention a broken ankle a few season ago, and nearly suffering a major neck injury thanks to the Pies last year......he has copped his fair share of pain for the MFC.

I prefer to look at the upside.........strong body, good pace, one of the best tacklers in the team, and as courageous as the day is long! He is a solid mark, and when his confidence is up, he is an accurate and penetrating kick.

He had a few bad clangers yesterday, and looks down on confidence. But then again, he is part of a team who is 1-10 this season, and he has plenty of mates riding the low confidence bus at the minute.

He does need a spell at Sandy for a few weeks, but to suggest getting rid of him is farcical!

Agreed.

People have very short memories when it comes to certain players. He was one of the best medium-sized defenders last year, before that sickening collision with Johnson.

Funny how supporters are willing to cut Sylvia all the slack in the world, but Bell has a bad start to the season and all of a sudden its time to remove him from the club completely.

Of course trading him is not out of the question as he is certainly not untouchable, but gees at least he has the right foundation when it comes to his character and willingness to work hard.

Sometimes you can fall into a rut, not just in football but life in general, and it's very difficult to get out of. He needs time in Sandy to rip it up and get some of his confidence back. He must be devastated to have finally found form, only to go backwards this season.

Sticking the boot in and calling him a hack or a dud is really oh so helpful :angry:

He does need a spell at Sandy for a few weeks, but to suggest getting rid of him is farcical!

I support Bell but he needs a spell big time.

I still think he'll be a good small defender for the future.

I love Belly's endeavour, but his decision-making is often disgraceful and he has absolutely no peripheral vision. I really hope the guy can turn the corner because he had a really solid year last year.

PS - He should never kick in again.

Disposal under pressure is as bad as anyones. Coughed it up far too many times yesterday & as for the kick out actually called it to the missus before he kicked it. Off to Sandy for a few weeks to get some confidence.

I just hope injury comes his way giving another player a go for the rest of the season.

That's the type of scummy comment you expect from a Filth supporter, what a disgrace.

Bell's out of form and should be dropped. If this happens I hope he regains his form of last year and makes a quick return to the seniors, I sure as hell hope he doesnt injure himself and never gets that opportunity, not sure what sort of a feral slimebag would wish that upon anyone.

he has gone back ALONG WAY, his position is hardly safe in the team when he can be replaced easily by 5-6 players...

bode frawley CJ buckley etc.....

if he plays like he has been..... he can say goodbye at season end

over the top and you havnt thought that out.

which of those players would play the same role as bell?

bode? too small.

frawley? too tall.

buckley? not a backman. not strong enough.

CJ? at the moment, perhaps. the only reason is that his role has changed. last year CJ couldnt have filled bellys role (even the way CJ is playing now), which is similar to wheatlys role.

i think this is one of the main problems with bells game this year. he is out of sorts, out of form and struggling. but he is not allowed to play the role he excelled at last year, which was the mid sized defender.

last year he got didak. who did he get this year? he is now being asked to provide run and be an attacking player, whereas last year he was a mid sized defender spoiling the the strong marking of players like williams and didak, who are too quick for the talls.

he plays his best when he can use his speed and height to spoil the ball, and restrict these types of players in the D50. playing this role he can also provide some run and rebound. but atm he is being asked to be the main instigator of that run and rebound, especially with green playing up forward a lot this week.

his kicking is ok. his handballing is subpar. the biggest problem is that he doesnt clear the area with handballs he just knocks it out, normally to an opposition. getting run down from behind often indicates teammates arent talking to him.

but seriously, he has cost goals by getting caught, but who have his direct opponents been and how many goals have they been kicking. i think he is getting lost.

last year he got didak. who did he get this year? he is now being asked to provide run and be an attacking player, whereas last year he was a mid sized defender spoiling the the strong marking of players like williams and didak, who are too quick for the talls.

he plays his best when he can use his speed and height to spoil the ball, and restrict these types of players in the D50. playing this role he can also provide some run and rebound. but atm he is being asked to be the main instigator of that run and rebound, especially with green playing up forward a lot this week.

his kicking is ok. his handballing is subpar. the biggest problem is that he doesnt clear the area with handballs he just knocks it out, normally to an opposition. getting run down from behind often indicates teammates arent talking to him.

You've captured the ambiguity of D.Bell very well there, deanox. The issue is, of course (and as torpedo hints), by no means as 'black and white' as commenters like occo make out. Anyone who has seen Bell play a bit of footy live knows that he is not 'hopeless' but in fact a player of many attributes and also many deficiencies. Most acknowledge he is of sensitive self-regard - a change of coach, footy admin, gameplan, the loss of club leaders, an uncertain future, a new role for him to play, and all in the season when everyone was expecting him to step up... well, no wonder he may have blown a gasket or two. He very much comes across as the kind of player who would excel in the right conditions - that is, a clear role with competent teammates in a stable club - and that's why talk goes on about his trade value. It may be better for Bell and better for MFC if he moved on.

Personally, I hope he doesn't. I hope he plays 200 games for MFC, and that the club is able to provide the right conditions for him to excel. As grazman mentioned, Bell doesn't stop trying even when things aren't going his way. He has acknowledged his poor season so far - but he's still plugging away, tackling, rebounding out of the 50, doing the 1%s that the club stars often don't. He's much like Nathan Brown and Daniel Ward in that regard, but unlike Brown and Ward, Bell has the physical attributes too. He just needs to get his head right.

The stats indicate that Bell, Wheatley, and Bruce play the main role running the ball out of defence. All have their strengths (Wheatley: kicking, Bruce: smarts and endurance running, Bell: accountability and attack on the physical contest) and their weaknesses (Wheatley doesn't like a physical contest, Bruce can't kick, Bell has trouble with decision-making). With young players like Petterd and Grimes coming through, all three of Bell, Bruce, and Wheatley are on notice.

In part because he too is a relatively young player, I think Bell is the better prospect of the three, but only if the club becomes increasingly strong and competitive over the next 5-8 years. Bruce's career looks to be a constant battle between versatility/endurance strengths vs. skills weaknesses, while I suspect there may not be a role in Bailey's ideal team for a relatively one-dimensional player like Wheatley.

The stats indicate that Bell, Wheatley, and Bruce play the main role running the ball out of defence. All have their strengths (Wheatley: kicking, Bruce: smarts and endurance running, Bell: accountability and attack on the physical contest) and their weaknesses (Wheatley doesn't like a physical contest, Bruce can't kick, Bell has trouble with decision-making).

...

while I suspect there may not be a role in Bailey's ideal team for a relatively one-dimensional player like Wheatley.

interest stats, just wondering if they are any different this year to last season? and if they are not it might be a thought that perhaps because his main role is the now the rebounding and not the negating that he is being judged harsher. if he was still playing the negating role successfully some of his other blemishes and mistakes might not be so important, however now that his main role is the attacking, that is what he is judged on primarily.

your second point is a whole new thread and discussion that i'd love to have, but given i have another exam on thurs i might have to dissapear and study for a few hours. if you start it up after thurs morning i will be happy to join in...

over the top and you havnt thought that out.

which of those players would play the same role as bell?

bode? too small.

frawley? too tall.

buckley? not a backman. not strong enough.

CJ? at the moment, perhaps. the only reason is that his role has changed. last year CJ couldnt have filled bellys role (even the way CJ is playing now), which is similar to wheatlys role.

i think this is one of the main problems with bells game this year. he is out of sorts, out of form and struggling. but he is not allowed to play the role he excelled at last year, which was the mid sized defender.

last year he got didak. who did he get this year? he is now being asked to provide run and be an attacking player, whereas last year he was a mid sized defender spoiling the the strong marking of players like williams and didak, who are too quick for the talls.

he plays his best when he can use his speed and height to spoil the ball, and restrict these types of players in the D50. playing this role he can also provide some run and rebound. but atm he is being asked to be the main instigator of that run and rebound, especially with green playing up forward a lot this week.

his kicking is ok. his handballing is subpar. the biggest problem is that he doesnt clear the area with handballs he just knocks it out, normally to an opposition. getting run down from behind often indicates teammates arent talking to him.

but seriously, he has cost goals by getting caught, but who have his direct opponents been and how many goals have they been kicking. i think he is getting lost.

You make some valid points deanox. However, I think the best way to fix some of these would be to give him a run with Sandy where the pressure isn't as intense and making a mistake isn't so costly. He'll be able to regain some long-lost confidence and hopefully work on his handballing and decision making.

You make some valid points deanox. However, I think the best way to fix some of these would be to give him a run with Sandy where the pressure isn't as intense and making a mistake isn't so costly. He'll be able to regain some long-lost confidence and hopefully work on his handballing and decision making.

i agree RE a run at sandy. 2 to 3 weeks hopefully to get some confidence back into his run. we know he can play, he just needs to get it right.

but over the past few weeks the club appears to have decided that he isnt competing with CJ as a straight swap. either that or the club has decided to allow CJ to have a long solid run dominating at sandy before being promoted to the dees to allow him to transfer that form...

while I suspect there may not be a role in Bailey's ideal team for a relatively one-dimensional player like Wheatley.

Jika an excellent analysis, but I think you're selling Wheaters short. He's a better than average player IMO, no star, but he does what he's asked to do.

Jika an excellent analysis, but I think you're selling Wheaters short. He's a better than average player IMO, no star, but he does what he's asked to do.

Thanks mate, but I happily confess I'm not at all confident about my estimation of Wheatley's position. He's playing consistently good football, and of course has a deadly kick. If he could ratchet his performance up another level or two and maintain it, he'd be a top-line specialist. But from what I've seen over the past couple of seasons, he can't impose himself physically (some persistent trouble with his shoulder?), and it seems to me Bailey is moving towards a flexibile team full of well-rounded jack-of-alls rather than highly specific skill technicians. If we're moving toward run and carry and precision handballs, it's possible Wheatley's long kicking may become superfluous. But all of this is dependent on what Bailey envisions.

I would love to know whether it was Wheatley who violated the gameplan by not shepherding for Moloney yesterday, or whether it was Moloney who violated the gameplan by not handballing back to Wheatley. It would give a good indication of the style of game Bailey is aiming for, and which players can fulfill it.

Jika an excellent analysis, but I think you're selling Wheaters short. He's a better than average player IMO, no star, but he does what he's asked to do.

IMO Wheatley is played somewhat out of position.

I'd love to see him on a wing (his legs are long enough for it) or even on a half forward flank.

Deestroy08 i completely agree with you.

I spoke to him at the 150 heroes dinner and he just said im having a shocker of a season mate, i just said don't worry mate, all it takes is one good moment to turn it around.

He does seem to think about it too much, may sound funny, needs to relax and have a bit of faith in his ability i think.

he said, i said bla bla bla. Realistically he will never make it. Over his career he hasnt strung good multiple games toghether and his decision making or lack of has cost us in him 50 or so games. I'v had it with him.