LOVE STORY by Whispering Jack

I have this application on my iPhone which supplies up-to-date scores of every AFL game being played at any particular time. When the game is over, the result is recorded for posterity so that the final score from the match played at Skilled Stadium on the last Saturday in the month of July 2011 will stand forever as the most shameful result in the 153 year history of the Melbourne Football Club*.

There is little more that needs to be written or said about the game. There might well be reasons behind the train wreck to explain or excuse the performance of particular individuals within the group. For example, Brent Moloney was ill and should not have played. There may well have been others but it matters little because, apart from the lone effort of Jordie McKenzie (25 disposals including 16 contested possessions and 8 tackles) the team was hopelessly shamed. And if it was a player protest against Cameron Schwab as is being suggested in some quarters then it is a matter of complete and utter disgrace.

What's more, this was not a single, isolated instance of ineptitude on the part of the team but rather, it forms part of a pattern that has been evident since as early as February when Melbourne was unceremoniously bundled out of the NAB Cup by Essendon. This team is capable of winning against the weak but it also meekly capitulates at the slightest sign of pressure from the strong. What does this tell you about their character and about the ability of those appointed to prepare them for the hard slog of an elite sporting competition?

Coach Dean Bailey has quite rightly accepted responsibility for the day's debacle. At the after match press conference, he described it as "an embarrassing day" with the potential ''to create a division or a fracture'' at the club.

''I stand here absolutely taking the whole responsibility for today, no question about that. The rest of the year it'll either be the making of us, or … we'll slowly disintegrate for the rest of the year. I'd like to think there's enough resolve within the group that this is as big a kick in the arse as you can get. We got kicked in the arse often today, we were embarrassing. We were embarrassing for the whole game. There probably aren't strong enough words to suggest how poor we were today.''

Bailey also conceded that ''a loss like today doesn't [bode] well for anyone who's in the last year of their contract'' and that while he wanted to continue as coach, the decision on that matter is with the club board.

''The board will make a decision that's in the best interests of the Melbourne Football Club, the decision will be what it is. There is no greyness in it, it's black and white.''

Earlier in the day, the morning papers told how the board was contemplating extending Bailey's contract by a year or even two. The Herald Sun carried a double page spread with the pros and cons of Bailey's three and three quarter years at the coaching helm at Melbourne.

I have heard it said by some that the players all "love the coach".

Really?

My experience tells me that if there's one thing that's true about professional team sports these days, it's that they only constitute a love story for supporters of and for their club.

Sportsmen get paid for their labour so it's more about professionalism and respect in the first instance rather than about "love". Love is often a factor in the equation but never what it's all about for the players. They have a job to do first.

On this day, the entire playing group assembled at Skilled Stadium (OK with one or two exceptions) showed no love over a period of six hours from the commencement of the VFL game at 10.40 am to the end of the AFL game at 4.40 pm. Nor did they show any respect for their club, their coach or their supporters, particularly those who went to the game and paid admission to the ground to suffer not "embarrassment" as Bailey called it, but "humiliation" which more properly describes the events of this dark day for all those who truly love the club.

However, there is no emotion involved in dual North Melbourne premiership player David King's telling analysis of why Bailey's game plan has been an abject failure against the competition's leading lights. This is what he said in the Herald Sun spread which appeared on the morning of the game.

"There are two answers to why their game plan doesn't work against good sides. Either the coaches haven't been able to implement what they want or it simply doesn't work.

"When I watch them, their set-up reminds me of an era gone by, similar to Geelong between 2007-2010, and a system that doesn't work against a properly implemented press.

"When the ball is in Melbourne's defensive end, their forwards roll right up the ground, which makes it very hard to score. I do believe the talent is there.

"So either that talent develops and allows them to play the way Dean wants them to, or the game plan is outdated. I think it might be the latter.''

If the game plan was outdated before the game, it is likely to soon become a part of history and, along with it, I fear will be the coach.

I do care for Dean Bailey but I care more for the Demons and, since I agree with him that the decision on his future now rests with the board, I trust that they will do the right thing and move quickly and decisively to stave off what will otherwise inevitably be a very ugly week for the Melbourne Football Club.

Melbourne 0.3.3 1.4.10 5.4.34 7.5.47

Geelong 8.3.51 20.4.124 28.8.176 37.11.233

Goals

Melbourne Dunn 2 Bate Howe Trengove Watts

Geelong Johnson 7 Hawkins Mooney 5 Hawkins 5 Duncan Stokes Varcoe 3, Bartel Corey West 2 Christensen Ling Mackie Ottens Selwood

Best

Melbourne McKenzie

Geelong Johnson Selwood Corey Enright Mooney Bartel Varcoe

Injuries

Melbourne Moloney (ill)

Geelong Taylor (hip)

Changes

Melbourne Nil

Geelong Nil

Reports

Melbourne Nil

Geelong Nil

Umpires H Ryan S Ryan Jeffery

Crowd 22,716 at Skilled Stadium

*History says there has only been one instance of a greater losing margin than that which was witnessed in this game - back in 1979 when Fitzroy disposed of an injury-depleted Melbourne side that was sitting close to the bottom of the ladder by 190 points but that was in a time where there was no such thing as today's sophisticated defensive strategies, zoning and presses.

One of our posters, Redleg, who was team manager at Melbourne under Carl Ditterich that year, will tell the story of how and why the Demons suffered that defeat, what it meant to the club at that time and how it rebounded the following week to beat the Bombers.

How can we play that bad? It's not youth or small bodies or coaching or admin. What is it?

How can we play that bad? It's not youth or small bodies or coaching or admin. What is it?

Its the vibe....Mabo.....and all that.

Might be some truth about the infighting down at the club.

Beamer did not touch the football. When was the last player to not touch the ball. And he's our best. What is going on?

I consider myself a fairl strong person but I feel like crying about now. This club is going nowhere

How can we play that bad? It's not youth or small bodies or coaching or admin. What is it?

i agree, it goes way way deeper than just Dean Bailey....This week it must be found.

Get Harry Potter on to it!!

We're happy littel Demonites as happy as can be

we all enjoy our Demons, for breakfast lunch and tea...

hang on...it was the Cats who had us ....and on toast !!!

Beamer did not touch the football. When was the last player to not touch the ball. And he's our best. What is going on?

Yes this is number 1 problem....our strongest player subbed off without touching the ball. Aman who loves the DAMM CLUB.

We are in serious trouble.

Beamer did not touch the football. When was the last player to not touch the ball. And he's our best. What is going on?

He was ill

How can we play that bad? It's not youth or small bodies or coaching or admin. What is it?

It is few things, i think.

Geelong are far more mature and better at playing well.

WE lost the centre and when that happenend, they anticipated it and got players ahead of the ball. we then were always chasing tail.

Our leaders cannot ascert themselves.

Our kids got overwhelmed.

It then fed itself.

I consider myself a fairl strong person but I feel like crying about now. This club is going nowhere

mate...I sympathise... but take it from an old timer.. its only football !! life goes on. seriously

Beamer did not touch the football. When was the last player to not touch the ball. And he's our best. What is going on?

Had the flu and shouldnt have played...

We needed this. Seriously.

It shows the coaches where players are really at.

It shows the club where the coaches are really at.

It shows the members/supporters where the club is really at.

All questions that are better off answered now instead of later.

I consider myself a fairl strong person but I feel like crying about now. This club is going nowhere

I'm numb.

I think crying is better.

I actually don't care anymore.

Its the vibe....Mabo.....and all that.

The margin was huge but as we know, confidence is a huge factor and the Cats were oozing with it. How about their regular one-handed marks, jag shots for goal etc, etc? We fumbled and played without any confidence at all. Hence the big difference in the scores.

Will be interesting to see how the Jackals in the media react to this. Many must be salivating at the meal before them. Can hardly blame them though...

I'm numb.

I think crying is better.

I actually don't care anymore.

Jaded..youll be fine... it just becomes an almighty big nothing !!

Okay! I am going to wait and find out what the hell happened. There has to be a reason for a display like that. "we are not that bad" and geelong is not that good. Player revolt, flu, or whatever I will just wait a little longer. [censored] im sick of waiting.

A major cultural problem has been allowed to resurface.

Scully is not the only big profile player that will not be at Melbourne in 2012. Today may just force a few more to want to bail out as well.

It's a bit damning that we have only beaten 2 Vic clubs here since Bailey took over, Bombers and Tigers. WTF!

Changes still required, but no one with any goolies seems to want to change a thing.

If ill players were played knowingly, then more heat should come onto the coaching/selection staff.

For passionate supporters this is a major setback, far worse than anyone could have imagined before this game.

The footy department needs a huge shakeup, Bailey must be set aside and someone with a totally different spin on things needs to come in NOW!

How long will we just wait for things to improve?

Players will once again say that it is not acceptable......sick of hearing all this lip service.

Soft, inept, rudderless, clueless, embarrassing, you name it, we were it today.

And LEADERSHIP....................................................where?

Okay! I am going to wait and find out what the hell happened. There has to be a reason for a display like that. "we are not that bad" and geelong is not that good. Player revolt, flu, or whatever I will just wait a little longer. [censored] im sick of waiting.

Moloney said to be too sick to play - Melbourne Storm crook too...

But, as one of the commentators on the ABC said "I bet the Storm won't serve up something like that..."

I'm pretty calm about all this at the moment. But a question I ask calmly, do you make the players walk home? From KP to the MCG. Would it effect their preperation too much next week? My calculations say it would take abouy 16 hours walking time. Put them up in hotels tonight, up at 6am tomorrow, and return to the MCG by foot. That goes for the coaching staff too.

I think it would effect the prep for next week too much, but if we had the bye and I was the coach, that's what I'd do.

Will be interesting to see how the Jackals in the media react to this. Many must be salivating at the meal before them. Can hardly blame them though...

The supporters will get there first.

Can someone please post any info from the press conference? I am very interested to see how they respond to this (lack of) effort.