Craig Cameron and Barry Prendergast ... What have you done!

[Range Rover 1,935]

We, the supporters of the Melbourne Football Club, hereby issue you with a writ in the Supreme Court of Footballing Justice of catastrophic ineptitude in the line of duty.

16 first rounders and a C-grade midfield to show for it. No stars. 5-year development stick insects and a host of NQR's.

Good on ya fellas.

The judge finds for the plaintiff.

Guilty as charged. *BANG*

Edited April 2, 2012 by Range Rover

[Geddy Lee 582]

As I said last week, it ain't looking good.

[The Song Formerly Known As 6,479]

Ahahahahah.

[Guest Jackie]

I suspect they got all their recruiting tips by reading the Hun and the Age with a cup of coffee whilst doing bugger all else in their office.

Edited April 1, 2012 by Jackie

[Chook 14,647]

Most people charged with such a serious crime would ask around, interview people and do their utmost to get the best people to represent them in the case. BP would probably not even interview the best lawyer in the land because he didn't like his haircut.

[Sir Why You Little 35,320]

This exact thought was going through my head throughout the entire second half yesterday...

The AFL has given this club many chances to get things right, but we keep blowing it....no wonder little kids don't wear a melbourne jumper to AUSKICK

i am now feeling numb rather than mad....B.P. of course will say nothing..

[GawnWithTheWind 604]

16???? [censored]

[bush demon 1,928]

There was an article in The Age today setting out St Kilda's poor top ten draft selections over the last several years, and they were only two heartbeats from two premierships. i think the period mentioned was 2003 to 2009.

[Guest Dr Who]

We, the supporters of the Melbourne Football Club, hereby issue you with a writ in the Supreme Court of Footballing Justice of catastrophic ineptitude in the line of duty.

16 first rounders and a C-grade midfield to show for it. No stars. 5-year development stick insects and a host of NQR's.

Good on ya fellas.

The judge finds for the plaintiff.

Guilty as charged. *BANG*

hehehehe - very funny. But not unexpected. Does it make you feel better looking for someone to blame?

The "names" are irrelevant it goes much deeper than "names."

However, I'm confident Neeld will change our toxic culture.

[Biffen 12,524]

I suspect they got all their recruiting tips by reading the Hun and the Age with a cup of coffee whilst doing bugger all else in their office.

Not far off .Maybe we SHOULD get Emma Quayle .She's the one doing the research for them .

[RudeBoy 164]

To be honest, I think it's more important to have an elite professionally run development program to ensure young players develop to their potential, than to be able to pick the right players. Certainly, all the years the club's facilities were based at the junction oval, I saw nothing remotely elite about the clubs development program. All that can be hoped for now, is that youngsters recruited to the Dees will be given every opportunity to develop and thrive, so that they reach their potential.

[Cheesy D. Pun 1,762]

To be honest, I think it's more important to have an elite professionally run development program to ensure young players develop to their potential, than to be able to pick the right players. Certainly, all the years the club's facilities were based at the junction oval, I saw nothing remotely elite about the clubs development program. All that can be hoped for now, is that youngsters recruited to the Dees will be given every opportunity to develop and thrive, so that they reach their potential.

Spot on. There's usually a concensus on the value of most young draftees. It's what happens after they arrive that is key.

[JJJ 603]

To be honest, I think it's more important to have an elite professionally run development program to ensure young players develop to their potential, than to be able to pick the right players. Certainly, all the years the club's facilities were based at the junction oval, I saw nothing remotely elite about the clubs development program. All that can be hoped for now, is that youngsters recruited to the Dees will be given every opportunity to develop and thrive, so that they reach their potential.

Bingo!

A lot of footy types couldn't believe how poorly we have developed our players over the past 3-4 years. The list includes Malthouse David king, dunstall, Sheehan, walls, Roos, Matthews and Healy. I don't like them all but the groundswell is impressive and I for one agree with them.

Bailey was a dud from day 1. He along with a few selection errors at the draft table has left us in a hole.

[Dr. Gonzo 22,786]

The thing is Bailey was seen as a good teacher and development coach so what does that tell you? I don't know but it is truly laughable and for what its worth I agree 100%. It can't ALL come down to drafting especially when we have had so many good picks.

[nutbean 8,837]

You are letting the players off the hook and whilst we continue to focus on everyone else ( the coaches***, the recruiters,) but the 22 players who pull on the jumper we will continue to be a mediocre. Have we learned from Jim Stynes - how did he get to play 264 games ( i hope got that right) win a brownlow, AA's and best and fairest. Who exactly should we credit with his success ? Jim Stynes thats who. Our best player on Saturday has been at the club two minutes. Are Neeld and the coaches responsible for him having a kamikaze attitude towards the ball ? No - its Magner who is responsible for Magner.

*** I will concede that I believe that the desire to be the best must come from within the player however the coach should be able to positively encourage the player to display correct attitudes to footy and in equal measure send strong messages for non performance.

[Forest Demon 4,681]

I am on board with the 'it's not so much the recruitment as the culture and development' crew. In saying that it is clear the style of players we generally drafted under Bailey when we were bottoming out are not suited to the contested style of footy Mark Neeld wants us playing.

[Lordweaver 235]

I can accept that we don't have anyone the class of black but to get owned in the third the way we did was weak, out with moloney, green and davey for starters as we probably won't win over there anyway, this will send a signal to the rest that Neeld means business

[Dr. Gonzo 22,786]

You are letting the players off the hook and whilst we continue to focus on everyone else ( the coaches***, the recruiters,) but the 22 players who pull on the jumper we will continue to be a mediocre. Have we learned from Jim Stynes - how did he get to play 264 games ( i hope got that right) win a brownlow, AA's and best and fairest. Who exactly should we credit with his success ? Jim Stynes thats who. Our best player on Saturday has been at the club two minutes. Are Neeld and the coaches responsible for him having a kamikaze attitude towards the ball ? No - its Magner who is responsible for Magner.

*** I will concede that I believe that the desire to be the best must come from within the player however the coach should be able to positively encourage the player to display correct attitudes to footy and in equal measure send strong messages for non performance.

Which is why so many of us were disappointed that we went for another tall skinny schoolboy champion in Cook over a crash and bash old fashioned footballer in Darling. Would having Darling in our side automatically remedy everything wrong with us? Of course not but I think the type of players we have drafted needs to be looked at also. You can have a couple of Watts or Blease in the side but not Strauss, Blease, Watts, Cook, Gysberts, Morton (I'd add Scully in here also) etc all skinny "athletic" body types rather than crash and bash footballers like Darling, Hurley or Martin.

I think development is a very large part of our problem and one that we are trying to fix with our invetsment in the FD but you also need to recruit the right players who you can develop into a cohesive team. This is a long standing problem, many players would come in and have great first years/games and then completely stagnate. Look at for example guys like Bruce or Green. Started off in 2000 like a house on fire but plateued straight away and never really evolved their games to the next level. Same can be said for guys like Yze, Johnstone, Sylvia the list goes on and on.

Along with the investment in the FD I think Neeld has the right type of player in mind to recruit - look at Tynan on Saturday, didn't set the world on fire but had a real crack and didn't shy away from any physical contact. I want players that relish that contact, not think twice when they see opposition colours when going for the ball.

EDIT - this doesn't mean they have to be built like Tapscott or McLean and be slow as treacle either - just "solid through the hips" players who have a dip and are footballers before athletes.

Edited April 1, 2012 by Dr. Gonzo

[Rob Mac...... 612]

Does anyone remember the HS article heading, "WE GOT OUR MAN" that was a quote from a main Dees recruiter after taking 81kg(?) Cook in the draft?

We needed a power forward immediately, yet they drafted another skinny tall & were congratulating themselves. That's when I knew Melbournes recruiting was terrible. Cook & the others may turn out fine players individually, but a balanced team wasn't recruited & Neeld seems to know it.

...and I agree, development has been poor. I'd like to see several minutes of players training in pairs with a ball,- one leads & the other kicks to the lead, & back again over & over & over. So simple. Hawthorn are great at it & we suck by comparison. We need confidence that a player can present a good lead which will be honoured with a good pass so we create chains of possessions. ......

.... Oh wait a minute, did someone say our game plan was about "bomb it long to a contest"?? I thought that was what you were supposed to do only if you had to get rid of it & there was no better option?!? Surely a safe 30 yard pass maintaining possession trumps bombing it long to a contest almost every time?

[Rob Mac...... 612]

Apologies for coincidentally saying some of what Gonzo just said about Cook etc. His wasn't posted when I started mine, so I didn't see it, but we're thinking along the same lines there.

[rpfc 27,676]

Does anyone remember the HS article heading, "WE GOT OUR MAN" that was a quote from a main Dees recruiter after taking 81kg(?) Cook in the draft? We needed a power forward immediately, yet they drafted another skinny tall & were congratulating themselves. That's when I knew Melbournes recruiting was terrible. Cook & the others may turn out fine players individually, but a balanced team wasn't recruited & Neeld seems to know it. ...and I agree, development has been poor.

If you want "a power forward immediately" you don't find them in the draft, FFS.

Darling isn't WCE's 'power forward' - Kennedy and Lynch are.

We went and got a power forward 'immediately' the only way how - through a trade.

[rpfc 27,676]

Does anyone here really think our drafting from 2007 onwards is the reason we are in the predicament? We have been here since 2007...

The senior players weak minds and average talent are the reasons we are where we are.

You are pushed forward on the back of your 25+ brigade and ours are 1) not plentiful, 2) not good enough, and 3) weak in the head.

So stop blaming Cook for something he has nothing to do with.

Edited April 1, 2012 by rpfc

[Face Your Demons 175]

I have been reading this forum for a few years, and most of who we chose in the drafts were high on this forums get list. Its a whole new ballgame now so strap in.

[old dee 23,256]

Does anyone here really think our drafting from 2007 onwards is the reason we are in the predicament? We have been here since 2007...

The senior players weak minds and average talent are the reasons we are where we are.

You are pushed forward on the back of your 25+ brigade and ours are 1) not plentiful, 2) not good enough, and 3) weak in the head.

So stop blaming Cook for something he has nothing to do with.

I have been saying this for two years rpfc.

Our senior players are in the main not up to Good AFL standard, they simply cannot carry us forward while the kids develop.

I might add I do not think Our drafting since 2007 has been wonderfully successful either.

We have picked up a few good players but I doubt any of them will be very good and I see no sign of a game breaking player.

[pitchfork 181]

Shoot me for having a divergent opinion, but. Citing the recruiters as the key to our failure is just plain wrong. Melbourne is not an environment of success. I actually think the recruiting has been good...The football department has been mediocre, and accepting of less than excellence for too long. Put White, Yze, Chippa, Grimes, Jurrah (maybe) in Geelong, Sydney, Cwood jumpers and I truly believe they are perennial all-australians.

The hyperbole emanating from the round 1 loss is ridiculous. Neeld is installing a culture of excellence...it won't happen in the space of one game, but give him at least some time. Less blame on the players, patience with those who are rebooting what is there now, and let's damn those (particular the individuals who thought it wise to drop the 'demons' moniker) who deserve it