RUMOURS

[BIG JIM 508]

I want mick malthouse & a new CEO before the club say can i have some more money. I have given $ 2,300 this year for what? the melbourne vixens. I want change NOW

[Demon Dynasty 17,109]

Its been an absolute shocking start to the season on and off the ground, we are pathetic but just have to keep going, l new we would get done by 100 points today, it was bleedin' obvious. Imagine how demorolising its been for the players and staff with all the crap going off the field at the moment, we just can't take a trick. No club in the history of the game has had to go through what we have had in the last month.

No coach would have either i would bet. Tough entry for Neeld. At least we've got everything in place within the FD, or appear to, to find something in the next 2 to 3 seasons. A long haul ahead for all of us.

[Scoop Junior 3,472]

Well said Big Red - I heard that comment from Gerard too and thought it was spot on. People bang on about effort and heart etc. and it does play a part but at the end of the day if you don't have the cattle you are going to get exposed no matter how good your effort is.

Midfield quality is an obvious one - at the moment Jones is looking like the only player with the ability to get the ball often enough and use it well. And he's a good solid player rather than an A grade midfielder. Magner has been great as a grunt player.

It's just devastating that with all the high picks we've had we haven't built a dominant midfield. We haven't even produced an A grade midfielder yet. Trengove and Gysberts offer hope to become A graders, but it's just hope at the moment based more on potential than evidence.

There are too many similar types, too many blokes with poor disposal. Too many who lack pace and who struggle to run and spread. That's why I liked $cully so much for what he added to the mix in terms of his pace and ability to gut run.

The few players in the team who can regularly hit targets don't get the footy enough and the few players with pace don't go in hard enough. At the moment it's just a mishmash of players with each possessing some strengths but ultimately having glaring weaknesses.

And the midfield depth is a good point too. Most teams have specialist talls and smalls, with the rest of the team made up of midfielders. We seem to have an obsession with 6''1 flankers who can't play midfield. The modern game requires 9 or 10 of the 22 blokes that can go through the midfield, I'd say we had about 7 today.

If we do finish in the bottom three or four then we will potentially have the chance to pick up two top 5 players, a pick 12 and then Jack Viney as an early second rounder (assuming you can't use compensation picks on father-son(?) and that the bottom two or three don't bid for Viney). If we do have these picks then it'll be absolutely critical that we pick up some outstanding midfield talent along with Viney. No more mistakes.

Things can turn really quickly when you start to build a good midfield. At the moment we are simply uncompetitive in there, arguably the worst midfield in the comp. Embarrassing and gut-wrenching to watch.

I also thought it was disgusting that no one even went up to Waters after he ran through Grimes. We let our captain get flattened and do nothing about it. I don't even care if someone gets reported - you don't let your captain go down and not react. [censored] weak.

[leucopogon 1,519]

I also thought it was disgusting that no one even went up to Waters after he ran through Grimes. We let our captain get flattened and do nothing about it. I don't even care if someone gets reported - you don't let your captain go down and not react. [censored] weak.

I couldn't believe this either. Something is really wrong with the team to not fly the flag at least after that cheap shot. Really deflating to watch as a supporter.

[stuie 7,374]

i watched the game and I couldnt agree less. Watts did very little and seemed riddled with doubt. Howe took a few marks and Petterd was never there when he should have been. Rivers played well in the first half. Infact our defense was the only part of the game that we even showed a whimper...

Really?! We lose by 100 points and come within 2 inside 50s of the highest amount ever and our defense was ok? Hmmm....

[Dee Fan 3,247]

Gerard Healy who I cant stand got it very right today. We lack midfield quality and midfield depth. We have alot of players who just play forward and just play defence but they are not keys. That is either poor recruiting or poor development. If you dont play in a key post you MUST in todays game understand how to play through the middle or at least have the work rate of a midfielder. It is time to start pushing players out that lack the flexibility to play through the middle. Our effort when near the ball was ok but we lack polish and the courage to run.

It's poor development if you have players that are good but never reach their potential, there aren't many that we have that are good so I guess it's recruiting.

If any one can name any of our midfield that are good but haven't had the right development I'd like to know who they are.

[Fork 'em 6,983]

Someone should show them the basic skill of kicking to advantage.

These BS 5ft handballs amongst congestion get us no-where but caught.

There is no vision beyond the immediate area.

Our captain got poleaxed an no-one did anything.

If not right then , later.

I saw Frawley coulda had a couple of blokes cold at times, nup I'll gently block.

We are weak as pizz , get some barking balls FFS.

[Webber 10,468]

Do you really think I'm satisfied with mediocrity? Four players played okay last week, and four this week. Jack Watts was one of them. Why consider delisting him when there's at least 26 players on our list who are performing worse than him.

Agree. Jack Watts is quality. His touches are always constructive, and his only flaws are his lack of selfishness and that he runs out of legs a bit in the latter part of the game. Both of these will improve. When he gets the ball, I relax a little, because I know he won't butcher it. Why are we not seeing the same scrutiny on Jack Trengove? Yes he is hard, and talented, but he just doesn't get enough of the pill to be an elite midfielder. Again he will improve, but he needs to get up at least to the mid 20's in disposals......now!

[Dee Fan 3,247]

I didn't watch the game, I'm doing Grandfather duties in Disneyland at the moment, but from what I've read here it sounds as if we are completely clueless and our game plan is either too complicated or just ineffectual. This is another year where we are finished before the season really gets underway and we must clear out the debris and rebuild again; I mentioned this last year and was laughed at well no one is laughing now.

We will finish either last, second last or third last this year and we have the chance to get some serious talent on board plus with the inevitable clean out of the most useless senior players, the chance to pick up some good established players under free agency or some emerging talent wanting to relocate from Gold Coast.

I don't think we will get many more opportunities and I doubt we will get many more new members now that our season is shot after 2 games why would you want to watch this poor excuse of a team capitulate every week and embarrass both themselves and their supporters.

[Fork 'em 6,983]

We will finish either last, second last or third last this year and we have the chance to get some serious talent on board plus with the inevitable clean out of the most useless senior players, the chance to pick up some good established players under free agency or some emerging talent wanting to relocate from Gold Coast.

I fear we will lose players rather than gain them over the years.

Just a club to be picked over by the big boys.

[Lil_red_fire_engine 11,177]

Agree. Jack Watts is quality. His touches are always constructive, and his only flaws are his lack of selfishness and that he runs out of legs a bit in the latter part of the game. Both of these will improve. When he gets the ball, I relax a little, because I know he won't butcher it. Why are we not seeing the same scrutiny on Jack Trengove? Yes he is hard, and talented, but he just doesn't get enough of the pill to be an elite midfielder. Again he will improve, but he needs to get up at least to the mid 20's in disposals......now!

He had 21 touches Trengove in a team that got smashed. He plays a style of game that needs 2 more seasons of physical maturity before he can consistently apply it at high quality for a full game.

Edited April 7, 2012 by big_red_fire_engine

[Face Your Demons 175]

My biggest worry is how badly we fell away in both second half's after such a big pre season.

[Deez2012 0]

i felt that Magner had good disposials, while Clarke won most of his contests. also McDonald played well in defense, remember West Coast Eagles are a bloody good team...

[Waltham33 475]

I couldn't believe this either. Something is really wrong with the team to not fly the flag at least after that cheap shot. Really deflating to watch as a supporter.

And the last player to fly the flag in a MFC jumper was????????

[Dee Fan 3,247]

i felt that Magner had good disposials, while Clarke won most of his contests. also McDonald played well in defense, remember West Coast Eagles are a bloody good team...

It's interesting to note that 2 of the best 3 players for us yesterday were recruited, supposedly, at the behest of Neeld.

It will also be interesting to see if he continues to influence the recruitment of players, if so I doubt that with he and Viney at the reins, we will see many skinny project players picked up in the 2012 draft. Speaking of which I guess it's about time we had a look at who is available, that's about the only thing of interest the rest of the year holds.

[sue 9,106]

Interesting that many of those slitting wrists as a result of a 100 point thumping had predicted it, yet post as if they were shocked by being thumped. Can any amateur physcologists out there explain this condition?

[Face Your Demons 175]

2 years ago The Eagles won 4 games and the spoon, turned it around very fast. Granted one of the teams they beat was us at the G, but it shows how fast it can turn around.

[Biffen 12,943]

Before you all top yourselves I will say it again .

The greatest team on the earth cannot win a game when the free kick count is 23-1 against .

Football is a game of populated and run by complete dolts who run in packs mentally and physically .

Crowds and umpires are the worst of these type of sheeple .

The wheel turns.

To quote Robert Zimmerman

"The loser now will later to win"

[titan_uranus 25,019]

18 months ago this team ended below us on the ladder.

What the hell is going on?

I'm not yet going to microwave my membership, but someone needs to provide some answers.

And can we please just get rid of the rat(s) who is destyroying the moral at the team. I don't know who it is nor do I care. Just get rid of them.

The next person who compares us to West Coast is going to get a personal visit from me and my chainsaw.

FFS. West Coast is totally different. In the year they won the spoon, the fell apart at the seams, had injuries to all their senior players, and then blatantly tanked. One of the main reasons they climbed up to the top 4 in the next year is because they had Cox, Kerr, Glass, Embley and Lynch all fit and playing at their capacity (which, in the case of all of them except Lynch, is as an A grader).

We don't have anyone on our list resembling that group. We don't have that core group of stars who can lead and lift us. So stop suggesting we might just magically find them and then rise from the depths of the ladder to the top 4. West Coast was the exception, not the norm.

There are too many similar types, too many blokes with poor disposal. Too many who lack pace and who struggle to run and spread. That's why I liked $cully so much for what he added to the mix in terms of his pace and ability to gut run.

The few players in the team who can regularly hit targets don't get the footy enough and the few players with pace don't go in hard enough. At the moment it's just a mishmash of players with each possessing some strengths but ultimately having glaring weaknesses.

Agreed. Our midfield is terrible, and it comes from having one-dimensional players. Swan, Pendlebury, Thomas, Judd, Murphy, Hodge, Mitchell, Sewell, Priddis, Kerr, Shuey, Selwood, Bartel, Kelly - they are all able of both getting their own ball and then using it with skill. At Melbourne, you are either capable of doing one, or the other. Not good enough, and part of that has to come down to bad coaching. That we've been unable to teach Jones how to kick in 6 years, or to teach Bennell how to win a contested possession, has to come, in some part, from bad coaches.

Really?! We lose by 100 points and come within 2 inside 50s of the highest amount ever and our defense was ok? Hmmm....

What do you want our defenders to do when the West Coast midfielders are streaming towards the 50 under no pressure? With their amount of time and lack of pressure, they are able to do whatever they want, and no defence in the league can stop that kind of dominance.

[Nasher 33,616]

What do you want our defenders to do when the West Coast midfielders are streaming towards the 50 under no pressure? With their amount of time and lack of pressure, they are able to do whatever they want, and no defence in the league can stop that kind of dominance.

I completely agree - our defensive 6 or so has the inertia of an entire team to contend with. Of course it's not going to hold up. Our defense isn't perfect and at the moment there's a couple of players in there that I don't rate, but it's by far the most workable area on the ground for us. We've seen what Frawley and Garland in particular look like when things come together.

[stuie 7,374]

What do you want our defenders to do when the West Coast midfielders are streaming towards the 50 under no pressure? With their amount of time and lack of pressure, they are able to do whatever they want, and no defence in the league can stop that kind of dominance.

Look I agree with that, but my point was that it was pretty silly to praise the defence after yesterday. Chip had a very ordinary game by his standards, as did Garland, and did anyone even see Bartram?

I was by no means saying they were to blame, but was merely trying to help a fellow poster, who said our defence was good and the umpires were to blame for our loss, get some realism back in his life...

[Chook 15,013]

Interesting that many of those slitting wrists as a result of a 100 point thumping had predicted it, yet post as if they were shocked by being thumped. Can any amateur physcologists out there explain this condition?

There is a phenomenon whereby a person presented with a negative potential outcome and a positive potential outcome will choose the latter as being more likely. But we as Melbourne supporters have finally wised up enough to buck that trend. We've finally broken through the delusions which have blinded so many of us for so many years. We know how disappointing we'll be, but we're still just as [censored] off as ever about it. We're realists now, but that doesn't stop us from being jaded by our crappiness.

Edited April 8, 2012 by Chook

[PJ_12345 1,098]

There are only so many crisis meetings you can have .We need weights and steroids .

I cannot disagree any more....

From watching both rounds its apparent what we are lacking is basic teamwork and skills.

Kicks should have been sent to the chest but were too high, handballs were weak, desperate and sent often over to worse situations, and all the rare kicks to our forwards were either planted on top or to the wrong side.

Also the lazyness was unbelievable. No one was leading, supporting or even tagging.

The worst thing we could do ATM is more individual and non skill orientated work such as weights.

We need more cardio, skills training and FFS almost a lock in.

Send the players off somewhere as a team and work on skills, cardio, and teamwork.

[Nasher 33,616]

Interesting that many of those slitting wrists as a result of a 100 point thumping had predicted it, yet post as if they were shocked by being thumped. Can any amateur physcologists out there explain this condition?

I agree sue. It's weird. I'm not normally one to forecast 100 point losses as I need to remain at least a bit optimistic for my own sanity. But I could see this one coming from an absolute mile away and it's probably for that reason I found it a lot less cutting. If anything, while very disappointing, I thought the 100 point margin was about right for the difference in class between the two sides and how distracted the club was during the week.

Certainly I found it a lot less cutting than the previous week, which for me was unexpected.

[Biffen 12,943]

I cannot disagree any more....

From watching both rounds its apparent what we are lacking is basic teamwork and skills.

Kicks should have been sent to the chest but were too high, handballs were weak, desperate and sent often over to worse situations, and all the rare kicks to our forwards were either planted on top or to the wrong side.

Also the lazyness was unbelievable. No one was leading, supporting or even tagging.

The worst thing we could do ATM is more individual and non skill orientated work such as weights.

We need more cardio, skills training and FFS almost a lock in.

Send the players off somewhere as a team and work on skills, cardio, and teamwork.

Yes and then watch them miss tackles and get pushed over by bigger players again .