Apologies if this has been posted elsewhere.

http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,26796141-5018851,00.html

Edited March 2, 201015 yr by P_Man

i'm sick of the youth excuse too,,,i'm also sick of hearing about trengove and scully...plus how people want jack grimes as the next captain...after playing under 20 games...

i want to hear more about expectations..ie., it's good to hear bails is asking more from third year players. i want bails to publicy say col sylvia needs to have a crack this year. i really want to hear a public stand point on miller also.

any player on the melb list who's played 40 or more games...needs to be contributing and should beat their oposition player more often than not. time to single out a couple players.

i'm sick of the youth excuse too,,,i'm also sick of hearing about trengove and scully...plus how people want jack grimes as the next captain...after playing under 20 games...

i want to hear more about expectations..ie., it's good to hear bails is asking more from third year players. i want bails to publicy say col sylvia needs to have a crack this year. i really want to hear a public stand point on miller also.

any player on the melb list who's played 40 or more games...needs to be contributing and should beat their oposition player more often than not. time to single out a couple players.

It's called "Put up or Shut up" I agree. Enough talk and action about what cannot or is not happening. We are about to start a new season.

the fact you are overlooking is WE ARE A YOUNG SIDE last week we had 3 players over the age of 25 on the field, there is no way around the fact we are going to continue to lose most games and occasionally get belted

the fact you are overlooking is WE ARE A YOUNG SIDE last week we had 3 players over the age of 25 on the field, there is no way around the fact we are going to continue to lose most games and occasionally get belted

Spot on. Its not an excuse, but a matter of fact. We are only hearing it so much because its all we really have to talk about at this point.

And there is no point making a public statement about Miller to try and push him, I mean Miller is probably playing at the level that he is capable of. he puts in 110%, but we all know that his skill level, is not that of a lazy elite play that needs a kick up the backside.

Spot on. Its not an excuse, but a matter of fact. We are only hearing it so much because its all we really have to talk about at this point.

And there is no point making a public statement about Miller to try and push him, I mean Miller is probably playing at the level that he is capable of. he puts in 110%, but we all know that his skill level, is not that of a lazy elite play that needs a kick up the backside.

Exactly Rusty!

Spot on. Its not an excuse, but a matter of fact. We are only hearing it so much because its all we really have to talk about at this point.

And there is no point making a public statement about Miller to try and push him, I mean Miller is probably playing at the level that he is capable of. he puts in 110%, but we all know that his skill level, is not that of a lazy elite play that needs a kick up the backside.

Well said r_k.

I'm not trying to split hairs but DB has said it is not youth but games played that makes the difference, our guys have so few games played that it sticks out as much this year (so far) as any of the last two

Spot on. Its not an excuse, but a matter of fact. We are only hearing it so much because its all we really have to talk about at this point.

And there is no point making a public statement about Miller to try and push him, I mean Miller is probably playing at the level that he is capable of. he puts in 110%, but we all know that his skill level, is not that of a lazy elite play that needs a kick up the backside.

You are correct kingswood.

This also applies to a lot of our senior players and so many people on this forum overlook this fact.

It's really quite simple....

If you compare the calibre of our group of middle to late aged players to that of most other clubs, you will see a huge difference.

How can we expect a group of young kids to take the reigns when their role models and senior players are so average...?

Melbourne have had this problem for years and that's what scares me most.. It's that our crop of senior players just don't cut it and this

continually brings us back to this "we are a young team" debate.

This is why I worry....

Oldest: Mcdonald,Bruce,Green

Next in line: Miller, Davey, PJ, Jamar, Warnock, Rivers.

And after that: Bate, Dunn, Bell, Maloney, Sylvia, Martin, Petterd, Bartram.

Then the young brigade.....

Now I love Melbourne just as much as any other die hard supporter on this forum but I am sick to death with people over-rating our players.

When I look at that I almost cringe..

I understand that this is what we have to deal with every week but it worries me that the lack of class in this list will really slow the young guys down

and it may take even longer than we think to start climbing up the ladder...

People talking about Frawley not far off AA and our backline being so great ...

The talk of Bate being such a great forward...

Bruce being such a great player because he can accumulate possessions...

I understand positivity and optimism but I don't let my passion and love for the dee's tell me what I know is not true.

Frawley may become AA after he starts having some kicking lessons alongside Warnock.... (refer to the technique used by both players in NAB game one against Freo)

Bate may become a great forward if he learns how to string a couple of consistent games together amongst other things.

Bruce is no longer able to impact games and rarely disposes of the ball effectively (along with most of our team)

I will get my knockers and I will cop some stick for what I have just said but honestly melbourne supporters need to wake up.

Edited March 2, 201015 yr by stevethemanjordan

Spot on. Its not an excuse, but a matter of fact. We are only hearing it so much because its all we really have to talk about at this point.

And there is no point making a public statement about Miller to try and push him, I mean Miller is probably playing at the level that he is capable of. he puts in 110%, but we all know that his skill level, is not that of a lazy elite play that needs a kick up the backside.

Agree with all of that, particularly about Miller. He's a limited player who produces to 100% of his ability, you'll get nothing out of pushing him harder. As far as I'm concerned he's an automatic selection in the side until he is inevitably overtaken by someone better. Until then, all anyone can do (coach included) is live with his limitations.

Agree with all of that, particularly about Miller. He's a limited player who produces to 100% of his ability, you'll get nothing out of pushing him harder. As far as I'm concerned he's an automatic selection in the side until he is inevitably overtaken by someone better. Until then, all anyone can do (coach included) is live with his limitations.

I saw enough signs during the Essendon game to be mildly confident of a better year this year. If we had Davey, Bate, Bruce, Green, Watts, Garland, Wonaemirri, McDonald and even Paul Johnson to help out in the ruck a bit we would have won, and won well. Who knows what impact Blease and Tapscott could have had as well. I mean really, for the entire second quarter pretty much we played Martin in the ruck alongside McKenzie, Bartram, and Gysberts. I think we may have won one out of six or seven clearences during this period.

The game plan for mine is patently clear. I cannot understand it when people say they are have know idea what our 'structure' is or our 'game plan'. I thought it was quite obvious what were are wanting do on Saturday, and and all costs as well.

DAMBUSTERS!!!

The days of flooding in certain areas are now over. EVERYWHERE is now flooded. I reckon we've looked at it and gone, right we can't go long over the top of the opposition, we can't chip our way up the field with shortish kicks, we can't go the flanks, we can't kick to contests, So stuff it! Let's go right through em! Right through the middle with a wicked series of warp speed handballs! And then when we are 70 metres, if we have made it through the mindfield of players in the middle, hit a free or leading target or kick the crap out of the footy as hard and long as possible to a contest.

This actually was coming off a bit a few times last Saturday, however the problem was Fletcher and others double teamed Jurrah, Martin was dropping marks, and there really was no one else.

i'm sick of the youth excuse too,,,i'm also sick of hearing about trengove and scully...plus how people want jack grimes as the next captain...after playing under 20 games...

i want to hear more about expectations..ie., it's good to hear bails is asking more from third year players. i want bails to publicy say col sylvia needs to have a crack this year. i really want to hear a public stand point on miller also.

any player on the melb list who's played 40 or more games...needs to be contributing and should beat their oposition player more often than not. time to single out a couple players.

Great post-you seem like you would make a great coach

Great post-you seem like you would make a great coach

Well said .. too many excuses, not enough ownership

Great post-you seem like you would make a great coach

point taken...i watch all melbourne games to the end...even if we win or lose. I'm a passionate melbourne member.

if all your reading about the melb football club is trengove and scully...then it becomes quite boring.

i would prefer the coach to challenge the older players (played 40 or more) to lift to another level. it's up to the younger players to rally around the older players when they can.

Great post-you seem like you would make a great coach

By wanting things he'd make a great coach?

I think he might make a great coach for the purposes of an interview. It ends there.