Aaron is kidding himself. Chips post match honesty is much more believable. If you are in a side that hasn't given a whimper for a half of football then you have in effect "given up". Really couldn't give a toss how the leadership group spin-doctor it. And I would also pull Aaron up on his assessment of North "as a good side", they were traveling pretty ordinarily until they played us. Needs to worry more about how bad we are and less about how good the opposition is!

Aaron is kidding himself. Chips post mach honesty is much more believable. If you are in a side that hasn't given a whimper for a half of football then you have in effect given up. Really couldn't give a toss how the leadership group spin-doctor it. And I would also pull Aaron up on his assessment of North "as a good side", they were traveling pretty ordinarily until they played us. Needs to worry more about how bad we are and less about how good the opposition is!

I agree, we have a potentially major problem here. It seems nobody wants to address the MFC situation from within, except Chip. This article appears on our own MFC website, where Chips words are pulled apart.

I do not like it.

We didn't give up.

Our running slowed, we lost confidence, became stagnant, stopped running forward in numbers, became defensive and fearful, lost belief in or team-mates but we did not give up.

Do you seriously think the players gave up? I don't.

I don't think they gave up entirely. I just don't think they put in as required and silly turnovers proved costly, again.

As for Davey's cliches, virtually every football player relies on them so they don't say anything that causes negative waves.

When they avoid the cliches, they get panned for saying the wrong thing.

From the article: -

"James is a pretty passionate player and I think that was more that he didn't think before he spoke, because we had a disappointing result. He obviously didn't mean it," Davey said on Tuesday.

"It's just one of those things in the heat of the moment, when things boil up and you don't think through it. We didn't give up. Full credit to the Kangaroos, they came out and played good footy for longer periods than what we did."

I find it hard to believe having been addressed by the coach before coming off the ground, re-entering the rooms, time to let it sink in before being interviewed, to have not thought through it. It's not exactly what I call a statement in the heat of the moment, or something he didn't think before he spoke.

Obviously it might not be something you would want a teammate to say publicly, but from my point of view, James is full of integrity and he would be truthful and honest in his assessment. A damning assessment as it might be. Granted, he could have said "we didn't put in as a team" having led at quarter time, and it could have the same meaning. Same as "no real intensity, effort, no sense of desperation in our actions" - but in Chip's terms it meant we simply "gave up."

D'man, that probably a more realistic explanation than "we gave up" or the "malaise of comfort". Its clear the players and FD are in anything but a comfort zone.

D'man, that probably a more realistic explanation than "we gave up" or the "malaise of comfort". Its clear the players and FD are in anything but a comfort zone.

Correct, I have no doubt that the players will be coming back to the rooms more physically drained than after a good win. We definitely need to play harder and smarter, but we also need to have confidence in ourselves and our team-mates and continue to take the right type of risks. Once we become defensive and fearful our opponent then becomes less accountable and then they begin to run forward in numbers. Next you know we are 5 goals down with blokes out there scratching thier heads wondering what has happened.

At the moment it is like watching a Greek Tragedy unfold.

I actually wonder if we are a victim of trying to play tempo football after a couple of goals against.

IE, We seem to struggle to come back from a side getting a couple of easy ones against it. I wonder if we are trying to shut down too early and play a brand of defensive football that we are not tactically tuned to or comfortable with.

man i hate all these bloody cliches in football.

"one week at a time",

"full credit to the opposition",

"we must play 4 quarters of footy",

"we didnt stick to our structures",

"we need to rectify this during the week",

"back to the drawing board"

"we know were better than that"

"we must respond this weekend"

"we wont stand for that"

How often do we hear this from Melbourne..... its all [censored].Im sick of this football club making excuse after excuse and rationalisation after rationalisation. We will not improve as a football team or as a club until we start taking responsibility for our performances and actions both on and off the field. The players are now in denial more than they have ever been which is highly concerning. The cold hard fact is that we lost to a very very ordinary side on the weekend by 7 goals after being up by 6 goals. They didnt play good football at all, we LET them play good football. Right now we are absolutely no where near where we should be at this stage of our 'redevelopment' and the sooner the players and FD realise this the better. Good on chip for his honesty because thats exactly the way i saw it and we shouldnt crucify him for telling the truth no matter whether people like it or not. Time for the FD to get super tough and time for the boys to stand up and be accountable.

Once North hit the lead, you could see the work rate drop away pretty quickly.

Is giving up not putting in the same effort as you previously had once things get a bit tough?

I say it is.

Chip was right...........call it whatever you like.........they just stopped fighting.

We didn't give up.

Our running slowed, we lost confidence, became stagnant, stopped running forward in numbers, became defensive and fearful, lost belief in or team-mates but we did not give up.

my good man..you just described all the elements of giving up..that stopped giving 100% ..THEY GAVE IN MENTALLY !!

Call it anything you like its the same sh!t !!

Those that wish to deny this and sink into semantic driven spin are as bad as Davey himnself.

Chip called it...and good onya son!! how refreshinng, some honesty

We didn't give up.

Our running slowed, we lost confidence, became stagnant, stopped running forward in numbers, became defensive and fearful, lost belief in or team-mates but we did not give up.

Would a Hawthorn, Essendon or Collingwood person come out with that line of words???

We will NEVER improve as a club while our supporters allow these excuses to get by.

Our running slowed, we lost confidence, became stagnant, stopped running forward in numbers, became defensive and fearful, lost belief in or team-mates= GIVE UP to me....It all became to hard, Time for the white flag.

Chip was spot on. Aaron as a leader, should have said nothing & let Chip's words stand.

Aaron has in effect shown us all he cant lead.. he can apportion blame.. but lead ?? nah...dont think so.. I once thought he could.. alas i was wrong ( who'd da thought )

Aaron has in effect shown us all he cant lead.. he can apportion blame.. but lead ?? nah...dont think so.. I once thought he could.. alas i was wrong ( who'd da thought )

He was TOLD to say those words....and he did. More a Follower is the Flash.

man i hate all these bloody cliches in football.

How often do we hear this from Melbourne..... its all [censored].

I do too. However, its a formula all clubs use to address the contrived circus called the media.

It would be better if the Club stopped the players saying anything and make the deeds on the ground talk louder.

Once North hit the lead, you could see the work rate drop away pretty quickly.

Why did North hit the lead? Their work rate through the midfield and around the ground picked up significantly. The pendulum move 5 minutes before the end of the first quarter. North were terrible and uncommitted in the first 15 minutes and they picked up. I think the truth is that North's output picked up significantly and in some cases ours dropped off or more importantly certain players were not given the latitude they were given earlier.

He was TOLD to say those words....and he did. More a Follower is the Flash.

Can you name the person who told Aaron to say those words? This is shocking if true.

Can you name the person who told Aaron to say those words? This is shocking if true.

No i can't.....Morning Rhino.

No i can't.....Morning Rhino.

OK so you putting emphasis on a statement about an issue that you have no factual knowledge about. Thats not like you WYL.

OK so you putting emphasis on a statement about an issue that you have no factual knowledge about. Thats not like you WYL.

I know how spin works in front of the Camera, one of the leadership group would have been told/asked to make a statement to diffuse the earlier Chip statement.

Flash carried the can.

Next.

I know how spin works in front of the Camera, one of the leadership group would have been told/asked to make a statement to diffuse the earlier Chip statement.

Flash carried the can.

Next.

I could buy that...its prety much formula stuff

Would a Hawthorn, Essendon or Collingwood person come out with that line of words???

We will NEVER improve as a club while our supporters allow these excuses to get by.

Our running slowed, we lost confidence, became stagnant, stopped running forward in numbers, became defensive and fearful, lost belief in or team-mates= GIVE UP to me....It all became to hard, Time for the white flag.

Chip was spot on. Aaron as a leader, should have said nothing & let Chip's words stand.

Yes all of those clubs would and have come out with the same spin.

Surely you understand the distinction between consciously giving up and losing confidence and belief and playing too defensively. If you think I am making excuses then think again, it is unacceptable and continues to be a symptom of the lack of leadership on the footy field.

The team psyche needs to change completely. Brereton and Dunstall were spot on.

We are not yet at the stage where we react appropriately to an attacking barrage, it needs to be owned and addressed immediately by all.

He was TOLD to say those words....and he did. More a Follower is the Flash.

It was with great confidence that you made that statement, "TOLD" with capitals no less.....

Why make stuff up? it does nothing for the thread, your argument or your credibility.

It was with great confidence that you made that statement, "TOLD" with capitals no less.....

Why make stuff up? it does nothing for the thread, your argument or your credibility.

It is exactly the way it would have happened. I didn't make anything up.

It's the way the Media works. Watch the Documentary "Labour in Power" that will tell you a lot about spin & media management...I spent 2 years working on that baby.

It is exactly the way it would have happened. I didn't make anything up.

It's the way the Media works. Watch the Documentary "Labour in Power" that will tell you a lot about spin & media management...I spent 2 years working on that baby.

Okey Dokey....

I speak to the media regularly and I have a set of unwritten guidelines and rules which dictate what I can and can't say. I don't have anyone spoon-feeding me but you seem far more edumacated than I seeing you worked on a documentary so you must be right.

Okey Dokey....

I speak to the media regularly and I have a set of unwritten guidelines and rules which dictate what I can and can't say. I don't have anyone spoon-feeding me but you seem far more edumacated than I seeing you worked on a documentary so you must be right.

Settle down Yoda....You know about spin, so why bring it up.

Re Read the statement Flash read out on the website. Clearly Prewritten by someone else.

Settle down Yoda....You know about spin, so why bring it up.

Re Read the statement Flash read out on the website. Clearly Prewritten by someone else.

I'm pretty settled here thanks WYL.

Your argument is that it is clearly written by someone else because you deem it as so.

My argument is that Aaron Davey is capable of writing it himself and that what you say is not necessarily so.

Your argument is that the players simplisticically "gave up."

My argument is that the player's did not consciously "give up" but don't have the required leadership, tactics and psyche to deal with some types of pressure. If the players had given up the margin would have been far greater than 41 points.

Your arguments are what I would consider to be extreme blanket statements. I don't believe in them.

any which way...its a cop out !! we would agree ?