Dear Dean:

Please if you are not already turn your TV to channel 10. If you're not home thats ok I will happily purchase you a copy of Suns v Cats via Name a Game. A team of kids playing an unbeaten side and guess what NO MAN BEHIND THE BALL. NO FLOODING. A FORWARD STRUCTURE. AN ATTACKING GAME PLAN.

Regardless of what happens second half kudos to McKenna for backing his guys to try and win the game. I wish we had a coach with balls like that.

Haha he can't win!

Without a player behind the ball he'd be criticised for nof having one there as were torn apart by double the margin.

It has been roundly criticised as a poor tactical decision, but did you notice we were only down by 16 points at half time to a far better team?

As for GC, they don't have half the injury list we have, and have half a dozen Scullys and Trengoves.

Noticed that GC also have Gary Ablett and a handful of other decent mature players to guide their kids?

We have Juice Newton, Jared Rivers and Brad Green.

A bit of a gulf there.

Dear Dean:

Please if you are not already turn your TV to channel 10. If you're not home thats ok I will happily purchase you a copy of Suns v Cats via Name a Game. A team of kids playing an unbeaten side and guess what NO MAN BEHIND THE BALL. NO FLOODING. A FORWARD STRUCTURE. AN ATTACKING GAME PLAN.

Regardless of what happens second half kudos to McKenna for backing his guys to try and win the game.I wish we had a coach with balls like that.

Great call..............and not only that, no B/S excuses and "games into players" rhetoric!!!!!!

I wish we had a coach that taught a game plan that doesn't take 3 1/2 years to learn, and the players still not understanding or playing it correctly!

Yeah it's good to watch, although a little depressing at the same time.

Haha he can't win!

Without a player behind the ball he'd be criticised for nof having one there as were torn apart by double the margin.

It has been roundly criticised as a poor tactical decision, but did you notice we were only down by 16 points at half time to a far better team?

As for GC, they don't have half the injury list we have, and have half a dozen Scullys and Trengoves.

Noticed that GC also have Gary Ablett and a handful of other decent mature players to guide their kids?

We have Juice Newton, Jared Rivers and Brad Green.

A bit of a gulf there.

You're spot on Artie...........he can't win, that's the problem, and his record of 18-55 proves it!!!!!

You're spot on Artie...........he can't win, that's the problem, and his record of 18-55 proves it!!!!!

Take a bow.

Champagne comedy right there.

Miss the game against Adelaide did you?

Tell me, which coach do you think actually could win with the list in its current state, Einstein?

Take a bow.

Champagne comedy right there.

Miss the game against Adelaide did you?

Tell me, which coach do you think actually could win with the list in its current state, Einstein?

You're kidding yourself Artie if you're hanging your hat on flogging an insipid Adelaide. Do the Hawthorn or West Coast games ring any bells?

The champagne comedy is Bailey sympathisers blind faith in a guy whose record is nothing short of pitiful.

We keep hearing about this magic number of games into players as though all of a sudden the penny will finally drop, and the winning flood gates will open.

What is the magic number of games for Bailey?

You're kidding yourself Artie if you're hanging your hat on flogging an insipid Adelaide. Do the Hawthorn or West Coast games ring any bells?

The champagne comedy is Bailey sympathisers blind faith in a guy whose record is nothing short of pitiful.

We keep hearing about this magic number of games into players as though all of a sudden the penny will finally drop, and the winning flood gates will open.

What is the magic number of games for Bailey?

You said he can't win.

I maintain that not only can he win, he can have his team absolutely demolish some sides.

Sydney last year maybe?

It's not something to hang your hat on, but it still disproved the rubbish you're coming up with.

No blind faith.

Just pragmatism.

So you're interpretation of the concept of getting games into players is wrong - is that Bailey's fault?

It's not like someone flicks a switch at a certain number of games, rathe it's that we see natural and gradual progression with each game played, just as we are seeing from Watts and Addam Maric right now.

Your last question just displays your utter ignorance on this topic.

has anyone actually looked at our list in terms of games played? go to footywire and try it. it will enlighten you, given the pies average game total was 107 and they were considered YOUNG

http://www.footywire.com/afl/footy/tp-melbourne-demons?year=2011&sby=13

Haha he can't win!

Without a player behind the ball he'd be criticised for nof having one there as were torn apart by double the margin.

It has been roundly criticised as a poor tactical decision, but did you notice we were only down by 16 points at half time to a far better team?

As for GC, they don't have half the injury list we have, and have half a dozen Scullys and Trengoves.

Noticed that GC also have Gary Ablett and a handful of other decent mature players to guide their kids?

We have Juice Newton, Jared Rivers and Brad Green.

A bit of a gulf there.

Re-wind. Sorry, no longer an excuse.

Re-wind. Sorry, no longer an excuse.

Haha what?

What exactly is no longer an excuse, and why?

And I know you like the term "excuse" because it implies that they are just fabricated to explain why something didn't work out as planned, but they are actually contributing factors.

But I know how it works, you've been a member longer than me, you're sick of waiting, and you have a bigger axe to grind... go nuts.

It doesn't make you right.

has anyone actually looked at our list in terms of games played? go to footywire and try it. it will enlighten you, given the pies average game total was 107 and they were considered YOUNG

No one disputes the games played. I publish them before each game. It just kills me that our coach chose a strategy last week with limited focus on actually trying to get the 4 points.

Haha he can't win!

Without a player behind the ball he'd be criticised for nof having one there as were torn apart by double the margin.

It has been roundly criticised as a poor tactical decision, but did you notice we were only down by 16 points at half time to a far better team?

As for GC, they don't have half the injury list we have, and have half a dozen Scullys and Trengoves.

Noticed that GC also have Gary Ablett and a handful of other decent mature players to guide their kids?

We have Juice Newton, Jared Rivers and Brad Green.

A bit of a gulf there.

Why didn't you use Frawley and Syliva in your example? Maybe it might hurt your argument.

MFC should extend Bailey contract by one year now, at half the going rate. Then spend the extra cash on some decent assistant coaches..

You said he can't win.

I maintain that not only can he win, he can have his team absolutely demolish some sides.

Sydney last year maybe?

It's not something to hang your hat on, but it still disproved the rubbish you're coming up with.

No blind faith.

Just pragmatism.

So you're interpretation of the concept of getting games into players is wrong - is that Bailey's fault?

It's not like someone flicks a switch at a certain number of games, rathe it's that we see natural and gradual progression with each game played, just as we are seeing from Watts and Addam Maric right now.

Your last question just displays your utter ignorance on this topic.

Players with talent develop at even the worst clubs. I wouldn't point to Bailey as the sole reason for Watts and Maric showing signs of improvement.

There's no ignorance here, and try playing the ball and not the man Artie.

I've been a Bailey fan all along, and actually hope the team gets on a roll, we have a big finish to the year, and he gets reappointed. But I've seen some seriously disturbing signs this year, prior to the injuries, and have now formed the opinion he isn't up to it.

He's had 3 1/2 years to get the list he wants, and have the team play the way he wants.

Yet it's still a work in progress. How long do we give him Artie?????

Re: Thomo.

Not really.

I was even going to include Bate & Warnock in that equation, but didn't want to slant it too far that way.

Brad Green is our "Gary Ablett".

We definitely lose on that count.

But we also have blokes like Juice, Bate & Warnock - who are the GC equivalent?

Considering they have players hand picked from other clubs, they clearly aren't the 25th, 26th, 27th best players at their old club, like those players are at ours.

Yeah, they have the mature players from the PSD like Coad and Stanley, but they are excess.

If you want to talk about us having Frawley (a relative youngster himself anyway), Rivers, Sylvia... who else?

But we then need to consider that GC have Brown, Harbrow, Rischitelli, Brennan, Bock...

I'm talking about senior leadership here.

Edited May 28, 201114 yr by Artie Bucco

At the start of the season I would take Jamar, Sylvia, Greem, Davey, Frawley, and Moloney over Ablett, Rischitelli, Brennan, Brown, Bock, and Krakouer. You may disagree, but it would be a close argument. Ablett is clearly class, but two all Australians and one unluckly last year, plus the class of Davey and Sylvia, and the grunt work of Moloney looked beter than the GC senior players to me.

At the start of the season I would take Jamar, Sylvia, Greem, Davey, Frawley, and Moloney over Ablett, Rischitelli, Brennan, Brown, Bock, and Krakouer. You may disagree, but it would be a close argument. Ablett is clearly class, but two all Australians and one unluckly last year, plus the class of Davey and Sylvia, and the grunt work of Moloney looked beter than the GC senior players to me.

That's all well & good, but it's a close decision when we have them all and we don't have all of those players right now.

If you're comparing the GC performance tonight to the MFC performance on Friday night, its not quite the same.

We have a shortfall in quality leadership, and also a shortfall in the quality of the rest we are playing.

Juice, Bate and Warnock should not be getting a game, and players of that quality aren't getting out on the park for GC.

That's all well & good, but it's a close decision when we have them all and we don't have all of those players right now.

If you're comparing the GC performance tonight to the MFC performance on Friday night, its not quite the same.

We have a shortfall in quality leadership, and also a shortfall in the quality of the rest we are playing.

Juice, Bate and Warnock should not be getting a game, and players of that quality aren't getting out on the park for GC.

The season has been going longer than Friday night, the same problems have been there for the last few years. The first five games there were no excuses, and the team looked terrible, even in beating and drawing against some poor sides.

The excuses have changed over the years from tanking, learning the game plan, young side, no leadership and now injuries, but there has been some constant problems; can't clear the ball from defence, players standing still at half back, losing the contested possession in the midfield, no forward structure, the opposition clearing the ball out of defence to easily and no leadership.

It's been happening a lot longer than Friday night.

Watching tonight's game they would have learned that playing an extra back is a successful and legitimate tactic.

Will you?

However, watching Friday night's game they would have learned that the same tactic of playing an extra back might work for a mature Geelong team against a tiring young side but it sure as hell doesn't work for a depleted team that's low on skills and confidence.

I'm with brfe here. I was upset both during and after our game v Carlton that we took such a meaningless approach. I'd rather go down with all guns blazing and playing attacking football like Gold Coast did last night than produce the shambles that we had to witness on Friday night. I've seen our negative brand of football squeeze the life out of a number of previously attacking players this year and I hope we change tack before it's too late.

However, watching Friday night's game they would have learned that the same tactic of playing an extra back might work for a mature Geelong team against a tiring young side but it sure as hell doesn't work for a depleted team that's low on skills and confidence.

I'm with brfe here. I was upset both during and after our game v Carlton that we took such a meaningless approach. I'd rather go down with all guns blazing and playing attacking football like Gold Coast did last night than produce the shambles that we had to witness on Friday night. I've seen our negative brand of football squeeze the life out of a number of previously attacking players this year and I hope we change tack before it's too late.

Agreed.

When Melbourne play well they keep players forward of the ball so there are options to kick it to at all times.

That's all well & good, but it's a close decision when we have them all and we don't have all of those players right now.

If you're comparing the GC performance tonight to the MFC performance on Friday night, its not quite the same.

We have a shortfall in quality leadership, and also a shortfall in the quality of the rest we are playing.

Juice, Bate and Warnock should not be getting a game, and players of that quality aren't getting out on the park for GC.

Artie it has nothing to do with supposed "quality" these guys were drafted by the club as the best footballers we thought they might become. To me it is the complete lack of desire to work harder than your opponent that I can't stomach. If they were at least looking like a side with desire, want, heart, work ethic, leadership then it would be a lot easier to look at our current situation and say yeap we have heaps out lets relax and look towards end of season for a bright shinning light. They are a ship without a rudder on the field at present, someone all season has needed to step up.... who will it be?

has anyone actually looked at our list in terms of games played? go to footywire and try it. it will enlighten you, given the pies average game total was 107 and they were considered YOUNG

I think your missing the point Benno.

Gold Coast are even younger than us. And have way less games between them. Yet they managed to take on a top team and play some good attacking footy.

Dean Bailey: "Alright, boys, I don't back any of you to win the game, so we're going to play very defensively and reduce the final margin against us. Now let's get out there!"

Inspirational stuff.