Of course once we have bigger bodies and more experienced players we will obviously be better off, no matter what game plan we are utilising. However, we saw what happened to Geelong in the 2008 GF, and more importantly what happened to them in last years preliminary final. They got strangled. The plan revolves around fast movement of the ball and a wave of runners always ready to rebound and receive a quick handball. Intense forward pressure/tackling and locking the ball in the forward half is where the game is at now...there was little resistance to Geelong running and gunning in 2007. They are still the masters of the game plan we are trying to emulate now, because their ground kicking and handballs are so accurate they more often then not punish opposition on the rebound. Our skills are nowhere near that level yet. I will try and get my hands on some stats that reveal how many times we score from turnovers and how many times we get punished when we turn the ball over. I fear it will be damning against top 8 teams

"We want the game, like all clubs, played in our front half,"

"The argument is when we get it in the forward line can we pressure and keep it in there?"

"The stats that Roosy pulled out said that we are defending too much, well, we are."

"But we are not trying to score out of our back-50m. We are not playing a game where 10 or 12 per cent of our scoring is going to be out of our back-50m."

"It (the belief it is deliberate) is just incorrect."

Baily's response to Roos and what we are all seeing...

I have no problem with having a different game plan to most others. Its all a bit like fashion. What may suit one team ( its players and abilities and fortes ) may not be the best for another. Sometines different is good. Its not teh being different that for mine is the measure but simply the ability to execute your plan/game. If team A with plan X is 80%efficient and you with plan Z are only 65%efficient then youll lose. If youre 90% effeicient you'll in all likelyhood win. Its not hte difference but the ability.

We simply dont seem on top of 'our' game at present.

The gameplan of any top team is to starve the other team of opportunities in either the forward or backline.

It is easily seen on a chess board, you put pieces of your oponent into corners and they almost always die.

The Defensive press is just that...overwhelm the oponent with pressure and lack of space and they will cough the ball up, kick it badly or not get it at all.

The Filth have just moved it closer to their goal than what the Dawks did in 2008.

So we need some big strong lumps in our team as well as very speedy crumbers...Dean Bailey must know this, if i do.

What worries me the most is that IF players like Jack Watts were playing for the Filth or Essendon, they would be influencing games by now.

We must get the most out of our players when they are learning. Are we doing that now??

Edited April 19, 201114 yr by why you little

Paul Roos and Grant Thomas are experts.... Both have ... our game plan doesn't suit the modern game....

Take your blinkers off mate

Game Plan Game Plan Game Plan ... it's all we ever hear about around here ... doing my head in to be honest. One day, in his after-match remarks, Bailey will say "The boys played the way we want them to play". Then, and only then, will be able to see what this mythical game plan is.

There are two sides to every plan - the plan itself and the execution. People should be careful that they aren't commenting on the former, when it's the latter that could be breaking down.

Amongst all this talk, I'm often reminded of an interview I saw a few years back after a Tour De France stage. Miguel Indurain and his team had dominated once again. The interviewer asked one of his team-mates what the instructions had been in regard to the tactics for the stage. The gyst of his reply was "There are no instructions. We're all professionals, we know what has to be done".

Perhaps when we have a team that's built around 25 year old 100+ gamers, all will be revealed.

(FWIW, Bailey has already commented on Paul Roos's comments, in particular in regard to forward pressure.)

Game Plan Game Plan Game Plan ... it's all we ever hear about around here ... doing my head in to be honest. One day, in his after-match remarks, Bailey will say "The boys played the way we want them to play". Then, and only then, will be able to see what this mythical game plan is.

There are two sides to every plan - the plan itself and the execution. People should be careful that they aren't commenting on the former, when it's the latter that could be breaking down.

Amongst all this talk, I'm often reminded of an interview I saw a few years back after a Tour De France stage. Miguel Indurain and his team had dominated once again. The interviewer asked one of his team-mates what the instructions had been in regard to the tactics for the stage. The gyst of his reply was "There are no instructions. We're all professionals, we know what has to be done".

Perhaps when we have a team that's built around 25 year old 100+ gamers, all will be revealed.

(FWIW, Bailey has already commented on Paul Roos's comments, in particular in regard to forward pressure.)

good post

at the end of the day it is 44 blokes, 8 posts and an oval-shaped ball just like it was 150 years ago

(FWIW, Bailey has already commented on Paul Roos's comments, in particular in regard to forward pressure.)

Bailey referred to Roos' comments as "incorrect" IIRC...

Bailey referred to Roos' comments as "incorrect" IIRC...

once more for the fans...

"It (the belief it is deliberate) is just incorrect."

once more for the fans...

"It (the belief it is deliberate) is just incorrect."

Thankyou.

"We want the game, like all clubs, played in our front half,"

"The argument is when we get it in the forward line can we pressure and keep it in there?"

"The stats that Roosy pulled out said that we are defending too much, well, we are."

"But we are not trying to score out of our back-50m. We are not playing a game where 10 or 12 per cent of our scoring is going to be out of our back-50m."

"It (the belief it is deliberate) is just incorrect."

Baily's response to Roos and what we are all seeing...

So Bailey is saying that in his fourth year as coach he cannot get the players to play the way he wants. How come Essendon, Richmond and North Melbourne were able to respond to their coach in one pre season?

What were those two opinions after the Swans game last year, or better still, after a number of good exciting performances last year ?

I think we should wait several more weeks "at least" - hell until round 17-19 if need be - and see what transpires re: our performances.

I want to see our young team with McKenzie & Scully contributing and see progress of other young hopefuls first.

I don't know what you're waiting for and the odd good win won't change the facts. Our style of footy is a mile behind most other clubs, which is why inferior teams such as Brisbane almost beat us.

So Bailey is saying that in his fourth year as coach he cannot get the players to play the way he wants. How come Essendon, Richmond and North Melbourne were able to respond to their coach in one pre season?

The Elephant in the room speaks

Game Plan Game Plan Game Plan ... it's all we ever hear about around here ... doing my head in to be honest. One day, in his after-match remarks, Bailey will say "The boys played the way we want them to play". Then, and only then, will be able to see what this mythical game plan is.

There are two sides to every plan - the plan itself and the execution. People should be careful that they aren't commenting on the former, when it's the latter that could be breaking down.

Amongst all this talk, I'm often reminded of an interview I saw a few years back after a Tour De France stage. Miguel Indurain and his team had dominated once again. The interviewer asked one of his team-mates what the instructions had been in regard to the tactics for the stage. The gyst of his reply was "There are no instructions. We're all professionals, we know what has to be done".

Perhaps when we have a team that's built around 25 year old 100+ gamers, all will be revealed.

(FWIW, Bailey has already commented on Paul Roos's comments, in particular in regard to forward pressure.)

Exactly! The game plan is a...PLAN! It is not necessarily what you see on the park. A bunch of kids trying their best to execute may look a bit different to what is on the whiteboard. Remember Geelong before they fired? Thompson was about to get the sack. The game plan will emerge with time, and hopefully be what everybody else wants to copy. Each time I hear Bailey respond or talk on the topic, it sounds like he knows what he wants, and where the team is letting itself down. GOod thing, because we have heaps of upside.

I don't know what you're waiting for and the odd good win won't change the facts. Our style of footy is a mile behind most other clubs, which is why inferior teams such as Brisbane almost beat us.

you've got to be joking, have most of the people on this site suffered some sort of head injury over the Christmas break? 'the odd good win', we had several great efforts against top4 sides and thrashed several others, only just missed the finals by a few kicks in reality. Everyone was talking the shizen out of us last year and talking up Bailey for bringing us back from the brink. This is the same side and the same coach you know, the only difference is that we lost Macca and Bruce and replaced them with Gysberts and Tapscott like we inevitably had to.

now we're not thrashing sides by as much as some expect us to, so all of a sudden we are a basket case of a club again, revisionism at its absolute worst. Bailey must wonder why he bothers with this ridiculously disloyal and impatient attitude so many of us have. As I mentioned in the player of the year thread, we have a huge bunch of players that haven't given any where near what they are capable of this season so far, you would expect that to change, and with that the comments of Paul Roos and the media, and 'supporters' like yourself will change like the blowing of the wind.

... and no-one in the FD can.

If only the Dees were run by a committee of Demonlanders, we'd win the flag not just this year but every year.

Humbled to be amongt so many experts.

Right, better off sticking your head in the sand and saying ``the club knows best''. Have you been impressed with how the team has played so far this year? (winning against weak teams aside) Tell me about the progress you've seen. I would be very interested to hear about it.

This is a forum for discussion.

Right, better off sticking your head in the sand and saying ``the club knows best''. Have you been impressed with how the team has played so far this year? (winning against weak teams aside) Tell me about the progress you've seen. I would be very interested to hear about it.

This is a forum for discussion.

What about the steady improvement since 2008.

We are 4 games into a season and you want to talk about improvement in 2011?

How about letting a little more of 2011 happen, hmm?

This is forum for informed discussion.

Right, 2008 as a benchmark. Nice one. Your version of discussion is piffle.

What about the steady improvement since 2008.

We are 4 games into a season and you want to talk about improvement in 2011?

How about letting a little more of 2011 happen, hmm?

This is forum for informed discussion.

define infoirmed ?? and whos the arbiter ??

at what point in your opinion is it legitimate to discuss improvement.. 5 , 6, , 7, 8, 9, games...end of season.. where ...by what markers ??

I wouldnt call any improvemnet since 08 as steady..or even easily determined... spasmodic and inconclusive would be more accurate.

I wonder if MFC sell these socks.

I don't know but you are going to have to pull your socks up in the Ultimate stakes- only rassin- a great game it is..

all i know is that i love the way we play in full flight.....it's pure football. Can we play that way consistently in years to come?.....i don't know, i hope so. can our game style be shut down easily? when we don't execute well....yes, but i think this will change when we gain consistency.

i think one of the reasons we can play this style of game is because we have a very good defense, much like Geelong did. is it possible Collingwood play the boundary, and forward press to protect what i believe is a suspect backline? is our quick ball movement off half-back and up the middle the reason we did so well against them last year?

It's round 4 of this year, we've had some big injuries pre-season, we are still a young side who is a long way off playing consistently for a whole season, we've started slowly and we've won 50% of our games. any danger we could assess when we're halfway through the season at least?

anyone remember praying for a win early last year?......any win?

Your version of discussion is piffle.

And that's YOUR version of discussion ... denigration and ridicule?

you've got to be joking, have most of the people on this site suffered some sort of head injury over the Christmas break? 'the odd good win', we had several great efforts against top4 sides and thrashed several others, only just missed the finals by a few kicks in reality. Everyone was talking the shizen out of us last year and talking up Bailey for bringing us back from the brink. This is the same side and the same coach you know, the only difference is that we lost Macca and Bruce and replaced them with Gysberts and Tapscott like we inevitably had to.

now we're not thrashing sides by as much as some expect us to, so all of a sudden we are a basket case of a club again, revisionism at its absolute worst. Bailey must wonder why he bothers with this ridiculously disloyal and impatient attitude so many of us have. As I mentioned in the player of the year thread, we have a huge bunch of players that haven't given any where near what they are capable of this season so far, you would expect that to change, and with that the comments of Paul Roos and the media, and 'supporters' like yourself will change like the blowing of the wind.

You clearly don't watch footy with any acumen, or feeling for the game.

How come Essendon, Richmond and North Melbourne were able to respond to their coach in one pre season?

You mean Richmond and North who have yet to win a game, that Richmond and North?

Looks like we're all getting very nervous.

We can feel a belting around the corner.

Looks like we're all getting very nervous.

You're right! Here, a little snap to take our minds off all that is wrong with the world

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You're right! Here, a little snap to take our minds off all that is wrong with the world

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Good stuff, looks like the boys are enjoying themselves...right time of year to do it to.