A positive is--we can't get much worse. A pathetic display. Just watch Casey-we need a few from there ,next up.

A MATCH CLOSER TO BAILEY GETTING THE BOOT

Ding Ding Ding Ding. We have a winner. As furious as i am atm, knowing that with each passing week (and another dismal display) Bailey's tenure is drawing to a close provides a calming influence for me. In fact, i might laugh myself to sleep tonight, unable to contain my excitement, knowing that this will be so.

Like the countdown to the draft, i am now counting down the rounds until Bailey will depart. We've played 5 games, meaning there is only 17 to go.

Lets start the clock!

17

The fact that Bailey is gone. I hope he never ever coaches my football club again

Jamar was great, so was Watts.

I am going to cop it here but I think that Jamar is not hitting the ball to our players. He tends to just drop it down and it is either a contest or an opposition ball. He is playing well around the ground but I feel his ruckwork is not a patch on last year.

Watts.

Tapscott's hardness and desperation.

Trengove's marking.

Garland.

Jack Darling at pick 26 was far more valuable than Watts. Check both player's dream team scores. Or watch a replay with fresh eyes.

It's just that Watts has been so woeful, we get excited when he plays half reasonable.

Don't get me wrong, I love it when he takes a contested mark. But ultimately we expect far, far more than what he's giving now.

1. watts was probably our best in the first quarter when the rest were terrible... good signs there...

2. to play so poorly, kick so inaccurately at goal and lose by less than ten goals...

Jack Darling at pick 26 was far more valuable than Watts. Check both player's dream team scores. Or watch a replay with fresh eyes.

It's just that Watts has been so woeful, we get excited when he plays half reasonable.

Don't get me wrong, I love it when he takes a contested mark. But ultimately we expect far, far more than what he's giving now.

But Darling's series of uncontested marks and easy ball delivered from an uncontested midfield were valuable? Laughable.

I am going to cop it here but I think that Jamar is not hitting the ball to our players. He tends to just drop it down and it is either a contest or an opposition ball. He is playing well around the ground but I feel his ruckwork is not a patch on last year.

Smart ruckmen and clubs have worked him out. Against any half decent ruck he is restricted as to where he can hit the ball due to fact he doesn't get over the top of his opposite ruckman, more so he restricts the other ruckmen from getting near it and drops it down to our side of the contest.

But really it should be more predictable for us that any other club. Crazy.

In: Ricky Petterd.

Positive.

Positive? Officially Bailey won't be renewed.

As of tonight, Bailey's position is untenable. Fair or not, that's just the reality. He's lost so much respect and support from the supporters and parts of the club hierarchy. Maybe some of the players? He may not be largely to blame, he may in fact be a good coach. But this situation tonight, the debacle in the West, can have only one outcome for him.

In all my years following them, John Northey is the only coach who has both impressed and delivered.

Jack Darling at pick 26 was far more valuable than Watts. Check both player's dream team scores. Or watch a replay with fresh eyes.

It's just that Watts has been so woeful, we get excited when he plays half reasonable.

Don't get me wrong, I love it when he takes a contested mark. But ultimately we expect far, far more than what he's giving now.

There was a lot more ball heading into WCEs forward line tonight. Watts looked every bit a number 1 pick to me tonight in a performance where his team did him no favours at all.

Watts was very good. Built on last week's final quarter and now looks like he a genuine threat in marking contests. Really good signs.

Gysberts was down, and we really lacked McKenzie around the stoppages again. Priddis was fantastic for them and was able to release players from stoppages and contested situations. He really killed us. Cox's ability to push up and down the wings to create 2 on 1s was the main reason they could move the ball so easily.

But Darling's series of uncontested marks and easy ball delivered from an uncontested midfield were valuable? Laughable.

He does a lot more than that around the ground and competes with effort and guts.

It's hardly his fault that Melbourne's defence was so pathetically absent tonight.

He also kicks goals (not behinds).

I reckon there were 15 Melbourne players who were laughable before you start laughing at Darling's game.

Ding Ding Ding Ding. We have a winner. As furious as i am atm, knowing that with each passing week (and another dismal display) Bailey's tenure is drawing to a close provides a calming influence for me. In fact, i might laugh myself to sleep tonight, unable to contain my excitement, knowing that this will be so.

Like the countdown to the draft, i am now counting down the rounds until Bailey will depart. We've played 5 games, meaning there is only 17 to go.

Lets start the clock!

17

Far too much love in my opinion. The clock should start at around 6. I can sense a change pre Queens Birthday!

Watts was very good. Built on last week's final quarter and now looks like he a genuine threat in marking contests. Really good signs.

I agree Watts was 'good' and that there were some 'good signs' from him. Really, he was one of our better players tonight out of a very poor bunch. But he's still got a long way to go in learning how to impose himself, and in his decision making. He still, even tonight, looks like a startled rabbit on occasions when he's got the ball with 3 or 4 defenders bearing down on him and he just can't decide where or how to get rid of it. That will come with experience.

Positive for me was that with an exam next week I was studying, had set the pvr to tape the game so I could watch it later, got a text from a mate asking if I wanted to coach the dees next week and I knew that I could go and stop the recording...

Another positive is that with the years and years of pathetic heartless performances that this club has shown me, my passion for it has completely gone. I think of it as being like a 30 year marriage I have had, I still love the old girl but there is no passion there. Until something changes , be it she loses some weight or brings in someone else, there will be that love, but no spark. (by the way this doesn't apply to me in case she reads this:))

That being the case, the loss doesn't hurt, its just kind of expected, along with what I gather was another disgusting performance. Really though, do we really expect anything more?

Edited April 28, 201114 yr by Age

Positive - new coach.

Watts. Glad to see something from him for once, but until he has at least one or two of the other 21 players having a decent game to compare to, I won't be getting too excited...

He does a lot more than that around the ground and competes with effort and guts.

Watts took the majority of his marks in the back 50. Darling took 0 marks in that area of the ground. This shows that a) Watts did a lot aroung the ground and B) Darling didn't need to. This shows that Darling's team played better and that Watts was willing to compete wherever needed.

It's hardly his fault that Melbourne's defence was so pathetically absent tonight.

You say that Darling played on a "pathetically absent" defense yet his 14 possessions were somehow much more valuable than Watts' (clearly more hard-earned) 15?

He also kicks goals (not behinds).

Watts kicked 1.0. This argument makes no sense.

I reckon there were 15 Melbourne players who were laughable before you start laughing at Darling's game.

Talk about shifting the goalposts. I said to claim that Darling's performance was more valuable than Watts' was laughable - not that his performance was worse than most Melbourne players.

Not your best post.

Positives? Watts was good I thought. Enjoying seeing his "big man" game evolve. He's still a long way off being a dominant AFL CHF, but i do have faith that he will get there one day, on tonights performance along with glimpses shown this year and last. He's starting to show an ability to mark a ball in a pack, is drawing the footy and defenders, and generally competing well. He's brining the ball to ground more consistently, as well as being able to clunk a few.

If Watts had played for them tonight and Darling for us, you'd think Darling would have struggled and Watts would've starred. The supply into our forward line was non-existent, and when we did actually get in there, the disposal was just horrendous. I rated Darling's performance but it was all too easy for Eagles forwards tonight. They were down-hill skiing and looking a million bucks, and we were letting them. We were just insipid.

So on a night where we were comprhensively pantsed by the reigning wooden-spooners, Watts' performance (still only a cameo at this stage) was heartening.

Watts was average , did a few nice things , nothing exceptional that we shouldn't expect.

Didn't F... up , that was good .

Edited April 28, 201114 yr by Fork 'em

Another positive is that with the years and years of pathetic heartless performances that this club has shown me, my passion for it has completely gone. I think of it as being like a 30 year marriage I have had, I still love the old girl but there is no passion there. Until something changes , be it she loses some weight or brings in someone else, there will be that love, but no spark. (by the way this doesn't apply to me in case she reads this:))

Man - you sure it doesn't apply to you? That sounds too close to my reality to have been just made up.

Watts took the majority of his marks in the back 50. Darling took 0 marks in that area of the ground. This shows that a) Watts did a lot aroung the ground and B) Darling didn't need to. This shows that Darling's team played better and that Watts was willing to compete wherever needed.

Talk about shifting the goalposts. I said to claim that Darling's performance was more valuable than Watts' was laughable - not that his performance was worse than most Melbourne players.

If you watched Darling's game closely, his defensive work and follow-up efforts were pretty good for a fairly inexperienced player. He outmarked Melb defenders on several occasions (and converted with goals - something I used to admire Green for - sadly not tonight).

I can't imagine how you would think claiming Darling's performance tonight more valuable than Watts is "laughable"? I can see how you can see it differently, but there wasn't that much between them. as you say, they both played somewhat different roles in very different teams and circumstances. On tonight's performances, it's probably a judgement call. Overall this year, my assessment is that Darling at his stage of development is a more developed forward than Watts right now. That's not to say Watts won't achieve his potential. I hope he does. But he's not there yet.

Having nearly 35,000 members the clubs going to hear from a lot more people.

But Darling's series of uncontested marks and easy ball delivered from an uncontested midfield were valuable? Laughable.

45HG16, you're right I shouldn't have said "far" more valuable. It was the heat of the moment, got carried away. I thought tonight, for all Watts' efforts, Darling was more valuable. Just my assessment, I can see how others see it differently. I'm thrilled with Watts taking contested grabs and his running to make a contest. Because I want him to be so good, his mistakes really annoy me. I see his potential and he has improved immensely. I hope he's going to be an absolute champion for us.

45HG16, you're right I shouldn't have said "far" more valuable. It was the heat of the moment, got carried away. I thought tonight, for all Watts' efforts, Darling was more valuable. Just my assessment, I can see how others see it differently. I'm thrilled with Watts taking contested grabs and his running to make a contest. Because I want him to be so good, his mistakes really annoy me. I see his potential and he has improved immensely. I hope he's going to be an absolute champion for us.

It's all good mate. I see what you mean now. The kid is and was good but I just thought Watts was so good especially consdering the rubbish support he got.

it's probably too close to the fact for us to comment. I do like your posting on the whole, keep it up.