OPPORTUNITY LOST

[monoccular 17,360]

Only if his form warrants it.

Gold coasts form is picking up, Dees could be ripe for the picking. Beamer must come back into the side next week. Not looking forward to North, seem to beat up on us

Only if his form warrants it.

?..and he hasn't been able to show form, positive or negative, since last week -- thanks VFL!

[Nasher 33,607]

A new low point for the Demons. I'm looking forward to reading RPFC, Nasher and whatever alias Enforcer is using trying to shout down discussion on this game. Surely even they can not spin this one.

Thomo! I was wondering where you'd been.

[Chook 15,001]

His predecessor won more games in his first season, with arguably a worse list, than I reckon Neeld will.

His predecessor also got 8 wins out of the same list last year, including over Port in Darwin.

We can keep blaming Bailey, and our recruiting til the cows come home, or the people in charge now can try to show us something positive to hold onto. Because right now we have done nothing but go backwards. We are no more defensive, but we certainly seem to have lost our agility to account. We are back to ground zero.

I'd like to see what Neeld's legacy will be. I desperately hope it's a good one, but my hope is not based on anything I've seen thus far. It is just a reason to keep holding on.

Bailey may have won more games than Neeld will in his first season, but he did it by teaching a game-style that was not only never going to get us to the top, but that actively damaged the talent we picked up during his tenure. This strikes at the core of why we're so bad. I don't care how many games Bailey won us. His moronic (and, above all, damaging) "gameplan" must be totally cut out like a malignant tumour, and Neeld is the man to do it. I still believe that.

[DemonOX 8,743]

I found it as excrutiating as everyone who watched. I would like to comfort myself by making a few observations that aren't new, simply confirmed.

I comfort myself through Bundy rum. Its getting very expensive though.

[whatwhat say what 22,351]

i can't believe just how bad we are. gc17 will beat us at the g on form like this. appalling.

[demon4eva 110]

How did we become this bad? Where is the team culture? We have two captains one can't kick the other one can't mark. Kicking backwards, hand balling too much, not manning up, running three meters behind your opponent, the list go on and on. Mark Neeld, I have never heard of any team that has a proud history as Melbourne play this bad for a whole season. Please walk away. If you are a good coach you would have found out the weakness and addressed it by now. Week in week out same old story. You say that we are improving. No we are not. As passionate supporters we know the pain. I don't think you care about how we feel. Unfortunately we have no voice and even if we do, I don't think you care.

[DeeZee 7,359]

Skills going backwards

[Roger Mellie 3,904]

Are we officially tanking now?

[Hardnut 327]

Boring game, predictable result. Not fussed by the result at all, it's the same crud we've served up all year so I'm pretty used to it now.

'Not fussed by the result at all'! Sentenced to read 'The Red Fox' until you can repeat it word for word!

[H_T 3,042]

This playing list was rated very highly (for a young list) before Neeld arrived - playing lists do NOT change dramatically in one year at any club.

By who, you ? Were you one of that overrated the young list on the back of Voss' stupid comments ?

At the end of last season it was rated one of the worst. Definitely one of the lowest rated midfields even just before 2012 commenced.

[Nasher 33,607]

'Not fussed by the result at all'! Sentenced to read 'The Red Fox' until you can repeat it word for word!

Why? Like any human being, after enough pain my emotions get dulled and I become apathetic. No book is going to change that. I also happened to just find that game super, super boring. Port are terrible, and somehow we're even worse. I genuinely wish I'd watched the Carlton-Bulldogs game instead, and that's saying something.

[Curry & Beer 5,444]

That performance was every bit as bad as 186 - had we not had such a horrible opponent we'd have lost by 20 goals. I can't give a single player a pass mark, maybe Grimes.You are losing me Melbourne

[Jarka 767]

Boring game, predictable result. Not fussed by the result at all, it's the same crud we've served up all year so I'm pretty used to it now.

Even after all these years of seeing this shiite year after year I'm still not used to it.

[Jaded No More 68,692]

Bailey may have won more games than Neeld will in his first season, but he did it by teaching a game-style that was not only never going to get us to the top, but that actively damaged the talent we picked up during his tenure. This strikes at the core of why we're so bad. I don't care how many games Bailey won us. His moronic (and, above all, damaging) "gameplan" must be totally cut out like a malignant tumour, and Neeld is the man to do it. I still believe that.

I don't think Bailey's game would have stood up in finals, no doubt, but to blame him for the ineptitude we are seeing now is just cowardly.

Neeld makes the calls on who to play and where. He chose to play two rucks in this heat, to have a sub with zero fitness base, to play a tiny makeshift forward line. He tells our players to kick across the ground, even if they cannot actually kick. He is responsible for centre bounce set ups, where we are often hopeless out of position and chasing our opponent.

He may not have inherited the fittest or best skilled list, but he inherited a list with lots of good young players who have now gone backwards.

It's not all his fault, but when you are leading, you need to take accountability.

[Soidee 1,496]

Well the rub has not changed all season. From round one this list and coaches have served up its loyal members and supporters the worst brand of football witnessed for many years.

I can and will not accept the post game drivel that we will get from players, coaches and apologetic supporters. The list is playing a D grade brand of football and the coaching is not much better.

Let's be candid here...winning games buys memberships. Why would anyone in their right mind buy a membership in 2013 based on what we have seen this year? The club is stealing our goodwill and money by default.

and before the apologists jump down my throat....I pay thousands each year to this club.

Never before have I felt so angry to say these things but everyone has a breaking point.

Where is the improvement going to come from? Enough for this club to play finals? How many more coaches, how many more number ones in the draft, etc etc. Our club plays woeful football.

Our list is full of players who are incapable of confidence and poise when under pressure. At this level of our national football code we are weighed down with some very ordinary choices at the draft table and the inability to teach them the basics of how to perform at the highest level.

Simply shocking to watch.

[dee-luded 2,959]

Couldn't get to watch it, & couldn't get the audio stream to work.

Missed the whole Shebang.

I had to sit thru a Carlton game.

[Nasher 33,607]

Even after all these years of seeing this shiite year after year I'm still not used to it.

Jarka, I reckon my level of disappointment is proportional to my expectations. After I get drugged up on the high of a good win (like the Essendon game), my expectations raise; I get sucked in and think maybe we've turned the corner and always rate us as a chance next week etc. Those weeks, when we inevitably serve up another big fat plate of horse crap, I'm bitterly disappointed and it hurts for days afterwards.

Right now, I'm sit waiting every week for that big old plate of horse crap to be served up. I'm waiting and ready for it, it doesn't surprise me when it arrives and my expectations are met. There's nothing for me to be disappointed about at the moment.

[Hardnut 327]

By who, you ? Were you one of that overrated the young list on the back of Voss' stupid comments ?

At the end of last season it was rated one of the worst. Definitely one of the lowest rated midfields even just before 2012 commenced.

I couldn't care less about Voss' comments.

The list was rated one of the worst by whom?

It was a young list just waiting for someone to develop - of course, particular aspects needed more development than others and no-one expected miracles in 2012. Stop making excuses and face the reality that we have gone backwards this season with poor coaching.

[H_T 3,042]

I love some of the revisionists....I recall the last two times we played Port up on Darwin - they were close games. This was similar and again a different list missing a few players we all might of wished for to be playing, another close contest before Port pulled away in the last in trying conditions.

Sure there were some absolute screaming blunders tonight by a few, and they hurt directly or indirectly on the scoreboard. I expect they will be poured over the hot coals for those blunders and all will move on for North Melbourne next week.

[Chook 15,001]

I don't think Bailey's game would have stood up in finals, no doubt, but to blame him for the ineptitude we are seeing now is just cowardly.

Neeld makes the calls on who to play and where. He chose to play two rucks in this heat, to have a sub with zero fitness base, to play a tiny makeshift forward line. He tells our players to kick across the ground, even if they cannot actually kick. He is responsible for centre bounce set ups, where we are often hopeless out of position and chasing our opponent.

He may not have inherited the fittest or best skilled list, but he inherited a list with lots of good young players who have now gone backwards.

It's not all his fault, but when you are leading, you need to take accountability.

I can't dsagree with any of that, but I still standby what I said about how much Bailey has set us back. It's like coming to a fork in the road. One guy takes you 10 ks down the wrong path, so another guy has to take you back to the fork before he can start leading you down the right path. Contested possession and fitness is obviously the focus of this season. I wish kicking were also a focus, but clearly it's not. Hopefully we can fix this soon, because having a game-plan which relies on kicking to the boundry is fraught with danger if you're so bad at kicking that you're as likely as not to kick it out on the full. Not to mention our atrocious delivery into the forward line.

[Soidee 1,496]

Time for a supporter and member driven rebellion. The club is a laughing stock.

[Hardnut 327]

Why? Like any human being, after enough pain my emotions get dulled and I become apathetic. No book is going to change that. I also happened to just find that game super, super boring. Port are terrible, and somehow we're even worse. I genuinely wish I'd watched the Carlton-Bulldogs game instead, and that's saying something.

Perhaps you should have!

[DemonOX 8,743]

Boring game, predictable result. Not fussed by the result at all, it's the same crud we've served up all year so I'm pretty used to it now.

Thats the problem though we shouldnt be used to it.

[P-man 13,366]

Tom Couch gets to play his first game in a true Melbourne performance. What a putrid effort. I can't fathom how an AFL side can perform like that. Given the quality of the opposition, it feels like the worst performance of the year.

Absolutely no conviction or creativity moving the ball forward. Horrible decisions in our back half and an inexplicably barren forwardline for which Neeld has to provide answers. In fact he has to provide answers for a fair bit more than that as most of our players looks to have their confidence absolutely shot to pieces. If he focuses on the higher tackle count or the higher numnber of inside 50s I'm gonna put my fist through something. We were playing a third of Port Adelaide ffs. Even with our outs, that sort of display is not excusable.

The worst part was the commentators didn't seem all that surprised by the level of performance. It is now expected that Melbourne will be horrendous.

To be where we are after 6 years of rebuilding is [censored] outrageous and the numbness I feel week after week has reverted to anger and wondering if I've had enough of following this garbage club.

[H_T 3,042]

The list was rated one of the worst by whom?

By many here, in particular, me.